Mountainhead (2025) Film Review

A group of billionaire friends get together against the backdrop of a rolling international crisis.

Mountainhead is directed by Jesse Armstrong which is directorial debut.

Jesse Armstrong tries to recapture the energy and power he put into Succession but completely misses here for a number of reasons that quickly pile up as the movie goes on. Combine that with the movie really not saying all that much with what it’s trying to be a satire of (billionaires) and you have yourself a very forgettable and dull ride.

The performances are fine enough here, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith and Ramy Youssef have some fun chemistry between one another and even manage to stick a few jokes in here that are decently funny. With that being said they can only do so much, the characters are just not that interesting, they are very unlikable which I get is the point. But they are unlikable to the degree where it’s not investing mainly due to everything surrounding the movie being completely empty.

The writing has its moments of humor but that is where it really ends, when it comes to actually tackling themes the movie either does not say anything new or completely drops the ball. It meanders for way too long and ultimately does not have a main point, it kind of just wastes the viewer time by making them think it’s going to say something towards the end and shoehorns half a dozen empty ideas into the movie.

The third act really plays out like Armstrong ran out of concepts to explore so he threw in a bunch of fluff that ultimately does not serve any point to the story. It’s quite honestly the most bare bones way you could satirize billionaires, everything that is said here has either been done before or is incredibly common knowledge that does not need to be repeated for the thirtieth time.

Overall Mountainhead is incredibly forgettable, the cast is by far the main appeal which in fairness they all do a great job. It’s just a shame the movie surrounding them wasn’t the same quality.

Mountainhead is available on HBO Max.

4/10 D+

The Parenting (2025) Film Review

Boyfriends Josh and Rohan plan a weekend getaway to introduce their parents, only to discover that their rental is home to a 400-year-old poltergeist.

The Parenting is directed by Craig Johnson director of True Adolescents (2009), The Skeleton Twins (2014), Wilson (2017) and Alex Strangelove (2018).

The Parenting is what happens when you take The Evil Dead (1981) and comedies where the parents of each party dating each other meet. Nothing exactly we haven’t seen before, but I got to say this surprised me. There’s some genuinely good bits here that did get some laughs out of me, that’s probably due to the cast having a blast (also a surprisingly packed cast as well?)

Speaking of which the acting while not exactly anything excellent is still quite a lot of fun. Brandon Flynn and Parker Posey in particular do a great job here, Brian Cox has some hilarious parts as well and Nik Dodani worked well with Brandon Flynn. Both have great chemistry and the comedic timing for the two is actually quite solid as well.

Admittedly there really isn’t a whole lot going on here, the plot is about what you expect but I do have to give credit for the sort of chaotic energy the movie goes for. It’s very reminiscent of Scary Movie (2000) where the parody movie genre was at least entertaining, there’s some moments like that here that do actually work in this movie’s favor.

As I said before it’s mostly the cast that makes this work, each character is at the very least given something to do which in turn gives everyone a few moments to shine. Even if Cliff (played by Dean Norris) is really not given so much to work with, the moments we do have are genuinely fun and he actually does end up being likable. Directing wise this was alright, Craig Johnson has showed better direction before with some of his previous films mainly The Skeleton Twins (2014) but I do think he did a decent job with the comedy here and some of the horror (even if that took a backseat for most of the film.)

Overall The Parenting isn’t too bad, it’s absolutely not going to be for everyone and I don’t think this is something I’m ever going to watch again. But I will say this was a fun time and if it sounds like your thing I say check it out.

The Parenting is available on HBO Max or Max

6/10 C+

Quick Review: Caddo Lake (2024)

When an 8-year-old girl disappears on Caddo Lake, a series of past deaths and disappearances begin to link together, altering a broken family’s history.

Caddo Lake is directed by Logan George and Celine Held directors of Topside (2020).

Caddo Lake has an interesting setup that ultimately does get quite convoluted, having that said what makes this one at the very least decent is mainly the acting and the atmosphere that’s captured.

The performances from Dylan O’Brien and Eliza Scanlen are both quite great, combine that with the thrilling atmosphere that slowly but surely develops throughout the movie and you got yourself a decent ride. The character development is missing sadly as we really don’t get to learn a whole lot about our characters, but luckily the performances are just enough to make up for it.

The twist is a bit too messy for the movie’s own good, it gets way too convoluted with a lot of story elements that seem to be missing. In these cases development in both the movie’s world and story were much needed.

Overall Caddo Lake is still decently fun just not a whole lot going on here and is held back from some serious plot holes.

Caddo Lake is available on MAX or HBO Max.

6/10 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-

Quick Reviews: Father Of The Bride (2022), Press Play and Love & Gelato.

A father must come to grips with his daughter’s upcoming wedding and handle multiple relationships within his sprawling Cuban American family.

Father Of The Bride (2022) is the third film adaption of the novel of the same name, the other two being a 1950 film and a 1991 film. I’m not going to pretend I’m a super fan of either of the movies, for what they are they are solid comedy/romantic films that do a pretty decent job of entertaining the viewer. This version falls short mostly due to it overstaying it’s welcome, is a 1 hour and 58 minute movie that has horrendous pacing. It begins to feel like a chore to sit through unfortunately mostly due to not a whole lot happening, the performances are at least decent enough Chloe Fineman being the standout who’s genuinely hilarious in her delivery. Everything else just fine I guess, the writing really doesn’t do much to engage the viewer, the direction doesn’t really do anything offensive but nothing investing. It’s the type of movie where you would only watch unless there was absolutely nothing else.

Father Of The Bride is available on HBO Max.

5/10 C

Laura and Harrison have the picture-perfect romance built on the foundation of a shared love of music. After a deadly accident, Laura gets the chance to save the love of her life when she discovers that their mixtape can transport her back in time.

There’s a good idea somewhere in Press Play, it’s just sadly not fully realized. The acting is not too bad here the leads Lewis Pullman and Clara Rugaard-Larsen are both solid and Danny Glover in a supporting role isn’t too bad either. The main problem with this movie is it really doesn’t have anything going for it, everything is kept at a bare minimum level and introduces the concept of the movie but never goes further with it. Or at least doesn’t do anything noteworthy with it. It just ends up being a very safe romantic drama that surprisingly struggles with it’s more emotional moments, which is mainly due to the movie not knowing how to make the characters react to said moments. At the very least it didn’t over stay it’s welcome.

Press Play is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

Lina, a high school graduate, would rather spend her summer preparing for college than fly to Rome to fulfill her mother’s last wish. Once she decides to go, she finds herself immersed in new experiences.

I’m going to be real quick with this one because to be completely honest here…I’m not exactly sure what the whole purpose of this was. From what I could gather this movie is nothing like the book and in fact doesn’t even follow it well at all, but okay that doesn’t automatically mean it’s bad right? Well In this case it does, from the acting to the writing and the pacing it’s a complete and total mess on every single level. It’s a very lifeless movie that is the very definition of release date fodder, it’s just there so Netflix can say they released something. If you have seen any of Netflix’s terrible romantic comedies before then you have already seen this one.

Love & Gelato is available on Netflix!

Disgrace To Cinema F

SXSW Review: Tony Hawk Until The Wheels Fall Off (2022)

Follows famous skater Tony Hawk’s personal life, career and relationship with skateboarding, including never-before-seen footage and unprecedented access to Hawk, along with interviews with figures from the skateboarding world.

Honestly there isn’t a lot here to be said despite the documentary being 2 hours and 15 minutes, what we have here is a deep dive into Tony Hawk’s career and him as a person. The documentary surprisingly goes in great depth and has this element in it about moving on as you get older. Tony Hawk is a skateboarding icon heck a sports icon at this point, yet we still learn so much more about him from this documentary it feels very personal and really grabs the attention of the viewer quite well. There’s so much detail in this documentary to the point where it’s quite fascinating and while yes some of the information is common knowledge it’s still beautiful to hear Tony Hawk talk about his career, the only main flaw with the documentary is the running time as I said earlier it’s 2 hours and 15 minutes. Which I do feel like 10-13 minutes could have easily been trimmed because it does feel like the documentary crams a little too much information at once at times. However everything else about this documentary is incredibly solid and quite interesting, even if you aren’t a fan of Tony Hawk or skateboarding I do highly recommend checking this out!

Tony Hawk: Until The Wheels Fall Off will release April 5th on HBO and HBO Max!

8/10 B+

Kimi is a suspenseful thriller that will make you even more paranoid about technology.

A tech worker with agoraphobia discovers recorded evidence of a violent crime, but is met with resistance when she tries to report it. Seeking justice, she must do the thing she fears the most: she must leave her apartment.

Steven Soderbergh explores many different types of genres and it’s something I truly respect him for even if they don’t always work. Kimi is a thriller a genre that Soderbergh is does really well and that shows here, Zoë Kravitz gives a very strong performance that actually keeps things grounded, combine her performance with Soderbergh’s direction and you truly get something special. The pacing is absolutely fantastic here, this is the type of pacing that I wish more thrillers attempted, you have such a nicely paced film that is both suspenseful and energetic as well. The atmosphere is some of the most suspenseful I’ve felt from a thriller in quite some time, it has that good old fashion Soderbergh thrilling atmosphere to it. Then there’s the camerawork which Soderbergh continues to prove that he’s a mastermind behind the camera, each shot has it’s own identity and truly feels special in a unique way. The film combines themes of paranoia and technology both and does both those themes very well, it captures why we feel paranoid about technology. Such examples we ask ourselves are Who’s watching? Who’s listening? and so on, Kimi is also a film that actually uses the premise of Siri or Alexa in a clever way. The film goes for a more serious tone with using the two with some very strong writing as well, overall Kimi is so far one of the best films of the year and is absolutely something that you should check out!

Kimi is available on HBO Max!

9/10 A

Most Anticipated Films Of February 2022

Already February huh? Also I’ve decided that I will be leaving out films I already saw early so Worst Person In The World, Catch The Fair One and a lot of others were excluded from the list.

1. The Sky is Everywhere – February 11th (Apple TV+)

2. KIMI – February 10th (HBO Max)

3. Studio 666 – February 25th (Theaters)

4. Hellbender – February 24th (Shudder)

5. Mothering Sunday – February 22nd (Theaters)

6. Jackass Forever – February 4th (Theaters)

7. The Desperate Hour – February 25th (VOD)

8. Strawberry Mansion – February 25th (VOD)

9. A Banquet – February 18th (VOD)

10. Alone With you – February 4th (Theaters) and February 8th (VOD)

11. Moonfall – February 4th (Theaters)

12. Marry Me – February 11th Theaters and Peacock

13. The In Between – February 11th (Paramount+)

8-Bit Christmas is a familiar yet charming Christmas Family Movie, Black Friday is a missed opportunity.

In 1980s Chicago, a ten-year-old sets out on a quest to get the Christmas gift of his generation – the latest and greatest video game system.

8-Bit Christmas definitely surprised me, although there really isn’t a whole to discuss here since the movie pretty much is A Christmas Story but with Nintendo. The movie still manages to be a whole lot of fun and actually hits pretty hard at the end as well, the performances are what you expect however Steve Zahn gives such a fun performance that it was worth bringing up (think of his performance in Diary Of A Wimpy Kid it’s pretty much the same here!) the movie also has some surprisingly decent jokes. Sure not all of them hit but there was definitely effort to make this movie actually pretty funny, which I can’t say the same for a lot of Christmas family comedies. Then there’s the heart of the film which I genuinely thought was very touching, it doesn’t come off as very tacky or forced it actually feels genuine. Which is what separates it from a lot of the clutter, also the style of the film was surprisingly pretty decent. It doesn’t have that cheap feeling a lot of these Christmas family comedies have, overall 8-Bit Christmas is familiar but still a very fun time to watch!

8-Bit Christmas is available on HBO Max!

A group of toy store employees must protect each other from a horde of parasite infected shoppers.

Black Friday desperately wants to be Krampus (2015) but fails to recognize what made Krampus actually pretty solid. For starters while the movie has a very fun premise it’s executed in such a lazy way that it’s almost surprising. Bruce Campbell and Michael Jai White are the best parts about this movie and easily give some good laughs, what mostly hurts this movie is the terrible writing, the characters feeling almost identical to each other and the humor almost never working. The humor has it’s moments towards the beginning but quickly wears off as it goes on, it’s another one of those horror comedies that tries to do way too much at a time. The characters really don’t bring anything interesting to the table as most of them are cliched characters with little to no personality, with that said there are fun moments to be had with Black Friday but it’s an overall a misfire that really shouldn’t had been.

Black Friday is available on all VOD Platforms!

3/10 D-

Women Is Losers tackles heavy subjects but feels lacking.

In 1960’s San Francisco, bright and talented catholic school girl Celina Guerrera survives a difficult home life by following the rules. That is until an indiscretion creates a series of devastating consequences. As Celina faces the compounded obstacles of being young and alone, she sets out to rise above the oppression of poverty and invest in a future that sets new precedents for the time.

Women is Losers has a lot of heart and means well when dealing with heavy subjects, unfortunately it feels way too on the nose and doesn’t say anything new or add anything into the conversation. Lorenza Izzo gives a great performance and is the highlight of some strong moments in the movie, the music I actually thought was pretty decent and the ending is actually solid. The writing is what’s holding Women is Losers back, a lot of it feels very surface level at best and while yes does tackle some heavy topics and is commendable it feels like it doesn’t do enough with it. It doesn’t help that the tone of the movie is a mess at times as well. Overall Women is Losers is a missed opportunity which is unfortunate because this most definitely had a ton of potential.

Women Is Losers is now available on HBO Max!

4/10 D+