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INFINITY POOL Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman, Jalil Lespert, and Thomas Kretschmann Director: Brandon Cronenberg NICK Director Brandon Cronenberg has similar film sensibilities to his father, so you have an idea what you’re in for with his features. However, with Infinity Pool , the director’s more experimental aspects tend to work against the flow of an otherwise intriguing film. I’m all for shocking your audience, but such scenes work best when they advance the story. Some of the ones here feel like they were made solely to provide shock value, making them unnecessary. Besides that, Mia Goth provides another powerhouse showing - her third in a row - and although the film struggles to maintain its early momentum, it did enough to keep me invested. JACOB Infinity Pool is delightfully asymmetrical and weird right up to the point that it isn’t, and that’s where it ultimately lost me. For about 88% of the runtime, I was on board, ready for whatever director Brandon Cronenberg had in store for me and the film’s stars, especially the beautifully unhinged Mia Goth, who owns the whole movie. Unfortunately, it never really becomes anything more than surface-level intrigue, leaving the audience with a sense of interest but no ultimate satisfaction. Perhaps that is the point of the whole enterprise, but it’s a point best alluded to rather than experienced. PAIGE Infinity Pool is a film that could only possibly come from someone with the last name Cronenberg, as it delivers twisted originality and disturbing nightmarish imagery. With its underlying themes of privilege, the first half of the film immerses you in an intriguing story that eventually goes off the rails with a bonkers second half that will leave you pondering, “what the fuck did I just witness?” It’s a wild ride that won’t sit right with everyone, but there is no denying that it allows Mia Goth to once again prove she is a force to be reckoned with. DARRYL Infinity Pool is a mess of a movie. Now, within that mess are hints at something good, possibly great, but director Brandon Cronenberg seems to be more in love with the idea of creating something off-kilter than telling an actual story. Alexander Skarsgård's performance is passable as a man lost in hedonism, while Mia Goth's unhinged insanity somehow fluctuates between amazing and downright lousy. Lacking the usual amount of body horror that audiences have come to expect from the name Cronenberg, this film instead chooses to skate by on its ambience, which doesn't always work in its favor.

EMERGENCY Starring: RJ Cyler, Donald Elise Watkins, Sebastian Chacon, Sabrina Carpenter, Maddie Nichols, Madison Thompson, and Diego Abraham Director: Carey Williams AMARÚ Director Carey Williams’ short-film-turned-full-length-feature Emergency has an apt handle on making the hyperbolic seem realistic in this Jordan Peele-esque, college-based thriller that is comparable to Superbad and Booksmart . Hilarious at the right moments and heavy when needed, Emergency will have you gripping your seat in laughter and anxiety from start to finish. The plot’s deftly written antics are even more elevated in the hands of the brilliant RJ Cyler and Donald Elise Watkins. Their earnest friendship makes the laughs heartier, the thrills tenser, and puts Emergency on the list of 2022’s best. NICK Emergency is a film more people should be talking about. As a white male, the film’s central conflict would certainly be a difficult situation, but director Carey Williams does a great job of showing just how different and fearful the same scenario would be for a black male. There are some pacing issues and the humour doesn’t always land quite as well as the hysterical opening, but the performances of RJ Cyler and Donald Elise Watkins carry you through the rough spots. This feels like a Jordan Peele film, and given his output, that should be seen as quite the compliment to Mr. Williams. JOSEPH Emergency is a bizarre blend of comedy and thriller, and while it can seem tonally scattered at times, it’s nevertheless intriguing. The main trio of the story have a similar dynamic to the trio of Superbad , with Donald Elise Watkins and RJ Cyler giving particularly stand out performances. There are humorous moments, but there also is an ever present threat hanging over the characters’ heads that makes the comedy feel weird. While the film may never find the balance in tone, it perfectly executes its social commentary and ends on a strong, haunting note.

PREDATOR: BADLANDS Starring: Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Elle Fanning, and Michael Homick Director: Dan Trachtenberg NICK With Prey , Dan Trachtenberg resurrected the Predator franchise. With Killer of Killers , he showed its potential. And with Badlands , he cements its future. Trachtenberg has crafted a film that subverts all expectations, stretching the PG-13 rating as far as he can and changing the trajectory of this IP. Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) is a solid new addition to build around, while Thia, played by Elle Fanning (who won me over this year), fuels the film's buddy-cop stylings. It's the action, however, that really drives this thing. The success of the series’ overall direction is yet to be determined, but I had lots of fun with Badlands . ROBERT Does anyone in Hollywood have more surehandedness with a franchise than Dan Trachtenberg and Predator ? At this point, he is three-for-three as Predator: Badlands emerges as a blast of a sci-fi action romp. Trachtenberg manages to enhance the scope of knowledge of the Yautja (Predator) species while also honing in on a singular story of self-discovery and identity. Beyond what standard expectations you might have for a Predator film, Badlands also surprises with some heart and humor that only minimally creates some tonal imbalances. The film only feels misguided when shoehorning in Alien lore, but otherwise, it’s a killer of killer films. ADRIANO I'm all in on Dan Trachtenberg continuing to explore the Predator universe. While not as gripping as Prey , Predator: Badlands takes the franchise in a new direction, and as a Predator fan, I was admittedly nervous about the idea of a Yautja protagonist, but it works. It gets a little too MCU-y towards the end, but between the incredible score and sick action, the whole film remains engaging, in part due to the world-building that all feels like it comes from someone who truly loves the Predator movies. So (and I rarely say this) let's keep these spinoffs coming. PAIGE Predator: Badlands is a unique and refreshing take on the franchise that puts the Yautja front and center as our protagonists. There are so many elements that shouldn’t work, but somehow, they do. Director Dan Trachtenberg not only delivers badass action sequences, but he infuses the film with heart and humor. At its core, this movie tells a found-family story that never shies away from the violence the franchise is known for. Elle Fanning’s enthusiastic synthetic and the runt Yautja make for an epic dynamic duo. Admittedly, the story is fairly straightforward and lacks complexity, but it’s still an absolute blast! Trachtenberg once again proves that the Predator franchise is in good hands. BODE I still haven’t seen Prey or the animated Killer of Killers , so I went into director Dan Trachtenberg’s latest entry in the Predator universe, Badlands , practically fresh-faced. While I get why people love this one, I’m not quite on that train myself. I thought some of the world-building was cool, the action is fun (if a little weightless), and I liked the dynamic between android Thia (a very charming Elle Fanning) and Yautja Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi). It’s ultimately just a little too safe and artificial for it to leave a lasting impact. Regardless, for what it is, I had a decent enough time. AMARÚ The Yautja are all-time sci-fi antagonists because of their mysterious intrigue. Taking away that mystique might seem unwise, but Predator: Badlands has two ideal circumstances that prove otherwise: being a damn near 30-year-old franchise, and a director deeply steeped in the world. Dan Trachtenberg’s intimate understanding of this franchise (as proven with his two other uniquely amazing entries) allows us to accept sentiment in a quintessentially unemotional culture, and using sibling bonds as the catalyst to finally explore the Yautja made for a natural world-builder. Action, story, and tension provide top notch entertainment, but it was Badland ’s unique approach to the Predators that surprised me most. QUENTIN Although it doesn’t come anywhere close to the highs of Prey or Killer of Killers , Badlands also isn’t near as tragic as 2010’s Predators or 2018’s The Predator . The biggest problem for me is the narrative shift to make this iconic villain the protagonist. I want this species to be a menacing and unrelenting force of unexplained nature like Michael Myers. By giving me backstory and social constructs to generate empathy, director Dan Trachtenberg has removed almost all the mystique surrounding the universe’s best hunter. That aside, everything else — from the story to the action beats — is fine but overly sanitized and extremely Disneyfied.

KRAVEN THE HUNTER Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, and Russell Crowe Director: J.C. Chandor NICK The Sony/Marvel partnership (live-action edition) has been nothing short of a disaster, and Kraven the Hunter may be its worst film to date. Whether it's the waste of a surprisingly stacked cast (Aaron Taylor-Johnson has the screen time of a supporting character) or the atrocious script, I couldn’t help but laugh AT this film on multiple occasions - something I try to avoid. But it is just really, truly dumb. The decision making, the character development (or lack thereof), the effects... There are flashes (and I use that word generously) of what could have been, but it sure isn’t what we got. Let this partnership die. ADRIANO As the reported swan-song for Sony's catastrophic Spider-Man universe, Kraven the Hunter brings it to a close in an appropriate manner. In other words, it's a total disaster from start to finish that you kinda can't help but have a blast laughing at. Its bizarrely stacked cast is wasted, the R-rating adds nothing, the ADR and editing are noticeably bad, and the bloated plot is unengaging. It's a product of pure, unbridled incompetency, and there’s a thousand meme-worthy moments that made me burst out laughing. So, for that, Sony-Verse, you hilariously wretched disaster, you will be missed. PRESTON There is so little care put into this film that it is a shame that it is tied to Marvel Entertainment, and I’m not even a Marvelite. Kraven the Hunter has so many inconsistencies and goofs that my theater was laughing at the unintentional awfulness and atrocious editing that jumps from scene-to-scene with little congruence. Add on pencil-thin story development, some super rough CGI, a range of inconsistent accents, and a cheesy script, and you can see how over two hours might be kind of a drag. It seems the comparisons to Madame Web are justified.

BLUE BEETLE Starring: Xolo Maridueña, Bruna Marquezine, Adriana Barraza, Damián Alcázar, Raoul Max Trujillo, Susan Sarandon, and George Lopez Director: Ángel Manuel Soto AMARÚ Blue Beetle has a mustache-twirling, corporate evildoer problem, but not so much so that it sabotages the heart that director Ángel Manuel Soto infuses into the rest of the film. Combining dynamic action with vibrant humor, Soto keeps Latino culture and strong familial values at the story’s core to make Jamie Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) and his family indispensable components of the DCU’s future. Maridueña is a star, but it’s his endearing relationship with La Familia Reyes (VAMOS NANA!!!) that holds the movie’s appeal. That, plus a seamless integration of the superhero’s comic history, allows Blue Beetle to overcome the failings of the villain aspect. ADRIANO My expectations for Blue Beetle were low because the trailers didn’t excite me and I haven’t been impressed with DC recently. So, I suppose it’s a win that I found this movie to be, at worst, watchable. As a superhero movie, I’ve seen it before. It’s predictable to the point that it feels like there was no effort given to make it otherwise. However, the family aspect is where the film’s strengths lie. Between its genuine heart and a great lead performance from Xolo Maridueña, you have the best DC movie to come out this year… but only by default. JACOB While Blue Beetle isn’t likely to revive the superhero genre or DC’s bottom line, it’s still one of their more successful projects from a character perspective. Xolo Maridueña shines as the titular protagonist, and when the film is focusing on him, his family dynamic, and their Latino heritage, it’s really singing (Belissa Escobedo also is a standout). Where the film falls short is with its villain. Simply put, Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon) is essentially a racist caricature with a mostly cartoon henchman. That said, these problems are largely overcome by surprising emotion and solid action. PRESTON I had high hopes for Blue Beetle to be a champion for the Latinx community in the superhero arena, but DC dropped the ball again. The acting feels stiff and unpracticed, with Xolo Maridueña as the exception, and everything from the set design to the editing feels careless, haphazard, and often unrealistic. But I am mostly disappointed by the missed opportunity to shine as something unique in an otherwise overdone genre. The loving family dynamic is heartfelt, but it suffers in the backdrop of the film’s overarching missteps. I hope the sequel can take advantage of a recipe that is primed for something special. PAIGE While Blue Beetle isn’t perfect by any means, it shimmers by having lots of heart. There also is plenty of fun to be had throughout this popcorn flick, especially with the Reyes family. With that said, those are the only aspects of the film that truly excel. Susan Sarandon’s mustache-twirling villainess takes you out of the film completely, and just does not work at all. Overall, this latest DC entry is your run-of-the-mill origin story, with no new attributes to make it stand out from the other superhero movies we have gotten over the years. PHILL Blue Beetle is another entry in the increasingly tiresome genre of superhero cinema. Though the stakes are refreshingly smaller than many recent superhero films, it unfortunately suffers mundane action sequences featuring atypical CGI characters crashing into each other. However, it’s the family dynamic that is the heart of this latest DC entry led by Xolo Maridueña, who is genuinely excellent and clearly having an absolute blast. Whilst the question of which DC cinematic universe this takes place in might be a little hazy, Blue Beetle is self-contained and grounded enough that it doesn’t overly matter at this point. NICK Yes, Blue Beetle feels like other 90s superhero movies as it's formulaic and familiar. Having said that, the charisma of Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes is undeniable, which elevates the material. It's evident how much fun he is having with the character. Beyond him, the presence of his family adds a nice touch, though George Lopez as Rudy Reyes can be a little overbearing. The importance of the Latinx representation cannot be overstated, but I wish it came with a more unique formula. I didn't love Blue Beetle (nor hate it), but thanks to Xolo Maridueña, I'm looking forward to seeing the character again.

NAPOLEON Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, Tahar Rahim, Youssef Kerkour, Matthew Needham, Ben Miles, Anna Mawn, and Mark Bonnar Director: Ridley Scott AMARÚ There are a laughable amount of times throughout Napoleon when the titular figure (Joaquin Phoenix) waves his hands, covers his ears, and fires upon unsuspecting enemies. That’s what I imagine director Ridley Scott did when he shot one uninteresting political spat after arbitrary military battle after childish lovers’ quarrel. Maybe the point was to utilize the movie’s throughline, namely the French General’s longtime love of Josephine (a forceful Vanessa Kirby), to highlight his petulance and carelessness, but it also made the film tedious and facetious. If I wanted to watch a frivolous retelling of history, I would’ve watched an episode of Drunk History. PRESTON “A watched pot never boils” - Taunting Grandma. I guess it was my fault for wearing my watch to Napoleon , but the film was simply a slog. Its faults don’t lie in the amazing performances or the stunning battle scenes, but in the surprising lack of character development. Yes, Napoleon’s (Joaquin Phoenix) history is ubiquitously known, but with such an intense focus on his love interest Josephine (Vanessa Kirby), it might have been nice to get to know her better. Instead, we jump from one historical moment to the next with little depth in storytelling. ADRIANO Director Ridley Scott has always been an inconsistent filmmaker, but even with that knowledge, Napoleon is a painful movie to sit through. While some of the battle sequences are cool, this film is so unfocused that it feels like it was chopped into pieces and Frankenstein'd into an ugly, disengaging monstrosity. The only person more bored than I was watching this movie was Joaquin Phoenix while filming it. It’s truly the product of a filmmaker whose head is so far up his own ass that he acts on his first impulses, even when they're awful. One of Scott's absolute worst. CALEB Director Ridley Scott’s Napoleon feels unfocused, tackling far too much subject matter for one narrative. A movie solely dedicated to the relationship between Napoleon (Joaquin Phoenix) and Josephine (Vanessa Kirby) could be fascinating, but Napoleon never fully commits to this one topic. The film simultaneously attempts to cover Napoleon’s love life, his extensive military history, and his political career, sprinting through his life at a break-neck pace. I can admire the jaw-dropping battle sequences, but these moments lack the context needed to truly feel epic. Despite the lengthy runtime, Napoleon ultimately feels too short for its own good (no pun intended). QUENTIN Napoleon is both an overlong slog and a Cliffs Notes-level telling of the titular figure’s life. Despite some decent battle sequences, it feels like director Ridley Scott lost interest about halfway through production because there are moments that are laughably bad and incredibly lazy (don’t get me started on the accents). Granted, there are rumors of a four-hour Director’s Cut, so maybe this is Apple’s fault, but the theatrical version is a messy disaster that crams too much story into its 157-minute runtime. None of the blame falls at the feet of Joaquin Phoenix or Vanessa Kirby, though (Kirby is flat-out wasted), so there’s that.

THE CREATOR Starring: John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Allison Janney, and Sturgill Simpson Director: Gareth Edwards NICK Visually, The Creator is a treat. Director Gareth Edwards has crafted a world with a vast scope that is instantly engaging. Story-wise, it may not be revolutionary, but its commentary on fear of the unknown and coming to conclusions based on being blinded by arrogance is apt. I just wish his lead was able to carry the story. Though John David Washington has had his moments, this film highlights his limitations as an actor, including a struggle to connect emotionally, which is vital to this story. Edwards’ passion for this project is clear, but a more ranged cast could’ve better brought it to screen. AMARÚ There’s a ton of greatness within The Creator that somehow is never fulfilled. Dynamic action sequences reach the heights of its grand concepts and beautiful world, but when that world is filled with a hollow script, standard dialogue, and stunted scenes, nothing the characters do creates an earned emotional payoff. It’s utterly confusing how director Gareth Edwards has proven himself a capably thought-provoking director within the Sci-Fi realm, yet produced such a confoundingly frustrating original project. I wanted so badly to connect to these characters, but unfortunately, all I ended up with is my most disappointing film of the year. ADRIANO The Creator is a hard movie for me to criticize because it's clear to me that director/co-writer Gareth Edwards put his heart into this as opposed to other factory-made sci-fi flicks (I'm looking at you, Quantumania ). The visuals are breathtaking at times, from the visual effects to Greig Fraser's cinematography, but sadly, the writing falls flat. The world-building could've used more work, as well as the character writing, the lack of which made the film feel like a bit of an emotional void. There's an excellent movie in here somewhere, but in the end, Edwards' good intentions don't succeed. CALEB In the age of reboots and sequels, The Creator tells an original, ambitious story. It’s a welcome breath of fresh air, but it’s not perfect. The art direction and cinematography are executed flawlessly, but I can’t say the same about the script. I can forgive some messy world-building and the occasional plot hole, but the blatant exposition dumps really became grating after a while. I also found that I couldn’t connect with the main character, and that some emotional beats felt unearned. It has issues, but The Creator still offers a gorgeously realized sci-fi world with enough spectacle to compensate for its uneven script. PAIGE Studios need to take note of how visually astonishing The Creator looks with just a budget of around $80mil because Gareth Edwards' futuristic vision for this original sci-fi action movie is top tier. With that said, while the movie looks amazing, it’s an empty spectacle. The emotional beats don’t dig deep, and the script is filled with several plot holes that will leave you with more questions than answers. The film will admittedly blow you away with its sheer scale, but don’t hold your breath for a layered story. PRESTON Watching The Creator feels as if you’ve been invited to a stranger’s house for a BBQ where only inside jokes are told and there is no friendly arm-around-the-shoulders to bring you in on what’s so damn funny. The plotline is littered with gaping holes, and the dialogue’s timing borders on comical. I spent much of the film in a sort of interrogative fog…Why?!...What?! That’s not to say Gareth Edwards’ film is without merit, though, as the visuals are stunning, the score is fantastic, and Madeleine Yuna Voyles’ performance manages to drum up some emotion in spite of the numerous shortcomings. QUENTIN While The Creator may be “original sci-fi” in terms of not being about a known IP, the story itself is anything but. One can easily pick out derivative beats from the likes of Dances with Wolves , Independence Day , Elysium , and pretty much any movie about a dude who finds redemption through a child. Plus, if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: John David Washington has zero range and cannot emote for shit. Still, all that said…and despite the plot holes and abundance of exposition…this visually stunning space actioner is better than any Avatar and most recent Star Wars offerings not named Andor . KATIE While The Creator is visually impressive and full of epic action sequences, I appreciated its creative intentions more than the actual film. I wanted to love a somewhat original sci-fi film unrelated to superheroes or franchises, but director Gareth Edwards’ distinctive vision is let down by a script that’s riddled with plot holes and lacking in exploration of the characters beyond their utility in the war. It could have been pulled off by a stronger actor, but John David Washington just lacks the emotional range to convince me. Overall, the film is rich in visual depth, but lacks it in the emotional department.

THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB Starring: Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Celia Imrie, Ben Kingsley, Naomi Ackie, and David Tennant Director: Chris Columbus PAIGE Chris Columbus’ The Thursday Murder Club is a somewhat decent murder mystery despite the fact that it doesn’t reinvent the genre. The story is a bit sluggish and bland, but its lighthearted charm and terrific cast make it worth at least throwing it on in the background. Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Celia Imrie, and Ben Kingsley appear to be having a ball and play off each other seamlessly, but their chemistry alone isn’t enough to fully save the movie. This harmless mystery has its moments, but it heavily leans on formula, and by the end, it’s pretty forgettable. KATIE The Thursday Murder Club has a lot going for it: a starry cast, witty dialogue, and gorgeously luxurious settings. However, although I found it starts strongly, it ultimately falls flat. Helen Mirren is fantastic, and I’m always happy to see David Tennant on screen, but its perfunctory story and predictable twists make it a bit bland. Some of the cast seems disengaged too, which doesn't help, while the relentlessly bright colour palette makes it look like a TV film. It’s a very watch-on-your-couch-on-a-Sunday type of affair. It’s good enough, but I wasn't impressed. ROBERT While watching The Thursday Murder Club , I thought I got sucked into a mystery show advertised on BritBox. It seemed like it was the UK’s answer to Only Murders in the Building , but without the lived-in ribbing I get from Steve Martin and Martin Short, which buoys that show. I couldn’t get past how many people in this were in MobLand , but without the gangster edge and griminess that made that show slick and cool. Helen Mirren is a force, Pierce Brosnan is cool, and I will always advocate for slimier David Tennant, but otherwise, this was a shallow and neutered effort. QUENTIN With full recognition that I’m Bitesize’s resident Old Man, The Thursday Murder Club is for people even older than me. I mean, your grandmother and people who think Only Murders in the Building is too hip and edgy probably will love this movie, but for me, this murder mystery is far too bland to be engaging. I suppose the cast chemistry carries the film decently enough — how could it not with this cast of legends? — but still… ehhhh. Do you know that gentle, talk-to-the-elderly voice you use when helping a sweet old lady at the market? This is the movie equivalent of that.

HALLOWEEN ENDS Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matichak, James Jude Courtney, Rohan Campbell and Will Patton Director: David Gordon Green NICK After getting things off to an excellent start with 2018’s Halloween , it's clear that film is the exception, not the rule. These three films have the disconnect of the Star Wars sequel trilogy without the excuse of different directors, and as they’ve gone on, they have strayed further and further from what Michael Myers is. This final installment introduces some interesting ideas, but fails to execute them well. It’s not scary, there is no suspense, and the kills are lackluster. All said and done, David Gordon Green's Halloween trilogy will be remembered for one thing: wasted opportunity. It came. It killed. It ended… with a whimper. JACOB While there is certainly an improvement on its predecessor's overwrought writing, Halloween Ends is nonetheless a middling conclusion to a steadily-moving-downhill trilogy. It’s tough to describe the film’s premise without spoiling it, but it features fewer of the franchise's strengths than the previous two entries, and the ones present don't last long. Once more, the focus is largely on characters we don’t know or care enough about, and the film’s themes are sloppily explored. Perhaps this isn’t the worst ending the franchise could have had, but frankly, I’m just glad it’s over (for now). JTE Halloween Ends alright, but definitely not in the way you thought it would. Director David Gordon Green waited until the end to take his biggest swing yet, when most fans probably wanted another a-typical Halloween film. Reactions to the film have been very divided, and while the direction worked for me, I also understand people leaving the experience scratching their heads. As someone who grew up watching many 80s & 90s horror films, the concept wasn't new to me and I mostly enjoyed it. In many ways, this new trilogy follows a similar road map to the original three Halloween films. QUENTIN If Halloween Ends had been made as a non-franchise horror movie…like, if it was a random thriller called Murder Man …it might have been alright. However, as the Halloween franchise capper, it makes the baffling choice to sideline Michael Myers for most of the movie. In fact, this movie feels like Murder Man , but with forced studio notes of “can we add a Michael v. Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) showdown to tie it to known IP?” I can see (and respect) the overarching story that this new trilogy was going for, but man… it was so poorly executed that they should be embarrassed. PAIGE Halloween Ends is ambitious as hell, and I admit I was intrigued with its new ideas and themes, but they just weren’t executed well enough. As a Halloween -adjacent film, it’s great; but not as an end all for the Halloween franchise. It just doesn’t slash its way to a satisfying conclusion. This final chapter feels more like an anthology film like Halloween III: Season of the Witch than a Michael Myers film. If it didn't have to wrap up the Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) story, giving it more time to develop these new ideas sooner, it could've been great. ADRIANO I enjoyed Halloween Ends , but there are some glaring issues - mostly, the script isn’t great, and the film is aggressively misadvertised. We do get Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) vs. Michael Myers, but it feels tacked on. Instead, we mostly get a romance/serial killer origin story that completely sidelines Michael. This will likely piss some fans off, but I was into the approach. However, while I like the idea more than the execution, showing the effect Michael has had on the town was great, especially after Halloween Kills portrayed a similar theme. It won’t work for everybody, but it worked for me.

IMAGINARY Starring: DeWanda Wise, Taegan Burns, Pyper Braun, Betty Buckley, and Tom Payne Director: Jeff Wadlow NICK Let me get this out of the way: Imaginary is not a good film. It’s filled with all the clichés you find in the horror genre, from archetype characters to gargantuan leaps in logic. But… I’d be lying if I said this thing didn’t keep me entertained throughout. There’s no atrocious acting, the script leans into the ridiculousness of it all, and, conceptually, it’s a fun idea. I fully expect more negative reviews than the one I’m giving here, but for me, I’m far more likely to revisit this than something like 2022's M3GAN . Just turn off your brain and try to enjoy. CALEB Without a hint of hyperbole, I can confidently state that Imaginary is one of the most poorly written horror films I’ve ever seen. Between this, Five Nights at Freddy’s , and Night Swim , I am slowly becoming convinced that second drafts are actually discouraged over at Blumhouse. The pacing is torturously slow, the clichés are endless, and the redundant, pointless exposition is beyond infuriating. The script is the film's biggest flaw, but the hideous cinematography, wooden acting, and mediocre CGI don’t help matters either. I'll give it props for using some practical effects, but beyond that, Imaginary has very little worth praising.

HOLLAND Starring: Nicole Kidman, Matthew Macfadyen, Jude Hill, Rachel Sennott, and Gael García Bernal Director: Mimi Cave BODE It’s admirable that Nicole Kidman is still taking risks decades into her career, both as an actor and a producer. Sometimes, they pay off. Other times, they don’t. Unfortunately, Holland slots right into the latter. While director Mimi Cave certainly has style to spare (helped in part by Pawel Pogorzelski’s lensing), it’s all in service of a slapdash script that fails to establish stakes, tension or actual characters, so much so that Kidman and co-stars Matthew Macfadyen and Gael García Bernal seem lost throughout. Even with a bloody finale, Holland still ends up feeling like a waste of time. KATIE Holland feels like familiar ground for Nicole Kidman, but even her pitch-perfect performance isn't enough to inject the excitement needed for the film to work. It immediately establishes themes of artifice and the suffocating life of the perfect wife and mother, but it never goes far enough in terms of thrills or exploring the unnervingly conformist town. Gael García Bernal’s character Dave raises concerns about the tensions that exist in a mostly white community that co-opts colonial European values, but this idea is unfortunately never fully realised. Although the cast and cinematography are fantastic, Holland isn't subversive enough to succeed. ROBERT How many more “underlying darkness in seemingly perfect Middle America town-type” stories can be told? Apparently, at least one more, as Holland now graces Amazon Prime. Very early on, without advanced knowledge, I was expecting death and blood to wash over the central idea of the film before it was even hinted, so fortunately, they didn’t disappoint there. However, even with Nicole Kidman playing the part of over-her-head housewife trying to unravel the mystery of her husband’s doings, and Matthew Macfadyen dusting off his Tom Wambsgans’ overcoat for another go, the movie couldn’t plug the dyke to prevent my boredom from overflowing. BRYAN Nicole Kidman is one of those actors that is impossible to hate, even when she’s a part of something as horrifically putrid as Holland . Mimi Cave's sophomore outing is a massive downgrade from her excellent debut, showcasing a thriller without any thrill, and an incredibly meandering approach. This wants to be a Coen Brothers joint so badly, yet it plays out like a parody while treating everything with the utmost seriousness. If one wants to talk about promising projects that completely fumbled the bag, this is easily one of them. Thankfully, it was dumped straight to streaming and no one will watch.

GAZER Starring: Ariella Mastroianni, Renee Gagner, Marcia DeBonis, Grant Schumacher, and Emma Pearson Director: Ryan J. Sloan BODE If you mixed the general concepts of Christopher Nolan’s Following and Memento , filtered it through the eyes of the Safdies, and added just a dash of Cronenbergian body horror, you’d get an idea of what director Ryan J. Sloan has to offer with his self-financed debut feature, Gazer . I found much to appreciate in how effectively it pulled off its neo-noir homage, from its gritty 16mm cinematography, to its hauntingly jazzy score. It would have benefitted from a tighter runtime, as it feels overlong at nearly two hours, but there’s enough vision that I’m intrigued to see where everyone involved goes next. KATIE Gazer is a promising, if not tonally accomplished, debut feature. Director Ryan J. Sloan draws inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch, and David Cronenberg in this noir-style, paranoid thriller, but style and atmosphere are prioritised over narrative, which feels forgotten. This lack of momentum makes the nearly two-hour runtime feel challenging, especially in the long, quiet scenes that wander through dark streets. Plus, the constraints of the protagonist’s disorder were confusing and distracting, like her being unable to look at screens but being able to drive. The Memento -esque concept is initially compelling, but it contributes to the film’s aimlessness rather than engaging me in the story.