Rating of
1.5/4
Kraven the Hunter
Indyfreak - wrote on 03/15/25
Gorier and more brooding than the usual Marvel superhero fare. But it is also more boring and strangely uninteresting. There are a couple chase scenes that are not badly handled. But the dialogue is awful. Not as memorable as with “Madame Web” but more forgettable. ATJ is just okay in the lead. The villain characters appear to be enjoying themselves in a much better movie.
Rating of
3/4
The Room Next Door
Logan D. McCoy - wrote on 01/31/25
Didn't knock me down the way Almodóvar's most impactful dramas have, but I'll take something that makes me at least partislly reflect on it over something totally forgetable that leaves me entirely unchanged or moved.
Rating of
4/4
Nosferatu
Logan D. McCoy - wrote on 01/01/25
It's been over a century since F. W. Murnau presented the first movie vampire to the world and laid the groundwork for horror movies in the decades to come. But 102 years worth of vampire cinema isn't enough to prepare you for what Robert Eggers has cooked up. His remake is a chilling revision that retains the classic elements of the vampire story while amplifying the virus metaphor and sexual undertones of vampyric lore. It's a contemporary gothic masterpiece complete with suffocating …
Rating of
2/4
Red One
Indyfreak - wrote on 12/13/24
For a movie with such a crazy idea, it was kind of boring. It went by quickly and didn't feel like 2 hours. But the cool stuff like fighting snowmen or meeting Krampus are not fleshed out as much as expected. J.K. Simmons is a good Santa Claus. Chris Evans had some funny moments but Dwayne Johnson looked bored. Some nice CGI eye-candy and a few decent action scenes here and there.
Rating of
2/4
Gladiator II
Logan D. McCoy - wrote on 12/11/24
"Gladiator II" is a watered-down retread of a vastly better movie. Paul Mescal isn't bad per se, but he sinks into and gets enveloped by a production that Russell Crowe commanded with ease. It's a wholly lackluster, direct-to-DVD quality affair inhabited by dreadfully bad computer-generated animals and more than a few Razzie-worthy performances from its supporting cast.
Rating of
2.5/4
Moana 2
Logan D. McCoy - wrote on 12/08/24
The songs and characters this time around are largely forgettable, and Moana herself neither grows nor learns anything she didn't already in her first adventure. If she learned anything at all.
Rating of
3/4
Gladiator II
Indyfreak - wrote on 12/01/24
Good but not great sequel to the mega-hit Best Picture winner. The cast is fine but no one stands out besides Denzel Washington who is having the time of his life. The battle scenes are grand in scale and there’s plenty of gore to spare. But the script felt like a first draft. It’s enjoyable enough as popcorn spectacle but that’s it.
Rating of
4/4
Gladiator II
Norrin - wrote on 11/29/24
A terrific continuation of the classic original
While Gladiator II is not as good as the near perfect original, this sequel is wildly entertaining, pays perfect homage to the first movie, has some great acting from a first rate cast, and features several off the wall action sequences. Denzel Washington pretty much steals the movie, but Connie Nielsen (from the first movie) and Pedro Pascal both give great performances. As to lead Paul Mescal, while he does not have the gravitas of Russell Crowe, his performance, like the movie itself, …
Rating of
3/4
Gladiator II
Chris Kavan - wrote on 11/28/24
Veni, vidi, vici... Once More
I always knew that it would be hard for a sequel to top the 2000 original film, but Gladiator II at least comes close, paying honor to the first and landing some killer casting choices. Ridley Scott also benefits from some advances in technology which create some even more epic showdowns in the arena.
Casting does indeed play a big part in what makes this work so well and on top of that list is Denzel Washington whose Macrinus reminds me of another on of his top roles - that of Alonzo in …
