Reviews

So when this show first aired right after the gang's departure from Top Gear, I wasn't sure the formula and chemistry would still be there given that it sounded like they were taking the show in a different direct and let's be real, the holiday specials from Top Gear were the best features of every season. When TGT kicked off, it was a lot like Top Gear but in a giant tent... wasn't sure how I felt about that since it can get quite boring if the boys aren't getting into any hijinks.

Along came Covid and shut the tent idea now, and now every episode is basically a holiday special and I love it! They have a massive budget to mess around with and they do an awesome job of making every episode feel intense and action packed along with the fair share of friendly banter and shittery. I get that the show is moving away from being an automobile feature for upcoming cars, but who cares? Watch the current Top Gear seasons for that garbage, we got back to back specials now!

So I'm probably pretty biased as I like campy horror with decent plot. This happens to be one of those using the good-ole found footage recipe we all loved coming out of the 90s. The film itself is pretty low budget in that most of the scares are done using real actors with digital effects overlayed.

It doesn't look terrible and can be pretty freaky at times, but you shouldn't expect some crazy monster/ghost/demon freakshow at all times. It plays on your psyche by immersing you in an asylum that transcends reality. The spirits have the power to manipulate the massive corridors and stairwells, leading the protagonists around a giant maze that they struggle to comprehend. Meanwhile time seems to have no relevant meaning. Eventually they find themselves getting picked off one by one until they're driven into the tunnels under the asylum where the last of them disappear seemingly.

For its time, this plot was pretty original and executed rather well. I watched the sequel which wasn't awful, but spent most of the time setting up the background plot of filming a horror movie rather than uncovering the secrets within the asylum. There's been a third movie in the works for years now. Not sure if it'll ever happen, but I hope it does.

So the campy meter is going to hit some serious levels of intense here, and most are praising the movie for it, but there's a point where it starts to become more annoying than fun. This movie achieves that right about when they introduce Awkwafina as the co-lead and potential love interest? I don't know. I honestly can't stand any movie she's in as I know the performance will be amateurish at best and loaded with jokes that never seem to land. Cage does an ok role as dracula but this is basically a motivational film for people trapped in abusive relationships who can't seem to escape. Nice message and all, but it could've been executed better. I don't end up feeling anything at all for the characters, and thus their struggles/plights never resonate or land either. I knew from the trailers that it was going to be mediocre, but this actually made me exclaim aloud "damn, that was awful."

I've been a pretty strong Evil Dead fan since the late 80s, early 90's when I saw Army of Darkness for the first time as a kid. I was able to appreciate the 2013 reboot and what it brought to the table, including the deleted Ash scene at the end. Nice touch. However, this kinda takes you completely out of that isolated cabin and becomes a whole different movie by placing the Necronomicon in a bank vault, mysteriously left under the parking garage of an apartment building with very little to no backstory as to why it's there, or how it got there at all. The introduction to this movie will confuse the hell out of you until the very last 5mins or so, which was a confusing choice.

I will say this, the gore is pretty good, but it's not as good as Evil Dead 2013 managed, or movies like Terrifier pull off. That said, it still hit the spot and made you wince. Unfortunately a lot of the kills tend to occur out of our view. We get a few ok bits of demon vs protags. Somehow they end up converted, and we kinda play the same plot out as we did in 2013 and even back in 1989. We actually get next to no motivation for the demon entity like we have before where the end of the world is the ultimate goal. The demon entity just possesses and kills if you happen to get into its line of sight.

So while I wasn't fully disappointed, I wasn't as impressed as I thought I was gonna be. It's worth watching since there's not much else out there for horror right now, but if you want a solid plot that pays big homage to the OG Evil Dead movie(s), go watch the 2013 reboot. It's superior in every way.

I mean we're looking at a follow up to one of my favorite action/adventure movies growing up (Chronicles of Riddick) and this falls pretty flat in comparison. The jump from Pitch Black to CoR was massive, but this was just as massive a step backward to basically Pitch Black 2... we're once again on a desert planet with 0 inhabitant and strange creatures that only come out at night (in a storm) spell the doom for our band of miscreants, some good and some bad. We even get the father of one of the mercs from PB returning with his only motivation being to ask Riddick why his son was missing/dead. Like c'mon. It took me a while to watch this movie finally, but man was it pretty boring. I sure hope the next Riddick movie is on the same scale as CoR, since another one of these cheap B-movie Syfy channel level 2hr snore fests will likely put a lid on any future projects.

Thought it would be cool to rewatch this the way I originally saw it back in 2009... on the jumbo iMax for the full experience. While visually stunning to some degree in today's modern world, it is no longer nearly as impressive as it used to seem to me. I own it on blueray as well but have never watched it given the lack of interest in the story and characters, but it was just "the movie to own" along with the Transformers and Star Wars collections. Ended up overhyping myself as I literally haven't seen it in probably a decade.

The story feels a lot like Pocahontas meets (insert sci-fi movie here) and doesn't leave me really open for the idea of a sequel. The story wraps up ok, villain is gone, invading forces are pushed back etc. Just been done before and done after and it left me pretty bored throughout. I was hoping for that little kid wow factor I used to have but this movie seems to be a rose tinted glasses memory. I'm glad some people like it, but yeah... I'm not paying another $30 to see it again, and will likely wait for the sequel to release on streaming services to watch that.

This was a perfect mesh of underused characters, holiday theming, and humor. We get the beloved return of almost all of our favorite Guardians which I wasn't expecting, and we see more depth applied to unutilized characters like Mantis, as they attempt to brighten the holiday for a very depressed Peter.

We even get a little surprise from an old Ravager buddy too! The special fills in quite a lot of lore as well, which I did not expect. Definitely enjoyed it for what it was. Didn't try to focus primarily on humor and comedic relief like Thor L&T did, which inevitably caused its lukewarm reaction.

A nice warm surprise for the holidays. Thanks for putting this out there and giving us a little bit of a appetizer before you drop GotG 3 on us, James Gunn!

One of DC's better anti-heroes unfortunately gets the same treatment as Snyder's Justice League. I presume originally a 4hr long movie, reduced to 2hrs and leaving most of the audience who likely doesn't have any insight or prior knowledge of the Justice Society, Dr. Fate, Hawkman, etc clueless as to who comprises the protagonist mash up. Johnson does a good job of conveying the internal struggle and motivation of Teth Adam, but the film doesn't do a good job of explaining how he and Shazam both exist at the same time in the same universe. It also doesn't explain who bestowed the power to the wizards to be given to a champion. We're dumped in a timeline 5000 years ago, and told about a mythical location in dire straits by an oppressive ruler. That bleeds over to modern day to set up our villain arc. Going by the comics, we should've at least had some interaction or plot with Egyptians and their gods, but nada. Major let down.

Leading us head first into plot, we're given the Justice Society, which may as well be the Justice league of B-list heroes. Pretty underwhelming. If you don't know Dr. Fate and company, you're going to be confused. There's little to no backstory on them or their previous adventures, or their reason for being. There's also no reason given as to why the Justice League isn't the one responding to the crisis either. The child actor in this is awful. His voice is terrible, especially when he shouts, acting is not convincing, and I was hoping they'd take him off screen for an extended period, but he was with us pretty much the whole way. Was this the best child actor they could find...?

Best part about the whole movie? Johnson never once does the eyebrow thing in this movie, thankfully.

All in all, good action flick, borderline gore but maintains its PG-13 rating. The best part is the end credits scene. Personally, a sequel isn't needed.

I actually really liked this movie. I went into it thinking it would maybe fill the whimsical adventure void that I've been hoping to fill for a while, and it definitely hit the mark. Having lost my parents at a young age, I can empathize with the movie's main protagonist. The story unfolds well and doesn't get hung up with a few unexpected plot twists here and there. The overall motivation of the nemesis and how the plot devices (pearls) function as they do is a bit vacant, but I liked the film regardless. The ending hits some heart strings and will definitely eek out a tear or two if you can related on the slightest. Good movie to watch with the kids over holiday break, or just if you want a good feel good ending for once. It's a Netflix original so the budget isn't a blockbuster sized, but for what they did with what they had, I'm impressed.

A nice headtrip back to the 90s when we had several campy horror shows to pick from on the often. Something we can always use in today's lineup where shows like AHS are turning into more of a TwinkPeaks than horror.

Show is reminiscent of Tales from the Crypt/Darkside and I dig the catches/gotchas in the episodes, or the subtle twists. Makes for a good watch and I hope there's more seasons in the future. GDT does good work and this is a further extension of that.

I do see a lot of people trying to compare this show to others, or make it out to be some big hollywood budget production with endless funding and resources, but it's not, and for what little hype and advertising we've gotten about it, it's paying off 10-fold. More please!

Not really too familiar with the games, but I know enough to understand the basic plotline and the motivation. They try real hard to form an emotional bond to treasure and a reason for Nathan to chase after it with some random dude he just met. Plot fell so flat, Antonio Banderas only lasted halfway through the film before he cashed out. Not to mention the end where they willfully allow the treasure they sought so desperately be taken from them or sit at the bottom of the ocean.

I wanted a solid action/adventure flick akin to National Treasure, and this tried its hardest to be that, but unfortunately isn't going to cut it. I imagine there's going to be sequels but I hope they're a little more ambitious.

I've followed this show, sometimes against my better judgement since season 1. After the third season, I expect a star trek show to have found its footing and start producing more favorable plotlines and episodes that have a little something for everyone. As a kid, I grew up on 90's treks and while I realize Berman and team are gone, no longer producing those episodic plots anymore, this is a terrible turn for the branding. The seasons were steady and somewhat palatable until season 3 jumped the whole dang shark. Now every season since has revolved around feelings and emotional break downs. We've gone 2 seasons now without one space battle. NOT ONE! They don't even do much with the sci-fi science-y aspect either. I feel like it's a daytime soap opera with woke overtones and sci-fi themes.

This last season was the end for me. Won't be watching any further. Thankfully we have more trek coming are way so I can thoroughly wave bye to this garbage show and its garbage cast.

PS: Don't bring real-time politicians on your show to portray... politicians. We already know you picked a side on this show, but it's just rubbing the viewer's face in it at this point and it's a huge turn off.

I grew up with the Punisher comics. Still have quite a few of them sitting in a footlocker at my parent's house. Love the character, love the gritty anti-hero with nothing but revenge fueling his motives. It's a great series to pick up and run with if it's done right.

The issue was the only other time Punisher has seen some decent screen time was back in 2004 with Thomas Jane in the role. This series trumps that absolutely.

Jon is the perfect cast for the role, does it justice, gives you the sense of what Frank is feeling and holds no bars back as he lays into his enemies.

The series gets a slow-ish start winding up to the full punisher mantle and I really hated that the only villain we honestly got was Billy Russo. He's ok as an antagonist but I didn't need to see him for both seasons. Frank Castle literally interacts with almost every Marvel character and group at some point and time and even crossed over to fight Batman at one point but you make a single villain hold both seasons with small one-off bad guys to hold the gaps down? I know Netflix was trying to play the slow game here and wind up to the bigger and badder boys, but this felt lazy and like a move to save on character acquisition. Still a great series, but if MCU does bring back Jon and the gang, maybe leave Russo out for a bit.

Couldn't be more happier with the actual script following extremely close to the original two game's arcs. Not only do we get the mansion and most of the STARS team with, but we get Claire and Leon as well from RE2. They did an interesting take on the G/T virus dispersal into the local population. Reminds me of the Flint, MI shenanigans almost which made this a believable scenario. I was extremely impressed with the CGI for what I assume was a fairly low budget remake. All the actors did their parts justice with the exception of Jill... but I think she maybe had 2-3 lines the whole movie which seemed odd since she's supposed to a big player in this.

Tyrant seemed a little over the top at the end of the movie. Not gonna say how or why so I don't spoil anything, but it was too much mutation, not enough explanation.

My only other gripe was the lack of city play and the actual city itself. I don't recall Raccoon City looking like a small quiet township. I would've preferred a more vast cityscape with skyscrapers etc and more of a run and gun fight through it to get to where they needed to go. Considering the city of Raccoon might as well be a character on its own, this movie didn't make me feel too immersed in that aspect.

The best part about the whole movie though? No "Mary Sue" Alice character.

Went into this movie blind, thinking the cast gets sucked into a nintendo game over christmas or something. Turned out to be a generic Hallmark movie instead. The entire premise of the movie is basically Turboman but from the kid's perspective. Every kid wants a Nintendo, and comes up with schemes on how to obtain one through any other means other than working for one. I grew up wanting a Nintendo 64 myself, so I understand the drive behind the kid's ambitions, but nothing got me one faster than going out and finding ways to make money to get it myself. When the kids finally realized how easy it was to scrape together $250 or whatever the cost was, it was the end of the movie. Bunch of out of pocket misfortune occurs, and they end up nintendo-less still. The end of the movie somehow turns into a life-lesson, focusing on more important things like family, and togetherness instead of nintendos which is the right mindset, but I was expecting a little more from my holiday-themed comedy than this. For whatever reason, the movie is extremely PG, going to great lengths to keep that rating and make it viewable by all audiences. Even blurred out the "F-word" on a picture.

All in all, good movie. If you loved your Dad, you'll probably shed a tear even.

The movie is pretty flat up until action ramps up and acting winds down. I think the chemistry of the actors really didn't work or flow the way they expected. Bruce Campbell was my draw in for this since I assumed they would pull a Sam Raimi and Bruce was the hook, but all we get is toned down, low energy toy store manager Bruce with no depth and very little to go on besides the corporate handbook. I can't believe Campbell gave up the Evil Dred/Ash role(s) to get fat and pick up bit parts like this.

The premise is pretty dumb but it's a horror comedy, and the ending doesn't shock. Devon Sawa is back from his LA alley cardboard apartment, likely trying to refill his depleted bank account after years being off the circuit and in custody. Shame really. The movie holds up to campy tropes but there's better comedy horrors and this film was beneath Campbell's abilities.

Movie feels phoned in and has obvious pacing issues. You go in needing to know at least part of the backstory of every character, which isn't necessary for Brock/Venom at this point. Things seem to occur erratically, attempt to build suspense or drama in some parts and then are completely irrelevant or negated a scene or two later. Anne's return felt like fan service with her hosting Venom for a short duration. Pretty flat script, nothing creative or amazing. Felt like Toby-man 3. Suffering from cramming too much into a script that produced a 90 min film. Not better than the first, and not making the MCU movies sweat at all. Sony needs to just lease out their IPs to Marvel and sit back and collect a check. Tired of this PG-13 garbage with Rated R characters.

Love Reynolds and Waititi but this movie was awful. The 9's and 10's seem out of place or overly generous as the movie is void of plot or purpose aside from showing a hidden romance for a girl through an in-game character AI. The AI carries the whole movie till about the end and suddenly he truly doesn't matter anymore. I was fully ready to go into this with hard Ready Player 1 vibes, but that was far from what we got. It's like a boomer-take on zoomer lifestyle... a movie meant to appeal to kids who like fortnite and all their wacky crossovers and gimmicks. The CGI used looked massively dated even when simulating a video game, and the protags literally shoot themselves in the foot repeatedly.

No, seriously.

I thought I was going to be immersed into a fantasy world with magic, and creatures and knights like most probably thought, but instead we get poor CGI foxes, weird giants walking aimlessly in a random scene using even worse CGI, and an ending more confusing than something M. Night would conjure up. If you got 2 hours to waste, watch it so you can tell your friends how amazingly boring and dull it is.

Time travel purists will hold a grudge against this movie. "Does it follow Back to the Future's explanation of time travel and the effects or does it follow the MCU's?" Well to be honest, we don't really know. It seems like no matter what was done in the past, wouldn't change the future, so once there's a solution, why cry over it? That future will never exist if the past is changed, right? No need to have dramatic sequences over future people's loss. Regardless, the resolve is simple but done hastily. The movie does carry action sequences well, and keeps dramatic bridges short and sweet. Not a terrible movie, much better than Bautista's Army of the Dead.

Seriously, this guy does better acting on the court feigning injuries. I don't get it, it was like listening to Shaq give a thesis on gravity wells. Unintelligible and boring. I even thought the toons were 50 shades more benign than they've been portrayed in the past. Having watched the original Space Jam in theaters too as a kid, this is the furthest they could've gone from the original MJ legacy. Maybe just let certain IPs die.

Movie starts out a little slow, and you don't really understand what to think of everything. There's parts of the plot that don't add up or make sense really, but this isn't intended to be a seamless plot. I would've liked more backstory on Nobody's family, and I think they could've fleshed out the transition from beta male dad figure to special forces tactician a bit better. The reason that he kicks off his tirade is literally dropped in the first 30 mins.

Other than that, it's like everyone says... John Wick meets Home Alone in some aspects. The guy is a creative killer using tactics in lieu of just brute force fire power. It's awesome and I hope we get more. Chris Lloyd has still got it!