Bring Her Back (2025)

Good horror is both disturbing and moving, touching on real world fears, passions, horrors. Despite any fantastic elements to this story, Bring Her Back is a darkly beautiful meditation on loss and how it destroys us. 

The Philippou brothers have crafted something wonderful and terrifying. It is about how we can be pushed into horror. It is also about the survival of abuse. The skill with which they film this story is remarkable. Bring Her Back is gorgeously presented and disturbing to watch. But they are judicious in what gore we see and what we feel. Bring Her Back evokes raw emotions. It's visceral but also emotional.

Hawkins gives a performance that is up there with the great horror roles. Her young costars Barratt and Wong keep up with her. Their strength as an ensemble help ground the story and all its difficulties. They will make you uncomfortable, while also making you cry. Despite all we had seen, the film ends with us caring about everyone.

Bring Her Back is good horror on a level that we don't get too often. I especially appreciated how it didn't shy away from its difficult ending. They could have taken a more standard approach but they do not. Endings are where horror films often lose their steam. For Bring Her Back it is the point. 

This film shows the Philippous could likely make any genre of film and present us with something interesting. 

Bring Her Back

Starring: Sally Hawkins, Billy Barratt, Sora Wong

Directors: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou

Writers: Bill Hinzman, Danny Philippou

I Don't Understand You (2025)

It is not that common for a film to take this many left turns; starting out as a touching gay adoption story, becoming a bumbling fishes-out-of-water comedy, turning into a darkly comic noir, and then back again, all the while commenting on the "ugly American" trope. But the script is smart, Rannells and Kroll give it their all, and it comes together in ways that shouldn't really work. I Don't Understand You is a bit of a minor miracle. 

The film stays on the lighter side of things despite some of its dark edges and leaves most of its social commentary as suggestions. You can sit back and simply enjoy its demented humour if you want. If you want to think about it more, it starts to get even more interesting. I like that the film wraps its story up in a way that feels both heartwarming and surprisingly unresolved. The film is a little bit bold while also remaining rather crowd pleasing. 

I'm surprised it works as well as it does and that's likely due to the witty script and rather unassuming direction from Craig and Crano. The film is unlike much else out there and one of those films that makes me want to see what the film makers are going to do next. 

I Don't Understand You

Starring: Nick Kroll, Andrew Rannells, Morgan Spector, Eleonora Romandini, Amanda Seyfried 

Writers/Directors: David Joseph Craig, Brian Crano

Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025)

The Fear Street trilogy of 2021 was a fun and irreverent tribute to slasher films of different eras as well as the YA book series of R.L. Stein. We now have another instalment, this one only loosely connected to the others (same small town setting, post-credit scene which hints at a larger connection). Prom Queen is an 80s style horror about of group of candidates for the titular honour, being hunted down one by one on prom night. 

The Fear Street movies are both self-aware (in how they pay tribute to their inspirations) and fully earnest (in how they don't spoof or deconstruct their inspirations a la Scream). These films embrace the genre cliches without a wink and a nod, more with a loving embrace. This is about revisiting what made those films so fun, not about getting into our heads about them. This light take makes them very entertaining even if they are being a bit silly. 

Prom Queen gets to some pretty cartoony violence and gore. Perhaps this is a way of keeping them accessible. There are times you want to laugh more than wince at the blood. But it's all in good fun. The film also does pay tribute to the 80s with a killer soundtrack (pun intended) and delightful fashion without pushing that envelope too hard. 

So in the end this is another successful, if sleight, entry into a series that aims to be fun, referential horror for teens and the teens in all of us. 

Fear Street: Prom Queen

Starring: India Fowler, Suzanna Son, Fina Strazza, Chris Klein, David Iacono, Ella Rubin, Ariana Greenblatt, Lili Taylor, Katherine Waterston

Director: Matt Palmer

Writers: Donald McLeary, Matt Palmer

Fountain of Youth (2025)

Fountain of Youth is an old school adventure story that is fairly B-movie. This treasure hunting adventure certainly is not Indiana Jones. It's not even National Treasure. It's more like the 80s adaptation of King Solomon's Mines and it's sequel. Despite the rather compelling chemistry between the stars and Ritchie's signature kinetic film making style, Fountain of Youth ends up mildly entertaining but rather forgettable.  

I give credit to Krasinski and Portman for making this as fun as it ends up being. But there are just too many jump the shark moments to take this story seriously enough as one needs to to make it truly engaging. This feels like an attempt to start a franchise but it would be hard for me to care about seeing another adventure in this series. The film is lacking in any real investment in itself to make its audience believe in the story and believe in the characters. 

Fountain of Youth

Starring: John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Eiza González, Domhnall Gleeson, Arian Moayed, Laz Alonso, Carmen Ejogo, Stanley Tucci 

Director: Guy Ritchie

Writer: James Vanderbilt

Friendship (2025)

Friendship is both not what you will expect and very much what you signed up for. Marketing is selling it as a dark comedy that will make you cringe and that is exactly what it is while also defying your expectations in just how much it can do that. DeYoung has woven a dark tale of social ineptitude which takes our common fears of not fitting in and twists it to a painfully difficult extreme.

A big part of what makes Friendship work is the excruciating performance of Robinson, who take a character that should have been a shark jumping caricature and makes him feel honestly real. He doesn’t get a redemption except in how much we all might see ourselves in his exaggerated ineptitude. He is all id, all bad decisions, the way we blow up our own faults in our minds beyond their real limits. He is a cautionary tale that wouldn’t work if it wasn’t for how deftly Robinson brings him to life. 

Friendship might go on a bit long but it continues to surprise all the way along. I appreciated that it didn’t shy away from the ending it needed. Go in to this one as blind as possible but just be prepared to be uncomfortable and perhaps a bit reflective. 

Friendship

Starring: Tim Robinson, Kate Mara, Jack Dylan Grazer, Paul Rudd

Writer/Director: Andrew DeYoung

 

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025)

The Misson: Impossible film series has been a Cruise vanity project the whole time, some more than others. As we reach the “final” (more on that later) film, it feels even more so. Melodramatic and camp, the plot could not be more over the top and the message, that only Ethan Hunt can save us, hasn’t been so strong. Final Reckoning is so in love with its star that it can’t even… well we’ll get into that. 

For me the Mission: Impossible series has been up and down and it’s been more up than down in the last few films. This chapter felt a little on the meh side. The film is loooong and big parts of it drag. Once it does get to its conclusion it ratchets up the action, even thought some of that action feels repetitive, and it features some of Cruise’s signature stunt work. But the film could easily have been edited down a good 30 minutes (why not 60?) and likely would have been a more engaging adventure. 

The story is just so far beyond realistic, a hyper reality, and it never makes you feel the stakes. The world is going to end and yet, we know Hunt will save the day. I never doubted and therefore wasn’t really on the edge of my seat. And when the film couldn’t even… well I’ll come back to that… I knew that there just weren’t any real risks.

I guess perhaps I anted a farewell, a send off. And I felt like I just got another chapter, and not the strongest chapter at all. It hardly feels like a conclusion at all. I just feels like more of the same. 

*Spoilers*

Okay what I keep referring to is that Hunt survives this story. Not only did the film not have the cash ones to do what No Time to Die did for Bond, it didn’t even give him any conclusion. It just feels like he successfully ended another mission and there will be more. I’m not sure that is very interesting. There is little character development, hardly an arc at all. It’s just another episodic moment with more crazy stunts. Perhaps I had hoped there would be something concluding this story. It all lead to this did it? That’s not very satisfying.  

One of my critiques of an early film is how the “rabbit’s foot” of M:I III was a McMuffin. Here they give it some back story in a way that is clever. I’ll give them some credit for that. Also the stunts here are mind blowing. If there is one things this series does well, that this film keeps up, it is impressing us with that.

But in the end it still feels rather mid. Are we just going to watch Cruise/Hunt have another of these adventures? I’m not sure I care any longer. And this film did nothing to make me care. 

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Henry Czerny, Angela Bassett, Esai Morales, Pm Klementieff, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, Shea Wingham, Greg Tarzan Davis

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Writers: Erik Jendresen, Christopher McQuarrie

Lilo & Stitch (2025)

The animated Lilo & and Stitch is one of my favourite animated movies ever if not one of my favourites of any kind of movie. Watching a remake of a beloved film can be hard as it is reminding you so much of that film but just… isn’t that film. The bones of the story are here in this “live action” remake but yet so much of what made the original special, the heart of the film, ironically just didn’t feel as real. 

I will give the film credit for the outstanding performances of Kealoha and Agudong as Lilo and her sister. And Sanders is back as Stitch, an only slightly different animated version of the character that makes it extra ad easily similar to the original version. But none of this could help when the story was going through the motions and not capturing the emotions that made the first film so amazing. 

None of the changes this film puts into place enhance the story or give it a different point of view. They all feel cosmetic. Changing Bubbles’ role, adding in a grandmotherly figure, making Jumba more villainous, or even just pulling back from the Elvis-ness of the original; it all feels for nothing. Perhaps it was the live action actors attempting to interact with the animated counterparts that made it feel like they had less of a connection. Whatever it was what made he 2002 film so incredibly special. 

The story is still here and it remains a good story. This Lilo & Stitch is still watchable. It’s just a pale imitation. 

Lilo & Stitch

Starring: Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders, Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Hannah Waddingham, Chris Sanders, Courtney B. Vance, Zach Galifianakis,  Kaipo Dudoit, Tia Carrere, Jason Scott Lee

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

Writers: Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, Mike Van Waes

Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025)

Hurry Up Tomorrow doesn't amount to much more than a vanity project. The story is threadbare and sometimes borders on cringy. It is elevated by the performances of Ortega and Keoghan (especially the latter) along with the visual lushness of director Shults' work. But in the end it amounts to not much. 

This is the story of a fictionalized version of The Weeknd who has been dumped and ghosted by his ex (and one understands completely why as his toxicity is evident throughout) when he meets a new fan who takes him for a wild getaway. That's it. It takes some very dark and abrupt turns, and supposedly he learns something. But there is little to work with here leaving the director and cast to do as much as they can with what little they have. 

The best part is the music. Tesfaye puts out some good new tunes here while self-referencing some old ones. Still you don't need the movie to enjoy the music. This is purely for superfans only. 

Hurry Up Tomorrow

Starring: Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd), Jenna Ortega, Barry Keoghan 

Director: Trey Edward Shults

Writers: Abel Tesfaye, Reza Fahim, Trey Edwards Shults

Nonnas (2025)

I wasn't going to watch Nonnas cause I worried it would be cheesy and sappy. And perhaps it is in the end. But overall I'm glad I finally did. While it is rather formula and leans into the emotional aspects, it remains charming and far more engaging than it has a right to. A lot of this is how lovely it is to see this cast come together. Nonnas may not be quality cinema but it ends up being a fun, if rather surface, watch. 

Based on a true story, Nonnas tells the story of a man who opens restaurant with Italian Grandmothers as the chefs. It has all the against-all-odds cliches and a very predictable plot. You watch knowing how its going to work out but the story plays out so nicely that you want to see it all come together.

As I said, the cast is a bit piece of what makes it work. They aren't half-assing it here. Everyone gives it their all. This helps sell the story. So by the time the film reaches its obvious conclusion you're right there ready to dig in. Honestly one of the best aspects of this film is the food. It made me hungry. 

Nonnas

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire, Brenda Vaccaro, Linda Cardellini, Susan Sarandon, Drea De Matteo, Joe Manganiello, Campbell Scott

Director: Stephen Chbosky

Writer: Liz Maccie

Watchmen Chapters I & II (2024)

This new animated adaptation of Watchmen is notable for how faithful it is to the source material, often recreating the experience of reading the graphic novel. It has been adapted in a similar way before. There was a "motion comic" released in 2008 which took the images of the comic and added some movement along with narration and voices. This feels similar in how it brings the images to life so closely to how they were drawn originally but in a more traditional animated film. It very closely follows the story, presents the characters very similarly to how they appear in the book, and even works in the story-within-the-story The Black Freighter. 

In light of that, what the film doesn't offer is anything new. Being so faithful means it doesn't add anything, including perspective. That clearly isn't the purpose. So as someone who has encountered this story many times through different mediums including having read the novel over and over, it felt faithful but like something I had seen before. I appreciate how much it recreates the story, and perhaps for someone who isn't inclined to read the original, seeing this film will be a good way to experience the story. It should also make purists happy who want to see the experience replicated from one medium to another as closely as possible. 

Watchmen is a seminal and historic comic. This film captures that quite effectively. It will evoke memories of the story for those who are familiar while acting as a very competent introduction for newbies. The animation style, while capturing the feel of the original, also has its own feel. Generally I found it quite beautiful if some of it felt a bit unnatural. While it may not be my preferred means of "watching" the story, I do feel they did a good job of capturing everything that makes Watchmen was it is. 

Watchmen Chapters I & II

Starring: Matthew Rhys, Katee Sackhoff, Titus Welliver, Adrienne Barbeau

Director: Brandon Vietti

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski

The Accountant 2 (2025)

Very much like the first Accountant, 2 basically worked for me but didn't get me overly excited. The story was fairly heavy handed and overly complex in ways it didn't need to be. The action sequences were pretty well done and the buddy comedy aspects worked with Affleck and Bernthal having pretty good chemistry together. But there were a lot of times I had to roll my eyes. It's an easy watch that goes in and out of being engaging. I like the premise here, that what makes us different makes us special. The film just hits us over the head with it more than it shows it to us naturally. There is probably a better movie in this idea ini some parallel universe but The Accountant 2 was still watchable enough to get a pass. 

The Accountant 2

Starring: Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, J.K. Simmons

Director: Gavin O'Connor

Writer: Bill Dubuque

Another Simple Favor (2025)

This sequel leans into the camp and drama that the first film is remembered for, upping the ante and adding delicious actors to the cast. Another Simple Favor is fun and gives Kendrick and Lively the chance to return to what rank amongst their best characters. Clearly they are having a great time and fortunately that allows us to too. 

The film is a bit darker, a bit sillier, a bit more gruesome (there is a surprisingly brutal death scene in act 2). It basically takes the more more more approach to sequel making. It may not in the end be as good of a movie as the first one was, and the first isn't a masterpiece or anything. But it is another enjoyable film. 

Much of this rests on the cast, especially the two leads, who revel in their roles and make it all so yummy to watch. Honestly, when I got to the end, if I'm being honest, I'd be totally up for a third favor if that's in the cards. 

Another Simple Favor

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Elizabeth Perkins, Michele Morrone, Elena Sofia Ricci, Alex Newell, Henry Golding, Allison Janney 

Director: Paul Feig

Writers: Jessica Sharzer, Laeta Kalogridis