Bob Trevino Likes It (2025) Film Review

Lily Trevino unexpectedly befriends an online stranger, sharing her self-centered father’s name. This new Bob Trevino’s support could transform her life.

Bob Trevino Likes It is directed by Tracie Laymon which is her directorial debut!

Bob Trevino Likes It is one of those films where you can really tell that right from the beginning there was heart poured into it, considering the film’s themes and that it is actually based off of a true story that might not be exactly shocking to hear (especially if you read the true story) but it’s still quite impressive and beautiful how well this film connects with the viewer.

The performances are absolutely beautiful, Barbie Ferreira is absolutely incredible here and really shows her power as an actress. The quiet moments involving her in this film broke me at times, her character Lily Trevino is someone who just wants to belong after her biological father Robert Trevino (played by French Stewart) shows how irredeemable and evil he really is. The theme of belonging is played so well especially with Ferreira’s performance she really captures this sense of wanting to belong and trying to make sense of it all, Ferreira’s facial expressions and body language really do a lot of the talking and completely give her this powerhouse performance.

John Leguizamo gives such a beautiful performance here as well, his connection with Barbie Ferreira is genuinely beautiful and at times a real tearjerker. Over the course of the film we see two get closer and it’s something that the viewer constantly roots for, Leguizamo also fits like a glove as this father figure his performance as Bob Trevino shows a lot of personality, confusion at first but willing to help and strikes this beautiful cord earnestness. There’s so many beautiful moments here that the viewer can relate to and it’s all due to the bond between Ferreira and Leguizamo that hit all the emotional beats needed.

The script from Tracie Laymon does a spectacular job of really telling this incredible story, as I mentioned earlier there is this theme of wanting to belong but there is also a theme of healing through unexpected places or connections. We see that through the bond of Lily and Bob as the film progresses, we also get to see Lily go on this journey of healing from trauma and abandonment. The theme of small acts of kindness is also present here, Bob displaying these what would be considered by some people to be just small acts of kindness could mean so much more to someone else. In this case these small acts of kindness means so much to Lily and impacts her healing journey. The film really shows how simple acts of kindness can really help someone especially if they are not use to receive those acts.

Something that I have purposely left out up until now is what really helps Bob Trevino Likes It is Tracie Laymon is basing it off the life of herself and how she made a friendship she strikes up while looking for her father. So we get to have this personal feel to the film like Laymon invited us over to tell us her story and it’s beautifully told in this way that it feels like a friend is telling you a story. It has this charm that is incredibly raw especially with the performances and how striking they really are. It’s such a beautiful way of telling this story that it brings the viewer to tears (i definitely cried at times.)

Overall Bob Trevino Likes It is one of the best films of the year, I’m very excited to see what’s in store for Tracie Laymon as a director because this was quite impressive. It’s a powerful story about healing, belonging and acts of kindness that really delivers in every single way possible.

Bob Trevino Likes It is available on all VOD platforms.

9/10 A

The Ballad Of Wallis Island (2025) Film Review

Old tensions resurface when former bandmates who were former lovers reunite for a private show at the island home of an eccentric millionaire.

The Ballad Of Wallis Island is directed by James Griffiths who previously directed Cuban Fury (2014). The film is based on the 2007 short film The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island.

The Ballad Of Wallis Island is a pretty straightforward story about the relationships with art we both make and admire, the film does have its hiccups particularly in the character writing department but there is so much passion felt here especially through the acting and flow of the film.

The acting all around is quite great, Tim Key, Tom Basden and Carey Mulligan all give beautiful performances that are genuinely meaningful especially as the film goes on. While the character writing is a bit lacking as we don’t really get some critical answers to some of these characters and are kind of left in this unknown area, what makes them work is the acting. It’s raw, beautiful and striking which is more than enough to bring the viewer along for the ride.

The direction from James Griffiths is earnest and gives this beautiful look at Charles (played by Tim Key) looking up to Herb McGwyer (played by Tom Basden) and Nell Mortimer (played by Carey Mulligan) and inspiration for music, it’s genuinely touching and displays tons of beautifully done moments that you can really feel their bond growing through the screen.

The cinematography combined with the music is beautiful as well, the mountain town and folk music aesthetics really add a lot of flavor to the film and build the atmosphere it needs to really deliver. The cinematography from G. Magni Ágústsson really brings the whole beauty of the film together in the end with tons of shots that stay with you until the credits.

Overall The Ballad Of Wallis Island is a beautifully acted and done film that really inspires you especially when it comes to its theming.

The Ballad Of Wallis Island is available on all VOD platforms.

7/10 B

Nonnas (2025) Film Review

After losing his beloved mother, a man risks everything to honor her by opening an Italian restaurant with actual nonnas — grandmothers, as the chefs.

Nonnas is directed by Stephen Chbosky director of The Four Corners Of Nowhere (1995), The Perks Of Being a Wallflower (2012), Wonder (2017) and Dear Evan Hansen (2021). Nonnas is based on the life of Joe Scaravella the owner of Staten Island restaurant Enoteca Maria who risks everything to honor his late mother by opening a restaurant with grandmothers as chefs.

Nonnas is exactly what you expect it to be, a heartwarming film that really touches your heart incredibly quickly. The cast is incredibly likable and even at times manages to elevate the material into delivering some great performances, there’s even some themes of love, grief and healing going on here (even if they aren’t executed in a very deep way.)

The performances are the best part of the movie, Vince Vaughn actually gives one of his better performances here. It’s not anything groundbreaking but this is one of the rare occasions where you can feel the passion is there, it helps that the script from Liz Maccie while not anything incredible still gives Vaughn something to work with. In the end he comes off as incredibly charming and really does a solid job with bouncing off of the rest of the cast.

Susan Sarandon, Lorraine Branco, Talia Shire and Brenda Vaccaro are all just fantastic, each of them brings this certain level of charm to the movie that really brings the viewer along for the ride. The disagreements and remarks they throw at each other gives the movie some decent laughs and the performances from all of them in general is really solid. It helps that they all are fully committed to their performances, which is mainly what keeps the movie afloat.

The rest of the movie is decent, the true story is told in this straightforward way that does not harm or really benefit the movie. The writing is filled to the brim with charm, there’s some moments of tackling grief with Joe Scaravella (played by Vince Vaughn) trying to move on from his recently deceased mother, even if these moments are not anything incredibly deep it’s nice that they are here in the first place.

Overall Nonnas is a movie that’s pretty straightforward and is incredibly charming, there might not be a whole lot going on here theme or writing wise. But it is undeniably a cute and heartwarming story that the cast manages to make work.

Nonnas is available on Netflix.

6/10 C+

A Minecraft Movie (2025) Film Review

A mysterious portal pulls four misfits into the Overworld, a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they’ll have to master the terrain while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected crafter named Steve.

Minecraft is directed by Jared Hess director of Napoleon Dynamite (2004), Nacho Libre (2006), Gentlemen Broncos (2009), Don Verdean (2015), Masterminds (2016) and Thelma The Unicorn (2024). Minecraft is based on the 2011 video game of the same name.

Minecraft is the type of move that truly has to be seen to be believed, it’s a terrible movie yes but there are points where I have to give some credit to Jack Black and Jason Momoa for absolutely not caring and deciding to act completely insane. It reaches “so bad it’s hilarious” territory which did get a few laughs out of me. Having that said this is still a mess of a movie that mostly falls flat on its face.

As I said earlier, Jack Black and Jason Momoa give completely insane performances that really makes you wonder “what on earth are they doing?” I’m not even sure if they know either to be quite honest. It’s going to vary from person to person whether these performances are annoying or they are so bad they are hilarious. Jack Black explaining the basics about Minecraft and announcing it like he made a new discovery is completely unserious it’s almost baffling. Unfortunately everyone else is given very little to do, Emma Myers and Danielle Brooks who don’t actually give terrible performances are given so little to do they may as well have not been in the movie at all. Sebastian Hansen fairs a bit better in the relevant to the script department but his character also does not leave a lasting impression. Jennifer Coolidge is in this for some reason and is mostly regulated to a gag where she likes a Minecraft villager…the less I say about that the better.

The writing is not only terrible but chaotic and not in a good fun way, rather than exploring some creative points of the Minecraft world or trying to explore what makes this world so interesting. We instead get a lot of shouting from Steve (played by Jack Black) explaining very basic rules of the world with none of it being interesting. One moment that has quickly become a meme online is when he says “Chicken Jockey” and you know what? That moment in particular really sums up this whole movie, it’s loud, obnoxious and has no sense of thought. I hate using the term but this is the prime example of brainrot at it’s worse. It’s nothing but easter eggs constantly thrown at the viewer, which might be fine enough for some fans. But for others who are looking for an actual story you are straight out of luck.

The CGI is also unappealing to look at, it takes so much away from what made Minecraft so interesting. It’s supposed to be a world where you feel creative as well as being…well you know fun? Here it all feels very corporate like this was a bunch of business executives idea of what Minecraft looks like, the world looks inconsistent and none of it gives off this creative atmosphere. It’s a complete and total mess that does not result in anything visually appealing, this does not want to make the viewer explore this world at all.

The closest thing we get about creativity in this movie is how creativity defeating evil, it’s a half-hearted message that ultimately does not really mean anything especially when you take a look at the rest of the movie and how lifeless it truly is.

Overall Minecraft is a terrible movie, it might please some younger fans but for everyone else this is an endurance test to sit through.

Minecraft is available on all VOD platforms.

2/10 F

Clown In A Cornfield (2025) Film Review

Looking for a fresh start, Quinn and her father move to the quiet town of Kettle Springs. They soon learn the fractured community has fallen on hard times after losing a treasured factory to a fire. As the locals bicker amongst themselves and tensions boil over, a sinister, grinning clown emerges from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens, one bloody victim at a time.

Clown In A Cornfield is directed by Eli Craig director of Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010) and Little Evil (2017)

Clown In A Cornfield is a slasher film that starts out how you would expect the traditional slasher to but then the film takes a turn that makes it standout quite well. Combine that with some fun kills, solid acting and some darkly comedic writing and you have yourself a very fun film.

The performances are all around solid, Katie Douglas is definitely the standout of the main cast. She nails the part of this new girl in a new town, she’s charming and connects well with the rest of the cast. Some of the character development of Quinn (played by Katie Douglas) comes off as genuine and the interactions she has with her father Dr. Glenn Maybrook do end up being meaningful. Kevin Durand is also quite great here, he plays his part well even if he’s not in the film all that much.

The writing is darkly comedic which I was honestly not expecting. There were moments here where I bursted out laughing, I do like that the film did not heavily rely on being meta to be funny. Often times being way too meta can easily backfire, but here it was a nice mix of meta humor and other types of humor to keep things interesting.

The film has this dark yet comedic atmosphere that almost feels like the classic horror comedy feel, there is also some Goosebumps DNA and I mean that in a good way. The film is able to play off a ton of silly moments in this dramatic way which in turn makes said moments even more hilarious, it’s not exactly reinventing the wheel by doing this as other films have done this and admittedly better. However Clown In A Cornfield has the charm to back it up which gives the film the energy it needs to execute its comedic tone well.

As I said before the first bit of the film is a very traditional slasher film which the film does a great job at. The rest of the film turns the story on its head and goes for some pretty neat ideas that are actually executed quite well. There definitely could have been room for a bit more development in some areas however with how the film pushes the story at a nice pace and does not overstay its welcome it mostly works wonderfully.

Overall the charm of Clown In A Cornfield is what pushes it to the finish line, the film is not going reinvent the slasher genre even with its third act. Having that said it’s an incredibly fun film that any fan of the slasher genre will love.

Clown In A Cornfield is currently in theaters.

8/10 B+

A Breed Apart (2025) Film Review

Violet accepts an invitation to a private island with some of the world’s most famous social media influencers. However, she soon becomes part of her own horrific reality show when the guests find themselves in a fight for their lives against the island’s legendary man-eating dogs.

A Breed Apart is directed by Griff Furst and Nathan Furst both of which directed Nightmare Shark (2018) while Griff Furst also directed Lake Placid 3 (2010), Starve (2014), Cold Moon (2016) and a bunch of made for TV Shark movies. A Breed Apart serves as a remake of The Breed (2006)

A Breed Apart is one of those movies where you sit and ask yourself “why? Why does this exist?” A remake of a film that was already not very good and somehow made even worse due to a lack of originality and horrendous execution that wishes it could be a fun movie.

The performances from the cast are terrible but they are about what you expect, so there isn’t exactly a huge surprise. Hayden Panettiere is unfortunately regulated to more of a cameo which is a shame because she’s the one who gives the best performance. The idea of making her into a in universe action actress named Hayden Hurst is goofy yet had potential but unfortunately this movie’s humor is unfunny and comes off more like a dog version of Sharknado (2013)

The writing is about as terrible as you would expect, it very much feels like they are trying to recreate Sharknado (2013) in all of it’s goofiness and capture the “it’s so bad it’s funny” type of feel. Unfortunately for this movie it fails to even do that, the writing is painfully unfunny with some memes thrown in, horribly written characters and painfully uninteresting dialogue that the viewer will check out of within 5 minutes. A lot of the dialogue is if you took poorly voice acted lines from early PlayStation games and put them into a movie.

The CGI dogs are more funny than they are scary, combined that with clear as day fake looking forests and barking soundboards you have yourself at least some entertainment to laugh at. But sitting through a poor attempt of trying to tackle influencer satire and a bare bones Jurassic Park (1993) creature feature copy is just not worth it at all.

Overall A Breed Apart is horrendous and at times feels like an elaborate bit, but instead of a punchline you are left with a terrible movie that has very little going on. Outside of a few moments that are decently funny the rest of the movie is a chore to get through, which in turn makes this movie one to skip.

A Breed Apart releases Friday in theaters and on all VOD platforms.

1/10 F

The Friend (2025) Film Review

New York City writer Iris finds her comfortable, solitary life thrown into disarray after her closest friend and mentor bequeaths her a Great Dane named Apollo. The huge dog immediately creates practical problems for Iris, from furniture destruction to eviction notices, as well as more existential ones. Yet as Iris finds herself unexpectedly bonding with Apollo, she begins to come to terms with her past, and her own creative inner life.

The Friend is directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel directors of Suture (1994), The Deep End (2001), Bee Season (2005), Uncertainty (2008), What Maisie Knew (2012) and Montana Story (2021)

All that I knew about The Friend going in was the dog Bing and well it just so happens that Bing is the best part of this film and I don’t really mean that in a bad way. The way the film goes about tackling grief and companionship in times of loss is genuinely touching and what really brings this together is Apollo the dog (played by Bing.)

The performances are solid, Naomi Watts is really great here without her most of the film would not have worked nearly as well as it did. Her connection with the rest of the cast is genuinely touching, the conversations she has is where you can really feel her pain and frustration. It quickly gets to you and really brings out her incredible talent as an actress, it’s just a bit of a shame that the writing does not go far enough and does not really do anything that really stands out.

Bing is one of the best dog actors I’ve seen in a while, he works incredibly well with Naomi Watts and the rest of the cast and there’s tons of genuine moments where you can really feel that Bing is connecting with the story. Which I know is silly to say since Bing is a dog but that is truly felt here, it helps that he perfectly fits the story being told here and captures this daily life atmosphere the movie goes for. By the end of the movie you will see how much Bing connects with the story.

The script has some elements that are a bit too thin, particularly the supporting characters who we barely learn about, they get introduced, have a few scenes and then never get expanded upon. That seems to be the problem with a lot of the character interactions in this movie, while there are some bright spots a lot of the time there’s just so much missing that really holds this movie back from greatness.

The movie also goes on for far too long, this is an example of a movie that did not need to be 2 hours long. It feels like the movie ends five different times but keeps going for the sake of it, which is incredibly frustrating because there were so many moments that could have been a very nice ending.

Overall The Friend is not a bad movie, it has the right ideas and works for the most part. It’s just the script that completely holds it back from being anything other than “passable” which is a shame.

The Friend is available on all VOD platforms.

6/10 C+

Summer Of 69 (2025) Film Review

In an effort to land the guy she’s been pining after since grade school, Abby hires a local stripper named Santa Monica to teach her everything she needs to know about confidence and sex.

Summer Of 69 is directed by Jillian Bell which is her directorial debut.

I was not expecting all that much from Summer Of 69 it starts out as a very traditional raunchy sex comedy but slowly turns into something surprisingly heartfelt, personal and actually quite honest at times. There’s a lot here that could be easily dismissed however I think there was just enough here to push this movie above the finish line.

The performances were not too bad here, Chloe Fineman easily steals the show, she’s able to surprisingly give a grounded performance at times that even brings the viewer into certain scenes. Her chemistry with Sam Morelos is also quite beautiful as well, speaking of which Sam Morelos makes for a charismatic and very likable lead even when her character makes mistakes which is to be expected for someone her age. Watching the two’s bond grow over the course of the film is genuinely touching and does make you really buy their friendship.

As far as writing goes it’s decent, some jokes admittedly fall flat and the movie does wrap up quite conveniently. However it’s the exploration of self discovery and self worth in this very relatable manner that makes the film worth the watch. Sure there’s raunchy scenes during the first half but there’s truly something quite nice here with the rest of the film, it’s not anything mind blowing but it does have this genuine warmth to it.

Overall Summer Of 69 is a fun little movie that does not overstay its welcome, it has its flaws but it’s a sweetly written film that gets its point across rather well. I’m unsure if this is something I will ever return to but it was still a fun watch!

Summer Of 69 is available on Hulu.

6/10 C+

Another Simple Favor (2025) Film Review

Stephanie Smothers agrees to travel to Italy to be the maid of honour for the devious and cunning Emily Nelson. However, she soon suspects Emily’s good will is part of an elaborate plan for revenge.

Another Simple Favor is directed by Paul Feig director of Bridesmaids (2011), The Heat (2013), Spy (2015), Ghostbusters (2016), A Simple Favor (2018), Jackpot (2024) and a few others. Another Simple Favor serves as a sequel to A Simple Favor (2018)

A Simple Favor (2018) is a film that I actually quite liked, I may not like it as much as when I first watched it but it’s still quite fun, has this humorous yet thrilling atmosphere and has some pretty solid performances from Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively who really sell the movie incredibly well. So I was interested when a sequel was announced mainly because I wondered where they could exactly go from here…this is not what I expected at all and not really in a good way.

Much like the first movie Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively steal the show here, their chemistry is just as solid as it was back in the first movie. The best moments always involved one of the two and the dialogue exchanges between the two are genuinely funny at times, Blake Lively actually plays a pair of twins with a dual performance (seems to be a common theme we are running into this year.) She plays Emily Nelson or Hope McLanden (from the first film) and Charity McLanden, Lively does a pretty solid job playing both performances here. There’s some genuinely entertaining moments that admittedly did give me a few laughs.

The costume design is the other part this movie nails, costume designer Renee Ehrlich Kalfus sticks with the theme and setting of the film and manages to create some admittedly quite stunning works. Particularly with Blake Lively which really captures her characters incredibly well, combine that with the production design from Martin Whist and the cinematography from John Schwartzman and you have yourself a surprisingly beautiful looking film. Considering how a lot of straight to streaming films tend to really struggle with trying to bring out a certain style or be visually appealing, this was a surprise and solid accomplishment.

Having that said what completely stops Another Simple Favor dead in its tracks is the writing, I actually thought the first bit of the film does a pretty decent job of setting up the atmosphere of the film then when we get to the third act that’s when things get incredibly ridiculous. This is like if you took Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) and instead of having the fun atmosphere you replace it with a very poorly written murder mystery that is nonsensical, admittedly there are times where it is so ridiculous that I bursted out laughing. But when it comes to a writing standpoint it’s a complete and total mess.

I get why they did this, they clearly wanted to avoid just repeating the first film again. Whereas the first film was more grounded, creative and fun (not in a completely over the top way), Another Simple Favor really jumps the shark constantly and leaves the viewer with a “what on earth just happened” and not in a good way. Everything is lazily thrown at the wall to see what sticks with barely anything doing so, the movie for some reason decides to make itself more complicated when it does not need to be and the dialogue from the other characters is forgettable.

Overall Another Simple Favor is a bad sequel, but you could do far worse. The third act for some can be a so bad it’s hilarious type of thing and in some cases it is. But when compared to the first film and when you take a look at the writing it’s a major step down.

Another Simple Favor is available on Amazon Prime Video.

4/10 D+

The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie

Porky Pig and Daffy Duck become Earth’s only hope when their antics at the local bubble-gum factory uncover a secret alien mind-control plot. Faced with cosmic odds, they must save their town and the world while not driving each other totally looney.

The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is directed by Pete Browngardt which although it is his feature directorial debut he has worked on many shows you would recognize such as Futurama, The Venture Bros, Chowder, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Adventure Time and is the creator of Uncle Grandpa.

Believe it or not The Day The Earth Blew Up is the first fully animated and theatrical released Looney Tunes film, which is something that does not sound real but sure enough it is. If there’s one word to describe this film it’s charming, what Browngardt did with the Looney Tunes here is absolutely well done and incredibly imaginative. It has this sense of nostalgia without feeling like it’s trying to bait the audience and throw half a dozen easter eggs at you, it’s a film where long time fans and newcomers can really enjoy and walk away from the film loving the Looney Tunes all over again or wanting to get into them more.

The voice acting is top notch, Eric Bauza who voices both Daffy Duck and Porky Pig is the best he’s ever been, there’s so much charm to the characters and it’s all captured in the familiar voices of the characters. Having Daffy Duck and Porky Pig together is also quite neat, I grew up with Duck Dodgers a show that was on Cartoon Network that also had Daffy and Porky as the main characters. So it does bring a sense of nostalgia to see the two on screen together again and much like in Duck Dodgers they are both excellent here. The humor, their two personalities and the writing really brings out everything that we all love about these two characters. Candi Milo as Petunia Pig is a nice mix as well, Peter MacNicol as The Invader gives some great laughs over the course of the film.

The humor is very well done and is pretty spot on when capturing the spirit of the Looney Tunes. Even when the film goes for more of the newer type of humor it still works, one particular scene of (Everything I Do) I Do It For You by Bryan Adams showing up is genuinely hilarious and works in this fun way. There’s some fourth wall breaking jokes that are actually pretty charming, I don’t think these jokes would have worked nearly as well had this not been a Looney Tunes film but due to the charm and the way they are executed they work well here and match the tone.

The charm of the film is ultimately what makes the film, you can tell Browngardt and the many other writers wanted to make this special as well as a tribute to the Looney Tunes franchise as a whole. Not only does the film accomplish that it does its own thing, as I said earlier the film does not rely on nostalgia or easter eggs to bring the viewer in. It relies on classic Looney Tunes shenanigans, humor and energetic voice acting to bring it all together. The animation is also filled to the brim of charm with so much detail and so much to look at it’s incredibly pleasing to the eyes.

Overall The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is such a fun film that any Looney Tunes fan will love, there’s so much passion put here and respect for the franchise. Definitely be sure to check this one out!

The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is available on all VOD platforms.

8/10 B+