One Battle After Another 1/4: It’s films like these that keep us coming back. This one hit all the marks; it was feel-good, action-packed, suspenseful, funny, and inspiring. In an era of mundane CGI shortcuts, this movie lit up the screen with old fashioned stunts, car chases, and shoot outs.

The Long Walk: This film adaptation of the Bachman (King) novel delivers a suspenseful and thrilling experience. Despite the foreboding spectacle constantly in the backdrop, it’s the dialogue and character development that carries the film. It’s well-paced, surprisingly dense, and original.

Weapons 1/2: Cregger continues to redefine the horror genre with this homerun of a film. My expectations were high after seeing Barbarians a few years ago. Weapons brings a similar approach and effectively uses moments of tension, contrast, and uncanniness to create a uniquely terrifying atmosphere.

The Naked Gun: Liam Neeson solidifies his status as a comedy heavyweight in this laugh session. This film carefully balanced its references to the original while still feeling fresh and relevant. Overall the film felt like a return to the golden age of comedy that we never knew had passed.

Eddington: 1/5 This review requires a more in depth analysis than my typical format. I remember a few years ago after seeing Beau Is Afraid, all criticisms of the film were qualified under the deference that Aster had earned for Hereditary and Midsommar.

Jurassic World Rebirth: After a few disappointing installments of the reboot series, this film goes back to the basics for a classic Jurassic Park movie feel. The film is able to build heartfelt moments and endearing characters without sacrificing its trademark dinosaur terror sequences.

Superman:This film is a refreshing exception to an otherwise bloated genre. It certainly distinguishes itself with a brighter and less gritty style. But its artful play with relevant social issues provides a guardrail, preventing the spectacle from consuming itself despite a heavy handed use of CGI.

Sinners:This film has all the ingredients of an instant classic. It’s a period piece that cleverly weaves social tension into a paranormal allegory. It’s full of well-written characters whose world felt full. But the film’s real magic is its use of music to pierce the veil of time to connect us all.

28 Years Later: The series made its triumphant return with this latest installment. The film was well done from all perspectives but particularly with its visuals, being both beautiful and terrifying. It was creative, balanced, and most of all fun. 28 Stars Later.

I’m excited to announce that I’ve returned from my sabbatical and will continue writing movie reviews on this platform.