Unrated
Opens: August 29, 2025
Kevin says THE TOXIC AVENGER kinda rocks!

In an era of remakes, reboots, and ret-cons, I suppose it’s time for a new take on classic American exploitation.

THE TOXIC AVENGER follows a down-on-his-luck widower who suffers an industrial accident that turns him into a powerful mutant. He targets the head of a pharmaceutical company to clean up the town of corruption and crime.

In the 80s, THE TOXIC AVENGER helped build the Troma schlock house. The original film was a teen sexcapade with Toxie fighting bullies in a gym. Now, he tackles bigger issues like corporate greed and the health care crisis.

Does this make the new film better? Not necessarily. There was a comfort to the original’s focus on over-the-top splatter filmmaking with a corny plot and loads of jiggle factor.

In this version, Peter Dinklage takes his role way more serious than he probably should, while Kevin Bacon and Elijah Wood chew the scenery as bad guys. It’s all in good fun.

THE TOXIC AVENGER is a wild ride, thought I do miss the days of Troma’s gritty, low-budget exploitation films with zero regrets.

THE TOXIC AVENGER gets three mops out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated R
Opens: August 22, 2025
Kevin says HONEY DON’T kinda sucks!

THE SUBSTANCE’s Margaret Qualley headlines a neo-noir mystery from one of the Coen Brothers in HONEY DON’T.

The story follows a private investigator looking into the death of a young woman. The trail leads her into dark territory, featuring international drug dealers, a corrupt pastor, and the seedy underbelly of society.

This is Ethan Coen’s second outing without his brother Joel along for the ride, and it feels like a substandard solo album from an artist who left the band. There’s a level of quirkiness you expect, but it lands with a heavy thud more often than not.

The story explores some intriguing elements, but its connective tissue is flimsy, delivering a rambling mystery that keeps having to remind you what the mystery actually is. Plus it tries too hard to be edgy, but only in a way that would have been sensational way back in the 90s.

I appreciate the bold attempt for a noir thriller under the blazing sun of the southern California desert, but in a lot of ways it feels more like an imitation than standalone film.

HONEY DON’T gets two clues out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated R
Opens: August 15, 2025
Kevin says NOBODY 2 ROCKS!

BETTER CALL SAUL’s Bob Odenkirk is the latest middle-aged actor cashing in on the everyman beating up gangsters with the sequel NOBODY 2.

Odenkirk plays a former assassin trying to live a boring suburban life. While paying a debt to the mob, he takes his family on vacation but stumbles into a local crime ring.

This comedy-action subgenre can be a lot of fun, and this sequel ramps up the whimsy, not falling into the darkness that some movies do.

The film is completely absurd with over-the-top characters and unrealistic situations, refusing to acknowledge the basic rules of science or marksmanship. However, being this absurd, makes it a cartoon – to the point that the climax takes place in a booby-trapped waterpark, HOME ALONE style. And boy, does it work.

The cast is spot-on, but not just with Odenkirk in his conflicted role and Connie Nielsen as his reluctantly understanding wife. Colin Hanks is great against type as a corrupt sheriff, but the MVP is Sharon Stone as the unhinged crime boss.

It’s deliciously violent and vicariously cathartic, tapping into everyone’s need to protect their family.

NOBODY 2 gets four waterslides out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated PG
Opens: August 8, 2025
Kevin says FREAKIER FRIDAY kinda sucks!

The latest film to come out of Hollywood’s never-ending reboot engine is Disney’s FREAKIER FRIDAY.

This 20-years-too-late sequel reunites us with Tess and Anna, who magically swapped bodies in 2003. Now, a similar event has happened, bringing along Anna’s daughter and her soon-to-be step-sister.

Most aspects of this film feel terribly forced – from the adults’ inexplicably successful careers to the slapstick pratfalls and reasons leading up to them. And the film clings to clichés while bending over backwards to show the challenging dynamics of the family.

Unfortunately, that first act does nothing but present a cast of truly unlikeable characters.

There is a modicum of sweetness that helps lift the ending in that Disney Channel sort of way. And Jamie Lee Curtis certainly gives it her all to be outrageous. Unfortunately, those things didn’t balance out the rest of its problems.

Maybe the target audience of tween girls will like it, but I’m not a tween girl… last time I checked.

It’s freakier, it’s fridayier, but this FREAKIER FRIDAY left me with a case of the Mondays.

FREAKIER FRIDAY gets two weekdays out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated PG
Opens: August 1, 2025
Kevin says THE BAD GUYS 2 kinda rocks!

Three years ago, THE BAD GUYS delivered a unique, fresh animated adventure. Now, they’re back for another score in THE BAD GUYS 2.

This time, they are blackmailed into a job by a notorious criminal and have to find a way to pull things off but keep their new Good Guys reputation.

Overall, this is fun and entertaining. The excellent voice cast returns, and it’s not just low-brow body jokes. But those are in there to get the laughs from the kiddies.

The only crime committed in THE BAD GUYS 2 is going bigger for the sequel. I know film has a tarantula that’s a computer expert, and a piranha walking around on land. But at some point, the absurdity goes too far.

Where the Fast & Furious franchise took 20 years and 9 films, this movie does in 90 minutes. I’m no rocket scientist, but even I had trouble swallowing the third act.

Still, it’s a slick film that should appeal to the whole family, even if it is a bit overblown.

THE BAD GUYS 2 gets three wolf whistles out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated PG-13
Opens: July 25, 2025
Kevin says THE FANTASTIC 4: FIRST STEPS ROCKS!

Facing the threat of superhero fatigue, THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS flies onto summer movie screen.

The story drops us in years after Marvel’s First Family acquires their cosmic powers. But don’t worry… flashbacks explain their origins if you need that. One day, they are visited by the harbinger of a god-like creature that has targeted Earth for destruction. They must find a way to save the planet without sacrificing one of their own.

This new FANTASTIC FOUR gives a fresh take on the modern superhero film by shaking up the style. We areon an alternate Earth with a retro 60s feel, evoking the charm of the classic Stan Lee and Jack Kirby comics.

One of the strengths of the film is juggling characters who have their own flaws. As much as you want to “Flame on!” and shout “It’s clobberin’ time!,” the characters have to solve problems they can’t punch away.

It’s still a superhero movie, and it connects to the next phase of Marvel crossover films. However, it taps into some real human elements.

THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS gets four silver surfboards out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated PG
Opens: July 18, 2025
Kevin says SMURFS kinda sucks!

It’s been eight years, so why not reboot the theatrical SMURFS franchise?

With a new voice cast – including a new pop music star as Smurfette – the little blue creatures are living in peace in Smurf Village. When one of them discovers he has magical powers, the evil wizard Razamel kidnaps Papa Smurf, and the rest have to save him.

The Smurfs have never been a gold standard in animation, but they offer a certain level of entertainment value for younger viewers. So, the erratic script, sometimes low-brow jokes, and too many desperate-to-be-cool references to popular apps aren’t insurmountable problems.

At least the disjointed plot keeps moving rather than stagnating in the “let’s go to the real world” trope.

I’ll admit there are some clever moments that allow this film to rise above the problems that saddled the previous adaptations. And in spite of a script overloaded with MacGuffins, the film has a bright and vibrant tone that can be fun.

It’s enjoyable enough and mercifully short, even with the Rihanna songs crammed in to inspire downloads.

SMURFS gets two and a half smurfing smurfs out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated PG-13
Opens: July 11, 2025
Kevin says SUPERMAN ROCKS!

Slip on your blue tights! It’s time for a reboot of the Last Son of Krypton.

SUPERMAN follows billionaire Lex Luthor trying to take down the Man of Steel, while the Daily Planet tries to uncover an international conspiracy.

Having extensively read the Superman comics, I was thrilled to see a version so close to the books. Writer/director James Gunn drops us into the action with a brighter, more optimistic delivery. Gone is the darker nature of the Snyderverse; now we have Supes as the traditional Boy Scout.

This is easily the best-cast Superman film I’ve ever seen, with David Corenswet holding things together. But others stand out, like Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific, Nicholas Hoult as a chilling Lex Luthor, and a slew of animators as Krypto the Super Dog.

And the film is more than just battles. It examines the nature of our own goodness, which comes from how you were raised and not necessarily where you’re from. It also looks at the purpose of journalism, which is to ask the tough questions and not pander to advertising or powerful figures.

This is easily one of the best Superman films ever made.

SUPERMAN gets four and a half capes out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated PG-13
Opens: July 2, 2025
Kevin says JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH kinda rocks!

A big summer movie brings big summer monsters back to the big summer screen.

We see a lot of familiar things in the latest installment of the Jurassic Park franchise. In JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH, people are stranded AGAIN… on an island populated by vicious dinosaurs AGAIN… and things go horribly awry AGAIN… and somehow children end up in danger AGAIN.

More than 30 years after Spielberg’s brilliant film, this sequel/spinoff has much better visual effects, but still lacks the interesting characters and snappy dialogue.

But lets’ face it… you’re here for the spectacle, and JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH delivers on that. And it goes back to the heart of the franchise, leaving bizarre backstories of cloned children and international weapons auctions to make way for what amounts to a mega-budgeted Doug MacClure film.

The story offers some interesting ideas on dinosaur survival, and it’s broken into segments almost like a video game, which works in a strange way. If only every character’s tragic backstory wasn’t so forced.

JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH gets three fossils out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated PG-13
Opens: June 27, 2025
Kevin says F1 kinda sucks!

Brad Pitt may be the name on the marquee, but the real star of F1 is the racing.

Pitt stars as a washed up driver brought in to help a Formula 1 team win. He butts heads with the team using his unorthodox style as he also struggles to become a leader.

Directed by TOP GUN: MAVERICK’s Joe Kosinski, F1 offers the same in-your-seat action for a visceral theatrical experience. I don’t have a problem with the look, the style, or the slick delivery of this film.

But for someone who doesn’t care about racing, this movie is a bore. It’s so loaded down with recycled plot points and macho virtue signaling that it becomes exhausting by the 90-minute mark. Then you realize there’s another entire hour left.

Sure, the movie looks cool as all get-out, but it’s nothing more than an amalgamation of music videos and advertisements for the sponsors.

Fans of racing will love this, but it feels like it’s written and directed by Testosterone itself, with some script punch-ups from Sports Films Cliches and daddy issues.

F1 gets two Fs out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated PG
Opens: June 20, 2025
Kevin says ELIO ROCKS!

Pixar has a new film, which is literally out of this world.

ELIO tells the story of a recent orphan living with his aunt. Desperately wanting a new life, Elio sends a signal into space with a tricked-out ham radio… and miraculously gets a reply. When he is abducted by aliens, Elio convinces them he is the leader of Earth.

On its surface, there’s a lot to swallow here, but it is entirely digestible by telling the story from a child’s point of view. And with a massive dose of Pixar charm, the movie manages to be relatable to anyone who has ever felt like a bit of a misfit.

The film has many clever layers that offer wonderful messaging without being preachy or reductive.

For the kids, it’s a vibrant and fun space adventure. And for the parents, it’s an emotional ride that will catch you off guard and possibly bring a tear to your eye.

Beautifully animated and grounded with humanity, ELIO is simply a darling of a movie.

ELIO gets four and a half ham radios out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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