Together (2025) Film Review

After moving to the countryside, a supernatural encounter starts to transform a couple’s love, their lives, and their flesh.

Together is directed by Michael Shanks which is his directorial debut! 

Body horror as a genre as a resurgence over the last few years with a lot of excellent films and Together is yet another one to add to the list. This film opts to go for something a bit different…throw this romantic and comedic feel into the mix which works marvelously with the rest of the film. 

Dave Franco and Alison Brie are both absolutely fantastic here, part of why the two work so well is because the two are married to each other in real life. The premise along with the film’s themes centers around their characters Tim and Millie’s up and down relationship, bond and exploring their co dependency. All of this is shown effortlessly through their performances, it’s a natural fit that has a lot of quite romantic moments along with this emotional weight that’s shown through the actions of Tim and Millie. Franco and Brie are able to capture everything to make this beast of a film work, there’s even some powerful moments where the two embrace each other in these quiet moments. Franco and Brie being actually married in real life only makes the film’s themes that much stronger and surprisingly quit grounded. 

The body horror elements are magnificent, they start small but end up having absolutely bizarre results that compliment the narrative. The body horror mixed with romantic elements to some comedic moments that get a laugh out of the viewer, the body horror elements might not be as extreme or as gory as other body horror films of the past. However the idea of being stuck together and never coming apart is more than enough to really get to the viewer, even still the body horror scenes are spectacular and any fan of the genre will adore them. There’s inspiration from John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) along with the film’s own unique feel that will make the viewer both terrified but feel charmed (by the romance) at the same time. 

The script and direction from Michael Shanks are both wonderfully done, the script allows Franco and Brie to go all out with their performances while the direction is able to make the film surprisingly raw at times. The moments of the two just discussing their relationship is genuinely fascinating and makes the viewer realize that the film isn’t just trying to be another body horror film, it’s trying to be far more and throw many different ideas into the mix which the film succeeds. The use of humor feels natural, it does not feel forced at all it has this passion that connects both Tim and Millie as characters. 

Finally there is the atmosphere that is hauntingly beautiful, it has this B-horror movie type of feel mixed with this claustrophobic and unsettling nature that really brings the viewer into the film. At the same time you have moments where the atmosphere is comedic and romantic, the film juggles all of this masterfully and never drops the ball with any of them, there’s striking visuals that compliment each scene that tell the story on their own. 

Together is a film that you should absolutely go into knowing as little as you possibly can, it’s an incredibly fun ride from beginning to end as well as just being a fantastic film that will leave you with a lasting impression.

Together releases tomorrow in theaters! 

10/10 A+

I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) Film Review

When five friends inadvertently cause a deadly car accident, they cover up their involvement and make a pact to keep it a secret rather than face the consequences. One year later, the past comes back to haunt them as they learn someone knows what they did last summer. Stalked by a mysterious killer, they soon seek help from two survivors of the legendary Southport massacre of 1997.

I Know What You Did Last Summer is directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson director of Someone Great (2019) and Do Revenge (2020). The film is the fourth installment in the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise and serves as a sequel to I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998). 

In the age of the classic slasher franchises such as Halloween and Scream getting legacy sequels it was a matter of time until a franchise that while is not as recognizable still has its fans gets its turn. The I Know What You Did Last Summer series never really did it for me, while I do like the I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) along with its sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) I’m not as in love with them as some other people are. I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (2006) is flat out one of the worst films I’ve ever seen so let’s just skip talking about that, especially since this new film ignores that one (gee I wonder why.) 

This new film is pretty solid, it shares a lot of what I did like or appreciate from the first film plus adding its own flavor into the mix. The film does have a lot of hiccups but in between the film’s flaws is something quite fun and surprisingly takes some swings where even if not all of them fully work, you cannot help but respect it for even attempting them. 

I know I often say this a lot in my reviews but the cast is what really brings this film together and makes it work as well as it does. Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders and Sarah Pidgeon are far and away the standouts who really give such fun and investing performances. Chase Sui Wonders works incredibly well as the main protagonist we follow and her character Ava’s bond with Danica (played by Madelyn Cline) is genuinely heartwarming at times as well decently comedic, there’s a layer of warmth here that we do not often see in some slasher films so it’s a a breath of fresh air. 

Which leads to Madelyn Cline who I believe to be the standout, she’s genuinely funny and really captures the spirit of some of the campiness that is going on around her with the atmosphere. She has this nice balance of dramatic and comedic moments that doesn’t overshadow each other, she works especially well with the rest of the cast having these fun exchanges that work so well in the context of each scene. She’s able to quickly switch from being serious to comedic or vice versa without making it feel forced or awkward. 

Sarah Pidgeon is really fun here as well, she might not be in it as much as Wonders and Cline but she still turns in a great performance that does leave a lasting impression by the end of the film. It’s also worth noting that Gabbriette Bechtel gives a fun performance as well, she is not in the film for very long but that doesn’t stop her from being such a fun part of the film. 

The writing is a bit of a mixed bag, when the film is focusing on the newcomers the film shines and builds up the mystery of who this mysterious killer can be. The legacy character portion of the film is not anything bad, it’s great to see Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. return and they do a pretty solid job acting wise. But I do think that when the film focuses on them it’s a bit on the weaker side…at first. That’s until a huge swing at the end of the film that I’m obviously not going to spoil happens. The huge swing in question either going to piss off fans of the series or is going to make you surprised to the point where you love it. It’s something I genuinely was not expecting and is largely what makes the film quite memorable. 

Jennifer Kaytin Robinson does quite a solid job in the director’s chair, it’s clear she wanted to focus on building some of these characters like Ava and Danica and explore their bonds not in this super in depth way. But in a way that is just enough for the viewer to care for them and what they are going through, while there are some very forced social media references that can potentially take you out of the film. What Robinson is able to get out of the characters is quite great and gives the film personality. 

Everything else here is pretty alright, the kills are nothing to write home about (besides a certain kill towards the beginning of the film) but they are decently fun for what they are. The cinematography from Elisha Christian has some quite beautiful moments that actually do recapture the feel of the first film. 

Overall I Know What You Did Last Summer is a decent addition to the franchise. The cast, the direction and the swings the film makes are enough to push this one to the finish line and to recommend giving it a watch! 

I Know What You Did Last Summer is currently in theaters. 

6/10 C+

KPop Demon Hunters (2025) Film Review

A world-renowned K-Pop girl group balance their lives in the spotlight with their secret identities as demon hunters.

KPop Demon Hunters is directed by Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang! Appelhans previously directed Wish Dragon (2021) and this being Maggie Kang’s directorial debut! 

KPop Demon Hunters is the biggest surprise so far this year, this was a film I was not originally going to watch mainly due to my huge lack of knowledge of K-Pop as a genre of music. I only really know the more mainstream groups and that’s about where my knowledge ends, luckily for people not super into the genre like myself you do not need to be that knowledgeable to jump right into this film. It incorporates elements of the genre while also focusing on being just an overall fantastic film that has so much going for it and even more to really love. 

Right off the bat, the voice cast is brilliant the main three characters we follow Rumi, Mira and Zoey almost immediately are filled with charm when they are introduced. The voice acting from Adren Cho, May Hong and Ji-young Yoo is beautifully done, all three have this natural chemistry that you feel from their words and emotions. There’s so much fun dynamics, banter and even character moments shared between the three, it all meshes into this beautifully told story that really captivates the viewer due to the attention to detail that goes into the character designs. Ahn Hyo-seop who voices Jinu is also quite fantastic as well, his moments with Rumi are some of the film’s best that help push the film forward as well as bring out the film’s themes. 

The animation is absolutely gorgeous, there’s a lot of attention to detail here that not only went towards the character designs but also the background, the film’s world and the overall atmosphere. There is so much to explore in this world with tons of fun moments during the song sequences, it’s electrifying and never leaves the viewer with a dull moment. The film’s background also tells the story as well, when the foreground is not exactly busy there is always something going on in the background whether it’s fun character movements or just beautifully done animation. 

The music is well done and does a great job of translating this style of music to the film, Golden, Free, Takedown and How it’s Done are some of the film’s standouts although the whole track list is quite great. Each of the songs has its own personality and flavor to them that keeps things incredibly fresh throughout the film. The song sequences are also beautifully animated with a lot going on and so much energy in the air that it ultimately builds to beautiful finale. 

The story might not exactly be anything new and has a few hiccups, with that being said that is not nearly enough to stop the film’s story from being effective. There’s this 90s classic anime feel such as Sailor Moon that when paired with this exciting style of animation is absolutely exciting and almost feels like it’s putting this era into a different perspective. The visual storytelling is also fantastic there’s a lot of moments here where lines do not have to be said, the music pushes it forward in this way that the viewer can clearly understand. 

Overall KPop Demon Hunters is so far the best animated film of the year as well as being one of the best films of the year in general. Be sure to watch this one if you haven’t! 

KPop Demon Hunters is available on Netflix.

9/10 A

Happy Gilmore 2 (2025) Film Review

Gilmore returns to the sport of golf since his retirement after winning his first Tour Championship, to finance his daughter’s ballet classes

Happy Gilmore 2 is directed by Kyle Newacheck director of Game Over, Man! (2018) and Murder Mystery (2019). The film serves as a sequel to Happy Gilmore (1996). 

Happy Gilmore 2 asks the question, what if we can throw in as many cameos as possible while also completely taking everything that made the first film so fun away? If that was the main goal here then the movie accomplishes just that, if the main goal was to be a good movie that wanted to be as memorable as the first movie well then it fails miserably. 

The acting is all over the place, a surprisingly decent performance comes from Bad Bunny who between his appearances on SNL and this film has shown he might have something with comedic acting. It’s a shame that he had this script to work because the very few laughs from the movie come from him. Adam Sandler isn’t terrible here, he delivers a few jokes but he’s just really not doing anything drastically different from what he did with Happy years ago. If anything this movie really shows that Sandler has not really evolved as a comedian due. The dynamic between Sandler and his daughter is genuinely sweet, but we do not get a whole lot of that here unfortunately. 

The cameos are what they are, even when she’s given 2-5 minutes of screen time Margaret Qualley ends up being one of the best parts of the movie. She’s genuinely funny and works with what she can with the script. Eminem’s cameo is also kind of fun in a “so bad it’s hilarious way” that does not come from Eminem’s performance (actually okay) it comes from the way the scene is executed and shot, it heavily reminds you of the sort bizarreness you would see in a Super Bowl Ad. There is a lot of instances in the movie like this and this is one of the few times where it works. There is a ton of other cameos that range from “why is this even here?” to speaking for themselves. 

The script from Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler attempts to throw everything at a wall to see what sticks, it’s devoid of what made the first movie so fun. Such as the humor and some genuine character moments, those are completely absent here with so little to go off of. The movie’s use of nostalgia and old clips from the previous movie while somewhat neat quickly starts to lose its uniqueness once you realize that a large majority of it is covered with this feel of wanting to also be a modern comedy that throws cameos at the wall. 

The biggest issue with Happy Gilmore 2 is the movie itself feels like a giant ad that is desperately trying to sell you something, the way it’s shot with the obnoxious zoom ins, the shoddy editing that fails to give the movie any sort of personality and the visual language just not having anything to compliment on throughout the whole movie. As I mentioned before a lot of the movie is shot like a Super Bowl ad and while it may seem fitting since it is sports related, it quickly gets old and has no personality at all. 

Overall Happy Gilmore 2 is a cameo fest that occasionally has some decent laughs but can’t be saved from the incredibly messy script that has no desire of capturing the feel of the first movie. 

Happy Gilmore 2 is available on Netflix.

3/10 D-

House Of Eden (2025) Film Review

Setting out to film their next paranormal investigation, Kris, Celina and Jay encounter a malevolent, ancient spirit that resides in an abandoned house deep in the woods.

House Of Eden is directed by Kris Collins which is her directorial debut. 

I’m not going to sit here and declare who and who can’t make a film, the number one reason why I love film so much and love talking about it is that anyone can have their go at it. With that being said right from the beginning of House Of Eden you immediately get the vibe that this feels like something straight out of the horror side of TikTok, you would be correct if that is what you immediately think. Kris Collins (director and actress) as well as Celina Myers are both TikTokers and Jason-Christopher Mayer is their editor. I respect that they took a stab at trying to make a film but almost everything here does not come together in the slightest. 

The acting is what you imagine it to be…not good, if the goal was to play annoying TikTokers then I guess mission accomplished but even then it still does not make for a fun or interesting movie. None of these characters have any sort of development, intriguing background information or even chemistry towards one another. We are told they are friends but we really don’t get to see anything meaningful about their friendship, it feels more like you got a few people together and see how they would react sort of deal. 

The story tries way too hard to capture what made The Blair Witch Project (1999) so great, first and foremost the story isn’t anywhere as intriguing. A lot of what happens in The House Of Eden is basically any other found footage horror film that has come out in the last several years. You get a bunch of one note characters who are searching for something or someone, predictable scares, a very vague urban legend that sounds neat on paper (the best part of the movie) but in execution is incredibly lacking. The whole checklist of the found footage genre is here with none of it leaving a lasting impression. 

The biggest problem here is it takes an excruciatingly long time to get to the point of the movie, a lot of time is spent with the characters messing around and not really doing anything that moves the plot forward, I’m sure a lot of these moments were thrown in to try and get the viewer to care for these characters and their supposed friendship between one another. But the problem stems from none of these characters having the script to back it up (written by Kris Collins.)

Making a TikTok and a film are two incredibly different skillsets which is shown throughout this movie. From the sluggish pacing that fails to capture any of the rich slow burn that The Blair Witch Project (1999) had to the shoddy script that depicts these characters as internet brain rotted Individuals. 

I’m sure that Kris Collins, Celina Myers and Jason-Christopher Mayer are great people and have made some excellent horror videos for their viewers, but it’s clear that when it comes to filmmaking there was a lot of struggle leaving a gigantic mess of a movie that feels like it missed the found footage horror film craze train. 

House Of Eden releases tomorrow in theaters.

1/10 F

The Phoenician Scheme (2025) Film Review

Wealthy businessman, Zsa-zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins.

The Phoenician Scheme is directed by Wes Anderson director of Bottle Rocket (1996), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Isle Of Dogs (2018), The French Dispatch (2021), Asteroid City (2023) and many others. 

Wes Anderson is back again with another incredibly strong film, while in some areas the film very much does feel like what you would expect from a Wes Anderson film at this point. There is a lot of excellent character writing, humorous moments and fun dialogue that ultimately lead into some genuinely touching moments. 

The cast like in most Wes Anderson films does a fantastic job here, I would argue that this film highlights that even more than some of his other films. Benicio del Toro, Mia Therapleton and Michael Cera are all hilarious together each in their own way. The father and daughter bond between Benicio del Toro and Mia Therapleton that builds over the course of the film is genuinely touching, what starts as a rough bond quickly evolves into something genuine, there’s some quite beautiful moments towards the film’s final moments that actually does make the viewer shed a tear. There’s this theme of rebuilding and learning to communicate and the film does that incredibly well with del Toro and Therapleton, it depicts this in such a raw way that quickly connects with the viewer. 

Michael Cera is hilarious all around, he captures the bizarre atmosphere the film is going for. The build up to what his character is ultimately revealed to be would have never worked if this were almost any other director, but due to how hilarious Cera is combined with being just born to be in a Anderson film the reveal works and makes Cera all the more fantastic. Cera’s chemistry with Therapleton is also charming, fun and is genuinely sweet, it’s something we also get to see build up over the course of the film and ends up being very well developed. 

The rest of the cast is fantastic, although we don’t get to see more of them they stick around long enough to have a lasting impact on the viewer. Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Jeffery Wright and Riz Ahmed in particular are a lot of fun here. 

The writing this time around is genuinely hilarious, this is perhaps Anderson’s most hilarious film since The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). Which I believe is mainly due to how the film’s premise is presented, going around recruiting people to help you in business dealings while being constantly hunted down is shown in this humorous way that Anderson absolutely hits out of the park. The theme of scaling down ambition is shown here in this striking way, too much ambition can lead to crashing and even dangerous results. This is explored quite well and especially is well executed during the third act of the film. 

The films final moments I find to be incredibly sweet, not only do we get the beautiful moments of father and daughter bond we have gotten throughout the film. But the film’s themes are tied together in this nice little bow and shows that starting from scratch and a new life can be welcomed. 

The Phoenician Scheme is available on all VOD platforms.

9/10 A

Heads Of State (2025) Film Review

U.S. President Will Derringer and British Prime Minister Sam Clarke have a not-so-friendly and very public rivalry. However, when Air Force One gets shot down over enemy territory, they find themselves on the run and working together to thwart a global conspiracy that threatens the entire free world.

Heads Of State is directed by Ilya Naishuller director of Hardcore Henry (2015) and Nobody (2021). 

Heads Of State is not as bad as you would think, that’s mainly due to the fun cast, the direction from Naishuller, some decently timed comedic scenes and even some fun action scenes. The movie unfortunately does fall apart due to the story not really being that investing and a bit formulaic, having that said there’s a lot to like here.

The performances are fun especially Idris Elba and John Cena who both play the buddy cop duo very well, they play off of each other and have fun little banters that keep the movie going at this solid pace. The two’s back and forth are great with fun dialogue that does end up giving the viewer a decent amount to laugh at, it helps that Cena and Elba have the charm to make it work. 

The action scenes and the camerawork are actually decently effective here, you get some genuinely great shots during the action filled moments. This does not come to much of a surprise due to Naishuller who’s worked on two incredibly well shot and beautifully done films that ooze with the action film atmosphere, Heads Of State has some of the DNA from Hardcore Henry (2015) and Nobody (2021) although on a much lesser scale (which is not a surprise given that this went straight to streaming.) the film’s action scenes are not anywhere near as good as the previously mentioned films but Naishuller is clearly having a lot of fun and does everything he can with these scenes. For the most part it ends up being effective, taking whatever he can to make a straight to streaming action film work. From what’s presented here and considering what he had to work with, he does a pretty solid job here.

The main flaw with Heads Of State is mainly the writing, while it’s certainly not terrible. It’s not that investing and does land in the formulaic territory, the movie does admittedly get weaker as it goes on mainly due to its nearly 2 hour run time combined with the slow pacing (Cena and Elba can only do so much when it comes to moving the film along.) 

With that said, Heads Of State is not a bad movie, it’s one that misses some marks but is a fun enough time that will satisfy most action movie fans. 

Heads Of State is available on Amazon Prime Video. 

5/10 C

Kill ‘em Now (2025) Film Review

A Bounty Hunter must help a culturally stagnated and hysterical group of Town Folk muster whatever they have to defeat a band of dangerous thugs to earn an undisclosed payday of a lifetime. But will a hidden sibling rivalry stand in the way of the reward and jeopardize everyone’s lives?

Kill ‘em Now is directed by Ryan J. Serrano which is his directorial debut! 

I am not typically into western films, but I do recognize them as being a stable for film as a whole. Kill ‘em Now takes that idea and mixes things up a bit. 

For starters the film takes on a more self aware comedic approach something you do not often see in a whole lot in of westerns. It never feels like it’s too much, there’s tons of genuinely hilarious moments that are filled to the brim with charm and fun. The character’s behavior makes each scene all the more worth it, the low budget feel combined with the self aware nature helps the film bring out the film’s fun nature. 

The acting is a lot of fun as well, Joan James plays No Name a character who is mostly silent but is able to communicate in words thanks to his appearance as well as actions, he captures this classic feel of those neat anti-hero characters who may not say a whole lot but their actions speak for themselves, James fits the western genre like a glove and as the film goes on you quickly invest into his character. Ryan J. Serrano also acts in the film and gives such an entertaining performance, he’s part of what makes the humor work as well as he does. He’s clearly having a blast while on screen which brings out a lot of the film’s charm. 

Finally there’s the direction from Serrano who knows how to bring in so many hilarious scenes, he also knows how to get each character involved with the story. Not every character is incredibly important to the story being told, however it is still nice and refreshing to see everyone participate. 

Overall Kill ‘em Now is a fun film that has quick and easy 54 minute running time, there’s always something going on with a majority of it being filled with charm and fun! 

Serrano House Films will show Kill ‘em Now at Whittier Village Cinema July 19th!

7/10 B

LifeCycle (2025) Short Film Review!


Explores the haunting unraveling of Renato D’Auréli, a fictionalized auteur whose obsession with artistic perfection ultimately consumes his life and legacy.

LifeCycle is directed by Roberto Ortiz which is his first time directing! 

LifeCycle is an interesting short film about a fictionalized auteur named Renato D’Auréli who is obsessed with perfection to the point where it consumes his life and even his legacy.

The film is a homage to the silent film era, from the black and white filming to the dialogue intertitles. It compliments this era of film incredibly well and really does feel like you are watching some sort of lost film from this era. The use of sound is quite brilliant as well, the constant ticking captures D’Auréli losing himself from obsession of wanting to perfect. It’s ticking time bomb that might not be exactly loud, but it’s done in this quiet yet incredibly effective way that keeps the viewer along for the ride. 

The performances are quite well done, Roberto Oritz does a fantastic and incredibly entertaining job as Renato D’Auréli, he creates such a fun space for the film where it’s just oozing with style and passion. Perhaps that’s what makes Lifecycle so great, almost immediately you can feel the passion of the short and by the end it really does display this well. Oritz does such a good job of portraying a man who is too obsessed with wanting perfection, it’s something that can get into a lot of artists’s heads and here it’s done in this fun but also quite real way. 

Serrano House Films will show LifeCycle at Whittier Village Cinema July 19th! 

9/10 A

The Accountant 2 (2025) Film Review

Forensic accountant Christian Wolff teams up with his estranged but highly lethal brother to track down mysterious assassins

The Accountant 2 is directed by Gavin O’Connor director of Comfortably Numb (1995), Tumbleweeds (1999), Miracle (2004), Pride and Glory (2008), Warrior (2011), Jane Got A Gun (2015), The Accountant (2016) and The Way Back (2020). The film serves as a sequel to The Accountant (2016). 

The Accountant (2016) was a pretty solid action thriller that actually became a hit at the box office which is always nice to see a mid-budget film do well. A sequel was quickly announced as expected and well it definitely was not a bad attempt at a sequel, there really is not a whole lot to comment on here. Some people stand by The Accountant 2 being an improvement over the first film, while others stand by this one being weaker and I definitely think I fall into the latter. 

What does remain the same is the strong acting, Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal are both fantastic here. The two blend in with the film taking a more comedic approach this time around which actually does lead into some surprisingly charming moments, Affleck and Bernthal just work so incredibly well together to the point where even if you are not really into what’s going on in the film. You can at least how well done their chemistry really is and how much they carry this film. 

The film takes much more of a comedic approach this time around, yes there are thrilling and action filled moments but those are clearly not the main focus. You will get a focus on this people trafificking/conspiracy plot (which admittedly is really not that interesting) and then the film focuses on Affleck and Bernthal having a grand ole time at the bar, dancing and chatting about their lives. It’s a bizarre switch in tone but it mostly works due to the film’s ability to transition from scene to scene well. 

The final act is your traditional action filled section which is admittedly pretty neat, it’s not anything groundbreaking but there is the excitement factor that’s present and the build up is quite solid as well. The main criticism here is the running time, it goes on for way too long especially with a lot of scenes where you can really feel they are dragging it out for the sake of doing so. 

Overall there is not much else to be said here, The Accountant 2 is a sequel that while fun in it’s own way. Just sort of exists because of how well the first film did, I am admittedly interested to see how the third film will be done (at the time of writing this the third film has been confirmed.) Definitely not a terrible film but not one I will ever go back to.

The Accountant 2 is available on all VOD Platforms.

6/10 C+