Erik M.

Insomnia is a thriller about a 17 year-old girl who was murdered in Alaska by a popular writer and whose killer is pursued by a questionable cop. Atmospheric and with good performances by Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank. Watch this.

Erik M.

Old is an M. Night Shyamalan movie about various families that seek a vacation getaway after receiving terrible news, and end up on a beack were they quickly die of murder and age-related illnesses. High tension/stress and unthinkable questions make this movie a return to form for the director, including a seeming innocent cameo. Give it a good watch.

Erik M.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a Johnny Depp fantasy comedy adout a young boy who can win himself a candy franchise by being kind and good! Deep Roy, Missi Pyle, AnnaSophia Robb and others fill out the Oompa Loompas as well as the children and their exasperated parents, but Depp steals the show as the bizarre Willie Wonka, who now has a deeper backstory and a side quest of his own. Freddie Highmore tries to play Charlie, and he's OK. See both versions in order for the full effect.

Erik M.

A classic, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a strange and captivating family movie starring Gene Wilder in the title role of the amazing Mr. Wonka who's leaving his super candy enterprize to an imagineative and "pure" child via a contest. Whimsical Oompa-Loompas, magic and more come together to fulfill Charlie's dream come true, while the other children learn life lessons. Enjoy.

Erik M.

Hollow Man is about a mad scientist (already) who, with his colleagues, finds the serum for invisibility but it further damages his mind. He then decides to kill his team and anyone who gets in his way, leaving it to Elizabeth Shue and Josh Brolin to stop him. An older film from 2000, Kevin Bacon is maniacal as the deranged Sebastian. It's OK overall for an earlier Invisible Man remake.

Erik M.

Rambo: Last Blood finds Sylvester Stallone going to war against vile kidnappers/human traffickers who've stolen his adopted Mexican daughter and then kill her. Merciless and enraged, Rambo goes on a fierce killing spree using imagination, blades, explosions, lots of guns, arrows, etc. to wipe them out. If you need a gruesome kill count in a story about vengeance, family and what lengths someone might go to, then Rambo delivers.

Erik M.

2011's Conan the Barbarian has Jason Momoa wearing the blood-soaked loincloth and delivering the action in this grimy tale. Conan must stop a madman and his weird witch daughter from taking over the world via a dark squid helmet, save the girl, and pretty much slice, dice and eviscerate his many foes! In the end, you've seen it all before and you KNOW Conan will win. OK, but just that.

Erik M.

Corpse Bride is a film about a man who unwittingly says his vows to a deceased woman and she arises from her grave to seal the deal in this "lively" animated musical movie by Tim Burton. There is also a dark suitor who seeks to gain the hand of a bride and kill her to gain a wealthy dowry, or so he thinks. Not really as captivating as A Nightmare Before Christmas, but it still has heart, an interesting cast, and some tunes that are fun, performed by spiders, skeletons and possibly historical figures from the past. See it before it disappears

Erik M.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a continuation and a cliffhanger where the demon prince, the pyrokinetic mutant, a princess and a gill-man are joined by an extoplasmic entity named Krause to stop a marauding machine armada, an Elven prince and his troll lackey as well as tooth fairies and other supernatural menaces from destroying the Earth. Ron Perlman, Doug Jones and Selma Blair star. Fun and thoughtful spectacle.

Erik M.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a somewhat off-kilter buddy-symbiote movie that stars Tom Hardy and Woody Harrelson as the human side of the garrulous and gruesome duo who want to eat brains and tear up the town, though anti-hero Venom is content with being the city's "Lethal Defender." Naomie Harris plays Shriek, who breathes in and yells much like sonic weapon and plays Carnage's twisted love interest. While there was some PG-13 editing, there's plenty of comedy, violence and action as well as a bit of Identity Politics to keep everyone occupied here. Will there be 3? Maybe...

Erik M.

Child 44 is another take on the Russian child murders that had rocked the Soviet Union during the 70s. This time, everyone has thicker accents and there is much more violence. This is NOT Donald Sutherland and Steven Rea's Citizen X but an indictment of the USSR, basically. See Tom Hardy before he became Venom.

Erik M.

The Wolverine stars Hugh Jackman as the mutant with the claws and healing factor who goes to Japan to meet one of his loves-Mariko-as well as slice and dice his way to a bloody showdown with the Silver Samurai, Viper, multiple Ninjas and even his own mortality. Yukio assists greatly while warning him that in her mutant precognition, she saw him die. Just "amazing" doesn't quite cut it, bub...this is one of the better movies of the franchise, in my honest opinion! Watch.

Erik M.

Hellboy is a fantastic first outing for the demon-turned-hero and his team of an empathic fish-man and a disturbed pyrokinetic as they face Nazis, Rasputin, a psychopathic undead super-soldier, various monsters, and others in this battle of good vs evil by Guillermo del Toro. Great action, comedy, SFX and the rest make this a welcome addition to viewing, so enjoy.

Erik M.

The Batman is a somewhat interesting movie to see as the earlier part of Bruce Wayne's life. Here, the emo Batman is facing an obscure and masked Riddler bent on destroying Gotham, people who would become the Joker and the Penguin, a vengeful and limber Catwoman, and everyone else who's after the funds that the Waynes left as part of "Urban renewal." While being dark and action-packed, the tone is more thought worthy and has him figuring out the cryptic messages left by the Riddler. Catwoman steals the show with her martial moves. It's a new take on the Masked Crusader, so watch it for its uniqueness.Can they use more enemies? Certainly, there's a whole roster of them. Is it a bat-tasrophe?! You decide.

Erik M.

Superman is the grandfather of the DC universe, and this 1978 Action Adventure/Fantasy shows the humble beginnings that led to franchises! An all-star cast takes the Kryptonian from his birth to being a Reporter for the Daily Planet through to dealing with Lex Luthor and his henchmen. It's a glimpse into time! Watch.

Erik M.

Batman and Robin is an oddity of a movie, with a cartoonish premise, poor acting, cinematography, action and all the rest. In this underwhelmingly-executed one, Batman and Robin face Mr. Freeze, Bane and Poison Ivy as they try to freeze the world AND stock it with aggressive plant-animal hybrids (?). It might have seemed OK on paper, but in real life it's a convoluted mess. Big stars but little else. Meh at best.

Erik M.

Batman Forever has Two-Face and the Riddler against Batman and newly-acquired Robin in Joel Schumacher's version of Batman. The ensemble cast includes Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Drew Barrymore, Chris O'Donnell and others. More campy and less serious, including a brain-wave machine, over-the-top jokes, mindless violence, and overall craziness. It's for YOU to decide.

Erik M.

Batman Returns is the follow-up to the original by Tim Burton, where the Caped Crusader fights both the hideous Penguin and his awful circus minions as well as the feral feline Catwoman, who's armed with claws, kicks and a whip. Again, the gloomy city is decimated further, and the body count is greater. Darker and stranger.

Erik M.

Man of Steel is the first of a series of movies starring Henry Cavill as Superman, who grows up and fights General Zod and his minions while capsizing Metropolis. Big explosions, bigger destruction and a cast includes Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Lawrence Fishburne, Russell Crowe and Michael Shannon. Missing the special something that would make this a better film.

Erik M.

Hugo (2011) is about a young boy who's trying to make an automaton work and return it to its original owner while staying away from a French Train Inspector in this imaginative adventure drama. Shot in 3-D amid lavish settings, the film transports you to the 1930s and explores topics like WWI, early film-making, and more. Despite its lack of success in the box office, it is an awesome film that's ultimately about FILM. Asa Butterfield and Chloë Grace Moretz star as Hugo and Isabelle, while the rest of the cast includes Jude Law, Sacha Baron Cohen and Ben Kingsley. Consider immersing yourself into a different kind of movie storytelling.

Erik M.