My Dead Friend Zoe (2025) Film Review

Merit is a U.S. veteran who keeps seeing the presence of Zoe, her best friend who died in combat. When her estranged grandfather is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, she decides to become his caretaker while also trying to heal herself.

My Dead Friend Zoe is directed by Kyle Hausmann-Stokes which is his directorial debut.

I knew very little about My Dead Friend Zoe going in and it’s definitely one of the more surprising films so far this year. There’s definitely some writing issues here and there but wow did this film stick the landing with its heart shattering ending especially when combined with the heartfelt performances that really bring the whole film together.

Sonequa Martin-Green does such an incredible job as the lead, portraying Merit someone who is trying to move on but constantly blaming herself for the death of her best friend Zoe (played by Natalie Morales), throughout the film she constantly battles with her mind and sees visions of Zoe. Everywhere she goes she’s constantly reminded of her which in turn brings her back to stage one, it’s very upsetting and gut punching to watch mainly due to just how strong of a performance Martin-Green gives. It’s a very real performance that captures PTSD very well and done in a respectful way that does not feel over the top.

Natalie Morales is fantastic here as well, there’s some humor put into her performance that oddly enough works, it’s definitely more of a “it’s funny until it’s not” moment. The switch in tone is done maturely and in a way where you can feel it hit you in the face with what’s to come, just when you feel more comfortable that film reminds you that this is a very heartbreaking story. Morales and Martin-Green really work well together and have some incredibly powerful moments of exchanging dialogue especially towards the end.

The film does not reveal to the viewer how Zoe died until the very last moments of the film, which is effectively done. It hits the viewer so much harder and in this much more grounded way, there’s some hints as to what happened to Zoe throughout the film but not enough to completely give it away. The reveal is so well done here and soul crushing that it really sticks the viewer as the credits roll.

The film tackling PTSD and how it affects army veterans is incredibly well done here especially given that the director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes himself is an army veteran and the inclusion of some veterans as some of the side characters. It feels much more real and almost like Hausmann-Stokes is sharing something personal with the viewer, it’s interesting to hear someone who did serve in the army give their take on how much guilt and PTSD can really hurt someone as well showing this beautiful but crushing depiction of trying to move on.

Overall My Dead Friend Zoe is a surprisingly genuine film that is very much a crowd pleaser, the writing does have its bumps in the road with a few cliches popping up here and there plus it can be on the nose at times. But the film has this strong heart that keeps it shining through, I say give this one a look!

My Dead Friend Zoe is available on all VOD platforms.

7/10 B

Quick Review: Riff Raff (2025)

A former criminal’s ordinary life turns upside down when his old family shows up for a long-awaited reunion.

Riff Raff is directed by Dito Montiel director of A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006), Fighting (2009), The Son Of No One (2011), Empire State (2013), Boulevard (2014), Man Down (2015), The Clapper (2017) and Critical Thinking (2020).

I was strongly considering on just not giving this a full review because honestly what is there to really say here? Riff Raff is one of those movies that heavily relies on its stacked cast to do all the heavy lifting, the rest of the movie is entirely nothing special at all. It’s not anything offensively bad but it hits way too many familiar beats and isn’t very funny for a comedy movie that’s mainly due to the tone that ends up being a complete and total mess.

The acting is probably the best part of this movie, Ed Harris is not bad here and actually does give the movie some of its best moments. Gabrielle Union and Jennifer Coolidge are solid here as well, I do like that the movie slowly introduces new characters and we follow each of them until everyone sort of just comes together we get some new layers of the story. The end result of these characters might have not been great, but at the very least you can tell there was some level of attempt here.

Writing wise the movie is a mess, the comedic elements have their moments but a large part of it just does not land at all. That’s mainly due to the tone constantly switching (as I said before), at times it feels like this family holiday movie other times it’s a crime movie and other times it’s a comedy. There’s way too much going on here and it all just starts to crumble to the ground when the third act rolls around, combine that with tons of exposition that’s spewed all over and you have yourself a very dull watch.

I wish I could say more but there just is not a whole lot to comment on, I’m sure there will be some people who may like this one. But this is definitely something I wouldn’t recommend.

Riff Raff is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

Mickey 17 (2025) Film Review

A disposable employee is sent on a human expedition to colonize the ice world Niflheim. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories

Mickey 17 is directed by Bong Joon Ho director of Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000), Memories Of Murder (2003), The Host (2006), Mother (2009), Snowpiercer (2013), Okja (2017) and Parasite (2019).

Mickey 17 is drastically different from Bong Joon Ho’s previous films but retains a lot of the elements that make his work so great. You have a little bit of everything here and even if there are some issues here and there, the film is still quite spectacular and truly something different.

What makes Mickey 17 work as well as it does is Robert Pattinson’s performance, without him the film would not have worked nearly as well as it did. Pattinson has shown over the years how incredible he is as an actor and here is no exception, Mickey Barnes/Mickey 17/Mickey 18 are just such fun characters that the film takes its sweet time to explore and beautiful detail. The film does this in a mostly humorous way that early on establishes this humorous atmosphere that Pattinson captures almost immediately. He’s at his best when he has these character moments whether it be with the rest of the cast or himself, in this kind of beautiful way we see him slowly open up as the film goes on as well as some sharp voice over moments that sum up Mickey as a character incredibly well.

Naomi Ackie is also quite fantastic here, the romance between Mickey and Ackie’s character Nasha Barridge is genuinely beautiful, heartfelt and quite honestly comes off as very natural. That’s mainly due to just how great the chemistry between Pattinson and Ackie really is, there’s theme of love and having someone who supports you. So many implications of love that is truly well done and Naomi Ackie pushes it in such beautiful ways that can even bring the viewer to shed a few tears.

The only really major flaw here comes from Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette, while I do get what their performances were trying to go for here it did not quite work for me. Each scene they are in it almost seems like they are battling to be the louder person in the room and although that is the point of their characters it doesn’t really make for interesting characters or even fun villains. Especially when you compare the two with the rest of the film that is strongly written and has more of a calm but absurd nature to it (in a good way) the two’s performances really stick out like a sore thumb and end up being the weakest part in a incredibly well made film.

The visuals are stunning especially when combined with the cinematography from Darius Khondji, it makes the film’s world look massive and even the film itself becomes large in scale. There’s this sense of epicness from the film that just oozes out to the viewer, it’s beautiful to look at and is striking in every single way it possibly can. The film’s atmosphere combined with its humor reminds me of old sci-fi television shows such as some of the early episodes of Star Trek it’s fun to watch and just flows together incredibly well. There is this classic sci-fi feel here that some films don’t seem to have much anymore (not always a bad thing) but here it feels extra special.

Lastly the film is just a whole lot of fun, it’s a fun sci-fi comedy that displays so much passion to the genre especially when it comes to Bong Joon Ho’s direction which has so much love and passion poured into it much like his other films. Even with the stuff with Ruffalo and Collette, while I don’t think a lot of it worked I appreciate what he was going for and that’s not to say that some scenes did work with the two. Towards the end of the film I do think they get a bit better and more focused as well.

Overall Mickey 17 is grand in scale and even bigger when it comes to how great the film is. As I said not everything works but between the performances from Pattinson and Ackie plus the visuals, the beautiful theme of love and much more. The film ends up working and ends up being the best film of the year so far.

Mickey 17 is available in theaters!

9/10 A

The Monkey (2025) Film Review

When twin brothers find a mysterious wind-up monkey, a series of outrageous deaths tear their family apart. Twenty-five years later, the monkey begins a new killing spree, forcing the estranged siblings to confront the cursed toy.

The Monkey is directed by Osgood Perkins director of The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015), I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016), Gretel & Hansel (2020) and Longlegs (2024).

Osgood Perkins hits it out of the park yet again, after delivering the terrifying and incredibly well done Longlegs (2024) I was already very excited for The Monkey and it did not disappoint. It’s a film that is drastically different than a lot of Perkins’s previous films, it’s far more comedic with tons of dark humor that at first had me a bit worried if the film may overdo it. Luckily the film doesn’t take itself seriously and goes all out on the humor which ends up making the humor have a character of its own.

The performances here are a lot of fun, there’s some nice cameos Adam Scott, OsGood Perkins, Elijah Wood and a few others. Theo James is definitely doing standout performance, I’ve always rooted for Theo James so I am so glad to see him in a film that takes advantage of his potential as an actor, his duel performance here is brilliant it’s able to create two characters with very different personalities Hal and Bill who are fun characters. The interactions between his two characters are some of the film’s highlights and filled to the brim with laughs. There isn’t anything special being said with his characters but there really doesn’t need to be it’s all good fun and the film compliments that with the script.

Christian Convery also has a duel performance he both young Hal and Bill incredibly well and makes so many of the earlier parts of the film that much more entertaining. Tatiana Maslany is fun as well even if she isn’t given that much to do.

The humor of the film is ultimately what makes it work, I have to say it was a very risky move especially when coming out of Longlegs (2024) but the execution is so well done here. Perkins is able to create a dark atmosphere about a toy monkey that kills people whenever it plays and make it a hilarious time, plus when you combine that with the gore and kills you have yourself such a fun package. The gore on its own is used for comedic effect, it’s over the top and ridiculous a much more comedic take on splatter films.

Finally there’s the direction that Perkins does such a great job of remaining consistent throughout the film, while a majority of the film is filled with dark humor there are the serious moments that are just as well done. The film embraces its silliness which it does well, especially when you have the Stephen King feel to it (the film is based on a short story.)

Overall The Monkey is just an incredibly solid and fun film, it’s not trying to be something it’s not and embraces the humorous energy it gives off from beginning to end. Check this one out!

The Monkey is currently in theaters

8/10 B+

Borderline (2025) Film Review

A helplessly romantic sociopath escapes from a mental institution and invades the home of a ’90s pop superstar. He just wants to be loved; she just wants to survive.

Borderline is directed by Jimmy Warden which is his directorial debut.

Samara Weaving in another incredibly fun horror film? That’s news I love to hear and Borderline gets the job done for the most part. This is one of I’ve been waiting to release for a while now and while there are some hiccups in the road for the most part this is a fun and surprisingly quite humorous ride.

The cast are doing a lot of the heavily lifting here, much like in her other horror film appearances Samara Weaving is great here. There’s one particular moment here that caught me off guard that is probably going to end up being a fan favorite moment from Weaving, as always she matches the atmosphere that’s needed and is quite humorous here as well. She’s able to balance the horror moments with the comedic ones, her character Sofia is fun and while we do not really get a whole lot about her as a character. It’s Weaving’s magic to really bring the viewer into the character that helps in the long run.

Ray Nicholson the son of Jack Nicholson is excellent here, one of the film’s strongest assets and really gives off some of the acting power his father has. He’s both creepy and humorous, a character that quickly gets under the viewer’s skin. His mindset going from crazy to even more insane and it just keeps building from there, his back and forth with Samara Weaving is investing to watch as well as quite thrilling. The atmosphere is there to back it up and the end result unfolds into a hilarious and chaotic third act.

Jimmie Fails and Eric Dane are both great as well, not a whole lot to their characters but the two much like everyone else in the film are hilarious and match the tone of the film. Dane has a really strong moment at the beginning of the film that he shares with Nicholson where we see early on how deranged Nicholson really is. Fails shines towards the end of the film, a moment that is both bizarre yet fun and really matches this film’s incredibly strange atmosphere.

The writing and direction from Jimmy Warden are both great, admittedly after the opening scene the film does take a bit a time to get going. Some of the writing is just okay with nothing really special going on. But once the film starts to reach the second act the film’s vision is a lot more clear and the ideas the film is going for start to develop and fully fleshed out. We get some great moments between the character as well, Weaving and Fails have some nice moments together and have some nice chemistry together.

The film’s humor as well as the atmosphere is very Ready Or Not (2019) like, the film does not quite reach the highs that the film did but it does manage to take the approach that Ready Or Not (2019) did and spin it in its own way. Not every single joke lands but at the very least the film backs those up with some thrilling atmosphere and some great gore.

Overall Borderline is not going to reinvent the genre, but due to the cast’s commitment and Warden’s thrilling and humorous writing and direction the film manages to be a lot of fun and is something I would recommend you check out.

Borderline releases tomorrow on all VOD Platforms

7/10 B

The Parenting (2025) Film Review

Boyfriends Josh and Rohan plan a weekend getaway to introduce their parents, only to discover that their rental is home to a 400-year-old poltergeist.

The Parenting is directed by Craig Johnson director of True Adolescents (2009), The Skeleton Twins (2014), Wilson (2017) and Alex Strangelove (2018).

The Parenting is what happens when you take The Evil Dead (1981) and comedies where the parents of each party dating each other meet. Nothing exactly we haven’t seen before, but I got to say this surprised me. There’s some genuinely good bits here that did get some laughs out of me, that’s probably due to the cast having a blast (also a surprisingly packed cast as well?)

Speaking of which the acting while not exactly anything excellent is still quite a lot of fun. Brandon Flynn and Parker Posey in particular do a great job here, Brian Cox has some hilarious parts as well and Nik Dodani worked well with Brandon Flynn. Both have great chemistry and the comedic timing for the two is actually quite solid as well.

Admittedly there really isn’t a whole lot going on here, the plot is about what you expect but I do have to give credit for the sort of chaotic energy the movie goes for. It’s very reminiscent of Scary Movie (2000) where the parody movie genre was at least entertaining, there’s some moments like that here that do actually work in this movie’s favor.

As I said before it’s mostly the cast that makes this work, each character is at the very least given something to do which in turn gives everyone a few moments to shine. Even if Cliff (played by Dean Norris) is really not given so much to work with, the moments we do have are genuinely fun and he actually does end up being likable. Directing wise this was alright, Craig Johnson has showed better direction before with some of his previous films mainly The Skeleton Twins (2014) but I do think he did a decent job with the comedy here and some of the horror (even if that took a backseat for most of the film.)

Overall The Parenting isn’t too bad, it’s absolutely not going to be for everyone and I don’t think this is something I’m ever going to watch again. But I will say this was a fun time and if it sounds like your thing I say check it out.

The Parenting is available on HBO Max or Max

6/10 C+

Plankton: The Movie (2025) Film Review

Plankton’s tangled love story with his sentient computer wife goes sideways when she takes a stand and decides to destroy the world without him.

Plankton: The Movie is directed by Dave Needham director of The Loud House Movie (2021).

After the disaster that was last year’s Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie (2024) I went into this one expecting the same sort of disaster..luckily that was not the case here. That doesn’t mean to say that it’s necessarily a good movie but talk about an improvement.

The voice cast does a really solid job here, there isn’t necessarily any standouts it’s very much what you expect from anything SpongeBob related but unlike the Sandy Cheeks Movie there was actual charm here. The relationship between Plankton and Karen is actually explored decently well, again nothing mind blowing but the fact they even bothered at all considering how lacking in writing the last movie was deserves some credit.

The animation styles used are decent, some of the 3D animation does feel a bit empty at times. It’s moments like those that you kind of wish the movie was the typical SpongeBob 2D animation style, but at the very least some of those moments are made up with some song sequences. The music numbers are a mixed bag for me in terms of the songs themselves, but I do think what’s going on the background and the different styles being used are quite great as well as creative at times. The songs themselves are never going to reach the quality and fun feel of the songs from the show, but they are at least tolerable and don’t overstay their welcome (you will more than likely forget about them as soon as the movie is over anyway.)

Finally it’s nice to see that there’s still some charm from the show here, for one thing the voice acting was much more lively especially from Tom Kenny who sounds much more awake than he was in the Sandy Cheeks Movie (2024) leading to this movie just having more entertaining moments. Plus there are some moments that are genuinely funny, nothing that’s going to knock your socks off but entertaining at the very least.

Not much else to say here, Plankton: The Movie is probably the most 5/10 movie ever made but given just how dreadful the last movie was. That should be taken as a compliment.

Plankton: The Movie is available on Netflix!

5/10 C

One Of Them Days (2025) Film Review

When her boyfriend takes her rent money, Alyssa and her roommate race against the clock to avoid eviction and keep their friendship intact.

One Of Them Days is directed by Lawrence Lamont which is his directorial debut.

One Of Them Days is a film that answers what if the phrase “can this day get any worse” was a human and made a movie. Well turns out it would be a genuinely hilarious film with incredibly solid performances that are so charming and a whole lot of fun.

The performances from Keke Palmer and SZA are both fantastic here, right from the very beginning the two show their natural chemistry right off the bat and remains strong throughout the film. The two both have excellent comedic timing, filled to the brim with jokes that gave me a ton of laughs and puts the film above so many other modern comedies that struggle to even get a chuckle out of the viewer.

Keke Palmer has the natural charisma, comedic timing and the balance of humorous moments and serious ones to really hit her performance out of the park (as well as this film.) I’ve said before in the past how Palmer is a powerhouse actress and One Of Them Days only reinforces that. SZA is also quite fantastic, she might not be a seasoned actress like Keke Palmer is (in fact this is SZA’s acting debut.) However for an acting debut this was quite solid, as I said before she works with Palmer incredibly well and she really does feel like a natural fit for the film.

The film tackling the theme of everything just going completely wrong has such chaotic energy to it, it’s both hilarious and quite clever at the same time. While there are some cliches in the road the whole “friends have a falling out” plot line rears its head however that doesn’t take away from the film’s writing. The script from writer Syreeta Singleton is hilarious and it helps that Keke Palmer and SZA can turn a what would be ordinary piece of dialogue into something quite funny. There’s even some jokes here that are actually clever and tie into the film in meaningful ways as well.

I also do think the film succeeds in balancing its humor with the serious moments, there is some actual great character moments reflecting on how much the day absolutely sucks and wishing for it to get better. It’s not anything incredibly deep, but it’s incredibly genuine and really does have this charm attached to it.

Overall One Of Them Days is a whole lot of fun! Between great performances, hilarious laughs and a solid story. This is one I absolutely recommend checking out!

One Of Them Days is available on all VOD platforms.

7/10 B

Picture This (2025) Film Review

Struggling photographer Pia is told she’ll find true love and career success within the next five dates she goes on. With her sister’s wedding looming and her family playing matchmaker, her ex soon reappears, throwing her life into chaos.

Picture This is directed by Prarthana Mohan director of The Miseducation of Bindu (2020), All For Her (2021) and Christmas Is Cancelled (2021).

Not a whole lot to report here, Picture This is the first thing you think of when somebody talks about how forgettable a lot of streaming movies are. Outside of a few performances and the cultural aspects that do help this movie at least have some sort of identity. The movie is very much a forgettable romantic comedy that you will forget about after viewing.

The performances I will say are a lot better than you would think, Simone Ashley is easily the standout with her natural charisma and her ability to give her character Pia some actual depth (all be it not anything groundbreaking) is easily the movie’s best asset. Her chemistry with Luke Fetherson (who plays Pia’s best friend Jay), ends up leading to some of the movie’s most enjoyable moments. While not completely original their dialogue at the very least is more engaging than the rest of the movie’s formulaic plot.

Hero Fiennes is fine enough here, but unfortunately the dialogue doesn’t give the necessary character development or chemistry with Simone Ashley to make his character Charlie (ex-boyfriend of Pia) work at all. The only thing we are given about him is the typical cliches the genre likes to throw at the viewer, upon immediately seeing his character you already have a good idea of where the movie is going to go with Charlie.

Everything else is incredibly bland unfortunately, while there is some vibrant depiction of the Indian wedding festivities which adds color and cultural richness. The rest of the filming really doesn’t standout and absolutely suffers from the low budget feel, it feels like it needed more of a stronger push to pop out but can’t quite do it. The writing is about as bland as you can really get with romantic comedies, while not terrible (this actually fairs a bit better than some straight to streaming romantic comedy films when it comes to writing.) but that still does not give the movie the power it needs to reach the finish line.

Overall Picture This isn’t the worst attempt but it’s definitely one of the most forgettable, Simone Ashley’s charming performance and the few moments of potential aren’t enough to save this movie from being forgettable.

Picture This is available on Amazon Prime Video.

4/10 D+

Heart Eyes (2025) Film Review!

For the past several years, the “Heart Eyes Killer” has wreaked havoc on Valentine’s Day by stalking and murdering romantic couples. This Valentine’s Day, no couple is safe.

Heart Eyes is directed by Josh Ruben director of Scare Me (2020) and Werewolves Within (2021).

I actually quite like Ruben’s previous work, while I wasn’t crazy about Scare Me (2020) I really appreciated the small cast and for the most part found it to be quite different from a lot of other horror comedies. Werewolves Within I thought was a huge improvement (also a pretty good example of a great video game adaption film) it’s one of those modern horror comedy films that I do think is genuinely funny and has a lot of charm.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said about Heart Eyes, holiday horror slasher films have always been a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine and was hoping that maybe this could be good one…that’s not what happened here. Outside of a few decent kills, some fine enough song choices and the acting being overall not terrible. This movie quite honestly just feels like yet another horror comedy that really does not add anything new to the table and really tries to be Scream as much as possible rather than have its own identity.

The performances as I said earlier are not bad here, Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding have just enough chemistry to make some scenes work and the rest of the cast are solid. But there’s nobody here that really elevates the material given into something interesting that the viewer can grab a hold of, especially when the disastrous third act rolls around and the acting actually starts to lead into terrible territory. Granted that has a lot more to do with the writing of the movie rather than the performances, as the third act’s killer reveal is laughably terrible and makes everything that came before it so much worse.

The kills as I said before aren’t bad here, but as I say in a lot of terrible slasher movies like this good kills can only get you so far. Some of the song choices aren’t bad either, Amazed by Lonestar is always nice to hear and a lot of the other songs do fit the atmosphere the movie is going for which is actually quite impressive considering how much the writing misses the mark in that department.

The writing does a lot more of the killing than the movie’s villain “Heart Eyes” could ever dream of. The attempt of being a parody of romantic comedy films just doesn’t land here, the jokes are not funny and the characters aren’t interesting enough or even well written enough to make the viewer really care about them. We are given a few character moments but a lot of it is incredibly surface level at best, Holt and Gooding just don’t have the chemistry to really back this movie up at all. Lastly the movie heavily trying to be a Scream clone is what ultimately hurts this movie, it’s painfully obvious that it tries to recapture the magic of Scream but with this romantic comedy feel that never really lands and ultimately starts to fall in line with a lot of other bad Scream clones.

Overall Heart Eyes is completely forgettable, had the movie been better written and tried to find its own identity this could have easily been a half decent movie.

Heart Eyes is available on all VOD platforms.

3/10 D-