The Predator (2018)

Shane Black (who had a small role in the original film) writes and directs this sequel to the franchise, which marks a bit of a return to form after Predators. 

After an alien ship crash-lands on Earth, a captured Predator escapes from a lab and wreaks havoc on the city, while a biologist and motley crew of rejects attempt to contain the threat. It's...fine. I struggle to get excited about these movies because it always seems to go down about the same. I'm being fairly generous with my rating here because I enjoy looking at Olivia Munn's face.

2 hounds out of 5

The Toxic Avenger (2023)

What fresh hell is this? 14 years ago, I mentioned the long-awaited reboot of The Toxic Avenger. It finally arrives. And it's fucking awful. They turned Toxie from a "hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength" to a 4 foot freak, but that's the least of my problems with it. They ruined everything about it; the gore, the comedy, the romance, sex/nudity, music and violence. Even though it's "unrated," it feels tame and the CGI kills lack that raw, brutal DIY feeling of the original. The humor doesn't hit right, and worst yet, it lacks any sense of danger or controversy. The characters aren't relatable and the villain is way too one-dimensional. It's missing all the charm and fun of the original series. I can't tell you how utterly disappointed I am by the lot of it. 

This isn't for OG Troma fans, and if you think it is, you're just a poser.

1 acid dissolved chain out of 5

The Life of Chuck (2024)

Mike Flanagan continues his successful collaborative effort with Stephen King in this spellbinding esoteric mystery revolving around a dude named Chuck.

Truth be told, the less said the better. Go into it blind as I did. It had a profound effect on me, even as I discovered how it all pieced together early in Act III.

This one won't be for the Materialists.

Proves that there are still great King adaptations to come.

4½ multitudes out of 5

Orion and the Dark (2024)

Inside Out, as scripted by Charlie Kaufman. Orion is a kid who is scared of everything. He's obsessed with death and has an existential fear of the unknown. He contemplates all of life's big questions: What happens after it all goes dark? This is Charlie Brown if he was distilled down to a pure anxiety disorder. Pretty heavy shit for a kid's movie.

After a total blackout, Orion encounters the embodiment of the Dark, who takes him out on a grand adventure (à la Little Nemo in Slumberland) and forces him to confront his fears. Also in tow are the other nighttime entities: Sleep, Quiet, Sweet Dreams, Insomnia, and Unexplained Noises. (What a bunch of assholes!) You can kind of tell where this is going, but there are actually layers that are gradually peeled back and offer varying narrative perspectives. It goes some interesting places that few children's films would ever dare to go, which means it might be too intense for the little ones (though it would have been perfect for me). Once the curtain is finally lifted, there is an additional story being told that can only be appreciated by grown ass adults. Unfortunately, you get the feeling Kaufman's original script has been watered down in some respects to make it more agreeable for general audiences. You can sense they're holding back and are beholden to a more optimistic, conventional approach. As such, it's not quite as good as it could have been, but you can see all the potential that was there on the page.

3½ gilded lilies out of 5

BEFORE I WAKE [2016]

If you're expecting a shit-your-pants fright-fest from Mike Flanagan's Before I Wake then you're in for severe disappointment.  However if it's a tragic supernatural lullaby you're looking for then you've come to the right place.
It's a slow-burning story of a young couple, still grieving over the loss of their son, that adopts a troubled young boy who's dreams and nightmares physically manifest while he sleeps.
It's a pretty ambitious attempt to take the usual "haunted kid" story and twist it around but unfortunately it falls a bit flat.  It's biggest mistake is casting Kate Bosworth in the leading role as she doesn't seem to have the ability to bring anything remotely interesting or anything worth emotionally investing in, while Thomas Jane and Jacob Tremblay give believable organic performances.  There's a few frightening scenes to please fans of Flanagan's previous films but here he focuses tragedy and heart and that's where it nearly succeeds if not for the blundering Bosworth.

3 butterflies out of 5

ROOM [2015]

Frank director Lenny Abrahamson delivers a whirlwind of emotions in Room, an adaptation of Irish-Canadian Emma Donoghue's critically acclaimed novel.
It tells the compelling story of a young woman (brilliantly played by Brie Larson) who's raised her five year old son in hostile captivity, forcing her to teach him everything she knows and hide the outside world from him to prevent any sort of trouble from their abusive captor.
It's essentially about the willful bond between a mother and her son, their different co-dependencies & independencies, as well as a series of short but necessarily powerful moments with other family members.  How they adjust to the world around them is difficult viewing that aims straight for the gut, with some huge emotional moments and others are so subtle and small you might not take note until much later.    In the end, I wanted to give my mom a big exhausted hug and thank her for everything she's sacrificed for my well-being, no matter how hard it all got.

5 rotten teeth out of 5