Hallowarrior (2026)

 

I fell victim to a decent movie blurb that failed to deliver any treats. They could have expanded on the Home Alone homage. The baddies could have been smarter and more fun. Total milk dud. 

Rating: F+

The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997)

 

Bill Murray at his goofy best, bumbling his way through a fish out of water espionage plot. It’s light and fun. The script is witty. Plenty of physical comedy, culminating in the Russian doll dance. Enjoyed seeing this one again. 

Rating: B

Hope (Hopeu) (2026)

 

A small Korean town is under attack from an unknown creature. There’s a mix of very cool special effects, and some less effective CGI. The film morphs into an alien invasion, of sorts. The pacing and storytelling are inconsistent, yet it’s hard to turn away because the action keeps coming. I’ll probably tune into the sequel to see where they take it. 

Rating: C

Runner (2026)

 

Alan Ritchson is swapped in for Jason Statham as the Transporter; ok Runner, trying to deliver a package from A to B. Lots of people get slaughtered along the way. You know what you’re getting when you take this ride. 

Rating: C

Cube (1997)

 

Liked it less than on my first viewing. The dialog is lacking and characters more annoying. The end isn’t very satisfying. Cool concept though. 

Rating: C

Colony (Gunche) (2026)

 

The Train To Busan folks made another zombie movie, pulling in some ideas from Dawn Of The Dead, The Last Of Us, 28 Days Later, and others. Some cool ideas and scenes, but lackluster as a whole. 

Rating: C

Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)

 

Rewatched this classic from 1997. I forgot how adorable Minnie Driver was. She really makes the most of her character. Not as good as I remember, but still fun. 

Rating: C+

Heart Of The Beast (2026)

 

A man and his dog try to survive the elements after crash landing in Alaskan wilderness. Mistakes were made that put them in further jeopardy. Borderline realistic. The dog’s eyes will pull you in. A bit of a sad ending. 

Rating: C

Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma (2026)

 

Nothing about this slasher within a slasher worked for me. It wasn’t scary at any point, which is the one thing a horror movie should be. The script wasn’t funny. It was definitely weird, but not in an entertaining way. 

Rating: F+

The Rivals Of Amziah King (2025)

 

Honey is at the center of a backwoods community brought together by friendship and music. One could say it’s also a revenge flick of sorts. 

Rating: C+

Idiots (2026)

The setup had merit. Had they committed to it, Idiots could have been a fun screwball comedy. Instead the script had an identity crisis, getting marred down by illogical characters and scenes. The ending fizzled.

Rating: C-

Top 10 Films of 1998

Rank	Title	Year	Country	Grade
1	Out Of Sight	1998	US	B
2	Saving Private Ryan	1998	US	B
3	Rushmore	1998	US	B-
4	The Truman Show	1998	US	B-
5	Shakespeare In Love	1998	US	B-
6	Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels	1998	England	C+
7	Next Stop Wonderland	1998	US	C+
8	The Red Violin	1998	Canada	C+
9	Playing By Heart	1998	US	C+
10	The Big Lebowski	1998	US	C+

 

The End Of Oak St. (2026)

 

So much could have been done with this concept. I would have loved to see it in a series format, in a prehistoric survival Jumanji situation. Remaining families band together in a tribe to collect food, water, weapons, and defend their stronghold. 

Instead, this dimwitted family made one stupid decision after another until I was begging for them to be taken out. The ending with dual dimensions and apparently multiple versions of themselves was ridiculous. What a waste of a good premise and film budget. 

Rating: D+

Next Stop Wonderland (1998)

I think I originally saw this at Sundance. It’s a pleasant film with a delightful Bossa Nova soundtrack. A lot of familiar faces of actors early in their careers. One of the better films from 1998. 

Rating: C+

The Invite (2026)

One of those films that feels more like a stage production. There are some genuine funny and interesting moments. It’s a deep dive into interpersonal relationships. I wasn’t in love with the third act though. 

Rating: C

Mayday (2026)

 

A serviceable Soviet Cold War film set in the 80s featuring Ryan Reynolds doing his typical deadpan jokes. The early fight scenes are surprisingly slick. Branagh is quite good as the ex-KGB operative. Production value is high. Action sequences are intense. Better than I thought it would be. 

Rating: C+

Toy Story 5 (2026)

 

Toys and imagination versus tech and screen time. A relevant storyline for our times with some good reminders for parents. Cute and fun as usual. 

Rating: C+

Masters Of The Universe (2026)

 

Having watched a lot of He-Man when I was a kid, I decided to devote a couple hours to the feature film as an adult. Expectations were very low going in, which quickly proved to be justified. No depth of characters. Cartoonish fight scenes without any real suspense. I couldn’t make it halfway through.

Rating: F

There’s Something About Mary (1998)

 

Much more crass and unfunny than I remember it being back in 1998. The Farrelly Brothers rely too much on horny teenage boy humor over smart writing. 

Rating: C

The Isolate Thief (2026)

 

Incredibly dumb title. Tense standoff between some really bad men and a couple resilient women. They didn’t quite stick the landing, but the ride wasn’t bad. 

Rating: C