The Flood is a bad killer alligator movie.

Prisoners and guards find themselves in a fight for survival when a horde of giant, hungry alligators infests a Louisiana police station during a massive hurricane.

You ever have those moments when you first put on a movie and the very first scene makes you think “oh no what have I gotten myself into?” Well that’s what exactly what happened to me with The Flood. I’m not going to go on about this one for too long mostly due to it being nothing more than another bad low budget killer animal movie (in this case an alligator). 

The Flood will instantly remind you of Crawl (2019) a killer alligator movie that’s actually really good. The Flood takes a lot of Crawl, Assassin and Precent 13 blends them into one only much cheaper and not good. Between the writing that’s near the level of a Sy-Fy channel movie and the horrible acting that not one person in this movie can really pull off. It becomes an even bigger mess as it goes on. 

One of the main problems with The Flood is the horrible use of CGI, between the alligators, blood and even the rain it’s really hard to pin down which of the three is the worst. If you want my opinion I would say the rain, because I really can’t think of another film that I’ve seen within the last few years that have messed up CGI rain this badly. 

What else I can really say? The Flood only got some sort of attention because Lionsgate was part of it (in fact that’s the only reason why I knew this existed). It’s a terrible alligator movie that you are better off ignoring.

The Flood is available on all VOD platforms. 

1/10 F

Bird Box Barcelona lacks a few elements from the first movie.

After a mysterious force decimates the world’s population, Sebastian must navigate his own survival journey through the desolate streets of Barcelona.

Bird Box Barcelona is a spin-off of the 2018 film Bird Box, Bird Box for whatever reason blew up in popularity when it first came out. There was a whole challenge about it, a ton of memes and of course the usual terrible websites trying to make it sound like a super scary movie when it really isn’t. As for the movie itself Bird Box was a very okay movie that is admittedly far better than a lot of Netflix’s other original horror movies but isn’t something I ever thought about again. 

Bird Box Barcelona has a completely different cast and characters, while the main idea is still the same there is just the right amount of differences to make the movie it’s own thing. Having that said those differences really don’t ultimately lead to very much. 

The performances are actually not too bad here Mario Casas and Georgina Campbell are quite great and the rest of the cast are quite effective as well even if they are introduced for about 5 or 10 minutes, the atmosphere combined with the ruined city is actually quite fantastic and leads to some actually effective moments that do give the movie a bit an atmospheric touch. 

The kills are a bit more graphic this time however at the same time they really aren’t anything to write home about, honestly the main flaw here is a lot of the character development and characters in general. Sure we are given Sebastán’s backstory but we aren’t really given a huge reason to care, same goes for all the other characters. They sort of just exist to either get killed off or serve to motivate Sebastián, which sure motivation is great but when it costs character development and character moments then it becomes a problem. 

Overall Bird Box Barcelona is a bit below the first movie in terms of quality, there’s definitely something here that almost hit the mark but unfortunately missed it. 

Bird Box Barcelona is available on Netflix. 

5/10 C

Gray Matter is yet another tired X-Men clone.

Aurora has known all her life from her mother that the superhuman abilities they have also make them dangerous. Now, Aurora will discover if her mother was speaking the truth on one fateful and fatal night.

Gray Matter comes the documentary series Project Greenlight a series in which filmmakers are given a chance to direct their first feature film. I’ve seen some of the series but not a whole lot to say that I’m an expert on it. Anyway there isn’t a whole lot to comment about Gray Matter as a lot of elements used in this movie have been done far better else where. 

Mia Isaac is quite fantastic here and once again shows she has a really strong future as an actress, she easily steals the show even when the script is begging to be better written. The rest of the cast aren’t too bad either but Isaac just runs circles around all of them. 

Honestly the major problem here is this is just another X-Men clone combined with the young adult sci-fi genre, which isn’t necessarily a terrible idea but like many other clones this one just doesn’t do a whole lot with it’s premise. A lot of it is beat by beat “parent tries to protect kid who has powers or is just learning them” type of stuff that really doesn’t go into further detail. The world building is nonexistent and really doesn’t even try due to a script that doesn’t give the movie the time to do so. 

In fact the script gives the movie barely anytime to even use it’s own ideas, it gives a very confused backstory, explains what the powers are in a very messy way and introduces characters yet doesn’t give them a whole lot to do or make them compelling. It’s a bit of a shame because a movie like Gray Matter can work it just comes down to storytelling and world building which the movie is neither good at. 

Gray Matter is available on HBO Max (MAX)

3/10 D-

Quicksand quickly becomes a chore to sit through.

Follows a married couple almost divorcing who become trapped in quicksand while hiking through a rainforest in Colombia. They will battle the elements of the jungle and must work together in order to survive.

I definitely think the idea of a married couple almost divorcing being stuck in quicksand could definitely make for an interesting movie but that’s not really what you get here unfortunately. 

The atmosphere is definitely there and the whole one location element is great everything surrounding that is a complete waste. It takes about half an hour to even get to the quicksand for starters, which keep in mind the movie is 85 minutes long. The rest of the movie is them arguing and really doesn’t lead to any character development that is really interesting. 

The script has a lot of lines that are quite unintentionally hilarious that really bring home the point of why this movie falls flat, which is the two main characters which I give props to Carolina Gaitan and Allan Hawco for trying to make the script work. But there’s only so much you can do with such a limited script that doesn’t capture the atmosphere the movie is trying to go for. 

Lastly there’s the ending which is quite predictable, it’s a very rushed ending that really is the definition of lazily put together so they can reach the finish line. 

Quicksand is available on Shudder. 

3/10 D-

The Out-Laws is the most annoying movie so far this year.

Owen Browning is a straight-laced bank manager about to marry the love of his life, Parker. When his bank is held up by the Ghost Bandits during his wedding week, he believes his future in-laws who just arrived in town are the infamous outlaws.

I’ll give The Out-Laws this…it’s better than Tyler Spindel’s last two Netflix films The Wrong Missy and Father Of The Year. However that is really not saying much when you think back to how bad those two movies really were. 

I can at the very least say with The Out-Laws there was a small level of attempt (and I mean very small)  to try and make something work but that’s mainly through Pierce Brosnan and Ellen Barkin, who are mainly funny due to them seeming like they don’t want to be on set (outside of a few moments). Adam DeVine like in most cases comes off as very unlikable almost immediately, his performance is extremely annoying spewing so much bad writing that is only made more insufferable due to his dreadful performance. Nina Dobrev isn’t horrible but she’s barely given anything to work with that could make into something interesting and compelling. 

The writing is what seals the movie’s fate, it’s the exact sort of comedy you would expect from a Happy Madison and Netflix crossover. It’s the type of comedy that is so desperate for a laugh that it will just throw random, bizarre or flat out obvious joke that the viewer saw coming from a mile away and hope it sticks. If anything the only interesting about this movie is how anyone looked at the script and Adam DeVine’s performance and thought this was somehow a good idea. 

The Out-Laws is available on Netflix. 

1/10 F

Nimona is a beautiful film filled to brim with heart.

A knight is framed for a crime he didn’t commit, and the only person who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona, a shape-shifting teen who might also be a monster he’s sworn to kill.

Nimona was about to become Lost Media that we may have never been able due to Bluesky’s closure and Disney just not wanting to release the project. Luckily thanks to Annapurna Pictures reviving the project, DNEG Animation providing the animation and Netflix distributing it worldwide Nimona was released and it’s truly a beautiful film. 

Nimona is one of those films where you can tell a lot of love was put into it in almost every single way possible, for starters the voice cast is brilliant the standouts being Chloe Grace Moretz and Riz Ahmed both give such fantastic performances and put so much power and talent into their characters. The characters Nimona and Ballister Boldheart are such fascinating characters who might feel a bit too traditional at first and may follow some common character tropes however you quickly realize that isn’t the case at all, instead what you get is two characters who have so much development put into them that truly make you care about the both of them. 

The animation is absolutely gorgeous this is yet another case of being Spider-Verse inspired but it’s also another case of being completely different with it, the film focuses on shapeshifting which really blends well with the style use and the film itself is also based on a graphic novel which really makes the use of the animation quite appropriate. The whole shapeshifter theme is an allegory of embracing your true self which is quite a fantastic way of telling a beautiful LGBT like theme, heck Nimona is non-binary which is fantastic representation the film has no problem having any of these themes and I absolutely respect the film for that. Plus the film itself doesn’t have these themes for the sake of having them or wanting to just pander, these themes are important to the story and a lot of passion plus heart are put into these themes. 

Not once did I feel like some studio was in the back saying “put this this and that in” you can very easily tell this is from the heart which you honestly can’t help but smile at, Nimona is quite a fantastic film that I’m very happy was able to get released, it’s a film that I can easily see go on to be a classic in a few years. If you haven’t seen it yet be sure to do so! 

Nimona is available on Netflix. 

9/10 A

R.M.N. is a disturbing look at xenophobia combined with fear spiraling.

Matthias returns to his parents’ mountain village in Transylvania, longing to see his ex Csilla again. Arriving on the scene, he notices the unrest caused by Csilla offering two foreigners work in her bakery.

Cristian Mungiu returns with R.M.N. which much like his other films is a completely different experience. There’s so much power put into this film that it’s truly fascinating in every single way possible. 

For starters the cast are all phenomenal, they all give such grounded performances that only add to the disturbing atmosphere of the film that really strikes the viewer almost immediately when the film itself begins. The first scene of the film is of a child walking through the woods and being shocked by something but we don’t see what it is. It leaves the viewer with this sense of dread that really creeps on you throughout the film. 

The thing that most people mention when talking about R.M.N. is the unbroken 17 minute long scene that was done in one take at the town hall meeting where the film’s themes spiral into madness such as anger, frustration, fear and hatred. It’s an incredibly powerful scene that is truly one of the best I’ve seen so far this year. The tensions between everyone in the film evolve into something horrifying and like the town hall scene spiral into madness. 

The film explores xenophobia and it does a quite excellent job at doing so, the film doesn’t sugarcoat anything either it gives a very honest depiction of it and how the victims feel. There’s very clever foreshadowing at the beginning of the film particularly with the German factory scene at the opening sequence of the film. There’s so much atmosphere which has a lot of fear in it and completely matches what the film is truly going for. 

R.M.N. is a film I highly recommend going into knowing as little as possible, it’s truly a fascinating film from beginning to end that you won’t forget. 

R.M.N. is available on all VOD platforms. 

9/10 A

Kandahar is a forgettable Gerard Butler movie.

An undercover CIA operative gets stuck in hostile territory in Afghanistan after his mission is exposed. Accompanied by his translator, he must fight enemy combatants as he tries to reach an extraction point in Kandahar.

Ric Roman Waugh and Gerard Butler team up for yet another action thriller movie this time Kandahar. It should be worth pointing out that Kandahar is based on the true story of a former military intelligence officer named Mitchell LaFortune. 

Given this year’s recently released movie Plane which Gerard Butler was also in, I really wanted to like Kandahar but unfortunately this one really fell short in a lot of categories. I will say that Gerard Butler is quite great and the bond between Gerard Butler and Navid Negahban is undoubtedly great. There’s also some action scenes that are quite great as well particularly a night time action scene that stands out. 

Other then that however the rest of the movie is a bit of a chore to get through, there’s way too much slow pacing, really not enough moments to get the viewer invested in this true story. Plus it quite honestly feels a bit more of the same thing Ric Roman Waugh has done previously, only that there aren’t as many action scenes and it isn’t as investing. 

I have seen comparisons between Kandahar and Guy Richie’s The Covenant which released earlier this year. While I don’t necessarily think they are fully comparable, there is one big similarity both involve translators and showing how important they are. But much like The Covenant where I said in my review they really didn’t do much with the translators, Kandahar also doesn’t do much with the translators.  

Overall Kandahar isn’t a bad movie, there’s a lot to like it just falls short when it comes to wanting to stand out. It quickly reminds you of better movies that already exist. 

Kandahar is available on all VOD platforms. 

5/10 C

World’s Best is a fun Disney+ Original filled with heart.

In the midst of navigating the hardships of adolescence, 12-year-old Prem Patel discovers his deceased father was a rapper. He sets out to pursue a career for himself as a rap superstar and is determined to find out if hip-hop is in his DNA.

Got to say I’m a bit surprised from World’s Best, while it does fall into the typical Disney+ movie hole where it does end up feeling like a Disney Channel Original Movie. There’s a genuine amount of fun to be had here with this one. 

Utkarsh Ambudkar is a whole lot of fun here and really puts his all into a performance that may not always give him the best material, but during the music segments he takes advantage of it and really pulls some great moments. Manny Magnus is a solid lead and does a pretty solid job of making his character feel quite grounded in a lot of ways, it will be interesting to see where his career goes. 

The rest of the cast while not anything necessarily amazing, they get the job done and are genuinely charming as well. As I said before World’s Best can feel like a Disney channel original movie at times with the script being the main culprit plus some of the humor isn’t quite great either. Granted it is less noticeable as a lot of other Disney+ original movies, the movie itself does follow a lot of story beats about a child (in this case son) who wants to follow the footsteps of their deceased parent (in this case father). 

But what makes this one standout a bit more is the direction from Roshan Sethi (who previously directed 7 Days), he brings a handful of heartwarming moments that are just enough to push the movie over the finish line. It has a lot of heart and does manage to make some of the characters feel a bit more grounded. 

Overall World’s Best is flawed but a quite charming movie that doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. 

World’s Best is available on Disney+ 

6/10 C+

Surrounded is a decent western with solid performances.

Set five years after the Civil War, this Western drama follows former Buffalo Soldier Moses “Mo” Washington (Letitia Wright) as she travels west to lay claim on a gold mine bequeathed by her late slaveowner father. It is a mean, dangerous world, so Mo travels into the deep frontier disguised as a man. After her stagecoach is ambushed, she is tasked with holding a dangerous outlaw captive and must survive the day when the bandit’s gang tries to free him.

Not a whole lot to say about Surrounded as it doesn’t really do anything very special, but it also does a decent amount of good. 

Anthony Mandler who previously directed Monster (2018) is in the director’s chair and while Monster I found to be not very good at all, I definitely think Mandler has since improved with his directing. He’s mostly a music video director which is completely fine, but as I said in my review for Monster there’s a huge difference from directing a music video and movie. With that said I definitely think the direction is far better this time around even if the last half of Surrounded falls apart. 

Letitia Wright is quite great here, she gives a very well acted performance that’s straight to the point and does a pretty good job of giving her character development even when the script didn’t really want to do that. Jamie Bell is quite great as well, the interactions between Bell and Wright are strong, investing and down to earth at times which I found a bit surprising. Finally there’s Michael K. Williams who if you didn’t know sadly passed away in 2021, according to IMDb Surrounded is his last film performance (his very last performance being a TV series called Vital Signs which is completed apparently.) Williams gives a very strong performance here and like Wright and Bell gives a very grounded and powerful performance that really strikes the viewer. 

The filming is quite great and it combines well with the location, what’s ultimately lacking is the script that really doesn’t have a whole lot of character development and the last half of the movie really doesn’t know what it wants to be. It definitely comes off as little rushed and messily put together towards the end. However I will say the majority of the movie is quite great we get to see some strong interactions between the characters and their conversations, even if the script isn’t always great and could have been so much better. It’s still quite interesting in it’s own right. 

Surrounded is available on all VOD platforms. 

6/10 C+