Erik M.

Tony Jaa, Milla Jovovich, Ron Perlman and others are elite soldiers vs. Big monsters in NOT Resident Evil but the film is created/directed by her husband. Bad cuts, silly team-ups and some few decent acting by Jaa and Jovovich make this sort of OK but leave your higher brain at the door.

Erik M.

This absurdist horror film is about a psychopathic, telepathic living killer TIRE who kills everyone it encounters until it meets a girl and chases her, gets reincarnated as a tricycle, and continues it's path of destruction. Weird, disturbing and yet wholesome as it finds its place in the world. See it.

Erik M.

The Meg 2: The Trench is the second part of this riveting Action/Adventure/Horror franchise where Jason Stratham's Jonas tackles several giant sharks, a huge octopus and smaller marine reptiles while protecting a bit older Meiying, her uncle Jiuming and others along for the ride. Meg 2 doesn't know whether or not it's a film about killer giant animals or eco-terrorists/greedy ocean developers who see the trench as a quick way to make billions of dollars. This film has all the thrills and escapes plus more of the predecessor and then some, dumb yet engrossing. Watch, but leave your mind elsewhere. Oh, the dog lives, but many people do not.

Erik M.

Fire in the Sky is a dramatization of the abduction of Travis by what may be aliens in this film. Is it a precursor to the X-Files, an actual UFO encounter, all a big hoax or.? Compelling.

Erik M.

The third part of the Creephow series, this 2006 film gives up the twisted horror for more camp and is very loosely based upon the prior comics and anthology series. A hard pass, Creepshow 3 just doesn't live up to its potential or that of the other two movies. Stick to the first two.

Erik M.

Hannibal Rising is the fifth movie (but also a prequel to the series) about the makings of the infamous cannibal killer. Here we find a boy and his baby sister at the end of WW2 with their family murdered, being robbed and finally subjected to eating the youngest. A few years later, Hannibal then goes on a rampage, killing his captors for their horrible crimes while learning martial arts from his Aunt. Not as clever or paced as the others, but still engrossing, if a bit unappetizing.

Erik M.

During a massive hurricane in Florida, a swimmer daughter drives out to find her handyman father, who's in the crawlspace of his home very injured and both pursued by killer crocodiles in this relentless horror drama directed by Alexandre Aja and produced by Sam Raimi. Tense, atmospheric and merciless, the gators brutally slaughter anyone who comes near, be they looters, police, or others. Can they find any way to survive?! Watch this nail-biter and see.

Erik M.

When The Flash tries to prevent his mother's death and his father's arrest for it, the impetuous act has very dire consequences for the entire multiverse in this 2023 action-adventure film. Mixing odd CGI, weird casting, the strangest portrayal of babies falling, people running and arguing with your younger self, the overall effect is truly cringe-worthy. Some cameos are thrown in, including Michael Keaton, Gal Gadot and the original Flash, but it's Sasha Calle as Kara Zor-El who, with Keaton, steal the show in the saddest way. Indeed, this movies is somewhat funny at times but more so quite sad as it tumbles towards the end.

Erik M.

Ghost Story is a 1981 horror/thriller drama adaptation of a book by Peter Straub about a malevolent entity that attaches itself most recently on The Chowder Society, an aging group of male friends who tell spooky stories while hiding a terrible secret. Pretty good film with an occasional good scare.

Erik M.

2010s The Karate Kid is a reboot of the same martial arts story but set in China when Dre tries to woo Mei Ling and survive encounters with the local gang and their Sifu while learning good fighting via Mr. Han. Jackie Chan, Jayden Smith and Taraji P. Henson star in this OK family drama.

Erik M.

Pet Sematary is a remake of a 1989 horror film about a family dealing with change and tragedy move to a new home and work, only for things to get decidedly worse. Their home lies adjacent to a cursed burial ground where things don't stay dead but return "changed." First the cat, Church, and then the young daughter, etc. A spooky tale that will haunt you.

Erik M.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is an odd movie that's set just after the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home where the Webhead ends up messing with one of Dr. Strange's spells and causing a mess...in this case, having the enemies from the various Spider-Man movies to come through to his world. It then takes all three cinematic Spider-Men to swing in and "cure" The Lizard, Electro, Sandman, Doc Ock and the Green Goblin while NYC wants to tear the Wall-crawler to pieces as well. CGI plus some practical effects make it tolerable, while MJ and the others help. Marisa Tomei's Aunt May fate is...sad.

Erik M.

It's the Blair Witch Project plus every other zombie movie combined with scenes of bears, dogs, fish and mutant people against hapless humans looking for a vacay in Pripyat and the husk of Chernobyl. One of several friends suggest this as something different to their lasting regret. Some scary science fiction/horror moments that then go into shlock.

Erik M.

Coraline is an animated fantasy movie about the aforementioned little girl who lives in a dull life, but then starts to have a magical mystery unfold around her upon meeting her "Other Mother" who may be a vile insect-like creature! Things then get increasingly worse for our hero as people and places disappear, other individuals become horrible and poor Coraline is left confused and afraid. A good stop-motion film by Henry Selick.

Erik M.

Sisu is the Clint Eastwood and John Wick of war movies! When a grizzled prospector just happens to find gold in Finland, a group of Nazis come and immediately ruin his revelry. Little did they know that messing with him means death by terrible means. Near endless action mows down the bad guys, frees some Finnish women, and rescues his loyal dog somehow. If you want to cheer for an underdog that has like 2 lines at the end of an otherwise great epic, see this film.

Erik M.

A Quiet Place is a horror/thriller about big, fast, violent and practically invincible monsters from who-knows-where that quickly conquer Earth and ransack the remnants of humanity. Emily Blunt and her small family struggle to fight back against the marauding aliens until her daughter, who is deaf and wearing a faulty hearing aid, finds a way to hurt the monsters. Fast paced and relentless, A Quiet Place is definitely not for the noisy or the faint of heart.

Erik M.

Bumblebee is sort of a soft reboot of the Michael Bay series of films based upon the ongoing struggles between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons in their quest of domination. Bumblebee is the lovable yellow VW Bug who crash lands onto Earth with fractured memories and a damaged voice synthesizer. He immediately finds a friend in Charlie, an odd mechanic/swimmer of the 80s (played by an endearing Hailee Steinfeld) who has lost her dad due to a sudden heart attack. Together they fight to save Earth, be friends and have adventures while dealing with John Cena as a military officer who has a gripe with Bumblebee. A good adventure with lots of heart and energon.

Erik M.

Lady in the Water is confounding fantasy movie by M. Night Shyamalan about a water nymph named Story (Bryce Dallas Howard) who appears in a housing complex within kindly Cleveland's (Paul Giamatti) pool and is trying to find friends and return home. She is chased by simians protecting her, the people of the complex and grass-covered, wolf-like beings that mean to harm her. Strange yet somehow sweet but Shyamalan as a writer who may save the world is a bit much.

Erik M.

Immortals is a violent, dull, somewhat silly and bloody story about the hero Theseus and various myths involving the Greek gods, the Titans, etc. as well as the fabled Epirus Bow. While the fight scenes are big, nothing really impacts...not even the Brazen Bull or the "Minotaur." It's OK in general but not legendary.

Erik M.

Sarah and Juno - the only two survivors of the first movie about the blind and pale cannibal monsters - are back, days later, and they bring along a sheriff, his deputy and a team of cave-divers to the deadly depths in The Descent: Part 2. Gory, horrid happening abound, along with the squeals, clicks and loud shrieking growls of the mutants. Fair credit is given to the prior 3 victims as well as the others, and there are some scares as well as attempts at heroism and duplicity. Some stupidity also, but overall it's a decent film.

Erik M.