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”

Starring: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw and Ivanna Sakhno
Directed by: Gerard Johnstone
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 120 minutes
Universal Pictures

Film Score: 2 out of 5 Stars
4K Score: 3 out of 5 Stars

In a year packed with excellent horror, it’s easy to forget about “M3GAN 2.0.” That’s partly because it had some stiff competition like “Weapons” and “Sinners,” and partly because the sequel abandons horror almost entirely, trading killer doll vibes for… a techno-spy thriller? It feels like the goal was to do what “Terminator 2” did, which was to evolve the threat into something more complex and maybe even heroic. But instead of building on what made 2022’s “M3GAN” effective, this follow-up takes a wild genre swerve and lands in messy, half-baked territory.

Two years after the events of the first film, Gemma (Allison Williams) has become an advocate for responsible AI. That’s not what everyone wants to hear though. Gemma’s immense tech background brings her face-to-face with military officials on the hunt for AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno), a rogue AI android who’s gone off the leash. Enter M3GAN, who turns out she’s not quite dead and has an offer: Give her a body, and she’ll help take down AMELIA.

That pitch could’ve worked. But watching the original just days before seeing “M3GAN 2.0” really highlighted the disconnect. We go from a cold-blooded AI willing to kill anyone to protect a child (Cady, played again by Violet McGraw), to a convoluted international plot involving assassinations, G20 meetings, and a shadowy tech macguffin. The tonal whiplash is real. Going from slasherbot to spy queen isn’t so subtle.

M3GAN’s transition from horror icon to a feminist James Bond happens so fast you either buy in completely or check out. I found myself somewhere in the middle. M3GAN still has the sarcastic one-liners and chaotic energy, but now she’s positioned as a full-on hero. The morally gray, unpredictable edge that made her interesting is stripped away. What’s left feels like what Disney might do if it bought the IP and wanted to sell plush dolls at Target.

It’s not that the ideas behind “M3GAN 2.0” are bad. They’re actually kind of fun. But the execution doesn’t match the ambition. At two hours, the silliness wears thin. Once the novelty of watching M3GAN quip and kill again wears off, you’re left with a plot that feels like it was written in committee the night before shooting started. That said, the unrated version offers a bit more of what some fans like me wanted: blood, mayhem, and sharper edges. “M3GAN 2.0” is best enjoyed with very little brain computing power, but once you start turning the gears of thought, you’re going to be disappointed. 

4K Review

Total Upgrade: Making M3GAN 2.0: Get a behind the scenes look from the cast and crew about the sequel.

Droid DNA: Having attended a panel at SDCC this past year about the costumes in “M3GAN 2.0,” I’m slightly surprised that it isn’t included with this look at the film’s droids.

The Art of Slaying: A look at how the special effects team brought the film’s action sequences to bloody life.

Scene Breakdown: Embrace AI Convention: This feature goes over the film’s best sequence, a dance battle that turns into…well…a regular battle.

Directed by: Mike Figgis
Rated: NR
Running Time: 107 minutes
Utopia

Our Score: 3 out of 5 Stars

I haven’t yet rewatched Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis,” which I really want to do—just to figure out whether it’s pure nonsense or a manic artistic vision. Right now, it’s unavailable for streaming and you can’t buy it online (at least legally). The closest I could get to watching 2024’s most ambitious disaster was “Megadoc,” a behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of Coppola’s passion project.

“Megadoc” follows the film’s multi-year production, plagued by walkouts, firings, clashing egos, and chaos at nearly every turn. For a lot of people, this will immediately call “Apocalypse Now” to mind. But while “Hearts of Darkness” deepened the mythos of that film, “Megadoc” feels more like an obituary for a movie that bombed so hard it cost Coppola over $100 million of his own money.

It starts off promising, showing Coppola rallying the cast and crew for what’s clearly going to be a strange ride. And I say strange because his directorial style seems deliberately murky. At times, it’s like he waits for someone to make a decision just so he can reject it. The most fascinating dynamic here is between Coppola and Shia LaBeouf. They come off like an old married couple who’ve given up on divorce and settled into bitter codependence.

Amid the madness, there is a real creative passion. Coppola is hell-bent on realizing a sprawling vision that might not even be fully formed in his own head. But as months turn into years, you start to wonder if the real world is evolving faster than Coppola can keep up. Watching him wrestle with something this big, something that may no longer even make sense to him, is compelling. But I couldn’t help wondering what the documentary left out.

Sometimes it feels like the camera kicks in after the storm has passed, or just before it breaks. At times, it mirrors the messiness of “Megalopollis” itself, jumping through time, glossing over tension, and ending right at the film’s premiere. It’s long, yet still feels like it had more to say.

Still, “Megadoc” is a compelling watch. Not perfect, but for people like me who are drawn to stories about cinematic trainwrecks, it hits the spot. It plays right into the narrative that “Megalopolis” is some kind of creative Frankenstein; confused, misunderstood, and borderline delusional. If you haven’t seen the film, “Megadoc” might seem like an exercise in self-inflicted wounds. If you have, it’s a chaotic but necessary companion piece.

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

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.

With live-action remakes of classic animated films all the rage, it shouldn’t be surprising that other studios would follow the House of Mouse (Disney) for some of that familiar IP exploitation box office gold. What is surprising is that a live-action remake could not only be good, but actually be almost as good as the original without hardly changing a thing. Original animated film co-director Dean DeBlois returns to the mythical land of Berk for a retelling of How to Train Your Dragon with real sets, real locations, a live human cast, and photorealistic CGI dragons (because, sadly, dragons aren’t real).

Did you see 2010’s How to Train Your Dragon? Then, in an interesting way, you’ve already seen this 2025 update. One of the key complaints about a number of the live-action remakes of animated classics that have come down the blockbuster pipeline has been the ill-advised changes. Whether completely changing a character or adding nonsensical plot beats, additional stupid songs to sell a new soundtrack, or just plain being flat, boring and uninspired. These films may have made huge bucks at the box office, but they just don’t hold a candle to their original animated counterparts.

Along comes 2025’s How to Train Your Dragon, which, weirdly enough, works because very little was changed. So little was changed that the film often comes across as a shot-for-shot remake of the 2010 film in a different medium.

Some of the casting obviously changed; our hero Hiccup is now played very well by Mason Thames, and Nico Parker steps in for Astrid, with Nick Frost turning in a funny run as Gobber. Gerard Butler gets another shot as the grizzled Stoick. Toothless is still CGI, but now comes in the photorealistic variety. There’s a little shakeup with the societal makings of Berk and its clan of warriors, but that’s it. Everything plays out almost exactly the same. So why does this work so well?

I honestly think it’s precisely because they didn’t make radical changes to the story, characters, or the plot beats that this live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon worked so well. The original film already hit so many wonderful emotional highs; the only thing they had to do was let a real live cast sell that experience. And it worked beautifully. There was something grand about a live Gerard Butler saying similar (if not exactly the same) lines as his animated counterpart. Hiccup’s first big flight with Toothless is just as arresting in live-action as it was animated. The big finale dragon battle is just as exhilarating and dramatic. The changes made are so slim that they don’t become irritating or distracting. I feel that so many of the issues with Disney’s changes for their live-action editions stem from those changes and updates that distract more than pull you into the story.

VIDEO

In 2160p Dolby Vision, How to Train Your Dragon makes a big splash with an often striking 2.39:1/1.90:1 shifting aspect ratio transfer. I got to see this in 4K on an OLED monitor and it was a true splendor when the world of Berk opened up for those big action sequences and glory shots in 1.90:1. Every intricate detail in the numerous beards, the armored fur-adorned costumes of the villagers, the homes, boats, and dragons is crystal clear. Even Toothless moves away from being the glossy dragon in the animated features with full details in the scales and lighting variations in textures, while still looking like a big black cat with leathery wings. Colors are generally vibrant, primaries see plenty of attention, but it’s the green rolling hills of Berk and the assorted appearances of the dragons that get the most color pop. Skin tones are natural and human. Black levels are deep and inky with excellent shadow separation, giving those bigger moments a true sense of depth and dimension. I still hope to see a 3D Blu-ray of this someday, but until then, this 4K Dolby Vision experience is excellent.

SOUND 

Matching the video point for point is the Dolby Atmos track. From swooping fire-breathing dragons to Toothless’ screech to the screams of the men and women of Berk. Similar to the 2010 original, it opens up to all the chaos of living on an island that is routinely ravaged by dragons, treating us to everything that’s to come. The Powell score is just as rich as ever, even though it’s a slight reorchestration of his original motifs. The distribution of the village offers strong, heavy impact on the LFE rumble. The dragons flying overhead and the fireballs raining down deliver a fully active height channel experience. Dialog via Hiccup’s narration and the ensuing chaos is clear without issue. Side, surround, and rear channels remain fully active for the big events. And the rest of the film carries on like that. Even in the quieter moments, the film finds smart uses to keep the various channels working for a fully immersive soundscape.

EXTRAS 

Completing the home video package is a rather healthy assortment of interesting bonus features. Director Dean DeBlois provides a terrific audio commentary, diving deep into how they brought the animated feature to life, casting, location scouting, building the real-life sets, and offering tidbits about how they adapted the story all over again. After that, the next meaty bit is a 45-minute making-of that is a nicely dedicated look at the making of the film. Following that are some nicely focused featurettes looking at the set design, costumes, and the making of a few key sequences. All around, a great set of extras we don’t often see for modern releases.

LASTLY 

In 2010, we were gifted with a rip-roaring dragon-riding adventure that spawned two sequels and TV series spin-offs. In 2025, we’re again gifted a rip-roaring dragon-riding adventure – and we’ve yet to see if there will be any sequels or TV series spin-offs. Granted, the world probably didn’t need a near shot-for-shot live-action take on How to Train Your Dragon, but we got one, and it’s, amazingly enough, actually good! It’s a sign that a good story told well can transcend medium. Animated or Live-Action, the story of a boy and his dragon hits those emotional notes. I may still prefer the 2010 original over this one, but unlike other recent remakes from a rival studio, I can actually see myself pulling this 2025 remake of How to Train Your Dragon off the shelf many more times. It’s well made and great fun! With an excellent A/V presentation and some genuinely interesting, well-produced extra features. Highly Recommended!

Neil Marshall is the director behind films like “The Descent”, “Dog Soldiers” and “Hellboy” (2019). Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Neil about his movie “Duchess”, check it out!

The film stars Charlotte Kirk and follows a tough, working-class, petty criminal who morphs into an anti-heroine to be reckoned with in a murky underworld, in the treacherous world of diamond smuggling.

Old-school American horror is back as Adam Green’s iconic Hatchet series returns in a blood-soaked, fully Unrated collection, uniting all four films for the first time. Unleashed at a time when the fun of 80s slashers had all but disappeared from the cinematic landscape, Hatchet ushered in a new era of terror with its unapologetic brutality and introduction of Victor Crowley, the modern bogeyman, who ruthlessly hunts those who dare tread into his swamp. With each installment, the stakes escalate, delivering bigger, bloodier scares and a relentless barrage of inventive kills. So gather all your pieces, because it’s time to return to his swamp and learn once and for all that some legends truly never die.

Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Adam about Hatchet, it’s past and future. Check it out and purchase the set here: https://selects.darkskyfilms.com/products/hatchet-complete-collection

Chain Reaction written and directed by Alexandre O. Phillipe is a documentary about The Texas ChainSaw Massacre’s impact on 5 completely different artists Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King and Karyn Kusama. It’s cleverly edited with the respective interviews intertwined with clips of the film, and some outtakes that even the biggest Chain Saw fans (like myself) have never seen before. Each one of them tell their experience of seeing the film for the first time, some by choice and some by accident, and how the movie had left a lasting impression on them.

Pleasantly surprised by comedian Patton Oswalt’s fandom of the film and just like myself we both saw the film on VHS. Stephen King makes a point that on how the film is nearly a short film because of it’s run time. I personally have been flying that flag for decades. When a movie wastes no time and it gets to the point like TCM does, it’s hard not to respect a film like that. Regardless if you are fan of the horror genre.  King also says something that is very true about what you see vs what you don’t see in movies and how the power of suggestion is stronger. The unseen and the unknown can play a psychological game on your mind and leave you wondering was that there or not?!

Writer and Director Karyn Kusama says something that stuck with me and puts my feelings of the film into perspective. “It’s hard movie to watch and it’s a hard movie to rewatch yet i keep on returning. It’s as big American film as any American classic. How lucky we are as cinephiles to have Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

4 out of 5 Revving Chainsaws