Ivy + Bean Movies Review (2022)

Ivy and Bean never expected to be friends. Ivy is quiet, thoughtful and observant. Bean is playful, exuberant and fearless. However, sometimes an adventure reveals that opposites can become the best of friends.

There isn’t a whole lot to say about Ivy + Bean since it is basically a 56 minute kids movie that really doesn’t do anything new. However that doesn’t make it bad at, Madison Skye Validum and Keslee Blalock are both fantastic here and have a wonderful chemistry, they really do capture two kids starting a friendship. The movie itself has a nostalgic feel to it, the type where you made friends with other kids around the neighborhood and the movie does such a good job of showing that. Some of the jokes actually land quite well to the point where I found myself actually chuckling at times, the movie doesn’t overstay it’s welcome either. It establishes what it wants to do early on and does that quite well, as I said before Ivy + Bean is not going to break any new ground and it is very formulaic. But if you have 56 minutes to spare and are looking for a very easy watch this is most certainly not a bad option.

Ivy + Bean is available on Netflix.

6/10 C+

When Ivy discovers the school bathroom is haunted, Bean helps Ivy to harness her powers. With the help of their classmates, Ivy and Bean orchestrate a ritual that will free the ghosts, save the school, and also mess up Nancy’s day.

Ivy + Bean: The Ghost That Had To Go is the second of the Ivy + Bean movie and is probably the best one, I say probably because all three movies are about the same (although I do think the third movie is the weakest). It might be because this one is a kid horror movie a subgenre (if you want to call it that) that I’m glad exists. Once again Madison Skye Validum and Keslee Blalock are fantastic here, the chemistry is still very strong and they are both genuinely hilarious. The kid horror elements are actually quite great here, I was a bit worried that they wouldn’t completely work and would stick out like a sore thumb. But luckily the elements are worked into the story and actually blend in quite well with the cutesy atmosphere the movie started with, Jane Lynch is one of my favorite parts about this movie by far. I’m not sure if I’ve said this before but Jane Lynch is such a fun actress even when the script she is given isn’t always great, she finds a way to make it entertaining and here is no exception. The script while once again isn’t going to break any new ground but is still genuinely fun and Jane Lynch’s parts are truly great, this movie definitely has the spirit of a Halloween special I would have saw back when I was a kid. It’s a genuinely fun little movie that like the previous movie is a quick and easy watch.

Ivy + Bean: The Ghost That Had To Go is available on Netflix.

6/10 C+

Ivy and Bean are ecstatic to sign up for ballet class until they realize there will be no sword-fighting, kicking or “dancing to the death” allowed in class. When Bean’s parents won’t let her quit, Ivy agrees to stick it out with Bean through the big dance festival performance.

Ivy + Bean: Doomed To Dance is the third Ivy + Bean movie and as I said in the previous review I do think this one is the weakest. Madison Skye Validum and Keslee Blalock are fantastic yet again and like in the other movies have great chemistry, by this point you are already sold that they have a very grounded friendship. There’s some decent jokes here and the movie does get quite creative as well with certain scenes, this one falls a little short mainly due to the pacing being very uneven and it’s more less the same thing as the other two movies except with a dance theme to it. The pacing is very weird here the beginning and ending are smooth sailing but the middle moves way too slowly, while I get what they were going for with the dance theme as it is a very common plot that a lot of kids media uses. It’s very flat here and doesn’t do anything very interesting that invests the viewer at all, with the other two movies yes you can argue that those plots are also used quite a lot in kids media. But at least the other two movies made themselves interesting and genuinely fun, Doomed To Dance just sort of exists because they needed a third movie and only releasing two movies would look and feel incomplete. Having that said Doomed To Dance is very harmless to kids, it’s just not something I would call good.

Ivy + Bean: Doomed To Dance is available on Netflix.

5/10 C

Most Anticipated Films Of September 2022!

August flew by and the summer movie season is over. 2022 still continues be an incredibly strong year for film and it’s only going to get better with upcoming releases for the last 4 months. September is usually a month that isn’t quite packed and is also sometimes a dumping ground, however this year it looks quite great (minus this week outside of Honk For Jesus Save Your Soul there is almost nothing releasing).

As always here’s some films that I’ve already seen at festivals that are coming out in September that I highly recommend checking out.

Speak No Evil – September 9th (Theaters) and September 15th (Shudder) if you like disturbing films make sure to check this one out. It’s a batshit insane movie that goes off the rails quickly, also be sure to go into it knowing as little as possible.

Riotsville USA – September 16th (Theaters and VOD Platforms) A very interesting film that’s entirely archival footage of how protests began to rise in the 60s, it’s a very haunting and powerful film that’s actually quite important. Definitely one of the most interesting films so far this year. If you are into protest history I recommend this one.

Sissy – September 29th (Shudder) Another really solid slasher film that’s going to release this year, fun characters, great kills, fun gore and so on. It’s everything you would want in a slasher film!!

Now on to the list itself!



23. Jeepers Creepers: Reborn – September 19th (Theaters) As far as I know Victor Salva has no involvement with this one, it also helps that it looks like a far better movie than the last Jeepers Creepers. 

22. Smile – September 30th (Theaters) it looks absolutely ridiculous but at the same time sort of looks fun as well!

21. Saloum – September 8th (Shudder)

20. Goodnight Mommy – September 16th (Amazon Prime Video) I definitely think there’s potential for this to be good, it has Naomi Watts and the filming looks really nice. However the original 2014 movie is such a great film that captured disturbing atmosphere, after seeing America’s attempt to remake disturbing movies before such as Martyrs, Inside and Oldboy (all the remakes were garbage) It’s likely this could be another dud. Despite that I am interested to see what they can do.

19. Who Invited Them? – September 1st (Shudder)

18. Jane – September 16th (Creator+)

17. My Best Friend’s Exorcism – September 30th (Amazon Prime Video) Was very surprised to see that the movie actually looks like a whole lot of fun. Elsie Fisher is in one of the leading roles!

16. The Greatest Beer Run Ever – September 30th (Apple TV+)

15. The Girl At The Window – September 27th (VOD)

14. Mona Lisa and The Blood Moon – September 30th (VOD)

13. Raven’s Hollow – September 22nd (Shudder)

12. Burial – September 2nd (VOD)

11. Vesper – September 30th (VOD)

10. The Woman King – September 16th (Theaters) One of the films I’ve been waiting for all year, Viola Davis looks incredible here and could end up giving one of the best performances of the year!

9. Do Revenge – September 16th (Netflix) Looks like an incredible amount of fun plus Maya Hawke is here to completely own it!

8. God’s Country – September 16th (Theaters)

7. God’s Creatures – September 30th (Theaters and VOD Platforms) Heard incredibly great things about this one and the trailer was quite great immediately introducing the mysterious atmosphere that I’m assuming will be in the film.

6. Marcel The Shell With Shoes On – September 6th (VOD) Finally this is coming to VOD platforms, heard nothing but good things about this one!

5. Moonage Daydream – September 16th (Theaters) – A Documentary on David Bowie that’s going to have unreleased footage from Bowie’s personal archives including live concert footage. I’m a big fan of lost media or unreleased media so this one immediately got my attention especially since I’m a fan of Bowie’s music!

4. Barbarian – September 9th (Theaters) The films has been described as “this year’s Malignant” and “a truly bizarre experience” and so on. First reactions for Barbarian were fantastic and sounds like one of this year’s unexpected fantastic films, really looking forward to this one.

3. Blonde – September 16th (Theaters) and September 28th (Netflix) Netflix has a very strong lineup for the rest of the year and Blonde is definitely one of them. Ana de Armas could score a Best Actress Nomination just from the trailers she captures a lot about Marilyn Monroe, the film is also going to be rated NC-17 a decision that’s not often done nowadays. It’s a film I’ve been looking forward to for a very long time ever since it was announced, it’s also great to see Andrew Dominick back with another film.

2. Don’t Worry Darling – September 23rd (Theaters) – Olivia Wilde directors something completely different, after Booksmart (fantastic film) she moves into the thriller/horror/drama area which is always fantastic. This is another film I’ve been excited for since it was announced, Florence Pugh is one of the leads and it seems to be like Darren Aronofsky’s film Mother! First reactions are September 5th at the Venice Film Festival so we will know how it is very soon!

1. Pearl – September 16th (Theaters) Ti West has already given horror fans X a fantastic slasher film that completely captured the 70s and 80s slasher era. Pearl serves as a prequel with Mia Goth returning as the lead who will not doubt hit it out of the park yet again. X is still one of my absolute favorite films of the year and I have no doubt Ti West will hit another homerun!

And that’s it for the list! Lots of great stuff here that I’m truly excited for!!

I Came By is a by the numbers thriller.

Follows a young graffiti artist who discovers a shocking secret that would put him and the ones closest to him in danger.

Unfortunately there isn’t a whole lot to say about Babak Anvari’s (Director of Under The Shadow and Wounds) third movie I Came By, It’s basically Don’t Breathe (2016) but with a rich vs poor theme that sadly isn’t able to be explored all that well. Which is mostly due to a lot of the movie being way too predictable, because of this it ruins a lot of what could have been suspenseful moments. The movie itself at least is filmed very well and the acting is really solid as well there’s definitely some moments that are pretty strong, however they aren’t enough to completely push this movie into something great unfortunately. It’s a very by the numbers thriller that I’ll admit is far better than a lot of other Netflix original thrillers but that is really not saying much.

I Came By is available on Netflix.

5/10 C

Alienoid is a wild blend of ideas and elements.

Gurus in the late Goryeo dynasty try to obtain a fabled, holy sword, and humans in 2022 hunt down an alien prisoner that is locked in a human’s body. The two parties cross paths when a time-traveling portal opens up.

Alienoid is what happens when you combine so many different ideas and elements from other movies and TV Shows then proceed to go wild with it. The movie is a mess but it’s the type of mess that is a whole lot of fun and strangely has charm to it as well. There’s bits that reminded me of Power Rangers, Terminator, Transformers, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers and so on. That’s a very crazy movie that isn’t afraid to go all out, the performances are pretty solid, the writing is engaging and genuinely hilarious plus has a lot of charm as well. The main flaw comes from the almost two and a half hour running time that really stretches itself for far too long, it really starts to overstay it’s welcome but luckily it’s enjoyable for most of it. Alienoid is flawed but it has a lot of charm and is wildly entertaining that you just can’t help but like it.

Alienoid is available in theaters.

7/10 B

Quick Review: Glorious (2022)

a heartbroken man who encounters a primordial deity in a nearby bathroom stall, that requires him to satisfy it through the stall’s gloryhole.

Glorious is if you took Saw and made it into a cosmic horror movie with comedy and it for the most part works quite well. Ryan Kwanten is very entertaining here he gives a solid performance that is quite hilarious as well, J.K. Simmons does something completely different and it works wonderfully. He’s given so much to work with and he really does a good job of making into something you really would not expect, there’s definitely some issues with the ending as it doesn’t completely work but everything that came before it is genuinely fun and quite entertaining.

Glorious is available on Shudder.

6/10 C+

Quick Review: Mister Limbo (2022)


Two strangers wake up in the middle of the desert, with no memory of anything – including their names. Are they dead, or did they just party too hard at burning man?

The premise of Mister Limbo is quite interesting on paper and actually does a decent job with the execution for the first act of the movie, plus the acting is honestly not the worst. But as the movie goes on it runs out of steam pretty quickly which is mostly due to being repetitive and way too slow paced, definitely not horrible but needed more time to be worked on.

Mister Limbo releases on all VOD Platforms Friday.

4/10 D+

Three Thousand Years Of Longing is a flawed but very fun ride.

While attending a conference in Istanbul, Dr. Alithea Binnie happens to encounter a djinn who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom. This presents two problems: first, she doubts that he’s real, and second, because she’s a scholar of story and mythology, she knows all the cautionary tales of wishes gone wrong. The djinn pleads his case by telling her fantastical stories of his past. Eventually, she’s beguiled and makes a wish that surprises them both.

George Miller returns with Three Thousand Years Of Longing a movie that I was very excited for, I’ll start with what really worked here. Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba truly hit it out of the park here, both do a fantastic job in their roles and truly deliver some quite captivating moments that work well in the movie’s favor. The visuals combined with the filming are very stunning, there’s so much attention to detail in a majority of the scenes and really pull the viewer into the movie’s own world. There’s some really well done ideas that are done beautifully and executed well, the movie definitely captures a human aspect to the story as well when it goes further than just granting wishes. The main flaws consist of the pacing moving a bit too slowly especially during the third act, some ideas needing a lot more time to develop. Particularly ideas that are introduced during the third act that needed a lot more time to be expanded upon, finally the third act itself being the weakest part of the movie. While the third act isn’t necessarily bad it doesn’t quite capture you or bring you into it’s universe like the first two acts did. But overall Three Thousand Years Of Longing is a solid movie from George Miller. It definitely could have been a lot more but for what it is it’s not bad.

Three Thousand Years Of Longing is playing in theaters.

7/10 B

The Invitation is worth an invitation not worth accepting.

After the death of her mother and having no other known relatives, Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel) takes a DNA test… and discovers a long-lost cousin she never knew she had. Invited by her newfound family to a lavish wedding in the English countryside, she’s at first seduced by the sexy aristocrat host but is soon thrust into a nightmare of survival as she uncovers twisted secrets in her family’s history and the unsettling intentions behind their sinful generosity.

It’s a bit baffling to see a movie like The Invitation fall so hard, it had everything gift wrapped for it to be a very fun movie but instead ends up being very dull. Nathalie Emmanuel deserved so much better than this as she was the only one here who gave a solid performance despite working with such a dull script. The gothic architecture combined with the filming is nice to look at as well but the movie doesn’t use it in any special type of way. The biggest issue with The Invitation is the writing being on the level of terrible vampire fanfiction, the vampire elements are nice on paper but are not executed well here. A lot of it is very lazily introduced and hits that fanfiction feel very early on, the vampire stuff only gets fun when it’s far too late. There’s some decently done scenes during the third act, but that’s not enough to save the movie especially considering how bare bones the rest of the movie you just watched was. Despite some of the vampire stuff being fun several of the ideas were poorly executed, a majority of the movie is setting up the idea and then proceeding to execute it in such a bare bones way. Finally there’s the characters who are just very poorly written, a lot of them are give one character trait and that’s it. There isn’t any moments that actually give these characters some sort of depth (outside of Evie), overall The Invitation is pretty disappointing and a huge missed opportunity.

The Invitation is playing in theaters.

3/10 D-

Neptune Frost is a wonderful blend of many genres.

A group of escaped coltan miners forms an anti-colonialist computer hacker collective in the hilltops of Burundi. They soon attempt a takeover of the authoritarian regime that’s exploiting the region’s natural resources — and its people.

Neptune Frost is quite an interesting little movie, it combines many different type of genres and makes them it’s own. Combining Sci-Fi with musical elements is something you don’t see everyday and the movie did a pretty good job of showing that concept, the music in particular is quite great especially powerful singing voices that really capture the atmosphere well. Speaking of which the atmosphere combined with the filming leads to truly beautiful results, especially with the setting it’s done in so much detail from beginning to end. The costumes are wonderfully detailed and the acting is quite raw as well, a lot of the storytelling is done through the actions of the characters and the cinematography rather than the writing. But that definitely works in the film’s favor especially when the film gives the viewer so much to explore, Neptune Frost is not going to be for everyone but I do highly recommend checking this one out if it interests you!

Neptune Frost is available on all VOD Platforms.

8/10 B+

Samaritan is a generic superhero story.

A young boy learns that a superhero who was thought to have gone missing after an epic battle twenty years ago may in fact still be around.

I was actually pretty excited for Samaritan despite the plot reading exactly like a generic superhero story, I wanted to see how Julius Avery (director of Overlord and Son Of A Gun) would tackle the superhero genre. Unfortunately the movie itself is a very generic one, the story of a kid unexpectedly meeting a superhero has been done numerous times before and it’s not any different here. Javon Walton at least gives a fun performance that gives the movie spirit and Sylvester Stallone is really solid here as he usually is, the few action scenes that there are not bad but not anything to write home about. Had this movie come out several years ago like in the 90s there would be a lot more leeway, the main issues here are mostly the villains who are very one note and for half the movie barely do anything. Then you have the writing which I’ve said before is written in the most generic way possible, the movie hits a lot of the typical superhero movie beats that have been done far better elsewhere. There’s some decent moments with Stallone and Walton who bond over the course of the movie which leads to some great moments, but a lot Samaritan is very forgettable and sort of sits among such a crowded genre. Overall Samaritan isn’t bad, there’s definitely some heart and the acting is at least solid. But it’s not enough to really standout.

Samaritan is available on Amazon Prime Video.

5/10 C