Enola Holmes 2 is a slightly better than the first movie.

Enola Holmes takes on her first case as a detective, but to unravel the mystery of a missing girl, she’ll need some help from friends — and brother Sherlock.

I really don’t have a whole lot to say here..Enola Holmes 2 is a sequel to Enola Holmes which came out in 2020, a movie that I found to be pretty okay for what it is, Enola Holmes 2 is definitely an upgrade from it’s predecessor although not that much has changed. There’s still the incredibly charming performances from Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill that completely steal the show throughout the film, where as the first movie felt more of a background movie this one offers more depth to the characters. We actually get some character moments that do add certain character arcs, the fourth wall breaking does get to be a bit much after awhile as it does tend to repeat the same sort of jokes that other movies have. The running time combined with the pacing in some areas also tend to drag a bit, but there’s a lot of genuinely charming bits here that make up for it!

Enola Holmes 2 is available on Netflix.

7/10 B

Quick Review: The Independent.

A young journalist discovers a conspiracy involving a U.S. Presidential candidate that could change the election and the fate of the country.

The Independent is a very dull political thriller that just sort of exists, while the cast isn’t bad as they give it their all with such a shallow script. Jodie Turner-Smith and Ann Dowd in particular are pretty okay, there were also some scenes that were admittedly engaging that gave the movie some sort tension. However a majority of it really fails to do anything more than just tell a bland political thriller story, it’s way too predictable for it’s own good and nothing really stands out at all. The biggest problem here is that it feels more like a pilot for a NBC show rather than a movie, which is probably why it was quietly shoved on to Peacock without any advertising. Which is quite odd because you would think a movie where John Cena is running for president would do a hell of a lot more with that idea. Overall The Independent is largely forgettable and just does not have a whole lot to it.

The Independent is available on Peacock.

3/10 D-

Most Anticipated Films Of November 2022!

We are almost at the end of 2022 which is sort of crazy to think about, it’s been such a spectacular year for film and it’s only going to get even better from here! Let’s start with a movie I saw back in March at SXSW that is quite disturbing.

Soft & Quiet – November 4th (VOD) – I’m going to link my review here so you know what you are getting into if you decide to watch it. It’s a very good film but very disturbing. https://jeromereviews.home.blog/2022/03/22/sxsw-review-soft-quiet-2022/

16. Disenchanted 2 – November 18th (Disney+)

15. Strange World – November 23rd (Theaters)

14. Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Plantasm – November 8th (VOD)

13. Selena Gomez: my mind & me – November 4th (Apple TV+)

12. She Said – November 18th (Theaters)

11. Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special – November 25th (Disney+)

10. EO – November 18th (Theaters)

9. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – November 11th (Theaters)

8. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story – November 4th (Roku)

7. The Son – November 11th (Theaters)

6. The Fabelmans – November 11th (Limited) and November 23rd (Wide)

5. The Wonder – November 16th (Netflix)

4. Causeway – November 4th (Apple TV+)

3. Armageddon Time – November 4th (Theaters)

2. The Menu – November 18th (Theaters)

1. Bones & All – November 18th (Theaters)

And that’s my list of the most anticipated films of this month! What are you excited for!

Run Sweetheart Run is entertaining yet could have been more.

After what begins as dinner with a client, a single mom finds herself hunted by a monstrous and seemingly unstoppable assailant.

Run Sweetheart Run is a film that is not subtle at all, it establishes very early on that it’s a #MeToo type of film. Which I’m definitely all for and at times the movie uses that quite well, Ella Balinska gives such a fantastic and fun performance here, she really gives it her all here and completely steals the show in every single way possible. The “RUN” title card sequences when Cherie (Balinska) is in danger are very fun and creative, mixed with some thrilling atmosphere as well a very solid score to go with it. The vampire elements I have to say are solid and actually do a few things differently, it’s just a tad frustrating that they aren’t used to the full potential. Ultimately what stops this movie from being even better is the script, as I said before it’s not subtle at all which leads to many problems as the movie goes on, the dialogue from the other characters is on the weak side and none of them really have any memorable or distinct personalities outside of their respective ones they are given. The third act does have a twist that is quite engaging but unfortunately is a bit too late to really sink in or to do anything memorable with. Run Sweetheart Run clearly had a lot of potential to be great and I truly hope Ella Balinska is given a better horror film to work with in the near future.

Run Sweetheart Run is available on Amazon Prime Video.

6/10 C+

Gigi & Nate a huge baffling switch in tone.

A young man’s life gets turned upside down when he suffers a near-fatal illness and is left a quadriplegic. Moving forward seems nearly impossible — until he gets an unlikely service animal named Gigi, a curious and intelligent capuchin monkey. Although it’s trained to assist Nate with his basic needs, Gigi gives him what he needs most of all — hope.

Gigi & Nate isn’t as bad as anticipated however it has a baffling switch in tone during midway through the movie. The first part is about a man who ends up in a wheelchair needs a service animal so he bonds with this monkey named Gigi. There’s plenty of cute moments here that you would expect from these types of movies, Charlie Rowe gives a fine enough performance. Although it’s worth mentioning that he doesn’t use a wheelchair, which it’s a bit irritating since the movie does pride itself in that it casted extras who have disabilities. So it’s very questionable as to why they didn’t do the same for the lead, but as I said before Rowe does give a decent performance which mostly comes from his interactions with the rest of the cast and the monkey. The real show stealer however is Diane Ladd you would think with how funny and charming her performance is that somebody’s grandma walked on set and started making jokes. It’s a genuine performance that really puts a smile on your face. Then the second half rolls around and turns into a animal rights activists Vs the Gibson family even to the point where there’s a courtroom scene. The main problem here is the movie doesn’t have anyway of nuance, it portrays the animal rights activists as cartoony villains. The movie is supposedly based on a true story however a lot of it feels very dramatized, particularly the courtroom stuff that has this made for tv feel to it that wants the audience to get up and clap. The message of the movie is fine enough but by the end I’m not 100% sure the movie even knows what it’s trying to say anymore.

Gigi & Nate is available on all VOD platforms.

3/10 D-

The Lair is another misfire from Neil Marshall.

When Royal Air Force pilot Lt. Kate Sinclair is shot down over Afghanistan, she finds refuge in an abandoned underground bunker where deadly man-made biological weapons — half human, half alien — are awakened.

In case Hellboy and The Reckoning weren’t proof enough that the glory days of Neil Marshall are over than The Lair just confirms it. While The Lair isn’t as bad as the two previous mentioned movies it’s still a horrible addition to Marshall’s career. It’s pretty much if you took any sci-fi movie where a bunch of creatures attack from the last 10 years and did absolutely nothing new with it, the acting and writing are beyond abysmal and like in The Reckoning there’s a few so bad it’s hilarious moments but not enough to save this movie. Even the actions scenes and creature designs are very poor, I get this was on a low budget but a lot of it was very uninspired a huge disappointment due to knowing how capable Marshall is as a director and his creativity. Which is probably the main point I’m trying to get across here, the creativity is just no longer in his movies, The Descent, Dog Soldiers and Centurion had so much creativity, atmosphere and character to them that were and still are really great (The Descent being one of my favorite horror films of all time) the same can’t be said for The Lair, it’s a terrible sci-fi monster movie that is very disposable that you will quickly forget about after watching.

The Lair is available on all VOD platforms.

1/10 F

Matriarch is a forgettable slow burn horror movie.

Afflicted with a mysterious disease after surviving an overdose, a woman returns to her childhood home to confront her personal demons but instead discovers a real one.

Definitely not a whole lot to say here, Matriarch has it’s positives such as the acting that is all around pretty solid and the atmosphere combined with the cinematography creates at times a haunting type of experience. The major problems here mostly stem from the movie not using it’s themes all that well, the movie is definitely trying to say something about childhood trauma and combine it with slow burn elements. The problem is there’s been films that have come before it that have done this exact type of thing a lot better, the last 25 or so minutes are definitely the standout here where the movie just goes off the rails (in a good way) but by then it’s a bit too late to bring you back into the movie. It’s a shame because the ideas presented (some light body horror stuff) are quite interesting but the rest of the movie really takes away from it, Matriarch isn’t a bad attempt and might actually work fine enough for some people but there are definitely better options out there.

Matriarch is available on Hulu.

5/10 C

Quick Review: Slayers (2022)

Vampire slayer Elliot Jones made it his life’s mission to take revenge on the bloodsuckers who killed his teenage daughter. After years of tracking them, he’s finally reached their secret and hidden base. However, to get to them, he’ll need help from a motley crew of social media superstars who’ve been invited to party at a compound that’s also a lair for ancient vampires.

Slayers is what happens when you have no idea what you want your movie to be so you throw whatever you can at the wall and none of it sticks. Thomas Jane and Abigail Breslin are tolerable, but the Jane’s voice over narration is nothing but filled with exposition or not relevant information that the viewer isn’t going to need. Way too much stock footage of random clips from TV or the internet and it’s a piss poor attempt of combining the vampire and social media horror subgenres, it doesn’t help that this doesn’t feel like a vampire movie, I wouldn’t mind that so much if it wasn’t done in such uncreative ways, lastly there’s the “lol random” type of humor that hasn’t been funny in a movie since forever. Terrible movie all around and one to completely avoid.

Slayers is available on all VOD platforms.

1/10 F

The Good Nurse has a thrilling atmosphere with great performances.

Nurse Amy Loughren is shocked when Charlie Cullen, one of her colleagues, is foound responsible for the murder of dozens of patients over a period of sixteen years, across two states and nine hospitals, without being charged.

The Good Nurse is based off of a 2013 book of the same name by Charles Graeber which the book is about serial killer Charles Cullen. The true story of The Good Nurse is quite disturbing and I highly recommend reading about the case as it is very interesting. Right off the bat Jessica Chastain gives a really strong performance, she puts a lot of heart and emotion into the role that really captures her role. Eddie Redmayne is actually quite great here, it’s been awhile since he’s given a very solid performance but he really hits out of the park during the third act where he actually becomes very intimidating. It’s a great transformation of his performance that goes from being kind enough to downright chilling, while the writing during the first two acts isn’t anything to write home about. The third act on the other hand really pushes the movie into a thrilling atmosphere that invests the viewer quite well, the movie is just barely over 2 hours which does start to drag a bit during the second act. But luckily the movie quickly does get a lot better as it goes on, overall The Good Nurse is a solid enough crime drama with some very thrilling moments that I would recommend.

The Good Nurse is available on Netflix.

7/10 B

Blade Of The 47 Ronin is somehow worse than the first movie.

Ancient Japanese Ronin warriors, set 300 years after 47 Ronin, in a modern-day world where Samurai clans exist in complete secrecy.

I’m not even sure where to begin with Blade Of The 47 Ronin, I’m sure the first question on everybody’s mind is “how on earth did 47 Ronin one of the biggest critical and finical failures of 2013 get a sequel?” To recap 47 Ronin released at the tip end of 2013 with little to no advertising and was attempting to be a fictionalized account of the forty seven ronin an actual group of real samurai under Daimyo Asano Naganori in 18th century Japan. A neat premise but very poor execution that had some okay action scenes and for whatever reason had Keanu Reeves involved, it was a largely forgotten about movie that nobody really thought of until last week when the sequel came out. Blade Of The 47 Ronin takes place 300 years after the first movie and has very little connection with the first movie, this one really ends up being more of a below average samurai movie that while like the first movie actually have some okay action scenes especially considering the budget of the movie. There really isn’t anything here that hasn’t been done before, the cast at least seems to connect with each other really well and for the script they are given they don’t do a horrible job, but the problem stems from being a beat by bear story. It’s another one of those “this certain person is the only who can defeat so and so now they have to find their true power.” It’s a lot of seen it and done it way better, if you took away 47 Ronin away from the title you would think this was just some terrible samurai movie. Much like the previous movie the characters are very poorly written who are given one or two personality traits and that’s it, lastly the movie is lacking in identity at least with the first movie you can actually point to what the movie is and what it was trying to do, with this one all you can really say is that it’s a bad samurai movie with a few decent moments. Blade Of The 47 Ronin much like it’s predecessor is going to be largely forgotten about, it makes complete and total sense on why this was quietly shoved on to Netflix.

Blade Of The 47 Ronin is available on Netflix.

2/10 F