My Dad is a big Avatar fan.

As such, I saw it with him on Christmas afternoon.

Let's see how it turned out...

The Good

* The Film looks amazing!  The CGI is so good that you get photorealistic creatures interacting with their environments in very impressive manner.

* The Film is epic in scale, with lots of Characters, locations and a Plot that grows from the previous Films.

* Oona Chaplin really shines as the new Villain.  She's not exactly nuanced, but she's impossible to look away from.

* A climactic battle feels like the proper finale to the Series.
This is the last Film...right?

The Bad

* The Film is very long.  This is because many Scenes feel drawn out.  This Film had multiple Editors.

* This Film was clearly set up as the final part of a Trilogy, so it has to wrap up LOTS of things that could have been dealt with in the last Film.

* Why is Jermaine Clement doing an American accent in this one?

* Seeing a CGI version of Sigourney Weaver (as a Navi) kissing someone 50 years younger than her- hmmm...no thanks.

Have you seen it?  If so, leave a comment.

 Do I need to keep paying for Shudder?
Yes- I get plenty of joy from it.

Not every Film is great, but which ones stood out to me this Year?

Honorable Mentions: Urban Legend, Sputnik, Urban Legends: Final Cut, Mosquito, V/H/S Halloween, Good Boy, Wolfkin.

1) The Primevals: This one was not completed when it is was supposed to be released in 1993.

Thankfully, it got a release in 2023 and ended up here.

A fun, throwback Film in many ways that I'm glad has gotten its due.

2) Frankie Freako: A fun and silly Film inspired by '80s trash.

The Director of Psycho Goreman walks that line between homage and remake in a Film that it subjectively great.

3. Monster Island: Don't let the generic Title fool you- there's more going on here.

A simple tale- two disparate people stuck on an Island with a creature- has surprising depth and pathos.  Plus, the Monster rocks.

4. Dangerous Animals: A nice surprise, with a well-known Character Actor standing out.

A pretty simple tale, but one that works when you see how dangerous the villain looks.

5. Night of the Reaper: A fun Film that plays with conventions and cliches.

What sounds like a Film you've seen 100 times takes a few clever twists and turns.

6. The Vourdalak: A crazy French Film with a weird gimmick to boot.

This freaky Vampire Film features a very unique creature and a weird story.

7. Azrael: A grim, wordless tale that definitely stands out.

This Horror Film focuses on a single woman, has no dialog and its Plot is super vague.
It shouldn't work, but it mostly does.

8. Clown in a Cornfield: Another Slasher Film the wisely plays with conventions.

We've come around again to where we have new Scream Films and new Films have to subvert THOSE tropes.  This is a great example.

There you go- 8 recommendations for Films to watch, a reminder for you if you forget when I first posted this or, you know, don't watch them.

I won't know either way, so...go nuts.

 A Film that makes me go 'No, not that Troll 2.  This is a new Film' far too often.

I guess they couldn't use Trolls, so...

She does have one connection and Andreas gets her in a base with a secret...

They have another Troll.

Didn't the last Film tease another one?
Well, it's not this one.

Naturally, it wakes up and gets loose.

It starts attacking more people, including a Night Club that is super chill about a Troll with a 30-foot head growling at them.

At least Leatherface was just a normal guy (in a skin mask) when he showed up in that bus.

The new Troll continues on its path of destruction, even wrecking the same random House as the last Film.

Maybe don't build your House on the Troll Highway, folks.

What can stop this bigger Troll?

Another Troll!

Yes, they befriend a nice Troll (complicating the morality here as we have a Villain Monster and a Hero Monster) to save the day.

Of course, we're barely an hour in, so that's not going to work.

What can stop this new, angry Troll?

To find out, stream it now.

A fun Film that builds on the lore nicely and really lays on the pathos.

I obviously won't SPOIL too much- the Film has only been available for 19 days at time of writing.
That said, they set up some obvious stuff and then pay it off for the end.

To the Film's credit, it is not that much of a rehash.

This Troll is a legit Monster, as opposed to a force of Nature that they keep shooting at.

They build nicely on their own History and Lore.  Don't got into this one blind- you'll need to get LOTS of recapping in.

The VFX are still great here.  That said...

There's less Troll action (as a whole) than I was expecting- especially with a second one showing up.  I can't imagine that this one had a smaller Budget, so what's the Story here?

Regardless, the Film looks gorgeous and should please fans of the last one.  And yes, it too has a Fake AI Trailer Image when you search this Movie on Google.

This looks like an ad for a bad, pay-to-win Mobile Game!

A Film that gives you both less and more of what you want.  I'm not 100% in favor of every choice, but most of them are quite good.

 As the Year approaches its end, I need to catch up on some of the Movies that I've missed for various reasons.

Let's start with the latest from the Russo Brothers and a Film that cost over $300 million!

It is...

Now it is 1994 and Millie here is reunited with her dead brother in the form of a robot.

I didn't even mention the deep fake Bill Clinton.

She leaves her home with it/him and runs across Chris Pratt as...well, Chris Pratt.

They have to go into the Wasteland where the robots were exiled into after the War.

The villain- Stanley Tucci- sends The Marshall- Giancarlo Esposito- to get them back, since the kid's brain apparently powers his network.

In a fantasy World, this is a Screen Cap from an X-Men Film.

One of the few times you see the real Giancarlo.

The Wasteland is full of half-broken and crazy robots.

There are some good ones too, but do they good ones outweigh the crazy ones?

In a sentence I never expected to write, Robot Mr. Peanut helps lead the revolt against the corrupt CEO.

A Film that looks gorgeous, but is there anything underneath the surface?

Why did you do this one so dirty?

An AI image for this one is fitting.

A Film that looks really, really good.  Maybe put that much love and affection into the Writing next time.

 Back from the Holidays to end the Month strong.

This is a well-reviewed Indy Film from this Year and now it's on Shudder, so let's see who is in fact a...

Waiting for him when he returns is his dog.

Even as a cat person, that dog is adorable.

In a weird move to try to and gain some control in his life, he uproots himself from his Apartment in the City (by his Sister) and moves to his Grandpa's Cabin in the Woods.

Nothing good happens in those.

The dog starts to see and hear strange things around the hose.

Can the dog figure out the danger in the House AND manage to warn him?

Or is the guy too far gone?

To find out what our titular Good Boy can do, stream it now.

A Film that gets an A for Effort and a strong C for Execution.

Jaded Horror Fans will like this, but I'm just not sure if it stands up on repeat viewings.  Time will tell.

A Film that delivers in many good ways.  That said, it is hard to see everything and the pacing is a bit off.

 If he can't make his Lovecraft Film, I'm happy that he got to do this.

Let's see how his version of Mary Shelly's Classic Tale plays out...

A strange, cloaked man attacks, trying to kill him!

On the boat recovering, the Doctor goes full Dewey Cox and tells his life story.

He grew up with a mean Dad (Charles Dance- naturally) and grows up to be a Doctor obsessed with beating death itself!

He meets up with his Brother and pretty blatantly starts trying to romance his fiancee (Mia Goth).

He works on making a man...

Struggles come up along the way, but he still manages to make his Adam.

Is this red thing on his chest from the Book or a sneaky Cronos Easter Egg?

He brings his Adam to life.

To see how it plays out, stream it now.

A really fun and refreshing take on the Classic Tale.

It is SOOOO good- in spite of what the terrible AI Trailer Images might tell you...

What even...I mean...huh?!?

If you know the tale, this one is still one to check out.  If you don't know it well, this is a great introduction!

 Let's go to the Land Down Under.

Is this Film good enough to redeem the former Captain Boomerang?

Let's find out...

He's a modern day Captain Ron (will anyone under 40 get this joke), but...

He's also a Serial Killer.

You're no chum of mine!

He kidnaps our Film's Heroine one night and takes him out to his boat.

Alongside another future victim, she waits and plans an escape.

He's going to feed the other lady to a shark and make her watch.

It will be her turn soon enough...

Can she find a way to escape from his boat?
Is he truly the 'apex predator' that he thinks of himself as?

Or will this guy rise to the occasion to save the day?

To find out, stream it now....

An intense and visceral Film.

If you like the sort of Character Driven Thriller that this one gives you, take a look.  As for this Poster though.... I have questions...

A Film that mixes human killers and sharks- just not in a dumb, sci-fi way.  It's a breath of fresh air.

 I pay for Peacock to keep watching old Wrestling Shows.
Seeing Blockbusters first run on Streaming is just a bonus.

This is...

It ends poorly...and will eventually matter in Act 3.

A bunch of folks go to an Island near Central America to get some Dinosaur DNA.

As it turns out, the Dinos are dying off in the Years since Dominion, but their blood can be used to cure Heart Disease.
Sure- why not?!?

Leading the expedition is Scarlet Johansen as a Mercenary in it for the money.

The trip to the Island- as you can see above- goes bad and now they are stranded.

She has to work with an old Colleague, the rich guy funding it and People's Sexiest Man Alive 2025.

He's the Dino Expert who is more than happy to finally see and interact with the real thing.

Of course, this Film can't agree that Dinosaurs are majestic creatures or things to be feared.

Will they live to do so?
To find out, stream it now.

A fun, if uneven Film experience.

Ultimately, the Film can be a bit disconnected, but you'll likely love all of the big moments.  When they work, they work.

A Film that is a bit disjointed and can't quite nail a tone.  That said, it is a popcorn flick with great effects and enough hear to be more than it seems.