The Bikeriders (2024)

The Bikeriders is a crime drama about a club of bike enthusiasts who turn towards crime.

I really enjoyed Midnight Special because of Jeff Nichols, and when I saw the trailer, even before I knew it was him, I thought this movie looked good. Nichols also wrote and directed Mud. I like it when production studios just leave filmmakers alone to make a movie you get invested in. There were a few editing choices that I had issues with but none of them were directorial.

The film sets up Jodie Comer as the main character who is Austin Butler's Benny's love interest. You might remember Comer from an underrated Ridley Scott film called The Last Duel. I forgot that she was the love interest in Free Guy. Both Comer and Butler play believable and real characters. The same goes for Tom Hardy. Their relationships all make sense and there's only one issue.

Mike Faist is the worst actor in the film. Every scene takes you out of the story. I'm not sure why he got cast but he's the one thing I would have taken out of the film. I'm sure he's a nice person in real life but go back to acting school. He hasn't been a good part of any film I've seen him in.

The film got me invested in the characters and I figured out the ending rather early. Result: B-

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Rental Family (2025)

Rental Family is about an American living in Japan as an actor who falls into an odd acting gig as a surrogate family member or something similar for other people to cope or find meaning in relationships. Written and directed by Hikari, who brought us the critically acclaimed movie 37 Seconds which was sent straight to streaming back in 2020, so don't feel bad if you've never heard of it. This time around she's getting a proper release. Her direction is very artistic and the character writing is great. There are even moments of laughter in this drama. Brendan Frasier plays the main character a "token white guy" as the movie puts it. He is on a role with these select films. I'm excited for a Mummy reunion and his return with The Whale was great. This wasn't as well acted as The Whale, but it was still good. I'm not too sure this will get nominated for any Oscar or do well at the box office, but it was still good. Result: B

Him (2025)

Him (2025) is directed by Justin Tipping , best known for Kicks , with Jordan Peele serving as a heavy-handed producer. Despite the talent involved, the film leans into “and then” style writing that feels meandering and leaves the audience more tired than engaged. Marlon Wayans , known for White Chicks and Scary Movie , goes over the top in a way that doesn’t fit the film’s intent, creating more distraction than humor or depth. Tyriq Withers , previously in I Know What You Did Last Summer , turns in an even weaker performance here, offering little in the way of presence or believability. Julia Fox , who gained recognition for Uncut Gems , is strange and out of place, adding little to the narrative. Jim Jefferies , a comedian known for Legit , is barely given anything to work with, and his limited screen time wastes his talent. I found myself bored and not surprised. There is also a bit of sacrilegious writing that might turn off some audiences. Result: C+

Twisters (2024)

Twisters is a beat-for-beat retelling of the movie Twister but with some obvious updates. Oscar nominee, Lee Isaac Chung took the reigns to direct this reboot/remake. He directed Minari which I highly recommend. He also wrote that movie too, where he had Mark L. Smith write the screenplay, and Joseph Kosinski write the story. Smith's writing is all over the place with The Revenant being great, while Overlord is not. Twisters takes what it can from the original source but the dialogue and delivery could be better with certain characters. The elephant in the room is Anthony Ramos , who has yet to have a good acting performance. He was the worst actor in Hamilton and tried way too hard in Dumb Money . He can't deliver the lines or the character arch that was written for him. It's very hard to root for his character growth when he can't deliver it. Daisy Edgar-Jones plays the main character. She, like the first movie, has to deliver some really he...

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