American Sweatshop (2025) Film Review

A social media moderator is tasked with purging the most offensive content from the internet. When she sees a video that appears to show a crime, she’s lured into a dangerous world as she obsessively looks to hold someone accountable.

American Sweatshop is directed by Uta Briesewitz which is her directorial debut.

American Sweatshop is a film that should have been a home run but instead ends up being foul ball. To the movie’s credit it’s not all bad, Lili Reinhart gives a fascinating performance, the atmosphere is haunting and there’s moments of strong and suspenseful interactions between the characters. But for the most part the movie misses the mark.

As I said earlier Lili Reinhart as Daisy (a content moderator) is fantastic here, she’s far and away the best asset of the film and gives such a vulnerable performance that we see slowly change over the course of the film. Part of the movie explores Daisy’s transformation into a full-fledged vigilante which does make sense in the context of seeing multiple videos of evilness and doing very little to stop it due to not being allowed to get involved. Even if the movie starts to lose itself during the final act, Lili Reinhart is able to make her character work due to just how great of a performance she gives as well as keeping it grounded (for the most part.)

The writing unfortunately holds itself back, with a topic as heavy as violent crimes like this. It’s good that these are being discussed to begin with, however it’s disappointing that the way it’s told is very watered down. Red Rooms (2024) handled this subject matter masterfully, the film used so many different techniques to explore these subjects and ended up being incredibly disturbing without being incredibly graphic. American Sweatshop nails the claustrophobic and haunting atmosphere when you stare at this type content, but unfortunately that’s as far as the movie is willing to go. Everything else plays a bit too safe and drifts off during the last act of the film.

The unresolved parts of the film admittedly match up with reality as they showcase the impact of social media in our lives today. With that being said there are other parts that simply felt almost ignored by the movie and with playing way too safe it ultimately defeats the purpose of the movie’s intended message.

Overall American Sweatshop is not a bad movie, it’s just a very disappointing one that had so much potential. Lili Reinhart’s performance is what keeps this movie afloat so I do recommend giving it a go if that interests you. I’m sure this will be easy to digest for some audiences, but if you want to dig much deeper on this topic I would recommend giving Red Rooms (2024) a go.

American Sweatshop is available on all VOD platforms.

5/10 C

Aztec Batman: Clash Of Empires (2025) Film Review

the time of the Aztec Empire, Yohualli Coatl – a young Aztec boy – experiences tragedy when his father and village leader, Toltecatzin, is murdered by Spanish Conquistadors. Yohualli escapes to Tenochtitlan to warn King Moctezuma and his high priest, Yoka, of imminent danger. Using the temple of Tzinacan, the bat god, as a lair, Yohualli trains with his mentor and assistant, Acatzin, developing equipment and weaponry to confront the Spaniard invasion, protect Moctezuma’s temple, and avenge his father’s death.

Aztec Batman: Clash Of Empires is directed by Juan Meza-León which is his directorial debut.

Another take on Batman and a take that I’m not entirely sure really worked even after watching, admittedly it is a unique take on the Batman mythology but that’s quite honestly the only thing that stands out.

The voice acting is at least decent and makes for some engaging moments, even if the characters are a bit on the bland side of things. There were attempts at different spins on certain characters such as Two-Face and The Joker, some spins are definitely more elaborate and detailed than others, but none of them are incredibly noteworthy. Two-Face definitely gets the bigger end of the stick as he’s a huge part of the film and actually done decently, The Joker feels more of an afterthought (the movie sets up for a sequel.)

The writing is a mixed bag, on one hand you have some solid interactions between Batman and Acatzin and Batman with Catwoman, but on the other you have a story that despite having a unique setting often feels like you have seen this before. A lot of the familiar beats from these DC animated films are present here and unfortunately hurt the story in the long run. The story itself has its moments which mainly come from the voice cast trying their absolute hardest to sell the movie to the viewer, but a lot of the time it’s painfully predictable and fails to give some of these characters the writing they need to standout.

Finally there’s the animation which mostly works, it takes a bit to get used to since admittedly it is a step down from other DC animated films. But it’s really not all that bad, the best thing you can say about it is that it’s unique and whereas the writing fails to really take advantage of the setting, the animation at the very least steps up to the plate and works with what’s available. There might not be any jaw dropping moments with the animation, but it’s consistent and gets the job done.

Overall despite a unique setting Aztec Batman: Clash Of Empires is very bland and doesn’t really offer anything exciting. There is moments of promise, but those are quickly overtaken by more forgettable ones and a bland story that feels very thrown together.

Aztec Batman: Clash Of Empires is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

Swiped (2025) Film Review

Whitney Wolfe Herd breaks into the male-dominated tech industry by launching two innovative dating apps, making her the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire.

Swiped is directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg director of Valley Girl (2020) and Unpregnant (2020).

Swiped is about as basic as a straight to streaming biopic as you can get and due to this it unfortunately does not explore all that much about the subject’s life in this case Whitney Wolfe Herd. The film is about the creation of Tinder and Bumble two dating apps that you are probably familiar with and Herd’s experiences working at the two companies.

The biggest positive is the performances particularly from Lily James and Dan Stevens who both give very solid performances, there’s one particular moment that’s a bit upsetting to hear but Lily James absolutely nails it with this raw energy that gets the viewer’s attention. Even at times where the script is on the more basic side of things, Lily James is able to make it work and leave the viewer with a lasting impression through her performance. Dan Stevens has solid interactions with the cast and Stevens accent leads into oddly hypnotizing territory.

The main problem with Swiped is there really isn’t that much going for it, a lot of the writing in the last half of the movie is incredibly manufactured. This ranges from character tropes and even dialogue to the point where nothing feels genuine, by doing this the movie fails to compliment the true story in any meaningful way. There’s a lot of different ideas that are thrown around during the last half of the movie which is an incredibly odd decision that only makes the movie more cluttered.

It’s frustrating because Swiped has the right material to be a decent film, however the movie opts to go in this easiest way to be as digestible as possible. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but when you don’t explore the subject’s background all that much or we really don’t get to see enough powerful moments with her it starts to become incredibly pointless.

Overall Swiped is yet another biopic that exists, it’s not harmful in any sense, it’s one of those movies where you watch it to check it off a list and never think about it again. If you are going to watch it, do so for Lily James’s performance.

Swiped is available on Hulu.

5/10 C

Trust (2025) Film Review

A Hollywood starlet retreats to a remote cabin after a scandal — but she’s not alone. Betrayed by the man she trusted the most, she soon finds herself trapped in a brutal game of survival.

Trust is directed by Carlson Young director of The Blazing World (2021) and Upgraded (2024).

Trust is quite honestly baffling, this is an example of a movie that jumps from one character to the next where it’s not exactly sure who to focus on. It’s an absolute shame because this comes from Carlson Young a director whose previous two films I liked. Unfortunately Trust is way too scatterbrained and incredibly messy to the point where it loses the viewer midway through.

When it comes to performances, Katey Sagal is the standout. She gives the movie this complete and total opposite feel that it’s going for, in any other case this would be considered a negative but here it’s a breath of fresh air due to just how dull the rest of the movie is. Her interactions with the rest of the cast are genuinely hilarious at times and she makes for fun comedic relief that did not need to be there but you will be thankful that it is there by the end.

Sophie Turner does fine enough here but unfortunately her character Lauren is stuck in a boiler for 90% of the movie. She’s given very little to work with, heck the movie claims that Lauren is the central character we follow but instead we see more of the villains who are about as deep as the average movie henchmen character wise. It’s a very confused mess character writing wise and even though I do enjoy Katy Sagal’s scenes the movie ends up following her quite a bit, it’s sort of a whiplash between Lauren being trapped and on the brink of death while Katy Sagal’s character Loretta bumbles around in various locations until the plot asks her to go to Lauren’s remote cabin.

The writing is what almost immediately destroys this movie, as I said before the movie is not even focused on Lauren it’s more so focused on the people involved. With a majority of them having very little character and at best murky motivations, the atmosphere is also not thrilling at all. Especially since this is one of those movies where you can easily tell what exactly is going to unfold before it happens, the movie also fails to use the boiler room effectively. It’s an empty room that slowly becomes flooded and that’s about as much as we get.

Overall Trust is a baffling mess, it completely abandons what could have been some interesting elements in favor of dull antagonists, poorly written dialogue and a very poorly explored protagonist.

Trust is available on all VOD platforms.

2/10 F

Witchboard (2025) Film Review

In present-day New Orleans, a cursed artifact unleashes a vengeful witch, drawing a young couple into a deadly spiral of possession, temptation, and occult terror.

Witchboard is directed by Chuck Russell director of A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), The Blob (1988), The Mask (1994), Eraser (1996), Bless The Child (2000), The Scorpion King (2002), I Am Wrath (2016), Junglee (2019) and Paradise City (2022). The film serves as a remake to the 1986 film of the same name.

I really don’t think anyone was clamoring for a remake of Witchboard (1986) but they have made more questionable remakes in the past so I guess anything is on the table. With that out of the way it should come to no surprise that this remake is not very good, outside of a few performances and some unintentionally hilarious moments this is an incredibly empty remake that has very little to offer.

Madison Iseman is fine enough here (although she has given better performances) and tries what she can with such an empty script. Jamie Campbell Bower (who plays a character that wasn’t in the original) goes full on cartoon character mode here and it leads to some quite hilarious and the movie’s more entertaining moments.

Unfortunately that’s where the movie ends for me, if I could describe this movie in a one word review it would be empty. There’s nothing going on here thematically or anything that the viewer can sink their teeth into, the dialogue between the characters is lifeless and even when the movie tries to explore some of the bonds between the group it ends up falling flat immediately due to the many cliche directions it takes. The pacing was painfully slow and when you combine that with a 112 minute running time you are in for an incredibly dull ride that will make you want to quickly get off.

The plot gets very convoluted for absolutely no reason, the movie is trying to do things a bit differently than the original. Which is all well and good but it takes an understandable experience and makes it convoluted for no real reason outside of drawing the movie out longer.

Overall there is just not anything meaningful or noteworthy to say about Witchboard. It’s the very definition of a remake that you seriously question why it was made as you watch it.

Witchboard is available on all VOD platforms.

3/10 D-

Ick (2025) Film Review

a high school science teacher who must confront a parasitic alien invasion and his personal life, which gets complicated by a new student who may be his daughter.

Ick is directed by Joseph Khan director of Torque (2004), Detention (2011) and Bodied (2017).

Ick is sort of noteworthy due to the soundtrack consisting of several pop-punk hits you probably heard in the 2000s, Yellowcard, Creed, blink-182, Paramore, The Killers and many others have at least one of their songs appear throughout the movie and I would be lying if I said I was not feeling at least bit nostalgic.

Ick is also a throwback to some of the monster/creature horror films of the 2000s such as Slither (2006), which there are points the movie does a decent job of capturing the spirit of those movies. Even if Ick is admittedly not as good as the movies were.

The performances are decent enough here, Brandon Routh plays the leading role and he actually does a solid job here. He’s able to blend in with Joseph Khan’s messy style decently well and his interactions with the rest of the cast result in a few laughs, the rest of the cast unfortunately don’t leave a mark on the viewer. So much of it is due to cliche character types and very little development all around, while yes at the end of the day Ick is a monster movie so I wasn’t expecting any grand character writing. But lazily written characters who spout just a bunch of one liners are a huge distraction that completely takes you out of the movie.

The writing is what really holds the movie back, within the first 10-15 minutes it’s very clear that “The Ick” is supposed to be a COVID-19 allegory and it’s not subtle at all. I wouldn’t say that the allegory is done poorly here as it does result in some of the movie’s few laughs. With that being said it’s not exactly breaking any new ground either, at this point we have seen the conspiracy theorists, the Alex Jones type of characters and such get the parody treatment in a lot of different media. What Ick does here isn’t any different and if you have already seen these types of jokes before then you are not going to get anything different here.

Lastly there’s the editing which is a mess and is sort of to be expected when it comes to Joseph Khan’s films. Detention (2011) had a similar style, but at the very least it did not feel like overkill and ultimately fit the atmosphere of the movie. With Ick it very much goes into the forgettable territory and much like the rest of the movie fails to leave an impression on the viewer.

Overall Ick has a really solid soundtrack, a decent performance from Brandon Routh and a few good jokes but not much else.

Ick is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

Night Of The Reaper (2025) Film Review

College student Deena visits home and is roped into babysitting. The local sheriff is mailed a piece of evidence and is led on a scavenger hunt to reveal the killer of another babysitter.

Night Of The Reaper is directed by Brandon Christensen director of Still/Born (2017), Z (2019), Superhost (2021) and The Puppetman (2023).

When you first start watching Night Of The Reaper you will almost immediately catch on that it’s going for this 70s and 80s retro style. There’s a clear When A Stranger Calls (1979) and Halloween (1978) influence here, the movie is basically a late 70s and early 80s period piece. We have seen plenty of these types of movies in the past and unfortunately Night Of The Reaper really fails to standout among them.

The acting is a hit or miss, Jessica Clement is doing a lot of the heavy lifting here as she does manage to capture the 70s and 80s feel that the movie is looking to achieve. Everyone else however is given the short end of the stick as their performances range from terrible to very below average, the actors are trying their best with what they are given but due to the movie’s terrible script there’s so much missed potential here.

There’s a few scenes here that work decently well, there’s one scene in particular that makes use of some great practical effects. The movie’s twist is a great idea at first but ultimately gets completely buried under the shallowness of the rest of the movie, there just is not enough here to back up the twist. Instead of capitalizing off of the twist the movie strangely does the exact opposite by throwing bad dialogue and a lot of cliche moments that take away from it.

Overall Night Of The Reaper had a lot of potential here, but due to the script and the shallowness of the movie it’s ultimately a very forgettable experience.

Night Of The Reaper is available on Shudder.

3/10 D-

Honey Don’t (2025) Film Review

Small-town private investigator Honey O’Donahue probes a series of strange deaths that are tied to a mysterious church.

Honey Don’t is directed by Ethan Coen which by himself previously directed Drive-Away Dolls (2024).

Drive-Away Dolls (2024) I quite liked, it had this fun and bizarre charm to it that made it such a wild experience to watch. Plus the performances were quite great as well, so I was pretty excited for Honey Don’t and unfortunately this one misses the mark. While Honey Don’t is not a bad movie, it is a very uneven one and falls short of greatness it just does not have the same energy or excitement that Drive-Away Dolls had.

Much like with Drive-Away Dolls the performances are the best part of the film. Margaret Qualley as Honey O’Donahue is compelling, intelligent and has a lot of fun one liners that match the atmosphere. It’s clear that Qualley had a blast in this role and it shows through her performance, her interactions with the rest of the cast are hilarious at times and she’s able to capture the dramatic moments naturally. Aubrey Plaza works well with Margaret Qualley, while this might not be one of Plaza’s best performances it is one of her most fun. The sex scenes between the two have this comedic tone that works in the movie’s favor.

Chris Evans is also quite great here as well, he matches the atmosphere and gives a bizarre yet fun performance that really does seem like he was having the time of his life. He shows off his comedic range and is a much more offbeat turn from his other performances, his unhinged nature gives the viewer a few laughs and does a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to the movie’s humor.

The writing is a mixed bag, while the humor is quite solid it’s the story and mystery itself that are the weakest parts of it. The mystery itself is more on the bland side of things and does not really offer much excitement as the rest of the movie does, it makes for a weird whiplash in tone where you have the comedy and characters being genuinely fun. But with the mystery not so much, it’s unfocused and does not ultimately build itself to be a satisfying mystery.

It is a shame because I do think when Honey Don’t leans into the B Movie and exploitation feel it works very well, not as grand as Drive-Away Dolls (2024) but still satisfying enough. But when it’s focused on the mystery elements it’s forgettable and misses the mark.

Overall Honey Don’t is not a bad movie, just a disappointing one coming off of Drive-Away Dolls. However I do think this one could be considered a guilty pleasure for some and that’s most certainly not a bad thing.

Honey Don’t is available on all VOD platforms.

5/10 C

Hot Milk (2025) Film Review

With a strange illness, a mother and her daughter embark on a journey to the Spanish coast to find a cure, and along the way the daughter discovers another reality far from her controlling mother.

Hot Milk is directed by Rebecca Lenkiewicz which is her directorial debut.

Hot Milk is the type of movie where you genuinely have next to no idea what is going on and not in a way that’s bizarre or even interesting. It’s done in this way where you can tell the script was just shooting out ideas and seeing what stays in the air and what doesn’t. There is definitely a couple positives here, but nowhere near enough to justify how incredibly messy this movie really is.

The performances luckily are quite solid, Emma Mackey gives a solid performance that could have been something more had the script actually given her stronger material to work with. Her chemistry with Vicky Krieps is fine enough, but it doesn’t help that Krieps’s character has very little going on in terms of character writing. Fiona Shaw is also solid but is unfortunately chained to a weak script throughout the film, she’s in the same situation as Mackey is, decent enough performance that could have been so much better had the script actually had stronger material.

The other positive is the filming, the various locations of Greece are undeniably beautiful and match the atmosphere the movie is going for. There are times when the movie feels like a stitched together montage of holiday getaway photographs, mainly when it the movie tries to shove so much symbolism everywhere it can which does take away from some of the beauty.

What ends up hurting Hot Milk the most is the writing, the setup is fine enough but afterwards the story stretches itself thin. The story itself is incredibly forgettable especially since early on the ending that ends the movie abruptly can be seen coming from ten miles away, speaking of which I get what the ending was going for and I do think the theme of overcoming trauma from your mother is an important story to tell. However the way it’s executed during the movie’s final moments does not match the tone from the rest of the movie and even lands into unintentionally hilarious territory which is a bizarre thing to say but the way it’s portrayed, acted and written ultimately pushes it in this line.

Overall Hot Milk is a frustrating mess that never figures out how to explore its themes or characters, it almost feels like a ten page essay that only has 5 pages completed. So much is missing and barely anything is explored, outside of the acting and cinematography there is very little here to digest.

Hot Milk is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

Red Sonja (2025) Film Review

Captured, chained and forced to fight for survival, Red Sonja must battle her way through the blood-soaked pits of a tyrant’s empire while rallying an army of outcasts to reclaim her freedom and take down Dragan and his ruthless bride, Dark Annisia.

Red Sonja is directed by M.J. Bassett director of Deathwatch (2002), Wilderness (2006), Solomon Kane (2009), Silent Hill Revelation (2012), Inside Man: Most Wanted (2019) and Endangered Species (2021).

Since 2008 there has been several attempts at trying to make a second Red Sonja film, the 1985 Red Sonja was the very definition of an 80s fantasy movie that was quite honestly never good to begin with. Despite bombing at the box office and getting torn to shreds critically, a second Red Sonja film was released.

While I do think this one is actually better in a few ways than the 1985 one, that is really not saying a whole lot. I absolutely admire the attempt by M.J. Bassett to try and take a very 80s fantasy film and figure out how to make it work in 2025 even if the attempt is ultimately a misfire.

The best part about Red Sonja is Matilda Lutz, she does the best she can with such a very weak script but still ends up giving a better performance than Brigitte Neilson did in the 1985 film. Lutz just gives a more convincing performance as Red Sonja and goes for a more quiet yet effective approach that ultimately fares better in the end. The acting overall is a step up from the 1985 movie, while a bit goofy at times the supporting cast the very least this time around offer some entertainment during the movie’s more drawn out parts.

The 1985 movie is better when it comes to technical aspects that’s mainly due to a higher budget which is something this version does not have and is very evident almost immediately. While the cinematography, production design and such aren’t awful, they very clearly worked with what they could do it unfortunately does take the viewer out of the movie during certain moments. With a higher budget I think M.J. Bassett could have actually done a lot more here to give the movie’s world more life and perhaps may have resulted in a more focused and imaginative experience.

The movie’s world feels very empty and just does not have a whole lot of personality, which leads into the main problem with this version of Red Sonja….the writing. This movie is not much different than your bad early 2000s fantasy movie, it’s very reminiscent of films like Eragon (2006) or Dungeons & Dragons (2000s) a collection of fantasy elements that ultimately don’t add up into anything new or special. The villain Emperor Dragan the Magnificent is a very nothing villain despite a somewhat entertaining performance from Robert Sheehan.

It’s admirable what M.J. Bassett was trying to go for here with Red Sonja. But unfortunately the technical aspects combined with the bland fantasy tropes really hold this one back from being great.

Red Sonja is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+