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

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

RIDE ALONG 2 [2016]

Director Tim Story brings back Ice Cube & Kevin Hart for another comedic romp in the sequel to the 2014 hit, Ride Along.
This time around the bad boys are heading to Miami to bring down a dangerous drug lord who's supplying their hometown with his product.
While the first film failed to muster a whole lot of laughter from me, this second outing somehow managed to improve upon it's tired formula with a breezier pace.  Tossing Ken Jeong into the mix to form a mismatched trio works incredibly well and offers most of the film's laughs.  The story-mapping is pretty sloppy, the character arcs are terrible and it's more predictable than downing a boxful of laxatives but at least it's pretty damned funny.

3 brother-in-laws out of 5

DELIVER US FROM EVIL [2014]

Deliver Us From Evil is a mystery/horror about a  troubled cop who finds himself in the middle of a demon possession circle of gruesome crimes.
Director Scott Derrickson constantly proves to us that he can suffocate us with his knack for conjuring up some uber-creepsome atmosphere but, like the title of the film, he always seems to fall into conventional plotting and old hat scare tactics.  While the supporting cast are all quite wonderful it's the leading man, Eric Bana that is the most uninteresting of the bunch and that hurts the film quite a bit too.
If you've never seen an exorcism film before, from under that rock you've been under, then this might be pretty effective...but if not, then you have a legion of better ones to choose from.

2½ scary ass owl plushies out of 5

JEDI JUNKIES [2010]

Mark Edlitz's low budget documentary, Jedi Junkies takes a bizarre look at the mental illness that is Star Wars obsession.
It explores some more interesting folks who use their own creativity to soothe their fandom, while others have no thinking brain of their own and are just plain crazy, making it occasionally disturbing and sad.  It interviews celebrities, fans, Slave Princess Leia cosplayers galore and for a deeper insight to these psychiatric disorders: professional therapists.
It's not particularly mesmerizing to see all these people talk nor is it much in the way of entertainment (with the exception of those guys behind the Chad Vader web series).  In the end, it feels like a poor man's version of Trekkies, which in itself is a circus sideshow.

2 Sith Lords In A Supermarket out of 5

MAGIC MIKE [2012]

I'll admit it, I didn't think director Steven Soderbergh's Magic Mike, a dramatic comedy about the life of Florida male strippers, would be the least bit interesting.
To my surprise I found it to be very entertaining and occasionally quite enticing.
Loosely based on actor Channing Tatum's early career as a male stripper, the film delves into areas of the profession I had never thought about before and what it does to both your personality and personal lives.  It's well-written, directed with precision and filled with a slew of strong performances all of which make for some well-placed funny moments that carry some serious weight to it with good reason.
So yes, folks, this isn't just a male stripper film but a story about choice, consequences and the occasional penis pump.

3 little piggies out of 5