Prey: Directed by Dan Trachtenberg. With Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Dane DiLiegro, Stormee Kipp. The origin story of the Predator in the world of the Comanche Nation 300 years ago. Naru, a skilled female warrior, fights to protect her tribe against one of the first highly-evolved Predators to land on Earth. Vastly better than “The Predator” this is a prequel / sequel / remake / reimagining / homage of the very first film, with plenty of references to nearly all the other films to keep even the most fervent fan of the franchise happy. Of particular note is Amber Midthunder’s...

The Predator: Directed by Shane Black. With Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay, Keegan-Michael Key. When a young boy accidentally triggers the universe’s most lethal hunters’ return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled scientist can prevent the end of the human race. Perhaps I gave this movie a bit too much gruff in my previous review, but not by much. There’s a lot to dislike about the film, it is over reliant on trope heavy characters and low brow humor, but there’s enough good stuff to still make it a watchable film. The casting is...

Predators: Directed by Nimród Antal. With Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins. A group of elite warriors parachute into an unfamiliar jungle and are hunted by members of a merciless alien race. I would argue, and I believe I’m correct in this, that “Predators” is the best film in the franchise yet, having taken the franchise to it’s next logical step. The next movie after this one is “The Predator” which I found to be a step backward from the heights that Predators reached. The first Predator film was amazing, yes. Arnold and his ‘rescue team’ really were...

The mystery of the Taurus Reach is about to be revealed. Ancient secrets lie on the fourth planet of the Jinoteur system, and three great rivals are fighting to control it. The Federation and the Klingon Empire want to wield its power; the Tholian Assembly wants to bury it. It’s the third book in a nine book series, but it feels like everything gets nice and neatly wrapped up. I’ve already started the next book, so I know that things aren’t as neat as you might expect, but if you were to read the first three books of this series,...

South of Heaven: Directed by Aharon Keshales. With Jason Sudeikis, Evangeline Lilly, Mike Colter, Shea Whigham. Convicted felon Jimmy gets early parole after serving twelve years for armed robbery. Upon his release, he vows to give Annie, his childhood love, now dying from cancer, the best last year of her life – unfortunately it’s not that simple. Jason Sudeikis and Evangline Lilly do a great job as a pair of every day people caught up in the stupid things that people get caught up in while they’re just trying to live their lives and do right by their loved ones....

Moscow on the Hudson: Directed by Paul Mazursky. With Robin Williams, Maria Conchita Alonso, Cleavant Derricks, Alejandro Rey. A Russian saxophonist visiting New York with a circus troupe suddenly decides to defect from the USSR during a shopping trip to a department store, but he finds adjusting to American life more difficult than he imagined. There’s funny portions of this film, but this isn’t a comedy. It’s only funny in sad American ways, and really we should cry at the indignities of things instead of laughing at them. If you ever want to show someone a movie to prove to...

Blown Away: With Nick Uhas, Katherine Gray, Deborah Czeresko, Elliot Walker. A reality show featuring glass blowers from around the world competing to be the best. One artist is dismissed after each episode/challenge. Season three continues the beauty of season 1 and 2, but it also continues the same audio stingers and soundtracks, which are getting super old at this point. Buy On Amazon!

Predator 2: Directed by Stephen Hopkins. With Kevin Peter Hall, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Rubén Blades. The Predator returns to Earth, this time to stake a claim on the war-torn streets of a dystopian Los Angeles. It’d be pretty easy to believe this is in the same universe as ROBOCOP, which is a crossover I think I’d love to see. P2 isn’t as strong as the first film, but it does have it’s great moments. Buy On Amazon!

Irma Vep: Created by Olivier Assayas. With Alicia Vikander, Vincent Macaigne, Nora Hamzawi, Antoine Reinartz. Mira is an American movie star disillusioned by her career and recent breakup, who comes to France to star as Irma Vep in a remake of the French silent film classic, “Les Vampires.” An exceptionally well done mini series with a large amount of confusion on the reality of the scenes. I adore Alicia Vikander and this series shows her at her best. Buy On Amazon!

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close: Directed by Stephen Daldry. With Tom Hanks, Thomas Horn, Sandra Bullock, Zoe Caldwell. A nine-year-old amateur inventor, Francophile, and pacifist searches New York City for the lock that matches a mysterious key left behind by his father, who died in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. This is as sad as I thought it would be. It’s a well done film with an important message, but boy howdy do I not enjoy feeling this sad. Buy On Amazon!