Apex (2026)

An adrenaline seeker finds herself being hunted in the Australian wilderness. We've seen this kind of cat and mouse chase a million times before, but what this film has to offer are gorgeous scenic vistas filtered through Netflix's color degradation system. It's a decent survival adventure thriller that held my attention the entire time, mostly due to how photogenic Charlize Theron remains. I give this film credit for making everything look painful and realistic.

3 whitewater rapids out of 5

EDDIE THE EAGLE [2016]

For some odd reason director Dexter Fletcher & co. find it necessary to exaggerate an already unbelievable true story with Eddie the Eagle.
Inspired by British ski-jumper Eddie Edwards, the film follows his rise to fame as the most lovable personality to emerge from the 1988 Winter Olympics.
If they went so much to change the story, why couldn't they have avoided the endless amounts of underdog '80's sports movie clichés?  Maybe that's the point, if it is trying to emulate the films of it's time.  Thankfully Taron Egerton turns in a irresistible performance as the title subject, while Hugh Jackman is a ruggedly charming as ever as a drunken curmudgeon made up only for the film.  It's sweet enough to not leave a bitter aftertaste but leaves much to be desired.

3 dreams come true out of 5

KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE [2014]

Director Matt Vaughn returns to his pip-pip roots with the highly entertaining action/comedy Kingsman: The Secret Service, loosely based on Mark Millar & Dave Gibbon's comic book series of the same name.
It's the tale of a young council estate delinquent who is recruited by his mysterious upper-class uncle for a British spy organization that goes against an American eco-terrorist.  Vaughn calls back his crude, comic book ultra-violence of Kick-Ass and meshes it with his wide-eyed coming-of-age wonder of X-men: First Class then stuffs it with a suave snarkiness that's both satirical and dedicated to the '60's British spy films it's taking the piss out of.  It's pretty uneven at times but it hardly deters from the bat-shit crazy fun that's to be had especially with Colin Firth & Michael Caine having a ball doing what they do best, while Sammy Jackson is an absolute hoot as the super villain with a lisp.

3½ James Bonds, Jason Bournes & Jack Bauers out of 5