Starring: Glen Powell, Josh Brolin and Colman Domingo
Directed by: Edgar Wright
Rated: R
Running Time: 133 minutes
Paramount Pictures

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

When I heard Edgar Wright was tackling the second adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Running Man,” I couldn’t help but get excited about the possibilities. For every film he’s made, Wright has brought a frenetic, hyper-stylized energy that moves to the beat of its own schizophrenia. His flashy visuals collide with wordplay, genre satire, and toe-tapping soundtracks that make his films feel like cinematic, ADHD jazz.

Despite being a favorite among cinephiles, with gems like “Shaun of the Dead,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” and “Baby Driver,” Wright has never been a box office guarantee, nor has he had an undisputed smash. Maybe that’s why he sheds his usual veneer here. In “The Running Man,” he opts for something more faithful to King’s text, but also more conventional, a gritty, almost generic action aesthetic.

Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is the definition of desperate. He’s been laid off for basically having morals, his child is dying from the flu, and his wife works a service job that might be a front for prostitution. With no money and no way out, Richards turns to state-sponsored TV game shows as his last chance. Of course, he’s not doing the most popular show, “The Running Man” competition. Because that’s where contestants must evade government-sanctioned killers and informant civilians for 30 days to win a billion dollars. That’d be crazy, right?

Since we know exactly where this is going, Wright wastes no time throwing Powell to the wolves. Richards moves from city to city, fighting his way out of brutal ambushes, finding unlikely allies, and realizing that the televised bloodsport is only one piece of a much larger, state-controlled dystopia. The movie stays remarkably close to King’s vision. It has a fresh, commercial hellscape look (think Blade Runner meets rauncy YouTube ads) and Powell shines as the scrappy, relatable underdog. Everyone he encounters, from a conspiracy theory Michael Cera to a witty game show host in Colman Domingo, shines in their scenes as well. But it doesn’t feel like a Wright film.

That’s my biggest disappointment. The Wright ingenuity, the pulse, the rhythm…everything; it’s muted. When the movie needs to dump exposition, it still finds clever ways to do it, but it feels like someone else doing a Wright impression. The kinetic charge that usually courses through his scenes, that sense of chaos barely under control, just isn’t there. In his best work, exposition isn’t a hurdle; it’s part of the jazz. Maybe the adaptation held him back, but this one feels restrained, almost cautious.

And that’s really my only complaint. I never held the first “Running Man,” the Arnold Schwarzenegger version, in high regard, so I’m not worried about missing that 80s camp. But what we get here feels like watered-down Wright. Not bad, just… safe. Which is ironic, considering “The Running Man” is still a fun, dystopian middle finger to corporate authoritarianism.

It just feels like it could have been more. Could have been better. That said, if you’re not deep in the Wright fandom and just want solid, old-school action with a touch of satire, this will absolutely do the trick.

Starring: Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers and Julia Fox
Directed by: Justin Tipping
Rated: R
Running Time: 96 minutes
Universal Pictures

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
4K Score: 4 out of 5 Stars

Before walking into “HIM,” I had a simple question: has there ever been a football horror film? I couldn’t find one. Even the broader category of “sports horror” is practically empty. So right out of the gate, “HIM” earns points for originality.

Football, as the film’s opening reminds us, is already horrifying. The violence, the obsession, the broken bodies; it’s all there. The movie starts with a gruesome on-field injury, echoing Joe Theismann’s infamous leg break. The victim? Football legend Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), who somehow recovers to lead the San Antonio Saviors to eight championships. Witnessing that trauma is a young Cam Cade (Tyriq Withers), who goes on to become a rising star and, eventually, White’s successor. But first Cam has to prove his worth as he’s invited to train at White’s mysterious desert compound. That’s when the real nightmare begins.

“HIM” takes big swings at the intersection of religion, fame, and athleticism. Sometimes the metaphors overlap. Sometimes you wonder if the movie is talking about sports, God, trauma, or all of the above. The confusion is intentional. Football’s fanatical culture and Sunday rituals mirror organized religion. When Cam arrives at White’s compound, he finds unhinged White fans tailgating outside the gates. They also don’t appear to ever leave, as if these paint covered loons are living in a kind of sports-themed purgatory.

The film chooses absurdism over realism, and that choice mostly works. The criticism isn’t directed squarely at football. European soccer fans can be just as rabid. The criticism seems to be more directed at our broader cultural obsession with sports and spectacle. And visually, “HIM” gets a lot right: the soundtrack hits, the aesthetics pop, and the editing leans into the madness. It sometimes leans heavy into the style over substance, much like “American Horror Story” has.

At the heart of it all is Cam, caught between the powers of the football machine and the pleas of his family to simply be careful. Withers is a decent lead, but Wayans is absolutely electric as Isaiah White, delivering unhinged lines with just enough restraint to make you lean in. There’s a mania behind his eyes that sells the idea of a man completely consumed by sports, by fans, by power.

“HIM” doesn’t always know how to weave its themes cleanly, but it’s still a hell of a ride. It’s smart, surreal, and timely. With football season in full swing and America’s appetite for violence still unshaken, this is a horror story tailor-made for our times. It could’ve dug deeper, sure. But what’s here is bold and unforgettable. It’s a first-of-its-kind football hellscape that makes the gridiron seem toothless.

4K Features

Audio Commentary with Director/Co-Writer Justin Tippping: The solo commentary allows for Tipping to really fill each scene with factoids about the shoot.

Alternate Ending: Without giving any spoilers, this ending may have been just as nutty.

Deleted End Credits Scene: Again, without spoiling, this is something that certainly would have added a more mysterious flavor to an already mysterious ending.

Deleted Scenes: There are only five deleted scenes here and like most deleted scenes, it’s easy to see why they’ve been removed.

Becoming Them: Withers and Wayans talk about how they prepared for their athletic roles, which wasa more than just training and building muscle.

The Sport of Filmmaking: It’s interesting to see how the look of the film came together.

Anatomy of a Scene: This feature breaks down two interesting scenes, although not the scenes you’d think.

Hymns of a G.O.A.T.: A behind-the-scenes feature dealing with the film’s soundtrack.

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Pattinson and LaKeith Stanfield
Directed by: Lynne Ramsay
Rated: R
Running Time: 118 minutes
Mubi

Our Score: 3 out of 5 Stars

How much does a performance really factor into a film? We point to Tom Hanks in The Ladykillers or Margot Robbie in Suicide Squad as examples of actors who outshine the movies around them. You could say the same for Jennifer Lawrence in mother!. And now, you can say it again in Die My Love.

When we meet Grace (Lawrence), she’s moving into her new home with Jackson (Robert Pattinson). The New York couple is looking for a quieter life in rural Montana as they prepare to start a family. We see them laugh, play, talk nonsense, screw, and then the baby arrives. Things start to unravel as Grace, a writer, hits a wall. She snaps at a cashier (and honestly, who wouldn’t?), grows increasingly hostile toward her husband, imagines an affair, tears apart the bathroom, and sometimes wields a gun. If you haven’t picked up on it yet, this film is #tradwifegonewrong. Or maybe it’s postpartum depression.

As someone who will never experience that firsthand, I can’t say for sure how authentic the depiction is. But “Die My Love” clearly has more on its mind than the psychological unraveling of motherhood. It’s also thumbing its nose at traditional family ideals. The kind where the mother is expected to handle everything while the husband works. That’s exactly what Jackson seems to want, and everyone around Grace reinforces it. As a free spirit, Grace wasn’t built for that life, and it appears it’s too late to abandon ship.

By the end, it’s difficult to tell what’s real, what’s imagined, or even when we are in Grace’s timeline. The film sprinkles in visual clues to keep us grounded, but by the third unexplained appearance from LaKeith Stanfield, I started wondering if “Die My Love” was less interested in coherence and more fascinated with seeing how far Lawrence could carry the chaos. Boy, does she ever.

She’s delivered plenty of great performances before, but this one is absolutely feral. Instead of chewing the scenery, she claws, nips, and digs her furious fingers into it with rage and childlike amusement. You can see emotions flash through her eyes like lightning. In seconds, Grace shifts from a rage-filled mother to a carefree teenager. It’s incredibly believable that Lawrence, a real-life mother, is channeling something carnal and unfiltered. It’s the kind of performance that feels ripped from a real person’s private spiral.

But the jumbled narrative never seems interested in telling or even hinting at what’s actually happening. It misuses its climax and ends with a whimper. “Die My Love” collapses under its own weight. The motherhood nightmare is too scattered to hold its own ideas. But Lawrence keeps it alive, barely, beautifully. It might not work as a story, but as a showcase for what she’s capable of, it’s magnetic. Sometimes that’s enough.

The “Jaws: The Revenge” documentary which previously titled “Jaws Goes to the Bahamas” was recently retitled to “The Shark That Roared”. The film celebrates the upcoming 40th anniversary of “Jaws: The Revenge” from box office flop to cult classic. It also received a new poster, see above, and also a new Executive Producer, Kevin Smith.

Kevin Smith’s career started with low-budget comedy film “Clerks” in 1994, which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted in as the character Silent Bob of stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob. Smith’s later films include “Mallrats”, “Chasing Amy”, “Dogma” and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back”. 

The film also recently launched a campaign on Kickstarter trying to raise finishing funds in order to complete the film. Click here if you would like to check out the new rewards available and help this film cross the finish line and raise funds.

THE RUN— a brand-new Interactive Full-Motion Video (FMV) horror-thriller from Benacus Entertainment in association with RNF Productions, written and directed by Paul Raschid (The Complex, Five Dates, Ten Dates, The Gallery, Hello Stranger).

Launching tomorrow Tuesday, October 28 on iOS and Android ($9.99), THE RUN fuses cinematic storytelling with immersive gameplay, making it equally compelling for film lovers and interactive entertainment fans.

Set against the dramatic backdrop of Lake Garda, Italy, THE RUN stars Roxanne McKee (Game of Thrones), George Blagden (Vikings), and features cameos from Dario Argento and Franco Nero. The viewer guides the story through branching paths, with multiple endings and 3+ hours of footage, turning every decision into a fight for survival.

THE RUN was an official selection at Raindance (London), Motelx (Lisbon), Dinard (Brittany), and Imagine (Amsterdam).

Actor Robert Carradine comes from an amazing family of actors.  His father, John, was a star during Hollywood’s Golden Age, appearing in such films as The Grapes of Wrath, The Ten Commandments and Around the World in 80 Days.  He also appeared in several westerns alongside John Wayne: Stagecoach, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and what would be Wayne’s last film, The Shootist.   His brother, David, is probably best remembered for his starring role in the television series “Kung Fu,” while another brother, Keith, won on Oscar for Best Original Song for his song “I’m Easy” from the film Nashville and went on to star on Broadway in “The Will Rogers Follies.”

Mr. Carradine earned praise for his powerful portrayal of doomed soldier Bill Munson in the Oscar winning film Coming Home.  He is probably best known for his role as Lewis Skolnick in the 1984 comedy Revenge of the Nerds and it’s sequels, as well as Sam McGuire, the father of the title character on the television series “Lizzy McGuire.”

His other films include Mean Streets, Joyride, The Big Red One, The Long Riders, and Django Unchained.  He also hosts his own Podcast, called “Party Nerds Popcast.”

On Friday, October 24^th, Mr. Carradine will be appearing in Omaha, Nebraska at the Omaha Community Playhouse for a special screening of his first feature film, The Cowboys.  He kindly took some time out this week to talk to MediaMikes about his career.

With Jon Voight in “Coming Home”

Mike Smith:  Acting certainly runs in your family.  Did your father encourage you and your brothers to pursue the craft?

Robert Carradine:  Not directly.  I do remember that he did say if we had an interest in pursuing acting that we needed to get a literary education.

MS:  Your father was such a great speaker.  A true orator.  Such an amazing gravitas.  Was that acting or did he always speak like that?

RC:  That’s how he spoke all the time.  He took a great deal of pride in his diction and his vocabulary.  He did have gravitas when he spoke.

MS:  The first film I saw you in was Joyride, which starred a second generation of Hollywood talent (NOTE:  besides Mr. Carradine, the film starred Desi Arnaz, Jr, Melanie Griffith (daughter of Tippi Hedren) and Anne Lockhart (daughter of June Lockhart).  Was the casting intentional?

RC:  That was totally planned.  They wanted that so they could use it in their advertising.

MS:  You’re appearing this week in Omaha for a special screening of The Cowboys.  Any good John Wayne stories?

As Slim Honeycutt in “The Cowboys”

RC:  The one story that gets people is when I was on location.  It was about the fourth day of a ten week shoot.  I’m seventeen-years old and we’re shooting a scene where each one of the cowboys has to ride a bucking bronco.  After the fourth kid tries, A. Martinez, the actor that played Cimaron, rides into the ring, jumps on the bucking horse, rides all the rough off of her and makes her back up.  He basically breaks the horse.  He rides the horse up to the fence where we’re all sitting, hands the reigns to the next kid and says, “here boy…maybe you can ride her now.”  The kid jumps off the fence to fight Cimaron, and I jump off the fence to protect the kid, because he’s a little kid.  John Wayne breaks it up and he pulls me away from the fight.  He says, “you.  Get back on that fence where you belong.”  He’s then supposed to curse Cimaron.  But before he can say his line, I say, “excuse me, Mr. Wayne.  I don’t think you should tell me to get back on the fence where I belong.  I think you should just tell me to get back on the fence.  Because I’m the head kid.”

That did not go over well!

MS:  Wayne and your dad both starred in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.  Did he know who you were?

RC:  Oh yeah.  He definitely knew the name.

MS:  You later went on to star in “The Cowboys” television series and, later, “Lizzy McGuire.”  Do you enjoy doing television?

RC:  I love doing it.  The thing that’s great about television is that you tend to not get behind.  Things run on time.  When you get a call sheet with the day’s work on it you can pretty much count on the fact that you’re going to get to everything.  There’s a certain comfort in knowing that the work’s going to get done.

With brothers Keith and David in “The Long Riders”

MS:  Here’s a Long Riders question that I asked James Keach. What was it like working with your brothers?  And were you competitive with the other groups of brothers?  (NOTE:  Walter Hill’s 1980 Western The Long Riders co-starred Mr. Carradine and his brothers, David and Keith, as well as Stacy and James Keach, Dennis and Randy Quaid and Christopher and Nicholas Guest)

RC:  There was a joking competitiveness.  One of the things that became quite competitive was seeing who could get out in front of the hotel first in the morning when we had to get picked up.  It got to the point where people began showing up fifteen-minutes early. (laughs)

As Lewis Skolnick in “Reenge of the Nerds”

MS:  Time for the obligatory Revenge of the Nerds question.  Did you have a sense while filming that the film would have the success that it did?

RC:  No.  But I do remember that we had an incredible time making the film.  It was a lot of fun.  And I think that the camera records how you actually feel and, the fact that we were on fire, for lack of a better phrase, the camera recorded that.  That was one of the things that made that film work on a massive level.

MS:  You’ve worked with some amazing filmmakers, among them Hal Ashby, Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino.  You’ve also directed for television.  Any thoughts of tackling a feature film from behind the camera?

RC:  I have two feature films currently on the back burner at the moment because, as I’m sure you can imagine, it’s terribly difficult to raise the funds to make a feature film.  But we have people that do that who are currently working on raising funds and we’ll see if that comes to fruition.

MS:  You’ve sung in a few films.  Any thoughts of taking a shot at musical theatre like Keith did?

RC:  It’s funny you should ask.  I had the opportunity to do some musical theater where I would have had to dance.  I would have had to sing.  I’m not really a singer, and there was a lot of dialogue.  I took a long look at it.  Initially I said “yes” but as I started to get into it I realized I was in over my head, so I had to back out.

MS:  What do you have coming up?

RC:  I just finished a movie in Canada called Sorority Shark Attack.  And that title tells you everything you need to know!

If you’re interested in attending the screening of The Cowboys, you can order tickets by calling (402) 350-8000.

You can listen to the Party Nerd Popcast HERE.

Starring: Judy Greer, Pete Holmes and Molly Belle Wright
Directed by: Dallas Jenkins
Rated: PG
Running Time: 99 minutes
Lionsgate

Film Score: 3 out of 5 Stars
Blu-Ray Score: 4 out of 5 Stars

Surface level. Cheesy. Goofy. Just a few things I’ve said about bad films in the past. But during Christmas, it’s different. Christmas is the time of year when people willingly watch movies that would be unwatchable any other time of year. You don’t bust out the hot cocoa on a muggy July day. You do it when it’s cold. You do it when there’s snow in the forecast. You do it when your home has the twinkle of holiday lights. Enter “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.”

Based on a book I never read or had read to me, the film follows Beth Bradley (Molly Belle Wright as the young version, Lauren Graham as the older narrator) as she reflects on a chaotic Christmas in the 1970s. Her mother Grace (Judy Greer) gets roped into directing the town’s 75th Christmas pageant for the first time ever. Also, for the first time ever,  the Herdmans get in the Christmas spirit. 

The Herdmans are a ragtag group of six siblings with a runaway dad, an absent mom, and reputations as the town’s most feared juvenile delinquents. They bully, steal, punch people in the face, and force their way into the pageant. Residents are getting ready to clutch their pearls, but the Herdmans may not be giving them a lump of coal. If you’ve ever seen a Christmas movie, you know exactly where this is headed.

I watched this in October while my wife was already decking the halls and wrapping presents. So, sure, maybe I was adjacent to the Christmas spirit. Maybe that’s why I didn’t outright reject the movie, even as it made me roll my eyes. I may have even wanted cocoa while watching.

There’s charm here. Greer is always great, and the child actors fully embrace their roles as miniature chaos agents on a redemption arc. That arc, along with the film’s overt Christian themes, walks a fine line between sweet and Sunday school sermon. At times, it feels like you’re being bludgeoned by a moral lesson about how the Bible fixes everything, but at least it’s core message is a decent one: the idea of welcoming outsiders, no matter how rough around the edges, because that’s what Christ would’ve done.

“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” is fine if you grew up with the book or want a little more Jesus in your Christmas lineup. If not, there’s probably more comfort (and less preachiness) in your average Hallmark rom-com. The movie has its heart in the right place, but it just doesn’t quite know what to say without mixing in a sermon.

Blu-Ray Features

Audio Commentary with Director Dallas Jenkins and Producer Kevin Downes

Herding the Kids: This feature shows what it’s like to try and wrangle multiple children on set.

Director’s Diary: This is a good complimentary feature to the commentary.

All About the Pageantry: Creating the Look: A mild look at creating the film’s background and set.

Legacy of the Christmas Pageant: Cast and crew talk about their own Christmas pageants.

The Least of These: Another complimentary director feature in which Jenkins talks about how he learned about the story.

Bloopers

Deleted Scenes

Theatrical Trailer

Starring: Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri and Andrew Garfield
Directed by: Luca Guadagnino
Rated: R
Running Time: 139 minutes
Amazon MGM Studios

Our Score: 1.5 out of 5 Stars

The last time I saw Julia Roberts on screen was “Ben is Back.” She’s still got it. The last time I saw a Luca Guadagnino film was last year’s “Challengers” and “Queer.” He’s still got it too. But despite those strengths, the two powerhouses find themselves stuck in the middle of a true mess with “After the Hunt.”

Roberts plays Alma Imhoff, an esteemed philosophy professor at Yale, whose world begins to unravel when one of her star students, Maggie (Ayo Edebiri), accuses Henrik Gibson (Andrew Garfield), a younger colleague of Alma’s, of sexual misconduct. Early on, we see that Maggie idolizes Alma; and the feeling appears mutual. That’s what makes Alma’s response so jarringly cold and standoffish. Instead of leaning in, she recoils.

The film sets itself up to tackle complex and timely themes like power, mentorship, and the #MeToo movement. But what follows is a series of disconnected moments and odd tonal choices. Character motivations feel vague or inconsistent. Dialogue is shallow. The entire production feels like no one, from director to composer, knew what kind of movie they were making.

Guadagnino’s direction is technically competent, but frequently puzzling. He lingers on characters without telling us why. He cuts to close-ups of hands fidgeting or flipping through pages as if trying to signal meaning, yet those moments never build toward any visual motif or narrative depth.

The cast is difficult to fault, given how erratically their characters are written. Take Frederick (Michael Stuhlbarg), Alma’s husband. Most of the time, he’s calm and supportive. But during a crucial dinner scene between Alma and Maggie, he suddenly transforms into an immature, attention-seeking pecker. He gets the feeling that he needs to excuse himself. Instead of confirming this suspicious, he externalizes his dissatisfaction, and blasts classical music in another room. But he’s not done. He mopes theatrically in and out of the dinner scene like a ghost. It’s not a scene that deepens the drama; it derails it.

And then there’s the score. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have delivered award-winning soundtracks before, but here their music feels confused and abrasive. It implies tension that never materializes or crashes into scenes with jarring intensity, like a kid slamming piano keys out of frustration. It’s the perfect metaphor for the film itself, noise without purpose.

Most frustrating is the absence of any resolution or thematic payoff. I kept waiting for the “ah-ha” moment, something that would recontextualize the chaos or clarify the muddled tone. But it never comes. Instead, the film ends with the same smug superficiality that defines its characters. “After the Hunt” wants to say something profound about power, privilege, and institutional silence, but it never earns its place in that conversation. It feels like a thesis paper written the hour before it’s due.

Starring: Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, John Ortiz
Directed by: Timo Tjahjanto
Rated: R
Running Time: 89 minutes
Universal Pictures

Movie Score: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
4K Score: 2 out of 5 Stars

Where was there to go after 2021’s “Nobody,” the suburban-dad-as-assassin sleeper hit? You’d expect Derek Kolstad, the creator of “John Wick,” to expand the world of Hutch (Bob Odenkirk). You’d expect him to introduce new allies, explore past enemies, and deepen the mythology of Hutch. Instead, “Nobody 2” takes a hard roundhouse kick left: it’s time for Hutch to take the family on a nostalgic summer road trip.

This time around, Hutch (Bob Odenkirk) is struggling to keep up. He’s rarely home, bouncing between violent freelance gigs to pay off the debt he racked up in the first film. His wife drinks alone at the dinner table and his kids barely see him outside of breakfast small talk. We even get the sense that divorce and alienation is around the corner. To save his marriage and reconnect with his family, Hutch piles everyone into a van and heads to Plummerville, a water park he visited as a kid. Trouble, of course, is waiting for him.

The chaos includes a corrupt amusement park owner (a grounded John Ortiz), a small-town sheriff oozing smug entitlement (Colin Hanks, doing what he does best in a jerk role), and a Russian gang leader played by Sharon Stone, who tears through scenes like a villainous vulture gnawing on a carcass. The plot may be thin, but the characters liven it up. Once again, Odenkirk grounds the mayhem with his unique blend of exasperated dad and quietly lethal badass.

The film’s biggest asset is its tight 89-minute runtime, about 20 minutes leaner than most action flicks. Whether by necessity or design, it understands that time is precious and that a quick jolt of adrenaline can be just as satisfying as a full-course meal. That said, there are still a few slow spots, and even Odenkirk’s charisma can’t mask every lull. “Nobody 2” may not be as fresh or impactful as the first, but it offers a tiki drink of an experience. It’s light, fast, and playfully violent. It’s a late-summer treat, perfect for when you need one last splash of cinematic fun before the season ends.

4K Review

Deleted Scenes: There are 8 deleted/extended scenes on this feature. As I say most times, you can see why these were left on the cutting room floor.

Nobody 2: The Fight Continues: This feature talks with the cast and crew about what they were looking to add and bring back for this sequel.

Nobody Does Stunts Like Us: This feature, which I wish was longer, talks with Odenkirk and the stunt team about designing the film’s fight sequences.

Jackie Earle Haley Hosts the Most Twisted Game Show You’ll Ever Survive “YOUR HOST”

AVAILABLE FOR RENTAL/PURCHASE ON VOD PLATFORMS
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14TH

Benacus Entertainment and RNF Productions’ new horror-thriller YOUR HOST, a twisted, high-concept psychological nightmare that’s already receiving acclaim, will be available Worldwide on VOD for rental or purchase this Tuesday, October 14th.

Directed by DW Medoff and starring Academy Award Nominee Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen, Shutter Island), Ella-Rae Smith (Sweetheart, “Into the Badlands”), and Jamie Flatters (Black Dog, Avatar: The Way of the Water), Haley commands the screen with unsettling charisma, blending game-show charm and pure menace in a role that feels tailor-made for him. It’s dark, intense, and impossible to look away from!!

Watch the Trailer: HERE

YOUR HOST is clever, claustrophobic, and made for Halloween audiences and is the kind of sharp, unsettling horror that film critics and genre fans will be talking about.

Starring JACKIE EARLE HALEY, ELLA-RAE SMITH, and JAMIE FLATTERS

Directed by DW MEDOFF
Written by JOEY MILLER
Produced by SARA SOMETTI MICHAELS and SETH MICHAELS
Associate Produced by REECE FOSTER

Line Producer MATTEO LEURINI
Cinematography by PAOLO CARNERA CCS
Edited by JAN KOVÁC

SYNOPSIS
Four friends become unwilling contestants in a sadistic game show, forced to outwit a twisted serial killer as the clock ticks down. Each decision brings them closer to escape—or a gruesome fate.

Horror-Thriller | 95 Minutes | Not Rated | English | USA | 2025

Starring: Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson and Gabriel Basso
Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow
Rated: NR
Running Time: 112 minutes
Netflix

Our Score: 4 out of 5 Stars

Anxiety is reaching a fever pitch. Economic instability, inflation, crime, war, political violence…seriously, take your pick. Meanwhile, social media fans all the flames, and in 2025, Kathryn Bigelow adds another spark to the blaze: nuclear dread. “A House of Dynamite” unfolds in near real-time over the course of about 30 minutes, as military officials, White House staff, and intelligence agencies scramble to respond to an ICBM launch from the Pacific. Who fired it? Why? Can it be stopped? Where is it headed? And, ultimately…does any of it even matter?

The genius of “A House of Dynamite” isn’t its story, which remains simple, but the slow, sinking pit it forms in your stomach. Bigelow has always enjoyed making you squirm in your seat. I watched her last film, “Detroit,” at home and it allowed me to pause the film so that I could take an emotional break. “A House of Dynamite” kept me trapped in a dark theater with its escalating discomfort as it became clear, alongside the characters, that answers may not prevent the inevitable: global nuclear war.

Told from three different perspectives, we watch key players and others react with human fragility: a trembling hand on a wedding ring, a silent phone call to a loved one, a stunned stare into nothing. Bigelow frames the film with such raw intensity that you feel trapped alongside them. And while the film runs only 112 minutes, its central premise, those first 30 minutes post-launch, does stretch thin by the final act. A tighter 90-minute runtime might have enhanced its claustrophobic urgency.

The film isn’t political; unless you’re pro-nuclear holocaust. “A House of Dynamite” offers no comfort in the face of crisis. We’re always told that adults are in charge and everything will be fine. With nukes on the line, even the adults in the room (fictional or otherwise) are powerless. They may know the protocols, have the plans, run the drills. But when it actually happens…does it make a difference? Does it even matter?

Bigelow doesn’t rely on post-apocalyptic horrors like “The Day After” or “Threads.” There’s no gallows humor à la “Dr. Strangelove,” and no morality play like “Oppenheimer.” Instead, she delivers a bleak, tension-drenched thriller that insists on one terrifying idea: tech fails, people lie, and when the moment comes, the response is tragically bureaucratic. “A House of Dynamite” doesn’t build toward a catharsis, it loops through dread.

It’s not the kind of film you’ll want to watch twice, unless you’re a glutton for punishment. There’s no reward in rewatching events you already know are futile. The outcome is clear from the first frame, and yet we, like the characters, continue trying to make sense of it. That’s Bigelow’s ultimate point. The danger isn’t just nuclear weapons, but how little time we’d have, how unprepared we’d still be, and how devastatingly human we remain when the clock starts ticking. In those 30ish minutes, “A House of Dynamite” explores military command, institutional reaction, and personal despair. Each is a different side of the same deadly die, one we may yet roll.

Directed by: Bryan M. Ferguson, Casper Kelly, Micheline Pitt-Norman, R.H. Norman, Alex Ross Perry, Paco Plaza and Anna Zlokovic
Rated: NR
Running Time: 115 minutes
Shudder

Our Score: 4 out of 5 Stars

Any time a filmmaker invokes Halloween in the title, or sets a story on All Hallows’ Eve, they invite scrutiny. It’s a built-in promise: deliver ghouls, thrills, nostalgia, and enough mayhem to satisfy the most haunted corners of our brains. The eighth entry in the “V/H/S” anthology franchise embraces that challenge head-on. It seemed inevitable since 2021, when the series began dropping a new found footage anthology every October, mixing horror veterans and newcomers into a blender of unpredictable storytelling. Now that “V/H/S” has finally pulled the trigger on Halloween, did they pull off a trick or a treat?

The wraparound story, “Diet Phantasma,” feels like Sam Raimi directing “Halloween III.” It follows scientists testing a soda infused with poltergeists, with gloriously gruesome results. If you thought earlier V/H/S films lacked in body counts, this segment makes up for any shortfall with gleeful, over-the-top carnage. The simple premise is absurd and excessive in all the right ways. It doesn’t matter that it doesn’t connect all the others, it’s simply trying to one-up everyone.

If the wraparound didn’t knock you for a loop, then “Coochie Coochie Coo” will. It’s a nightmare of gestation and grotesquery. Two teens out trick-or-treating stumble into a postpartum hellscape filled with horrifying baby-faced creatures and graphic lactation visuals. It’s weird, unsettling, and will scar parents and teens in very different ways.

The next short, “Ut Supra Sic Infra,” from “REC” co-creator Paco Plaza, is sadly the weakest short of the bunch. It doesn’t take full advantage of the found footage format or bring anything new to the party. Cops, attempting to figure out what led up to a deadly scene, find themselves becoming a part of the next deadly scene. Nothing memorable. Fortunately, it’s short and quickly gives way to “Fun Size,” a demented Adult Swim–style fever dream about greedy teens who defy the classic “please take one” candy rule. Their punishment? A Willy Wonka–esque descent into candy-coated abandoned warehouse doom. It’s goofy, gory, and rewatchable in all its sugar-fueled chaos. Never have gumballs and silly costumed characters been this deadly.

Then comes “Kidprint,” the anthology’s darkest and most grounded short. This short unearths a horrifying truth behind missing children and a local video store. It’s the only segment that fully explores Halloween’s thematic potential: loss of innocence, hidden evil, and the darkness in everyday people. It’s a bleak breather, tonally distinct and all the better for it. While it may not have the same zippy fun as the others, it reminds us that any good Halloween should have some creeps and scares.

“Home Haunt” offers us a unique bow before letting “Diet Phantasma” close things out. This Halloween crowd-pleaser might trigger a lot of happy memories for viewers: a DIY haunted house. I definitely had one in my neighborhood, but this suburban house haunt becomes too real after the homeowner plays a mysterious vinyl record. It’s clever, campy, and carries the right mix of nostalgia and nastiness.

“V/H/S Halloween” captures the essence of this time of year by being consistently violent, funny and at times unsettling. Every short, with the exception of “Ut Supra Sic Infra,” leans into Halloween aesthetics, traditions, or anxieties. While the stories don’t connect narratively, the seasonal spirit binds them with orange-and-black twine. There’s a reckless energy here that captures what Halloween feels like for people like me, costumed chaos, sugar rushes, and the lurking fear that something in the dark is more real than you think.

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt and Ryan Bader
Directed by: Benny Safdie
Rated: R
Running Time: 123 minutes
A24

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

Every now and then, a film comes along that isn’t great in the traditional sense, but it features a performance that redefines how we view an actor. “The Whale,” “The Wrestler” and “Leaving Las Vegas” are the gold standard here. These films are remembered as much for their raw performances as their narratives. Add “The Smashing Machine” to that list.

Set between 1997 and 2000, the film follows real-life MMA fighter Mark Kerr (Dwayne Johnson), a powerhouse trying to stay relevant through the early days of the UFC and the Japanese PRIDE league. While Kerr trains and fights with intensity, he also battles drug addiction, feelings of inadequacy, and a volatile relationship with his on-again, off-again girlfriend Dawn (Emily Blunt).

“The Smashing Machine” doesn’t reinvent biopics. The cinematography and storytelling are fairly standard, even pedestrian at times. What elevates the movie is Johnson and Blunt’s fully committed performances. Their love is messy, obsessive, and often toxic. Every confrontation, every long silence, feels lived in. These are career-best moments for both actors. Blunt may actually be the true powerhouse of the film with her wild emotional swings, but Johnson isn’t too far behind. Even in his quieter moments, we sense and see the tension building inside the gentle giant.

Those expecting a deep dive into Kerr’s addiction or the psychology behind his relationship may leave disappointed. For that, you’ll need to queue up the 2002 HBO documentary “The Smashing Machine.” Director Benny Safdie clearly admires Kerr, but he often chooses mood over clarity. The film hints at trauma and dependency, but rarely explores them with depth. Johnson’s moments of vacant staring and trembling silence, while sometimes excellent in their own regard, beg for more context.

Still, as far as sports biopics go, this one makes a compelling choice: it zooms in on an inherently unheroic and specific three-year window. Most sports films focus on triumph or redemption, because that’s how a good sports movie is supposed to be, right? “The Smashing Machine” is more interested in the fracture point, when greatness begins to crumble. It’s a quiet descent from invincible to vulnerable, and Johnson sells every inch of that slide. While it may not be Safdie’s strongest effort, “The Smashing Machine” could be a defining moment in Johnson’s acting career. It’s not a knockout of a film, but it lands where it counts.

Starring: Panos Papadopoulos, Juli Katsis and Aris Balis
Directed by: Yannis Veslemes
Rated: NR
Running Time: 88 minutes
Dark Sky Films

Our Score: 3 out of 5 Stars

Lovecraftian. Horny. Bizarre. Carnal. Those are probably the four most prominent words that popped up in my mind during “She Loved Blossoms More,” a time-travel fever dream filled with vaginal-looking creatures, Freudian brothers, drugs, and enough “what the hell am I watching?” moments to last the rest of the year. Writer-director Yannis Veslemes takes a deceptively simple premise and goes absolutely hog wild with it for 88 minutes. Throughout its runtime, Veslemes refuses to tell you what’s going on while daring you to look away.

The plot, if you can call it that, revolves around three oddly-named brothers: Hedgehog (Panos Papadopoulos), Dummy (Juli Katsis) and Paris (Aris Balis). They’re attempting to bring their mother back-to-life with a time machine. Of course, we pick up towards the tail end of their experimentations, which involve a lot of unfortunate livestock. They live together in what feels like a gothic mausoleum of maternal obsession. The time machine? Looks like they borrowed design tips from “The Fly.” 

But what actually happens in this movie? A lot of inexplicable imagery is treated as disturbingly normal. One brother chats with a vulva snake. Another has sex while his sibling fingers a chicken (and not in the way you think). I’m not spelling cherrypicking out of context scenes either, the whole movie feels like this. If I gave any more examples, I’d be accused of watching a serial killer’s wet dream laced with mommy issues.

Is that what the film is ultimately about? Mommy issues? Maybe. “She Loved Blossoms More” doesn’t hand over answers easily. It demands your sharpest attention and maybe multiple viewings, but ironically, the shock of the visuals is also what makes it hard to revisit. Once that novelty wears off, you’re left hoping the film had given you more narrative breadcrumbs the first time around.

That’s my biggest gripe: Veslemes keeps you at arm’s length, withholding just enough to frustrate. Maybe there are culturally specific metaphors or symbols I’m missing as an American viewer. At one point, a trollish goblin pops up that looks like something out of Epcot’s Norway Pavilion. Does it mean anything? Is it just another weird detour? Who knows.

If I had to gamble (which I wouldn’t because this movie’s too chaotic to bet on), I’d say the message is that life is a deliriously silly thing to be enjoyed before it overwhelms us with grief. These brothers are trapped in memory loops, maybe even false ones fed to them by their father, who might be the brains behind the time machine. The boys aren’t remembering their mother. They’re recreating someone else’s haunted idea of her. They make off hand remarks like, “She loved horror movies.” That’s about as deep as her characterization goes, yet the boys appear to be hungry for something more tangible.

Still, for viewers looking for a cinematic challenge that aren’t afraid of grotesque sexual imagery, “She Loved Blossoms More” is a delight. It’s proudly alienating, arguably clever, and defiantly uninterested in mainstream attitudes, even the horror conventions that it’s clearly marketing to. It doesn’t care whether you like it or understand it; and that’s kind of the point. It feels like Veslemes is trying to decode his own nonsensical dream while letting you watch, gape-jawed.

Renny Harlin is the director of classic films like “Die Hard 2”, “Cliffhanger”, “Nightmare on Elm Street 4” and “Deep Blue Sea”. He recently took on the task of rebooting “The Strangers” franchise into three chapters. Renny spoke with Media Mikes about the “The Strangers: Chapter 2” and what we can expect for “Chapter 3”