Movies Merica

The Mission:Impossible movies started in 1996 with Tom Cruise playing Ethan Hunt for the first time. Now 29 years later, we might be getting the last Mission:Impossible movie with “Mission:Impossible The Final Reckoning.” We were left with a cliffhanger in the last Mission:Impossible movie, so we'll perhaps get the conclusion we're looking for. Is it worth going to the theater to see if we do? Check out this episode to find out! “Mission:Impossible The Final Reckoning” also stars Ving Rhames, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Holt McAllany, Janet McTeer, Angela Bassett and Nick Offerman. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

Have you ever been watching a classic vampire movie like “Fright Night” or “The Lost Boys” and thought, “This is good, but this could be great with two of the guy who played Apollo Creed's kid in those ‘Creed' movies as well as some blues music and a dash of racial commentary!”? Well, put up your black square on Instagram and clutch your George Floyd bobblehead in celebration because a celebration is a comin'! Your reason for celebrating is the movie “Sinners” from director Ryan Coogler. He directed the Black Panther movies and the first two Creed movies and sinks his teeth into the vampire genre with his latest movie. No “Wakanda Forever” in this. More like “Live Forever” in this southern-fried take on vampire movies. Coogler's favorite leading man, Michael B. Jordan plays both Smoke and Stacks (Get it. Smokestack!), identical twins who've made a name and some money in the criminal game. Now they're coming home back down south from Chicago to open up their own juke joint for dancing, drinking and gambling. Their own little taste of Vegas in the Deep South. Along the way they pick up their younger cousin, Preacher Boy Sammie, who is very talented with a guitar and a blues voice from the heavens. He's played by the impressive Miles Caton. Before long, some vampires show up to try to make the good times last forever but in a blood-sucking evil way and the movie goes from bluesy crime drama to stakes in the heart and burning vampires. Is it worth your time at the theater? Check out this episode to find out! “Sinners” also stars Delroy Lindo, Jack O'Connell, Hailee Steinfeld, Yao, Saul Williams and Omar Miller. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

“War is hell” is a common phrase, but as we live our peacetime lives, it can be hard to visualize what that phrase really means. The movie “Warfare” provides a way to see and comprehend that phrase. The movie is directed by “Civil War” and “Ex Machina” director Alex Garland and Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza. Mendoza was one of the soldiers in the middle of the real-life battle that this movie shows. Garland and Mendoza don't hold back on showing the shocking, brutal and bloody side of war. If you know someone with PTSD and you want to understand, at least a little bit better what would cause something like that, this movie is for you. In this movie, Navy SEALs are sent out into Ramadi, Iraq where they gather in a multi-story home to surveil insurgents. The team settles in and goes through the tedium of just sitting and observing. Their sniper starts noticing a build-up of men getting closer to their position and soon that quiet tedium is over as the explosions start and the bullets start flying. The team does all they can to fight off the insurgents and call in to get evacuated out but what happens next just ratchets things up to a whole other level. Is it worth finding out what that is in theaters? Check out this episode to find out! “Warfare” stars Will Poulter, D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Cosmo Jarvis, Joseph Quinn, Aaron Mackenzie, Alex Brockdorff, Finn Bennett, Evan Holtzman, Michael Gandolfini, Joe Macaulay, Laurie Duncan, Noah Centineo, Taylor John Smith and Charles Melton. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

Val Kilmer was one of the most eclectic and enthralling actors of his generation and one of the movies that heavily showcased this is this week's movie, “The Salton Sea.” Kilmer showed he could be wacky, like in “Top Secret!” and “Real Genius” or deadly serious like in “Spartan” and “The Doors.” In “The Salton Sea” he sort of combines those two and it makes for an entertaining and captivating performance. If you want a movie that leads you down one path, en route to setting an expectation, just to subvert it, and does it multiple times, “The Salton Sea” just might be for you. Kilmer plays Danny Parker, a trumpet player, who has a faithful marriage to a beautiful wife until that all comes to an end. Afterwards, his life becomes a drug-filled downward spiral as he joins the perpetual night party of the tweaker to cope, or is that why he's really doing it? We don't know. He's also a confidential informant for a couple of L.A. detectives who want him to set up a maniacally, murderous drug dealer named Pooh Bear. This is a drug dealer known for killing people suddenly just because he doesn't like the tone of their voice. Also, Danny is told that he's been marked for death for something he didn't do, so things went from beautiful and romantic to pitiful and manic really quick. Is Danny Parker for real, or is he someone else? Will he survive the vortex of violence he finds himself in? Is it worth finding out in this lesser known Val Kilmer movie? Check out my spoiler-free review on this episode to find out! “The Salton Sea” also stars Vincent D'Onofrio, Adam Goldberg, Luiz Guzman, Doug Hutchison, Anthony LaPaglia, Glenn Plummer, Peter Sarsgaard, Deborah Kara Unger, Chandra West, BD Wong, R. Lee Ermey, Shalom Harlow, Sherry Knight, Meat Loaf, Azura Skye, Josh Todd and Danny Trejo.     Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

There are a few thing certainties you can count on in movies. If it's an Adam Sandler movie, there'll be at least one fart joke. If it's a Jason Statham movie, there'll be at least one dude getting a limb broken and plenty of punching. This week's movie “A Working Man” that bill. Statham plays Levon Cade, who used to be an elite military operator, but now tries to make an honest living as a working man in construction. He works for land developer Joe Garcia, played by Michael Pena, who knows what he used to do. When Joe's daughter is kidnapped, he pleads to Levon to find and return her. Levon has a young daughter himself, so he can feel this father's pain and agrees. That decision lights the fuse on a bloody mission to find the girl. The human traffickers responsible for taking her, have no idea who is on their trail. Levon makes them very aware of who's hunting them, one by one. Levon has to intimidate, go undercover and just plain go on all-out frontal assaults as part of his quest. Is it worth going to the theater to find out how it all ends? Watch this episode to find out. “A Working Man” also stars Jason Flemyng, Merab Ninidze, Maximilian Osinski, Cokey Falkow, David Harbour, Noemi Gonzalez, Arianna Rivas, Isla Gie, Emmett J Scanlan and Eve Mauro.Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

I'll admit it. All us guys, at one point or another, have fantasized about being some one-man action hero that kicks a bunch of bad guy butt to rescue a beautiful woman. It's a great fantasy until reality kicks in and you start thinking “I don't wanna do that! I could experience pain!!!” The main character in this week's movie, “Novocaine”, doesn't have to worry about the pain part AND he reluctantly has to be a one-man action hero. “Novocaine” stars Jack Quaid as Nate Caine, a young bank assistant manager who has a condition that prevents him from feeling any pain. He lives a solitary, boring, uneventful life as a soft-spoken, gentle guy until one day a beautiful co-worker named Sherry, played by Amber Midthunder, asks him to lunch. This takes the movie into cutesy-pie rom-com territory where Nate and Sherry just click as a couple and all of a sudden Nate is walking on sunshine. That is until the bank robbery. Nate's bank is hit by some no-good bad guy bank robbers and wouldn't you know it, they take Sherry as a hostage to get away from the cops. Well Nate isn't going to let some baddies just take his new lady love away from him without him doing something about it. Gone is the fantasy and enter reality. Nate is on a mission to rescue HIS beautiful woman and he's got the advantage of feeling no pain. This of course makes for so many great scene possibilities and writer Lars Jacobson digs in and takes full advantage. Does Nate succeed and save his damsel in distress? Of course he does! However, is it worth going to the theater to see it? Check out this episode to find out! “Novocaine” also stars Ray Nicholson, Jacob Batalon, Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh, Conrad Kemp, Evan Hengst, Craig Jackson, Lou Beatty Jr., Garth Collins and Tristan de Beer.Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

I have a movie telling a harrowing true life tale about a deep sea, or saturation, diver in mortal peril this week called “Last Breath.” It stars Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Finn Cole and Cliff Curtis. As you know, there are thousands of miles of pipes in the ocean and somebody has to maintain them. That's where saturation divers come in. They dive to dangerous depths out in the middle of freezing cold, dark oceans, so deep they have to compress and decompress for four days. The movie centers on three divers, Chris, Dave and Duncan, who are all on the same diving team. As you'd imagine, the oceans can get pretty rough and that's what happens in this movie that ends up being one of the reasons for this ordeal. Circumstances have it to where Chris is disconnected from everyone else on the ocean floor with only ten minutes of oxygen. Thanks to the rough oceans, and the ship losing its computerized system that keeps the ship sitting still in one place, the ship gets further and further away from Chris. Can the rest of the crew make it back to Chris in time or will it just be a body recovery operation? Is it worth going to the theater to find out? Check out this episode to find out. “Last Breath” also stars Mark Bonnar, MyAnna Buring, Josef Altin, Bobby Rainsbury, Connor Reed, Nick Biadon and Riz Khan. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

We're now up to the 35th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and that movie is “Captain America: Brave New World.” At the end of “Avengers: Endgame”, the OG Captain America, Steve Rogers, gave Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) the Captain America shield. Sam, had been Falcon up until that point, starting in the movies with “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” After, the “Falcon And The Winter Soldier” Marvel TV series, the Sam Wilson version of Captain America is in his own movie. Captain America is tasked with making sure that some bad characters don't get their hands on some adamantium retrieved from the Celestial Being, seen in “Eternals.” It's crucial because if it's lost, it threatens dismantling a peace deal that President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross is trying to strike with countries, all who want to harvest materials from the Celestial Being. This triggers a chain of events which include an assassination attempt on President Ross, the discovery of a secret lab with clues of nefarious activity and the appearance of Red Hulk. Is this movie worth checking out at the theater? Watch this episode to find out! “Captain America: Brave New World” also stars Danny Ramirez, Carl Lumbly, Shira Haas, Tim Blake Nelson, Giancarlo Esposito, Xosha Roquemore, Johannes Haukur Johannesson, William Mark McCullough, Takehiro Hara and Harsh Nayyar. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

If you thought you hated Valentine's Day, you've got nothing over the serial killer in “Heart Eyes.” No Hallmark cards, 2 hour wait times at a fancy restaurant and overpriced flowers for this killer. This Heart Eyes Killer's MO is to kill couples in different cities every Valentine's Day. You'll see people get maimed in this movie but ubiquitous rom-com movie tropes get pummeled as well in a bitingly witty way, while the blood flows. Olivia Holt plays Abby who is trying to get over a break-up and she has a meet-cute at a coffee shop with Jay, played my Mason Gooding, who orders the exact type of drink she does. Very cliche right? “Heart Eyes” enjoys creating moments like that to just pull the rug out from under them and couples it with a no-holds-barred graphically violent slasher flick. To that end, Abby and Jay eventually find themselves getting chased by the Heart Eyes Killer so this courtship will have to happen while avoiding getting slashed by a psycho. Typical stuff. “Heart Eyes” also stars Jordana Brewster, Devon Sawa, Gigi Zumbado, Michaela Watkins, Yoson An and Jacque Drew. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

Do you have that problem where someone is always asking you to watch a romantic movie but the movie has too much of that, ya know, love and romance? I just might have the solution you've been looking for in this week's movie “Companion.” This movie is a romantic movie in marketing only to perhaps help you get your special someone to watch it with you. Then you'll both get to watch how the movie spins its head and becomes a twisted, malevolent, bloody, yet funny, series of devious plot twists. What kicks off the movie is Josh (Jack Quaid) and Iris (Sophie Thatcher) traveling out to a remote lake house to just have a weekend hang with Josh's buddies. It's a fun, casual environment as they all eat, drink and be merry. Josh and Iris are getting along swimmingly with everyone else. Then something deadly happens and Josh and company have to go into “we're on a mission” mode before any devious plans are revealed and more people die. Who will live? Who will die? Who will try this apple pie I just made? Is it worth finding out? Check out this episode to see. “Companion” also stars Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillen, Rupert Friend, Jaboukie Young-White, Matt McCarthy, Marc Menchaca, Woody Fu and Ashley Lambert. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

In 1993 Mel Gibson's first directorial effort was a smaller movie named “The Man Without A Face.” Since then he's made nothing but big, epic movies like “Braveheart” and “Hacksaw Ridge.” Now he's going back to his smaller movie roots with the suspense thriller “Flight Risk.” Mel starred in “Father Stu” with Mark Wahlberg and apparently they forged a friendship because Wahlberg is the name at the top of the poster for this movie. In Gibson's latest directorial effort, Wahlberg plays a pilot flying a U.S. Marshal, played by Michelle Dockery and her cooperating government witness, played by Topher Grace, out of Alaska in a small plane. Seems pretty straightforward right? Not so much, otherwise we wouldn't have a movie. As this movie's trailers show, Wahlberg is really a hitman hired by the mobster that the witness will testify against. After Wahlberg makes his move against them, the U.S. Marshal manages to subdue and restrain him. Now she has to try to fly a plane, with no training, while keeping an eye on the witness and especially on the hitman. Will the marshal and the witness make it out alive? Who else is involved in this assassination plot? Is “Flight Risk” even worth putting your seat in the upright position and stowing your tray table to watch? Find out in this episode! “Flight Risk” also stars Leah Remini, Monib Abhat, Paul Ben-Victor, Maaz Ali and Eilise Patton.   Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

In 1941, we got the classic Lon Chaney Jr./Bela Lugosi “The Wolf Man.” Chaney looked more like an angry psychotic meth head with a Justin Timberlake haircut back then. Now in 2025, we get a much updated hairy, scary dude with “Wolf Man” directed by Leigh Whannell. This isn't Whannell's first classic monster movie re-make rodeo. He also directed the 2020 “The Invisible Man” which was a critical and commercial hit. In “Wolf Man” we're introduced to Blake and his wife, Charlotte, and daughter Ginger. Blake grew up in the remote wilderness of Oregon with just his Dad where all manner of danger lurks, but is now a writer in San Francisco. Events have him return to Oregon with his wife and daughter to his childhood home. His Dad with him, and now Blake with his daughter, are aggressive with how committed they are to keeping their child safe. It turns out, for good reason, from what we see in this movie. On the way up to the house, they get into an accident, in the middle of the woods. Soon it's made apparent, they are not alone, and this new presence is no friend. Soon they find themselves in Blake's childhood home trying to keep a wolf man out, but since Blake was cut by the wolf man, Charlotte and Ginger find that a danger is slowly emerging from inside the house. Time is ticking away for them. Will they survive the wolf man outside and what Blake is becoming on the inside? Is it worth finding out? Check out this episode to hear what I think. “Wolf Man” stars Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, Benedict Hardie, Sam Jaeger, Mathilda Firth, Leigh Whannell, Ben Prendergast, Milo Cawthorne and Zac Chandler. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

In celebration of the 30th Anniversary of this classic from director David Fincher, it's IMAX showing & its release on 4K, I'm doing a retro review of “Se7en.' Brad Pitt plays Detective David Mills, who moves to a crime-ridden city with his wife, and is paired up with retiring detective William Somerset, played by Morgan Freeman. Thanks to a serial killer that appears to be preaching and forcing attrition on his victims concerning the Seven Deadly Sins, there will be no easing into the job for Detective Mills. Everything in this city is grimy, nasty and dark and so is what this killer is doing to teach seven peopkle a “lesson.” It'll take Somerset's temperance, wisdom and patience, along with Mills' drive, energy and passion to bring this killer down, if the killer doesn't take them, or a loved one, out first. This is the first of three films that Brad Pitt and David Fincher made together and it also made Fincher a top tier director. “Se7en” also stars Gwyneth Paltrow, R. Lee Ermey, Richard Roundtree, Reg E. Cathey, Peter Crombie, Hawthorne James, Richard Schiff and Kevin Spacey.    Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

This week's movie had to be financed by multiple prepper supply companies because I wanted to go buy a bomb shelter and some remote land as the end credits rolled. That movie is “Homestead” which tells the story of a group of people that hole up in a self-sustaining remote survival compound known as The Homestead, after a nuclear detonation in L.A. It's owned by Ian Ross, played by Neal McDonough from “Band Of Brothers”, “Minority Report”, “Walking Tall” and other projects. He hires Jeff Ericksson, an ex-Green Beret and his men, to support and defend The Homestead. Ian needs them because America is falling apart, when the Russians also shut down power all over the country, and people start panicking. Ian finds himself in a battle of wills with Jeff, and even his own wife, over what The Homestead can do for people on the outside. Some want to help as many people on the outside and others do not and this feud just heightens the tension. This comes to us from the same studio, Angel Studios, that brought us “Sound Of Freedom” and this movie is really the pilot episode of a new “Homestead” TV series. Is this movie/pilot episode worth checking out? Check out my spoiler-free review episode to find out! “Homestead” also stars Dawn Olivieri, Susan Misner, Jesse Hutch, Bailey Chase, Kevin Lawson, Currie Graham, Olivia Sanabia, Kearran Giovanni, Grace Powell, Tyler Lofton and Jarret LeMaster. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

J.R.R. Tolkien gave us the book “The Lord Of The Rings” 69 years ago and creators are still adapting that legendary work. Do they always respect his work and not mangle it to reflect their worldview? Definitely not. See “The Rings Of Power” TV series. This week we get a movie adaptation of a very brief side story to “The Lord Of The Rings” in anime form. That movie is “The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim.” This movie appears to have the full backing of Peter Jackson, who directed the exemplary “The Lord Of The Rings” triilogy and the not so exemplary “The Hobbit” trilogy. This new movie features the kingdom of Rohan and its king, Helm Hammerhand and his war against Wulf, who vows to kill Helm because Helm killed his father with one punch. What's new, that was most definitely not in the “Appendices” book that Tolkien wrote, that this movie is based on his Hera Hammerhand, Helm's daughter. She's really the main character in that she's portrayed as the main savior of Rohan. When the war becomes too intense, and Rohan is on the brink of extinction, the people of Rohan retreat to what they call the Hornburg. Thanks to the movie “The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers”, it prominently became known as Helm's Deep, named after Helm Hammerhand. Helm is voiced by well-known character actor Brian Cox. Can Helm, Hera and the people of Rohan survive the war against Wulf? Is it worth finding out? Check out this episode to find out! Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

Many people think that Lethal Weapon with Mel Gibson is a Christmas movie. This week I retro review a Mel Gibson movie, Fatman, that leaves no doubt that it's a Christmas movie. I mean, Gibson plays Santa Claus so come on! Now this isn't your fantastical, wondrous North Pole that you see in Rudolph, The Red Nose Reindeer or Elf. Gibson's Santa lives on a very northerly remote farm location instead in this more grounded, brilliantly bizarre and violent Christmas tale. Santa and Mrs. Claus are falling on some hard financial times with all the money they're spending on making and delivering gifts to all the kids worldwide. In comes the U.S. military to provide them a new lucrative opportunity to make their not-so-merry money mayhem go away. Santa has to wrestle with his convictions in deciding on accepting these new “milk and cookies” from them. As if that weren't enough, he has no idea that a kid, who rightfully got coal for Christmas, has hired a hitman to kill him. The hitman, played by the fantastic Walton Goggins, also has a certain bone to pick with jolly ol Saint Nick. Woe to anyone that gets in his way in his mission, including Santa's elves. Is it worth you delaying your Christmas shopping to watch Fatman? Check out this review to find out! Fatman also stars Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Chance Hurstfield, Susanne Sutchy, Robert Bockstael, Michael Dyson, Deborah Grover, Ellison Grier Butler, Eric Woolfe, Lynne Adams and Ekaterina Baker. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

Has your Christmas season ever consisted of a squirrel terrorizing your family, a rusty eyesore flea-bitten RV parked out in front of your house, putting up so many Christmas lights you blackout the rest of the city, a SWAT team attacking your house during a kidnapping, etc., etc.? That's just what's in the stockings, not to mention what's under the Christmas tree, in this week's movie, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Thanksgiving is over, Black Friday black eyes are healing and the leftovers are stale so it's time to get some Christmas movies under our belt this season. Christmas Vacation was the Vacation franchise rebound from the utter failure that was European Vacation. Chevy Chase returns as the dim-witted Clark Griswold, who this time is just trying to put together the perfect Christmas for his family. It's a beautiful plan on paper until you put a guy named Clark Griswold in charge of it, and add in Cousin Eddie played by the perfect for the role, Randy Quaid. Of course Clark, as he always does, tries too hard and things get burnt, soaked, maimed, etc. You know, like your traditional Christmas. This movie is a go-to Christmas classic for many and it deserves a deeper dive into. So let's tear the gift wrapping off this movie and dig in! Christmas Vacation also stars Beverly D'Angelo, Johnny Galecki, Juliette Lewis, John Randolph, Diane Ladd, E.G. Marshall, Doris Roberts, Miriam Flynn, William Hickey, Sam McMurray, Nicholas Guest, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Brian Doyle-Murray and Nicollete Scorsese. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

It's been 24 years since “Gladiator” took the world by storm and spawned a whole new era of swords and sandals movies. Will it's sequel “Gladiator II”, our movie for this week, do the same? We shall see. This time the main character is Lucius, who we met as a young boy in the original “Gladiator.” He's the son of Lucilla, and it's revealed in the trailers, the son of Maximus, Russell Crowe's character from “Gladiator.” Lucius suffers a tragedy early in the movie and is made a slave and then rises up as a gladiator for Macrinus, played by Denzel Washington. Macrinus is not all he appears to be and is proven to be power hungry and wants to use Lucius as his instrument for power. Another main character is General Acacius, played by Pedro Pascal, who is the leader of the Roman army who fight for Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla, played by Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger respectively. Acacius isn't exactly excited anymore to be dispatched like an errand boy by these emperors to kill people all over the world and conquer lands. Connie Nielsen returns to play Lucilla and as she sees a particular gladiator fight in the Colosseum, she starts to get a feeling that she knows this man. All of these worlds will collide. Sometimes sequels surpass the quality of the original. Does “Gladiator II” accomplish that feat? Check out this episode to find out! “Gladiator II” also stars Derek Jacobi, Yuval Gonen, Rory McCann, Peter Mensah, Matt Lucas, Tim McInnerny, Alexander Karim and Lior Raz.  Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

In anticipation of the upcoming release of “Gladiator II”, I'm retro-reviewing the Best Picture Oscar-winning original “Gladiator” this episode. You will not have to ask if you're entertained with this review because “Gladiator” is one of the most beloved movies of all time. It's the movie that made even your Grandma aware of who Russell Crowe was. It launched a whole era of swords and sandals movies and TV series afterwards. It won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Crowe playing General Maximus Decimus Meridius, father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife who would have his vengeance in this life, or the next. Many motivational and meme-worthy quotes were introduced into the zeitgeist by this movie: “Are you not entertained?”, “What we do in life, echoes in eternity.” I could go on, and I will, in this episode all about this Ridley Scott classic about a Roman general, made a slave, who became a gladiator then later, the savior of Rome. You could consider this part of your “homework” for brushing up on what happened in “Gladiator” before you rush out to see “Gladiator II.” “Gladiator” also stars Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Djiman Hounsou, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris, Derek Jacobi, David Schofield, John Schrapnel, Tomas Arana, Ralf Moeller, Spencer Treat Clark, David Hemmings, Tommy Flanagan and Sven-Ole Thorsen. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

Hugh Grant is most well known for his comedic and gentler performances in “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “About A Boy.” That's not what you're getting from ol Hughie in this week's movie I'm reviewing, “Heretic.” In this movie he comes off like he'd be right at home being roommates with Hannibal Lecter. He plays the mysterious Mr. Reed, who two Mormon women visiting his home to perhaps convert him, are unfortunate enough to meet. The women are Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton, played respectively by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, and they early on suspect that their conversion attempt might turn into a survival game. Mr. Reed is no uninitiated, uninformed candidate for religious conversion. You realize that he's very well versed in all things religion. However, you also realize he's got other characteristics that are more sinister that the poor sisters just might have to worry about. What are those characteristics? Will the poor sisters make it out alive? Is it worth finding out in theaters? Check out this episode to find out! “Heretic” also stars Topher Grace, Elle Young, Julie Lynn Mortensen, Haylie Hansen, Elle McKinnon and Anesha Bailey.  Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

Remember a scant 12 years ago when, if you wanted to see election stupidity, you likely had to watch a comedy movie? A movie like the subject of this week's review, “The Campaign”, where you see all kinds of crazy hi-jinks. Of course, most of the zany stuff you see in this movie seems quaint compared to what you see in our elections nowadays. This year's presidential election is why I'm reviewing this Will Ferrell/Zach Galifianakis political comedy where Ferrell plays Cam Brady and Galifinakis plays Marty Huggins. They're both running for a congressional seat and Marty, the newcomer to the political game, finds out how sick and depraved running for office actually is. Marty isn't what you'd call your typical steak and eggs, iron-jawed, hard hat-wearing, sports-lovin', rugged man's man. The donors pretty much running his campaign, the Motch Brothers played by John Lithgow and Dan Aykroyd, send their man to “man” Marty up. Cam is the corrupt veteran congressman and he's bound and determined to make Marty sorry he even thought about running. That just fires Marty up even more to beat Cam but will it change him for the worse? Is it worth finding out? Check out this episode to find out. “The Campaign” also stars Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott, Katherine LaNasa, Sarah Baker, Brian Cox, Karen Maruyama, Grant Goodman, Kya Haywood, Randal D. Cunningham, Madison Wolfe, Thomas Middleditch, Josh Lawson, Heather Lawless and Jack McBrayer. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

I don't know if you know this but you're lucky to be alive. Everyone in the universe was on death's door on January 6, 2021. Even the Death Star quaked in fear when grandma's stormed the Capitol rotunda and an armed insurrection, minus the arms, shocked the universe. Now the Babylon Bee, because love to cuddle with democracy is bringing us the documentary that Darth Trump and his evil Empire that drips drool and has garlic breath doesn't want you to see. I give you “January 6: The Most Deadliest Day.” This documents how we've never had riots ever before in this country but January 6 was the very first one and it'll never be topped. There were lecterns being moved and guys in Viking helmets and grandmas in pink Trump shirts! The horror!!! The Babylon Bee takes into this heart of darkness with interviews with most deadliest day experts and with insurrectionists who were there who probably hate puppies and musicals. In closing, as my hands tremble just typing about this most deadliest day, check out my review of “January 6: The Most Deadliest Day!” This documentary features Siaka Massaquoi, Kyle Mann, Jarret LeMaster, J. Travis Woodside, Michael Knowles, Dennis Prager, Adam Christian Johnson and Jacob Chansley. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

If you're one of those people that tell others that they should smile more, you likely stop doing that after watching the Smile movies. The latest installment is “Smile 2” which carries on the grin win that was 2022's “Smile.” In this sequel, we pick right up after the events of the first movie which then introduces us to Skye Riley, a world famous pop star, who is the next in line for the smile curse. She sees someone off themselves right in front of her and the curse is bestowed upon her as is the plot of these movies. Of course, she starts seeing freaky-deaky visions that gradually drive her mad and causes her to lash out and embarrass herself. Considering that she's a Taylor Swift-type world famous pop star, this raises the stakes exponentially as she's being driven insane but in the very public eye. Can she defeat the smile curse and how many people will die in the process? Is it worth a trip to the theater to find out? Check out this episode to find out! “Smile 2” stars Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Kyle Gallner, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Drew Barrymore, Lukas Gage, Peter Jacobson, Ray Nicholson, Dylan Gelula, Raul Castillo, Zebedee Row and Roberts Jekabsons. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

In this episode, I discuss a sequel that may or may not have really been needed. That sequel is “Joker: Folie a Deux” which means Joker: two people sharing a delusion. The original “Joker” from 2019 was a movie that most people weren't looking forward to but ended up being a $1 billion dollar surprise at the box office. It wasn't just a great movie based on a comic book character. It was a great movie period with it's entertainingly dark atmosphere and menace and a Best Actor Oscar-winning performance from Joaquin Phoenix. Now Phoenix returns to show us the rest of Joker's story after we last saw him being a bad boy at Arkham Asylum. Does he escape? Does he continue to create bloody havoc? Will he meet a pop star in prison? Well, that last one is true as we see in the trailers with Lady Gaga joining the cast as Harley Quinn. Is this movie worth your time, or should you just watch the original again? Find out with this episode. “Joker: Folie a Deux” also stars Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Zazie Beetz, Steve Coogan, Harry Lawtey, Leigh Gill, Ken Leung, Jacob Lofland and Bill Smitrovich.Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

Are you sick of watching feel-good, heart-warming movies? I think I've got the cure with “The Substance.” Demi Moore plays an aging actress, not so unlike herself, named Elisabeth Sparkle who's Oscar-winning movie career has plummeted. It's plummeted so much, she's the host of a Jane Fonda-type workout show. Now, because of her age, she's even in danger of being fired from that. Also, she doesn't get the looks from the men anymore that she used to. She's just feeling extremely depressed about her own mortality and her perceived lack of worth. Enter in The Substance. She's made aware of The Substance and how it can create a younger, more beautiful, “better” version of yourself. The rule is, the younger version of yourself gets seven days out in the world and then you get seven days. This must be respected. The balance must be respected or else. You are both the same person, not two separate people. As long as you follow the rules, the unspeakable won't happen. Elisabeth's younger self, named Sue, is “born” and quickly gets the adoration and career success that Elisabeth once had and it's addictive. Can she, and Elisabeth follow the seemingly simple seven day rule? As you might've guessed, they probably don't and this movie may, or may not, present the most disturbing and horrifying visuals you've ever seen. Is that part of a whole that makes this movie a must-see, or does it just make it a movie you should stay as far away as possible from? Watch this episode to find out! “The Substance” also stars Dennis Quaid in a hilariously, over-the-top performance as a misogynistic Hollywood studio head, maybe not coincidentally named Harvey. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

You are not supposed to say the name “Beetlejuice” three times, otherwise he will appear. Someone must've said gone and said it because he's back in theaters 36 years after we last saw him in 1988 in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” Michael Keaton reprises yet another one of the characters that made him the star that he is along with Winona Ryder, as Lydia Deetz, and Catherine O'Hara, as Delia Deetz, from the original. Also, Tim Burton returns to direct this sequel to the movie that pretty much got him the “Batman” job. Burton does again feature the afterlife oddities and general weirdness but amplifies it for today's audience. It all starts with Lydia seeing Beetlejuice visions and needing to reunite with her daughter, Astrid, played by Jenna Ortega. Events soon lead them to the house from the first movie and all that lie within, including the title character, who hasn't forgotten Lydia. However, there's a ghostly figure, named Delores played by Monica Bellucci, who hasn't forgotten about Beetlejuice. She's on the hunt for her man and woe to any that get in her way. Tim Burton also brings in some new characters like Rory, played by Justin Theroux and Wolf Jackson played by Willem Dafoe. Will it haunt you forever if you don't go see this at the theater? Check out this episode to find out that very thing. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” also stars Arthur Conti, Nick Kellington, Santiago Cabrera, Burn Gorman, Danny DeVito, Sami Slimane and Amy Nuttall. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

When people make a list of iconic American presidents, the subject of this week's movie is on most of them. Dennis Quaid plays our 40th American president, Ronald Reagan, in the long-coming movie “Reagan.” This movie doesn't just tell the tale of the presidential years of Reagan. It spans his life from when he was a young boy up until his death. We see his humble beginnings in Iowa to him realizing he needs to stand up to bullies, including the Soviet Union. Even as far back as when he was simply known as an actor, he saw the Soviet Union attempting, and succeeding, to infiltrate many institutions in America, including Hollywood. He knew they were trying to turn America into another Soviet Union and he fought it. Later we see him meet the love of his life Nancy and it's made apparent that she stands behind him in everything he does. Of course, the movie features the Reagan most people over a certain age know. The California governor and our president. Does this movie do this American icon justice? Check out this episode to find out. “Reagan” also stars Penelope Ann Miller, Mena Suvari, C. Thomas Howell, Amanda Righetti, Jon Voight, Justin Chatwin, Kevin Dillon, Kevin Sorbo, Xander Berkeley, Lesley-Anne Down and Robert Davi. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

In the original movie “The Crow” in 1994, there's a prominent refrain of “It can't rain all the time.” of course meaning sometimes it rains and sometimes there's sun. Is this new retelling of “The Crow” in 2024 going to bring us rain or sun? Is it going to disappoint or will it entertain? You'll have to watch this episode to find out. The new “The Crow” stars Bill Skarsgard (It, Barbarian, John Wick 4) as Eric Draven and FKA twigs as his true love, Shelly. The movie is kicked off by a friend of Shelly's letting her know that there is something she has that incriminates the big, bad guy in this, played by Danny Huston. As you'd expect, the bad guys know about this and kick off the chase element of this movie. Shelly, in the meantime, is sent to a massive drug rehab center/prison where she meets, and strikes up a relationship with Eric. In one way this turns out to be a bad turn of fate for Eric because he and Shelly are murdered because she knows about that incriminating evidence. Eric, however, isn't sent to the afterlife, he is offered a chance to go back to the land of the living and put right what was made wrong. In other words, find the scumbags that killed him and Shelly and exact terrible revenge on them. This way he and Shelly can find peace. Also, he has a crow to play criminal Google Maps for him to help Eric find the right baddies. This “The Crow” remake also stars Josette Simon, Laura Birn, Sami Bouajila, Karel Dobry, Jordan Bolger, Sebastian Orozco, David Bowles, Trigga, Samba Goldin, Isabella Wei, Jordan Haj and Dukagjin Podrimaj. Support the Show.Feel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

In 1979, director Ridley Scott got caught up in the “Star Wars” hype and knew he needed to direct a space movie. That movie ended up being “Alien.” Now 45 years later, the Alien franchise is still alive and kicking with the new movie, “Alien: Romulus.” In this latest installment, we start out on a space mining planet with our main character, Rain, played by Cailee Spaeny. She's trying to find a way off this hazardous planet, to a better planet, with her “brother” Andy who is really a synthetic her Dad programmed to protect her. She then is presented with a plan to get them off the planet by her friend Tyler, which is to fly up to another ship floating above the planet and use that to escape. All of them get up there, along with some others in the group, only to realize it's not a ship. It's a seemingly deserted massive scientific space station. They move forward with their plan to find some cryo-pods to use for them to cryo-sleep they're way to the new planet but you know what they say about best laid plans. Little do they know that this space station isn't deserted, it's a graveyard. The reason it is, is still on board and this group unintentionally unleash it and its a nightmare from there. Soon Rain and the group are being chased down by alien face huggers looking to implant their alien seed. On top of that they have another synthetic trying to secure some corporate research from the space station and if humans have to die for it, so be it. The group aren't allowed off the space station until this mission is complete, all the while, having to try not to get killed or impregnated by killer aliens before the space station crashes. Is it good enough to blast off out of your house to go see? Check out this episode to find out. “Alien: Romulus” also stars David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, Aileen Wu, Rosie Ede, Soma Simon, Bence Okeke, Viktor Orizu, Robert Bobroczkyi, Trevor Newlin, Annemarie Griggs, Ian Holm and Daniel Betts.  Support the Show.Feel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

Some people go to the mountains for vacation, for a little rest and relaxation, not for a sinister and terrifying experience, like the one you see in “Cuckoo.” This movie from German director, Tilman Singer, is about a teenager, Gretchen, who ends up moving with her Dad, her stepmom and much younger half-sister to a mountain resort in the German Alps. There, they are greeted by Herr Konig, who runs the resort and for who Gretchen's Dad and stepmom will help build a new resort. Gretchen gets serious “stranger, danger” vibes immediately from Herr Konig, played by Dan Stevens, with his creepy voice and suspicious ways of touching her. Gretchen, played by Hunter Schafer, is a fish out of water here and she also soon sees some undoubtedly strange things around the resort. She's already the stereotypical angst-filled teenager, but soon she also finds herself chased by horrifying entities, and trying to help a cop figure out who's responsible for several murders at the resort. All while, trying not to get killed and survive one more minute with her stepmom and half-sister, whom she despises. It's a mountain of trouble in the German Alps and Gretchen just isn't having a great week. Is it worth your 90 minutes to see why? Check out this episode to find out. “Cuckoo” also stars Jan Bluthardt, Marton Csokas, Jessica Henwick, Mila Lieu, Greta Fernandez, Proschat Madani, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Konrad Singer, Kalin Morrow and Johannes Benecke. Support the Show.Feel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

It's been awhile since we've seen Josh Hartnett star in a prominent movie, but after his prominent role in “Oppenheimer”, he's back and starring in “Trap.” This is the latest movie from M. Night Shyamalan, the famous director of “The Sixth Sense”, “Unbreakable” and “Signs.” In “Trap”, Hartnett plays Cooper, a Dad who's taking his daughter to a big concert for a mega-popular singer named Lady Raven. Once he gets into the concert, he notices a massive police and FBI presence. Cooper later finds out that the concert has been set as an elaborate trap to catch a serial killer called “The Butcher.” Now he's really stressed, and if you watch the trailers or the movie, you'll know why. Also, there's a FBI profiler there to describe all the moves The Butcher will make to try to get out of the trap and what law enforcement should then do. All the while, Cooper has to be a good Dad and enjoy the concert with his daughter, who is excited to be there for Lady Raven. As the movie goes on, the trap gets tighter and tighter as law enforcement rules out more and more suspects and closes in. Will The Butcher be caught? How many will die in the process? Is it worth even seeing this movie to find out? Check out this episode to see if it is worth seeing. “Trap” also stars Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Alison Pill, Hayley Mills, Jonathan Langdon, Mark Bacolcol, Marnie McPhail, Kid Cudi, Russ, Marcia Bennett, Vanessa Smythe, M. Night Shyamalan, Lochlan Miller, Steve Boyle, David D'Lancy Wilson, James Gomez and Nadine Hyatt. Support the Show.Feel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

The hero that loves to eat chimichangas while executing a perfect superhero landing is again knocking at your door! The merc with the mouth himself, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, is back and he's bringing a “friend.” You thought he was dead at the end of “Logan” but the Disney Marvel money was just too sweet and so Hugh Jackman as Wolverine comes back to join our indestructible hero in “Deadpool and Wolverine.” No such resurrection for Marvel will come from this movie alone but the prospect of getting these two all-time fav characters together is exciting. In this third Deadpool movie, our beloved Wham fan has gone limp in life and he's looking for a way to matter again. He's still got the love of all his friends but he there's someone in his life that he wants back and he's willing to do anything. Deadpool soon receives an offer to give him almost exactly what he wants but at a terrible price. Enter Wolverine into the movie when Deadpool learns he's an important part of everything going on in this movie. They don't exactly start out creating their own secret handshake and riding a tandem bicycle. Wolverine, who can count being super anti-social as one one of his superpowers, doesn't want to split a PB&J sandwich with Deadpool, much less help him in his quest. Will Deadpool be able to win Wolverine over? How many Madonna songs will be in the soundtrack? Does Jonathan Majors make a cameo? Is it worth finding out? Check out this episode to maybe find out. “Deadpool and Wolverine” also stars Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfayden, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, Brianna Hildebrand, Shioli Kutsuna, Stefan Kapicic and Randal Reeder. Support the Show.Feel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

In 1996, a summer blockbuster movie blew into theaters and knocked everybody off their feet. That movie was “Twister” and starred Helen Hunt and the late, great Bill Paxton. Now 28 years later, we get a long awaited follow-up to that tornado-terrific, earth-moving box office hit, called “Twisters.” Now instead of Bill Paxton, the rapidly rising star Glen Powell tries to fill his boots. He plays Tyler, who calls himself a tornado wrangler who likes to go viral and peddle his merch. One of his phrases, as he tries to entertain his fans, is “You don't face your fears. You ride em'!” We also have Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kate, who was a storm chaser until tragedy struck, and so now she stays out of the field. Just so the plot can move forward, she's coaxed back out into the wild, windy west to help some other storm chasers potentially save lives from a mass of tornadoes. All these characters bring their impressive and intricate modern day technology to this world of tornadoes, but no amount of tech will save you from the deadly, disastrously massive force of a tornado and the debris that it turns into lethal projectiles. Will Tyler take it too far in finding that rush? Can Kate do anything to give the people in the path of these fatal forces of nature a chance? Is it worth finding out? Check out this episode to find out! “Twisters” also stars Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, Harry Hadden-Paton, Sasha Lane, Daryl McCormack, Kiernan Shipka, Nik Dodani, David Corenswet, Tunde Adebimpe, Katy O'Brian, David Born, Paul Scheer, Laura Poe, Austin Bullock and Stephen Oyoung. Support the Show.Feel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

There have been some bizarre movie trilogies but the Ti West-directed “Pearl Trilogy” tries to take the bizarre trilogy crown. “Maxxxine” is the final movie in this bloody, murderous trilogy where all the movies feature two dynamic, driven, crazy ass women who will do anything for fame. One is Pearl and the other is Maxxxine. Mia Goth plays both parts in a provocatively intriguing way. We first saw Maxxxine in the first movie in this trilogy, “X.” Now in this third movie she's in 80's Hollywood trying to find that elusive fame that so many crave. She'll do anything to get it, including some things you just couldn't imagine. On top of that, there's a serial killer running around Hollywood doing things you just couldn't imagine. Maxxxine suddenly has something maybe chasing her while she chases fame. The body parts pile up even if the primo acting parts aren't piling up for Maxxxine. Also Kevin Bacon co-stars as a private detective who threatens Maxxxine with her bloody past. Will she survive this and get the fame she's looking for? Is it worth surviving traffic to get to the theater to find out? Check out this episode to find out! “Maxxxine” also stars Elizabeth Debicki, Giancarlo Esposito, Michelle Monaghan, Halsey, Charley Rowan McCain, Simon Prast, Deborah Geffner, Daniel Lench, Chloe Farnworth, Brad Swanick, Uli Latukefu, Susan Pingleton, Moses Sumney, Zachary Mooren, Ned Vaughn, Marcus LaVoi and Sophie Thatcher. Support the Show.Feel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

Motorcycle clubs get some attention this week on Movies Merica with the new Jeff Nichols movie “The Bikeriders.” You may know Jeff Nichols from his previous movies “Mud” and “Midnight Special.” This movie stars Tom Hardy as Johnny, the founder of the Vandals bike riding club and Austin Butler as Benny, another member. Butler is like a younger “rebel without a cause” member to Hardy's older, settled but still rough founder. Enter Jodie Comer as Austin Butler's wife Kathy, who is scared of the club, yet intrigued and awed by it. As you might expect, this bike riding club doesn't just stay a bunch of guys and their old ladies riding around, having a great time. These are roughnecks who just don't care, so that gets them in trouble with people who hate bike riders, the law and other clubs. The heat gets turned up on the club and life gets bloody real fast and this causes tension between Johnny, Kathy and Benny. The club also has to deal with increasing danger as the club expands to other cities and they find they now have some scarier members that don't take orders from anybody, not even Johnny. The fuse has been lit, when will it explode? “The Bikeriders” also stars Michael Shannon, Damon Herriman, Mike Faist, Boyd Holbrook, Norman Reedus, Beau Knapp, Emory Cohen, Karl Glusman, Toby Wallace, Happy Anderson, Paul Sparks and Will Oldham. Support the Show.Feel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

We go rough and tumble this week on Movies Merica with a retro review of the gritty cop drama End Of Watch. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena star as LAPD cops, Brian and Mike,  who patrol one of the worst, if not the worst, crime-ridden parts of L.A. This film shows the seedy world they have to protect and serve the citizens of, all while not getting killed by any number of criminal scum. Gyllenhaal's character, Brian, takes up filming his, and Mike's, exploits in this world with his personal camera so we get a unique take on the cop drama. Also with this distinctive perspective, it shows the brotherly bond between Brian and Mike as they bust each others chops when they're not busting perpetrators. Alongside the rough edges and brutal violence of their job, End Of Watch also presents Brian and Mike's personal lives and who they're trying to protect and stay alive for. End Of Watch doesn't hold back on the darkness of the job while at the same time infusing the movie with humor to help you make it through. Is this movie worth your time? Check out Movies Merica to find out! End Of Watch also stars Natalie Martinez, Anna Kendrick, America Ferrera, Frank Grillo, David Harbour, Cle Sloan, Jaime FitzSimons, Cody Horn, Shondrella Avery, Everton Lawrence, Richard Cabral and Diamonique. Support the Show.Feel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

In 1995, Michael Bay made Bad Boys and introduced us to the characters of Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey, played respectively by Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. Now 29 years later, they're back in the fourth Bad Boys movie, Bad Boys: Ride Or Die. Again it brings you some more intense action than you'd expect in a comedy but also of course the slap you in the face laughs you'd expect. Since it's all these years after the first movie, Marcus and Mike have much more complicated off-duty lives. However, that doesn't stop them from having to deal with some serious baddies. This time the baddies are trying to frame their dearly departed Captain Howard, played by Joe Pantoliano, and Marcus and Mike aren't having it. Plus, Captain Howard is trying to help them find the baddies involved from beyond the grave sort of speak. You get the gun fights, the car chases, the mid-air death-defying action sequences, the hard-edged comedy and some returning characters. Does it all add up to some riveting bad boy action or is the movie just plain bad? Check out this episode to find out that very thing. Bad Boys: Ride Or Die also stars Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Nunez, Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, Jacob Scipio, Melanie Liburd, Tasha Smith, Rhea Seehorn, Tiffany Haddish, DJ Khaled, John Salley, Bianca Bethune, Dennis Greene and Quinn Hemphill. Support the Show.Feel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

It's a retro review this week for Movies Merica with the political thriller “The Contender” that flew under the radar when it was released in 2000. It's the story of a political figure that is going to shake things up in Washington D.C. in a way many D.C. power players don't want. As a result, those power players launch an all-out legal and media assault on them to drive them out of D.C. Sound familiar? Joan Allen plays Laine Hanson who is picked as a replacement for the Vice President to Jeff Bridges' President Jackson Evans. This pick causes a stir and Congressman Shelly Runyon, played by a slimy Gary Oldman, comes out guns blazing against Laine. President Evans and his Chief Of Staff, played by Sam Elliott, have to deflect the bullets coming at her especially a big one of an erotic nature from back in her college days. Will Laine withstand the massive smear campaign or will she crumble under the weight of the swamp? Is it worth finding out? Check out my review to find out. “The Contender” also stars Christian Slater, Kathryn Morris, William Petersen, Saul Rubinek, Philip Baker Hall, Mike Binder, Robin Thomas, Mariel Hemingway and Kristen Shaw.Support the Show.Feel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

It's been 9 years that we've been waiting for director George Miller to make another Mad Max movie. We'll have to keep waiting because he still hasn't made a Mad Max movie with the new movie, Furiosa. In the 2015 smash hit Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa was really a co-lead character with Mad Max ironically enough given Mad Max is literally in the movie title. As a result, the assumption by some is that the world was begging for a Furiosa origins movie and now they get it. Furiosa stars Anya Taylor Joy as a younger version of the titular character, formerly played by Charlize Theron in Fury Road. In Furiosa, we're introduced to Furiosa as a little girl living in a “green place” in the middle of the post-apocalyptic desert Wasteland of Australia. However, she sees some bad guys invading the “green place” and they take her captive. That results in her Mom giving chase to save her daughter and that sets off a chaotic chain of events that includes meeting Chris Hemsworth's Dementus character. He's the leader of a massive gang of Wasteland motorcycle riders and he wants to know where the green place is. This movie does include some of the same type of action scenes that Fury Road had, along with showing us more in-depth, some Wasteland fortresses we didn't see as much in that previous movie. Does this movie miss actually having Mad Max in it? Is it worth seeing at the theater? Check out this episode to find out! Furiosa also stars Tom Burke, Alyla Browne, George Shevtsov, Lachy Hulme, John Howard, Angus Sampson, Charlee Fraser and Elsa PatakySupport the Show.Feel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

John Krasinski is most famously known for playing Jim Halpert on “The Office.” However, he's also a movie director. His last two movies, “A Quiet Place” and “A Quiet Place Part II”, were ones that would give kids nightmares. In his latest movie, “If”, he tries to take them, and their parents, to a happy place instead.  “If” is the story of Bea, a 12 year old girl that has gone through a tragedy and is staring a potential one head on. Her Dad is going through surgery for a heart problem. However, she starts seeing mysterious figures, and Ryan Reynolds. It turns out these mysterious figures are the former imaginary friends of different children. They're trying to inspire their former kids to remember them as their imaginary friends. Along the way, Bea decides to help them do that. Many kids have imaginary friends. Maybe you did too. If they were here they might steer you towards “If” or tell you it's the worst movie ever. Which one is it? I give you at least my opinion about “If” in this episode. “If” stars Ryan Reynolds, Cailey Fleming, John Krasinski, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Steve Carell, Fiona Shaw, Louis Gossett Jr., Alan Kim, Liza Colon-Zayas, Bobby Moynihan, Catharine Daddario and Aubrey Hoffman.Support the Show.Feel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

We've been getting Planet of the Apes movies for decades now and the latest installment is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. This installment jumps many generations into the future after the events of the last Apes movie, 2017's War for the Planet of the Apes. We meet the main character of this installment, Noa, and his friends and family. They're part of a peaceful ape clan who raise eagles as part of their tradition. On the eve of Noa's bonding ceremony with his eagle, murderous invaders lay siege to his clan, and those they don't kill, they take prisoner. Noa barely survives and recovers only to find all of them gone. He begins a journey to find his clan and rescue them but finds he is being followed by a rare human. He also happens upon an orangutan named Raka and together, with the human, they form a trio for this rescue journey. They're pursued the entire way by the murderous invaders. Will they be able to rescue the clan on time? Is it worth going to the theater to find out? Check out this review episode to find out. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes stars Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, William H. Macy, Peter Macon, Lydia Peckham, Dichen Lachman, Sara Wiseman, Karin Konoval and Eka Darville.Support the Show.Feel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

Movie stars are made to look heroic, awesome, tough and gritty in their movies and who makes them look that way? Stunt men and women. The Fall Guy is a love letter to the stunt community within the movie business directed by former stuntman David Leitch. It's of course also a take on the hit 1980s Lee Majors TV show of the same name. This time it's Ryan Gosling playing Colt Seaver as a Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a detective of sorts. Colt is the stuntman for the biggest movie star in the world up until something drastic happens. When that happens he vanishes, including ghosting his flame, a movie writer named Jody played by Emily Blunt. However, he's called back into action when his old job suddenly becomes available again. Does he want to jump off buildings, barrel roll cars, get set on fire and do all the things stunt people do again? When he finds out his former flame Jody is directing the movie the stuntman opening is for, well that changes the game. You get explosions, car chases, gun fights, an action movie lovers dream and work that keeps plenty of stunt people employed. Is it worth checking out at the theater? Watch this episode to find out. The Fall Guy also stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, Winston Duke, Ben Knight, Matuse, Adam Dunn, Zara Michales, Angela Nica Sullen and Megan O'Connell. Support the Show.Feel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

I go back to 1994 for this week's review. Specifically the epic, action-packed Arnold Schwarzenegger spy thriller True Lies. This was James Cameron teaming up again with his Terminator for this big budget, eye-popping spectacle. Schwarzenegger plays Harry Tasker who has his wife and daughter convinced that he's just a dull to the bone computer salesman. In reality he's a spy for the covert Omega Sector hunting down and stopping threats. Things get dicey when he hears something that makes him think his wife is having an affair and he investigates. Some terrorists really end up spoiling his investigation, just to launch a nuclear attack plot on the United States. Schwarzenegger is joined by Jamie Lee Curtis as his wife, Eliza Dushku as his daughter, Tom Arnold as his partner and the late, great Bill Paxton as “super spy” Simon.  If, amazingly you haven't seen this, is it worth checking out? Watch my retro review of True Lies to find out. True Lies co-stars Tia Carrere, Art Malik, Grant Heslov and Charlton Heston.Support the Show.Feel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

The British pride themselves on being gentlemanly. That goes all out the window in the movie The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare when they know they're dealing with Nazis during World War II. British officers, along with none other than Winston Churchill himself, send a team of bad boys to deal a critical blow to the German submarine fleet. This team is led by Henry Cavill, who's character they had to let out of military prison to lead this team. He's joined by Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, Henry Golding and Hero Fiennes Tiffin. The boys find themselves heading towards Africa where the boats that supply the German submarine fleet is headquartered. These ungentlemanly bad boys are tasked with wreaking havoc on this submarine supply system. They also get help from Eiza Gonzalez as a half-Jewish actress who is very motivated to hurt Nazis and Babs Olusanmokun who is a casino owner near these headquarters, who doubles as a British spy. The action gets good and brutal, you might say, downright ungentlemanly. Is it worth a gentleman and gentlelady taking the trip to the theater to check this out? Check out this episode to find out. This also stars Cary Elwes, Rory Kinnear, Til Schweiger, Freddie Fox, James Wilby, Henrique Zaga, Danny Sapani, Matthew Hawksley, Simon Paisley Day, Mark Oosterveen and Victor Oshin. Support the Show.Feel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

Up until this movie, everyone has had to picture only in their mind what the next civil war in America would look like. Now the new movie from director Alex Garland, “Civil War”, provides the visual representation of what such a war would look like. As you'd expect, it's horrifying and brutal and the protagonists in this movie are there to take pictures of much of it. Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny play war photographers along with Wagner Moura and Stephen McKinley Henderson working alongside them. They all embark on a road trip from New York City to Washington D.C. to try to get an interview with the President of the United States before the forces fighting him take him out. Along the way, they see the horrors of this civil war and come close to death themselves. This isn't war fighting in some other country. This is a bloody war in these modern times in America. Is it worth your time and strength to experience this movie? Check out this episode to find out. “Civil War” also stars Nick Offerman, Jefferson White, Nelson Lee, Evan Lai, Vince Pisani, Justin James Boykin, Jess Matney, Greg Hill, Edmund Donovan, Tim James, Simeon Freeman, James Yaegashi, Dean Grimes and Alexa Mansour. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

If one of the things on your bucket list is to see a movie that is part John Wick, part RRR and part Slumdog Millionaire, prepare to be happy. I give you Monkey Man directed by Slumdog Millionaire's Dev Patel. He also stars in this as the main character named Kid who is a street fighter that gets paid to be the heel in fights. The guy that gets beat up and loses every night. He wears a monkey mask hence the name of the movie. However there is more than meets the eye with this guy. He's not just going through life aimlessly getting beat up nightly. He's trying to get to someone however he can. What does he want with them? What is he going to do to them? We are shown whoever it is, they're part of a corrupt, violent, evil criminal empire and Kid is going to have to watch his every move or it could be his last. The movie is stylish, yet gritty and grimy. You get brutal fighting, high speed chases and beautiful women. Does it all add up to a movie that you should check out at the theater? Watch this episode to find out that very thing. Monkey Man also stars Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Sikandar Kher, Adithi Kalkunte, Sobhita Dhulipala, Ashwini Kalsekar, Makrand Deshpande, Jatin Malik and Zakir Hussain.Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

In the world of Godzilla x Kong The New Empire, you have good monsters and bad monsters, but even with the good ones, a lot of humans get taken out. That's what you'll see in the latest monster movie from Adam Wingard who directed Godzilla vs Kong a few years ago. In this latest movie, Kong is at home in Hollow Earth which is a world deep within Earth that was discovered in the last movie. Godzilla's domain is up on the surface of Earth and everyone is praying the two never meet again. Otherwise your property insurance rates are going to go way up! A distress signal is heard coming from Hollow Earth and Rebecca Hall, Kaylee Hottle and Brian Tyree Henry from the last movie go to check it out along with newcomers Dan Stevens and Alex Ferns. Kong also discovers a new race of Kongs who aren't too enthusiastic to get to know him. Also, Godzilla detects a new threat in Hollow Earth and goes on a mission to kill what Kaiju he needs to in order to defeat the threat. The CGI involved in all that is in massive supply but is it worth journeying to the theater to see it? Check out my takes about Godzilla x Kong The New Empire in this episode to find out. Godzilla x Kong The New Empire also stars Fala Chen, Rachel House, Ron Smyck, Chantelle Jamieson and Greg Hatton. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

Apparently the Ghostbusters aren't afraid of no ghosts or sequels. Forty years after the original Ghostbusters comes Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. We get the Ghostbusters that started it all minus the late, great Harold Ramis. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson. Annie Potts is back as well. Then we also see the new characters introduced in 2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife played by the likes of Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, McKenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard. In this sequel, all of them are back where it all started, New York City. This time a newly re-discovered ancient orb is the prison of an old evil that is desperately trying to get out. I think you can guess if it gets out or not. Can the Ghostbusters band together to defeat this entity that kills people by literally freezing people with fear? Also, they have to contend with an old nemesis from the original Ghostbusters that is still trying to take them down. Is it worth jumping in the car and driving to the theater to check this out? Watch this episode to find out! Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire also stars Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, Celeste O'Connor, Logan Kim, Emily Alyn Lind, James Acaster, William Atherton, Shelley Williams, Chris Tummings and John Rothman.Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

Who doesn't dig a movie with a lovable dog? Arthur the King has a lovable dog and has Mark Wahlberg bringing you some exciting multi-terrain adventure racing. This movie starts with Wahlberg's seemingly washed up adventure racer character, Michael Light, wanting one last chance to finally win an adventure racing championship in the Dominican Republic. This is racing that takes place in tough terrain with running, cycling and kayaking for long distances over multiple days. He, and the other three members of this team, get sponsorship and get in the race, but also gain a furry fifth team member, a stray dog Michael names Arthur the King. Arthur inspires the team through his endurance through the rough terrain and also gains fans all around the world as he sticks with the team throughout the race. What's the final outcome for Arthur and the team? Is it worth finding out at a theater? Check out this episode to find out. Arthur the King also stars Simu Liu, Nathalie Emmanuel, Juliet Rylance, Ali Suliman, Bear Grylls, Paul Guilfoyle, Rob Collins, Alani Ilongwe and Cece Valentina. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

In “The Abyss”, after a U.S. nuclear submarine is lost at sea, the U.S. Navy enlists the help of a crew of an underwater oil drilling platform to help find it. A team of Navy SEALs, led by Michael Biehn as Lieutenant Coffey, is sent down to the crew to lead the rescue operation. Unbeknownst to the crew, led by Ed Harris as Bud Brigman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Lindsey, the SEALs have another possible mission. A mission that is deadly for all. On top of that, during the rescue operation, deep sea otherworldly beings start appearing and ratcheting up the already high tension even more. Are these otherworldly beings friend or foe? Then to elevate the tension even more, Lieutenant Coffey starts acting psychotic due to pressure sickness from being deep undersea. Not the development you want, especially with a guy in possession of nuclear warheads. Where is this flashpoint going to end up? Is it worth watching to find out? Watch this retro review episode to find out. “The Abyss” is the movie James Cameron made between “Aliens” and “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” and I'll talk all about it in this episode. “The Abyss” also stars Leo Burmester, Todd Graff, John Bedford Lloyd, J.C. Quinn, Kimberly Scott, Captain Kidd Brewer Jr., George Robert Klek, Christopher Murphy, Adam Nelson, Dick Warlock, Jimmie Ray Weeks, J. Kenneth Campbell, Ken Jenkins, Chris Elliott and Peter Ratray. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

The Dune books by Frank Herbert are widely said to be impossible to make into movies or shows. However, a few have tried and the latest is director Denis Villeneuve with, first, his Dune Part One film in 2021 and now Dune Part Two. Overwhelmingly, the consensus is that Villeneuve succeeded beautifully with his first Dune film in introducing movie audiences to the world of Dune. Now we get his Part Two which continues the story of Paul Atreides, who is royalty, but also could be the most powerful being in the entire universe someday. What will he do with this power? Will he engage in good to help out the people of the universe or will his power end up killing billions of people? Dune is also about Paul's alliance with the people of the planet Arrakis, known as the Fremen. We also see his battle against his enemies, the Harkonnens and the Emperor. Is Dune Part Two entertaining as it tells this complex, twisted tale? Check out this show to find out. Dune Part Two stars Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Lea Seydoux, Stellan Skarsgard and Charlotte Rampling.  Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook