The Crow: Salvation: Directed by Bharat Nalluri. With Kirsten Dunst, William Atherton, Debbie Fan, Eric Mabius. Alex Corvis returns to the world of the living to solve the murder of a young woman that he was wrongly accused of. It’s always surprising to me that Kirsten Dunst is a scream queen, but she’s been doing horror since she was a wee lady. She does a great job here lifting the mediocre concept to a slightly higher level just by being present, but sadly she’s not able to save the movie from itself and the angst that it’s so hilariously full...

Black Mirror: Created by Charlie Brooker. With Wunmi Mosaku, Monica Dolan, Daniel Lapaine, Hannah John-Kamen. Featuring stand-alone dramas — sharp, suspenseful, satirical tales that explore techno-paranoia — “Black Mirror” is a contemporary reworking of “The Twilight Zone” with stories that tap into the collective unease about the modern world. This has been on my watch list for…months? years? Way too long considering how good the season ended up being. Buy On Amazon!

The Wrath of Becky: Directed by Matt Angel, Suzanne Coote. With Lulu Wilson, Seann William Scott, Denise Burse, Jill Larson. Two years after escaping a violent attack, a teenage girl must defend herself against a domestic terrorist cell. The second in a film series that I didn’t see the first one of, but this is the one that I’m able to watch on Hoopla (the first one is there, I just ran out of view credits for the month) and honestly this second one is the one that hit my radar. I’ll check out the first one next month when...

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...