Weapons Review

 

At 2:17 am, a bunch of kids from one classroom run out of their house and go missing, and we follow their teacher and one of the parents as they search for the missing kids.

So Weapons pulls you in quickly; it’s got this creepy little girl narration, weird images of kids running in the dark, and townspeople losing it and getting volatile. But most of the films’ “horror” isn’t straight-up scares; it’s more this underlying creepy and unsettling feeling and this building tension of “What is going on?” and “How is all this weirdness connected?” Which is very well executed, not only because the director Zach Cregger knows how to build tension, but also because he knows how to sprinkle in bits of comedy and weave that into the drama and horror. So you can watch a scene and get a laugh and then feel uncomfortable and then he freaks out and then go back to laughing in a pretty short amount of time.

One of Zach Cregger's other biggest strengths is how he writes his characters. Each one feels very three-dimensional, in that they’re both sympathetic and you root for them, but they’re also flawed and bring their own baggage. Not to mention, he knows how to get good and natural-feeling performances out of his actors.

Julia Garner and Josh Brolin were very good; they were definitely the heart of the film. Josh Brolin brought a lot of heart and sympathy to the role, and Julia Garner was good at flipping her character between mousey and scared to tough and a spitfire.

Alden Ehrenreich was also fantastic; he really disappeared into the character and brought a grounded tone to his scenes.

There were some actors I have never seen before (Cary Christopher & Austin Abrams) who were very impressive and did a very enjoyable job.

There were some fun cameos, and well, I don’t want to spoil anything, but I will say the “big bad” was, I thought, a very interesting choice and very enjoyable.

Well, I understood what the big bad was trying to do. I thought it could’ve been explained a little clearer because there were some contradictory pieces of information or not enough delving into. Like, you’ll get what’s going on, but I just wanted a little bit more information to make it more clear.

My favorite scene was definitely the ending. I can’t spoil it, but I can tell you it’s very unexpected, and it got the biggest reaction from my audience, and I mean the entire audience reacted to it.

Plus, I got to see the movie with a bunch of friends, and y’all enjoyed it, so that’s always the best.

Overall, this is a very well-made and intriguing film; it knows how to balance suspense and horror perfectly and has a lot of fun and memorable moments. I give it four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, but if you see anybody running to the theater with their arms out, I suggest going the other way lol.

The Naked Gun (2025) Review

 

Liam Neeson plays the son of Leslie Nielsen’s character from the original series and has to stop a tech billionaire’s evil scheme of world domination while romancing a femme fatale caught up in a case.

So for years, I’ve been saying it would be a fun idea if they remade The Naked Gun starring Liam Neeson… And thank God this movie turned out well, or else I would’ve looked ridiculous for recommending it for so long lol.

It’s been a while in general since we’ve seen a good spoof movie, like the ones where every 15 seconds or so there’s a new over-the-top ridiculous gag but played completely straight. A lot of it works because the writing is good, but the whole cast did a fantastic job and must have had a blast shooting this.

Liam Neeson is hilarious and completely commits to the absurdity.

Pamela Anderson was very funny and had great commute timing. With this and “The Last Showgirl,” I’m glad to see her making a bit of a comeback; she deserves it.

It was very clever casting Danny, Houston, and Kevin Durant as the villains, not just because they’re really good, but because they’re always playing villains in things, so that was very authentic casting lol.

This is a hard movie to talk about because so much of the film is one gag after another, so me telling you about the film would be me going, “This gag was really funny” or “That gag was hilarious,” so let me just say they knew how to deliver a gag and came up with quite a few clever and silly ideas.

I was also surprised how short the movie was; it didn’t feel less than an hour and a half. I guess that goes to show they were able to fit a lot into a little and make the most out of it.

There's quite a bit of good cinematography in this, like you could tell they were having fun lighting the villain's lair so it looked extra evil and intimidating. I appreciate the extra effort.

Also, some really nice cameos… Make sure to stay through all the credits because they have some good gags throughout.

Also, fun sidenote… I ran into some friends from work by surprise there. I'm glad I got to see it with them; it was a great time. 👍

But it was just a nice time seeing a real capital FUN-ny movie. Like, this is one of those movies I think is best enjoyed around a lot of people and friends; you’ll have a great time laughing over it. I give The Naked Gun a low five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. It’s not the deepest movie, but some good laughs can really make all the difference lol.

Together Review

 

A couple has to deal with a whole new level of “codependency” after moving out to the country.

So when you see the trailer, the movie is sold as being very creepy and unnerving, which it certainly is, and I will get into, but there’s actually a good amount of humor and heart in the movie that I was not expecting but was happily surprised with.

I know this sounds like a no-brainer (because they’re married in real life), but… Dave Franco and Allison Brie have really good chemistry. They’re both very talented, so they play off each other well, but the level of closeness they’re able to get out of each other really sells the emotional journey these characters go through and makes you very easily root for them.

I know I just talked about this movie being very sweet, but it’s also unnerving as hell lol. Like there are a few images that are both creepy and creative, not to mention some very impressive practical makeupand well-integrated CGI. It isn’t “The Thing” level, but it's definitely well integrated and believable throughout.

Damon Herriman was a standoutin an interesting supporting role; that guy is great in everything, and this is no exception, although I will say, I thought his storyline went in a kind of predictable direction that I wish had a stronger payoffbut didn’t take away from the overall film too much.

I also thought Mia Morrissey was very funny and charming; I wish she had been in the movie more, but she definitely used her time well.

There are a few moments where characters act a little out of character, especially given the situation they’re in, just to move the plot along, but never to the point where you’re thinking, “These characters are stupid,” and where everything ends up was satisfying, so it does all come around.

This is the director’s (Michael Shanks) first feature, and it’s a good start, not only because he knows how to set atmosphere and get good

shots, but he was able to get really strong performances out of his cast, so I definitely am curious to see what he does next.

Like I said before, the main theme of the movie is relationships and what we’re willing to do for them, and while it’s very obvious that’s what it’s about, the film never hits you over the head with it; it’s just the right amount of metaphor.

I would best describe this movie as a romantic comedy for horror fans. Like, if you snuggle on the couch and watch A24 films, I think you’ll get a big kick out of this. If that’s not your thing, I think the performances and humor will be enjoyed by most audiences; I give the film four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.