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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Sleepwalker (2026)

Sleepwalker is a horror thriller written and directed by Brandon Auman , who quickly reminds us why his career has primarily been in television rather than feature films. Writing for children's television can sometimes get away with simplistic dialogue and storytelling, but those weaknesses become glaring when stretched into a feature-length horror movie. The screenplay is filled with clunky dialogue and predictable horror beats, while the jump scares rarely land. Instead of creating tension, the film repeatedly left me sighing in boredom. Hayden Panettiere delivers a strong performance despite the material she's been given. It's clear that many of her lines weren't written with much care, but she does what she can to make the character feel believable. Knowing this is her final film makes the performance bittersweet, especially because she deserved a much better script to go out on. Fortunately, her performance here doesn't diminish the work she's done in bet...

Lanterns EP1 (2026)

Lanterns is one of the few television shows I've felt compelled to review because I'm a big fan of Green Lantern , particularly Kyle Rayner and John Stewart . While the story focuses somewhat more on Hal Jordan , I'm glad we get a solid actor playing John. The first episode does a good job establishing that John is still green and new to the situation, pun intended. The show has a solid foundation, although its interpretation of the Green Lantern characters isn't always what I would have preferred. Aaron Pierre immediately makes an impression as John Stewart . I had never seen him in anything before this, but his presence is undeniable, and his chemistry with Kyle Chandler is one of the show's strongest elements. Their banter is entertaining and gives the relationship some much-needed energy. John being inexperienced works well for the first episode, but I'm hoping the character develops into the confident leader he becomes in the comics. Kyle Chandler play...

Mutiny (2026)

Mutiny is directed by Jean-François Richet , who directed Plane , and also who once again proves to be a better action director than character developer. The film's action sequences are staged effectively, but some of the quieter scenes feel strangely undercooked. I'm not sure if Richet simply ignored certain issues or chose to use the first take in order to save money, but several moments lack the polish the rest of the film displays. Writers Lindsay Michel and J.P. Davis do a good job setting up the action and giving Jason Statham's character a believable reason to find himself out on a boat, but the dialogue can be atrocious at times. The story works when it focuses on its action, but the writing becomes a noticeable weakness whenever the characters stop moving long enough to talk. Jason Statham , known for The Transporter and The Beekeeper , does exactly what audiences expect from him and does it well. He commands every scene he's in, bringing his usual physica...

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