She-Hulk is a huge missed opportunity.

Jennifer Walters has a complicated life as a single, 30-something attorney who also happens to be a green 6-foot-7-inch superpowered hulk.

She-Hulk is the eighth Disney+ and MCU series….and it’s by far the absolute worst one. But before that let’s get the positives out of the way because they are very straightforward, for starters Tatiana Maslany is very solid as She-Hulk, that’s mainly due to her just being a really strong actress who can work with any sort of script. She’s hands down the best part of the entire series it’s just such a shame she wasn’t given a better show or script, episode eight is the highlight by far. While it’s not perfect it’s the only episode where the humor genuinely worked, plus having Charlie Cox back as Daredevil was pretty neat, he also gives a solid performance. The chemistry between Cox and Maslany while short is actually really charming and very entertaining. As for the rest of the show it’s a complete and total mess, if you thought the Marvel humor was terrible in previous shows or movies then you are going to have a dreadful time here, outside of a joke every once in awhile a lot of the humor really comes off as obnoxious. There’s a lot of fourth wall breaking humor that at this point way too many films and TV shows have done, I get that the source material has a lot of fourth wall breaking humor. The problem is the writing doesn’t do it in creative ways, in fact it quite honestly gets progressively worse as the series goes on. Heck the final episode ends up being this whole “this series was meant to be bad!” type of thing which again had the writing actually been investing or knew what it wanted to say that could have worked. Then you have the other characters who are just sort of there Jameela Jamil, Mark Ruffalo, Tim Roth and Ginger Gonzaga are fine enough but they are really not given a whole lot to do outside of unfunny lines. There really isn’t anything else to say here which is unfortunate because a She-Hulk show could have easily work had the writing been a lot more focused and actually attempted with the humor.

She Hulk- is available on Disney+

3/10 D-

Rosaline is surprisingly strong take on Romeo and Juliet.

A comedic retelling of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” told from the point of view of Romeo’s jilted ex, Rosaline, the woman Romeo first claims to love before he falls for Juliet.

When you go by the plot of Rosaline it comes off as yet another tired take of Romeo And Juliet but this time it’s in the perspective of Rosaline who is Romeo’s previous girlfriend before he met Juliet. However the film strangely works really well, it doesn’t take itself too seriously and instead does a pretty humorous and interesting job of retelling the story, with a few changes it ends up being more of a “what if” type scenario which I am a pretty big fan of when it’s done right. And in this case it’s done pretty well, Kaitlyn Dever is fantastic as Rosaline she puts her talent all in the role and gives such a entertaining performance. Sean Teale as Dario is also pretty solid as well, the enemies to lovers element is actually done quite well here which is mainly due to the chemistry of Teale and Dever being so great. Not every single joke lands as there are some eye roll worthy moments, but those really don’t take away from the sharp and clever writing that really gives the story of Romeo and Juliet a breath of fresh air, it’s an entertaining ride from beginning to end that is far better than it has any right being.

Rosaline is available on Hulu!

8/10 B+

Raymond & Ray doesn’t have a lot of substance.

Half-brothers Raymond and Ray reunite when their estranged father dies — and discover that his final wish was for them to dig his grave. Together, the process who they’ve become as men, both because of their father and in spite of him.

Raymond & Ray is definitely a step down from Rodrigo García who previously directed For Good Days. The major issue with the movie is it really doesn’t say or do anything special outside of a few solid performances, Ethan Hawke is pretty solid, Ewan McGregor has his moments mostly when Raymond (McGregor) and Ray (Hawke) have to come to terms about their abusive father passing away and having conversations about it. The problem is those sort of scenes are not as common as you would think, Sophie Okonedo brings some life into the movie which is somewhat enjoyable. But the movie never goes beyond a few scenes that talk about the abuse, a lot of it tries to play off as a comedy which really doesn’t work especially when the tone of the movie completely doesn’t match it.

Raymond & Ray is available on Apple TV+

5/10 C

Catherine Called Birdy is decent enough thanks to Bella Ramsey.

In medieval England, the daughter of a financially destitute Lord thwarts her father’s plans to marry her off to a wealthy suitor. When the most vile suitor arrives, her parent’s love for her is tested.

After the complete mess that was Sharp Stick I had very low expectations for Lena Dunham’s second film this year Catherine Called Birdy, life is full of surprises I guess because this wasn’t terrible. For starters the main reason why the movie works is because of Bella Ramsey, without her this movie would have fallen flat quite easily. Bella Ramsey really makes the script that would otherwise be way too simple and very bare bones into something surprisingly energetic and interesting, it’s essentially criticizing the patriarchy but in medieval times which the movie does pretty fine enough at. The other side of it is a coming age film but set in medieval times, which there are some fresh ideas with the character development mainly having to do with Bella Ramsey’s character Birdy calling out the bullcrap of the patriarchy in a few humorous ways while also having serious discussions about it as well. There are times where the movie does go a bit overboard with sarcastic humor and sort of takes away from the more serious moments, but for the most part the movie does a solid job at what it’s trying to say. It’s definitely not anything groundbreaking plus there are films that are far stronger that tackle the exact same subjects as this one, but this is certainly not a bad choice if you decide to give it a look.

Catherine Called Birdy is available on Amazon Prime Video.

6/10 C+

The Curse Of Bridge Hollow is forgettable.

A man and his daughter must team up to save their town after an ancient and mischievous spirit causes Halloween decorations to come to life and wreak havoc.

I reviewed Spirit Halloween: The Movie last week where I talked a bit about gateway horror or scary films meant for kids. The Curse Of Bridge Hollow is definitely in the same vein, funnily enough this movie is also about possessed Halloween decorations attacking people. Curse Of Bridge Hallow is definitely the better of the two mostly due to the movie actually using it’s premise decently…at least for some parts of the movie. The acting here is not great Marlon Waynes definitely tries his best and admittedly it’s one of his better performances in the comedies he’s recently done. However it’s really not enough to be noteworthy, there are definitely moments where it does feel like a Disney Channel original movie that became a Netflix original. This is also Jeff Wadlow’s most tolerable in a very long time, honestly what really hurts this movie is that it’s forgettable. It’s one of those Netflix movies where you watch it and 4 hours later you forget half of what happened, there’s fun to be had and it’s very inoffensive to kids. But between the poor acting and the terrible jokes this one will be quickly forgotten.

The Curse Of Bridge Hollow is available on Netflix.

4/10 D+

Lyle Lyle Crocodile is a blast and energetic!

When the Primm family moves to New York City, their young son, Josh, struggles to adapt to his new school and friends. All of that changes when he discovers Lyle, a singing crocodile that loves baths, caviar and great music. The two become fast friends, but when evil neighbor Mr. Grumps threatens Lyle’s existence, the Primms must band together to show the world that family can come from the most unexpected places.

Lyle Lyle Crocodile is exactly what you expect it’s going to be, it’s a very familiar story that’s been told before. A kid who is lonely finds a special friend and then wacky antics pursue, however this one is very charming and you really can’t help but smile at the movie. Shawn Mendes’s charming performance as Lyle plus his singing voice combined with the songs is genuinely a lot of fun. It’s hands down the part that completely sells this movie and really brings it altogether, Top Of The World is easily the standout song here as the scene it’s used in is an absolute blast and filled to the brim of personality, plus a lot of the other songs follow suit as well. Javier Bardem is a lot of fun as well and Brett Gelman plays a cartoony neighbor that really works here. There really isn’t much else to say here, the film is straightforward, has a ton of heart and is definitely something kids will absolutely love. It’s not going to break any new ground but it doesn’t have to.

Lyle Lyle Crocodile is currently in theaters.

6/10 C+

Amsterdam is a gigantic mess

Set in the ’30s, it follows three friends who witness a murder, become suspects themselves, and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history.

Amsterdam is one of those movies where I was just not looking forward to reviewing, the main reason why is because of how completely wasted this whole project really is. The film is based on a true story a the business plot of 1933, a political conspiracy that’s goal was to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt. I’m not going to get into it here but I do recommend reading about the story itself as it is a quite interesting piece of forgotten history that a lot of people don’t talk about that much. The positives mostly come from Anya Taylor-Joy who easily steals every scene she’s in, she isn’t incredible in this movie which is mainly due to the horrendous direction but we will get to that. But she does a really solid job of working with what she’s given, Robert De Niro is pretty solid as well. Again like Anya he is not anything spectacular but he definitely tries his best. The rest of the movie however is when things go downhill fast, first off the three main leads Christian Bale, John David Washington and Margot Robbie absolutely have no chemistry between one another. The way the three are written really has the energy of a bad high school play, Bale tries to do this quick comedy routine which isn’t anywhere near funny. John David Washington is just sort of there and Margot Robbie is an interesting case. At times her performance isn’t too bad but then others it really comes off as robotic, I get they were trying to go for this Wes Anderson type style but it almost seems like a parody of someone who thinks they know Wes Anderson’s style. Everyone else in the movie ranges from bad or just having very little to do to even matter, what really kills this movie is the writing and the huge amount of plot points that are squished together. Which is a shame because the true story itself is truly interesting the movie was just done by the wrong director. The writing is very unfocused and moves along way too quickly yet sluggish, which leads to some atrocious editing decisions and very dull direction from David O. Russell who has no idea what he wants this to be, it’s advertised as a whodunnit but really comes off as a very poor attempt of telling an interesting piece of history. Every once and awhile you get a few decent shots but for the most part a lot of it is just dull, it’s not engaging to look at and there’s very little detail to the setting. It’s a shame because had this movie been in the right hands I genuinely think Amsterdam could have been a decent movie, but as it is the movie is painful to get through and something that nobody is going to remember within the next few months.

Amsterdam is currently in theaters.

3/10 D-

Entergalactic is a stunningly animated film with soul.

Ambitious artist Jabari attempts to balance success and love after he moves into his dream Manhattan apartment and falls for his next-door neighbor.

Entergalactic is one of the most beautiful films so far of 2022, I didn’t know what to expect going into this film but wow this definitely impressed. The cast does quite a fantastic job particularly Kid Cudi, Laura Harrier and Jessica Williams, they all put their heart and soul into their roles and really make the characters all the more interesting. By far what sticks out the most is the imaginative and beautiful animation, it feels like a hybrid of 3D and 2D animation but done in such a unique looking way. It makes the film pop out really well and adds quite a lot of flavor to it, there’s certain scenes that completely take you into the film’s own little dream like setting and invests the viewer with it’s visual style. Although the story itself is a very simple love story that has been done before, it still ends up being incredibly charming Kid Cudi’s character Jabari is a character that the audience could easily see themselves as. He’s an everyday citizen who goes through some quite beautiful arcs, the cast easily connecting with their character is what really makes the film standout, there’s truly something wonderful when you see how effortlessly the cast can connect to their characters and create a story that’s truly investing. Lastly there’s the music that just feels like a natural fit to the film the film actually serves as a visual companion piece to Kid Cudi’s album of the same name, which I have to give credit where credit is due. The film manages to standout on it’s own while also being a companion piece. Overall Entergalactic is truly fantastic despite some familiar love story elements the film is truly well done. Check this one out.

Entergalactic is available on Netflix.

9/10 A

Hocus Pocus 2 is about the same as the first movie.

Three young women accidentally bring back the Sanderson Sisters to modern day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking havoc on the world.

Hocus Pocus 2 finally releases after several years of the being on those “sequels that should have been a thing by now but haven’t” lists, there’s honestly not a whole lot to comment on here as Hocus Pocus 2 is about the same as the original. Which might be good for people who absolutely adored the first movie, I was never a huge Hocus Pocus fan it’s a fun little movie but that’s all it really was for me. Hocus Pocus 2 falls in the same line, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy are still quite fantastic as the Sanderson sisters and are clearly having a blast, the entertaining atmosphere is still quite great and keeps a lot of the atmosphere from the first one, the flaws mostly come from the characters and the jokes really not being as strong, I get they wanted to put in the whole modern setting idea in the movie and at times it works. But other times it really mirrors what a lot of other movies do with this exact plot line, so it definitely leads to a lot of “seen that and it’s been done better before” type of moments. The overall message is charming enough and there’s some cute moments towards the end that did put a smile on my face, there’s definitely some level of charm that went into this movie that can be appreciated. It just falls a little short of being a little too identical to the first movie.

Hocus Pocus 2 is available on Disney+

5/10 C

My Best Friend’s Exorcism is a mash of 80s horror nostalgia bait and unfunny humor.

In 1988 best friends Abby and Gretchen navigate boys, pop culture and a paranormal force clinging to Gretchen. With help from a mall exorcist, Abby is determined to compel the demon back to the pits of hell — if it doesn’t kill Gretchen first.

My Best Friend’s Exorcism has some really interesting ideas but doesn’t do nearly enough with them, Elsie Fisher and Amiah Miller are hands down the best part of the movie. They work with the script they are given and make the most of it, there’s some decent shots here and there that compliment the movie fine enough as well. The main issue here is the writing which has no idea what it wants to be…a horror movie or a horror comedy, the comedy is just not funny at all. A lot of it is jokes that try yo bring this 80s horror movie feel to it but completely fall flat due to this whole 80s horror vibes being very overdone at this point. It’s perfectly fine to have an 80s horror movie throwback film but you can’t just expect it to succeed without doing anything with it. It just sort of exists here and underneath all of that is a familiar exorcism story we have seen countless times before, it’s a shame because I hear the book the movie is based on is quite enjoyable and had the writing been a lot more focused this could have ended up being a very fun movie.

My Best Friend’s Exorcism is available on Amazon Prime Video.

4/10 D+