Review Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025): It has redeemed itself!

genre: action, adventure, thriller, espionage

When I first watched MI - Dead Reckoning Part One, I wasn't blown away like I was with the previous films in the franchise. Although, it has grown on me. But not going to lie, I was worried about The Final Reckoning. How were they going to remedy, the pretty weak plot and make me super enthusiastic again. Well, it happened, only not the way I expected.

The Final Reckoning almost seems to be a send-off to Ethan Hunt and his team members. But we'll know for sure in the future. I was delighted with the attempt of this film tieing up events from previous parts even if it were just to show, how many times, Ethan and his team have saved the world. It was a nice tribute. It's also to point out that Ethan Hunt is a good man, trying to do the right thing. And because of this, he has inspired others to do the same, which was kind of lacking in Dead Reckoning. Here, others get much as involved and invested into the mission in the same way he does. And that's very nice to see.

This does come with a caveat, though. The emphasis lies on the bonds and dynamics and less on action. There is action, one could argue, very intense and good action sequences, but with a duration of 2 hours and 49 minutes one can't deny that the action takes a backseat for large parts of the film. I didn't mind it much for this first viewing. But, I do think, it's going to be a problem for me with multiple viewings. But that also is something I will come back to, if I am mistaken about.

For now, I think The Final Reckoning offers a decent conclusion to the Entity arc, even if I think that I think it has been the weakest in the franchise. Especially, regarding the scope and scale of the events. It was too large for its own good, and therefore a little unbelievable. But I was invested, more than in the first part.

Overall, a nice addition to the franchise, although, I hope, that if they are going to continue this franchise, it will be a return to the roots, where the emphasis lies on the thrills and action.

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Unboxing Hard Boiled Deluxe 4K Ultra HD Limited Edition from Shout! Factory

Click here for the review of the film itself. Underneath, is the unboxing video, including some pictures of the video quality. I know, I know, I should post screenshots. I haven't got around yet to purchase a 4K player for the PC. Enjoy!

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Review Halloween II (1981): Parody of the original!

genre: horror, slasher, halloween

Halloween II is a direct continuation of the sequel, where Laurie Strode, is heavily traumatized and brought to the local hospital. Apparently, Michael Myers has survived and not done. Again, is he out to kill Laurie.

Back in the day, I thought this sequel was on par or even better than the original. Now, I am not so sure. I mean, I have watched this film a number of times and always failed to do a review about it. Let me explain. This, more than the original, has some pacing issues. The kill count is doubled, somewhat bloodier but less impactful. Dr. Loomis and the police have lost their minds and are careless. And I have to admit, that this notion does provide some entertaining scenes. For example, they basically cause the death of an innocent child, who had the misfortune to be dressed up as Michael Myers, and they don't even bat an eyelid. No remorse and contemplation whatsoever. This whole scene feels different from what was set up in the original. And I think this is the case for the whole film. It almost comes close to being creepy and scary, but never manages to be that. Slasher films need tension and suspense. Even if the focus is on more explicit horror. But, the lack of, just kills off the fun that can be had.

Overall, for most people, this part will be disappointing. But I have to admit that the film has many moments that are unintentionally funny. It feels like a parody of the original. These days, that has some merit too.

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Halloween Film Marathon (31 October - 2 November 2025 ): The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025), Weapons (2025), Good Boy (2025) and The Long Walk (2025)

Our yearly Halloween tradition, went a little different from usual. But we managed to watch a pretty decent number of titles, which we will review on here and on my YT channel.

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The second film we saw in our yearly Halloween Movie Marathon. The first being, The Elixir. The Conjuring franchise in general is a fresh perspective on horror, where the focus lies on tension and dread. At least, that is how it started.

One sidenote: At one point, we are mentioning that Patrick Wilson directed the third Conjuring film. But this is of course wrong, we had it confused with Insidious: The Red Door. I mean, it came out the same year. So can you really blame us.

Please watch / listen to our thoughts on the film.

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The third film in our yearly Halloween movie marathon. And while it certainly is good, it wasn't what we expected. For a horror film, it is quite tame, but easily could have done more. A real shame, but that being said, it's not a waste of time!

Please watch / listen to our thoughts on the film.

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The fourth film in our yearly Halloween movie marathon. A horror film from the perspective of a dog. Just for that, the film is a must-watch. But the film goes beyond that.

Please watch / listen to our thoughts on the film.

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Another movie adaptation from Stephen King? I don't even question it, it's an automatic watch for me. Then after having viewed the trailer, I was more convinced, that this film was going to rock. And boy, was I wrong. Like, super wrong!

Please watch / listen to our thoughts on the film. 

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Review The Elixer a.k.a. Abadi Nan Jaya (2025): Offering some decent zombie action but it has some issues!

genre: horror, thriller, zombie

Writer / Director, who made Blood Curse and Ivanna, now ventures into zombie territory. And to be honest, it did look promising. I mean, the horror bits and zombie action is decent. Although, it will put you on the edge regarding certain tropes.

And with that I am referring to the majority of the characters being incredibly slow and stupid. Even if I were to assume that this is a world where people aren't familiar with zombies and not know how to deal with them at first. Surely, you would learn from your mistakes and warn people of the dangers. No, instead, certain characters act so dumb and are directly possible for putting other people at risk and even causing their deaths. But OK, let's assume some people have zero situational awareness and aren't equipped to fight back, wouldn't experienced police officers know how to put down zombies? First, it takes them a while to find out what is going on and once they do, they are still hesitant to use their guns and when they do, they shoot poorly. It's kind of worrying to see these officers do their job. Then again, thinking about it. I can see people acting the way they did. For some, it will take time to adapt to a new situation. Still, if you are standing on a truck and a horde of zombies is coming towards you and managed to start eating people, would you just wait? Or would you jump off and flee?

Then there are the elements regarding the outbreak. How it's caused and how the zombies behave. Very little explanation given. For example, when it starts to rain, the zombies stop. But why though? As much as I dislike exposition, sometimes it is necessary to explain such things, if only to set up the rules. We do get to witness the cause. But there is no hint of why and how. None of it. In this case, it would add the necessary context and perhaps a more sinister plot. It would have been nice and maybe warrant a sequel. Now, it was making me question the value of this zombie film. 

Overall, it does feature some nice horror bits and zombie action. Everything else is sub-par. I have seen somewhere on the interwebs that a sequel is in the works. Let's hope that it will improve on this original and bring more to the table. As it is, it might be worth it to watch on the quick, in the weekend.

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Review Gator Creek a.k.a. The Bayou (2025): B Movie fun!

genre: horror

Look, I know what I was in for when I decided to watch this film. I actually, expected the worst. And yes, there are some moments where the film goes crazy and yet, it didn't feel like a mess. It was pretty coherent and for the most part tightly paced. I didn't mind the obvious low budget and the fact it wasn't filmed in The Bayou but in The Philippines. Those things usually add to the charm.

Please watch / listen to our thoughts on this film.

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Review Guns Up (2025): Nope!

genre: action, comedy

Kevin James has proven himself to be good in action. So a John Wick type of film would seem like a logical step in the right direction. Instead, we get something different. Director Edward Drake is specialized in these direct to video films featuring good actors like Bruce Willis. Horrible B films which never should have been made in the first place.

Please watch / listen to our thoughts on the film. 

If you want a proper action (Gun fu film) then check out my comprehensive list:

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Review Night of the Reaper (2025): 80's Nostalgia done right?

genre: horror, mystery, thriller, slasher

Not so long ago, I watched Freaky Tales, which also is a throwback to the Eighties. But the majority of the film felt artificial and fake. In our opinion, that anthology film gave a false representation of life in the Eighties. And that is something I could have overlooked if the film did more. Apart from some exceptional scenes, it was bad. Enter Night of the Reaper. It almost felt like it was a film that is made in the Eighties. It's not on the nose. But subtle. And yes, that did immediately transport me to that wonderful decade.

Please watch / listen to our thoughts on this film.

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Review Osiris (2025): An Alien clone?

genre: action, adventure, science fiction

Just from the premise and the poster, it seemed to me that this was an Alien clone. This is not the case. Although, it does have some characteristics of the Alien films. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much. I feared it was going to be real bad. Surprisingly, the film is very effective. 

Please watch / listen to our thoughts of this film. 

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Review The Woman in Cabin 10 (2025): Worth it?

genre: mystery, thriller

With such an impressive cast, you would think this would at least equal the Knives Out movies. But it's not even close! But apparently, there is enough there for some people, including Mrs. P, but for me this was terrible. 

Please watch / listen to our thoughts in the video review. 

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