nERDbOX_Dave
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Three years after the slick, stylish surprise hit The Bad Guys (2022), DreamWorks returns with The Bad Guys 2, and it's just as clever, colorful, and cool as its predecessor. This animated heist comedy sequel keeps the fun energy of the first film while raising the stakes with a fresh twist: our reformed rogues are pulled out of retirement to team up with an all-female crew for one last, high-risk job.
Sam Rockwell's Mr. Wolf once again leads the charge, reluctantly agreeing to a high-stakes mission that pits the Bad Guys against their most cunning adversary yet. The antagonists' big evil scheme is deliciously over-the-top, with enough twists to keep both kids and adults hooked. Without spoiling too much, it's a plan that's as flashy as it is devious-exactly the kind of cartoon villainy that makes this franchise pop.
Much like the first film, The Bad Guys 2 thrives on whip smart banter, kinetic animation, and genre-savvy winks to classic heist movies. The action set pieces are big, bold, and beautifully animated, with some moments feeling like a cross between Ocean's Eleven and a Saturday morning cartoon. The laughs come steadily, with clever sight gags and well-timed punchlines, though the film still makes space for genuine moments of teamwork and trust.
Verdict While it doesn't drastically reinvent the formula, The Bad Guys 2 delivers exactly what fans loved about the original: stylish visuals, snappy dialogue, lovable rogues, and a plot that moves with the precision of a well-planned getaway. The villains' grand scheme is a highlight, the new characters add fresh energy, and the humor lands more consistently helped by Awkwafina's more measured delivery.
It's proof that sometimes, a sequel doesn't have to be bigger or louder to be great it just has to be as cool as the first.
Sam Rockwell's Mr. Wolf once again leads the charge, reluctantly agreeing to a high-stakes mission that pits the Bad Guys against their most cunning adversary yet. The antagonists' big evil scheme is deliciously over-the-top, with enough twists to keep both kids and adults hooked. Without spoiling too much, it's a plan that's as flashy as it is devious-exactly the kind of cartoon villainy that makes this franchise pop.
Much like the first film, The Bad Guys 2 thrives on whip smart banter, kinetic animation, and genre-savvy winks to classic heist movies. The action set pieces are big, bold, and beautifully animated, with some moments feeling like a cross between Ocean's Eleven and a Saturday morning cartoon. The laughs come steadily, with clever sight gags and well-timed punchlines, though the film still makes space for genuine moments of teamwork and trust.
Verdict While it doesn't drastically reinvent the formula, The Bad Guys 2 delivers exactly what fans loved about the original: stylish visuals, snappy dialogue, lovable rogues, and a plot that moves with the precision of a well-planned getaway. The villains' grand scheme is a highlight, the new characters add fresh energy, and the humor lands more consistently helped by Awkwafina's more measured delivery.
It's proof that sometimes, a sequel doesn't have to be bigger or louder to be great it just has to be as cool as the first.
It's been a banner week for occult and supernatural horror first Strange Harvest, then Weapons, and now Together, the feature debut from Michael Shanks. While the first two films leaned heavier on immediate shocks, Together opts for a slow, creeping approach, blending supernatural mystery with intimate, unsettling body horror.
Real-life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie star as Tim and Millie, a pair who trade city life for the quiet isolation of the countryside, only to find themselves at the mercy of a strange, unseen force. From the start, Shanks keeps the story rooted in their relationship this is not a horror film about "big scares every five minutes," but about the gradual decay of two people, physically and emotionally.
The marketing makes it pretty clear and if it didn't, consider this a heads up this is a body horror movie. While it's nowhere near as extreme or thematically layered as last year's The Substance, it delivers its own flavor of unease. The horror comes slowly, like a sickness you can't shake, manifesting in small, intimate details before blooming into moments of grotesque revelation.
Shanks handles the tone with confidence for a first-time feature director, leaning on atmosphere rather than jump scares. Much of the film's tension comes from what's not shown, though there is one sequence a jaw-dropping combination of practical effects and disturbing sound design-that stands as the movie's most memorable moment. It's raw, tactile, and exactly the sort of visual horror fans of the subgenre will appreciate.
Franco and Brie's real-life chemistry gives the film a grounded emotional core. You believe in their connection, which makes their unraveling all the more unsettling. As their bodies and their trust begin to break down, the film shifts from domestic drama into something far more nightmarish.
That said, Together won't be for everyone. The pacing is deliberately slow, sometimes too slow, and those expecting constant gore or high-concept spectacle may find it underwhelming. This is a mood piece first, a horror film second, and its impact depends heavily on how much you're willing to sink into its deliberate rhythm.
Real-life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie star as Tim and Millie, a pair who trade city life for the quiet isolation of the countryside, only to find themselves at the mercy of a strange, unseen force. From the start, Shanks keeps the story rooted in their relationship this is not a horror film about "big scares every five minutes," but about the gradual decay of two people, physically and emotionally.
The marketing makes it pretty clear and if it didn't, consider this a heads up this is a body horror movie. While it's nowhere near as extreme or thematically layered as last year's The Substance, it delivers its own flavor of unease. The horror comes slowly, like a sickness you can't shake, manifesting in small, intimate details before blooming into moments of grotesque revelation.
Shanks handles the tone with confidence for a first-time feature director, leaning on atmosphere rather than jump scares. Much of the film's tension comes from what's not shown, though there is one sequence a jaw-dropping combination of practical effects and disturbing sound design-that stands as the movie's most memorable moment. It's raw, tactile, and exactly the sort of visual horror fans of the subgenre will appreciate.
Franco and Brie's real-life chemistry gives the film a grounded emotional core. You believe in their connection, which makes their unraveling all the more unsettling. As their bodies and their trust begin to break down, the film shifts from domestic drama into something far more nightmarish.
That said, Together won't be for everyone. The pacing is deliberately slow, sometimes too slow, and those expecting constant gore or high-concept spectacle may find it underwhelming. This is a mood piece first, a horror film second, and its impact depends heavily on how much you're willing to sink into its deliberate rhythm.
Anything starring Julia Garner has my attention and pairing her with writer/director Zach Cregger (Barbarian) is all the reason I needed to grab my ticket. Weapons is Cregger's highly anticipated follow-up, and much like Barbarian, it's a film that refuses to play by conventional horror rules. While this year has already given us plenty of buzz heavy genre releases (Bring Her Back being another one that came with heavy chatter), I walked into Weapons without letting the hype sway my expectations. I'm glad I did, because what I got was a strange, unsettling, and sometimes frustrating-but often brilliant-mystery-horror experience.
The premise is chilling enough to hook you immediately: seventeen children from the same classroom disappear on the same night, apparently taken by an unseen force. From there, the film unfolds in a structure more akin to an anthology, each "chapter" told from a different character's perspective. This isn't a simple whodunit-it's a slow unpeeling of dread, one layer at a time.
Garner opens the film as Justine Gandy, a teacher whose class vanishes except for one lone student. Her performance is a powerhouse. Garner brings raw vulnerability and lived-in pain to a woman juggling anxiety, addiction, and the crushing guilt of being at the center of a tragedy. Watching her spiral while trying to claw toward answers is gripping and emotionally draining in the best way. You're fully invested in her journey... until Cregger pulls the rug out and the focus shifts.
The next segment centers on Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), father of one of the missing children. If Garner's performance feels devastating, Brolin's is even more gut-wrenching-grounded, angry, and filled with quiet desperation. His portion of the film digs deep into grief, paranoia, and the way loss can rot a person from the inside out.
From there, the film takes a turn into its third story absolutely chilling in execution and tone before pivoting again. And here's where Weapons becomes a bit of a double-edged sword. While each perspective is compelling, the tonal shifts in the final two stories sap some of the relentless tension built in the first half. It's not that these later stories are bad-they're well acted and skillfully made but they feel like detours away from the primal terror of the opening acts.
When Weapons leans into its horror, it's near perfection. The visual unease, the masterful sound design, and the score work together to make you feel constantly on edge. The unseen force at the center of the mystery is handled with restraint, which only makes it more disturbing when the horror does break through.
The climax delivers exactly what you want answers wrapped in dread, fear, and a creeping inevitability. But then... the closing moments. They land oddly. Almost comical in execution, which might be intentional but, for me, undercut the final blow the film had earned. With one tweak, that last beat could have cemented Weapons as an all-time great modern horror ending.
Weapons is as good as Barbarian in its ambition and storytelling craft, but its anthology like structure makes for some uneven pacing. Still, the performances (especially Garner and Brolin) are exceptional, the atmosphere is suffocatingly tense, and the mystery lingers in your head long after the credits roll. It's dark, eerie, and unpredictable-just the way Cregger likes it.
The premise is chilling enough to hook you immediately: seventeen children from the same classroom disappear on the same night, apparently taken by an unseen force. From there, the film unfolds in a structure more akin to an anthology, each "chapter" told from a different character's perspective. This isn't a simple whodunit-it's a slow unpeeling of dread, one layer at a time.
Garner opens the film as Justine Gandy, a teacher whose class vanishes except for one lone student. Her performance is a powerhouse. Garner brings raw vulnerability and lived-in pain to a woman juggling anxiety, addiction, and the crushing guilt of being at the center of a tragedy. Watching her spiral while trying to claw toward answers is gripping and emotionally draining in the best way. You're fully invested in her journey... until Cregger pulls the rug out and the focus shifts.
The next segment centers on Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), father of one of the missing children. If Garner's performance feels devastating, Brolin's is even more gut-wrenching-grounded, angry, and filled with quiet desperation. His portion of the film digs deep into grief, paranoia, and the way loss can rot a person from the inside out.
From there, the film takes a turn into its third story absolutely chilling in execution and tone before pivoting again. And here's where Weapons becomes a bit of a double-edged sword. While each perspective is compelling, the tonal shifts in the final two stories sap some of the relentless tension built in the first half. It's not that these later stories are bad-they're well acted and skillfully made but they feel like detours away from the primal terror of the opening acts.
When Weapons leans into its horror, it's near perfection. The visual unease, the masterful sound design, and the score work together to make you feel constantly on edge. The unseen force at the center of the mystery is handled with restraint, which only makes it more disturbing when the horror does break through.
The climax delivers exactly what you want answers wrapped in dread, fear, and a creeping inevitability. But then... the closing moments. They land oddly. Almost comical in execution, which might be intentional but, for me, undercut the final blow the film had earned. With one tweak, that last beat could have cemented Weapons as an all-time great modern horror ending.
Weapons is as good as Barbarian in its ambition and storytelling craft, but its anthology like structure makes for some uneven pacing. Still, the performances (especially Garner and Brolin) are exceptional, the atmosphere is suffocatingly tense, and the mystery lingers in your head long after the credits roll. It's dark, eerie, and unpredictable-just the way Cregger likes it.