Strange New Worlds s3

 

Strange New Worlds had possibly their best season this year, some great action, heart, comedy, characters and even horror. But the finale might have been the shows biggest mixed bag.. That isn't to say there weren't glimpses of greatness, it had some genuine shocks that went for the eye but it didn't feel like a finale...  until it did, the final moments made it go from lackluster to great, the start of a 5 year mission. I feel next season will replace some of these characters we love with ones we loved from TOS, and if they do continue, we needs years 4 and 5 of the original series.

Spinal Tap 2

 

This is Spinal Tap is a monumental film in mocumentaries,the faux band became real and performed all over and became spokesman for various products. Now we get the sequel, and what truly makes this work is that the three leads created these characters so they know how they will age and it does wonders here. Unlike Borat 2, this isn't trying to be a prank show, this is a film through and through it just happens to be done in that mocument style and Rob Reiner shows all these post Office  mocku series how it is done. It's funny, has heart and goes to 11.

Caught Stealing

 

Daron Aronoffsky is one of the best filmmakers alive. He makes bleak films that make you cringe yet are beautiful (for the most part), now he gives us his "fun" film. Yes, it is fun, and the trailers make it look very Guy Richie, and it is st times, but this has the Arronoffsky stamp on it. The characters are tortures with trauma, they live like shit and there are some genuine depressing moments but ultimately this is his making a quirky action film and nailing it on every level. The characters and acting, the stunts and action, the plot and violence.  The gritty NYC setting of 1998 works great here and the punk rock nature carries it on. 

Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League

 

One of my favorite animated Batman films is Batman Ninja, i was stoked for a sequel but while this is action packed and fast paced, it ultimately just feels like a cash in animated venture. I don't really have faults with it, it just did nothing for me. I loved the lore but it felt overstuffed and over produced. 

The Toxic Avenger

 I grew up with Troma, I shouldn't have but I did. Toxic Avenger was a staple as was the Toxic Crusader. I had the figures and as a teen I dove into Troma more, reading Lloyd Kaufman's books highly inspired me. I worked with him a bit in 2010 and knowing his views on hollywod, and seeing his stamp of approval on a Toxie remake had me sold. The film is not high art, nor should it be. It's crass humor, over the top gore and feels down and dirty. Where as Hobo With a Shotgun feels inspired by Toxie, this feels inspired by that.  Macon Blair is already an impressive filmmaker and with this it could be his ticket to doing DC if he wanted to, cause of James Gunn. I don't want it per se, I want directors to have their own voices, but I feel he is going places after this. Peter Dinklage almost acts too well here, but everyone is having a good time,  my only complaint really is the CG blood, but I let it slide. I am all for more trips to Troma, I mean St. Roma!

Resident Alien

 

Resident Alien won me over on the pilot and the first season made it a favor mine. S2 sort of made the s1 finale meaningless but the season was still strong. S3 was hit and miss but ended on a high note. Now we have s4 and it too makes the previous finale feel not as important but ultimately this show is about the characters and this season makes you remember why this show is so great,  the characters. All the plots come together and the characters grow with it and the finale made me tear up,  was the show perfect? No but the characters were(for the most part)

Final Destination Bloodlines

I didn't see the first Final Destination until the second one came out. At the time I was anti mainstream horror and anti cgi. The past week my girlfriend and I revisited them along with the rest in the series. The first one is solid, the second one improves on it, the third is fun, the fourth is dumb and the fifth is pretty damn good at connecting everything and making the franchise feel big. I became a fan of the series during this rewatch. Now we get the sixth and it too it pretty damn solid. Great kills, we'll developed characters, these films is what the Monkey tried to be just not being mean spirited and pretentious like that was. I can finally say I am stoked for them to make another. 

Please Don't Feed The Children

 

Steven Spielberg's daughter Destry Spielberg has directed a horror film on Tubi. It's solid, a step above most Shudder films, but still quite generic. There are glimpses of her dad but ultimately it's still quite by the numbers  

Warfare

 

Alex Garland is an amazing filmmaker, and when he retired with Civil War, he ended on a fantastic note. Then Warfare came along and, boom he is once again directing....or co directing and damn, had he not been attached i may have skipped this but luckily he is and what we got was an intense & tight 90 minutes that is quiet for a great period and explosive aswell. 

War of the Worlds

 

File War of the Worlds under films Noone wanted a remake of. 2005 Spieldberg tried it,  and it was fine. Now we get a zoom call version where shit that should take days takes minutes and everyone seems to be able to quickly learn how to hack and compound medicine.  The acting is awful and this felt like an asylum film.

It's Always Sunny

 

2025 is the year comedy returned to film but on TV, the gold standard keeps on kicking ass and that ass is......the gold standard......which is It's Always Sunny. As fucked up as ever, as reflective as ever, with alot of heart, especially in the finale. 

Nobody 2

 

When Nobody came out in 2021 it was a gift during the pandemic era. A quiet family man forced back into the crime world by taking down the mob. It felt perfect for a sequel and now we have it. Nobody 2 is fun and bloody and the cast is having a blast. The plotbis thin but the action sequences are top notch. Definitely could go for thirds.

Jimmy & Stiggs

 

Joe Begos latest film is just as badass as his last. Super simple premise and execution in filmmaking.  An alien invasion that takes place in an apartment, Joe Begos' own personal apartment. It's a neon drenched coke fueled tale of survival with plenty of gore and aliens that will make those of us that used to watch the Fox alien specials feel nostalgic.  

Killer of Killers

 Killer of Killers is a solid animated film. I feel many overhype animated adaptations of movies, comics and games these days if only cause people want to enjoy something other than by the numbers live action flicks. This here is on par with Prey, and it being from the same director makes sense. I dug the art style and the layout of the invasions over the years but the flick was kind of a throwaway, which it being an animated film, can't really throw a flag on it. I feel many films could benefit from going this route. With that said, bring on Badlands. 

King of the Hill

 King of the Hill is a welcome change to "TV" it isn't high art, it isn't trying to be a next wave of fandom, it is just a gift to fans. We are in a renaissance of animated TV with The Simpsons, South Park, Beavis & Butthead and now this. Simpsons can be hit & run...i mean miss, South Park finally refound itself, B&B is still the best of the best, but this here feels like a fan film, a epilogue and it is what was needed. Do we need another season? No, but i'll gladly take it. 

Freaky Tales

 

I have enjoyed all of the Ryan Fleck and Amma Boden films, all have been great but my favorite was Cpt Marvel, a film that let's face it is not personal,  now we get my new favorite of theirs, Freaky Tales. This flick has four chapters, each one following a different set of characters that intertwine with each other. We gets punks vs nazis, rap battles, video store backroom poker, and basketball samurais.  It's funny, bloody, and topical even though it is set in the 80s. This feels like Repo Man, Buckaroo Banzai and Scanners mixed together.  How Pedro Pascal can do major blockbusters like Fantastic Four and great genre films like this in the same year is honorable.  How they landed the video store clerk is impressive.  This flick is a blast. 

Together

 

Together is beautiful and unnerving.  It is great, but I don't know if I can ever watch it again. It makes you feel things and honestly that alone is perfect,  as is the acting, directing,  the horror, the romance or lack there of, it's likeable and unlikeable,  it's bleak yet hopeful,  cynical yet optimistic.  Horror in 2025 is amazing and this is one of the best. 

Trick or Treat with Reed Richmond

 

I love Chris LaMartina's films, my favorite of which are his "recorded on vhs" style films such as WNUF. That one is special, and his follow up Out There Mega Tape was solid. Now he has Trick or Treat with Reed Richmond and while it may not be as horror as the first two, this one is a blast. Anyone that grew up in the 90s and remembers the original Sci Fi channel or the cheesey halloween specials detailing the history of the holiday is in for a Treat....not a trick. The cast nails it, the commercials are stellar, this is a fun halloween flick that will be part of my rotation. Q

Weapons

 

Zach Cregger knocked it out of the park 3 years ago with Barbarian. Now he is back with weapons and he ups the tension makes it more bleak and goes just as bonkers this time around. The entire cast is fantastic here, the story is tight and told through characters, the gore goes for thr jugular, his eye for craftsmanship is impeccable,  doing a Resident Evil movie while it will be great feels like a step down, he needs to continue with his masterful slices of horror. 

The Naked Gun

 

When a new Naked Gun was announced I kinda rolled my eyes. Did we need this? No, especially since comedy is sort of dead. Seth McFarlane and Akiva Schafer being attached were good signs, Liam Neason leading was gold....the trailer dropped and I was sold. This is a solid comedy, it is not non stop laughs and not every joke works but when a joke lands it is hilarious and when one was really hilarious your laughter kept rolling. Comedy is back, whether you like or hate this and Happy Gilmore 2, the response they are getting whether criticaly or in box office/ratings shows that comedies are back!

Match of July

Naomi vs Iyo vs Rhea 

 Becky vs Bayley vs Lyra 

Judgment Day vs Zaruka vs Charlotte/Alexa vs Kabuki Warriors 

Happy Gilmore 2

 Growing up I loved Adam Sandler on SNL and I loved Happy Gilmore. Besides the Wedding Singer and Air Heads there weren't any other Sandler comedies I. Really enjoyed. I dug Billy Madison but it's so annoying at times. Now almost 30 years later we get Happy Gilmore 2, and I wasn't too stoked. Regardless I went to Subway cause my girlfriend and I thought it'd be fun to eat those while watching this.....and we had a great time. This is a fun flick, this is a funny flick. Good callbacks to the original, fun cameos, the plot works. Bad Bunny steals every scene he is in. Is this the resurrection of the Sand Man? Also seeing Ben Safdie in this, in a major role was quite mind blowing. 

Fantastic Four: First Steps

 

31 years ago we got an unreleased Famtastic Four film that was bootlegged and as awful as it was it had charm. 20 and 18 years ago 20th Century gave us their F4.....and both were God awful. 10 years ago they got a reboot and it was equally as awful.  Now we get the MCU version that isn't even in the MCU meaning somewhere these characters can still get Earth 19999 variants. As for the film it's fun light and colorful,, while packing some tension and family drama all while remaining very comic book, futurustic 1960s looked realy cool, and I dug that comic booky aspect. I just didn't love the movie. The film is fine, the acting is decent,  once they return to outter space to confront Galactus the film picks up a bit but not by much. I loved how the film ended but of course it needed to be derailed by a joke but it was a relatable one I'll admit. The two stingers are actually the best parts for me. Also there was no real bridge with this and Thunderbolts. 

Minecraft

 

Minecradt is interesting with me. When it first came out i loved the 8 bit look but was also confused as to what it was. I always thought the Creeper looked like a penis and found that funny. Then in 2014 i started dating a girl that loved the game. We would play it alot and it was a lot of fun. Then once we broke up i never played it again, just didn't ever buy it for myself. Now my current girlfriend has 2 kids that love the game. So i have been brought back in, the movie looked dumb and being from Jared Hess.....that could be a good thing. I was going to see it in the cinema but the chicken jockey fiasco changed that, i didn't want shit thrown when i am trying to enjoy a film, yes Rocky Horror & the Room did it but those were at midnight and the art house cinemas knew what they were getting....here they had to make party showings. Regardless i finally saw it and this is a blast. Dumb as fuck but so much fun, it is insanely bonkers with shit i wouldn't expect from a "family" movie. The cast is having a blast here too and no one is taking this seriously, with that said it also has heart but it feels so other wordly that it is secondary. Even the Earth scenes feel heightened. I will gladly watch a sequel to this cause my girlfriend enjoyed it, and she has never played it, i enjoyed it even if i had never played it just on the looney nature, and our boy that has been playing it for 10 years enjoyed it. 

Match of June

Vikingo vs Chad Gable: Worlds Collide 

Ethan Page vs Je'von Evans vs Fenix vs Laredo Kid: Worlds Collide 

 Womens MITB

Drop

 I love Christopher Landon films, they are fun, bloody and innovative.  Him doing Scream could have been great, him doing Heart Eyes could have been great. Scream is now in turmoil, Heart Eyes was still great and now Landon gives us Drop. This is a flick I really wanted to see in theatees but never got around to.  I wish I had cause I had a great time with this. Well developed characters where you don't fully know they're pasts yet you seem to care, a very tense plot thst I feel with a director for hire could have been rushed and lame. Side note I don't think I would have taken a second date with this chick, but I'll easily watch this a second time.

Superman

 Superman, is supposed to be wholesome, he's supposed to be about unity, and based on the old comics and cartoons is a little bit ridiculous..  and James Gunn nails all of that. This film has the awe factor and and wonder of the "Donner" films and gave us the best plot, best looking film, best cast in this characters history. Gunn and his B movie love and brash hunor somehow work here, he embraces the zaney world and villians and gives the characters self reflective humor thst feels like therapy for the audience. Sure not all jokes work but none fall flat, sure there might have been too many jokes but it doesn't derail the drama and Sci fi on screen. The action and set pieces are right out of a comic, and this might be the most comic book feeling comic movie produced. I've supported James Gunn for the longest time and I fully support his DC. 

Jurassic World Rebirth

The first Jurassic Park is one of the greatest films of all time. The sequel honestly never really held up, in fact I'd say the dumb third one is actually more entertaining.  I say dumb but I still love it, I love all of these. Jurassic World is great, Fallen Kingdom is dumb, Dominion I found to be a satisfying finale. Did we need a seventh one? No. Did we need a third island? No. The plot of Lost World makes somewhat sense, go to the other island. Plot of 3? Sure, someone lands there.....contrived but whatever. World? We finally are open. Fallen Kingdom? Destroy the island. Dominion? Unite the casts. Now we have a new cast, a third island and the plot.....while dumb and makes no sense other than a money grab, kinda works. This is the SyFy original entree. It's dumb, over the top and screams of a Saturday Night on syfy. The dialouge is the films weakest portion but I let it slide because I was having a fun time. I hope this is the finale cause I fear the more we get the more it dilutes the legacy but if there is an eighth I will still be there. 

For Sale By Exorcist

 

For Sale By Exorcist is the feature film debut of Mellisa LaMartina, and much like her husbands films it packs an eye for horror, while packing alot of humor and an all around love for Halloween. The cast is having a blast and the film has a nice charm throughout. I wish Tubi released their films to cinemas cause this and Slay are their gold standards. 

28 Years Later

 

28 Days Later was a film that highly effected me, both as a fan and a filmmaker.  It changed the zombie genre and also was quite innovative and experimental.  28 Weeks Later was a worthy enough sequel but it didn't pack a punch. Now we have 28 Years Later and it reunites Danny Boyle and Alex Garland one more time. The opening scene is haunting and chaotic. From there we get alot of character building and world building. It gets very experimental here aswell.  It was a slow burn but worth it. When our lead and his mom finally break free it almost become a new story and truly finds it's way. We get alotbof heart, some good humor, and some disturbing imagery all while being rather cutting edge. The end sets up the future very well and it quite the wtf moment for sure in a fantastic way. I was grinning ear to ear with the ending. I was hesitant on this new trilogy but now I want all the rage. 

Megan 2.0

 

The first Megan is a fun and campy slasher that works best ad a Pg 13 John Waters film. Then of course the R rated cut came out and threw thst out the window. Did we need a sequel? Did Megan need to turn babyface? No and no, but I'm glad both happened. This is a contrived and convoluted film but it is entertaining as fuck. Gone is the slasher, making way for more Sci fi and action but much like Happy Death Day, it works. 

Dark Match

 

Dark Match is Shudder's best in quite a while, granted I have slacked on 2025's content but 24 was quite lackluster with a few exceptions (Late Night With the Devil). Here we get a sleazy 80s themed slasher of sorts centered on wrestling.  Horror and wrestling my two favorite things. While many in the horror wrestling subgenre are unwatchable this here is alot of fun. Good gore, good characters and an over the top plot. It's cheesy at times but has its tongue firmly in cheek.

How To Train Your Dragon

 

Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon I have both become massive fans of this year. I watched all the films and the Dragon series is a strong contender for best animated saga ever. All three are heart warming and touching. Did we need a remake? No, but it is from the same director so let it ride. This is a worthy adaptation. It is not quite shot for shot but feels close, it is more mature but doesn't force it. The cgi is great, the battles, while not as epic as the original still look impressive, the acting is top notch and the score is fantastic. Bring on part 2, bring on part 3. 

Snow White

 

Most live action adaptations of Disney animation has been less than stellar. Jungle Book and Cruela being the exceptions. Snow White didn't particularly look good but I wanted to see just to kinda piss off those that were so enraged with it. I agree with not doing dated angles for women so I was intrigued how this story would work.....and it didn't.  The acting, sets, musical numbers, costuming,  and cgi were all God awful with Rachel Ziegler being the stand out. She is solid here and has a presence,  just a damn shame the film wasn't what she deserved. The actress had a great stance unfortunately the film failed to meet what she wanted or we needed. 

Ballerina

Spin offs need to stop. Ballerina isn't a bad film, but it is unneeded. The John Wick saga is the best crafted action series of all time.  They are stylish, which this also is, have great action, which this also has great choreography....which this lacks. The stories had heart, this one doesn't.  It's a shoe horned attempt to milk a series with a forced fi al act thst logically makes no sense in the greater universe. I was not bored by this but I didn't particularly care for it. 

Match of May

 

Jey Uso vs Seth Rollins: World Title: Raw

Iyo Skye vs Roxanne Perez: Raw

Sheamus vs Austin Theory 

Mission Impossible Final Reckoning

 

Stop me if you have heard this, there is a new Mission Impossible film out....and it tops the previous one. Holy fuck what a film, this is how you do a blockbuster series that doesn't feel mass produced, this is a highly thought out and well crafted saga that feels like cinema. Every actor is great, all the stunts are fantastic,  the plot is a thrill ride, the kills can be shocking and there is plenty of emotion to pull the heart strings. Thank you for churning these out only when needed and not every 2 years, thanks for taking time and creating the second best pure action franchise of all time in my opinion  

Phoenician Scheme

 

Wes Anderson has fully evolved. He started small with Bottle Rocket, found his voice with Rushmore, perfected it with the Royal Tenenbaums,  got ambitious with Life Aquatic,  took a step back with Darjeeling Limited, tried animation with Fantastic Mr. Fox, tried ambitious live action once more with Moonrise Kingdom, basically was his own genre with Grand Budapest Hotel. He returned to animation with Isle of Dogs was post modern with French Dispatch and then had Asteroid City, a film I loved but no one talked about. He is one of my top 5 filmmakers of all time, and his films will always be events. Phoenician Scheme is his darkest film yet. Typical Wes plot and humor only amped. The best Benico Del Toro and Michael Cera have been in years, the rest of the cast is outstanding especially Mia Threapleton. Bonkers, heartfelt and stylish, what more do you want from Wes Anderson?

Fear Street Prom Queen

 

The new Fear Street is a stand alone film that still has elements to tie it to the others. The town is the same and the post credits gives us a glimpse at the curse but otherwise this is just a pure slasher. It's fun, has a body count with some gnarly kills and gore, and like the others in the series has a great soundtrack.  

Hearts of Darkness: The Making of The Final Friday

 

I love Jason Goes to Hell, i've always enjoyed Adam Marcus....atleast hearing him on interviews. The doc about the making of Jason Goes to Hell is fascinating and one of the most fun docs you can find. Insightful, doesn't hold back from fans that hate it and ultimately the doc much like the film itself is a work of passion.  

Damsel of the Doomed

 Last year at Texas Frightmare i saw The Black Quarry, a decent yet flawed little indie film. This year the same director had Damsel of the Doomed. I was more stoked for this one as it was about a horror host, one i forgot was in The Black Quarry. This one, while it has some questionable acting by some of the cultist, it is way faster paced, funnier and has an overall better story. Scarah is a legit horror host in real life, and has quite the presence. She carries this film and i would be down for more of her adventures. 

The Simpsons

 

The Simpsons season 36, as usual is a mixed bag, it is probably the weakest in a decade but at the same time it also has some real bangers that old fans should love. 

Yellowjackets

 When Yellowjackets debuted, i was interested but i didn't watch since it was on the same time as The Wilds, which had a similar plot. By time it hit season 2 i wanted to watch it as i had read so much good shit but i didn't have access to Showtime and didn't want to stream it on a boot site. I figured it'd be a show i heard was great but never watched like the Wire, or a show i heard was great and went back to watch like when i was a teen or in my 20s such as Twin Peaks. I finally watched it this year and holy fuck....this show is brilliant. Fantastic acting, gore, soundtrack, high tension, writing, directing, everything is damn near perfect. Even if the characters, while flawed, are almost so unlikable at times that you don't want to watch.....*coughs* Shauna *coughs*. Each season makes the characters have more depth, makes them more fucked up, takes you down one path and kicks you to another. I can't wait for season 4. 

Clown in a Cornfield

 I was on the fence with Clown in a Cornfield,  Eli Craig isn't exactly a director I love. I'm not big on Tucker & Dale and I found Little Evil to be quite forgettable but this one had some buzz to it. I'm glad we checked it out cause this is alot of fun. A dumb, fast paced and gory slasher with some good characters and gnarly kills. The ending is a tad weak but this is definitely one of the more enjoyable Shudder films. 

Match of April

 Street Profits vs DIY vs MCMG: Tag Titles: TLC: Smackdown

Seth Rollings vs Roman Reigns vs CM Punk: WrestleMania 

Iyo Sky vs Rhea Ripley vs Bianca Belair: World Title: WrestleMania

Oba Femi vs Trick Williams vs Je'Von Evans: NXT Title: Stand & Deliver 

Stephanie Vaquer vs Iyo Sky: Raw 

Thunderbolts*

 

When Thunderbolts* was announced I rolled my eyes. It felt like another MCU conveyor belt cashgrab, the first trailer did nothing for me either. Over time though with marketing I began to be drawn into it(that "A24" trailer). The film itself.....is pretty fucking great. We get characters with depth, and actors giving great performances. A tight, fun, and fast paced plot, with some unique ideas. Some of the best MCU action and actually feels fresh.  A villain that isn't cookie cutter and feels like an actual threat. This is easily my favorite MCU since Guardians 3, but that is my favorite MCU film, and it is possibly the best "debut" film in a franchise since the first Guardians, which is my second favorite MCU film. Fantastic 4 was my most anticipated of this saga this year, but this just made me that much more excited and this finally got me hooked for Avengers: Doomsday.

Until Dawn

 I love The Quarry but have never played Until Dawn. I have been meaning to, and now after the film I need to. The film takes the choose your own adventure aspect and flips it into a time loop and it works. The acting is to be desired at times but the jump scares and gore are quite plentiful and effective.  If you want high art then see Sinners,  it's great, but if you have already seen it or you just want some fun horror, then check this out. 

Sinners

Ryan Coogler continues to be an eclectic filmmaker. He put alot of heart into Black Panther, made the Creed series stand on their own, now he is back once again with Michael B Jordan for sinners. A horror crime western that has every shot and every bit of sound having meaning. He has crafted a film much like From Dusk Til Dawn, where you get one story the first half, and a different genre the next. It's about history, it's about culture,  it's topical and it is great.  

Wrestlemania: Becoming a Spectacle

 Growing up,  as a kid i loved Wrestlemania 9 from Las Vegas as it was one of my first, as a teen it was one of my least favorite match wise but i loved the vibe. And vibe is what Mania is all about, the new doc on Peackock, Becoming a Spectacle truly shows what went in to crafting the entrances that have now become part of the fabric of Mania season. You can tell some punches were pulled in the interviews but it felt refreshing to watch stars reflect on "the new generation".  I'm not going this year, but it has returned to Vegas and for all those going, have a blast! 

Match of March

 Je'von Evans vs Ethan Page

Seth Rollins vs CM Punk steel Cage

Oba Femi vs Moose