From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) dir. by Robert Rodriguez

It’s very hard to talk about this movie without discussing it’s main gimmick: the twist. So my quick spoiler-free review is if you are into campy crime/horror movies and have the stomach for some real edgelord material (rape, slurs, the type of stuff you expect out of a Quentin Tarantino script), you might enjoy this movie. It’s best enjoyed going in as blind as possible; don’t even look at a trailer! If you can handle the vulgar stuff I mentioned, it can be a fun ride for a movie night.

If you’ve seen it or don’t care about major spoilers, feel free to read ahead.

So the main gimmick is the film plays itself as a really depraved crime thriller following two violent criminals, one of whom is a sex offender, escaping to Mexico. As I said, it gets horrid. Every female character in the movie is either sexualized or sexually assaulted which sucks. But, I’m down for some taboo subject matter if it eventually culminated to a point and isn’t purely for shock value.

But surprise twist! That whole plot gets shafted halfway through and the film suddenly transforms into a vampire flick with an ensemble cast of survivors! None of the ensemble is really developed that much because they spent almost the whole first half of the runtime pretending to be a different movie instead of fleshing out the most of the characters that mattered in the end.

It goes from Reservoir Dogs to Evil Dead, and seeing that sudden switch flip was certainly an awesome trip. But once the shock wore off, it left me kind of unsatisfied. I’m all for crazy genre-bending twists, but then what was the point of all the uncomfortable scenes I had to sit through for an unrelated rug pull.

It wasn’t a total waste of time, the first half still has some fun Tarantino one-liners and once it switches genres, it has some decent action scenes. But, there are better horror action movies out there that don’t waste as much of your time; and there are other horror comedies that pull off the genre-bending twist while still making the setup worth watching like Shaun of the Dead. In conclusion, half of the movie left a sour taste in my mouth, but the other half is a pretty fun time.

Recommend if you like: campy horror/action, snappy one-liners, Salma Hayek erotic dance scene 4k

Companion (2025) dir. by Drew Hancock

Minor spoilers have been blocked out.

I went into this movie pretty much blind with the teaser making me think this was gonna be a trippy psychological horror. What I didn’t expect at all was somewhat of a slasher horror comedy, but I’m not complaining. I had a lot of fun with this movie, with its fast pace constantly keeping me on my toes. The dialogue is very matter-of-fact in a way that gave me a major whiplash but I gradually got used to; I feel it aided in the film’s theme of very messed-up attitudes about relationships being normalized in our increasingly transactional society. Though I will admit at some points it felt like the writer thought having a character say “fuck” a lot is all you need for “naturalistic dialogue.”

The actors brought their A-game with Jack Quaid surprising me with how well he plays an incel type villain. I don’t want to spoil too much because the movie has so many twists and turns it’s best went in as blind as possible. I will just say that for a horror movie, the ending left me feeling surprisingly good and hopeful which is not what I expected out of the movie but I’m honestly glad it did.

Highly recommend if you like: horror comedies, something cathartic to watch after an awful relationship

The Producers (2005) dir. by Susan Stroman

The Producers (2005) is a film adaptation of a musical adaptation of a 1960’s film (and you can really feel it). It’s about a duo of producers who purposefully try to make the worst musical ever, putting together a show called “Springtime for Hitler.” That synopsis should tip you off this is a very irreverent comedy, that despite some misses, I had a lot of fun with.

The project feels less like a fully reimagined film and more like a slightly higher budget recording of the Broadway show. The main leads, Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, reprise their roles from Broadway and don’t tone down their theatrical performance even a bit for the new medium. On one hand this is good for people who want to watch the show in its purest form, but it also leads to awkward comedic moments that were clearly written with a stage in mind, like scenes where actors go way too over the top or pause for an absent crowd to laugh.

Despite the awkwardness of the cinematic transition, it’s still a lot of fun. The movie revels in taboo and offensive humor and that includes some lame, outdated stereotype humor. Some of the lame gay jokes didn’t take too much away from the peak of the movie, when it’s taking the piss out of Nazis (which in this current climate feels very therapeutic to watch).

My favorite musical numbers where I feel the flippant charm most came through were “I Wanna Be A Producer,” “Along Came Bialy,” and of course the climactic “Springtime for Hitler” itself. If you can look past the occasional awkward scene or eye-rolling gay joke, you’ll have a good time with The Producers as I did.

Recommend if you like: irreverent comedies, musicals, laughing at Nazis

The Simpsons Movie (2007) dir. by David Silverman

Despite being a big fan of the classic Simpsons, I never actually got around to watching the Simpsons movie. This was mainly because I never got into the 2000's seasons until a friend started showing me some good episodes. That led me to finally watching the movie and I don't regret it.

This has gotta be one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, with just nonstop jokes every second. For every one that misses, the movie is already on to the next one that is a banger. The movie really does just feel like an extended episode, for better and for worse. For better, it's just gag after gag with consistent belly laughs from me the whole way through. But for worse, it doesn't make the movie feel too special or leave that much of an impact. You're also gonna be dealing with later seasons version of the characters who are flanderized to all hell. Homer in particular in this film is just unredeemably awful to everyone and I can see that pissing off more purist fans.

Though I couldn't care less for the flanderized characters and plot, it's gotten some of the most laughs out of me of any movie and that means something. Whether you're a fan or not, The Simpsons Movie is just a fun time straight up.

Highly recommend if you like: any episode of the Simpsons, fast-paced comedies, Green Day

Nosferatu (2024) dir. by Robert Eggers

I really dug Nosferatu since it felt like an old-school monster flick while tackling more feminist themes about the restrictions of modern society that feel more relevant today. I did not expect that going in, but I was totally down for the ride; and this intriguing commentary is side-by-side with some thrilling gothic horror that is just a marvel to look at. I really have to shout out the coloring and cinematography here, which switches between colored and more desaturated lighting in a way that flows so naturally and looks stunning. Almost every frame is a painting and the grande presentation makes you feel like you're watching an epic unfold before your eyes.

Eggers really knew how to make an effective villain, with the titular Nosferatu (played by Bill Skarsgård) elicitting just an awful sense of dread in every scene he's in. (His gross ass moustache filled me with dread too so props to the hair stylist.) Overall, everyone in the cast understood the assignment with great performances from Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, and of course Willem Dafoe as usual.

The ending is pretty interesting. I saw what it was going for and looking back I like it the more I think about it. But it felt very abrupt and left me thinking, "that's it?" Still that's a slightly weak ending after 2 hours of gothic horror goodness so I'd definitely recommend it to anyone interested. This is actually my first Robert Eggers movie and if the rest of his movies are like this (or as I've heard, even better), I definitely look forward to discovering more of his work.

Highly recommend if you like: gothic horror, feminist retellings, Bill Skarsgård doing a Dracula voice

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024) dir. by Jeff Fowler

It's a Sonic movie, you get what you payed for. If you're expecting anything more than some fun action, cheesy jokes, and lots of fan service then I don't know what to tell you. To be honest I didn't really enjoy the film until it reached its third act. A lot of it just meanders around until then with lots of scenes where Jim Carrey does what Jim Carrey does best. Comedy is obviously subjective, but his comedy in this film seemed kind of juvenile and annoying even for kids' movie standards.

But once the movie reaches it's climax, it locks the hell in and becomes genuinely great. Suddenly the action goes crazy, the jokes get funnier, and some scenes even get some emotion out of me. Oh yeah, and they pull out all the stops with the fan service, it's a treat for any Sonic fan. It takes a loooong while to get there, but the ending redeems the rest of the film in my eyes.

Overall, the Sonic 3 movie knows what it is and delivers a decent kids' movie with tons of fun easter eggs for Sonic fans. If you got kids or like Sonic, you'll like this movie. Otherwise, there's nothing really here for you.

Recommend if you like: Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow the Ultimate Life Form, Jim Carrey

Wicked: Part I (2024) dir. by Jon M. Chu

I remember when I first heard they were making a 2½ hour movie out of just the first half of a 2½ hour musical, my only thought was "no way it needs to be that long." And after seeing it for myself... yeah nah I still think it didn't need to be that long.

Defying Gravity, more like Defying Brevity, amirite!

Still, it was an awesome movie that I'd happily recommend to anyone, even those who don't usually like musicals. The movie directly improves on the original, using its extra runtime to better flesh out the characters and really immerse you with its stunning sets and costume design. The cast knock it out of the park, with Ariana Grande showing off her great comedic talents as G(a)linda. The film has a great build up to a fantastic showstopper of a finale.

It is so nice to have a blockbuster musical again that is actually proud to be a musical. The musical numbers mostly stand up to the original with improved instrumentation and Cynthia Erivo (as Elphaba) surpassing her predecessor in her amazing perfomances. If she doesn't sweep award season with both her acting and singing in this film, I will be shocked and appalled.

Unfortunately, I do have some issues with the film, mainly its padding. I feel like some scenes went unnecessarily long, and this is definitely felt in some of the songs. Despite Erivo's undoubtably superior performance, I still find myself listening to the original soundtrack more because this film has an annoying habit of splitting up the songs with too much dialogue in the middle. It just detracts from the momentum of songs like No One Mourns The Wicked and Dancing Through Life for me. In general, I feel like the movie could've been tightened up more and cut some tedious parts.

Despite my critiques, this film is definitely gonna have an impact on a lot of people. It's the story of an outcast rejecting an oppressive system that would never accept her for who she is. For some reason, I feel like that might resonate with a lot of people at this time. If anything I said sounds interesting to you, ignore my nitpicks and go watch it! You won't regret it!

Highly recommend if you like: fantastical musicals, outcast stories, Jeff Goldblum what the hell are you doing here!?

A Real Pain (2024) dir. by Jesse Eisenberg

This wonderful film is an odd couple comedy/drama about a pair of cousins taking a trip through Poland. Now, let me set expectations. It is a vacation comedy but not a laugh riot that throws joke after joke at you. It also isn't a high-stakes drama that crescendos to a emotion-charged conclusion. The film is mostly just interested in showing a naturalistic glimpse into the lives of these two cousins, grazing over lots of different topics, and leaving you there at the end with no big payoff, but a bit more understanding than you came with. And the impact it left on me was honestly surprising.

Eisenberg absolutely delivers on portraying a realistic, awkward vacation with characters you can tell their own hidden lives and layers. They're all so naturally written that you may find yourself recognizing these characters in yourself or people in your life. That is especially true for the main duo, David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin), who have such a subtly charming and funny dynamic. They are total opposites but with each scene I would constantly swap between relating to each as they bicker throughout the trip. The movie tackles a lot from themes of heritage, mental illness, and even the history of the Holocaust (in a very tasteful and effective way might I add). But, if there's one main theme I got from it was the struggle to understand other perspectives; and this film really had me understanding both cousins a bit better by the end, whether I agree or disagree with their choices or not.

That's not to say it's just a boring character study. Though more understated, it is still a funny comedy with jokes that will catch you off guard after relatively serious scenes. I really like how the humor often breaks the tension for both the audience watching and the characters within the story. Overall, I'd highly recommend this movie to anyone. As long as you stick along for the ride, it'll give you a good bit to chew on when it's over.

Must watch if you like: character studies, naturalistic dialogue, subtle comedies, Polish history