Movies, Films & Flix

Quick thoughts:

• It has the power.
• Director Travis Knight understood the assignment, and you’ll find yourself loving the silliness of the magical world. 
• Excellent casting choices. Jared Leto is a hoot.
• It reminded me of a more earnest version of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023). This is a good thing.
• A certain cameo made me very happy.
• Grade – 6.8 But(t) Worms out of 10.

The best thing about Masters of the Universe (MotU) is it understands that any property featuring characters named He-Man, Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, Man-At-Arms, Sorceress, Ram-Man, and Fisto should lean into silliness. Director Travis Knight (Bumblebee, Kubo and the Two Strings) and his four writers (Adam Lee, Aaron Lee, Chris Butler, David Callaham) have crafted a world filled with sassy robots, muscular thighs, and a cackling villain who loves muscular thighs. Much like the 2023 film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, MotU leans into silly bits, and was created by people who genuinely love the tale of a muscular man named He-Man (Nicholas Galitzine – who consumed 5,000 calories a day to prepare for the role) battling Skeletor (Jared Leto – very funny), a bad guy with a skeleton face. 

Masters of the Universe focuses on what happens when a pleasant kingdom named Eternia is attacked by an army led by Skeletor, and his second-in-command, Evil Lyn (Alison Brie). After a brief battle that sees King Randor (James Purefoy) defeated, and Queen Marlena Glenn (Charlotte Riley) severely injured, their son Adam (Artie Wilkinson-Hunt), is saved by his mentor Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba – loving life) and Sorceress (Morena Baccarin), who send him to earth with the Sword of Power so Skeletor won’t become more powerful (lots of power talk here). During his journey, he loses the mythical sword and has to find it when he lands in Oklahoma. 

In a show of impressive perseverance, Adam must have figured things out because 15 years later, he is fully integrated into Earth society. I’d love to learn how a kid from another dimension got through the system and became a well-adjusted human with a human resources gig at a bland company. Living in Oklahoma hasn’t been easy for Adam, as he works in a boring human resources job (that he’s good at) and can’t find the Sword of Power. His backstory is impossible to explain, and whenever he tells people about his past, they justifiably think he’s a mildly insane, good-looking dude. His fortunes change when his years of internet sleuthing help him locate the Sword of Power at a local collectibles shop. After a very funny sword heist, Adam is arrested, and on the way to the police station, he’s attacked by a furry creature creatively named Beast Man (voiced by Gary Martin). Before Beast Man can maul Adam, he’s saved by Teela (Camila Medes), who takes him back to Eternia so he can save the world. 

What follows is a traditional hero’s journey in which Adam learns how to wield his power while saving Eternia from an evil maniac. During his journey, there are fist fights, chase scenes, and a wildly entertaining final fight involving a large cat gnawing on the furry head of a furry beast. At 140 minutes, it’s about 20 minutes too long, but since the characters are endearing and Jared Leto is such a delight, the movie gets a pass. It also isn’t as clever as Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves because the humor isn’t as expertly integrated into the proceedings. At points, the film grinds to a halt so a character can say something funny. Most of the jokes land, but they hurt the momentum, which makes the film drag during certain moments.

Between Bottoms, The Idea of You, and Red, White & Royal Blue, Nicholas Galitzine is proving himself to be an actor with range, and he does a fine job carrying the $200-million dollar film on his shoulders. He has wonderful chemistry with Camila Mendes, and the two are a believable pair of likable warriors. The MVP of MotU is Jared Leto, who comes across as simultaneously horrible and hilarious. Much like Frank Langella in the 1987 movie, Leto clearly enjoyed being an evil brat with zero situational awareness.

Final Thoughts – It’s a good time.

Quick Thoughts:

1. Kane Parsons has crafted a unique horror film that is loaded with style, patience, and memorable imagery. 
2. It’s neat that Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, and Lukita Maxwell signed on to support Kane Parsons.
3. A24 should be applauded for giving a young director a chance. 
4. A24 should be applauded again because they realized Parsons’ potential (and saw the massive view counts on YouTube), and figured it was a wise business decision
5. Want to know how to survive the Backrooms? I co-wrote a Film Theory episode back in 2022 that tackles the issue.
6. I would’ve taken all the Backroom furniture and sold them in my store. Free inventory!
7. Grade – 7.7 Backrooms out of 10.

There’s a moment in Backrooms in which Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve put on an acting clinic as their characters role-play during a therapy session. The moment put a smile on my face because it was neat to watch two Academy Award nominees go head-to-head in a horror film directed by a 20-year-old who made a name for himself on YouTube. It’s wild that the two excellent actors signed up to appear in a horror film influenced by internet creepypasta, and that the A24 film will now get a wide release around the world. If that doesn’t influence future filmmakers, nothing will. 

Set in 1990, Backrooms follows a deeply unhappy man named Clark (Ejiofor), who discovers a portal in the basement of the furniture store he owns. Clark is a divorced alcoholic who sleeps in the store and occasionally drives to his ex-wife’s home (that he paid for!) so he can glower at his former house. He’s unhappy, unfulfilled, and gets nothing from his therapy sessions with Dr. Mary Kline (Reinsve). To make matters worse, the electricity in his store keeps going out, and while checking the breaker, he notices two new switches that shouldn’t be there. Late one night, his whiskey drinking (funny moment) is rudely disturbed when he hears noises that lead him to a section of the basement wall which allows him to enter a mostly empty office building lit by yellow fluorescent lights (coming from a drop ceiling). The creepy yellow-carpeted “offices” are home to an endless amount of hallways, rooms, tunnels, and pieces of furniture. Instead of taking the furniture and reselling it for extra cash, he ventures further into the endless maze in a quest to map it. His mapping quest is interrupted when he hears a loud creature rampaging through the hallways (a nice callback to the first Backrooms episode). Things go sideways when he asks his employee, Kat (Lukita Maxwell – watch Shrinking!), and her boyfriend, Bobby (Finn Bennett), to film the cavernous space. The exploration ends violently, and their disappearance forces Mary to enter the backrooms when Clark doesn’t show up for his appointments. While there, Mary and Clark are forced to deal with past traumas and a murderous monster. 

In the press notes, Parson mentions that his love of Alternate Reality Games (ARG) influenced the story he co-wrote with Will Soodik (Ash vs. Evil Dead, Westworld). There’s a narrative, but it trades propulsion for a feeling of dread and mystery. This is good and bad, as it’s clear Parsons wasn’t interested in a stock story involving teenagers being harassed in a gross world. However, the flashbacks, isolation themes, detours, and David Lynchian vibes give off experimental film energy that won’t appease mainstream audiences looking for carnage. That being said, it’s admirable that a young director wanted to create a world that isn’t safe and can potentially blow the minds of younger viewers who are seeing something like this for the first time. 

The production design is gorgeous, and praise should go to Danny Vermette (Longlegs, The Monkey) for creating a cavernous system of rooms. Vermette and Parsons worked closely to get everything right, and the end result is gorgeous. To get the wallpaper color  right (which is very important), Vermette and cinematographer Jeremy Cox (The Monkey, Longlegs) shot 50+ camera tests to ensure the actors didn’t get lost in a sea of yellow. Vermette and art director Alan Derksen created 27,000 square feet of carpet, 32,000 square feet of wallpaper, and oversaw the construction of 30,000 square feet of Backrooms that spanned four soundstages.

Final thoughts –  It is really cool that A24 and producers James Wan, Oz Perkins, and Shawn Levy, backed Parsons, and the world is about to get an ambitious arthouse horror film that will pull in a lot of money.

Quick thoughts:

• Leo Woodall and Havana Rose Liu are engaging leads who have excellent chemistry.
• Dustin Hoffman is a hoot.
• It must be tough for actors to pretend like they are playing piano. It takes a lot of commitment to make “playing piano” faces for long periods of time. 
• There are some insane coincidences. You’ll see
• Neat idea for a film
• Co-Sound Designer Johnnie Burn (The Zone of Interest, Under the Skin, 28 Years Later, Nope, Waves) is a legend. Excellent hire. 
• Grade – 6.8 out of 10

Directed and co-written by Academy Award-winning director Daniel Roher (Navalny), Tuner is a likable crime thriller/romance that’s kept in key by Leo Woodall and Havana Rose Liu. In the press notes, Roher mentions that he wanted to direct a film that a teenage Roher would be excited to watch, and it helps put the film in perspective. At its core, Tuner is wildly predictable and features several absurd coincidences, but the character motivations and setup make it an enjoyable watch. Older cinephiles will know exactly where the movie is headed, but younger audiences will be charmed by Leo Woodall, Havana Rose Liu, and the propulsive pacing. 

The film revolves around a nice guy named Niki White (Leo Woodall) who spends his days tuning pianos with his mentor Harry Horowitz (Dustin Hoffman – loving life). The two drive around New York City in Harry’s van (that’s loaded with Knick-knacks) and argue about tuna sandwiches, mercury poisoning, hamburgers, and medical bills. While tuning pianos, their rich customers ask if they can repair their toilets (which leads to a very funny price negotiation), and wonder why untouched pianos need a tune-up. Hoffman and Woodall are so good together that it wouldn’t be a shame if the film solely focused on them arguing while tuning pianos. 

During their bickering sessions, we learn that Niki is a retired piano prodigy who suffers from an auditory condition named hyperacusis. The condition turns most sounds into unbearably loud noises, which is why Niki has to wear earplugs and noise-cancelling headphones that help make his life in New York City bearable. Niki’s hypersensitive hearing comes in handy when Harry and his wife, Marla (Tovah Feldshuh) need a safe opened up because Harry doesn’t remember the combination. After watching a YouTube tutorial, Niki cracks the safe with ease, which proves helpful at his next job when he helps a “security specialist” named Uri (Lior Raz) open a combination lock safe with the aid of his hypersensitive hearing. This leads to dangerous safecracking gigs that help Niki pay off the $36,000 in medical debt that Harry accrues during a hospital stay caused by his failing health. 

Tuner is a crime thriller, so it needs a love story, and a likable relationship happens when Niki meets a college student named Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu) who is finishing up her degree at a music conservatory. Niki impresses Ruthie with his perfect pitch, and the two strike up a likable relationship that involves piano maintenance, carrying books, and a watch with a pearl strap. In a nice touch, the relationship gets serious fast, which makes sense because Niki is young, and this might be his first major relationship. In a neat scene, Niki sits next to Ruthie as she’s playing piano, and watches her as she plays. It sounds creepy, but the way Woodall plays it makes his lingering looks at her hair and face feel organic and charming. Since the relationship starts when Niki starts helping criminals steal expensive items, you know it’s going to go sideways, but the chemistry between Woodall and Liu prevents the proceedings from feeling too familiar as they find harmony in chaos. 

On a technical side, the movie is fantastic. Lowell A. Meyer’s (Knock at the Cabin, Thunder Road) cinematography is inspired, and his attention to detail (all the items in Harry’s truck) gives the film a lived-in feel. The sound design by the legendary Johnnie Burn is pitch-perfect, and if you get a chance, make sure to head to a theater with loud Dolby speakers. 

Final Thoughts – The ending is very silly, but the journey makes it worth a trip to the theaters.

Quick thoughts:

1. The Hard Boiled nod is wonderful
2. I love aquatic monsters
3. It’s a good time. Between the James Bond-esque cold open and Grogu eating things, it’s a pleasant low-stakes summer popcorn movie.
4. It’s too long, and the story doesn’t have much momentum, but the pacing flaws are outweighed by the adorable Anzellans.
5. The stop-motion animation and motion-control miniatures are refreshing.
6. Grade – 6.5 out of 10 Bounty Hunters

There’s a moment in The Mandalorian and Grogu, when Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu enter a salt restaurant and come across a demon-looking henchman who instigates a brawl between the bounty hunter and a plethora of hired goons. The scene pays homage to the epic tea room shootout in the John Woo-directed Hard Boiled. It’s not nearly as iconic and lacks the ambition to match the dual pistol-wielding greatness of the scene, but it perfectly encapsulates the film. The Mandalorian and Grogu has zero interest in creating new worlds or expanding the lore; instead it plays like a pulpy action yarn that features a James Bond-esque cold open, gladiator fights, and Grogu eating many different food items. Some will say it’s a mediocre experience when compared to The Empire Strikes Back (please don’t do this), while others will enjoy the shenanigans and appreciate how good it looks on an IMAX screen.

The Mandalorian and Grogu opens up with the pair working for the New Republic as they hunt imperial warlords who operate in the shadows across the galaxy. Their first assignment sees them traveling to an ice planet where they kill copious stormtroopers, run down ice-covered mountains, destroy several AT-ATs, and blow up a warlord before they can get useful information out of him. Overall, the mission is a success, but Djarin’s method of killing first and asking questions later hasn’t helped the New Republic hunt down an infamous warlord known as Commander Coin. So, a New Republic leader named Ward (Sigourney Weaver) tasks him with working a job for the infamous Hutt Twins. The crimelord twins claim they have knowledge about Coin’s whereabouts; however, before they share the information, Djarin and Grogu have to travel to a planet called Shkari, where they have to rescue the Hutt’s nephew Rotta the Hutt (voiced by Jeremy Allen White) from a guy named Lord Janu (Jonathan Coyne). Surprisingly, Rotta is a comically muscular (and very sensitive) brawler who fights in the planet’s gladiator pits. When Djarin finds him, Rotta declines the rescue offer because he has one fight left on his contract and is promised freedom if he survives his final gladiatorial fight. From there, things go sideways as Djarin is forced into a rigged Dejarik battle and eventually comes across massive water monsters, tiny spaceships, and the greatest improvised shelter ever constructed in a Star Wars film. 

It’s the classic “Hey, you go do this, so I’ll tell you this,” type of story that involves double crosses, twists, and character reveals. By keeping the story simple, director/co-writer Jon Favreau was able to focus on the important stuff involving Grogu being adorable and Djarin killing henchmen. Djarin gets knocked out or captured multiple times (his skill levels fluctuate throughout), which allows Grogu and his Anzellan buddies to come to the rescue. It’s fun stuff, and never takes itself seriously. Writers Favreau, Dave Filoni, and Noah Kloor made sure to create an “understandable standalone experience” that doesn’t need a rewatch of The Mandalorian, which was smart considering many people don’t want to revisit the third season of the show. 

The Mandalorian and Grogu is nothing more than summer popcorn entertainment, and that makes it simultaneously enjoyable and a bit disappointing. As a casual fan of the franchise who enjoys the ups and downs of blockbuster filmmaking, it’s a worthy addition to the franchise because it’s a good time and won’t create legions of angry fans. The 132-minute running time stretches the material thin, but if you enjoy being immersed in the Star Wars world, the padded running time won’t be a bother. Fans of the original trilogy will appreciate the stop-motion animation and motion-control miniatures created by Phil Tippett (watch Mad God, it’s incredible). It’s cool that Favreau brought Tippett back to help, and watching Grogu, the Anzellans, and several large robots move around is delightful.

Filmed for IMAX, the movie looks gorgeous as cinematographer and Star Wars veteran David Klein (The Mandalorian, Skeleton Crew, The Book of Boba Fett) understands the universe and has a shorthand relationship with Favreau. According to the press notes, Klein used anamorphic lenses with high-resolution sensors to keep the film “looking like Star Wars” while working within the IMAX frame. The end result is a crisp and clean experience that looks great on a giant screen.

Final thoughts – Head to a theater, buy some popcorn, and enjoy watching Grogu eat things.

They Will Kill You (2026) – Review

Quick Thoughts:

1. Grade – Neat idea
2. Zazie Beetz is legit. She carries the film and I’d love to see in more action movies
3. The film has stuck with me. I smile whenever I think about it
4. Patricia Arquette’s character and Jennifer Jason Leigh (from Fargo S5) need a spinoff movie. The characters exist in completely different worlds, but I love their accents. 
5. I love the opening action scenes. It’s full of surprises. 
6. Writer/Director Kirill Sokolov has had a unique journey

The world needs more movies like They Will Kill You. The $20 million budgeted action comedy horror film is a delightful experience that involves a tough-as-nails character named Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz) battling a group of Satan worshippers inside a haughty high-rise named The Virgil. The reason the world needs more movies like They Will Kill You is because all it wants to do is entertain and give audiences a blood-soaked carnage fest featuring a performer who put in a lot of work. Zazie Beetz trained for four months to become a badass “prison fighter” and she’s totally believable as she battles the denizens of The Virgil. The hyper-stylized violence, never fully works, and the opening bedroom battle is the action highlight (the rest of the action scenes are fun, but not as thrilling), but it’s neat watching Beetz use a flaming axe to destroy anyone who gets in her way. There are many twists and turns so I don’t want to spoil the film, however, expect hallway battles, rolling eyeballs, air duct chases, and a fun accent from Patricia Arquette.

Apex (2026) – Review

Quick Thoughts:

1. Grade – Fun stuff
2. Never trust homemade jerky sold at gas stations (if you’re in a movie)
3. Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton put in a lot of physical work, and it greatly helps the movie
4. I like the usage of actual locations, they add a lot to the film. 
5. Never trust strangers who tell you about isolated rapids that are far away from the main river runs. 
6. I want to go kayaking now

The best thing that can be said about Apex is that Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton put themselves through hell to make the film. Shot around the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia, the survival horror film is unlike many other Netflix films because it feels like it was filmed in the actual wilderness, away from walls of green screens. Visual effects were used, but it’s nice seeing Theron kayaking through rapids and climbing actual rocks. Director Baltasae Kormákur (watch the 2024 film Touch now) is no stranger to survival films as he’s helmed The Deep (2012), Everest (2015), Adrift (2022), Beast (2022), and now Apex. He seems to like putting characters in horrifying situations and seeing how they behave, adapt and struggle to survive. It’s a fun niche, and after pitting characters against nature and beasts, he’s put a character named Sasha (Charlize Theron) up against a shredded serial killer who eats his victims (Taron Egerton). What follows is a fun cat-and-mouse chase film that involves broken legs, rock climbs, and mysterious cave systems. Apex feels like a fun throwback survival film, and that’s pretty great. 

Cold Storage (2026)

Quick Thoughts:

1. Grade – Love it
2. Cold Storage is a likable film
3. Joe Keery and Georgina Campbell are a likable duo
4. Between Cold Storage and Barbarian, Campbell has good luck with “underground” movies. 
5. David Koepp’s amiable script does a fine job combining sci-fi elements with cheeky humor
6. Conveniently placed backpack nukes should be used in more creature features 

In a perfect world, we’d get more creature features like Cold Storage (10 a year sounds nice). Horror action comedies are wonderful, and Cold Storage is akin to Tremors (1990), Alligator (1980), Gremlins (1984), Grabbers (2012), Black Sheep (2006), Slither (2006), and a less-gnarly Cabin in the Woods (2011). It’s not as gnarly or violent as Slither or Cabin in the Woods, but it tells a tidy story involving infectious fungus that can destroy the world. 

The film revolves around a pair of employees (Joe Keery, Georgina Campbell) dealing with a deadly fungus during their night shift at a self storage facility. The storage facility is located above a shuttered underground military cold storage laboratory, which has been long forgotten and not maintained. The fungus was placed in the facility by Robert Quinn (Liam Neeson) and Trini Romano (Lesley Manville) decades prior, and it’s up to them to destroy the fungus when it leaks out of the facility. 

Cold Storage belongs to Georgina Campbell (after Barbarian, The Watchers, and Psycho Killer it’s fun seeing her have fun) and Joe Keey, who plays a character named Travis “Teacake” Meacham. Both Campbell and Keery deliver David Koepp’s dialogue wonderfully (That f**king deer just took the f**king elevator), and seem to be having fun as they battle deadly fungus in neat sets designed by production designer Elena Albanese.

Incredibly Quick Reviews (more to come about them)

Ghost Elephant – Werner Herzog is the best. I love this documentary

Obex – Fun sci-fi film that feels like David Lynch made a Zelda movie. 

Buffet Infinity – Neat movie. I can’t wait to research the production.