For May, there are 7 films in the fight.

Thunderbolts

Thunderbolts is a mixed bag. It’s a Marvel film (for good and bad) that tries to do something different, particulary with the villain. However, in bringing together the characters that it does, it forces tension that really shouldn’t be there.

Some good moments, definitely a breezy popcorn film, but only looks good in comparison to their recent output.

The Cleaner

The Cleaner sees a former solider turned high-rise window cleaner take on some terrorists attempting to… honestly, who knows? The plot here isn’t really notable. I actually forgot the ending by the next day and had to rewatch it. The action doesn’t even make up for it.

There’s not much to really like here.

Skip.

Summer Of 69

Summer Of 69 is a teen comedy that sees an awkward teen hire a stripper to help her gain the skills she thinks she needs to get a guy.

While the specifics are unique, you’ve definitely seen movies like this before - and ones that are done a little better. That’s not to say it’s bad, I definitely laughed at points, but it’s not great.

Fine.

Drop

Drop is a fixed location horror about a women tasked with killing her date at a fancy restaurant, or face repercussions against her family.

It is, at times, ridiculous but mostly manages to build tension effectively, ratcheting up the pressure nicely.

Definitely one worth seeing.

The Ballad Of Wallis Island

The Ballad Of Wallis Island follows the fictional reunion of a folk duo for a superfan.

Mulligan, Basden, and Key all play their parts well. It’s sad and resentful as much as it is funny, but it all works.

Good.

Opus

Opus sees a former popstar (played by John Malkovich) reappear after decades of being a reclusive cult leader, promising his best album yet. Ayo Edebiri plays a journalist sent to review it - and find out what’s been happening.

While the last act will have you rolling your eyes, there’s fun to be had on the way there. There are enough moments of cult weirdness to draw a smile.

Okay.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning is a lengthy action movie that tries to wrap up and tie-in far more of the previous entries than it really should have attempted to.

Bloated storytelling aside, it does what you’d expect: some of the biggest action sequences committed to film done as practically as possible. There are some genuinely excellent set pieces in here, that are worth the runtime.

Good.

The May Winner

Not the strongest month but I think the winner is Drop - a very solid horror thriller that does most things just right.

I’m very behind on film reviews. Between some challenges in my personal life, a busy work year, and largely exiting social media, I’ve not felt very motivated to write - and I’ve seen fewer films.

That last reason, leaving social media, is an important, practical concern here. For a long time, I’ve posted my reviews on Twitter (and then Mastodon) and used a plugin to pull them into these reviews. I’ve barely used social media for quite some time now, and the few interactions were to push film reviews through what has become and increasingly circuitous route.

No more. I’ve decided that, for now, I’m just putting the reviews directly here, while maintaining the size constraints I originally found appealing. I’ll likely post the blog post links onto social media.

Because I’ve got April 2025 onwards to do, and I don’t want to see this as something I do grudgingly, I’m not going to rush getting caught up. I’m aiming to clear the 2025 reviews by the end of January 2026. We’ll see how much life gets in the way of that.

For April, there are 6 films in the fight.

Black Bag

Black Bag is Steven Soderbergh at his most confident - a spy thriller with an excellent cast, and the requisite twists and turns.

Fassbender and Blanchett lead a cast trying desperately to get one over on each other, or attept to get away with something devious.

Well-paced and fun.

The Brutalist

The Brutalist is an unevenly paced film about an uneven man, who finds himself in oscillating circumstance.

Brody puts in a powerful performance as the architect at the centre of the film, going between quiet and tired, and outright rage in a moment. The runtime isn’t quite warranted, but it’s a good watch nevertheless.

Good.

G20

G20 is more streaming slop from Prime: a high-stakes plot that makes little sense on its face.

Viola Davis does what she can with what she has to work with, but that’s not a lot. The action is weak, the story is silly, and nothing really matters.

Skip.

Death Of A Unicorn

Death Of A Unicorn is a mixed bag. At times funny, nudging towards farce, but at others trying to take itself too seriously; a mistake given how badly it affects the lighter moments and pacing.

The cast are all pretty good, and it’s fairly well stacked, but this is not a movie you’re going to watch again and again. Okay for what it is.

Fine.

Novocaine

Novocaine is at the lighter end of the Taken-inspired, man-with-a-mission action genre that has appeared in recent years.

Quaid plays a man who cannot feel pain, but can be badly hurt, who gets involved in the aftermath of a bank robbery. The action itself is perfectly fine - not many big moments, but what is there works well.

Decent.

Alto Knights

Alto Knights is a meandering gangster film that, perhaps unwisely, puts De Niro in as both leads.

Each of this characters have plot threads that don’t really go anywhere, and sequences that take far too long. Flabby, dull, and disappointing.

Skip.

The April Winner

I’m surprised to say the winner is Black Bag. The Brutalist had a lot going for it, but I can’t imagine watching it again any time soon.

Only two films in March…

The Last Showgirl

Mickey 17

The March Winner

It has to be The Last Showgirl - not a masterpiece, but decent.

Massively delayed on posting this (and the first half of the year), but there are 7 films for February.

Companion

Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera

September 5

Babygirl

Captain America: Brave New World

The Gorge

The Monkey

The February Winner

It’s good but not amazing but The Monkey is the best of the bunch.

There are 11 films in the January Film Fight…

A Real Pain

Nosferatu

The Order

Saturday Night

Here

The Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger

Back In Action

Wolf Man

Star Trek: Section 31

Flight Risk

You’re Cordially Invited

The January Winner

A big month but A Real Pain is the obvious winner for me.