Ready or Not 2

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come reads more like a threat to the audience by the time it ends. Whether you wanted this film or not, it brings itself either way, which is even more atrocious given how insulting and lazy it is. Ready or Not 2 is a giant slog. It had more than double the budget of the first one, and it somehow looks worse. Visually, it’s so uninspired and bland that there are literal commercials on TV with more care behind them. And it’s called Ready or Not 2, so instead of one person, let’s do two. Like, uh, two… because the film is the second one, so let’s put two people in it because we’re doing the same plot but worse. The new actress we’re introducing in this film is Kathryn Newton, who is nails on a chalkboard for me. I’ll give her Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri—she was good in her short role—but that’s also a talented director she worked with, so there’s that. Yeah, Ready or Not 2 is, uh, not ready, and everyone involved seems to feel the same.

Exit 8

Exit 8 is as boring as its premise is when executed in this film. I have not played the game this is adapted from, but I assume there’s no way it’s as unengaging as the movie. There is nothing that kept me wishing to continue watching. Nothing is gripping or frightening, nor does it offer any substance by the end. I do not care about the characters at all, and every choice made by the main character feels like it came from a script that was never improved upon. Horror can be dumb and have characters make dumb decisions, but this film is not set up like that, which is why it makes you, as the viewer, feel so insulted by the time the credits roll.

They Will Kill You

They Will Kill You was a film I could not have cared less to see in theaters when it was released, and I didn’t. Western action films, ever since the popularity of John Wick skyrocketed, have felt the need to cast a recognizable actor in the lead role to make a “choreographed” fighting/gun-fu film. A great deal of them never achieve anything worth a damn and end up being forgotten by the time a month has passed. Surprisingly, I found They Will Kill You to offer enough fighting and action to be fairly decent alongside a very over-the-top premise that serves as a solid cherry on top. It’s enjoyable and a solid action flick that goes above the rest.

Normal

Continuing with more Western action films, Normal has Bob Odenkirk continuing this action film thing he’s been doing. Normal is far, far better than whatever Nobody 2 is, but not as good as They Will Kill You. Normal is able to accomplish something slightly above average through decent action and occasional clever charm, which Odenkirk carries on his back. It’s worth a watch if you crave a 3/5 action comedy.

Project Hail Mary

Everyone is treating this film like it’s baby’s first space movie or something, but the entire time I was watching it I just kept thinking about how there are countless other space films that have done everything better. Project Hail Mary is not bad—I actually think it’s good for the most part—but it’s really just that to me. It’s fun and cute. Given the film, I actually found everything on Earth more interesting than what was happening in space during the mission. It had more weight and story behind it. It also helps that Sandra Hüller is always a scene-stealer with her performances.

How to Make a Killing

How to Make a Killing is a rather harmless film and offers the premise it’s set to achieve, and that’s about it. It wants to be funny, but it isn’t. It wants to be witty and charming, but it isn’t that either. It wants to be the type of thriller that grips you with its story, but it doesn’t do that either. I really loved the writer/director’s prior film, Emily the Criminal, but How to Make a Killing feels like it’s trying to do too much and has no idea how to juggle any of those ideas in an enjoyable way.

Iron Lung

I really had no expectations for Iron Lung, not because I think Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach isn’t capable of making something good—the trailers just did not hook me. I thought it looked cheap and not very “cinematic,” yet I decided, what the hell, I’ll put this one on and see if it sucks. To my surprise, I found it to be actually quite good. It’s not the strongest script around, but it is rather impressive for Markiplier to deliver this debut with the massive involvement he takes on. It’s fascinating to watch Iron Lung because it never feels like it’s this “film” like the others I watch, per se. Maybe it’s because I know Markiplier as the YouTuber, but there are many instances in this film that showcase a passion for filmmaking and his process of trying things out, whether they turn out great or sloppy. The visuals and makeup effects look quite great throughout as well, making for a believable character and situation. The story, which takes place over the course of two hours, feels a bit stretched thin. However, making a two-hour film that takes place in a small submarine with no prior film accolades and still making something entertaining is an applauding final product.

Faces of Death

I have yet to see writer/director Daniel Goldhaber’s Cam, but my only knowledge of him comes from his fantastic 2023 film How to Blow Up a Pipeline. With Faces of Death, I didn’t see much in the marketing. It got halfway decent reviews as well, but I had no interest in seeing it. Now that it hit streaming, I figured, why not? I’ve got to say, I was quite hooked through its use of the classic Faces of Death and the social commentary it provides through that in today’s world of social media. It’s a rather incredible performance from Dacre Montgomery, who is having so much fun playing an absolute psychopath. Every time he’s in a scene, he elevates it above everyone else by creating this pathetic and utterly unempathetic killer. Faces of Death feels like the film these new Scream movies desire to be, yet they’ve ultimately fallen so far that they are a joke themselves—and not in the intended way.

The Furious

YES! YES!! The Furious, baby!! It fucking rules. This film is a ballet of choreographed fighting unlike anything you’ve seen before. It elevates itself with each scene and every new location. There were so many times while watching that I was less focused on the film itself and more lost in its world because I was mesmerized by some of these fights they pull off. The camera will just hold for five to ten seconds on guys going absolutely nuts through such brutality. The Furious might be one of the most impressive kung-fu action films I’ve ever seen. The way Western cinema now casts a familiar face and creates half-baked action choreography is even more embarrassing given how high a bar Hong Kong cinema raises every single time.

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie

Where to even begin with this one? Well, it’s my favorite film of the year so far. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen before. Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is one of those films you come across every so often, and it’s just a breath of fresh air you can’t stop breathing. So much creativity, so many smart ideas and choices, all coming together to create something so interesting that you continuously find things to talk about. Man, that Matt Johnson guy is something else, isn’t he?

Hokum

I think Damien McCarthy is really great at making films that hit the 7/10 mark perfectly. It’s the same feeling I have with Oddity in the way he presents these horror aspects and weaves them through this creative process. What I really wish to get from McCarthy is… more confidence in his horror, I guess, if that’s even the way to put it. For his work, he really does not need jump scares to deliver tension or fear because he’s already so great at building tension, and we’re at a moment in filmmaking where jump scares seem to be on the decline. They are not always bad by any means because some films really utilize them in robust ways, but around half of the ones McCarthy uses never feel needed. Hokum was in theaters right before Obsession and Backrooms, which are such great examples of these young filmmakers using tension and a slow build through effective storytelling and acting to make the audience want to cower—not because they’re anticipating a jump scare. Overall, though, I think Hokum is really intriguing, with some very clever sets and set pieces that enhance the space it fills. Adam Scott is an incredible lead in this as well, thanks to the character McCarthy wrote for him.