1974 - R (or Worse) - 7/10 - A Blueprint With Some Rough Edges.

Like The Burning, The Amityville Horror, or The Blair Witch Project this movie is a clear blueprint for a lot of holiday horror that came after. Trigger warning that one of the characters is getting unwanted perverted phone calls and the caller really goes there with the dialog. It is meant to make you uncomfortable and even being 50 years old, it still does its job. Everthing else in this movie is now seen as a by-the-books slasher but you can tell this is early in the genre and unique for blending in the Christmas vibes.

1996 - PG - 2/10 or 8/10 - A Good And Bad Holiday Classic.

This movie is a testament to the draw of Arnold throughout his career. By most measures, this movie is a mess, has moments that haven’t aged well, characters that are annoying, actors that can’t act, and all the rest of the problems. But then you get Arnold and Sinbad running through the city encountering absurd situations in persuit of a young Anakin Skywalker’s most desired toy: TurboMan. Strangely, it works. Just enough on the line to push Arnold and Sinbad to overact their hearts out. Bad but fun!

1988 - PG-13 - 8/10 - Bill Murray as Ebeneezer Scrooge, Say Less.

Drop Scrooge in the excessive 80s New York and you get Scrooged. Filled with biting satire and cynical snark that still hits. Bill Murray puts in a classic performance good enough you can’t really imagine it being anyone else in the role. The effects are effective enough here and the pace and directing never get in the way. What you get is what you want from Groundhog Day-era Bill Murray at the top of his game smashed up with a modernized (now 40 years ago but not jolly ole England) version of a classic.

2015 - PG-13 - 9/10 - The Other Big Red Guy Isn’t Nearly as Jolly.

The one criticism of this movie that I can get down with is that it doesn’t go further with the violence. Honestly, though, not sure why they didn’t just go there because the rest of the aesthetic, intensity, and feeling here deliver on the twisted story of Krampus. This movie is a great mix of horror, holiday, satire, camp, special effects, and amazing art direction. A lot of memorable visuals here and a lot of echoes of other holiday classics, this feels part twisted version of Christmas Vacation and part Joe Dante cranked to 11.

2023 - NR (Probably R) - 10/10 - Blueprint for badlands.
While watching Predator: Badlands it is hard not to see a comparison to Scavenger’s Reign. Without getting into spoilers, the tee-up for SR is that it is a breathtakingly detailed animated series about a spaceship’s crew who crash land on an unknown planet, are scattered, and need to find each other and their downed ship. As they make that trek, we are treated to a visual and artistic feast of the detailed creatures, plants, and interactions of the ecosystem of this strange world. Beautiful, fascinating, and epic.

2025 - PG-13 - 8/10 - What we were hoping this would be.
Why are so many movies afraid to fully transport us and dump us in unfamiliar and disorienting settings? Sure, you get your weird locations and aliens in superhero movies but it is always carefully grounded. From the jump, Badlands kicks you directly into the deep end. We are on a hostile planet, our protagonist is a species we have only known as an unstoppable killing machine, the only thing we see that is human is broken tech. Even without that grounding, relatable themes give this movie heart amidst the action. 

2025 - PG-13 - 8/10 - Where are more movies like this?

What is my review? It is my thoughts and feelings on how good this movie was but that’s not important now. (Hey, I tried.) I was definitely skeptical going into this, I think you have to be worried about anyone being able to step into Leslie Nielson’s shoes. Fortunately, I was surprised by how much I liked this movie. Throwing back to slapstick classics like Airplane, Hot Shots, and Austin Powers, this movie’s best jokes come from misdirection into absurdity or just flat out dumb humor. Now is the time for more of this.

2025 - R - 2/10 - Some buttons Aren’t pushed for a reason.

Easily the worst VHS, just when I thought they were hitting a stride. The wrap around is fine, the first segment starts off promising but then drags on and that becomes a theme here. There are a few moments that are good in the 2 hour runtime but it is all overshadowed by one segment that is not only long but also deals with some taboo subjects that are taboo for a reason. Taking all the wrong lessons from Terrifier and combining them with things that are better left implied than explored, hard pass.

2025 - PG-13 - 7/10 - A Nine Inch Nails fueled neon thrill ride.

This movie feels more like a theme park ride than a movie. Thanks mostly to the Nine Inch Nails soundtrack that grabs you and provides a driving force through even the slower parts of the movie, it feels like the movie never lets up. On top of that, the visuals and inventiveness of the art department flood every frame. Yes, there are flaws. No, I don’t know why Jared Leto is in this. Thankfully, none of that becomes enough of a distraction to take away from the brilliant way the synths and neon are woven together.

2025 - R - 9/10 - Suspense! Horror! Humor! Heart! Filmmaking!

In the running for my favorite movie of the year. I love how lean this movie is. It establishes a premise early on, reveals the plot from multiple angles, and sticks to that premise. Without getting into spoilers, the major plot point here is something that would be obvious but “hidden” in a lesser film. Here, it is out in the open and the central driving force of the plot. This no-frills approach keeps things from getting too messy, unfocused, or bogged down as things unfold. Oh, and that end is satisfying.

2023 - R - 8/10 - Punk rock filmmaking like it should be!

Wow. Yeah, this was a surprise. Went into it hoping that there would be some over-the-top Toxie fun but was prepared for this to have some rough edges. Instead, what we got was a movie that actually managed to have some heart and make Toxie a lovable character underneath the punk rock surface. This movie is also packed to the brim with a unique style and humor like classic Troma polished up. You can feel that they had a blast making this movie and it is a blast to watch. We need more big swings like this!

2021 - NR (but R) - 10/10 - A descent into some version of Hell.

A weird, repulsive, grimy, gritty, oozing, festering, decaying mess of a movie. Filmed over decades with Tippet and an unending descent into madness being the only constants. All done with stop motion and real photography, there is a visceral quality you can’t shake. If I had to make a comparison, I would say this is like the movie version of the Saturn Devouring His Son painting. Possessed, hard to look at, harder to look away. Amazing challenging art. 10/10 BUT if you are not sure this is for you, it isn’t.

2024 - R - 7/10 - Another Caveat-like puzzle box.

Heretic is a claustrophobic little movie with a couple of Mormon missionaries being asked to question their faith. To get them to do this, they are locked in a house with a would-be convert played by Hugh Grant whose challenges puts them through a harrowing experience. The excellent use of the square footage of the house is reminiscent of Caveat as we find out what is behind every door. I am a sucker for great production design and this one-location puzzle-box house subgenre is winning me over.

2025 - R - 6/10 - Not a live action Charlie the Unicorn.

It is hard to not give any movie with Paul Rudd a couple of bonus points for his likability alone but, ultimately, this movie was just alright. Light on the jokes and themes and characters… there is fun to be had here but it feels like more fluff than substance. Not bad but not something I can’t see us rewatching a lot. That is basically all I have to say about DoaU so, while I have space, you should really check out Wanderlust if you haven’t seen it. Great R-rated comedy with Rudd at his best.

2024 - PG - 8/10 - Another great Pattinson project.

While some of Mickey 17 is predictable given the premise, it is hard to describe this movie as anything but suprising. Given some of Bong Joon Ho’s movies you may not expect this to be as silly as it is. Putting in another “I can’t imagine anyone else as this character” performance, Pattinson owns this role with a surprising amount of physical comedy, heart, and humanity. Spoilers but, I have to say, having Pattinson confirm a scene that reminded me of Ren and Stimpy was inspired by the duo was hilarious.

1997 - PG-13 - 9/10 - Leo’s Big Boat Adventure.

Let’s get this out of the way: James Cameron knows how to make a big-budget crowd pleaser. It is easy to see why this is one of the biggest movies of all time. The movie is about 3 hours long and the ship hits the iceberg right at halfway through. That gives you two movies: the first half is a competently written and shot movie of a crowd-pleasing love story. The second half is a harrowing spectacle that brings the tragedy and horror of The Titanic to life. If you only know this movie from the memes, fix that!

1985 - PG - 10/10 - One boy’s quest to get his bike back.

Considered a classic by most Millenials, this movie holds up as an ode to the name calling, oversized sliverware, and scary Large Marge moments of childhood. The character of Pee-wee is not an adult but is a 5-year old boy’s idea of the coolest adult: cool bike, can go to the magic shop alone, has a house full of toys and wacky devices… Once you see the movie through those eyes, the story of this rebel loner’s cross-country quest to get his bike back feels like the biggest adventure a kid could imagine.

2020 - R - 8/10 - Oddity’s bigger, badder brother.

This movie is built on a premise that would ruin it if it wasn’t the title and spoiled in the trailer. The main character agrees to a task that has a caveat that no sane person would agree to BUT once you grant the movie that one thing, the rest of the character’s actions are believable as we descend into a nightmare. Tense, frightening, and filled with foreshadowing as the director pays off every inch of the unique setting of the film. Whiile Oddity felt claustrophobic, this movie builds throughout, adding layers as it goes.

2024 - R - 9/10 - Yeah… this one was… yup.

This is a movie about relationships that exist in an almost unspoken way. One where both men say a lot but neither man says much verbally about their relationship as they communicate through the shared experience of the journey. Without commenting on whether or not they have a healthy relationship, it feels very true-to-life. The movie explores the pros and cons of each character’s outlook. While it is very understated, this is a movie that forces you to think about how you approach the world and why.

2019 - R - 10/10 - Eggers’ slow-burn Lovecraftian masterpiece.

In The Lighthouse, Eggers perfected a stunning vision of madness. His second film found him fixing the small pacing, editing, and narrative flaws that divided people on The Witch. The movie is hard to categorize as it is a weird intense character study focusing on two men stranded in a lighthouse until they (or something unseen) drive them insane. It is extremely entertaining to ride along as Dafoe and Pattinson turn in tour-de-force performances becoming increasingly unhinged and detached from reality.