Paranormal Activity: Next Of Kin is a very forgettable entree into the Paranormal Activity series!

Margot, a young woman who was abandoned by her mother as a baby, travels to a secluded Amish community with a documentary film crew seeking answers about her mother and extended family.

The Paranormal Activity series has a lot of ups and downs, it’s a franchise that gave the found footage subgenre a huge amount of spotlight. The first three films of the series I thought were overall pretty great and still hold up pretty well. That’s where the series ends for me Paranormal Activity 4, The Marked Ones and Ghost Dimensions were terrible (especially Ghost Dimension) after a 6 year hiatus the series returns with Next Of Kin. Which sounded promising mainly due to who was involved William Eubank who directed Underwater and The Signal is a pretty decent director, both movies I find to be quite fun in their own way. Having that said Next Of Kin while not terrible and is definitely a step up from Ghost Dimension, however that doesn’t make it good. The biggest issue with Next Of Kin is how it doesn’t feel like part of the series, I’m all for a series to try something different (heck The Marked Ones tired to do something different but was just a terrible movie) but there comes a point where the movie feels like it just slaps the Paranormal Activity name just to get a quick buck. It doesn’t even use the found footage element entirely, which is traded in for some admittedly nice visual style at times. Some of the camera angles are actually pretty well done, but it really doesn’t lead to much at all. The acting and writing are overall not terrible and are better than were in previous installments, in fact the movie started out pretty promising but unfortunately falls into familiar territory mostly with very lazy jumpscares and cliched found footage horror movie characters. Overall there really isn’t much more to say about Paranormal Activity Next Of Kin it’s a very below average found footage movie that feels like the Paranormal Activity name is slapped on to it as I said before. With that said I don’t think the movie is bad it’s just a very very generic found footage movie that fans aren’t going to get a lot out of.

Paranormal Activity: Next Of Kin is now available on Paramount+

5/10 C

Women Is Losers tackles heavy subjects but feels lacking.

In 1960’s San Francisco, bright and talented catholic school girl Celina Guerrera survives a difficult home life by following the rules. That is until an indiscretion creates a series of devastating consequences. As Celina faces the compounded obstacles of being young and alone, she sets out to rise above the oppression of poverty and invest in a future that sets new precedents for the time.

Women is Losers has a lot of heart and means well when dealing with heavy subjects, unfortunately it feels way too on the nose and doesn’t say anything new or add anything into the conversation. Lorenza Izzo gives a great performance and is the highlight of some strong moments in the movie, the music I actually thought was pretty decent and the ending is actually solid. The writing is what’s holding Women is Losers back, a lot of it feels very surface level at best and while yes does tackle some heavy topics and is commendable it feels like it doesn’t do enough with it. It doesn’t help that the tone of the movie is a mess at times as well. Overall Women is Losers is a missed opportunity which is unfortunate because this most definitely had a ton of potential.

Women Is Losers is now available on HBO Max!

4/10 D+

Most Anticipated Films Of November 2021!

Hey everyone! I once again apologize for the lack of posts, last week I was a bit busy plus the week itself outside of Friday really didn’t give me anything to review. However I will be posting reviews tomorrow, Wednesday and I’ll squeeze in some more as well! November has a lot to offer, though I will admit November is mixed with a lot of great stuff with the bad. I’m sadly not going to count The Power Of The Dog, The Unforgivable or Licorice Pizza since none of which are getting released wide this month. I’m going to try and keep this short so it can be nice and digestible for everyone!

18. The Deep House – November 5th (EPIX and I believe VOD platforms)

17. Beans – November 5th (VOD)

16. 7 Prisoners – November 11th (Netflix)

15. Bruised – November 24th (Netflix)

14. Mark, Mary + Some Other People (Saw this at SXSW) – November 5th (VOD)

13. The Harder They Fall – November 3rd (Netflix)

12. The Beta Test – November 5th (VOD)

11. A Christmas Gift From Bob – November 5th (Theater) and November 9th (VOD)

10. Cusp (Saw this at Sundance) – November 26th (ShowTime)

9. The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain – November 5th (Amazon Prime Video)

8. Tick Tick Boom – November 12th (Theater) and November 19th (Netflix)

7. Belfast – November 12th (Theater)

6. Eternals November 5th (Theater)

5. The Humans November 24th (Theaters and ShowTime)

4. Violet (Saw this one back at SXSW) – November 9th (VOD)

3. House Of Gucci – November 24th (Theater)

2. C’mon C’mon – November 19th (Theater)

1. Spencer – November 5th (Theater)

Dune is Sci-Fi at it’s best!

Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence, only those who can conquer their own fear will survive.

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune has been one of the most anticipated films for the longest time now, mostly due to Villeneuve’s ability to take a familiar Sci-Fi story (Blade Runner 2049) or Sci-Fi and other films in general (Arrival, Sicario, Enemy, Incendies and Prisoners) and do an incredible job with it. Dune is no exception, but before we get to the directing let’s talk about what else makes this film incredible. First off the character development is largely different than you see in other films, which I find to be quite unique. The use of a ton of quiet moments and show the emotions of the characters in the scene that’s currently going on adds some real power to them. It makes you feel like you are part of the journey along with the characters, the acting and writing both feel incredibly raw which isn’t something you often get in a lot of Sci-Fi films. I’m not going to go over every single actor in the film but I will go over the ones who I thought were the strongest, Timothée Chalamet did a fantastic job as Paul Atreides this is something much different than the type of performances that he usually does. So it is very refreshing to see him try something new and it payed off really well, he plays the part of a young hero very well and really captures what being a hero is about. Jason Momoa and Oscar Isaac are both fantastic here, both give some of the most powerful and striking scenes of the film as well as some very important ones. It’s really great to see two incredible actors at their best giving some of the best performances of the year. Finally Rebecca Ferguson who easily gives the best performance of the film, she does a masterful job as Lady Jessica and becomes the character, it’s truly beautiful and captures several of the best moments of Dune. If there is going to be one person who gets nominated when award season begins (which is next month) make it be Rebecca Ferguson. The writing is incredibly strong as I said before it feels very raw and does not feel manufactured at all, it feels like a character study combined with the events of the story. The direction from Denis Villeneuve is masterful, once again Villeneuve shows that he’s one of the best filmmakers working today. He took a familiar Sci-Fi story and made it his own from the ground up. His directing style especially works here, combine that with the cinematography and the visuals and you have yourself a masterfully made film. The cinematography and visuals are both gorgeous, both transport you into the world of which Dune is takes place and it really does feel like your there! Overall Dune is an outstanding film that succeeds on every single level, I highly recommend giving this one a watch! Looking forward to see what’s in store for Part 2!

Dune is now available in Theaters and on HBO Max!

10/10 A+

I’m Your Man is a refreshing addition to the Romance genre!

A scientist at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin is persuaded to participate in a study to get funding for her research. For three weeks, she must live with a humanoid robot designed to be the perfect life partner for her.

I’m Your Man is definitely an interesting film about an interaction between a human and a humanoid robot, it goes into far more detail than just asking “can a robot learn to love?” It dives into many themes and asks several different questions along the way, the acting all around is very strong especially Dan Stevens who does a very convincing job as a robot. The writing is very strong combined with a ton of sweet and powerful moments, the film gets it’s points across rather really well. What makes the film even stronger is you see the bond between human and robot throughout the film in great detail, making you as the viewer care about the relationship between the two. Overall I’m Your Man is a very sweet film that’s very refreshing in the romance genre, highly recommend this one!

I’m Your Man is now available on all VOD Platforms!

8/10 B+

Bergman Island is a beautiful film with very charming chemistry!

Two American filmmakers retreat to Fårö island for the summer and hope to find inspiration where Bergman shot his most celebrated films. As the days pass by, the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur, and the couple is torn apart.

Bergman Island is an incredibly beautiful film in almost every way possible, the story combined with the setting complement each other really well. The film itself is very meta due to the story which brings some pretty clever little moments that will make any film fan nerd out, the chemistry between Vicky Krieps and Tim Roth was incredible. It feels very raw and brings so many touching moments throughout the film that really work, the direction from Mia Hansen-Løve is raw, unique and brings so much care and love into the film, it puts you into the setting of the film and captures the atmosphere of it as well! Overall Bergman Island is a beautifully written and acted film that I highly recommend checking out!

Bergman Island is now available on all VOD Platforms!

8/10 B+

Old is a flawed but interesting mystery!

A vacationing family discovers that the secluded beach where they’re relaxing for a few hours is somehow causing them to age rapidly, reducing their entire lives into a single day.

I’ll say this I definitely think Old is better than Glass, Old is a very interesting movie in the sense of how it’s done. The style is very interesting mostly dude to the camerawork with all sorts of different types of angles, when you combine that with the premise it actually gives some pretty haunting scenes at times that truly do work. What is holding Old back is the acting, while it’s most definitely not the worst there were a ton of scenes where it could have used a lot of improvement. However that doesn’t stop Old from being a ton of fun, it has some genuinely great scenes that go very well with the setting. Speaking of which the setting gives off a haunting vibe and perfectly goes well with the story being told, overall Old is a very decent little movie. Definitely go into it knowing as little as possible and see how you like it!

Old is now available on all VOD Platforms!

7/10 B

Slumber Party Massacre (2021) is a fun remake that stays faithful to the original!

A slumber party turns into a bloodbath, as a psychotic serial killer wielding a power drill disrupts the fun.

I had very little expectations with The Slumber Party Massacre remake, the original is a very fun movie that started a series that while are dumb they are also very fun movies. I was a bit worried a remake in 2021 was going to take itself way too seriously, luckily that was not the case here, because this movie is pretty much a tribute to the original! While yes the made for TV feel does hold this movie back from doing anything really great, there are some great death scenes, a lot of enjoyable moments that are a ton of fun to watch and the characters are actually quite decent. What’s surprising about all of this is the movie premiered on the Syfy channel, this is actually much higher quality from then when you take a look at their history. What mostly hurts this movie is the acting and writing which is to be expected, luckily it’s not bad enough to distract from the positives this movie has! Overall The Slumber Party Massacre remake doesn’t really do anything new but it’s a very good time killer that’s a lot of fun to watch, if you liked the original or any of the others movie you will definitely like th

Slumber Party Massacre is now available on all VOD Platforms!

6/10 C+

Night Teeth is a unremarkable vampire movie.

A college student moonlighting as a chauffeur picks up two mysterious women for a night of party-hopping across LA. However, when he uncovers their bloodthirsty intentions and their dangerous, shadowy underworld, he must fight to stay alive.

Night Teeth is a very forgettable vampire movie, the trailers actually looked promising but that’s mostly because they made it seem like Megan Fox and Sydney Sweeney had huge parts in it (spoiler alert they are barely in it). So what your left with us is a few very okay performances from Jorge Lendeborg Jr and Debby Ryan, a few pretty okay death scenes and really not much else. The story isn’t interesting, it’s filled to the brim with cliches that you can guess what will happen within the first 10 minutes. Finally the movie itself has no idea what it wants to be, it tries to be this dark comedy while at the same time trying to take itself seriously as a thriller. Night Teeth isn’t the worst of the vampire genre (you could definitely do far worse) but it’s a very unremarkable movie.

Night Teeth is now available on Netflix!

3/10 D-

The Last Duel is masterfully crafted with some of the best build up in recent memory!

Jean de Carrouges is a respected knight known for his bravery and skill on the battlefield. Jacques Le Gris is a squire whose intelligence and eloquence makes him one of the most admired nobles in court. When Le Gris viciously assaults Carrouges’ wife, she steps forward to accuse her attacker, an act of bravery and defiance that puts her life in jeopardy. The ensuing trial by combat, a grueling duel to the death, places the fate of all three in God’s hands.

The Last Duel is easily Ridley Scott’s best film in a very long time, for starters the performances all around are some of the best of the year. The standout being Jodie Comer (who absolutely deserves a nomination) she completely stole the show as Marguerite de Carrouges, giving such a raw and incredible performance that really captures the film. Matt Damon, Adam Driver and Ben Affleck all do quite incredible as well, they bring so much power into the film which ends up giving fantastic results. The Last Duel’s main film element is build up, it’s told in three different perspectives all of which get more and more suspenseful, interesting and stronger as they stack on each other. The writing also adds to the film giving it a huge gut punch type feel, especially given what happens (there are a few rape scenes I’m saying this for everyone who isn’t comfortable with them, just giving you a heads up), The Last Duel also ends up being a brutal film writing wise and The Duel itself, as well as some action scenes thrown in certain sections of the film which are very well filmed. The filming is absolutely beautiful, it compliments the setting very well and is just overall a very beautiful looking film. Then there’s The Duel itself which while it isn’t very long the build up is what gives it so much strength, suspense and worth the build up. It’s truly one of those films that knows how to properly build up to a climax and make it all the more worth it. Overall The Last Duel is a masterful piece of work, it’s truly a powerful film that shows just how talented Ridley Scott still is!

The Last Duel is playing in theaters!

10/10 A+