Superman (2025)

David Corenswet dons the blue tights and red undies in James Gunn's hard reboot of the franchise, and the first film in the newly christened DC Universe. A lot is riding on this film in order to fulfill expectations, and Gunn has the unenviable task of building a shared universe on the shoulders of this movie, but it manages to (mostly) succeed with flying colors. It's a bold and auspicious start as we're dropped into this fully developed world and asked to keep up. There's a lot going on and it feels like we're already three movies deep. We're introduced to the "Justice Gang" (Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific) as well as Lex Luthor (played by Greatest Actor of His Generation Nicholas Hoult). Krypto the dog also features heavily as an unexpected hiccup along the way.

Is it better than the first two Superman films from 1978 and 1980? Not in my opinion. But it easily stands alongside that version of the character, and it blows the brooding SnyderVerse out of the fucking water. Most importantly, it feels like a Superman movie again. This Superman resembles the golden age of comic books; he's full of hope and humanity, all about damage control and protecting creatures great and small. And John Williams's theme once again does the heavy lifting of bringing the beating heart and soul to this franchise.

So, does it do enough to wipe the bad blood left by the fallen DCEU? Only time will tell if audiences accept this new direction, but it's going to be an uphill battle as Marvel continues to dominate their own shared cinematic space.

4 punk rockers out of 5

Note: Next film in the new DCU is slated to be Supergirl, arriving in June 2026.

Nosferatu (2024)

Forget everything you know about F. W. Murnau's original 1922 silent German Expressionist horror film. This is a completely new interpretation. Originally based on Bram Stoker's Dracula (with just enough details changed to escape copyright infringement), it tells the story of a woman and her connection to an ancient evil spirit.

Robert Eggers is one of those filmmakers (like Ari Aster) who has carved out his own path with a singular vision and niche style of storytelling. Even when I'm not totally in love with that vision, I admire it more for its audacity in the face of mainstream values.

While I imagine this film won't be for everyone (it's very slow, with lots of lingering shadow play), it's unique enough to leave an indelible impression on the viewer. It's more of a dark, brooding mood piece than anything.

4 plague-infested rats out of 5

Renfield (2023)

Loosely inspired by Bram Stoker's Dracula, this action horror-comedy focuses more on the vampire's familiar, R. M. Renfield, who looks to get out from under Dracula's thumb. Trapped in a toxic codependent relationship, Renfield attends a 12-step meeting group where he locates his latest victims. The movie doesn't really kick into high gear until Dracula himself (Nicolas Cage, channeling his manic energy from Vampire's Kiss) gets involved, but by that point, it had already lost most of its steam. It's fun in a brainless sort of way if you're in a receptive mood and know what you're getting into. This movie would work just fine as a double feature with Abigail.

2½ superpower-infused bugs out of 5

Juror #2 (2024)

Clint Eastwood directed this film at 93. How useless do you feel right now?

A highly fascinating legal drama about a juror who realizes he may have been complicit in the case at hand. To say any more would be a disservice to the mystery that's masterfully crafted and the moral quandaries it raises. "Beast" star Nicholas Hoult reunites with Toni Collette 20 years after About a Boy.

A clever twist on the 12 Angry Men formula.

3 miscarriages of justice out of 5

The Garfield Movie (2024)

As a kid, I used to read Garfield comics religiously (along with Peanuts and Calvin & Hobbes), but besides the '80s cartoon and TV specials, none of the recent efforts to revive the character have ever seemed to get it right. I feel like they sanded down the edges here and made him as innocuous and dull as possible. All the cutesy-eye kitten stuff was okay, but besides the brief montage of him growing up, we don't really get to see too much of the true Garfield personality. It also really bothered me that Jon Arbuckle was so estranged from the events of this film, since he's always been a big part of why the comics worked for me. Instead, we're given this weird father-son dynamic that never existed in the comics and now appears to be a permanent staple of this reboot. I mean, I realize it's a family movie designed to appeal to kids, so I'm no longer the target audience. But that just makes me feel so fucking old and obsolete when I think back to all those countless hours I spent invested in those comics and televised adventures, only for them to reinvent the mythos and throw out the "canon."

Also, I don't know what voice Chris Pratt was trying to do here, but this wasn't it. And hiring Samuel L. Jackson to play his pop is just really weird. Even Odie's characterization seemed to be off, but whatever. I don't know why I'm investing so much of myself into this dumb shit. It's just a bummer all around.

1½ milk heists out of 5

The Order (2024)

Based on true events, we follow a crime spree across the Pacific Northwest in the 1980s tied to a string of armed robberies committed by an apparent white supremacist terrorist group gathering funds for their nefarious deeds. Jude Law plays the FBI agent hot on their trail, with Tye Sheridan as his rookie and Nicholas Hoult as the head Aryan. Blah blah blah. A pretty standard procedural crime drama that more or less plays out exactly the way you expect it to, although its material is handled capably by all involved.

2 porno bombings out of 5

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE [2016]

X-men: Apocalypse is the ninth film in the film franchise (and director Bryan Singer's fourth) and it seems like it's just starting to come full circle with the conclusion of the First Class story arc.
En Sabah Nur (aka Apocalypse), the world's oldest mutant, has risen after thousands of years of being buried underground, making him a bit testy, so he would love to wipe out mankind and rule the world as he sees fit.
As special effects summer blockbuster, the film is a wide-eyed spectacle that doesn't disappoint from a technical point of view.  However as a character piece, it hits a few marks with success and then misses many like an elephant using chopsticks.  There's some wonderful moments from most of the characters, especially the new kids (not Mystique...she's always been boring) but it constantly loses focus before a proper pay-off is given.
Not enough surprises and creativity shows the franchise is losing steam again so hopefully it gets a swift kick in the butt before it tackles the stories it's leading up to.

3 shots at last stands out of 5

DARK PLACES [2015]

In what seems like riding on the coattails of David Fincher's popular film adaptation of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, director Gilles Paquet-Brenner gives Dark Places a stab in the...dark.
A loner of a woman revisits the gruesome Satanic murders of her family, when she is agrees to take part in a club obsessed with horrific crimes of the past.
An impressive cast is assembled for an overly rushed script that lacks any sort of bite to it.  In fact the whole thing feels more like a TV movie of the week rather than a dark passageway into the character's minds like the novel did so well at doing.
It feels like themes and ideas are ready to be explored but nothing is really said or done about them and in the end it's nothing more than pointless, yet somewhat easy to watch pulp.

2½ rituals out of 5

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD [2015]

After years of directing talking pigs and dancing cartoon penguins, director George Miller returns to the franchise that got him started with the bat-shit crazy action/adventure flick Mad Max: Fury Road.

It's essentially one big huge post-apocalyptic chase movie, packed with jaw-dropping vehicular warfare, with Tom Hardy filling in the title role with many an impressionable grunt, snort and occasional complete English sentence.  It's insane stunts and action sequences are choreographed and edited with such care you're left in complete awe of it's colorful visuals amidst the desolate wastelands.  It's strong female characters, particularly Charlize Theron's ass-kicker, heart-pounding music (courtesy of Junkie XL) and vibrant personality reminds one that the action films can be complete chaos but still shoot it with clear precision and care.  It's out to kick your ass across the floor and has a helluva lot of fun doing it.

4 axe-shredders out of 5

YOUNG ONES [2014]

Writer/director Jake Paltrow channels a futuristic John Steinbeck in the slow-burning post-apocalyptic western, Young Ones.
Set in the not-so-distant future, the world has fallen onto hard times with a very short supply of water, the film follows a family struggling to keep their land at the risk of their own lives.  Broken up into three very distinct parts, the story explores themes of violence, deceit, patriachy and survival all which make for great conversation pieces if the characters were just a little more fleshed out.  Paltrow's aesthetics are actually quite pleasing with it's over-baked photography, old-timey film editing and dissolves, with some great character framework and moody music courtesy of Nathan Johnson.
It might not meet the potential it has going for it but it certainly has enough going for it to enjoy as a lover of off-kilter sci-fi cinema.

3 babies for sale out of 5

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST [2014]

Director Bryan Singer returns to the X-men franchise for the prequel to his own series and a sequel to the excellent prequel, Days Of Future Past.
Confusing?  Yes and no.
As long as you have your nerds hats on and are fairly knowledgeable of the comics then you shouldn't have a problem.  If this isn't your case you're still in for a pretty great ride that never ceases to entertain and enthral with it's many character moments and extravagant action sequences.
Like the best of the X-films, this one carries an emotional punch that will have your heart left in a grey area as to what is right and wrong, depending on your love for humanity.
It's a story that threatens to collapse under it's own weight but never does thanks to Singer's wonderful storytelling and impressive ensemble cast.  Overall, it's easily one of the best X-films to date.

3½ cameos, cameos, cameos out of 5

JACK THE GIANT SLAYER [2013]

Director Bryan Singer's Jack The Giant Slayer is an uneven fairy tale adventure film that borrows elements from Jack & The Beanstalk and Jack The Giant Killer then glazes it over with hokey CGI effects.
The performances are enthusiastically overacted with great effect and the special effects are artificial in such a way that benefits the fairy tale aspects of the story but it's all dragged down by a terribly boring yawn-worthy script that seemed to have no idea what it wanted to focus on.  It lacks personality, wit or charm and hurts everything in the worst of ways.  With a good script doctor, Jack could have been a silly wild ride with no regrets, instead it sputters and grasps for fresh air.

2 pigs-in-a-blanket out of 5

WARM BODIES [2013]

50/50 director Jonathan Levine's adaptation of Isaac Marion's zombie romance novel Warm Bodies is a bit of a head-scratcher.
Branded as "Twilight with zombies" gained it an unfortunate rep but I was pleasantly surprised to find it was more Edward Scissorhands than sparkly vampires.  It's well acted, occasionally funny and breathes some new ideas into the tired zombie genre.  However, it has a difficult time balancing comedy and horror which makes for a very bumpy ride.  Had it leaned closer towards the comedy and inserted a bit more wit into the dialogue it might have worked, instead of taking the silly premise just a tad too seriously at times.

2½ zombies with a wicked vinyl collection out of 5

X-men: First Class [2011]

Matthew Vaughn crafts a highly entertaining little comic book tale with the latest installment of the hit & miss X-men movie franchise.
It's a hammy spectacle edging closer to Raimi's comic book style rather than the style Bryan Singer established with the original X film. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender turn in some great performances but not good enough to make us forget Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen.
Vaughn does manage to fit in enough style from the '60's but never really enough to make it feel outdated. A lot of dialogue is forced and silly as is the music which is quite distracting when heavy Limp Bizkit style rock music kicks in, in what should be a movie taking place in the '60's.
Not a film to write home about but still a fun time out and by far my favorite since the first X film.

3 Leland Palmers? out of 5