Movies, Film, and Chili

Practical Magic 2 is directed by Susanne Bier , who previously worked with Sandra Bullock on Bird Box . The film brings back the Owens sisters, with Sandra Bullock  and Nicole Kidman returning. Sally is still the more grounded and tightly wound of the two, while Gillian remains a little more aloof and unpredictable. Unfortunately, the movie struggles with pacing, and there are several moments where the suspension of disbelief starts to wear thin. Sandra Bullock returns as Sally and continues to fit naturally into the role. Sally's more serious personality provides a good contrast to Gillian, and Bullock still has the presence to make the character enjoyable to watch. Her chemistry with Nicole Kidman remains one of the more important parts of the movie, especially because the two sisters have such different personalities. Nicole Kidman returns as Gillian, bringing the same more carefree and aloof personality that separates her from Sally. Kidman seems comfortable stepping back...

Return to Silent Hill is written and directed by Christophe Gans , who also directed the original Silent Hill and, oddly enough, the French Beauty and the Beast . Unfortunately, the film has problems almost immediately, with questionable directorial choices that make it difficult to get fully invested. It is obvious that Gans has a great deal of respect for the source material, and there are moments where that appreciation comes through, but respecting the game and adapting it effectively are two different things. The film often feels too concerned with recreating what was already there rather than figuring out what works best for a movie. Jeremy Irvine , known for War Horse and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again , plays the iconic James Sunderland and unfortunately struggles with the performance. He goes over the top in several scenes, and some of his line deliveries are so unnatural that I found myself wondering why they were not simply redone. James is supposed to be an emotionally com...

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is directed by Gore Verbinski and written by Matthew Robinson , who clearly has never been in a classroom. He writes students and teachers through the lens of what social media portrays them as rather than how they actually behave. The movie is trying to build character development, but it's clear within the first five seconds who these people are. Instead of letting the plot move forward, the movie spends way too much time developing characters that didn't need nearly that much development. As a teacher, I found myself rolling my eyes, both metaphorically and literally, more times than I could count. The message is front and center throughout the movie, and no amount of talent can really distract from the bad writing. It isn't until around the twenty-minute mark that the movie finally gets back to the actual plot. By that point, the unnecessary character development and side stories have already dragged things down. The movie clearly wa...

Resident Evil (2026) is written and directed by Zach Cregger , who previously directed Barbarian and Weapons . Cregger brings a strong understanding of tension and horror to the film, relying heavily on jump scares, drawn-out suspense, and carefully executed moments of terror. The movie also contains so many video game easter eggs that fans of the franchise will have plenty to appreciate. While I had heard that Cregger had reduced the amount of humor, the film is still surprisingly funny. The comedy never completely disappears, even when the movie is focused on being genuinely frightening. Austin Abrams , known for Weapons  and Euphoria , carries much of the film as Bryan. The audience spends nearly the entire movie with him, and fortunately, Abrams has the charisma and delivery to make even his smaller moments entertaining. There is something about the way he performs the character that makes you smile, even when the situation around him is becoming increasingly terrifying. He g...

Runner is directed by Scott Waugh , the same director who brought us Act of Valor and Expendables 4 , and he knows how to handle action. The action is well directed, and the editing is tight enough that the movie never feels unnecessarily drawn out. The film is pretty straightforward, but it knows what it wants to be and delivers a fun action movie without overstaying its welcome. Alan Ritchson tries to branch out from the role of the giant who beats people up, but he doesn't get very far away from it. He's clearly capable of playing more than the typical physically imposing action hero, but this movie still leans heavily into what he's already known for. Owen Wilson , meanwhile, basically plays himself, or at least a character very similar to the one he played in Wedding Crashers . If you've seen Wilson in that type of role before, you know exactly what you're getting. Rodrigo Santoro , who most people will probably recognize from 300 , plays the main villain. H...

Hope is directed by Na Hong-jin , the same director who brought us The Wailing , and it has a similarly interesting approach to suspense. The story itself is intriguing, but the editing desperately needed some work. The pacing can be all over the place, which makes some sections feel much longer than they need to be. The comedy also comes completely out of nowhere, considering most of the movie is built around suspense and action. Some of it works, but the tonal shifts can be pretty jarring. Hwang Jung-min's character has the best arc in the movie. His character actually changes throughout the story, and watching that progression is one of the film's strongest elements. Ho-yeon's character, she was in Squid Game, on the other hand, is great from the beginning and doesn't really have much growth. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it makes the contrast between the two characters' arcs pretty noticeable. Zo In-sung, known from Netflix show  It's Okay,...