Day Shift is a genuinely fun B horror action film.

A hardworking dad out to provide for his daughter uses a boring pool-cleaning job as a front for his real gig: hunting and killing vampires.

It’s honestly amazing to me how Day Shift a silly action horror B movie which has a scene where Snoop Dogg carries a machine gun and blasts a handful of vampires, ends up being far more better visually and far more fun than The Gray Man and Red Notice which are overly expensive and terrible. Day Shift definitely has this rental store type feel too it which is part of the charm, you don’t know what to expect and most of the results are a lot of fun. There’s some really solid action scenes combined with some gore that is solid as well, Jamie Foxx is really solid here as the leading role. The guy has so much charm and definitely knows how to put on entertaining ride from beginning to end and that’s definitely shown here, Snoop Dogg is also pretty great as well and fits quite well in the movie. Day Shift does have it’s writing flaws such as the villain in particular not being very memorable, however that doesn’t stop the movie from being genuinely fun. It’s not anything ground breaking and it’s most definitely not going to add anything new to the genre. But if you are missing the types of films Netflix use to put out back when they first started I recommend checking this one out.

Day Shift is available on Netflix.

7/10 B

Thirteen Lives captures claustrophobia expertly.

A rescue mission is assembled in Thailand where a group of young boys and their soccer coach are trapped in a system of underground caves that are flooding.

Thirteen Lives is based on the Tham Luang cave rescue which occurred in June and July 2018 where twelve members of junior association football team and their coach were trapped. If you recall last year a documentary called The Rescue was about this very subject (highly recommend checking that out) so seeing this movie release not even less then a year after The Rescue came out is actually a huge risk, luckily Thirteen Lives has a lot going for it. The cast in particular do a really great job here Colin Farrell, Viggo Mortensen and Joel Edgerton in particular hit it out of the park really well and give some pretty raw performances. The claustrophobic feel during the diving scenes as well as the cave scenes are very effective due to the atmosphere and Ron Howard’s direction he does such an excellent job of capturing claustrophobia and how it really feels. We get to hear different perspectives from the many people involved which is quite great, the main criticism mostly comes from wanting to see more of the football team and their coach. Expand on how they were feeling during all of this and more of the families as well, but overall Thirteen Lives is very solid! You will definitely get more out of The Rescue but if you are still interested in the story itself I do recommend checking this one out.

Thirteen Lives is available on Amazon Prime Video.

7/10 B

Secret Headquarters is a harmless kids movie but not much else.

A kid discovers the secret headquarters of a powerful superhero hidden beneath his home and must defend it with his group of friends when villains attack.

Secret Headquarters is basically if you took Spy Kids and Sky High then made it forgettable. I can easily see why this movie didn’t end up releasing in theaters like it was originally going to, there are some good bits here such as Walker Scobell, Owen Wilson (even though he wasn’t in it all that much), Keith L. Williams and Abby James Witherspoon were great and they all genuinely seemed like they were having a blast with this movie. So at least the passion was there it’s mostly the writing that hurts this movie, I will say that it is a completely harmless movie for kids there’s some jokes in here that actually worked quite well and reminded me of the type of humor that Spy Kids had. However the plot is a bit too predictable and the villains are very one note characters that feel like they teleported from a very early 2000s family movie, Secret Headquarters is at least not as bad as it could have been. I’m sure there will be an audience for this movie I’m just not one of them.

Secret Headquarters is available on Paramount+

4/10 D+

Prey brings new life to the Predator franchise.

A skilled Comanche warrior protects her tribe from a highly evolved alien predator that hunts humans for sport, fighting against wilderness, dangerous colonisers and this mysterious creature to keep her people safe.

I can’t think of such a huge turn for a franchise in a good way more than the Predator franchise, for awhile The Predator franchise has been struggling to get a really solid film out. Outside of Predator and Predator 2 (depending on who you ask, I personally find it to be quite fun) the series is very lacking and was in dire need of another really good film. Luckily that was the case with Dan Trachtenberg’s (10 Cloverfield Lane) Installment Prey, Prey takes the series back to it’s roots and brings everything back that people loved about the series in the first place. For starters Amber Midthunder was truly brilliant here and gives a breakout performance that completely captures the spirit the film is going for, the same can be said with the rest of the cast Dakota Beavers in particular does a really fantastic job. The film itself is visually stunning and the cinematography is captivating, one of the main criticisms I’ve had with the franchise is that a lot of the films visually don’t look very great. So it’s a breath of fresh air to see Prey take advantage of it’s setting and go all out with it. Especially when you combine it with the atmosphere that Dan Trachtenberg creates, like in 10 Cloverfield Lane the atmosphere here is horrifying and suspenseful it grabs the viewer’s attention and never let’s go. Everything that Trachtenberg did masterfully in 10 Cloverfield Lane is present here and it’s just as effective. The action scenes are well shot and the kills are quite brutal and a lot of fun as well, the combination of campy like feel of the kills with a serious tone actually works quite beautifully with the film. What’s very interesting about Prey is that it’s a franchise film that has the visuals and the character’s actions tell the story which is not something you see in a lot of franchise films. It’s truly fascinating and is pretty straightforward, overall Prey is the best film of the franchise since the first movie. Amber Midthunder is truly a star that I hope to see a lot more of and I’m excited to see what Dan Trachtenberg does next.

Prey is available on Hulu!

10/10 A+

Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie is a fun addition to the TMNT series.

The Turtles are put to the test when a mysterious stranger named Casey Jones arrives from the future to warn the mutant brothers of an impending invasion·of the most dangerous alien force in the galaxy the Krang.

Not going to spend too long talking about this one simply because I haven’t seen the series it’s based on which is Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it’s one of the many incarnations the TMNT franchise has had (side note I grew up with the 2003 version). I knew of this version but knew very little about it, for what the movie is it’s pretty fun and genuinely charming as well. It definitely has a bit more humor than some of the other incarnations but it’s not enough to take out of the movie, there’s some genuinely good bits between the turtles and how they care about each other plus their brotherhood. The animation is actually very well done, it takes time to get use to especially if you haven’t seen the series before but there’s a lot of attention to detail here that brings the movie itself together quite well. Krang as the villain was quite great it’s refreshing to see another TMNT movie that doesn’t have The Shredder as the main villain for a change (as much as I like him). The action scenes are very well done and the build up to the final battle is quite great and surprisingly touching as well, the final act is very satisfying as well. There’s a ton of action combined with some character moments that wrap up the film very nicely, overall Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a very solid movie, even if you aren’t a fan on the incarnation of the show it’s based on I still recommend checking it out especially if you are a TMNT fan.

Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie is available on Netflix.

7/10 B

They/Them is garbage.

A group of teenagers at an LGBTQ+ conversion camp endures unsettling psychological techniques while being stalked by a mysterious masked killer.

What exactly happened here? They/Them had a lot going for it to be an interesting little slasher film, the title is quite creative, the representation is actually quite great and there’s a few kills that are actually not too bad….everything else however is a complete and total disaster, for starters the movie takes way too long to get going, it doesn’t become a slasher film until an hour into the movie, instead it spends way too much time trying to tell the audience how terrible the camp counselors are….which reading the plot of the movie already tells you that. The movie takes place at a conversation camp of course the viewers already know the counselors are terrible, Owen Whistler (Kevin Bacon) pretty much spells it out right from the beginning that they are terrible, so why waste so much time on something the viewers already know? There’s one scene in particular that truly comes out of left field however and somehow manages to make the movie even worse, there’s a scene where they randomly start singing Pink’s “Fuckin’ Perfect” and it’s sung quite terribly as well. I genuinely have no idea who’s idea was it that thought it was good idea but it’s truly baffling, when the movie finally starts to become a slasher movie it does get a tad better but that’s really not saying much. Some of the kills are off screen which completely hurts the movie and the writing is still horrendous, everyone is trying with the script they are given but it’s not nearly enough to help this movie stand. Overall They/Them is terrible, a lot of the choices with this movie are truly baffling and end up giving one of the worst films of the year.

They/Them is available on Peacock.

1/10 F

Luck runs out of luck.

The story of Sam Greenfield, the unluckiest person in the world. Suddenly finding herself in the never-before-seen Land of Luck, she must unite with the magical creatures there to turn her luck around.

Luck is one of those unfortunate cases where the movie has a really interesting premise going on it’s just the presentation and writing that completely holds it back. The movie has a lot of Pixar inspirations (mainly due to John Lasseter being one of the producers) what the movie does get right is the voice cast and some of the animation is charming as well. It might not be anything extra special but there are some charming bits about it, keyword being some because the animation at times felt like it needed a bit of extra time to complete which is a bit baffling to see. The writing starts to fall apart quite quickly a lot of the movie is spent on a very uninteresting fetch quest that every once and awhile has a few nice moments between the main characters Sam (Eva Noblezada) and Bob (Simon Pegg) the rest of the movie attempts to try some world building completely forgets to make it compelling or interesting. The Land Of Luck comes off as just another world with a few beautiful and charming shots of animation to it, the writing unfortunately doesn’t go much deeper than “this is the land of luck where bad luck can’t enter otherwise it will be ruined” it’s a shame because there’s potential for really great idea’s here but it’s very clear this movie needed a rewrite as it felt very incomplete.

Luck is available on Apple TV+

4/10 D+

Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris is a charming little movie.

In 1950s London, a widowed cleaning lady falls madly in love with a couture Dior dress, deciding she must have one of her own. After working to raise the funds to pursue her dream, she embarks on an adventure to Paris that will change not only her own outlook — but the very future of the House of Dior.

Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris is simplistic yet still really interesting and quite great at the same time, it’s a super sweet and wholesome movie that establishes it’s goal right from the start that being to fall in love with the film. Lesley Manville in the leading role is spectacular, she’s very fitting in her role and truly knocks it out of the park as the leading role. Isabelle Huppert is also quite fantastic here as well, like Manville she completely steals every scene she’s in and truly goes all out in the role. The writing is simple yet very charming, the film really shows the beauty of being simplistic it particularly works here mainly due to the cast and the film itself coming together to create something wholesome. The costume design combined with the cinematography has a lot to look at that really captures the viewer’s eye and it’s the little details that make the film go the extra mile as well. Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris might not break any new ground but it doesn’t have to, it’s a simple and easy watch that’s genuinely charming.

Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris is available on all VOD Platforms.

7/10 B

Quick Review: I Dream Of A Psychopomp (2022)

A grieving widower, haunted by the distressed ghost of his recently deceased wife, is visited in his dreams by a psychopomp who seeks to teach him about the spirit world and soul guiding through stories of death and the supernatural.

Going to be completely honest here…I have no idea what I watched and not in a good way. All that I know is that it’s an anthology horror film that has a handful of shorts that feel more less the same. There’s some great ideas somewhere in this movie but unfortunately a lot of it just doesn’t come together, the writing is very basic and really doesn’t explore it’s ideas very well. The acting is fine enough but that’s really all the movie has going for it.

I Dream Of A Psychopomp is available on Terror Channel tomorrow and on all VOD Platforms August 19th.

3/10 D-

Minions: Rise Of Gru is surprisingly entertaining!

In the 1970s, young Gru tries to join a group of supervillains called the Vicious 6 after they oust their leader — the legendary fighter Wild Knuckles. When the interview turns disastrous, Gru and his Minions go on the run with the Vicious 6 hot on their tails. Luckily, he finds an unlikely source for guidance. Wild Knuckles himself and soon discovers that even bad guys need a little help from their friends.

If you told me back when Minions: Rise Of Gru was announced that I would end up liking this movie, I would look at you like you have five heads. But as I’ve said multiple times in the past I like surprises and Minions: Rise Of Gru definitely surprised me, the first Minions I did not like at the slightest outside of the soundtrack it was a prime example of illumination just wanting to sell merchandise with no soul in the movie. This one however while it does have a paper thin plot at times, there’s actually a lot more care put into trying to tell a story and make the characters actually have personalities. Sure the characters aren’t great but at least there’s something being told here, what keeps the movie afloat is that it’s entertaining there’s a number of memorable scenes that take full advantage of the soundtrack (which has no business being this good) to create some genuinely fun moments. The movie also doesn’t overstay it’s welcome either, the pacing is fast and the film itself is quite energetic as well. The animation is quite great with a lot of attention to detail and there’s some genuinely funny moments as well, not every joke lands but there’s a lot more comedic timing this time around. Overall Minions: Rise Of Gru isn’t anything groundbreaking but it is a genuinely fun film that’s great for kids and adults.

Minions: Rise Of Gru is available on all VOD Platforms.

7/10 B