Shaun of the Dead

Movie Name: Shaun of the Dead
Year of Release: 2004
Director: Edgar Wright
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Penelope Wilton, Bill Nighy, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Peter Serafinowicz, Rafe Spall, Martin Freeman, Reece Shearsmith, Tamsin Greig, Matt Lucas, Nicola Cunningham
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
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Synopsis and Review

It's difficult to believe that "Shaun of the Dead" was released in 2004, and introduced the movie world to the talents of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright. The film was the directorial sophomore endeavor for Edgar Wright who had been largely directing TV in the 1990s, while Simon Pegg had made a name for himself as the creator and lead for the show "Spaced" (which Edgar Wright directed), but had also acted in "Band of Brothers" and "24 Hour Party People". "Shaun of the Dead" follows the story of Shaun, a twenty-something year old who is a sales advisor, who shares a flat with a far more ambitious roommate, whose best friend is the equally slacker/relaxed Ed, and whose romantic relationship is fizzling. Liz, his girlfriend, has given him a few ultimatums, regarding his ambition in life, his job and life prospects, and particularly his investment and attention towards her. Shaun also doesn't get along with his stepfather Philip who also wishes he would wise up. When Shaun fails to set up a celebration for his and Liz' dating anniversary, she calls the relationship off, resulting in Shaun and Ed getting drunk at their pub of preference. Unbeknownst to them, London has been taken over by a zombie outbreak. When they wake up the next day, Shaun and Ed notice a couple of strangers in the garden. While they initially think the situation is hilarious, they soon realize these individuals are zombies and want to eat them. They realize there are zombies everywhere, and that they need to save Shaun's mother, Barbara, but also Liz. Aside from those goals, they don't really know what else to do, or where to go.

Putting a comedic spin on the zombie genre has been attempted before, but it has never quite gelled as well as what Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright managed to do with this film. The most interesting aspect of the film, aside from its comedic instances, and great chemistry between all the cast, is the fact that these characters feel believable and familiar. The creative team from this film managed to illustrate these characters with such efficiency and economy (and restraint), that one can't help but witness how all these individuals exist in this world, relate to each other, and how the "zombification" of the world is just another thing that disrupts their attempt at living a chilled existence. Mr. Wright has managed to marry his stylistic point of view, with a comedic take on this slacker with a heart of gold, making this film both riveting in parts, but always funny, as if we're peering into the "Singles" of the 2000s in London. As we get to learn more about Shaun, his friends, his relationships, we can't help but cheer him on, he's the struggler who has always been a whisper away from breaking through, and this situation awakens him to protect what matters the most to him. It's a film that is immensely funny, perfectly acted, with the right amount of emotional episodes, featuring the talented Penelope Wilton and the phenomenal Bill Nighy, all of which translates into a film that is always a delight to watch. Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Ms. Wilton, Mr. Nighy, Kate Ashfield, and all the cast, are spot on, as is the production team (featuring David M. Dunlap's cinematography and Dan Mudford & Pete Woodhead's score). Worth watching and savoring. 

Scream 7

Movie Name: Scream 7
Year of Release: 2026
Director: Kevin Williamson
Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Isabel May, Anna Camp, Joel McHale, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Celeste O'Connor, Sam Rechner, Asa Germann, Mckenna Grace, Matthew Lillard, Kraig Dane, Ethan Embry, Mark Consuelos, Victor Turpin, Amy Louise Pemberton
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
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Synopsis and Review

Writer/director Kevin Williamson had his first produced script released 30 years ago, courtesy of Wes Craven's partnership, which resulted in the release of "Scream". Since then he has had a very robust screen writing career, particularly for the small screen, and this new installment of the "Scream" franchise is in fact his sophomore directorial feature, following "Teaching Mrs. Tingle" (originally called "Killing Mrs. Tingle"). This new chapter of the "Scream franchise finds Sidney Prescott, now going by her married name of Sidney Evans, living in Pine Grove, Indiana. She is married to the chief of police, Mark Evans, runs a popular coffeehouse, and is raising her children, including her oldest teenager, Tatum (with whom she experiences some friction). She starts receiving videocalls of what appears to be Stu, one of the original killers from 30 years ago. This older "Stu" threatens to go after Tatum to get her attention. Ghostface kills Tatum's friends Hannah and Aaron, and flees as the police arrives. Ghostface strikes again, this time around at Sidney's place, who barely manages to escape with her daughter to a panic room that exists in the house. As the killer pursues them both as they flee the house, he's run over by Gale Weathers, who is in town with her assistants. Sidney recognizes the killer, since he had bought coffee at her place hours earlier. As it turns out he was a murderer who escaped a nearby mental institution. Sidney and Gale suspect there's more than one killer, which is typical with Ghostface, and Sidney agrees to an interview on live television hoping to lure "Stu", or whomever is impersonating him. As it turns out that ploy does work, as another Ghostface attempts to kill Tatum who is with her friends at a local tavern. 

While the previous two episodes of this franchise were directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and featured scripts from James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick (Vanderbilt is well known for having written David Fincher's "Zodiac"), this one is written by Busick and Kevin Williamson, who also directs. One of the most obvious aspects about this film is how it obviously cannibalizes its own mythology, but also as the narrative reaches its climax, how ludicrous and underwhelming that third chapter turns out to be. It literally turns out to be a film that doesn't know what to do with its characters, repeating strategies, plot lines, since the writers obviously didn't know where to take these characters, or for that matter, properly develop them. The strained relationship that exists between Sidney and her oldest daughter is never fully explained, and that character remains in perpetual "rebel mode" for the entire duration of the film. Even for a teenager that is a big grudge to carry. The director is able to establish Sidney's new existence in very quick brush strokes, but there's nothing particularly distinctive or insightful about this character and this universe she created for herself: that idyllic life seems Hallmark manufactured, and turns out to be, something the director captures without a hint of irony, something these films always managed to have or at least be self aware of their own machinations. Ultimately this is a film that is a low grade copy of some of the episodes of the series, only one that features none of the snarky edge or even intelligent references the other episodes had. The cast tries their best with the material they have, with Neve Campbell giving the film its only impact, with Courteney Cox lending good support, though even their best efforts can't make this feature memorable. The production team is rather generic. Now in its third decade of existence, the creative team behind this series should challenge itself with producing better scripts to keep it going, as opposed to moving ahead with non-sensical material that comes across as an attempt to make money. This is a missed opportunity and a mediocre feature.

Ladies First

Movie Name: Ladies First
Year of Release: 2026
Director: Thea Sharrock
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Rosamund Pike, Charles Dance, Fiona Shaw, Emily Mortimer, Richard E. Grant, Kathryn Hunter, Bill Paterson, Kadiff Kirwan, Ron Cook, Maddie Rice, Jordan Metcalfe, Dani Moseley
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
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Synopsis and Review

Director Thea Sharrock has consistently been working since her feature directorial debut with "Me Before You". "Ladies First" follows her previous Netflix partnership "The Beautiful Game" with the great Bill Nighy, which was met with tepid reviews. "Ladies First" whose script is co-authored by Natalie Krinsky, Cinco Paul (who has written many animated feature films, including "The Lorax" and "Despicable Me 3"), and Katie Silberman (one of the writers of "Booksmart"), focuses its narrative on high profile advertising executive Damien Sachs. He's a self centered, wealthy, and chauvinistic individual, who is very ambitious and wants to get to CEO of the agency he works for. One of his big clients disapproves of the fact that his company's executive ranks lacks diversity, particularly when it comes to women in positions of authority. Damien quickly makes up that they have a recently promoted female Creative Director. He asks his assistant to locate someone in the company that can fit that profile, and she chooses Alex Fox, a 20-year veteran of the agency, who has consistently done good work, but has always been overlooked. Alex is thrilled by the promotion, but later overhears the reason why she got the role, and decides to quit. On her way out she gives Damien a piece of her mind. He follows her out, hurling offensive justifications, until he hits a metallic pole on the street and knocks himself out. When he comes back to himself, he slowly realizes the world isn't what it used to be - the world is flipped, including society roles, where women exhibit sexist and vile behavior much like the one he used to demonstrate towards women. He realizes the people he works with all have different roles, the same going for his family. What appears to be a homeless man, eventually confesses to him what has happened, and what he needs to do to get back to his reality.

When you look at the fantastic cast this film has, one would be inclined to think this is a biting satire at swapping power dynamics in society typically dominated by men. Sadly this film comes across more like a gutless romantic comedy, that while attempting to make a point about sexism and misogyny, it really illustrates these points very superficially, with no wit, no vivacity, miles away from what George Cukor and his films with Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy did far better on the same topics 80 years ago. The film doesn't really look head on at these problems, choosing instead to make Damien a benign yuppie sexist Scrooge, who gets a taste of his own medicine when he sees himself in a position of being undermined for his gender, and therefore has to learn a lesson on how to behave in order to return to his reality. It's a formula that doesn't really work, and in this particular case it is also a missed opportunity, as Damien is far more believable as a morally bankrupt individual, who still has a shred of humanity in his dealings with his family, but who then becomes a better version of himself when he realizes how unfair life can truly be. Unlike Harold Ramis' "Groundhog Day" where Phil Connors truly has to go through hell and back to realize what life is all about, Damien just has to go through a workout montage, and some seduction parlor games, and poof, he has gained perspective. Hopefully the irony isn't lost, that in film about gender power dynamics, even Alex gets very little screen time or opportunity in terms of character dimension or insight into who she is. The cast try their best with what they have, and it's a delight to see Fiona Shaw, Charles Dance, Kathryn Hunter, and Bill Paterson in delicious supporting roles. Sacha Baron Cohen and Rosamund Pike are sadly wasted. The production team is solid, including Haris Zambarloukos' cinematography and Atli Orvarsson's score. It's a tepid and forgettable endeavor. 

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die

Movie Name: Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Gore Verbinski
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Juno Temple, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, Zazie Beetz, Asim Chaudhry, Tom Taylor, Georgia Goodman, Daniel Barnett, Artie Wilkinson-Hunt, Riccardo Drayton, Dominique Maher, David Sturzaker
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Director Gore Verbinski is back, 10 years after his prior directorial endeavor, "A Cure for Wellness". He has partnered with writer/director Matthew Robinson, acting solely as screenwriter on this project, on what is both a humorous, but also very smart take on technology and the fear of AI. The film focuses its narrative on a man who shows up on a diner in LA claiming to have traveled from the future. The man appearing disheveled and quasi homeless, explains that in the future an artificial super-intelligence has destroyed humanity, and that the only people who can prevent that catastrophe are located in the restaurant, at that moment. He also mentions that he has attempted to thwart that AI's destructive plans 117 times before, with different combinations of the restaurant patrons, always without success. He warns everyone at the restaurant that if they don't play nice, he'll self detonate a bomb he has attached to himself. He ends up enlisting Susan, a mother whose son recently got killed in a school shooting, Mark & Janet, both teachers, reeling from odd occurrences at their school, Scott, Marie, Bob (a scout master), and eventually Ingrid, someone he has some doubts on. The police surrounds the diner, and eventually Susan indicates an escape route, though Bob sacrifices himself so they can make their escape. They all flee the diner, and the man from the future explains that they need to prevent a 9 year old boy, living nearby, from creating the monstrous AI that is responsible for the demise of humanity. They also realize that they're being pursued by two masked gunmen who are intent on killing them all. As we know more about each one of the individuals of the group, we realize that what the man from the future is saying is not as absurd as it seems to be.

Gore Verbinski who made a name for himself with the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, as well as the very successful "The Ring", "Rango", and " The Weather Man", has always been a very stylish visual storyteller who is also adept at bringing colorful characters to life. Sam Rockwell's man from the future in "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die", has traits of eccentricity reminiscent of Captain Jack Sparrow, but he also brings to mind the characters from Terry Gilliam's "Brazil", summarily meaning he is humorous, edgy, and at times, his mental sanity can be questioned. Mr. Verbinski smartly builds this feature much like an onion whose layers keep getting peeled off, until we get to the crux of the mission that jumpstarts the film, but also of what is really motivating the central character of the film. On the path to this climax, the director unveils who these characters are, what has driven them to believe the words of a possible madman, and why reality isn't exactly what people expect it to be. It's a very smart script, that marries aspects of "Brazil", "Groundhog Day", and even has nods to "The Terminator" films & mystique, courtesy of the whole aspect of AI as a mortal antagonist towards humanity. The fact that the film is able to tell a somewhat dark narrative with humor, never losing its momentum, is a testament to the talent of Mr. Verbinski, who keeps the narrative perpetually in motion, allowing for the characters to be understood, as well as illustrating how they all come together in the larger scheme of what is happening. The cast is uniformly great, led by the terrific Sam Rockwell, who has great support from Juno Temple, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, and Zazie Beetz. The production team is equally solid, including James Whitaker's cinematography, Geoff Zanelli's score, David Brisbin's production design, and the select visual effects that populate the film. It's a smartly conceived, acted, and unpretentiously put together film, from a director who is always worth paying attention to. 

Scary Movie 6

Movie Name: Scary Movie 6
Year of Release: 2026
Director: Michael Tiddes
Starring: Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Dave Sheridan, Lochlyn Munro, Carmen Electra, Kenan Thompson, Cheri Oteri, Olivia Rose Keegan, Cameron Scott Roberts, Savannah Lee Nassif, Sydney Park, Heidi Gardner, Damon Wayans Jr., Chris Elliott
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 2
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Synopsis and Review

The "Scary Movie" franchise is back, and this time around with the creative hands of the Wayans siblings making all the decisions, alongside their usual collaborator, director Michael Tiddes (who also directed "A Haunted House" and "Fifty Shades of Black"). The narrative follows Cindy Campbell, who we now encounter as a recluse. Her daughters, Tuesday and Sara, become targets for Ghostface, who is on a killing spree once more. While Tuesday is hospitalized, Sara seeks out Cindy for some help, which she refuses, since she suspects the killer is trying to lure her out. Sara and her boyfriend Jack are attacked in the hospital, but escape. Doofy makes a reappearance even though he mentions he has retired. He agrees to help Sara, and they both manage to stop Ghostface when he tries to kill Tuesday once more. However Ghostface's killing spree continues, and only Cindy and Brenda can find a way to fight back and uncover the identity of the killer.

Well, this was a comeback that didn't need to happen, at least not with this creative team at the helm. What Akiva Schaffer did with his version of "The Naked Gun" in 2025, isn't repeated with this new installment of "Scary Movie", even with the best efforts of the wonderful Anna Faris and Regina Hall. As I mentioned in one of my previous reviews on chapters 1 and 2 of this series, this franchise peaked with chapter 3, courtesy of the talent of David Zucker, who infused his point of view and sense of humor from working with his brother Jerry and Jim Abrahams on classics such as "Airplane", "Top Secret", and of course, "The Naked Gun", on "Scary Movie 3" and even "Scary Movie 4". The Wayans have capitalized on nostalgia for the series they originally started, and squarely placed themselves at the center of the action for this new volume, when they have never been the reason why these films have worked. What has always been so indelible about this series, is the relationship that exists between Cindy Campbell and Brenda Meeks (the whole section at Brenda's house on "Scary Movie 3" is a hoot), and how they're seeming invulnerable to everything, and how their complicated friendship overcomes killers, death, and even Brenda's constant backstabbings towards Cindy. The writers of "Scary Movie 6" attempt to parody too many films, while also trying to tackle some political statements about the current state of society, but it all sadly feels stale, uninspired, and unfunny (and in some cases, they look like feeble repetitions of some gags that were done better in the first films of the series). The film has a series of winks at the audience, but the jokes and the spoofs never land - the film only has a pulse when Anna Faris or Regina Hall pop up, and sadly they don't show up as much as they did in the prior installments. This film should have gone to the hands of Akiva Schaffer or even David Zucker, both of whom could have led this to a far funnier destination and used the talents of two very talented actresses to the best of their abilities, and with far more screen time which is sadly not the case. As much as I love Anna Faris and Regina Hall, this film doesn't do them justice, and it's a waste of their talent. Avoid.

Anaconda

Movie Name: Anaconda
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Tom Gormican
Starring: Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Thandiwe Newton, Steve Zahn, Daniela Melchior, Selton Mello, Ione Skye, Ice Cube, Rui Ricardo Diaz, John Billingsley, Sebastian Sero, Diego Arnary, Dan Silveira
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Co-writer and director Tom Gormican made a name for himself with his sophomore directorial feature, "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent", starring perennially busy Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal. This take on "Anaconda" is, much like the film previously mentioned, another meta take on the film industry, and winks an eye at the whole notion of film within a film. The film follows a group of childhood friends, Doug, Griff, Kenny, and Claire, who are at a juncture in their adult lives, where they feel displeased at how those have evolved. Griff who is an actor who has never broken through, reaches out to his friends, stating that he has obtained the rights to "Anaconda" from Sony Pictures. The group decides to get a loan, travel to the Amazon rainforest to make a low-budget version of "Anaconda" with Griff and Claire starring, with Doug writing and directing. They soon secure help from local Brazilian teams, including Carlos who is a well known snake handler, and Ana, a woman who is the daughter of the boat rental operator. Things start off inauspiciously when Griff accidentally kills the pacified snake they're using in the film, leading both Griff and Carlos to go locate another one in the jungle. Carlos is attacked by another anaconda, and even though the dangers are now very real, Doug decides to keep shooting, and in the spirit of improvisation, adds Ana to the film, making her much more of a central character, creating friction with Griff in the process. Turns out Sony is also remaking Anaconda, and both teams cross paths in the Amazon, which prompts a honest conversation between the friends. As it turns out, Griff made it all up, getting the rights from Sony and all. He is vexed, and decides to leave his friends and join the actual Sony film crew. However what he encounters on that set, isn't what he thought of. 

The original "Anaconda" which came out in 1997, directed by Luis Llosa, was met with unanimous vitriol upon its release, though it had a great cast which included Jennifer Lopez, Eric Stoltz, Owen Wilson, Danny Trejo, Jonathan Hyde, and even the controversial Jon Voight. Tom Gormican uses this well established premise of "bad movies we love", to create a comical homage to that film, attempting to simultaneously create a satire that illustrates how studios these days will remake nearly anything for the sake of reducing risk when bringing new material to a difficult film and audience market. While the attempt is thoughtful and smart in principle, this film's script would have benefited from a Charlie Kaufman revision, since it quickly devolves into something that is quite similar in tone and execution to what the original "Anaconda" was all about. Trying to make this type of satire is always difficult, many of the "film within film" related cliches and jokes don't necessarily resonate with everyone, one only has to remember the tepid response "Last Action Hero" from John McTiernan had in 1993, and that one featured a script from respected scriptwriters such as Shane Black and Zak Penn. This version from "Anaconda" manages to stay afloat mostly due to the chemistry of Paul Rudd, Jack Black, and Steve Zahn (Thandiwe Newton seems very lost most of the time). It's a film that desperately wants to be unpretentious, but also smart, and funny in a meta kind of way - it tries to be many things, and sadly for the most part they don't necessarily work the best way. The cast tries to make this film into something funny and tongue in cheek, which the aforementioned trio succeed in doing, but for the most part this is a rather forgettable endeavor. The production team is unremarkable, which is also something that can be said for this film.