Sacramento (2025) Film Review

Rickey, an energetic and free-spirited young man with a Peter Pan complex, convinces his long-time friend Glenn to hit pause on his blissful domestic life and embark on an impromptu road trip across California.

Sacramento is directed by Michael Angarano director of Avenues (2017)

Sacramento does not reinvent the wheel when it comes to the road trip comedy genre, however it was one of the most genuine in recent years. Often times I find a big problem with a lot of road trip movies is they have tend to be more or less the exact same thing with humor that feels incredibly manufactured. Michael Angarano avoids that and brings something from the heart, while it does take some time to get going and not every single joke lands, there is still this genuine feel to it that brings the viewer along for the ride.

The acting is strong here and is what really gives the film its heart. Michael Angarano and Michael Cera are both hilarious together and bring this nice balance of humor and more dramatic moments, in a lot of ways their bond is going to remind people of last year’s A Real Pain (2024) and while there are similarities the two films are going for very different goals. Angarano and Cera help the film reach the goal especially through the more quiet moments and when the film’s themes of vulnerability and emotional maturity come into play, the two really do a fantastic job of bouncing off of each other and really opening up to one another. There are some genuinely powerful moments here that could be incredibly relatable to the viewer, opening up and vulnerability is difficult which is something the film shows in great detail.

Maya Erskine and Kristen Stewart are both solid here as well, even if they don’t have huge roles the two still do a really great job of balancing humor and drama much like Angarano and Cera. Both are humorous in their own ways and have this genuine connection with Angarano and Cera that is the heart of the film, the conversations are interesting and the performances from the two are just fantastic and beautifully done.

The writing from Michael Angarano and Chris Smith is genuine and heartfelt, as I said before the film’s themes of vulnerability and emotional maturity are done very well here. Both are shown through humor and more dramatic moments there’s a nice balance of the two, one never outweighs the other which keeps things interesting as it goes on. There’s even some meta commentary about Angarano and Erskine’s marriage which is pretty clever to include, it makes the film feel a bit more personal to Angarano like he’s telling the viewer his story and asking us to listen.

Which leads me to the direction, Angarano does a wonderful job in the director’s chair. He takes this familiar feel but turns it around and makes it the story he wants to tell you as the viewer, it’s exciting to watch and you can absolutely feel the passion in the air with this film. As I said not every single humorous moment works but there’s so much charm here that it ends up working incredibly well.

Overall Sacramento is a cute road trip movie with a big heart and a fantastic cast, this one is not going to reinvent the wheel as I said earlier. However it will leave you with a smile on your face and make you love the journey the film took you on!

Sacramento releases tomorrow in theaters!

7/10 B

Novocaine (2025) Film Review

When the girl of his dreams gets kidnapped, a man turns his inability to feel pain into an unexpected advantage as he fights a bunch of thugs to get her back.

Novocaine is directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen both of which directed Body (2015), Stake Land II (2016), Villains (2019) and Significant Other (2022)

Novocaine is an odd one and I’m not saying that when it comes to story, it’s more in terms of how the film almost feels like it’s restricting its own premise and not going all out with it. When the film does focus on its premise it is a whole lot of fun and leads to some quite gory moments, at the very least the film has the charm of the cast and the action scenes to back it up especially since the plot is so simple.

The performances are what really make this one work, Jack Quaid is incredibly likable and filled to the brim with charm. This goes for most of his performances but it’s especially noticeable here, he just has strong screen presence that gets to viewer almost immediately which in turn helps bring the viewer into the film. His chemistry with Amber Midthunder is incredibly cute even if we don’t get to see them together for most of the movie, introducing the chemistry between the two early on is a smart move so we the audience can root for Nathan (played by Jack Quaid) to rescue Sherry (played by Amber Midthunder.) Quaid is not exactly doing anything new with his performance, however as I said sheer likability does a lot of heavy lifting and helps keep the viewer engaged.

Amber Midthunder and Ray Nicholson are both solid here as well, Midthunder is unfortunately restricted to being kidnapped for most of the film. But as always she does a really great job with what she’s given and like I said before her early scenes with Quaid are incredibly cute and is the heart of the film. Ray Nicholson gives yet another great performance, although his character is kind of just a generic bank robber who really does not have a whole lot going on character wise. It’s his performance that makes the character work and admittedly does deliver some great lines as well as action scenes with Quaid.

The gore and action scenes are a whole lot of fun, there are some pretty gory moments that actually do capture the movie’s premise well. There definitely could have been more of these moments and even go into a bit more detail about them, but from what’s presented they get the job done. The action scenes are a lot of fun as well, they are very energetic and the fight choreography is fun to watch. Nothing exactly groundbreaking going on here but at the very least it keeps the viewer entertained, the film knows its job when it comes to the action scenes and it accomplishes it just fine.

The writing is where the film suffers the most, while it’s not anything terrible. For a movie that is about a man who cannot feel any pain it is shockingly simple, which there is nothing wrong with being simple let me be clear. But it almost feels like at times the movie is restricting itself like it does not want to go further on its own premise, the gore is great and fun here but there’s nothing absolutely crazy that you would expect. A lot of the writing also suffers from very predictable beats that we have seen in some of these action movies and the humor isn’t exactly all that great, I know Jacob Batalon is trying his best to be the comedic friend but a lot of the humor especially from him is very standard and something so many action movies have done already.

Overall Novocaine is a fine enough action film that is pretty fun despite its flaws, as I said constantly charm and likability is what is keeping the film afloat especially from Jack Quaid. Without Quaid or the rest of the cast this would have absolutely been a very forgettable film that would have not worked as well as it did. Don’t go into this one expecting something that takes advantage of its premise you won’t get that here, but if you want a fun ride and have 110 minutes to kill I say give this one a look.

Novocaine is available on all VOD platforms.

6/10 C+

Freaky Tales (2025) Film Review

An NBA star, a corrupt cop, a female rap duo, teenage punks, neo-Nazis and a debt collector embark on a collision course in 1987 Oakland, Calif.

Freaky Tales is directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck both of which directed Sugar (2008), It’s Kind Of A Funny Story (2010), Mississippi Grind (2015) and Captain Marvel (2018) while Fleck also directed Half Nelson (2006).

I knew very little about Freaky Tales going in, the only thing I knew was the incredibly large cast in the film which is only one of the main reasons why Freaky Tales works as well as it does. It’s anthology movie that is not afraid to be as bizarre as possible, a lot of what makes a great anthology film is present here. There’s a heavy Creepshow (1982) and Tales From The Hood (1995) feel here that completely works in the film’s favor.

As always with these anthology films I’ll talk a bit about each segment and then give my final thoughts of the overall film at the end so let’s start with the first segment.

The first segment is straight to the point, it’s punk rockers vs neo-Nazis. Subtlety is thrown out the window but in this case in a good way, the filming style is wild and the writing is loud, exciting and a blast of fun. Ji-young Yoo gives a strong performance here that really compliments the atmosphere being shown. The exaggerated violence, callbacks to grindhouse cinema and the score all blend together to create something truly exciting. The rebellious tone captures the theme of the segment incredibly well, some might argue that the segment lacks in depth and while that is true. All you really need here is the energy and atmosphere to really do the talking and it does that very well. Not anything mind blowing but a whole lot of fun that is a huge adrenaline rush.

The second segment dials things back a bit, we follow ice cream workers and aspiring rap artists Barbie (played by Dominique Thorne) and Entice (played by Normani), the main reason this segment works so well is due to the performances from Thorne and Normani. They both have such excellent chemistry and charm that they bring to the film, Normani should strongly consider doing more acting because she really stands out being one of the film’s best assets. The climatic rap battle scene is also one of the film’s best moments, not only is the battle itself so much fun and well written when it comes to songwriting. But there’s this theme of triumph and even some gender barriers in the industry, the segment might not break any new ground but it does capture the atmosphere the film is asking for which ends up letting this one reach the finish line!

The third segment is an acting showcase for Pedro Pascal who does such an incredible job here, what we get here is this interesting noir type of short. A hitman named Clint (played by Pedro Pascal) is looking to exit the business after a tragedy at home. Where is the atmosphere for the first two segments were more exciting (different levels of it) this one is much more quiet, we get to see the mind of Clint and how guilt and grief are taking over him. Pascal shows this with his facial acting particularly with his eyes that look incredibly haunted from the events throughout the segment. The late Angus Cloud also gives a strong performance here (this was his final performance) even if it is not that long, he still leaves an impact and his conversations with Pascal help further segment in its theming. There’s this theme of what does it take to walk way from violence when it’s been apart of you for so long? It’s an incredibly haunting theme that really works with Pascal’s acting and the atmosphere, combined together it makes for an excellent segment.

Lastly we have fourth segment, which has Sleepy Floyd (played by Jay Ellis) who is a NBA legend that turns into a sword-wielding vigilante after a huge loss. This is by far the most bizarre of the segments, delivering fight choreography that is very exaggerated and oozing with stylization. It’s a revenge fantasy that we do not get a whole lot of depth outside of why it’s happening, it very much feels like a bizarre Adult Swim show and for what the film is going for I would say it works. I will say it definitely is the weakest out of the four segments but that’s not entirely a bad thing when each of the segments all pass the “good” line.

Freaky Tales is truly a blast of fun, I absolutely admire the decision of going for very different feels and styles. This is something a lot of anthology films mess up on most of their segments feel almost identical which makes a lot of them fail to standout by the time the movie ends.Freaky Tales avoids this and keeps each segment incredibly interesting with different goals, style choices and the atmosphere they want to capture. It leads to a lasting impression on the viewer and can form discussion on which story you liked the most. When you combine that with some fantastic acting and writing you have yourself such a fun film that really goes all out.

Freaky Tales releases tomorrow in theaters.

9/10 A

Death Of A Unicorn (2025) Film Review

When a man and his daughter accidentally hit and kill a unicorn with their car, his boss tries to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties — with horrific results.

Death Of A Unicorn is directed by Alex Scharfman which is his directorial debut!

Death Of A Unicorn is an incredibly unserious film and I can’t help but love the film for it, I’m not going to pretend that there are not any flaws. I do wish some of the cast had a bit more to do, having that said the film does make up for it by having a lot of chaotic energy and just being an overall good time.

Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd are the heart of the film, the father and daughter bond are genuine and the interactions between the two capture this strained yet affectionate relationship. These moments provide the emotional core of the film, while the rest of the film is much more bizarre it’s a nice balance and we get just the right amount of moments to really enjoy Ridley and Elliot as characters. Ortega has a few scenes in the final moments of the film that she gets to show her incredible talent as an actress (my minor nitpick is I do wish we got to see more of those, but in the end this is a film about a killer unicorn so I understand why there are not as many moments like that.)

Will Poulter is incredibly funny here, he absolutely delivers when it comes to providing comedy and to transition the serious (I’m not sure if that’s the right word) moments to the much more comedic ones, of the supporting cast he absolutely devours each scene with Anthony Carrigan being a close second who may not be given a whole lot to do but still delivers some laughs. Richard E. Grant and Téa Leoni are both fun but I do wish we got a bit more from there characters.

The film itself has the feel of the classic B monster movie, it’s incredibly unserious and isn’t afraid to let the viewer know that at all. The pacing can be a bit slow as it does take a bit to get going, however I think the parody feel of the film during the first bit of the film combined with the monster movie feel and cosmic elements just blend together quite nicely which really ends up being such a fun ride. There’s also some Jurassic Park (1993) spirit that the film captures quite well, the film is able to capture it an a much more silly light that is genuinely entertaining.

The unicorn designs combined with the kills are fun as well, it might not be as gory as some other monster movies and admittedly the lore of the unicorns is a bit on the basic side of things. However that does not take away from the fun aspect of the unicorns and how they act, there’s a lot of fun thrills here that make for some great magic moments.

Overall Death Of A Unicorn is a lot of fun, it’s absolutely not going to reinvent the wheel when it comes to monster movies. Some parts are left vague which is frustrating but it doesn’t take away from the film being a blast and genuinely charming. If this sounds like your type of film I recommend giving this one a go!

Death Of A Unicorn is currently in theaters.

8/10 B+

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip (2025) Film Review

Young Alexander Garcia thinks he has the worst luck in the world. When his multigenerational Mexican-American family sets off on a road trip to California, he’s pretty sure disaster lurks around every corner.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip is directed by Marvin Lemus which is his directorial debut. The film is a standalone sequel to the 2014 film Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

This movie is a prime example of the classic streaming movie strategy, take a movie that was decently popular when it first came out but over the years has been mostly forgotten about and give it a sequel. I’m not going to sit here and say that Very Bad Day was a great film, it was a very typical family comedy movie but at the very least it had it’s charm mainly from Steve Carrell and the rest of the cast.

Very Bad Road Trip however does not have a whole lot going on here, it’s a movie that tries to recapture some of the fun beats from the previous movie. I will say that this movie at times has some cultural exploration that I do have to give the movie some credit for at least trying (even if it’s very bare bones.) But that’s not quite enough to really justify the end result of the movie and ultimately will leave audiences flipping through the Disney+ catalog on what to watch next making this one forgettable.

The acting here is fine, it gets the job done Cheech Martin I guess is the standout here. But the acting and delivery is more of the fault of the script than anything else, the humor outside of a few chuckle worthy scenes really falls flat. There’s just not a whole lot of material here that’s very interesting or even that funny to really move the story along, it’s not that anything here is necessarily terrible it’s that the movie has the feel of a family comedy streaming movie that has little going for it.

I can see what they were trying to do with the cultural exploration, heck when the movie focuses on that it’s a bit more of an interesting movie and a little more than just a family road trip comedy movie. But unfortunately those moments are not quite strong enough due to the movie’s humor and lack of real meat to the theme, I’m not asking for a full in depth exploration. But something with a little more substance would have been a bit more investing for the viewer.

Overall there really is not a whole lot to comment on with Very Bad Road Trip you could have done so much worse, but this honestly just feels like the bare minimum and nothing more than release date fodder. Kids may like this one, but everyone else will forget it in less than 10 minutes after watching.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip is available on Disney+

4/10 D+

My Dead Friend Zoe (2025) Film Review

Merit is a U.S. veteran who keeps seeing the presence of Zoe, her best friend who died in combat. When her estranged grandfather is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, she decides to become his caretaker while also trying to heal herself.

My Dead Friend Zoe is directed by Kyle Hausmann-Stokes which is his directorial debut.

I knew very little about My Dead Friend Zoe going in and it’s definitely one of the more surprising films so far this year. There’s definitely some writing issues here and there but wow did this film stick the landing with its heart shattering ending especially when combined with the heartfelt performances that really bring the whole film together.

Sonequa Martin-Green does such an incredible job as the lead, portraying Merit someone who is trying to move on but constantly blaming herself for the death of her best friend Zoe (played by Natalie Morales), throughout the film she constantly battles with her mind and sees visions of Zoe. Everywhere she goes she’s constantly reminded of her which in turn brings her back to stage one, it’s very upsetting and gut punching to watch mainly due to just how strong of a performance Martin-Green gives. It’s a very real performance that captures PTSD very well and done in a respectful way that does not feel over the top.

Natalie Morales is fantastic here as well, there’s some humor put into her performance that oddly enough works, it’s definitely more of a “it’s funny until it’s not” moment. The switch in tone is done maturely and in a way where you can feel it hit you in the face with what’s to come, just when you feel more comfortable that film reminds you that this is a very heartbreaking story. Morales and Martin-Green really work well together and have some incredibly powerful moments of exchanging dialogue especially towards the end.

The film does not reveal to the viewer how Zoe died until the very last moments of the film, which is effectively done. It hits the viewer so much harder and in this much more grounded way, there’s some hints as to what happened to Zoe throughout the film but not enough to completely give it away. The reveal is so well done here and soul crushing that it really sticks the viewer as the credits roll.

The film tackling PTSD and how it affects army veterans is incredibly well done here especially given that the director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes himself is an army veteran and the inclusion of some veterans as some of the side characters. It feels much more real and almost like Hausmann-Stokes is sharing something personal with the viewer, it’s interesting to hear someone who did serve in the army give their take on how much guilt and PTSD can really hurt someone as well showing this beautiful but crushing depiction of trying to move on.

Overall My Dead Friend Zoe is a surprisingly genuine film that is very much a crowd pleaser, the writing does have its bumps in the road with a few cliches popping up here and there plus it can be on the nose at times. But the film has this strong heart that keeps it shining through, I say give this one a look!

My Dead Friend Zoe is available on all VOD platforms.

7/10 B

Quick Review: Riff Raff (2025)

A former criminal’s ordinary life turns upside down when his old family shows up for a long-awaited reunion.

Riff Raff is directed by Dito Montiel director of A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006), Fighting (2009), The Son Of No One (2011), Empire State (2013), Boulevard (2014), Man Down (2015), The Clapper (2017) and Critical Thinking (2020).

I was strongly considering on just not giving this a full review because honestly what is there to really say here? Riff Raff is one of those movies that heavily relies on its stacked cast to do all the heavy lifting, the rest of the movie is entirely nothing special at all. It’s not anything offensively bad but it hits way too many familiar beats and isn’t very funny for a comedy movie that’s mainly due to the tone that ends up being a complete and total mess.

The acting is probably the best part of this movie, Ed Harris is not bad here and actually does give the movie some of its best moments. Gabrielle Union and Jennifer Coolidge are solid here as well, I do like that the movie slowly introduces new characters and we follow each of them until everyone sort of just comes together we get some new layers of the story. The end result of these characters might have not been great, but at the very least you can tell there was some level of attempt here.

Writing wise the movie is a mess, the comedic elements have their moments but a large part of it just does not land at all. That’s mainly due to the tone constantly switching (as I said before), at times it feels like this family holiday movie other times it’s a crime movie and other times it’s a comedy. There’s way too much going on here and it all just starts to crumble to the ground when the third act rolls around, combine that with tons of exposition that’s spewed all over and you have yourself a very dull watch.

I wish I could say more but there just is not a whole lot to comment on, I’m sure there will be some people who may like this one. But this is definitely something I wouldn’t recommend.

Riff Raff is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

Mickey 17 (2025) Film Review

A disposable employee is sent on a human expedition to colonize the ice world Niflheim. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories

Mickey 17 is directed by Bong Joon Ho director of Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000), Memories Of Murder (2003), The Host (2006), Mother (2009), Snowpiercer (2013), Okja (2017) and Parasite (2019).

Mickey 17 is drastically different from Bong Joon Ho’s previous films but retains a lot of the elements that make his work so great. You have a little bit of everything here and even if there are some issues here and there, the film is still quite spectacular and truly something different.

What makes Mickey 17 work as well as it does is Robert Pattinson’s performance, without him the film would not have worked nearly as well as it did. Pattinson has shown over the years how incredible he is as an actor and here is no exception, Mickey Barnes/Mickey 17/Mickey 18 are just such fun characters that the film takes its sweet time to explore and beautiful detail. The film does this in a mostly humorous way that early on establishes this humorous atmosphere that Pattinson captures almost immediately. He’s at his best when he has these character moments whether it be with the rest of the cast or himself, in this kind of beautiful way we see him slowly open up as the film goes on as well as some sharp voice over moments that sum up Mickey as a character incredibly well.

Naomi Ackie is also quite fantastic here, the romance between Mickey and Ackie’s character Nasha Barridge is genuinely beautiful, heartfelt and quite honestly comes off as very natural. That’s mainly due to just how great the chemistry between Pattinson and Ackie really is, there’s theme of love and having someone who supports you. So many implications of love that is truly well done and Naomi Ackie pushes it in such beautiful ways that can even bring the viewer to shed a few tears.

The only really major flaw here comes from Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette, while I do get what their performances were trying to go for here it did not quite work for me. Each scene they are in it almost seems like they are battling to be the louder person in the room and although that is the point of their characters it doesn’t really make for interesting characters or even fun villains. Especially when you compare the two with the rest of the film that is strongly written and has more of a calm but absurd nature to it (in a good way) the two’s performances really stick out like a sore thumb and end up being the weakest part in a incredibly well made film.

The visuals are stunning especially when combined with the cinematography from Darius Khondji, it makes the film’s world look massive and even the film itself becomes large in scale. There’s this sense of epicness from the film that just oozes out to the viewer, it’s beautiful to look at and is striking in every single way it possibly can. The film’s atmosphere combined with its humor reminds me of old sci-fi television shows such as some of the early episodes of Star Trek it’s fun to watch and just flows together incredibly well. There is this classic sci-fi feel here that some films don’t seem to have much anymore (not always a bad thing) but here it feels extra special.

Lastly the film is just a whole lot of fun, it’s a fun sci-fi comedy that displays so much passion to the genre especially when it comes to Bong Joon Ho’s direction which has so much love and passion poured into it much like his other films. Even with the stuff with Ruffalo and Collette, while I don’t think a lot of it worked I appreciate what he was going for and that’s not to say that some scenes did work with the two. Towards the end of the film I do think they get a bit better and more focused as well.

Overall Mickey 17 is grand in scale and even bigger when it comes to how great the film is. As I said not everything works but between the performances from Pattinson and Ackie plus the visuals, the beautiful theme of love and much more. The film ends up working and ends up being the best film of the year so far.

Mickey 17 is available in theaters!

9/10 A

The Monkey (2025) Film Review

When twin brothers find a mysterious wind-up monkey, a series of outrageous deaths tear their family apart. Twenty-five years later, the monkey begins a new killing spree, forcing the estranged siblings to confront the cursed toy.

The Monkey is directed by Osgood Perkins director of The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015), I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016), Gretel & Hansel (2020) and Longlegs (2024).

Osgood Perkins hits it out of the park yet again, after delivering the terrifying and incredibly well done Longlegs (2024) I was already very excited for The Monkey and it did not disappoint. It’s a film that is drastically different than a lot of Perkins’s previous films, it’s far more comedic with tons of dark humor that at first had me a bit worried if the film may overdo it. Luckily the film doesn’t take itself seriously and goes all out on the humor which ends up making the humor have a character of its own.

The performances here are a lot of fun, there’s some nice cameos Adam Scott, OsGood Perkins, Elijah Wood and a few others. Theo James is definitely doing standout performance, I’ve always rooted for Theo James so I am so glad to see him in a film that takes advantage of his potential as an actor, his duel performance here is brilliant it’s able to create two characters with very different personalities Hal and Bill who are fun characters. The interactions between his two characters are some of the film’s highlights and filled to the brim with laughs. There isn’t anything special being said with his characters but there really doesn’t need to be it’s all good fun and the film compliments that with the script.

Christian Convery also has a duel performance he both young Hal and Bill incredibly well and makes so many of the earlier parts of the film that much more entertaining. Tatiana Maslany is fun as well even if she isn’t given that much to do.

The humor of the film is ultimately what makes it work, I have to say it was a very risky move especially when coming out of Longlegs (2024) but the execution is so well done here. Perkins is able to create a dark atmosphere about a toy monkey that kills people whenever it plays and make it a hilarious time, plus when you combine that with the gore and kills you have yourself such a fun package. The gore on its own is used for comedic effect, it’s over the top and ridiculous a much more comedic take on splatter films.

Finally there’s the direction that Perkins does such a great job of remaining consistent throughout the film, while a majority of the film is filled with dark humor there are the serious moments that are just as well done. The film embraces its silliness which it does well, especially when you have the Stephen King feel to it (the film is based on a short story.)

Overall The Monkey is just an incredibly solid and fun film, it’s not trying to be something it’s not and embraces the humorous energy it gives off from beginning to end. Check this one out!

The Monkey is currently in theaters

8/10 B+

Borderline (2025) Film Review

A helplessly romantic sociopath escapes from a mental institution and invades the home of a ’90s pop superstar. He just wants to be loved; she just wants to survive.

Borderline is directed by Jimmy Warden which is his directorial debut.

Samara Weaving in another incredibly fun horror film? That’s news I love to hear and Borderline gets the job done for the most part. This is one of I’ve been waiting to release for a while now and while there are some hiccups in the road for the most part this is a fun and surprisingly quite humorous ride.

The cast are doing a lot of the heavily lifting here, much like in her other horror film appearances Samara Weaving is great here. There’s one particular moment here that caught me off guard that is probably going to end up being a fan favorite moment from Weaving, as always she matches the atmosphere that’s needed and is quite humorous here as well. She’s able to balance the horror moments with the comedic ones, her character Sofia is fun and while we do not really get a whole lot about her as a character. It’s Weaving’s magic to really bring the viewer into the character that helps in the long run.

Ray Nicholson the son of Jack Nicholson is excellent here, one of the film’s strongest assets and really gives off some of the acting power his father has. He’s both creepy and humorous, a character that quickly gets under the viewer’s skin. His mindset going from crazy to even more insane and it just keeps building from there, his back and forth with Samara Weaving is investing to watch as well as quite thrilling. The atmosphere is there to back it up and the end result unfolds into a hilarious and chaotic third act.

Jimmie Fails and Eric Dane are both great as well, not a whole lot to their characters but the two much like everyone else in the film are hilarious and match the tone of the film. Dane has a really strong moment at the beginning of the film that he shares with Nicholson where we see early on how deranged Nicholson really is. Fails shines towards the end of the film, a moment that is both bizarre yet fun and really matches this film’s incredibly strange atmosphere.

The writing and direction from Jimmy Warden are both great, admittedly after the opening scene the film does take a bit a time to get going. Some of the writing is just okay with nothing really special going on. But once the film starts to reach the second act the film’s vision is a lot more clear and the ideas the film is going for start to develop and fully fleshed out. We get some great moments between the character as well, Weaving and Fails have some nice moments together and have some nice chemistry together.

The film’s humor as well as the atmosphere is very Ready Or Not (2019) like, the film does not quite reach the highs that the film did but it does manage to take the approach that Ready Or Not (2019) did and spin it in its own way. Not every single joke lands but at the very least the film backs those up with some thrilling atmosphere and some great gore.

Overall Borderline is not going to reinvent the genre, but due to the cast’s commitment and Warden’s thrilling and humorous writing and direction the film manages to be a lot of fun and is something I would recommend you check out.

Borderline releases tomorrow on all VOD Platforms

7/10 B