FRIDAY FAMILY FILM NIGHT

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing WEDDING SEASON (2022) from Imagine Entertainment which is currently streaming on Netflix.  From writer, Shiwani Srivastava and director, Tom Dey, this is a cliched and predictable story that follows Asha (Pallavi Sharda) and Ravi (Suraj Sharma) as they come together and plot to pretend to be a couple and go through wedding season, to divert the...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing EVIL DEAD RISE (2023), currently available for streaming on Max and to buy/rent on Prime Video.  In a rebooted universe, from a property originally conceived by Sam Raimi, this new iteration comes to us from writer/director Lee Cronin.  In this story, Beth (Lily Sullivan) goes to visit her sister Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) after confirming some personal new...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing NIMONA (2023) which is currently streaming on Netflix, in association with Annapurna Animation/Annapurna Pictures.  From the graphic novel of the same name by Nate Stevenson, this film's screenplay is attributed to Robert L. Baird and Lloyd Taylor and is directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane.  Readers of the original graphic novel may pick...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing AKIRA (1988), currently available on Funimation, Hulu and to buy/rent on Amazon.  From the manga and directed by Katsuhiro Ôtomo, with a screenplay credit to Katsuhiro Ôtomo and Izô Hashimoto, the film is set in Neo Tokyo 2019, 31 years after WWIII.  Kaneda (Mitsuo Iwata) and Tetsuo (Nozomu Sasaki) are longtime friends who now are part of a biker gang that...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE (2023) which is still playing in theaters.  From writers Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Dave Callaham; this sequel and 2019's Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature Film, is directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson.  In this latest installment of the story Miles Morales (Shame...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing DONNIE DARKO (2001), currently available on Max and Prime Video.  Written and directed by Richard Kelly, the film casts Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie), Mary McDonnell (his mom, Rose), Jena Malone (Gretchen) and James Duval (Frank), among its stars.  The story follows a young man named Donnie, whose perchance for sleepwalking makes him miss a freak accident that...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing GROUNDHOG DAY (1993) which is available on AMC+/Netflix and Prime Video.  From writers Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis, with directing credits to Harold Ramis, the story follows Phil Connors (Bill Murray) a narcissistic, self-centered TV weatherman who's gearing up for the yearly trip to PA to see the groundhog on Groundhog's Day.  However...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE (2022), currently available on Prime.  Written by Ximena García Lecuona, the film is directed by Billy Porter and stars Eva Reign as Kelsa and Abubakr Ali as Khal.  The story follows a young, Gen Z trans girl named Kelsa (Eva Reign) as she embarks on her final year of high school.  After her friend Em (Courtnee Carter) confesses she...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing DATING AMBER (2020) which is available on Prime and Tubi.  From writer/director, David Freyne, the film follows Eddie (Fionn O'Shea) and Amber (Lola Petticrew) who hatch a plan to fit in at their high school with little collateral.  While Eddie grows comfortable in his fake life, it grates on Amber who realizes she must push Eddie out of hi...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing SISU (2022), currently available to buy/rent on Prime.  Written and directed by Jalmari Helander, the film follows an ex-military Finnish soldier (Jorma Tommila) who's left the war as it draws its close to go prospect for gold.  He finds gold and then begins the journey to convert it to currency but then encounters Nazis who won't leave him alone. ...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 (2023) which is still in the theaters but also to buy/rent on Prime.  From director, Chad Stahleski, and writers, Shay Hatten, Michael Finch and Derek Kolstad; this is the latest in the John Wick story and finds our hero, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) picking up the story thread from the third film and racing against time to sav...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing THE WITCH: A NEW-ENGLAND FOLKTALE (2015), currently available on Max.  Written and directed by Robert Eggers, the film follows a family in 1600s New England that's been banished from the community they were living in.  As they venture out into the unknown, they build a life but one fateful day, as their eldest, Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) is watching th...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing THE SUPER MARIO BROS MOVIE (2023) which is still in the theaters but also to buy/rent on Prime.  From directors, Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic and co-directors Pierre Leduc and Fabien Polak, the film is written by Matthew Fogel.  Based on  the popular video game franchise, the story follows Mario (Chris Pratt) who is trying to grow the plumbin...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing RYE LANE (2023), currently available on Hulu.  Directed by Raine Allen-Miller, from a script by Nathan Bryon and Tom Melia, the film follows 2 young people who meet post break ups and spend the day getting to know each other and falling for each other.  A fantastic entry in the romantic comedy genre, the film has 2 great leads, David Jonsson as Dom and Viv...

In which Kid 1 and eventually the Mister join me in reviewing ENTERGALACTIC (2022) which is still available on Netflix.  From writers Kid Cudi, Kenya Barris and Ian Edelman, with voice work from Kid Cudi, Jessica Williams, Laura Harrier,Ty Dolla $ign, Timothée Chalamet, among others and is directed by Fletcher Moules.  The film follows Jabari (Kid Cudi) and Meadow (Jessica Williams) who are neighb...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing HOLY SPIDER (2022), currently available on Netflix.  Directed by Ali Abbasi, from a script by Ali Abbasi and Afshin Kamran Bahrami and story supervisor Jonas Wagner, the film is based on true events that occurred between 2000 and 2001.  In the film, journalist Rahimi (Zar Amir-Ebrahimi) comes to the holy city of Mashhad to investigate the murders of sex wo...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing RENFIELD (2023) which is still playing at theaters or available on Prime Video for buy/rent.  From director Chris McKay, from a script by Ryan Ridley with a screen story from Robert Kirkman and additional materials from Ava Tramer.  The film follows Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) who's had enough of being his boss' familiar after decades of...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing THE JOY LUCK CLUB (1993), currently available on Prime Video/Hulu/Paramount+ and Peacock.  Directed by Wayne Wang, from a script by Amy Tan and Ron Bass, the film is based on the novel of the same name from writer Amy Tan.  In this film the lives of 4 Asian women and their daughters, blend their stories and histories into a lovely tapestry of experiences t...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES (2023) which is still playing at theaters or available on Prime Video for buy/rent.  From directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, from a script by Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley and Michael Gilio, this film comes from a story by Chris McKay and Michael Gilio.  In this story we meet...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing REC (2007), currently available on Prime Video.  Directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza, from a script by Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza and Luiso Berdejo.  In this film we follow Angela (Manuela Velasco), a reporter for a local news program and her cameraman, as they shadow the firemen from the local engine company.  In the wee hours of the morning, ther...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS (2023) which is available on Prime Video.  From Bill Parker's Shazam! character, this film is directed by David F. Sandberg from a script by Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan.  In this sequel, we find out that Hespera (Helen Mirren) and Kalypso (Lucy Liu) have come to claim the Wizard's (Djimon Hounsou) broken staff...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing THE NICE GUYS (2016), currently available on Netflix.  Directed by Shane Black, from a script by Anthony Bagarozzi and Shane Black, we're introduced to Holland March (Ryan Reynolds) and Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe), a P.I. and a hired thug who team up to try and solve the mystery of what happened to Amelia.  Great performances, a fantastic script and...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing THE RAID: REDEMPTION (2011) which is currently available on Netflix.  From writer/director Gareth Evans, in which we follow Rama (Iko Uwais) , a member of  SWAT team being sent in to take down a ruthless drug lord who's ensconced in a heavily fortified tenement filled with his thugs and crazed killers eager to do his bidding.  With this and...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing THE WHALE (2022), currently available for buy/rent.  Directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by Samuel D. Hunter (from his play), we follow the story of a week in the life of Charlie (an amazingly heartbreaking and beautiful performance by Bredan Fraser), a man who is plagued by many health issues from his abuse of food.  He tries to reconnect with his da...

TRIGGER WARNING In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing IF ANYTHING HAPPENS I LOVE YOU (2020) which is currently available on Netflix.  From Writers/Directors Will McCormack and Michael Govier, and the winner of the Best Animated Short Film Oscar 2021, comes a very short film about two grieving parents in the aftermath of a school shooting. The film clocks in at 13 m and is rated PG....