Abigail: Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett. With Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Alisha Weir, William Catlett. After a group of criminals kidnap the ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, they retreat to an isolated mansion, unaware that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl. If you’re a fan of Dan Stevens (like me!) you’re having a good time this year, as this is his second movie that’s currently in theaters that you can see him in, the other being the current Godzilla x Kong: New Empire. This is the superior of the two movies, with more Mr Stevens...

The Crow: City of Angels: Directed by Tim Pope. With Vincent Perez, Mia Kirshner, Richard Brooks, Iggy Pop. The spirit of the Crow resurrects another man seeking revenge for the murder of his son. I’m astounded that the first one did well enough that a sequel was green lit, but I guess at this point they threw a few big names at the screen to see if they’d work, like Thomas Pane, Iggy Pop and Mia Kirshner. They’re using the same mid 90s miniatures and green screens, the same grungy soundtrack, locations, and people, and the story is just a...

Causeway: Directed by Lila Neugebauer. With Jennifer Lawrence, Danny Wolohan, Jayne Houdyshell, Neal Huff. A US soldier suffers a traumatic brain injury while fighting in Afghanistan and struggles to adjust to life back home. Fantastic acting by both Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry and a fantastic script that they both bring their A-game to. There’s a few car scenes that are obviously fake and they distract from an otherwise great movie that takes a long hard look at decisions that are made to get away from pain. Buy On Amazon!

Below Her Mouth: Directed by April Mullen. With Erika Linder, Natalie Krill, Sebastian Pigott, Mayko Nguyen. An unexpected affair quickly escalates into a heart-stopping reality for two women whose passionate connection changes their lives forever. There’s parts of this that might as well be considered pornography, but the framing story around the more lurid moments allow me to entertain the notion that I’m not just perving over ladies doing sexy things to each other and am instead consuming ‘art’. It’s a great film and reminds me greatly of “Blue Is the Warmest Colour” is is likely going to end up...

Villains Incorporated: Directed by Jeremy Warner. With Mallory Everton, Colin Mochrie, Jason Gray, Billy Mann. After the death of their boss, Beatrix, Cain and Harold are left destitute living in an abandoned grocery store. Beatrix is determined that they will fight on their own and take over the world by any means necessary. I didn’t really know anything about this film other than Colin Mochrie was in it and the name sounded cool, and boy it was a heck of a ride. I’ve been reading a ton of superhero books in the last few years and this feels like an...

Chariot: Directed by Adam Sigal. With Thomas Mann, Rosa Salazar, Scout Taylor-Compton, Shane West. A story about a corporation and a doctor (John Malkovich) that oversees the process of reincarnation, and a young man (Thomas Mann) who becomes a glitch in the system when he encounters a woman (Rosa Salazar) he loved in a previous life. I thought this was a completely different film when I started streaming it, realized my error about 2 minutes in but decided to let it ride and boy what a ride it was. Going in blind really helped keep me on my toes and...

The Sleepover: Directed by Trish Sie. With Sadie Stanley, Maxwell Simkins, Cree, Lucas Jaye. When two siblings discover their seemingly normal mom is a former thief in witness protection who has been forced to pull one last job, they team up to rescue her over the course of an action-packed night. A family friendly caper film that wears it’s heart on it’s sleeve, it was a fun and enjoyable romp with a family coming to terms with the lies that their mother told them in order to protect them from the bad guys. Also, Maxwell Simkins is going to go...

Fear the Night: Directed by Neil LaBute. With Maggie Q, Ito Aghayere, Philip Burke, James Carpinello. Follows Iraqi war veteran Tess, as she prepares to strike back after a group of home invaders attack during her sister’s bachelorette party, and she discovers that they are hellbent on not leaving any witnesses behind. It’s a familiar story, friends go off on a camping / vacation trip, locals decide to mess with them, and it turns out that one of the friends has the willpower and knowhow to fight back and maybe even survive. Just because this is a familiar story though...

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: Directed by Guy Ritchie. With Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, Eiza González. The British military recruits a small group of highly skilled soldiers to strike against German forces behind enemy lines during World War II. I generally find Guy Ritchie’s films to be entertaining but slightly underwhelming, and while there’s moments that this movie edges up to being a parody of itself, it never goes over the line and ended up being a pretty good story with captivating action and acting. It’s good to see Alan Richardson joining stars like Henry Cavill, Eiza Gonzalez,...