Review: I love my anniversary shows. A Time Machine that takes me back to a time where life was easier and our country wasn’t on fire all the time. Literally and metaphorically.
I was very excited to hear that The Used were going on tour to celebrate 25 years as a band by playing their first three albums. The first album was a big piece of my childhood. It came out when I was 13, which was the start of my emo phase. One that would go on for the next 20+ years! I was way more into emo then screamo, but there were some screamo bands that definitely stuck out for me. Senses Fail, Silverstein, and The Used.
I had a Burt is My Homeboy shirt in high school that I wore too much and I remember watching him jump from the speaker out into the crowd at Warped Tour. They always had a lot of energy and that didn’t go anywhere!
Cast: Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, Caitríona Balfe, Jon Bernthal, Michael Stuhlbarg, Laurence Fishburne.
Premise: After Charles Heller, a CIA crpytographer, loses his wife in a London terrorist attack, he realizes his bosses will not act due to conflicting internal priorities. Having blackmailed the agency to train him as a field operative, Charles embarks on a one-man mission to hunt down his wife’s killers.
Review: I got tickets to an early screening of this movie. Not how I used to though. Not when you enter contests on places, like go fubo and hope that you can be one of the people with advanced free tickets. I was on AMC looking to see a movie last weekend and noticed that there was an early screening of this. And I was also able to use my AMC pass which I was pleasantly surprised by. I was excited to see this movie, a week early.
It’s funny, because Jon Bernthal is currently playing two of the same characters in two extremely similar movies right now. This movie and The Accountant 2 with Ben Affleck where he plays his brother. I’m also watching Jon Bernthal right now in daredevil. I love that guy.
Anyway, I love action movies. The last movie that I saw on reviewed was Novacaine. I am very excited for the new Mission Impossible movie. There is a new Jason Statham movie out that I’m sure I will see you soon. I also just learned that he is doing a sequel to The Beekeper. The first one was a blast.
Now the thing about The Amateur is that it is like so many other movies but the execution steers clear of so many stereotypes. The following includes very minor to not really spoilers.
The stereotypes that this movie steers clear of: There is no new love interest. There is the love story of the protagonist losing his wife and thinking of her throughout the movie, but there is no new love interest with some 20 year old bikini model. There are no hand-to-hand fight scenes. No Rami Malek fighting 20 guys off with his barehands with a bunch of grunting.
Cast: Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, Gloria Reuben, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Thom Tran
Premise: Engaged in a mysterious relationship with her dead best friend from the Army, a female Afghanistan veteran comes head to head with her Vietnam vet grandfather at the family’s ancestral lake house.
Review: First off, I love a television show or movie where one of the main characters is dead. Six Feet Under, Dexter, Rescue Me. A story where one of the main character is dead and kind of plays the subconscious of the main character. I think this can be hard to pull off, but when it does it is so good.
When I first saw the trailer to this movie, I was sold. I have loved Natalie Morales since Parks and Rec. Sonquea Martin-Green since The Walking Dead, and Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman were good newcomers who I think have a real shot at being big actors.
The movie is really good. It’s a little long, but I feel it works. We really get to see a grief-stricken veteran try to carry on and get by in their day to day life. The movie is very funny. The back-and-forth banter between Merit and Zoe is really funny. The movie takes place in present day, but has a lot of flashbacks throughout to their time in the service.
The last fifteen minutes are a complete tearjerker. I haven’t, surprisingly, cried at something in a while and this movie made the waterworks come out. There is a twist that will really catch you by surprise.
This movie was written and directed by a veteran and it is based off of his life.
I have been a NEEDTOBREATHE fan since high school. I have seen them play sold out shows at Red Rocks a few times. I saw them with OneRepublic at Xfinity center. And I most recently saw them play at MGM. I learned recently that Bear had a side project and I am so glad I went to go see them play.
But first off, I must correct myself. Wilder Woods is far from a side project. It is a full forced music entity. Bear just released his 3rd album, Curioso, and is currently on the road touring it. He has a full band on stage comprised of a lead guitarist, keyboardist, drummer, bassist, guitarist/percussionist, and a fantastic back-up singer. The whole band is incredibly talented. I felt like I was watching a band that was being inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame.
Bear is a great storyteller. And he is a naturally funny guy. He is an all around great performer. He played lead and rhythm guitar, harmonica, and even just took the mic for a few songs. The band played a 17-song setlist, playing for over an hour and a half. Bear walked through the crowd, sang along with the crowd, and performed a few stripped down songs with his lead guitarist and backup singer.
I can’t wait to see Widler Woods every time they come to town. I have listened to all three albums by now but I can’t wait to listen to them even more. And discover other music of his not from the albums.
I can’t recommend seeing them enough. It was one of the best concerts I have been too in a while.
What It Reminds Me Of: Combines the dark humor of Dr. Strangelove with the existential sci-fi elements of Moon
Writer: BBong Joon-ho (screenplay), based on the novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Premise: In 2054, Mickey Barnes, an “expendable” crew member on a mission to colonize the icy planet Niflheim, is repeatedly cloned after each death. When Mickey 17 survives a mission but is presumed dead, he returns to find his clone, Mickey 18, leading to ethical dilemmas and conflicts within the crew.
Cast: Robert Pattinson (Mickey Barnes), Naomi Ackie (Nasha Barridge), Steven Yeun (Timo), Toni Collette (Ylfa), Mark Ruffalo (Kenneth Marshall)
Review: I really wanted to like this movie. I just got around to seeing Parasite last year and it was phenomenal. I am also a huge Snowpiercer and Train to Busan fan. This was probably the first Bong Joon-ho movie I’ve actually seen in theaters. I was hooked since the first trailer.
It’s not a bad movie. It’s done very well. The acting is fantastic. Robert Pattinson plays a lot of integrations of himself, including one that seems like he’s just doing an impression of Steve Buschemi. Stephen Yeun plays a dick. I’ve never seen him not play a lovable guy. Well, maybe in Beef. Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo were fantastic. I want a spinoff movie on them. They were so, so awful. Ruffalo basically plays Elon Musk; a politician turned space pioneer. The movie definitely had a little bit of a Snowpiercer feel with the difference in classes.
The movie is very funny. Very, very funny. It’s not often you get a comedy/sci-fi/action movie and it pulled those all off well.
I think the movie just went in a different direction than I thought it would. Or I wanted it to.
I would love a stuffed animal of the creature. Oh, and the way that he gets sucked back into the printer and then continues to be pushed out is fucking brilliant!
Writer: Rob Edward’s, Malcolm Spellman, Dalan Musson.
Director: Julius Onah
Premise: Sam Wilson, the new Captain America, finds himself in the middle of an international incident and must discover the motive behind a nefarious global plan.
My Premise: Sam works on setting into the new role or Captain America as the world is threatened by an unknown.
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carly Lumbly, Tim Blake Nelson, Giancarlo Esposito.
Review: I love Anthony Mackie as Captain America. The way they phased out Chris Evans was handled perfectly—Steve Rogers finally got to be with Peggy, grow old, and live a normal life. It was also great seeing Wyatt Russell in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. That moment when he killed the Flag Smasher in front of a crowd—the act that cost him the Captain America title—was one of the most intense things I’ve ever seen in a Marvel project. Honestly, that’s something I don’t think they would’ve dared to put in one of their theatrical films.
Anyway, watching Mackie fully take on the role was incredible. He’s one of my favorite actors, and seeing a Captain America who not only wields a shield but also has wings? That’s just badass.
I’ve also loved watching Harrison Ford these past couple of years in Shrinking. Over the last few years, he’s starred in his final Indiana Jones movie and the Yellowstone spinoff 1923, and now he’s stepping into the Marvel universe as Red Hulk. And the guy is 82 years old! Technically, Ford is taking over the role of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross after William Hurt’s passing in 2022, which is a big deal.
I thought Tim Blake Nelson as the antagonist was interesting. I guess I see him as someone who usually does
Premise: Two highly-trained operatives become close after being sent to protect opposite sides of a mysterious gorge. When an evil emerges, they must work together to survive what lies within.
My Premise: Two snipers take a top secretive job to protect the world from what is hidden inside of a gorge. But their year long job starts to unravel secrets they never would have expected.
Cast: Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sigourney Weaver.
Review: It’s not often that we get a good movie that combines romance, sci-fi, horror, and action. I feel if anything tries that it’s usually a straight to digital type of movie. This movie also stars two of the biggest actors in the business right now and costar Sigourney Weaver. Anytime you see Sigourney Weaver pop up in a movie you know it’s going to be good. She seems to play a similar role in this movie to the one that she did in Cabin in the Woods.
This is one of those movies where a friend of yours tells you that they called it, you can easily call them out on the lie. There’s definitely been movies like this, but I think this one takes it in the new direction.
With the movie running over two hours, I thought that it would be a lot of set up in a lot of romance in building the relationship but actually gets into the action part pretty quickly . The second and third act of the movie very action packed up until the end. It has a cheesy ending, but hey, it is romance movie. What do we call a movie that is a romance horror? RomHor?
This is a fun movie. You don’t have to pay attention too much, I will say, however, that the movie does get pretty dark and the second and third act. And I mean that in terms of lighting. But it makes sense to the movie.
What It Reminds Me Of: Final Destination, Annabelle, Twilight Zone
Writer: Oz Perkins, based on a short story by Stephen King
Director: Oz Perkins
Premise: When twin brothers Bill and Hal find their father’s old monkey toy in the attic, a series of gruesome deaths start. The siblings decide to throw the toy away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years.
My Premise: Three couples reunite at a billionaires secluded lake house and true identities come to light as people
Cast: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Christian Converg, Colin O’Brien, Rohan Campbell, Sarah Levy
I was all in from the moment I saw this trailer. A Stephen King short story. Produced by James Wan. Theo James—and also Theo James. I wasn’t as sold on Oz Perkins after Longlegs left me wildly disappointed, but now? Fully on board with him as a writer/director.
Apparently, I was the only one who didn’t pick up on the comedy in the trailer. It looked so violent and gruesome that I must have missed it. But let me tell you—this movie is hilarious. From start to finish. And not just because of the deaths. The way the characters talk about death, the dynamic between the brothers—there’s even a funeral scene with the mom and two sons that has some of the funniest dialogue in the movie.
It also kicks off with a totally unexpected cameo—one I never saw coming but was so hyped to see. The opening sets up The Monkey and wastes no time with a strong first kill. The second act slows down a bit, but it makes sense for the story and leads up to a wild third act. The movie is basically a sandwich where the meat is on the outsides—the first and third acts are loaded with over-the-top, violent, gruesome deaths. The whole theater was in uproar during the kill scenes, where you either see it coming a mile away or have no clue what’s about to happen. And the body parts? They really fly in this movie.
This year seems to be big for horror, but also big for actors playing multiple roles. Theo James plays twins in The Monkey, Robert Pattinson is tackling at least 17 versions of himself in Mickey 17, and Robert De Niro is pulling double duty as Frank Costello and Vito Genovese in The Alto Knights. I’ve become a huge Theo James fan—just finished watching him in Guy Ritchie’s The Gentleman series, and of course, he was great in The White Lotus and The Time Traveler’s Wife. He nails the contrast between the two brothers here.
Elijah Wood has been popping up in a lot of horror lately—he’s in Yellowjackets opposite Christina Ricci’s insane Misty, he’s starring in the long-awaited Toxic Avenger reboot, and he has a small but fun part in this movie. Also, seeing Sarah Levy in this? Unexpected but great. She plays a funky, fun character.
The whole thing feels like a Twilight Zone movie with a big budget and zero PG-13 restrictions. When I first saw the trailer, I immediately thought about how it could prime people for Final Destination 6—another movie loaded with random, violent, Rube Goldbergian deaths. Can audiences handle two movies like that in one year? At least there’s a few months between them.
Trivia time: I just learned that Os Perkins was Dorky David in Legally Blonde!
What It Reminds Me Of: Black Mirror, Ex-Machina, M3ghan.
Writer: Drew Hancock
Director: Drew Hancock
Premise: A weekend getaway with friends at a remote cabin turns into chaos after it’s revealed that one of the guests is not what they seem.
My Premise: Three couples reunite at a billionaires secluded lake house and true identities come to light as people
Cast: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillén, Rupert Friend.
Review:
This movie has been on every horror fans radar since the first trailer dropped. Sophie Thatcher has become quite a scream queen with her roles in things like Yellowjackets and Heretic. Jack Quaid has starred in horror films like Scream and The Boys. The Boys might not be known as a horror show, damn, it really is. Lukas Gage stuck out as the creepiest part of the Smile 2 trailer, as he bashed himself in the face with a weight. Harvey Guillén starred in the horror comedies What We Do in the Shadows and Cursed Friends. All of these actors under one roof made me feel sure this movie would be a hit.
But more things sold me on it early on. Zach Cregger, behind last years hit Barbarian, produced this movie. And just the general plot: What happens when a robot goes too far?
Now a lot of early reviews of this movie said that they wish they never saw the trailer. Or that the trailer didn’t give away that Thatcher was a robot. But don’t worry. The movie will keep you guessing. There are twists and turns. There is a whole lot of blood, a whole lot of laughs, and action up until the very end.
The Super Bowl isn’t just about football—it’s one of the biggest entertainment events of the year, drawing millions of viewers for the commercials, halftime show, and spectacle. In 2025, Super Bowl LIX reached a record 127.7 million viewers, with a peak of 135.7 million, making it one of the most-watched broadcasts in history. With such a massive audience, advertisers paid up to $8 million for a 30-second commercial spot, hoping to capture attention with creative, high-budget ads. The commercials have become just as much a part of the tradition as the game itself, sparking conversations and debates long after the final whistle. The halftime show also adds to the excitement, and this year’s performance by Kendrick Lamar, with a special guest appearance by SZA, had social media buzzing. Whether people watch for the ads, the music, or just the overall experience, the Super Bowl remains a must-watch event for millions.
There was the Ben Affleck Dunkin’ Donuts commercial that had do you wanna go down method acting in coffee. It was very Apocalypse Now.
There was the final trailer to the live action How to Train Your Dragon movie. While I don’t think we needed a live action, I am pretty excited to see it. The original movies are quite magical and feature one of my favorite musicians, Jonsi. they are also finishing a whole park in Universal for the franchise which looks great.
Well, I don’t really know much about this movie, I am excited for the new Marvel movies that are coming out this year like the new Captain America and new installment of the Fantastic Four. I think I read something that Thunderbolts is like Suicide Squad for Marvel. That’s what it looks like, a bunch of bad guys from various movies teaming up. Like I said, I don’t know much about it, but it is Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Sebastian Stan. That’s enough for me to be on board.
The Ritz commercial starring Aubrey Plaza and Michael Shannon as two people who get mistaken for never smiling was very funny.
Barry Keoghan riding on a horse over the Cliffs of Mohr was weird as hell so, naturally, I enjoyed it. Also, a modern day paper boy throwing laptops on peoples lawns was a cool perspective.
Seal as a seal was terrifying. I’ve already seen Justin Long as a seal and thought was all I would ever see. But hey, it was funny.
The Instacart commercial of all of the different products making their way to a house was really cool. It had been too long since we saw the Kool-Aid man bust through wall and an energizer bunny make its way down the street.
The Gordon Ramsay commercial with the alien technology used in the kitchen was fun. Even more with the surprise, Pete Davidson cameo reconfirmed that he is an alien. It seemed like a deleted scene from a Men in Black movie.
Speaking of batteries, the robotic Tom Brady commercial was pretty entertaining.
I love Glenn Powell. The man has chosen to work on some pretty cool projects. What I really like about him is that he doesn’t take himself too seriously and that he leans into his stereotypes. Especially in this commercial.
Decades later, Billy Crystal and Matt Ryan return to the deli where it all went down.
First, it was Eugene Levy’s eyebrows, and then it was Nick Offerman’s mustache. This commercial featured bird like mustaches traveling to the houses of Pringles customers.
How do I open? The Super Bowl had a lot of commercials that were pretty heartfelt and this is definitely my favorite one.
I had first thought that this was a trailer for a Toy Story horror movie. I’m not sure how to be had as much money as they did to put into the commercials for the Super Bowl, but man was this commercial fun and also terrifying.
This is the year for horror. I just saw Companion. I’m seeing The Monkey soon. we have many sequels coming out this year to horror movies such as Final Destination six.  And, Weil limited, this teaser trailer for the new Meghan 2.0, which features a sung by Chappell Roan, it’s enough to get people on board.
Kiernan Culkin is fresh off of the awards show circuit collecting trophy’s and nominations. So, why not play a Belluga in a commercial?
I love Post and I love Shane Gillis and this was a duo I didn’t know we needed.
Matt Damon and David Beckham as long lost brothers was hilarious. All the way up to the Ben Affleck dig at the end.
