MATCH (2025)

Directed By: Danishka Esterhazy

Written By: Al Kaplan and Jon Kaplan

Editor: David Trevail 

Cast: Humberly Gonzalez, Shaeane Jiminez, Dianne Simpson, Jacques Adriaanse, Luke Volker, Nikita Faber, Dean Goldblum, Alex McGregor 

After Paola is matched with a handsome online suitor, she arrives for a first date to discover a house full of dark and terrifying secrets.

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Once again, a Tubi channel original movie has taken me by surprise by being excitedly, entertaining and a solid thriller that keeps building as a story goes along with quite a few twist and moments, you are shocked, actually go there. As this film is crazy. Yet timely 

At first, the film plays as expected, but as it goes along with each act, it gains momentum and offers more shocks and the unexpected. As we can all identify with the film and it’s characters. Trying to find love in all the wrong places all the games that are played only

To discover your partner might be a monster.

The film is gory, but not an obnoxious way that can be somewhat tasteful, even if there are other parts of the film that some audiences might find gross, distasteful, and disgusting.

The cast is all excellent and truly make the film work and stay believable even in some of the more outlandish material and scenes. Especially one of the central characters within the film wasn’t expecting a literal monster to be involved.

Having watched a few films by director, Danishka Esterhazy. A few of which on the Tubi channel. She has made plenty of thrillers in here. She seems more confident with her material, focusing more on the scares and characters as well as the sensationalism. She is really coming into her own helping raise the bar of what is commonly thought of when it comes to the Tubi channel. And it’s originals that are more low budget films to be screened with Hollywood and foreign hits, but also a bastion for true independent filmmakers usually involved or characterized by genre.

Though there are plenty of times that the film feels like a B-movie. It has quite a few dramatic scenes that grounded in reality. Though the film

Ian’t for the squeamish as it gets quite nasty 

The last act of the film is off to the races of excitement as it truly has you and it’s grip.

My only group is that while the practical special effects make up is impressive. You can see the seams on the actors back, which take you out of the film a bit, but not enough to make this film a failure.

Grade: C+ 

LOWLIFES (2024)

Directed By: Tesh Guttikonda and Mitch Oliver

Written By: Al Kaplan

Cinematography: Matt Young 

Editor: Jason Hamill

Cast: Matthew MacCaull, Amanda Fix, Brenda Llewellyn, Cassandra Sawtell, Richard Harmon, Elyse Levesque, Josh Zaharia, Kevin McNulty 

The survival instincts of a road-tripping family are put to the test when they have no other choice but to stay the night at a remote homestead.


This is a film that is definitely better. If you don’t know much about it before you watch it even though the poster makes it look like a run-of-the-mill horror film. Hopefully, you are reading this after the film, As there are minor spoilers.

This film offers the typical violence thrills and scares, but it also offers up quite a few twists that are quite original and fun that keep the film entertaining.

Though the film might reveal its hand early. It seems necessary to heighten the situation that the characters find themselves in.

Most of the most creepy characters in this film, or actually the most innocent, and those that seem the most innocent tend to be the most disturbed ones.

This is a single horror film for the most part, so it maintains its ground and stays on the ground, which works for this tale. All the actors are spot-on in their performances.

This film deserves more of a theatrical release or to be part of the BLUMHOUSE productions. The film gives more to the audience and shows respect for them rather than being easily formulaic and providing cheap thrills. just as this is more entertaining than any of the American horror stories by Ryan Murphy

Surprisingly, this film is more solid than expected. It shows what can be done with imagination and a low budget. it offers a lot with what little it makes you believe it has. It even has a pro-LGBTQ+ romance in it. 

Grade: C+