Coming Soon!
Thursday, October 23, 2025
Thursday, October 16, 2025
Black Phone 2 review
BLACK PHONE 2:
THE GRABBER GOES FREDDY KRUEGER IN FUN HORROR FOLLOW-UP!
By Nico Beland
Movie Review: *** out of 4
UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Mason Thames and Ethan Hawke in Black Phone 2
Ethan Hawke (Before Sunrise trilogy, Sinister, Boyhood) is back as The Grabber in Black Phone 2, the new horror film from Blumhouse and director Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Sinister, Doctor Strange) and follow-up to his 2021/22 hit, The Black Phone. I really, really liked the first Black Phone movie and thought it was a genuinely frightening and gripping horror film about a kid trying to escape from an abductor’s basement.
I don’t usually get scared of horror movies that much, but anything involving child abduction is legitimately terrifying to me and while the movie does have a supernatural element to it via ghosts of the kidnapped/murdered children communicating through a broken phone on the wall, it is a realistic situation that can happen and has happened. Plus a memorable performance by Ethan Hawke as child abductor and killer, The Grabber who crafted a new horror icon out of this character.
It’s a solid movie that stood on its own…not sure why it needed a sequel though outside of the fact it was successful. I was also taken a back seat when the trailers revealed that The Grabber was going to be a ghost or demonic entity a-la Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street in this one which I felt ironically made him less scary than when he was alive.
Despite my initial skepticism, I was going to see this movie regardless and give my thoughts on it and…Black Phone 2 is fun. It’s nowhere near as frightening as its predecessor, but those looking to have a creepy good time at the movies for Halloween surely won’t be disappointed.
The film is set four years after Finney Blake (Mason Thames-How to Train Your Dragon (2025), Regretting You) killed The Grabber and follows him and his sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw-American Sniper, Toy Story 4, The Mandela Effect) who after the latter begins to have nightmares involving murders at a youth camp in the 1950s venture out to the camp during a snowstorm in order to figure out what happened. This all turns out to be a trap concocted by none other than The Grabber (Hawke) who is now a ghost and hellbent on causing as much pain to Finney as possible as revenge for killing him.
Finney, Gwen, and their friend Ernesto (Miguel Mora who previously portrayed The Grabber’s victim, Robin in the first film) uncover a secret regarding this camp and their family history as they face off against a killer who has grown more powerful in death.
The film also stars Demián Bichir (Alien: Covenant, The Nun, Godzilla VS Kong) as Armando, Jeremy Davies (Twister, Saving Private Ryan, Justice League Dark) reprising his role as Finney and Gwen’s father Terrence Blake, Arianna Rivas (Danger Force, Prom Dates, A Working Man) as Mustang, and Graham Abbey (Degrassi: The Next Generation, King John, Stay the Night) as Kenneth.
Overall, Black Phone 2 leans more into fun horror compared to its predecessor and doesn’t really have that blood pumping energy from the first, but it’s still a solid sequel and an enjoyable time at the movies. I personally preferred the tension of the first as that was like the ultimate “Stranger Danger” movie with Ethan Hawke’s Grabber being very unsettling in it, but I was entertained while watching this one.
The sequel definitely utilizes the supernatural element more with the sister who has all the dreams/visions, Gwen essentially being the protagonist while Finney is a supporting character. Basically the Nancy Thompson from A Nightmare on Elm Street of this movie and it works well enough.
It especially helps that Madeleine McGraw is excellent in the film, I thought she was a standout in the first, but this really is her movie. She has the snarky remarks, vulgarities, and tough as nails attitude that she had in the first while also selling the heartfelt and dramatic moments.
Mason Thames is also very good reprising his role as Finney though he’s not as focused on this time around and I like that Jeremy Davies is given more to do as Finney and Gwen’s father and actually plays a part in helping them stop The Grabber. Speaking of which, even in death (I’m talking about the character FYI!), Ethan Hawke is still great as The Grabber and has plenty of creepy moments throughout the film, but like I said, I thought he was much scarier when he was alive than when he became a Freddy Krueger clone.
I do really like how Gwen’s dreams are depicted with a very grainy, shot on film look (The movie even starts with the 70s-80s Universal logo in the beginning) which makes it easy to differentiate between the dream world and the real world. Honestly, it makes the dreams feel rawer and grittier, I thought that was a clever way of handling them.
The kills are bloody and fun, but a lot of the time they felt too reminiscent of A Nightmare on Elm Streetcomplete with a “If you get hurt/die in your dream, you get hurt/die in real life” sequence. We’ve seen ghosts/entities moving people around, tossing them, slamming them, and killing/wounding them in bloody ways many times before and while they’re done well here, there really isn’t anything special about them.
Black Phone 2 is a flawed but fun horror sequel that pales in comparison to its predecessor, but it offers enough thrills and mystery to make it an entertaining watch for the Halloween season. Pick up the phone and see for yourself.
Good Fortune review
GOOD FORTUNE:
KEANU REEVES TRULY IS AN ANGEL IN UPROARIOUSLY FUNNY COMEDY!
By Nico Beland
Movie Review: **** out of 4
LIONSGATE
Seth Rogen, Keanu Reeves, and Aziz Ansari in Good Fortune
Aziz Ansari (Parks and Recreation, Get Him to the Greek, Bob’s Burgers) befriends a Guardian Angel played by Keanu Reeves (The Matrix franchise, John Wick franchise, Sonic the Hedgehog 3) who turns his life…into absolute perfection…and doesn’t get turned upside down in the new supernatural comedy film, Good Fortune. This film marks Ansari’s official directorial debut after 2022’s Being Mortal was scrapped by Searchlight Pictures.
I was sold on this movie just by the premise alone when I saw the trailer for it in front of the John Wick spinoff, Ballerina earlier this year. Keanu Reeves, hot off the John Wick movies and voicing the edgy, Shadow the Hedgehog in the recent Sonic movie as a bumbling angel trying to help a lost soul played by Ansari and an It’s a Wonderful Lifemeets Freaky Friday-ish plot where Ansari switches lives with a successful Seth Rogen (Superbad, This is the End, The Studio).
The film is essentially a social satire on the rich VS the poor, but not in a way where it constantly hammers the message into your head. It remembers to be a comedy first and My God (No pun intended), this movie is really, REALLY funny!
I laughed quite a bit during this movie and all of it comes from the performances by Reeves, Ansari, and Rogen. I literally could have just watched them sitting in a room, talking to each other, and cracking jokes for 90 minutes and come out happy.
The film follows Arj (Ansari), a down on his luck man struggling to make ends meet through various odd jobs (One of which is standing in line for 2 hours at a cinnamon bun shop for another person) and sleeps in his car. His life suddenly changes when he meets a well-meaning but rather inept Guardian Angel named Gabriel (Reeves) with small wings and mostly just stops people from texting and driving.
Gabriel proposes a one-week experiment where Arj switches lives with wealthy venture capitalist, Jeff (Rogen) in order for him to see how good he actually had it all along. That’s not at all what happens as Arj loves the life of luxury and doesn’t want to go back to the way things were thus leaving all three of them stuck in this alternate reality.
The film also stars Keke Palmer (Hustlers, Nope, One of Them Days) as Elena, Sandra Oh (Sideways, Grey’s Anatomy, Turning Red) as Martha, Stephen McKinley Henderson (Lincoln, Dune (2021), Civil War) as Azrael, and Sherry Cola (Turning Red, Shortcomings, Joy Ride) as Linda.
Overall, Good Fortune is an incredibly funny comedy that delivers plenty of laughs while also having a fascinating premise and an equally bold message. The movie takes the “Money can’t buy happiness” moral and twists it around where it’s like money can’t buy happiness, but it can help you live comfortably in a miserable life which I think is a really clever take on that message we’ve heard a million times.
On top of that, Seth Rogen’s character learns the lesson of hardship when he’s switched with Ansari’s life and how the lower class people working their asses off for long shifts and barely making enough money to survive affect the wealthy. Honestly, it makes me wish more investors, moguls, and businessmen in real life would learn the exact same lesson as Rogen in this film.
The performances by the three leads are all hysterical and just the team-up alone of Keanu Reeves, Aziz Ansari, and Seth Rogen has so much comedic potential. Reeves is perfectly cast as a well-meaning but bumbling angel as if Ted from Bill and Ted died and became an angel, in an age where people know him best for Neo from The Matrix and John Wick, it’s great to see him in a movie where he can showcase his comedic talents again in the most Keanu Reeves way possible.
Aziz Ansari and Seth Rogen are also very funny though that’s kind of a given, but they work very well off each other and easily the best aspect of the movie are the scenes where they’re interacting with Keanu. Like I said, these three are so funny that when you put them together in a room, comedy magic is created.
One thing I found very interesting about the film is that the first half focuses on Aziz Ansari and Keanu Reeves, but then after Ansari switches places with Seth Rogen the second half revolves around Rogen and Reeves struggling to get by. The marketing really makes it seem like Ansari is the main character throughout, but in actuality it’s about Ansari and Rogen and you get to see the story from both their perspectives.
Good Fortune is a hilarious and downright smart comedy with relatable characters and equally relatable situations. It brings the belly laughs and a clever insight on the workplace world that’ll make you laugh your way up to Heaven.
Thursday, October 9, 2025
Roofman review
ROOFMAN:
CHANNING TATUM TOYS R US CRIME COMEDY IS ILLEGAL FUN!
By Nico Beland
Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4
PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND MIRAMAX
Channing Tatum in Roofman
A criminal hides out inside a Toys R Us store in Roofman, a crime comedy from director Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines, The Light Between Oceans) based on the true story of real-life spree robber Jeffrey Manchester. Yeah, I was onboard for this movie when I heard the premise and saw the trailer though I know nothing about what actually went down.
It looked like a fun, quirky comedy with a silly albeit fact-based plot with Channing Tatum (21/22 Jump Street,Magic Mike trilogy, Deadpool & Wolverine) as a charismatic robber with a heart of gold and forming a relationship with Kirsten Dunst (Bring It On, Spider-Man trilogy, Marie Antoinette). That’s pretty much what I got and I quite enjoyed my time with this film.
It’s not really a movie that’s filled with twists and turns and you can easily figure out what kind of film this is just by the trailer. Nevertheless, I found this to be a very entertaining, funny, and heartfelt look at one of the craziest true stories you could possibly imagine.
The film follows Jeffrey Manchester/The Roofman (Tatum), a struggling father turned criminal who robs from various businesses and establishments (e.g. McDonalds…oh, and one Burger King too!) for the sake of providing for his children and ex-wife. But after a daring escape from prison, Jeffrey hides in a Toys R Us store for six months, disables the security cameras, and sets up a hiding spot inside the store where no one will find him.
However, Jeffrey begins to form a strong bond with one of the employees and single mother, Leigh Wainscott (Dunst) who is drawn to his charms and completely unaware that he is actually the criminal hiding in the store. Little does Jeffrey know that his double life is about to be turned upside down in a chaotic game of cat and mouse.
The film also stars Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Ready Player One, Captain Marvel) as pastor Ron Smith, Peter Dinklage (Elf, Game of Thrones, Avengers: Infinity War) as Mitch, Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black, Steven Universe, Lightyear) as Eileen, Juno Temple (Black Mass, Unsane, Venom: The Last Dance) as Michelle, Emory Cohen (The Place Beyond the Pines, Brooklyn, The Bikeriders) as Otis, LaKeith Stanfield (Sorry to Bother You, Uncut Gems, Judas and the Black Messiah) as Steve, and Melonie Diaz (Lords of Dogtown, Fruitvale Station, The First Purge) as Jeffrey’s ex-wife Talana.
Overall, Roofman is a funny and surprisingly heartfelt heist that shows Derek Cianfrance’s talents as a comedic director without sacrificing his dramatic flair. This is a significantly lighter film than Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines, but it doesn’t shy away from heavy subject matter like divorce and desperately trying to provide for your family.
One of the things this movie does incredibly well is humanize the titular Roofman and despite him robbing people, the film doesn’t portray him like the “Bad Guy”, he’s just doing what he feels he needs to do for the sake of his family and Dunst and her kids later. Also, the guy is just so polite when he’s robbing businesses, doesn’t try to get violent, and calls 911 himself to get everyone out after his heist is finished, why can’t more criminals be like the Roofman? That’s a sentence!
Channing Tatum is perfectly cast in this role as he naturally has a ton of charm and charisma in almost everything he’s in. So, him portraying like a Robin Hood-ish burglar hiding in a Toys R Us seems like something he can do in his sleep.
Kirsten Dunst is also very likable as Leigh, the employee who Tatum befriends and falls for, not gonna lie, despite the circumstances, Tatum and Dunst have really great chemistry here. I love seeing them interact with each other and Tatum bonding with Dunst’s kids, it’s just so wholesome and adds to the film’s heart.
Peter Dinklage is funny too as the store manager who’s also a complete dick, typical miserable retail manager stereotype that I feel like a lot of people can relate to. He gets some laughs as a higher-up that you just want to punch in the fucking face when he says or does something douchey.
If you grew up in the 2000s or are nostalgic for Toys R Us, this movie is practically covered in “Member Berries” which honestly adds to the fun. Seeing old video games like The Simpsons: Hit & Run and The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, the Tickle Me Elmo doll, Spider-Man merchandise (That totally wasn’t there because Kirsten Dunst was in the original Spider-Man movies!), plushies of Stitch and Sonic the Hedgehog on the shelves, etc. I felt like I was a kid again watching this film every time they showed the store merchandise…who secretly watched this R-rated movie while his parents were sleeping…or snuck into a movie theater.
Roofman is a very enjoyable film that delivers on laughs and feels, it’s certainly an unexpected movie from Derek Cianfrance, but it shows his talents in new ways we’ve never seen before. This is one gloriously crazy heist that’s worth coming back to and I most definitely will come back to it again soon.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)