Author: Alex

The January Dump Continues January is often the graveyard of cinema, and following the surprisingly decent 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, we have returned to the status quo with Mercy. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Profile) and starring Chris Pratt, this film currently sits at a dismal 21% on Rotten Tomatoes. The premise is Minority Report meets Unfriended. In the near future, capital crimes are judged swiftly by an advanced AI named “Mercy” (Rebecca Ferguson). When Detective Sal (Chris Pratt) is accused of murdering his wife, he finds himself strapped to a chair, facing the very system he championed.…

The January Curse Strikes Again? It is a tale as old as cinema history: “F*** you, it’s January.” The first month of the year is traditionally the dumping ground for studios to offload their tax write-offs and disasters. So, when Return to Silent Hill was slated for late January, fans of the franchise held their breath. Directed by Christophe Gans, the man who helmed the visually stunning (though narratively loose) 2006 Silent Hill movie, this film adapts the beloved Silent Hill 2. The critical reception has been brutal, debuting with a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes before clawing its way up…

A New Breed of Rage When 28 Years Later (Part 1) hit theaters, reactions were mixed. It felt like a disjointed attempt to restart a franchise that had been dormant for decades. However, its sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, does something remarkable: it takes the most interesting threads of its predecessor and weaves them into a film that feels less like a standard zombie movie and more like a post-apocalyptic character study. Directed by Nia DaCosta and written by Alex Garland, The Bone Temple shifts focus from mass chaos to intimate madness. It centers on Dr. Ian Kelson…

A New Hope for Westeros It is no secret that the Game of Thrones franchise has had a turbulent decade. From the divisiveness of the Season 8 finale to the behind-the-scenes creative struggles of House of the Dragon, fans have been desperate for a win. Enter A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Based on George R.R. Martin’s beloved “Dunk and Egg” novellas, this series takes us back 100 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen. There are no world-ending White Walker threats (yet), and the dragons are gone. Instead, we have a muddy, rainy, intimate story about a massive man…

Set Phasers to “Dumb” “Do you just want to hate Star Trek?” That is the question fans of the Gene Roddenberry universe have been asking themselves for nearly a decade. Under the stewardship of Alex Kurtzman, the franchise has seen highs (Picard Season 3) and abysmal lows. Now, arriving in 2026 as potentially the final chapter of the Kurtzman era, comes Star Trek Starfleet Academy. Set in the 32nd Century—800 years after The Next Generation and following the events of Discovery—the show promises a fresh start. It is a time of rebuilding the Federation. But instead of the high-minded sci-fi,…

Breaking the January Curse? It is a tale as old as time in the film industry: “F*** you, it’s January.” Traditionally, studios treat the first month of the year as a landfill for horror movies they have no faith in (see: Night Swim). So, when Paramount announced Primate, a killer chimpanzee movie released in the dead of winter, expectations were underground. However, Primate manages to be a pleasant, albeit flawed, surprise. Directed by Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City), the film eschews the complex, “elevated horror” tropes of recent years for something far simpler: A…