Reviews

Meg 2: The Trench opens with what seems like a fun scene that would have been deleted from a Jurassic Park sequel for being too ridiculous and overly CGI heavy. It's followed by what seems like a hilariously goofy deleted scene from the first Transporter movie, with Jason Statham beating up nameless bad guys on a container ship. At every opportunity, Meg 2 is trying hard to please the audience with action beats, character archetypes, and scenarios that they've seen before. Half the time, this sequel simply hits similar notes as its 2018 predecessor. Despite this laziness and lack of originality, the movie still has its odd charms, making it pretty hard to hate, even if it's hard to fully appreciate on any real artistic level.

As with the first film, the best thing Meg 2 has going for it is Jason Statham. Even if he may not be the best judge of scripts, Statham is still the absolute best action star Hollywood has. He has the physicality, acting chops, and charisma to make even the weakest of his films worth watching. Without Statham, Meg 2 probably wouldn't rank above a 3 or 4 out of 10, but Statham gives it his all with a so-so script and manages to make the overly long two-hour creature feature better than it would have been otherwise. The rest of the supporting cast does what they can with their roles. Nobody outright embarrasses themselves with the mediocre material.

Story-wise and artistically, The Meg is the superior entry in the Meg franchise. While not necessarily a bad film, Meg 2 definitely has its fair share of dead spots, with a lot of the first hour seeming like it could have ended up on the cutting room floor. The second hour is much stronger, emphasizing the (PG-13) carnage and attacks the audience wants out of a shark flick. The film is never an absolute bore, though it's disappointing that director Ben Wheatley didn't lean more into the B-movie nature of the first ten minutes. Both Meg movies would have benefited greatly from an R-rating, though the fact that both are super CGI heavy and relatively bloodless without ever playing like Syfy originals is probably a minor miracle.

Ultimately, Meg 2: The Trench isn't super memorable. It doesn't tell a particularly strong story or ever really justify its existence as a sequel. However, the opening scenes and the second half delivers the kind of mindless action spectacle one would want from a cheesy sci-fi adventure like this. In the end, it's strictly for Statham and creature feature fans only. Anyone else is likely to find it a complete waste of time. 5/10.

A documentary about David Johansen co-directed and produced by Martin Scorsese should have easily been one of the coolest, most interesting films of the year. Johansen is probably best known for his cover of the super catchy song "Hot Hot Hot" under his alias Buster Poindexter, but he's had a much larger career both as a musician and as a fun character actor appearing in such cult favorites as Scrooged, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, and "The Adventures of Pete & Pete." Johansen himself as always been an interesting and funny personality, something made clear early on in the documentary when a clip of him telling a particularly odd story about vomit on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" is featured. Unfortunately, that clip is the most amusing and captivating moment featured in the whole film and Scorsese himself is never able to capture the energy, charisma, and storytelling capabilities of Johansen in any of footage shot for the film itself. Maybe it's because Johansen is much older now or maybe it's because Johansen admits to being a reluctant documentary subject, but whatever the reason, the movie never picks up steam in a way that makes the whole picture work as a whole. There are still great individual moments, though, like Johansen admitting that "Hot Hot Hot" is the bane of his existence or him telling the story of an audition for a Milos Forman movie that went sideways. Sadly, Johansen doesn't seem to want to get into any true detail about his life or his Buster Poindexter persona. Most disappointingly, with the exception of the aforementioned Milos Forman story, his film career isn't touched on at all. In a film that runs over two hours, there seems to be very little about the man and his work other than he loves music and has been producing it a long time. This easily could have been cut down to 85 minutes or so and nothing would have been lost other than some good music. Still, for those who are curious about Johansen and Scorsese completists, this may be worth a look. It's by no means terrible, but it could have been much more. 6/10.

A new Liam Neeson movie in January or February is pretty much a staple of a new year. For roughly the past decade so, a new Liam Neeson thriller has premiered in theaters during the first few weeks of the year often to box office success. Marlowe is a bit different than all those films in Neeson's recent filmography, both in terms of is tone and critical/box office reception. It's an uneasy cross between the Liam Neeson action audiences have come to expect with the traditional film noir the character Marlowe is known for with mixed results.

Set in 1930s California, Marlowe is a slow-moving period piece that likely will put those who loved the Taken trilogy to sleep, though likely to interest those who enjoy the classic film noir of the 1930s and 1940s. The slow pace is alternatively both its greatest strength and biggest weakness. Initially it's refreshing and interesting to see a Hollywood mystery take its time developing the story, similar to something like Chinatown or The Two Jakes. Neeson seems an unconventional, though inspired choice to take over the role of Marlowe, and he is a joy to watch as always. The supporting cast from Diane Kruger as the traditional femme fatale to Alan Cumming as one of the story's many antagonists, are intriguing and fun in their respective roles. And, most importantly, the mystery itself is fairly interesting, at least early on. But, eventually, the slowness of the mystery becomes at odds with the obligatory scenes of Neeson having to punch someone in the face or shoot a gun.

The action scenes themselves are well shot and Neeson is still a thoroughly convincing tough guy at 75-years-old. The problem is that these scenes seem like the results of studio-mandated notes awkwardly shoe-horned into the story for the benefit of having action beats in the theatrical trailer. Director Neil Jordan himself seems somewhat uninterested in delivering these action beats, as they are generally super short and, in some instances, awkwardly cut away from just when the real action seems to get going. In the end, Jordan seems to be stuck with a conundrum. His film probably could have worked (and made much more money) as a more traditional Neeson action vehicle with more fighting and gunfire, but then it would have worked a lot less as a Marlowe movie. However, by mostly sticking with being a film noir mystery with action awkwardly thrown in, the whole thing becomes a bit of an uneven mess at times.

Despite the overall uneven tone, there's still enough good material to recommend Marlowe to both Neeson fans and Marlowe fans. There's enough entertainment value, enough mystery, and enough humorous film noir one-liners delivered by Neeson to keep the uneven nature from ultimately sinking the production. Ultimately, general audiences didn't seem to think this new iteration of Marlowe was worth their time, as it flopped at the box office and is definitely considered a dud. Maybe in time, Marlowe will develop a cult following amongst Raymond Chandler devotees. For now, though, it's one of the most largely ignored releases of 2023. It may not be the best Marlowe movie ever made, but it's still a decent mystery. 6/10.

Like with Liam Neeson, Gerard Butler's recent filmography is its own subgenre: the dad who has to step up and save the day despite impossibly incredible, unrealistic odds. While Liam Neeson is unquestionably the better actor, Butler has found his niche as the action star in a super specific type of genre picture. Plane, his latest entry in this category, is neither the best nor the worst of Butler's. It is, however, probably the most average.

The one immediately noticeable aspect of Plane is that Butler uses his natural Scottish accent for his role. This may seem like a small detail, but there is something admirable about allowing Butler to use his natural, non-American voice in what is, in every other way, a very typical American action movie: generic villains, stock characters, and cliches galore. Butler is an actor who is seemingly perpetually stuck in the typecast role of generic action hero. To Butler's credit, here he is able to deliver probably the best possible performance from what is a ridiculous script. Somewhat unfortunately for Butler, co-star Mike Colter upstages him at every turn as the untrustworthy convict who must help save the day. As Marvel's titular "Luke Cage" in the short lived Netflix series, Colter proved he is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood. Here, in another star turn, Colter's performance makes Plane both better than it should be and disappointing in how it underutilizes him. Any time Colter is onscreen the movie has unexpected energy; any time he's not onscreeen, the movie feels like a direct-to-DVD, subpar thriller from 2009. Saying this may seem like an insult to star Butler, but the ultimate problem is that all the characters, especially Butler, seem underdeveloped and cliched. There is rarely a moment where the audience is surprised by the motivations or development of the characters. While the film is never terrible by any means, it's hard to heartily recommend a movie that has such paper thin characterizations.

Plane has its charms. If nothing else, it's consistent in tone as an action thriller. It is never too campy or too self serious. At the same time, it never rises above a mid-tier, middle budget adventure. The action is competently shot yet rarely very exciting. The supporting performances from reliable actors like Tony Goldwyn, Joey Slotnick, and Paul Ben-Victor are better than the film probably deserves. The plot is never surprising. As a Netflix release, this probably would have been the talk of Twitter for a few days. As a 2023 theatrical release, however, it's rather underwhelming. I don't fault anyone for wanting to seek out Plane, and I think everyone involved wanted to deliver an entertaining flick, but the end result is a strictly mediocre time waster with just a few moments of genuine excitement. 5/10.

I have to admit that I had low expectations for M3GAN. Between the dumb title, the release being during the dump month of January, and the fact that recent Jason Blum-produced disasters like Halloween Ends and Firestarter are the two worst horror films in recent memory, I fully expected for M3GAN to be subpar at best. To my surprise, not only is the movie way better than 95% of genre fare these days, it's also undoubtedly the most creative, fun killer doll flick since Child's Play back in 1988 and indeed there are certain parallels, intentional or not, to that brilliant gem. However, M3GAN actually has far more in common with the 2019 Child's Play remake. While it would be unfair to say that M3GAN is a rip-off of the remake, having seen that film so recently definitely gave me a sense of deja vu whole watching this. But, whatever M3GAN lacks in originality, it makes up for with a wicked sense of humor, strong performances, and a few unexpected twists.

If there is one thing that the film has going for it that so many recent horror entries lack, it's a sense of humor to go with the proceedings. There is no way to make a movie about a killer doll not be at least a little stupid, something that the filmmakers acknowledge at almost every turn with just the right amount of laughs thrown in when necessary. The story itself is ridiculous but, while the premise may be silly, the characters and performances are appropriately dramatic while still being perfectly suited to the horror/dark comedy nature of the script. Allison Williams as the lead is obviously the stand-out, giving a memorable grounded performance throughout, even as the ridiculousness mounts. There are a few moments towards the end where the finale goes off the rails and a bit too-over-the-top given what came before it, though for the majority of the running time, the tone fits just right.

A scary doll flick lives and dies based on the effectiveness of the doll in question, and the titular doll in M3GAN is certainly creepy. Looking like a cross between a Barbie and an Olsen twin, the doll here is just normal-looking enough to believably be something that a toy line would put out while also being unsettling in almost every scene. With a reported $12 million budget, all the special effects are well done; the film almost perfectly blends CGI and practical effects. There's nothing here that looks cheap, unlike most recent Blumhouse productions. The filmmakers never hide the fact that this strange doll will eventually become evil but they are able to keep the suspense going even when every member of the audience can see what is coming.

Despite being mostly predictable, the filmmakers behind M3GAN do manage to deliver on a few unexpected twists. Maybe it's because I wasn't expecting the envelope to be pushed much with a PG-13 rating but a few of the generally excepted rules of studio horror films are broken here. Without giving too much away, the body count is not just limited to the obnoxious adult characters the audience knows are going to be picked off from the moment they pop up onscreen. A few of the kills were legitimately surprising to me, which made them all the more startling. Even with a PG-13 rating, M3GAN still manages to shock at times.

Ultimately, it seems that M3GAN will start a new franchise that will probably run out of steam pretty quickly. At 90 minutes, the film is reasonably well paced and doesn't overstay its welcome. However, I can't see the premise or the title character herself being able to work for more than one movie. As a standalone, this is a stupid, fun, humorous little thrill ride that absolutely doesn't need a sequel. Recommended for horror fans. 7/10.

To me, the saddest element of the ever-changing film industry of the past decade or so has been the near complete disappearance of theatrically released comedies. They really don't exist anymore, almost at all. That's not to say comedies don't get made anymore, but they are made for Netflix or other streaming services. Needless to say, almost none of these are very good or even entertaining. Prior to seeing The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent in theaters, the last time I saw a full-on comedy movie in theaters was Good Boys three years ago. Having said that, I don't think my want for seeing a great comedy in theaters necessarily makes my opinion of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent biased: this is an incredibly funny, imaginative, entertaining, and overlooked gem that is not only the best comedy of the year, but also the best movie Nicolas Cage has made in over a decade.

In 2022, it's easy to view Nicolas Cage as just an actor who launched a thousand memes or internet jokes, but regardless of how many ill-advised or bad direct-to-DVD films the guy makes, the fact remains that, when given a good script, the man is capable of pulling off extraordinary performances. As last year's little seen drama PIG demonstrated, Cage can still surprise with fresh, amazing (if still odd) performances that can't be found from any other actor. That's hard to emphasize when the guy is a constant fixture of Redbox kiosks everywhere, though it also makes it more surprising when he pulls off something like what he does with The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. There is no more overused and annoying cliche these days than a celebrity playing a fictionalized version of themselves in a movie or TV show. I don't when exactly to pinpoint when this started, maybe the success of "Entourage" almost two decades ago. It's a staple of movies and TV shows now that I truly hate, and just find desperately lazy. So, it was to my total surprise that when Nicolas Cage makes an entire movie playing a fictionalized version of himself that he makes it feel original and heartfelt. The Nicolas Cage as played by Cage here is not a glamorous movie star with a cult status, but a sad down-on-his-luck has been who despite having a (again, fictionalized) wife and daughter, feels emptiness. He imagines an alternate version of himself and drinks in order to cope. This does not feel like the set-up to a hilarious comedy. Describing this, it makes The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent seem depressing. But what these opening scenes do is create an enormous amount of sympathy for the version of Nicolas Cage that the rest of the story will follow. And, in the process of this set-up, Nicolas Cage completely sells it. He is able to create an actual character out of this movie's version of "Nicolas Cage," which I can only imagine is insanely hard to do as an actor with 40 years of film work in the public's consciousness. His performance requires both self-awareness and a need to separate what the general public thinks of him, something that Cage pulls off masterfully.

Once the set-up is out of the way, the film really leans into the comedy aspects. Most of the laughs come almost entirely from great laugh-out-loud lines, though there are a lot of jokes about Nicolas Cage's career and specific references to his filmography. If there is a flaw in the design of the film, it's really that it make be somewhat inaccessible to those who aren't super familiar with Cage's work from the last 25 years. There are plenty of great jokes that don't rely on knowing Cage's films by heart; it just is way more enjoyable experience if you know what is being referenced. That said, there are some structural flaws as well, specifically in the way Ike Barinholtz's is character is introduced seemingly to be a major part of the movie only to all but disappear later on, almost as if there was a sudden scheduling conflict that required on-the-fly script changes. The third act also seems somewhat hastily put together, even it does seem like it's satirizing the trajectory of many Nicolas Cage movies that have come before. Nonetheless, the film is completely entertaining throughout, with great timing/pacing in almost every scene.

Despite these flaws, there's no denying that The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is unique. It manages to take what should be a tired over-done concept of a actor-as-himself and legitimately turn the idea into something that works comedically, thematically, and dramatically when necessary. That's a hard trick to pull off, especially these days. While I would never argue this is a brilliant masterpiece, this is way better than it has any right to be, and tied with PIG as the most memorable work Nicolas Cage has done in forever. In a year of disappointments, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is one of the few releases of 2022 that feels different, funny, and well worth checking out. 8/10.

At first, it seems redundant that a documentary about Kevin Smith would even need to be made. More than any other living filmmaker, Smith has documented almost all of his life and work through blog posts, books, podcasts, stage shows, interviews, and videos. From the 1990s until now, seemingly every aspect of Smith's life has been put into the public record. This is what makes Clerk ultimately a big surprise. While there isn't a ton of new information, viewers are given the chance to hear from people that rarely publicly comment on Smith's work, including family members like his mother and his brother, actors like Judd Nelson and Justin Long, and filmmakers like Richard Linklater and Jason Reitman. Yes, there are all the Smith regulars like Jason Mewes and Brian O'Halloran, but it's the comments from those that are mostly outside the View Askewniverse that make the doc really interesting and different from what I was expecting. I didn't know the story of how Smith came to work at the Quick Stop or that Jason Reitman was a big Kevin Smith fan. These new tidbits make the whole movie worthwhile for longtime fans, while those unfamiliar with Smith will learn just about everything they would want to know about his career. It covers every movie in his filmography, the highs and the lows, and the his influence on film culture. For those who aren't fans of Smith or his work, it's highly unlikely Clerk is going to change minds. However, for those who dig the View Askewniverse as a whole or even just individual Smith films, Clerk is a must-see. Highly recommended. 9/10.

Nearly twenty years after VH1's "I Love the 80s" first aired, cable television is still celebrating the decade with mini-series exploring the culture, fads, and fashions of the time period. Because the analysis of 80s pop culture has been done to death at this point, I expected Nat Geo's "The '80s: Top Ten" to be boring, repetitive, and not very interesting. To my surprise, not only did I enjoy the six episode mini-series, but I found it to be the most entertaining show I've watched on TV in quite some time.

Hosted by Rob Lowe, each episode looks back at a very specific aspect of 80s pop culture: watercooler moments, streetwear, commercials, fast food, gadgets, and toys. One would think that it would be extremely hard to fill up a 45-minute episode talking about just fast food trends or commercials from the 80s without making everything seem padded, though somehow those two episodes end up being the high points. Getting the directors of 80s commercials, including Ridley Scott, to talk about the commercials that they made from both a filmmaking perspective and a marketing perspective is fascinating, and something rarely seen when discussing pop culture. Likewise, the episode that focuses on fast food is captivating in how it balances portraying both the positive and negative aspects of what the popularity of fast food has done to American society since the 80s. There are many times when the series seems like it could fall into being either too critical or too celebratory of the decade; in the end, the show finds just the right balance between the two.

If there's one flaw to "The '80s: Top Ten", it's that there aren't enough different commentators featured throughout the six episodes. While I love Kevin Smith and Tiffani Thiessen, it occasionally seems like the show cuts back to them simply because there wasn't footage of someone more directly involved with the topic at hand to cut to. Ultimately, this is a minor complaint when 95% of the mini-series is entertaining, informative, and all around enjoyable from start to finish.

Even for those that weren't around in the 1980s or those who don't have much interest in the decade, "The '80s: Top Ten" should, at the very least, teach viewers a little something. For me, this was one of the most fun and surprisingly binge-worthy series I've watched in years, and I absolutely loved it. I only hope "The '90s: Top Ten" is not far off. 9/10.

Horror movies almost never get good reviews. Horror as a genre is almost universally frowned upon by critics, so it's no surprise that Fantasy Island, the horror movie version of the classic 1970s/1980s television series, has opened with some of the worst reviews I've ever read for any film of the past decade. What is surprising is that general audiences, for the most part, seem to be agreeing with the critics. People just seem to not be responding to the movie much at all. Maybe it's because I don't have particularly high standards for horror movies these days, or maybe it's because I enjoy the fun stupidity of the Fantasy Island franchise in general, but I find this to be a whole lot better than most are giving it credit for.

No, Fantasy Island isn't going to win any awards or be remembered as a horror classic for years to come. It's not going to launch the film franchise that I'm sure the filmmakers are hoping that it will. But, despite the flaws the film may have, Fantasy Island is, at the very least, a ton of fun to watch. Despite an arguably too-long two hour running time, I was engaged in Fantasy Island from start to finish. Almost everything from its dopey jokes, silly island horror cliches (no phones!), and ridiculous plot twists may make most general audiences groan, though I had blast with all of it. The movie is, for both better and worse, exactly what I imagined a horror version of Fantasy Island to be from the moment it was announced. I don't know what critics were expecting from this. In me eyes, it delivered what I expected.

Admittedly, a lot of my enjoyment out of Fantasy Island comes from the fact I like everyone in the cast. This is the closest to an ensemble horror film that we've had in a while. The time devoted to each of the guests' four fantasies is given about equal screen time, so even when one fantasy isn't quite as interesting as some of the others, that particular storyline is only dealt with for a few minutes at a time. The Ryan Hansen/Jimmy O. Yang storyline was my personal favorite and although I would have loved to see that play out more, I commend the filmmakers for giving each of the storylines equal weight in terms of importance to the overall piece. All four storylines to eventually merge together in a way that, while convoluted, at least doesn't seem like a cheat. There are several different ways the ending to this film could have ruined everything, but that didn't happen here.

I can't argue with critics that argue that parts of Fantasy Island look cheap and that not everything in the plot holds up against close scrutiny, though I would argue those same complaints are true of almost every episode of the old televisions series. My only major complaint is the the film absolutely suffers from not having Tattoo as a character. Tattoo is a huge part of the formula of Fantasy Island and to not have the character front and center made the movie feel like it was missing something necessary to truly be Fantasy Island.

Overall, Fantasy Island is not the disaster people are making it out to be. While not a genre masterpiece, it's certainly more entertaining and more fun than 80% of the horror movies I've watched in the past year (maybe I'm just not watching the good stuff). For those who like the cast members and silly, dumb horror with a sense of humor, Fantasy Island is worth the trip. 7/10

Very few slasher films receive positive reviews. Critically speaking, the slasher film is probably the most reviled of all genres. However, even when compared to the reception of other slasher films, the new remake of Black Christmas has received an abysmal reception. The reviews for Black Christmas, both amongst professional film critics and online users, are amongst the worst I've ever read for a horror movie, so I expected a dismal product going into the theater. Maybe it was lowered expectations or maybe it's my love for all holiday horror movies, but I'm one of the few that found this new version fairly entertaining and not quite deserving of the hate it's been getting.

The 2019 version of Black Christmas is no better or worse than most of the slasher remakes released over the past fifteen years or so. In fact, this version of Black Christmas is about on par with the previous remake from 2006. It's not particularly groundbreaking, nor is it a paint-by-the numbers remake. While it's true this is more of a feminist take on the slasher genre, which allows a somewhat unique perspective that makes it interesting to watch, it also contains a lot of problems that plague almost all slashers: underdeveloped characters, characters that make super illogical decisions just to serve the plot, and a few unnecessary, dumb plot twists (in this case, the twists are supernatural). These flaws didn't destroy the movie for me, but they are ones that seem like they easily could have been avoided had a bit more time and thought been put into the story. The film was supposedly shot and edited within six months. Perhaps if there was a longer post-production period, some of these problems could have been worked out.

Despite the annoying slasher clichés, Black Christmas gets a lot right through its talented, mostly unknown cast. Other than Cary Elwes and Imogen Poots, everyone else in the cast has little to no feature film work to their names. Slashers are notorious for horrible, flat acting but Black Christmas has an all-around likeable cast that give fine performances. Its essential in horror to care about the characters, and even if the characters here are somewhat undeveloped, the audience is at least sympathetic to them.

Takal had a low budget to work with here, so Black Christmas doesn't look quite as polished or slick as the previous 2006 remake, but it also doesn't look as cheap as other movies released under the Blumhouse banner. The camera work is mostly well done, with care taken to pay homage to some of the stylistic touches of the original 1974 film. Thankfully, the film is devoid of the obvious CGI and quick editing that have become commonplace in the genre the last decade and a half. Overall, the direction is pretty solid and Takal proves to have an eye for horror.

Time will tell if Black Christmas will be looked at more fondly in the future. The 2006 remake initially had a chilly reception upon its release, which seems to have become more favorable in recent years. I wouldn't be surprised if this version follows has a similar fate. For a film that has been so brutally received by both critics and audiences, Black Christmas was better than I expected. I can't call it a misunderstood masterpiece, but it's a fun Christmas horror film that definitely better than its current reputation. 6/10

I knew nothing about "The Moodys" before catching it on television this week, but as a Denis Leary fan and someone who will watch anything related to Christmas, this was a welcome surprise. More dry comedy than a typical network family sitcom, "The Moodys" has a pretty standard premise of a family of five---two well-intentioned parents (Denis Leary and Elizabeth Perkins) and three adult siblings (Jay Baruchel, François Arnaud, and Chelsea Frei, all perfectly cast) who must come together at Christmas amongst various personal struggles. While this is the story of many past holiday productions, what "The Moodys" does differently is a get the tone just right. Usually Christmas comedies run either too broad with far too much over-the-top characters and humor, or they become too overly sentimental. The characters here, despite occasionally feeling like archetypes, are relatable and likable even when they do morally questionable things. Denis Leary is actually the most restrained of all the actors, with pretty much everyone else getting the best lines but Leary remains a delightful screen presence with fantastic comic timing. Those anticipating a typical Denis Leary vehicle may be disappointed, as the story mainly focuses on his grown up children and their inability to truly grow up, though thankfully this material is more amusing and better written than it sounds, Ultimately, "The Moodys" is likely to be quickly forgotten as it is being dumped over three weeks with little in the way of advertising or hype, but for those who like their holiday humor a little dark, it's worth checking out.

Much has been made about the fact that Terminator: Dark Fate sees the return of both James Cameron and Linda Hamilton to the series that launched their careers. Indeed, most of the marketing around the movie has proudly announced it as James Cameron's return. My first thought upon seeing this was, "hasn't James Cameron said for years there was no story left to tell? Hasn't he implied the only the reason to come back would be for the money?" Despite this thinking, I gladly paid the money to see this latest sequel, as the Terminator franchise is, even with a few lesser entries, one of the greatest science fiction franchises ever. Plus, director Tim Miller previously proved he could successfully handle fun action with Deadpool, so I figured Terminator: Dark Fate had a chance at being special.

Tim Miller does indeed bring the fun action he brought to Deadpool to Terminator: Dark Fate. While nothing is as impressive as what Terminator 2 brought to the table, the action here is mostly spectacular eye candy. The first act chase is one of the most spectacularly shot sequences out of any film this year, the fights intensity and blood that was missing from the previous PG-13 sequels, and Arnold Schwarzenegger proves he's still the best action star alive at the age of 72, even if he doesn't do any extraordinary stunt work here. Miller clearly had the pure intentions in trying to make a worthy sequel. There are plenty of times where one can see the potential in the great sequel this could have been.

Unfortunately, while the directing is fairly solid, the storytelling is mostly underwhelming at best and just plain lazy at worst. Whenever it seems like the movie will bring new story ideas or characters to the franchise, it immediately backtracks into simply repeating elements from previous entries, most notably Terminator 2. Every big plot development seems like something the franchise has done before. Almost all of the jokes are just variations on one-liners from previous movies. Even the musical cues are ones we've heard one too many times before. The movie introduces potentially interesting new characters, though they are ultimately props to move the rehashed story forward. In theory, having Linda Hamilton return as Sarah Connor should be a treat, but she, like the other main characters, spends so much of running time being chased by and/or reacting to the bad Terminator that there's no real sense of growth or character development. Sarah Connor could have been removed from the story altogether, and the film wouldn't have necessarily been much better or worse than it is now.

Maybe I'm being too hard on Terminator: Dark Fate. For the sixth entry in a series, it's very entertaining, it has plenty of eye-popping visuals, and Schwarzenegger doesn't disappoint even when he could be sleepwalking through the role at this point. But ultimately the movie never proves to have a reason to exist beyond making everyone involved more money. There's not enough new story here to quite justify its existence, no matter how solid the directing from Miller is here. I doubt Miller director's cut will ever be released to the public, but I'd love to see if this was a stronger, more character-driven film at some point. In its current form, Terminator: Dark Fate is somewhere in the middle quality-wise when ranked with the other installments. It's nowhere near the best, though it's certainly not the worst. 'Dark Fate' is a decent sequel, yet it's also proof that the franchise has run out of gas. 6.5/10

Official Secrets hasn't received a ton of publicity in terms of press or advertising. Despite a decent release in theaters, there hasn't been much of a strong marketing push behind the film, which is surprising given a cast consisting of some big names, an intriguing premise based on a true story, and political themes that are just as relevant today as they were back in 2003 when the movie takes place.

A political drama with elements of a thriller thrown in, Official Secrets is not typical Hollywood fare, nor is it an arthouse bore. It's the type of film that seems like HBO would have made a few years back when the cable network was making timely political dramas. While the film is certainly very dialogue driven and talky, full credit goes to director Gavin Hood for making sure everything is still fast-paced, clear, and interesting to watch. There's enough story that Offical Secrets easily could have been a two-and-a-half to three hour epic, but at a lean, not-quite two hours, Hood tells all the important aspects of the story without any filler or insignificant details. At times, I wish there was just a little bit more with some of the journalist characters as they somewhat disappear in the second act, but as this is a movie Katharine Gun, it's appropriate what she went through gets the most screentime.

As Katharine Gun, Keira Knightley gives one of, if not the best of her career. Having to juggle the emotions of having the strength to do what she feels is right with the intense that the government will put her away, Knightley's performance is perfectly balanced and compelling throughout. As the journalist who first investigates Gun's whistle-blowing claim, Matt Smith is able to make his character memorable despite answering phones for most of his scenes. The rest of the cast is equally solid, even when not given the most significant of parts.

Official Secrets could have been the All the President's about the Iraqi War, or it could have been a straight biopic about Katharine Gun. The end result is a satisfying mix of both with Gun's story getting the screentime it deserves, along with several better-than-they-ought-to-be scenes of journalists investigating her claims. From time to time, there is also a bit of a thriller thrown in as Katharine becomes more paranoid about who is watching her. I suspect this balance of biography/political drama/slight thriller might throw some viewers off. It's not quite a perfect film, but it's one of the more thought-provoking, underrated gems of 2019. 8/10

I pretty much love any 1980s period piece and I love coming-of-age stories, so I had little doubt that I would enjoy Blinded by the Light, the story of a Pakistani teenager (Viveik Kalra) living in Luton, England in 1987 who has his dreams of becoming a writer inspired when he hears the music of Bruce Springsteen for the first time, despite the disapproval of his strict father (Kulvinder Ghir). Although I'm not super familiar with Bruce Springsteen's music (I know only his biggest hits), I still had a good time with most of what Blinded by the Light had to offer. The film combines comedy, drama, and music into a fun, moving, and altogether unique two hours at the movies.

The cast of Blinded by the Light is uniformly excellent. Both the teenage roles and the adult roles are perfectly cast, and every performance is done just right. The disapproving father and the long-suffering son are two biggest clichés in television and film, but because Viveik Kalra and Kulvinder Ghir are strong actors, they are able to overcome the predictable nature of the story. In supporting roles, Rob Brydon, Hayley Atwell, Nell Williams, and Dean-Charles Chapman all make the most of their small parts, turning what could have been throwaway roles into fairly memorable parts. Unfortunately, some of their characters' plot lines don't get resolved in a completely satisfying way, so the end of the film isn't all it could have been. The first two acts of Blinded by the Light work almost perfectly, but the last act doesn't work nearly as well as what came before.

While some story elements may disappoint, where Blinded by the Light never disappoints is in the music. There are very few scenes that aren't accompanied by a classic 1980s song. Most of the soundtrack obviously consists of Bruce Springsteen songs, although there are also tracks from Tiffany, Cutting Crew, and a-ha are also featured. There is great song after great song all over the film. This could have seemed super forced as an excuse to sell a soundtrack, yet the songs seem well placed within the context of the film. The movie never turns into a full blown musical, staying firmly realistic when it could have become ridiculous. Additionally, in terms of visual style, the lyrics to some of Springsteen's greatest hits are occasionally splattered across the screen, a unique idea that is used just sparingly enough as to not become gimmicky.

Blinded by the Light was probably never going to become a huge box office hit, as its appeal is a fairly limited, but it's also the type of movie that has future cult favorite written all over it. Those who like coming-of-age of age tales, period pieces, or 1980s music are bound to find much to like here. Despite some clichés, it's a feel-good, surprisingly sweet film worth checking out. 7/10

The best way to describe Good Boys is that it's a cross behind a live-action version of "South Park" and Superbad. After Superbad became a huge hit in 2007, it seemed like the youth-oriented R-rated comedy would make a major comeback. Instead, the genre all but disappeared. Over the past dozen years, the R-rated comedy has been virtually non-existent with only a handful of comedic studio releases carrying the restrictive rating, so it's a great surprise to see something like Good Boys finally hit theaters again.

Some might say that Good Boys sticks a little too close to the Superbad formula, and there's probably some truth to that. At times, the film does play like a middle school remake of Superbad. That said, I think it's even funnier than Superbad was, so it's hard to hold that against it. Where Good Boys is different than most R-rated youth comedies is in just how young the protagonists of the film are. Having sixth graders swear like high schoolers typically do in films is kind of shocking to see in a mainstream motion picture. Not since Up the Academy (the little seen MAD Magazine film) has a theatrical comedy dared to show middle schoolers as they really talk. For some, this will seem offensive. For those who are younger, this will be seen as entirely realistic, which is what makes Good Boys as successful as it is. It's rare to see a comedy that is both realistic and funny. The only scenes in Good Boys that don't work are the ones that seem a bit too over-the-top (the arm scene for example). 90% of the time the events in Good Boys seem like they could happen in real life, and that makes everything more interesting to watch.

One major advantage the film has over most recent movies is absolutely perfect pacing. There is not a minute wasted here, with almost every moment going towards excellently timed jokes, necessary character development, and moving the story forward as quickly as possible. The usual awful exposition that can be found in a lot of broad comedies doesn't exist here. There were some great lines in the red band trailers that didn't make the final cut, but I didn't miss them too much. Good Boys is easily has the best pacing of any comedy this decade.

Hopefully, Good Boys is a box office success. It's not quite a masterpiece, but it's as close to a comedic masterpiece as I've seen this decade. This is raunchy gold. Highly recommended. 8/10

I had my doubts about Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling. Although I was a huge fan of "Rocko's Modern Life" as a kid, I very rarely enjoy watching cartoons as an adult. Also, given the fact that 'Static Cling' sat on the shelf for a while before being sold to Netflix didn't inspire me with confidence it was going to be worthwhile. Alas, I was wrong. Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling is not only the most entertaining Netflix program I've watched in a while, it's also the best Rocko's Modern Life has ever been as a franchise.

The plot is simple: taking place 20+ years after the finale of the original series, 'Static Cling' opens with protagonists Rocko, Heffer, and Filburt traveling around in space, before crashing back into O-Town. Having been away for two decades, the trio find themselves having to adjust to life in the 21st century. The slim plot is basically an excuse to lampoon the culture of 2019 with cell phones, food trucks, reality television, business culture, superhero movies, and TV "reboots" all being targets. While some of these are pretty easy topics to take jabs at, the jokes here are clever and funny without ever being the most obvious of gags. The overall nature of the jokes are less juvenile/crude than the ones found in a typical old "Rocko's Modern Life" episode, and I admit that I was kind of hoping the writers would push the envelope a little more for 2019, but I really can't complain given that this made me laugh more than anything I've watched all summer.

Although certainly super funny and entertaining, it's slightly disappointing that 'Static Cling' only runs 45 minutes long. This easily could have been 15-30 minutes longer, closer to the length of a movie. I'm sure there was plenty of material that the writers didn't use. I guess as this was originally supposed to be a TV special, it had to be able to fit into an hour timeslot, but it would have been great to see more. Given its quick running time, there's absolutely no dead spots. 'Static' Cling moves at a lightening fast pace.

For fans who loved "Rocko's Modern Life" when it was on the air in the 1990s, 'Static Cling' is almost guaranteed to satisfy. It keeps everything that was great about the original show and perfectly updates it to modern day. Out of all the recent revivals of old television shows, this is by far the most successful. Highly recommended. 9/10

Stuber is the type of action buddy comedy that would been greenlit instantly in the 1990s: a mismatched pair, one guy a macho cop and the other a wimpy driver, must learn to work together to solve a case involving drug dealers and corrupt cops. The fact that Uber figures into the plot is the only element that wouldn't have present had this movie been made 20 years ago. The movie is generic and cliched with absolutely no real surprises in terms of story, but it is also, thankfully, just amusing enough to overcome those flaws. Stuber doesn't revolutionize the buddy genre, though it does prove that the formula can still work given a funny script, a good cast, and solid direction.

For those who don't like Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista, Stuber is going to a painful watch. The duo brings their usual personas to their respective roles and turn in the performances fans would expect. As a fan of both stars, I got a lot of enjoyment out of seeing them bicker and banter onscreen. In the role of Uber driver Stu, Nanjiani makes the character timid without coming across annoying or over-the-top. The character easily could have been too overtly pathetic or cringe-worthy, but Nanjiana manages to portray Stu as just likeable and relatable enough to keep the audience on his side. As determined, no-nonsense cop Vic, Bautista brings charisma and toughness to a character that could have been a grating jerk. If there's one big disappointment to Stuber, it's that Bautista doesn't have as many hand-to-hand fight scenes as I'd expect, but given that Stuber pushes more into the comedy category than hardcore action category, this is forgivable.

I've seen complaints about the handheld camera work and editing ruining a lot of the action in Stuber, and while that may be true of the opening scene, the rest of the action in the film is well shot and easy to follow. The car chase towards the end of the film is the high point, perfectly mixing exciting action with laughs. The film had a relatively low budget for a studio flick, so those expecting massive set pieces are sure to be letdown, especially compared to the action extravaganzas that have been released this summer. At 88 minutes, Stuber provides enough comedy and action without feeling overstuffed.

Ultimately, the fact that Stuber was released in the middle of the summer may be the main contributing factor to its less than stellar box office. It is not the best movie of the summer, but it is far from the worst. Had the film premiered on Netflix, I have a feeling the critical and audience reception the film would have been much kinder. As cliched and predictable as it may be, Stuber is entertaining, fun buddy fare. 7/10

Based purely on financial loss, Men in Black: International may end up being the largest flop of summer 2019. In most cases, a big-budget flop is rightfully contributed to a film's poor quality. Oftentimes, films that bomb are deserving of that fate. Maybe it's because I've never been a huge fan of the previous Men in Black features, but I find Men in Black: International completely undeserving of its dismal box office take and lackluster critical reception.

Unlike the previous MIB sequels, it doesn't repeat plot points and events from its predecessors and introduces almost an entirely new cast of characters and storylines. In other words, it does exactly what a sequel should do. While 'International' isn't the most original movie ever, it does at least bring a few fresh ideas to the table. Most significantly, this is a male/female buddy comedy. Buddy comedy being my favorite genre, I can't off the top of my head think of another that combines a man and a woman together, which, being 2019, is kind of surprising. Yet, 'International' doesn't get hung up on gender politics. It doesn't even have much in the way of social commentary. What it does have is an interesting story, a few decent twists, and great one-liners delivered by Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, who have the same natural chemistry that made Thor: Ragnarok work so well. The downside is that the movie spends so much time moving from plot point to plot point that neither character gets as much development as they should.

A lot of big-budget blockbusters these days get bogged down in endless CGI-heavy fight scenes that take over for story and ultimately becoming boring. Refreshingly, there is something somewhat smaller scale about the action sequences here. Entire planets don't get destroyed. There's not a body count in the hundreds. There aren't overly long battles that take up the whole third act. The action scenes in 'International' are relatively brief compared to modern day action pictures, but they are much more satisfying than most. There's plenty of variety on display here: a good fight scene, a solid chase scene, and occasional gunplay. None of this is overblown or overdone. It's well shot, nicely edited, and, above all, exciting to watch.

Obviously there will never be a sequel to MIB: International. The poor reception guarantees that. But compared to the likes of say last summer's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, 'International' demonstrates a franchise that is willing to go in a different direction to survive. I can't argue it's a great movie, but it is one of the best sequels to come out of Hollywood in a while. Recommended. 7/10

If there's one horror subgenre that has been dormant in the 2010s, it's the slasher film. A huge staple of the 1980s/1990s and of lesser prominence in the 2000s, the slasher subgenre has been basically nonexistent in the past few years, at least in terms of theatrically released horror movies. One of the very few slasher films released recently was Happy Death Day, a Groundhogs Day meets House on Sorority Row-style horror comedy that managed to make a healthy profit upon its release in late 2017. Naturally, a sequel was put into production fairly quickly and less than a year and a half after Happy Death Day comes Happy Death Day 2U.

While the title may be awful (there's really no reason the movie couldn't simply be called Happy Death Day 2), Happy Death Day 2U manages to be one of the rare sequels that is actually an improvement upon the original. Upping the comedy to the point that classifying it as a horror film may be a stretch, Happy Death Day 2U is more of a throwback to 80s classics like Back to the Future Part 2 and Real Genius than the slasher some genre fans might be expecting. On one level, that's disappointing; Happy Death Day did such a great job of paying homage to the slasher genre that to see that aspect minimized is a bit of a letdown. On the other hand, I can't deny that the increased dark humor of Happy Death Day 28U works. In fact, the film as laugh-out-loud funny as any movie I've seen in the past couple years with fantastic one-liners, solid visual gags, and humorous callbacks to the original. While the movie may actually provide the scares one might expect, it does fully deliver on macabre comedy.

This sequel is definitely zanier and a bit more over-the-top than the original but credit to the entire cast and director Christopher Landon for making the characters feel as real as possible amidst all the goofy time travel shenanigans and plot twists. The dramatic scenes are effective and character decisions make sense given the implausible situations, which isn't always the case in the time travel genre or the horror genre. It may sound weird to anyone who hasn't seen the movie, but Happy Death Day 2U gets downright moving towards its finale, with a something to say about grief and loss. I don't mean to oversell the flick as the next Citizen Kane, though it has far more depth and is more interesting than its dopey title would indicate.

I'm not sure why the box office numbers for Happy Death Day 2U are significantly lower than the first one. Maybe the dumb title scared some people off. Maybe the sequel should have come out slightly sooner, like at Halloween (where it would have faced the competition of, well, HALLOWEEN). Maybe the marketing push wasn't big enough. These things are never easy to figure out. Not every movie can be a breakthrough success at the box office. That said, the fact that Happy Death Day 2U is only making half of what the original did when the sequel is a way better film is disappointing. In time, maybe this sequel will develop a bigger following. A lot of horror sequels do. Unless that happens, it's unlikely Happy Death Day 3 will happen, which is a shame. This seems to be the only slasher franchise that gets better as it goes along. 8.5/10

1987's Predator is widely considered one of the best action films of the past thirty years, due to its smart direction, great lead performance from Arnold Schwarzenegger, and nicely done (even by today's standards) special effects. None of the subsequent sequels---Predator 2, Predators, and two Alien Vs. Predator spin-offs---were able to compare to the original. The Predator, co-written and directed by Shane Black (who co-starred in Predator), is by far the best sequel, with just as many memorable lines, fun action sequences, and interesting sci-fi ideas as the first. The film is certainly not without its faults---chief among them a clearly reshot final act and a few too many characters it fails to develop, but The Predator is still the most entertaining action movie I've watched in 2018.

The Predator is the first sequel to understand that what made the original Predator memorable was that the main characters were actually worth focusing on, so that even the scenes without the Predator action were intriguing to the viewer. While a Schwarzenegger cameo would have raised my rating an extra level, the cast assembled here is great, even if the characters aren't three-dimensional. Every character gets their share of fantastic one-liners, and Black does his best to make the characters sympathetic, making their onscreen demises at least have something of an impact. Of course, it's a little too obvious who will live and who will die, but that's a common genre problem.

For a movie with a reported $88 million at its disposal, there are times when it seems like half that money went to reshooting or re-editing scenes. There are times when lines seem lazily looped in, or characters seem to disappear from the narrative too quickly. Jake Busey is introduced as the son of Gary Busey's character from Predator 2, only to supposedly be killed off mere minutes later. Why hire a fun character actor like Busey only to treat him like little more than a glorified extra? The first act with Busey present is definitely the highlight of the film. As things move along, the picture becomes a little by-the-numbers and the production problems become more apparent. Additionally, there seems to be some missed opportunities along the way. A big action set-piece takes place on Halloween night, yet the potential for this is not fully realized. There could have been so much more done to liven up the proceedings. Still, The Predator is never boring to watch, and moves along at a quick pace.

How one feels about The Predator largely depends on how one feels about the franchise itself. An appropriate comparison to The Predator is Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom: both are entertaining enough sixth entries in a science fiction series that has now run out of ideas. Both films are fine and have some replay value, but no more sequels seem necessary. If The Predator is indeed the last Predator feature, it's a solid final installment for fans. 7/10

All anyone needs to know about The Meg is this: yes, Jason Statham fights a megalodon. The hype around The Meg has mostly been built around whether or not Statham's character would go head-to-head against the titular creature, and indeed he does. That said, the movie isn't Snakes on A Plane, where the collective internet wanted to see Samuel L. Jackson fight snakes and curse up a storm in R-rated glory, and got what expected. Disappointingly, The Meg has been cut down for a PG-13, so the shark attacks are completely bloodless and the one use of the F-word is cut off by a closing door.

Had the tone and the rating of The Meg been closer to Snakes on A Plane or Piranha 3D, this would have become a cult classic. As it is, the film takes itself too seriously, although there are some great one-liners and doesn't phone in his performance. Statham once again proves he's Hollywood's most reliable action star. Statham's character is a total cliche, the hero who just wants to live a quiet life and not see any more death, but Statham makes it work, whereas it could have come off as self-parody if not done right. Even though The Meg is appropriately billed as a shark film, it's really Statham's movie. Unlike most of his other vehicles and action movies in general, The Meg doesn't feature any fist fights, car chases, or gun battles. The film doesn't need them; it has plenty of (PG-13) shark action. While I admire the filmmakers for going against some of the action movie clichés in terms of set pieces, there's still plenty of annoying other clichés on display here when it comes to the characters: the comic relief sidekick, the greedy billionaire, and the precocious child. All these roles are completely underwritten and one-dimensional; it's not the fault of the actors in these roles but of the script. Maybe in addition to all the blood/violence that was cut out, some character development was removed as well. Only Statham's character is fleshed out to any degree of satisfaction, which is seems lazy given the 103-minute runtime. Despite the poor characterization and softening of the violence, there's still some fun to be had with The Meg. There is a fair amount of tension to go along with some of the shark attacks, and director Jon Turteltaub thankfully does not go for too many cheap "boo" scares, but at least when he does they are effectively surprising. Additionally the creature and ship design show off the film's reported $150 million budget. Everything onscreen itself looks pretty great: the ocean cinematography, the set decoration, the use of color, etc. Overall, The Meg looks a whole lot better visually than recent shark pictures like 47 Meters Down or The Shallows. It's easy to imagine what the low-budget version of The Meg would be like. Thankfully, that's not what the audience was given. With all the money spent on The Meg, it's kind of understandable why the studio mandated a PG-13 rating. Despite the censorship, it delivers on the promise of having Jason Statham fight a giant shark. Even with all its flaws, I just can't hate any movie that has Statham taking on a shark. Perhaps that one fantastic scene is the only thing the movie will be remembered for, and that's okay. Not every shark film can be Jaws. 6/10

I'm the exact target audience for Action Point. "Jackass" hands down my favorite television show of all time and pretty much no actor makes me laugh harder than Johnny Knoxville. The fact that writing credits for Action Point go to Mike Judge along with the creators of "Silicon Valley" and it comes from "Brockmire" director Tim Kirkby only doubled my excitement for the movie. Unfortunately, the end result is easily the most disappointing product any members of the core creative team has been involved in.

I'm not going to deny that I laughed out loud several times during Action Point. Any time Knoxville let out his trademark laugh or Chris Pontius did his weirdo schtick, I enjoyed myself. Despite not being classically trained actors, the two do have solid camera presence and seem like they could carry a movie with the right script. And to its credit, Action Point does have a pleasant tone, even if the story doesn't work. In its best moments, the movie has the same sort of laid-back, fun vibe as such classic comedies as Meatballs and Caddyshack. Knoxville and Chris "Party Boy" Pontius are so funny that they make the most of the bare-bones story. The best scenes are those in which Knoxville and Pontius are together, making Action Point feel like an unofficial "Jackass" spin-off.

At its worst, Action Point is an underwritten, haphazardly edited, and messy production that reeks of something that was drastically cut down due to poor test screenings. Perhaps there's an unrated or extended addition once the film hits DVD, because it's hard to believe this is the best possible version that was cut together.The end credits begin at the 75-minute mark and that's with the addition of several scenes featuring a drastically unnecessary framing device featuring Knoxville in unspectacular old man make-up.

At times, it's amazing that this a theatrical release. None of the characters are developed beyond anything one-dimensional despite a pretty good cast. Towards the end of the movie, Knoxville gives a speech about how the staff at how Action Point are members of his extended family, but that never really comes across in any of the previous scenes. All the scenes together just kind of drift aimlessly, without a strong sense of rhythm or purpose. The transitions from scene to scene are rough, like parts of the movie have been re-ordered in certain places. Overall, the production quality seems like something that was meant premiere on Netflix or direct-to-DVD.

Given the talent of Knoxville and Judge involved, Action Point should have been a lot stronger. Fans of "Jackass" and Knoxville's wild stunts should enjoy this as a rental, but there's nothing here that warrants anything beyond one viewing. The film was a complete flop at the box office, and it's not hard to see why. Whatever effort Knoxville and director Kirkby put towards making this a decent comedy just doesn't appear onscreen. This is the type of flick that was designed to be watched on the couch with friends and low expectations. 5/10

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a very mixed bag. On one hand, the movie is well shot, full of great action, and nicely paced. On the other hand, there is never any getting around the fact it's Jurassic Park 5, no matter how cool a title the filmmakers slap on the film. While slickly and professionally put together, there is absolutely nothing new here that audiences haven't seen in the previous for Jurassic Park entries.

From a plot standpoint, 'Fallen Kingdom' is structurally the same as The Lost World: Jurassic Park, which would be fine if there was any kind of character progression that made the whole thing a bit deeper. Protagonists Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) and Owen (Chris Pratt) remain the same personality-wise as they were in Jurassic World, with no real growth or development as characters. Pratt even seems toned down here. He gets a few good one-liners in during his first few scenes, but afterwards he just ends up to reacting to the CGI chaos around him the rest of the running time. The biggest change in Claire is that she no longer is wearing heels, a complaint against Jurassic World which was always ridiculous nit-picking from the online community. Howard isn't give any more to do than Pratt but, to the credit of both, they give the best performances possible with the material they are given.

There is some good material in 'Fallen Kingdom', although much of the best stuff is reminiscent of scenes from elsewhere in the franchise. The greatest addition is Ted Levine as one of the key villains. Best known as Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs, Levine excels at playing a bad guy, and he gives one of his greatest bad guy performances here. Like every other character in the film, he could have been given more depth, but Levine still manages to be the best Jurassic Park antagonist since The Lost World. Returning for the first time since that 1997 film is Jeff Goldblum. Goldblum merely has a cameo, and although his screentime is disappointing, his performance is not. Goldblum's Ian Malcom remains the highlight of the entire franchise.

Goldblum's closing lines in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom guarantee a sequel. Unsurprisingly, yet another installment is scheduled for 2021. 'Fallen Kingdom' is by no means a disaster, even if it is by far the least memorable Jurassic Park entry. It demonstrates just how badly the franchise needs new life. If the filmmakers can find a way to not tell the same story over again for the 6th time and Goldblum is brought back, there's a chance it can be something more worthwhile than what 'Fallen Kingdom' offers. The movie is a fun enough watch, just not particularly memorable. 6/10.

Super Troopers 2 is, for a better or worse, exactly the movie one would expect. In tone, story, structure, and style, there are very few surprises in how everything plays out. Yet, while this may viewed by some as a weakness, it's also one of the biggest strengths of the film: a rabid desire to meet fan expectations and deliver consistent, non-stop jokes. Hardly 30 seconds go by in any scene without there being one big joke delivered, whether that be through a quip, slapstick bit, a funny callback to the first Super Troopers, or a visual gag. This would be a problem if the jokes weren't funny or Broken Lizard appeared to be trying too hard, but I would say the jokes hit 70-75% of the running time. The movie has the fun atmosphere of Super Troopers maintained, while looking slightly more polished in its cinematography, and having slightly more focus in terms of focus and pacing. Running a slim 85 minutes before ending credits, Super Troopers 2 is completely dedicated to making the audience laugh and wrapping up its story as quickly as possible. Again, maybe that can be seen as a fault, but it's refreshing to see a studio-released comedy these days that's not two hours with filler that should have stayed on the cutting room floor. This is simply a lowbrow comedy sequel made only for fans of the original, and there's no shame in that. For those fans like myself, Super Troopers 2 is probably the most rewarding, fun comedy in years. 8/10