RESIDENT EVIL (2026)

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Directed By: Zach Cregger

Written By: Zach Cregger and Shay Hatten

Cinematography: Darius Wolski

Editor: Joe Murphy 

Cast: Austin Abrams, Paul Walter Hauser, Kali Reis, Zach Cherry, Will Merrick, Sara Paxton, Zoe Bella, Andrea Miltnerova

A hapless courier is tasked with delivering a package to a remote hospital. He soon finds himself caught in the middle of an outbreak and must fight through hordes of mutated creatures to survive.

Let me start off by saying I never really played the video game of this so I don’t know the actual storyline or history. All I know is the previous films. Which were entertaining, but definitely products of their time. None of them were truly masterpieces or what one might qualify is good but they were passable.

This film is another beast as this film ties into the resident evil lore of the video game, but this could’ve totally been an original film and it would’ve worked just as well. It just now has a bit more of a built-in audience as it is connected to the game. Luckily any audience members can follow as it goes along 

Now let’s tackle the elephant in the room. Surprised at how much humor there is in the film throughout. There is a shocking a certain amount of laughs, but it is a horror film through and through with comedic elements thrown In. Rather then the other way around. It feels like the comedy is to acknowledge the ridiculous nature of what is happening at times. As well as way to have a release of tension every once in while. As there is still graphic violence and plenty of jump scares.

The protagonist isn’t the typical action hero nor the usual horror hero so him making bad decisions makes more sense and makes them feel more identifiable for the audience, as well as keeps the plot moving, and the action popping. The credit has to be given to Austin Abrams, as this is pretty much almost a one man show performance at least for most of the film it stays that was, very physical. Which will remind many of Bruce Campbell in THE EVIL DEAD films. As well as that type of mood. Definitely a star-making turn for him.

When other character characters appear in the film, it always feels a bit strange as we’re so used to only deal dealing with our main character. It’s nice to see Paul Walter Hauser in this film in a pivotal role that comes across more as comedic relief as well as Kali Reis as a kick ass security expert. 

The film is scary yet feels fun as we get deeper in the character faces more challenges as well as discovery, which does eventually feel like the film is leveling up as it goes along. 

One of the smarter aspects of the film is how they naturally create POV shots like from a video game that are thrown in time to time and made to look more makeshift as a survival method In dark places.

The fact that there’s very little dialogue keeps the film more tense.

Zach Cregger even though he doesn’t have to shows what he can do with ip that he didn’t originate and still make a film that is all his own. It’s sort of reminds one of what Frank Darabont was trying to do when he was still running the television show. THE WALKING DEAD. In wanting to obviously have the stories in the plot, but be able to take a moment for maybe a side story or give a chance for a side character to shine.

Though you have to say that for Zach Crager, this is 400 out of the successes for his films. Though he did co-direct and star in the comedy MISS MARCH. I will say that I enjoyed this more than I did his film WEAPONS. 

The unexpected third act that tells the tale of what would normally be a side character and allows for them to have depth plus allow allowing us to see what role they played in the overall story. 

Have to give it credit for where it goes. Especially when there are some Ty of places you don’t think it will venture to and it does and practically bathes in it. 

It’s easy to agree that this is the best out of all of the franchise obviously.

Grade: A

THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THE DARK (1976)

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Directed By: Leon Klimovsky 

Written By: Gabriel Burgos, Vincente Aranda and Joaquim Jorda

Cinematography: Miguel Fernandez Mila 

Editor: Soledad Lopez 

Cast: Nadiuska, Alberto De Mendoza, Teresa Gimpera, Emiliano Redondo, Julia Sali, Tomas Pico, Diana Polakov, Antonio Mayans, Leona Devin, Ricardo Palacios 

Wealthy elites gather at a remote castle for a decadent party when nuclear catastrophe strikes. They emerge to find the surrounding townspeople irrevocably blinded by the blast, helpless and panicked. As the survivors venture into this collapsed world, they discover a shadowy faction called “The People Who Own the Dark,” whose motives remain obscure and threatening. Paranoia escalates. The castle becomes both sanctuary and trap. Trust disintegrates as survival instincts collide with moral decay.

At first, This looks like it’s going to be one kind of movie entirely. It opens with wealthy people gathered at an estate for what appears to be a very exclusive bacchanal, somewhere between EYES WIDE SHUT and SALO only with considerably less Stanley Kubrick or Pasolini and considerably more exploitation movie energy. And then, suddenly there is an apocalypse.

A bomb blast wipes out civilization, leaves the surrounding population blind, and turns this decadent little gathering into a survival story. Except the people coming after our privileged partygoers aren’t zombies or mutants. They’re ordinary human beings who have been blinded by the blast and understandably aren’t thrilled when one particularly trigger-happy member of the group starts murdering them.

From there, the movie becomes something of a low-budget DAWN OF THE DEAD with the survivors fighting off the furious townspeople while gradually discovering that their biggest threat may actually be each other.

Because nothing reveals someone’s personality quite like the possibility of dying.

The film is cynical about privilege, survival, desire and human nature, but surprisingly, it also becomes more emotionally involving than you might expect. What initially feels like a disposable exploitation picture slowly develops into a story about people you may actually care about including a rather touching and heartbreaking love story.

And yes, this is another post-apocalyptic movie where humanity apparently has to relearn the concept of basic decency. You don’t really know anyone until panic sets in, and once survival becomes the only objective, morality becomes a very negotiable concept.

The movie even manages to complicate its own characters. You might expect to cheer when these wealthy, decadent people get their comeuppance, but the longer you spend with them, the more you realize that some of them don’t necessarily deserve the fates coming their way.

It’s essentially a B-movie with ambitions of being something deeper. Sometimes it gets there. Sometimes you can practically see the seams. But it works surprisingly well, largely because it keeps moving and mercifully doesn’t overstay its welcome. It makes its points, occasionally quite bluntly, and gets out before it can completely wear out its welcome.

And then there is Nadiuska. The film is certainly not shy about making sure its female cast is easy on the eyes, but Nadiuska has a screen presence that makes you stop paying attention to the plot for a moment. She is absolutely gorgeous. A genuine screen siren and the movie gives her one of its more romantic and emotionally affecting storylines. That makes what happens to her character all the more heartbreaking.

She brings a warmth and vulnerability to the movie that helps make the ending hit harder than it probably has any right to. Among all the chaos, violence and rather obvious social commentary, her character gives the film something genuinely human to hold onto.

So, yes, the film initially promises you exploitation and then hands you something slightly different. Thankfully, it’s a pretty good trade.

I wouldn’t call this a great film, but it’s an entertaining, strange and surprisingly effective one. It has enough atmosphere, sex, violence, social commentary, survivalism and melodrama to satisfy the exploitation crowd, while occasionally reaching for something more thoughtful underneath it all.

Not exactly essential cinema, but certainly not disposable either.

Grade: B-

REFUGE OF FEAR (Aka CREATION OF THE DAMNED) (1974)

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Directed By: Jose Ulloa 

Written By: Jose Ulloa and Miguel Sanz 

Cinematography: Antonio Millan 

Editor: Emilio Ortiz 

Cast: Craig Hill, Patty Shepard, Teresa Gimpera, Fernando Hilbeck, Pedro Maria Sanchez, Fernando Millet 

Five strangers bound by concrete and dread hole up beneath a scorched America, waiting for radiation to thin enough to breathe. Food vanishes. Medicine runs dry. Nerves fray into territory no bunker was designed to contain. The youngest among them, restless and half-feral with need, makes a decision that nobody else has the courage to face. Above, the world is poison. Below, so is everything they’ve become to each other. The shelter stops being a refuge almost immediately, turning instead into a slow-burning pressure cooker of want, boredom, and bodies too close together for too long.

This is the kind of movie that seems like it should be pure exploitation. It opens with plenty of shots of New York, establishing where we supposedly are, only for the film to later send a character outside into what looks suspiciously like the suburbs. Add the fact that this is an Italian production with dubbed English dialogue that doesn’t always agree with the actors’ mouths, and the movie is already having a bit of an identity crisis. Everyone is apparently American, even when absolutely nothing about the production agrees.

But once you get past that, there’s actually a pretty interesting little film here.

This is a post-apocalyptic drama with some nudity, some sex, and just enough exploitation seasoning to remind you what aisle you’re standing in. For the most part, though, it plays like a chamber piece. Five people: two couples and one of their sons are trapped inside a futuristic apartment building, waiting for news about what’s happening outside.

And, naturally, they have nothing to do but turn on each other.

Each character is basically a different type, and after being stuck together for what seems like weeks or months, the personalities begin rubbing each other the wrong way. We enter the story somewhere in the middle of their isolation, watching these people slowly come apart while the outside world becomes almost secondary.

It’s predictable. You can usually see where things are going; the only question is when the movie is going to get there. Still, it manages to be compelling because the characters gradually reveal themselves, and there’s something effective about watching ordinary human behavior become more frightening than the apocalypse itself.

It’s almost like NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD without the living dead. No zombies necessary when people are perfectly capable of becoming their own worst enemies.

The second half gets particularly cold, especially in the relationships. It sometimes feels as though death is the only thing capable of making these people realize they actually care about one another or at least about whoever has just become the latest victim.

The premise is interesting, the movie keeps moving, and despite its ridiculous touches, it’s never really boring. There’s something here worth watching, even if the film occasionally seems unsure whether it wants to be serious science fiction, exploitation, or an Italian movie pretending very hard to be an American one.

Patty Shepard is a stand out as at first she comes across as more of a minor ungrateful character whose wild end up, causing the initial dissension, but as the film goes along, she becomes more and more important as her character grows and seems maybe one of the few characters who hasn’t totally lost their mind. As at first, they play her more as a kind of flirtatious, easy character. as she is quite eye-catching throughout with her piercing eyes. Though she proves to be more than that throughout the film.

In the end, The filmfeels like one of those thought provoking science-fiction novels you discover in a used bookstore. The premise sounds better than the writing, there are some genuinely good ideas buried inside, and you wish the execution were just a little stronger.

It’s not great. It’ kind of cheesy. It’s not exactly sophisticated. But it’s certainly not forgettable. And sometimes, in a post-apocalyptic movie, keeping your attention is already a small victory.

Grade: C+

ONSLAUGHT (2026)

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Directed By: Adam Wingard

Written By: Simon Barrett 

Cinematography: Oren Soffer 

Editor: Adam Avery and Josh Schaeffer

Cast: Adria Arjona, Dan Stevens, Drew Starkey, Michael Biehn, Reginald Vel Johnson, Rebecca Hall, Eric Wareheim, Alex Pereira 

When a rogue squad of genetically engineered super soldiers break loose in the desert, a badass Army sniper must unleash hell to protect her young daughter.

I can already understand why ONSLAUGHT has disappointed some people. In fact, I almost feel like this is one of those movies that comes with a built-in warning label 

Because if you walk into this expecting a nonstop action extravaganza, THE TERMINATOR with a female lead, or some glorious 1980s style bloodbath that spends two hours blowing things up, you might find yourself checking your watch.

But personally, I really enjoyed this. And I think a lot of that comes down to taste.

ONSLAUGHT is patient. Almost deliberately so. It spends a surprising amount of time establishing its world, its characters, its atmosphere and, most importantly, the feeling that something very bad is eventually going to happen. And I don’t movies that make me wait. Let’s us in with the atmosphere and give 

This feels less like a traditional action movie and more like a siege film that has wandered into a science-fiction nightmare. There is action throughout, but it arrives in bursts, almost as if the movie occasionally remembers, Oh yeah we’re supposed to be making an action movie.

The story itself is admittedly pretty thin. There are characters and bits of information that seem like they are going to become enormously important, only for the movie to leave some of those pieces sitting on the table. At times, it feels less like a complete story and more like the first chapter of a larger universe. maybe that’s intentional.

Because ONSLAUGHT exists in the same universe as director Adam Wingard’s THE GUEST, though this feels like a much more conventional cousin. Where THE GUEST was sleek, mysterious and wonderfully strange, this feels more like Wingard trying to reconnect with the scrappier independent filmmaker underneath all those giant monsters.

After directing GODZILLA VS. KONG and GODZILLA x KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE there’s something oddly refreshing about watching Wingard scale things back and concentrate on mood, character and visual style.

And boy, does this movie have style.

The pounding synth-heavy score immediately gives the film that wonderful 1980s action-thriller flavor. The cinematography, lighting and production design create an atmosphere that feels intentionally retro without simply becoming cosplay.

There were moments when I felt like I was watching a lost John Carpenter movie. And for me, that is a compliment. Especially if it’s one from his heyday

This is a movie more interested in building tension than immediately releasing it. The camera lingers. The atmosphere hangs around. The threat gradually becomes clearer. You spend much of the movie waiting for the inevitable explosion of violence. When it finally arrives, the action is impressive.

Is it quite as epic as the movie has trained you to imagine it will be? Not necessarily.

The film spends so much time building toward that final confrontation that your imagination almost becomes the production designer. You start creating a bigger, crazier climax in your own head. But when the payoff comes, there is still plenty of carnage to enjoy. I appreciated that ONSLAUGHT didn’t feel the need to constantly throw something at me just to keep me awake.

Dan Stevens is particularly interesting here. Following THE GUEST, he once again gets to disappear beneath layers of makeup and play somebody considerably stranger than the handsome leading man he could so easily be playing. Stevens seems increasingly interested in becoming a character actor rather than simply being another conventional leading man, and honestly, the more bizarre the role, the better he seems to be.

And the film’s lead Adria Arjona gets to demonstrate that she can carry this kind of material, too. There’s a physicality to the performance that makes the action feel believable without turning the character into some invincible superhero.

Ultimately, ONSLAUGHT is a movie that lives more by its characters, atmosphere, music and visuals than its plot.

Sometimes I would rather watch a filmmaker execute a straightforward idea with personality than watch a complicated story that has absolutely nothing to say visually.

That’s what I think Adam Wingard deserves credit for here.

Whether ONSLAUGHT completely works for you probably depends on what you want from it. If you’re looking for relentless action, you may walk away disappointed. If you like slow-burn genre movies, Carpenter-inspired atmosphere, synth scores, strange characters and films that take their sweet time before finally letting the monsters out of the cage, there’s a lot to appreciate.

Did I want a little more from the ending?

Absolutely. It’s entertaining, But I also think there’s something admirable about a filmmaker making the movie he wants to make, rather than the movie we have already decided we want to see.

Give it a try.

Grade: B- 

A WOUNDED FAWN (2022)

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Directed By: Travis Stevens

Written By: Travis Stevens and Nathan Faudree

Cinematography: Ksusha Genenfeld

Editor: Zach Clark and Travis Stevens

Cast: Josh Ruben, Sarah Lind, Malin Barr, Katie Kung, Lakshmi Hedemark, Tanya Everett, Marshall Taylor Thurman, Neal Mayer 

A serial killer brings an unsuspecting new victim on a weekend getaway to add another body to his ever-growing count. She’s buying into his faux charms, and he’s eagerly lusting for blood. What could possibly go wrong?

This film has a very original trajectory, whereas the first half plays more traditional and linear where it surprises you and it feels a little more predictable as we have seen this before a kind of serial killer working his way on a current victim. 

Then all of a sudden the film which already was leaning into more psychological and the psychedelic. Totally moves and gives itself up to that direction where we are now seeing the delusions and the reality of the situation that the serial killer has found himself in.

Where he is haunted by different ghosts, demons of past victims telling him what to do and also torturing him as he tries to find his latest victim and to see if she is truly alive or is she dead?

This is where the film also becomes more violent and a little grotesque, though it stays captivating as you wonder what’s real and what isn’t just like the lead character and wondering where this is going to go and what is the ultimate ending.

This isn’t a film one could call light, but it does try to offer something new and different and a bit more experimental in the genre that keeps you guessing, and usually you will be wrong as to where it might go or where it goes, which adds a little decadent fund to the whole endeavor.

This room isn’t gonna be for everyone so if you’re looking for the traditional horror film, this is probably not for you or even if you’re looking for a slash or film this is not going to be the film for it but if you like your horror a little out there and maybe a little thought-provoking and unsteady this might be the film for you

Grade: B-

THE LIVING DEAD GIRL (1982)

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Directed By: Jean Rollin 

Written By: Jean Rollin, Jacques Ralf and Gregory Heller

Cinematography: Max Monteillet 

Editor: Janette Kronegger 

Cast: Francoise Blanchard, Marina Pierro, Mike Marshall, Carina Barone, Fanny Maggier, Patricia Besnard-Rousseau, Veronique Pinson, Sandrine Morel 

A toxic spill revives a beautiful, dead heiress who, with the help of her childhood friend, must quench her insatiable thirst for blood.

This is the first Jean Rollin directed film that I have seen, even as his films are notorious it film circles for their more sexual material in the middle of being a horror film and here is a perfect example, even though this is the first and only I’ve seen I imagine that the rest of his films are similar to a degree only hopefully better quality

Has this film plays like a 1970s softcore movie that strives to be artistic in European mixed with random ridiculous violence that looks like it should be in a low budget grind house horror film that is even over the top four it subject matter

At heart it’s a love story that is also a zombie movie where the female zombie in this film has quite amazing strength and seems to be perfectly presented and not the George Romero type where they crave brains in our continuously rotting. The zombie is cannibalistic, though that doesn’t seem to come out until the second half of the film Moore..

Which by the end doesn’t even matter because even though it’s zombies, the film seems to have the same rules where it could’ve easily been a vampire but it seems like the filmmakers were like well. We’ve been there and done that so let’s move on to zombies which I can’t blame the filmmakers for because eventually that is how Hollywood started treating the genre also it seems more in the early 2000s when there was a horror where vampire suddenly became in in the shadow of the popular TWILIGHT movies those after realizing the overkill and dwindling box office of those particular creatures, always romantic nature and always seeming to come around once in a while they moved to zombies, but not just plain old zombie films soon we were starting to get zombie films that were romantic like WARM BODIES or just zombies in general to be our protagonist who we feel sorry for as they are cursed or just a general villain. 

Director Jean Rollin’s style makes the film feel like his own personal fetish or fantasy material with actress Francoise Blanchard, as he seems or makes the camera seem obsessed with her from the many angles in poses he has her do especially nude as well as her female, best friend and lover, played by Marina Pierro though not as obsessed with her she is quite beautiful and stunning in her own right prove that the coldest or most evil monsters aren’t always the supernatural kind

Luckily, the film does have a plot that is barely there, but there is a story that ties everything together, which is a essentially a forbidden romance film between two women with themes of obsession that feels overall throughout, even while trying to show one’s devotion to the other

It comes across pretty pretentious as it tries at certain points to be classy, but it has just a low class style, like wanting to be artistic, but also wanting to be down with the people while providing plenty of sex which year is more nudity and violence at which at times can be gory, though only in one scene does it feel like it keeps going on and on and over the top

I believe the film is a bit anti-American. As it has the only American player by Mike Marshall be a complete idiot and blind to all that is going on around him. As he is the amateur photographer who keep snooping in and investigating’s boyfriend.

The film is a lesbian romance that is interrupted and slowly starts to break down and become more dramatic and tries to involve certain characters investigating these uncommon occurrences, though they seem here only for the audience to get more of a backstory that the two main characters are not providing

By the end, the film feels much do about nothing. The type that you probably wanted to watch when you were 13 only because you saw on the TV Guide that it had nudity and sexual themes, but then were partially disappointed because he had to sit through so much just to get to those scenes and it’s still seeing the kind of odd or something that you weren’t used to, though I wonder if that is what shaped certain artist Taste was going in for one thing expecting more T And A as well as exploitation and in sitting through all of the film just to get to that they also started to learn to appreciate art of foreign cultures, depth, story, or seek out what they weren’t used to necessarily.

The quality of this film could’ve been more understood if it had been made in the 60s or 70s, but this was made in 1982. It feels like the filmmaker’s knew better then again maybe it was a throwback for them rather than trying to be modern or they were trying to make a film that seemed more dipped in the past with for 1982 modern sensibilities as it was a decade just beginning and hadn’t quite found an identity yet, but was coming into its own

There is an English language version of the film. That was filmed and directed by Gregory heller only using the same cast and crew. A she would film the same exact scenes in English right after they did them originally in French. It was never released and thought to be a lost film or lost version of the film. 

Though even if it hopefully was one of those films that was a Gateway drug to better quality films of this type, this was still a major disappointment, though it will be slow. Can’t wait to see how this one measured up to his other films in terms of quality. As with this one, I like the song that it inspired by Rob Zombie, which to me is more exciting than the actual film that inspired it here.

For me this film is overhyped 

Grade: D+ 

BUDDY (2026)

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Directed By: Casper Kelly

Written By: Casper Kelly and Jamie King

Cinematography: Zach Kuperstein

Editor: Josh Ethier 

Cast: Delaney Quinn, Caleb Williams, Cristin Milioti, Topher Grace, Keegan-Michael Key, Patton Oswalt, Michael Shannon, Clint Howard

A brave girl and her friends must escape a kids television show.

There are some movies where the less you know going in, the better. BUDDY is definitely one of them.

This is a film that can be ambiguous and awkward, but always feels just a bit off and creepy. Yet somewhat comfortable 

If you’re familiar with writer-director Casper Kelly’s short for ADULT SWIM, TOO MANY COOKS you may already have an idea of the kind of strange, unsettling sense of humor he brings to the table. That short took something as harmless and familiar as television opening themes and slowly revealed something much darker bubbling underneath. This film plays with that same idea of innocence turning increasingly… well, not so innocent. And this film is definitely out there.

The first fifteen minutes might test your patience or your willingness to go along with it. As we’re introduced to what appears to be an actual children’s television show. Episode after episode, everything seems cute, cheerful and perfectly harmless. Then, almost imperceptibly, things begin to feel a little wrong. And then a little more wrong. Before long, you realize you’re not watching the movie you thought you were watching.

I won’t say much more, because discovering where BUDDY goes is part of the fun. The film has an unusual way of withholding information, and by the time it reaches the end, it leaves you with more questions than answers. Normally that might frustrate me, but here I found myself wanting to know more.

That’s probably the nicest thing I can say about the film: I wanted more.

The recognizable adult cast is used barely, with the kids essentially carrying the movie. And despite the innocent looking premise, this is absolutely not a movie for children. There is some disturbing violence involving kids that will understandably be difficult for some viewers.

But what makes the film refreshing is that it never seems particularly interested in giving you exactly what you expect.

This isn’t your typical horror movie. In fact, some people may find that disappointing. There are moments when you expect the film to push things further, only for it to pull back and leave you wondering what exactly you just watched.

Personally, I appreciated that restraint.

BUDDY is disturbing, strange and occasionally bizarre, but there’s something wonderfully curious about it. It feels like a movie that wants you to think about it afterward rather than simply move on to the next thing.

Is it for everybody? Absolutely not, But maybe that’s part of why I liked it.

There’s something to be said for a movie that doesn’t completely explain itself, doesn’t follow the usual rules and leaves you just curious enough to want to step back into its world.

So if you’re looking for something familiar, predictable and comfortably within the lines, this  probably isn’t your movie. But if you’re willing to take a chance on something weird? Give it a try.

No matter what, I have a feeling you’ll remember it.

Grade: B+

YOU, ME & TUSCANY (2026)

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Directed By: Kat Coiro

Written By: Ryan Engle

Story By: Ryan Engle & Kristin E. Engle

Cinematography: Danny Ruhlmann

Editor: Zene Baker and Troy Takaki 

Cast: Halle Bailey, Rage-Jean Page, Lorenzo De Moor, Marco Calvani, Isabella Ferrari, Aziza Scott, Nia Vardalos, Desiree Popper 

When a woman crashes at an empty Italian villa posing as the owner’s fiancée, she discovers an unexpected romance that could transform her life.

Sometimes a movie doesn’t need to reinvent the romantic comedy. Sometimes it just needs to be charming, pretty, and know exactly what it wants to be. This is pretty much that movie.

It’s simple, predictable, and built with the kind of sitcom logic you can see coming from a mile away. But honestly? There’s something rather pleasant about that. The movie has an easygoing charm, a picturesque setting, and a cast that makes the whole thing go down pretty smoothly. It’s not exactly epic filmmaking, but it is certainly easy on the eyes.

And then there’s Halle Bailey. It’s still a little strange seeing her play a fully grown adult character because, well… she still looks so young. There are moments when it feels almost like she’s playing dress-up as an adult. But she’s good here, and there’s an appealing warmth to her performance. Young people need love stories too, apparently. Who knew?

The movie does introduce a few details that seem as though they’re going to become important, only to eventually leave them sitting on the side of the road. I kept waiting for certain pieces of Mateo and Isabella’s history to lead somewhere, especially because their relationship feels like it has a story worth telling. Even if they’re supporting characters, a little more background would have given the movie some additional texture.

But my biggest hesitation comes from something outside the movie itself.

I’ve seen this film treated by some as though being basic, automatically makes it bad. And I’m not entirely convinced that’s fair. Plenty of romantic comedies have operated with this exact formula for years. They’re predictable, glossy, sentimental and designed to give you a pleasant couple of hours.

So why does this one sometimes seem to get judged more harshly?

I can’t help but wonder if part of it has something to do with the fact that the central love story is primarily between two Black leads. That shouldn’t make the movie more or less identifiable, and it certainly shouldn’t make its familiar formula suddenly seem inferior. If anything, it’s nice to see a Black love story allowed to simply be a love story, rather than feeling obligated to explain itself, make a political statement, or turn every moment into a joke. that’s what I appreciated here.

Yes, this film is basic. But basic isn’t necessarily a crime. Sometimes you want the cinematic equivalent of a nice vacation: beautiful scenery, attractive people, a little romance, a little sass, and absolutely no need to pack emotional baggage.

The film has a pleasant vibe, and sometimes that’s enough.

It may not stay with you forever, but we have all seen worse.

Grade: C+

CLUNY BROWN (1946)

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Directed By: Ernst Lubitsch

Written By: Samuel Hoffstein and Elizabeth Reinhardt 

Based on The Novel By: Margery Sharp

Cinematography: Joseph LaShalle

Editor: Dorothy Spencer 

Cast: Jennifer Jones, Charles Boyer, Peter Lawford, Helen Walker, Reginald Gardiner, Reginald Owen, Sir. C. Aubrey Smith, Richard Haydn 

Amateur plumber Cluny Brown gets sent off by her uncle to work as a servant at an English country estate. While there, she becomes friendly with Adam Belinski, a charming Czech refugee. She also becomes interested in a dull shopkeeper named Mr. Wilson. Belinski soon falls in love with Cluny and tries to keep her from marrying Wilson.

Sadly this was the last film director Ernst Lubitsch finished on his own before passing. Away the following year, though he went out with a bang in this it seems lesser known or at least lesser talked about classic film. 

It feels like this film has so much in entendre throughout the film, (there is a character actually named Betty Cream, played by the scene stealing beauty Helen Walker) but still manages to be heartwarming as it is charming with sharp dialogue and has an innocence, whereas overall it feels more fluffy than serious

Jennifer jones has a star making role as the title character. A naïve tomboy. Trying to find her place in the world where she won’t be taking advantage of. Our character is still hopes and the way Jones player in the role is so winning.

At first, you’re not sure where this film is going or what the story will be until she arrives roughly about 10 minutes into the film. After that, it mostly never leaves her and even when it does, it’s usually characters talking about her. Not to mention. You have to admire lady who masters a true trade

And also offers something you don’t see too much more in films, where a film is more written around a character or a characters and whoever is the star of the film really gets to make an impression throughout.

Charles Boyer’ character at first was annoying, but you were to a charms, especially considering most of the other characters are so stiff and dull. Though at first, you wonder if he’s just a con man and then you realize he might not be, but he mostly is getting what he wants and being quite the rascal doing it, especially while putting the other characters in their places for the most part

What I enjoy about the films that each character gets their time to shine maybe not in quite star making, but each of them has their own scene to shine in that really defines their character be more comedic or more serious

The film is witty and warm. As after all, it is a comedy of manners and errors with real world historical references that were modern at the time that make the film feel a bit more real, even if it feels more like a fantasy set in the real world at times.

A lesser known film that makes magic out of a little and a few details. Then again look at who directed it. He had that kind of touch with most of his films. 

Very old school of quality that is plenty of fun it takes its time to get there. Though classic that can play for the whole family. The adults will probably appreciate the film more 

In the end, bringing a love story romance for most even where it doesn’t necessarily feel like it belongs. You can see why it’s a classic.

Grade: B 

MAYDAY (2026)

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Written & Directed By: John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein 

Cinematography: Barry Peterson 

Editor: Jamie Gross and John Lee 

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Kenneth Branagh, Marcin Dorocinski, Maria Bakalova, David Morse, Clark Johnson, Wendy Crewson, Josh Hamilton

Lieutenant Troy Brennan takes part in a top secret surveillance mission over Soviet airspace. Things take a sharp turn, however, when he is forced to eject from his plane over the Russian wilderness. He is rescued by a paradoxical Russian native and the two begin to appreciate both their differences and commonalities.

There are some movies you finish and immediately think, “Well… that was fine.” And honestly, that’s probably the best way to describe this one.

I went into it expecting something disposable, and while it certainly isn’t reinventing the action-comedy wheel, I have to admit that I had a decent time with it. 

because this is very much a paint-by-numbers kind of movie. You’ve seen this story before. You’ve seen these characters before. You can practically see some of the plot turns coming from the next room.

But every once in a while, it has just enough personality to keep itself from becoming completely forgettable.

Ryan Reynolds is interesting here because, thankfully, this isn’t quite the Ryan Reynolds we’ve seen a million times before. He still has that familiar rhythm and personality, but instead of firing off a wisecrack every thirty seconds, a lot of his humor comes through his reactions to the increasingly ridiculous situations around him. He almost becomes the audience surrogate. The guy looking at everything happening around him and thinking, “Are we seriously doing this?” surprisingly, that works.

Kenneth Branagh, meanwhile, is doing a lot of the heavy lifting literally. He’s getting into the action himself, which is something I’m not particularly accustomed to seeing from him. At this point in his career, watching Branagh throw himself around in an action movie is kind of charming. I don’t know if he’s channeling Sean Connery, taking notes from Liam Neeson, or simply having a really good time, but the man deserves some credit. He’s surprisingly convincing.

Branagh has directed action before, of course, with films like THOR and JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT. So this isn’t exactly unfamiliar territory for him. But seeing him actually inhabit this kind of older action-hero role is one of the more entertaining aspects of the movie.

The problem is that the rest of the film doesn’t exactly rise to their level.

It feels like the kind of movie that probably explains why it ended up on streaming rather than in theaters. There’s supposedly an epic quality to the story, much of it set against Cold War-era Russia, the KGB, and all the usual ingredients for a big, muscular action thriller. Yet somehow, everything feels surprisingly muted.

The movie is set in the 1980s, which at least gives it an excuse to use Russia and the KGB as its primary villains without having to invent some overly complicated modern conspiracy. But even with that built-in atmosphere, the film rarely feels as big as it seems to think it is.

And then there’s the strange feeling that Ryan Reynolds could almost be replaced by just about anybody. He’s not bad. He’s just… there.

Considering how naturally Reynolds fits into buddy comedies, you would think this would be tailor-made for him. But the movie never quite gives him enough material to bring his usual gravitas or comedic energy. Instead, he’s mostly along for the ride.

Oddly enough, the whole thing reminded me of BEHIND ENEMY LINES, except somebody decided to make this movie more of a buddy comedy and turn down the action just a little.

maybe that’s why I didn’t hate it.

It’s familiar, but it’s not completely lifeless. It’s basic, but it occasionally has some spirit. It doesn’t offer much you haven’t seen before, but it at least tries to put a slightly different spin on a very familiar formula.

It’s perfectly watchable, occasionally fun, and elevated by a couple of performances that are more entertaining than the material itself. But once the credits roll, I’m not sure there’s much left to say other than, “Yep. That was a movie.”

Not bad. Not great. Just ok 

Grade: C