A decorated Marine goes on a rescue mission to save his two young sons from a mysterious threat. As their journey takes them in increasingly dangerous directions, the boys will need to leave their childhoods behind.
Encounter is a very nice surprise, it’s a Sci-Fi film that tweaks the genre a bit to make things interesting! Riz Ahmed as usual gives a really strong performance, Ahmed does such a fantastic job of giving his character a lot of depth and strength. The filming is beautifully done and captures a ton of jaw dropping moments that compliment the film well, the only main criticism I have with Encounter is I do wish the movie spent a little more time building up for the third act, as some scenes do feel a bit out of place and the third act does feel like something is missing. But outside of that Encounter is a very solid Sci-Fi movie that does a very solid job of giving the genre some new life.
Expecting their first child, a Mexican-American couple move to a migrant farming community in 1970’s California where strange symptoms and terrifying visions threaten their new family.
Madres is the third movie of this year’s “Welcome To The Blumhouse” while it’s better than Bingo Hell and Black As Night it still suffers from a ton of flaws. I will say the acting is all around pretty decent, the cast genuinely gave some solid performances and there were moments that were effective. What didn’t work however is the social message the movie was trying to tell, while the message itself is indeed important it feels completely wasted due to the movie feeling like a “nothing special about it” horror movie. It ends up feeling way too predictable and feels way too familiar towards the middle of the movie. Then suddenly at the last couple minutes it brings up the horrors of eugenics which yes is very true it feels like it comes right out of nowhere. Had this movie scrapped the whole supernatural elements and just made a horror film about the horrors of eugenics this could have been far more interesting. Overall Madres isn’t entirely bad but it has no clue what it wants to be.
4/10 D+
After suffering a mild stroke, Judith Albright reluctantly moves into a historic nursing home where she becomes convinced a supernatural force is killing the residents.
The Manor is the last movie of the “welcome To The Blumhouse” series of this year and it’s by far the best of the four. The Manor has a interesting premise that for the most part is executed very well, there’s some genuinely creepy moments that are quite effective. Barbara Hershey and the rest of the cast do a very solid job in their roles and actually give the story some genuine emotion. The Manor does feel a bit familiar at times especially the twist that’s pretty predictable, however it doesn’t stop the movie from being genuinely interesting and engaging with it’s style!
7/10 B
Both Madres and The Manor are now available on Amazon Prime Video!
In the barrio of Oak Springs live a strong and stubborn group of elderly friends who refuse to be gentrified. Their leader, Lupita, keeps them together as a community and family. However, their beloved bingo hall is about to be sold to a much more powerful force than money itself.
So Welcome To The Blumhouse has returned from last year, which was overall pretty decent (with the exception of The Lie that was terrible). Bingo Hell is not a good start however, Adriana Barraza was pretty solid as the lead, she had some genuinely great moments that really made her standout. Richard Brake as the villain was very enjoyable, it seemed like he had a lot of fun which actually really helps here. I also do like that the movie is centered around senior citizens something we don’t often see in a lot of horror movies, so I give the movie credit for trying something different. However the rest of the movie ends up being a whole lot of nothing, the writing is really not that good, it’s clearly trying to go for this B-movie feel to it which at some points it works and other times it doesn’t. There are times when Bingo Hell takes itself seriously which is very strange considering the premise especially towards the end. That’s when things truly turn into a giant mess, it feels like the writers just threw several ideas in at once and couldn’t decide on what ideas should be used. I will say the gore is pretty neat! Overall Bingo Hell is very forgettable, if you take away the main focus on senior citizens and the premise, you are left with a very typical straight to VOD horror movie that you might put on in the background. Give this one a skip.
Bingo Hell is now available on Amazon Prime Video!
3/10 D-
A teenage girl with self-esteem issues finds confidence in the most unlikely way, by spending her summer battling vampires that prey on New Orleans’ disenfranchised with the help of her best friend, the boy she’s always pined for, and a peculiar rich girl.
Black as Night is the other “Welcome To The Blumhouse” movie that released this past weekend and it’s worse than Bingo Hell. While Bingo Hell wasn’t good at the very least it tried something different even if it wasn’t successful. Black as Night just feels like a clone of Vampires Vs The Bronx which came out last year. Plus it throws in a bunch of plot elements we have seen in far better Vampire films and calls it a day. The acting is at least overall not too bad but the major problem is the writing, it’s very weak and has absolutely nothing going for it. There’s no attempt of trying to do something interesting or new, it’s basically copying off of what made other vampire films so successful and calls it a day. It’s a shame too because this could had been something decent if they tried to change the plot up and focus on trying to do something new. Overall there really isn’t much to say about Black as Night it’s a bad vampire movie that offers nothing new and just sort of exists.
Black As Night is now available on Amazon Prime Video!
So we finally reached the month I have been looking forward to for the longest time, throughout the year October has been really building a fantastic roster of film releases (heck November and December are both fantastic as well). Which led to the most amount of movies on any of these lists. I’m not going to go in depth with all of these movies, since I’ve been busy moving (I’m still going to be in Long Island NY) but I’ll try to describe a huge amount of them. So let’s get started!
30. Muppets Haunted Mansion – I’m excited for this because we haven’t gotten Muppet content in quite sometime, it looks like what you would expect from The Muppets so I’m on board. It releases October 8th on Disney+
Let’s just get next four out of the way and combine them.
29. Bingo Hell, 28. Black As Night, 27. Madres and 26. Manor – if you remember the “Welcome To The Blumhouse” movies from last year this is a continuation of that, the movies from last year while not anything incredible were mostly decent (outside of The Lie that was horrendous) so I’m hoping this follows in the same footsteps. All of the movies have interesting premises that sound like a lot of fun or interesting, let’s hope these are great! Bingo Hell and Black As Night release October 1st on Amazon Prime Video, Madres and The Manor release on Amazon Prime Video October 8th!
25. Runt – worth noting that this is Cameron Boyce’s last performance. Runt releases October 19th on all VOD Platforms.
24. Women is Losers – Women is Losers releases October 18th on HBO Max!
23. Snakehead – I actually saw Snakehead at TIFF and it’s a very solid movie that I recommend (I will be getting my TIFF reviews up soon as I said I’ve been very busy) Snakehead releases October 29th on all VOD Platforms!
22. Night Teeth – This looks like a very fun movie, with Sydney Sweeney, Megan Fox and Debby Ryan in it, sign me up! It releases October 20th on Netflix!
21. V/H/S/94 – I was very surprised to see that this got a release date and is actually coming out soon, I’m a huge fan of the first two films, V/H/S Viral was massively disappointing and was quite bad as well, from what I’ve heard this one puts the series back to it’s roots and is quite great. So I’m pretty excited for this one! It releases October 6th on Shudder!
20. Knocking – I saw this one back at Sundance and I really liked it, I’m definitely excited to rewatch it as it was thrilling and pretty well done! Knocking releases October 8th in theaters and October 19th on all VOD Platforms.
19. Injustice: Gods Among Us – I’ve always wanted a Injustice film and we are finally getting one….and it looks really good! This is definitely something that has huge potential to become a series of movies, so I truly hope this is good! it releases October 19th on all VOD Platforms!
18. The Souvenir Act II – While I wasn’t that big on the first movie I have heard that the sequel fixes the problems that were in the first one and make it really good. So I’m definitely down to see this one. It releases October 29th in theaters!
17. Bergman Island – I’ve heard a lot of really great things about this one, a friend of mine actually told me about this one (they saw it at the TIFF) I checked out the information about the film and it definitely sounds like something I would really like. It releases October 15th on all VOD Platforms!
16. Army Of Thieves – Earlier this year Army Of The Dead came out and now this one is coming out which serves as a prequel to Army Of The Dead and is mostly about Matthias Schweighöfer’s character, which was one of my favorite parts of Army Of The Dead so I’m excited to see where this movie goes. It releases October 29th on Netflix!
15. Paranormal Activity: Next Of Kin – Hear me out on this one, I really like the first three movies, but didn’t like Paranormal 4, The Marked Ones or Ghost Dimensions. From what has been shown so far Next Of Kin seems like it could be great, it has a decent director William Eubank director of Signal and Underwater. I do have faith that this could end up being decent, we just have to wait and see. It releases October 29th on Paramount+
14. The Blazing World – This is yet another one I saw back at Sundance, I understand this isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea but it is definitely worth watching. Carlson Young does a fantastic job in the directors chair and really makes a Pan’s Labyrinth type movie that’s very effective. It releases October 15th on all VOD Platforms!
13. Venom Let There Be Carnage – I didn’t like the first Venom in fact I hated it. However I’ve heard this one is a huge improvement and everything that’s been shown about it looks and sounds far better, I’m very excited to see Carnage in a comic book movie something I’ve been wanting since I was a kid. It releases October 1st in theaters!
12. No Time To Die – While I’m not as big on James Bond movies as some other people, I do think No Time To Die looks really great. I’m very excited to see the opening scene with the song No Time To Die (Billie is about win her Oscar). Plus I’ve heard it’s pretty fantastic! It releases October 8th in Theaters!
11. Antlers – After being delayed numerous times Antlers is finally coming out, it looks fantastic and from the looks of it has this creepy folklore atmosphere to it which I really like! It releases October 29th in theaters!
10. The Guilty – Yes it’s a remake but it from what I’ve heard it’s a very solid one, Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance I’ve heard is really strong and that it’s an overall suspenseful ride! It releases October 1st on Netflix!
9. Coming Home In The Dark – Another film I saw back at Sundance and it’s truly an incredible one. This is definitely one of the ones I’ve been waiting to rewatch for awhile, it’s a very brutal and actually quite disturbing movie that I’m aware will not be for everyone. But for everyone who’s been wanting a disturbing film you will definitely get it here. It releases October 1st on all VOD Platforms!
8. The Last Duel – Here’s the first Ridley Scott film that’s releasing this year, from the trailers this looks pretty incredible. It’s one of those films that I’ve been waiting to see for awhile now between the cast and some of the reactions it gets me pumped! It releases October 15th in theaters!
7. Lamb – This is a strange one, they have done a pretty good job with giving as little information about it as possible. All that I know is that the film itself looks bizarre and given the premise sounds very bizarre. It releases October 8th in theaters!
6. The French Dispatch – This is a film I’ve been looking forward to since last year, Wes Anderson is one of my favorite directors and it definitely seems like he’s going to give something new and very interesting as well. The cast looks fantastic and this is definitely one to keep an eye on when it comes time for the award shows.
5. Halloween Kills – I actually saw Halloween Kills back in February 2020, it was a test screening (the film was pretty much finished outside of some of the gore and the sound) I haven’t reviewed the movie just to be safe, however I will say that any fan of the franchise is going to love this film. In my opinion it’s one of the best of the franchise and is a fantastic film as well. It’s brutal and much darker than some of the other films. Make sure to see this one! It releases October 15th in theaters!
4. Mass – I’m going to keep this short, but Mass is easily one of the best films of the year. I saw it back at Sundance is truly something I’m looking forward to rewatching, the cast is incredible, the writing is very raw and the film itself is very heavy. It hits really hard and I can easily see this film being discussed about among several people. It releases October 8th in theaters.
3. Dune – What can I say that already hasn’t been said? Dune is Denis Villeneuve’s next film someone I consider to be one of the best directors working today, I’ve heard Dune is absolutely incredible (some people comparing it to Lord Of The Rings) this is another film I’ve been waiting to see for the longest time! It releases October 22nd in theaters and on HBO Max!
2. Titane – Julia Ducournau who previously directed Raw (one of the best films of the 2010s) is back, Titane is one of those films where I have been excited for ever since it was announced, I’m so glad to see that as little as possible has been shown or talked about. All I know is that it’s a very bizarre film, its worth mentioning that I haven’t seen a single bad review for this one! It releases October 1st in theaters!
1. Last Night In Soho – Those of you who follow me are probably not surprised by this, I’ve said many times that Last Night In Soho is my most anticipated film of the year (Twitter is JeromeM94Movies if your interested in following). For years I’ve wanted Edgar Wright to do a full on horror film (not a horror comedy) and from what I’ve heard Wright does a fantastic job, I absolutely love Anya Taylor-Joy and I love the first trailer! It releases October 29th in theaters!
And that is my list! I hope you enjoyed and discovered new films that you didn’t know about, there’s a whole lot more coming out in October as well (seriously the release schedule is packed) what are your most anticipated films of October?
A woman who is unfairly institutionalized at Paris asylum plots to escape with the help of one of its nurses. Based on the novel ‘Le bal des folles’ by Victoria Mas.
The Mad Women’s Ball is kind of a surprise for me, not that I thought that it was going to be bad or anything (far from it), the surprise comes in with the fact I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. Let’s get the obvious out of the way Mélanie Laurent does a fantastic job here at everything, from her performance to directing and writing she makes this film work quite well with her talent. She creates a atmosphere that truly is effective and makes a interesting commentary on the healthcare system, which I thought was very well done. The acting is great all around, the cast really does a fantastic job of giving raw performances that bring the viewer in. Speaking of which what The Mad Women’s Ball does very well at is it brings the audience into the time period the film is taking place in, mostly due to the acting and writing when combined give outstanding results. Overall The Mad Women’s Ball is a very solid film, that I would recommend giving a watch!
The Mad Women’s Ball is now available on Amazon Prime Video!
Two girls at an elite Parisian ballet academy have their bond and bodies tested as they compete for a contract to join the company of the Opéra national de Paris.
Birds Of Paradise is basically if Black Swan weren’t a horror/thriller….and not as good either. I like the idea of the movie, there are some genuinely interesting moments between the main leads. The acting is pretty decent plus the filming is actually quite beautiful. Unfortunately what holds this movie back from being anything other than passable is the script, it’s not that the script is necessarily bad it’s more that it needed to be a whole lot stronger, there are plenty of times where this movie really comes off as a “style over substance” type movie. Which hits this movie pretty hard, it’s fine enough movie if you have absolutely nothing else to watch.
Birds Of Paradise is now available on Amazon Prime Video!
Jamie New is a 16-year-old who doesn’t quite fit in. Instead of pursuing a traditional career, he dreams of becoming a drag queen. Uncertain about his future, Jamie knows one thing for sure — he’s going to be a sensation. Supported by his loving mother and amazing friends, Jamie overcomes discrimination and bullying to step out of the darkness — and into the spotlight.
2021 has been the year of musical films, some have been fantastic and others have been horrendous. Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is luckily one of the fantastic ones, while it does become familiar at times there is absolutely no denying that this movie hit it out of the park in several different ways. First off the cast did a fantastic job, Max Harwood and Lauren Patel being the standouts who truly have beautiful singing voices as well. Speaking of which a good majority of the songs really stood out, each of them had their own identity and were energetic. Each of them advanced the story and really showed how talented the cast are. The story itself is beautiful and very inspirational, it really gives the audience many different types of emotions. There’s a ton of quiet moments for the characters which end up being some of the most powerful as well as being the most meaningful as well, lastly the film is just such a blast. It’s one of those musicals that manages to balance every type of emotion and at the same time remains a lot of fun. Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is a fantastic ride that I highly recommend!
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is now available on Amazon Prime Video!
Innocent curiosity turns into full-blown obsession when a young Montreal couple spy on their eccentric neighbours across the street.
Making an erotic thriller in 2021 is something I definitely admire, as there really isn’t a whole lot of modern erotic thriller movies. The Voyeurs is a pretty neat one that actually manages to be a whole lot of fun, Sydney Sweeney and Justice Smith easily steal the show here. They both give genuine great performances and have great chemistry between one another, the movie throws one ridiculous twist after another which quite honestly works in this case mostly due to how interesting and fun this movie gets as it goes on. If you look at Voyeurs from the perspective of it being a throwback to the time where erotic thrillers were much more common you are definitely going to have more fun with this movie. As it does it’s job very well it is very predictable and definitely is a Rear Window clone as well but it’s actually one of the better ones. The movie knows what it is and doesn’t pretend to be anything else, which is something some other movies struggle with. Overall The Voyeurs is not too bad, it’s a decent enough movie that is quite fun!
The Voyeurs is now available on Amazon Prime Video!
A modern movie musical with a bold take on the classic fairy tale. Our ambitious heroine has big dreams and with the help of her fab Godmother, she perseveres to make them come true.
Cinderella (2021) did manage to do one thing…unite all sides or Twitter to absolutely destroy it, that aside this new adaption of Cinderella truly feels like a complete waste of time. Billy Porter (who is barely in the movie) and Idina Menzel (at times) are the only two positives I can give this movie, the rest of it is a huge mess. First off Camila Cabello’s performance is one of the most nothing special about it performances I’ve seen so far this year, I just didn’t buy Camila as Cinderella had this been some other performance than maybe. Almost all of the songs were covers….bad covers, trying to combine songs like Rhythm Nation into a Cinderella story just feels way too out of place and completely takes you out of the movie. Don’t even get me started on the jokes, if I have to hear James Corden talking about how proud he is of his “front tail” ever again I swear I’m going to quit reviewing films. The jokes in this movie are some of the most unfunny and painful I’ve listened to in recent memory, which only shocks me because Kay Cannon who directed Blockers is the director. While I’m not one of those people who found Blockers hysterical i at least found it to be one of the better modern comedies. Then there’s the whole look of the movie, it feels very cheaply made (the CGI on the mice look like they are from a very early PS2 game). I appreciate at times the movie was trying to do something a little bit different but the problem is the movie fails at that as well, this version of Cinderella also tries to shoehorn this whole “girlboss” narrative into it but that falls flat as well. There’s no build up, no character development or any really growth. Overall Cinderella (2021) completely misses it fails as an adaption of Cinderella (can we please stop with Cinderella adaptions?) and it fails at being an actual decent movie. You are better off watching any other Cinderella story that came before this one.
Cinderella is now available on Amazon Prime Video!
A stand-up comedian and his opera singer wife have a 2 year old daughter with a surprising gift.
Annette is exactly what I love about film, people using their imagination and creating something completely bizarre almost like a Frankenstein’s monster type deal. It blends so many different types of styles, writing and overall themes into it, for starters Sparks a band which consists of Russell Mael and Ron Mael were heavily involved with the film heck they even wrote the screenplay alongside the director Leos Carax. All three of them combined made some of the best writing so far this year, the writing creates so much emotion and has a lot of attention to detail. There’s a lot of clever symbolism that is quite interesting and you slowly start to understand what the film is saying and where it’s going as it goes on. Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard are absolutely brilliant in their roles, both give some of the most unique performances so far this year. Both have incredible singing voices and really hit it out of the park when it comes to chemistry, the direction from Leos Carax is both bizarre yet fascinating at the same time! There’s moments where Henry McHenry (Adam Driver) just does some incredible bizarre things, which I do think this film does a pretty great job of not being weird for the sake of being weird. There’s actual buildup to it which is quite strong, Carax keeps the film balanced and makes sure to save it’s weird moments for when you least expect them. The music combined with the cinematography is absolutely stunning especially with the production design as well, all three compliment each other really well and adds to the film’s overall atmosphere. Annette is a film that is most definitely not for everyone, it takes time to completely digest of what you are watching or what you just saw. But trust me when I say it is worth watching, truly one of the most fascinating films of the year!
Jerome Reviews... 