Author Archives: Keith Garlington

REVIEW: “Predator: Killer of Killers” (2025)

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The Predator universe was infused with new life following the release of the surprise hit “Prey” in 2022. The franchise kicked off in 1987 with “Predator”, a sci-fi action feature that remains one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s very best films. Since then there have been a number of sequels, spin-offs, and crossovers of varying degrees of quality. But director Dan Trachtenberg offered a new take on the franchise with “Prey” and since has been given the keys to the series.

Trachtenberg has a standalone movie coming out in November titled “Predator: Badlands”. But in October of last year, it was revealed he had made a secret film that was set for release between “Prey” and “Badlands”. That movie is “Predator: Killer of Killers”, an adult animated anthology(ish) film co-directed by Trachtenberg and Joshua Wassung. Releasing as a Hulu Original, “Killer of Killers” puts a fresh spin on Predator, similar to what “Into the Spider-Verse” did for Spider-Man movies. And it sets the standard for animation’s potential in future Predator projects.

Image Courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Built upon an action-fueled script by screenwriter Micho Robert Rutare and extraordinary visuals from the animation studio The Third Floor, “Killer of Killers” takes us through centuries and across cultures in telling the stories of three warriors. The three – a Viking raider, a ninja assassin, and a World War II pilot – fight their battles at dramatically different points on Earth’s timeline. While they all could be considered killers, they also have something else in common. Each encounter a technologically advanced alien predator who turns these warriors into prey.

The first chapter is titled “The Shield” and is set in 841 AD. It follows Ersa (Lindsay LaVanchy), a Scandinavian Valkyrie who leads her son Anders (Damien C. Haas) on a quest for revenge against a brutal chieftain. The second chapter titled “The Sword” takes place in 1629 feudal Japan where a ninja assassin (Louis Ozawa) confronts his shogun brother who now leads their family’s clan. And the third chapter, “The Bullet” sees a young man from Florida named John Torres (Rick Gonzalez) drafted to the military during World War II.

Rutare’s script does a nice job introducing and defining each character, stumbling only with some shaky dialogue in “The Bullet”. Each story is distinctly compelling in its own way, exploring such themes as vengeance, trauma, and generational cycles of violence. But franchise fans needn’t worry. Each story is action-packed with brutal fight sequences often playing out through stunningly choreographed set pieces. They’re fittingly and unabashedly bloody and each alien predator is uniquely menacing.

Image Courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Most surprising is the unexpected yet satisfying way Trachtenberg, Wassung, and Rutare brings the three stories together. It’s best you see it for yourself, but just know it involves an unanticipated turn that sets up the film’s big finish. And it’s capped off with a killer final shot that has intriguing implications for past and future movies, especially with Trachtenberg at the helm of the franchise (for the time being).

“Predator: Killer of Killers” is arriving with very little attention, but it’s a movie worthy of some buzz, especially for anyone interested in the Predator universe. The inventive story and savvy storytelling work hand-in-hand with the many rousing action sequences. And it’s all enhanced by a visually captivating art style that does justice to the time periods and cultures as well as the brutally violent Predator world. “Predator: Killer of Killers” premieres June 6th on Hulu.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS

“28 Years Later” – New Character Posters Released for Danny Boyle’s Post-Apocalyptic Sequel

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If you follow this site you probably know I have a special affection for character posters. The latest ones comes from Sony Pictures who dropped four new character posters for Danny Boyle’s upcoming post-apocalyptic horror film, “28 Years Later”. Directed by Boyle and written by Alex Garland, “28 Years Later” is the third film in a series that began with 2002’s “28 Days Later” and continued with 2007’s “28 Weeks Later”. This latest installment is the first of two parts which were shot back-to-back.

“28 Years Later” is set (obviously) 28 years after the aggressive Rage Virus was first released from a Cambridge laboratory, turning the infected into ravenous zombies and resulting in the ultimate breakdown of society. One particular group of survivors have built a heavily fortified community on a small island that’s connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway. But the people soon discover horrific secrets and menacing threats are closer to them than they might think. Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, and Alfie Williams star.

Check out the brand new character posters below and see “28 Years Later” exclusively in theaters when it releases on June 20th.

REVIEW: “Dangerous Animals” (2025)

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Shark movies are a dime-a-dozen these days and it seems like we get several new ones each year. We’ve reached a point to where it’s rare to find a shark movie that offers something original. “Dangerous Animals” certainly does, although reducing it to a simple shark movie is patently unfair. It’s more of a high-stakes blend of deepwater horror and serial killer tension. And it’s driven by a brilliantly menacing Jai Courtney.

Directed by Sean Byrne, “Dangerous Animals” tells a taut tale that is unquestionably outrageous yet never feels outrageous in the moment. That’s because Byrne has a good grip on screenwriter Nick Lepard’s material and he knows how to immerse his audience in the kind of movie he’s making. There’s a nastiness to it that approaches exploitation yet Byrne (smartly) doesn’t take things too seriously. It results in a visceral and at times darkly funny genre cocktail that stands as one of the bigger surprises of the year.

Image Courtesy of IFC Films

Hassie Harrison plays Zephyr, a free-spirited American surfer living out of her van on Australia’s Gold Coast. Old baggage from her past led her to become a loner. But we see a small crack in her self-established walls when Zephyr meets Moses (Josh Heuston), a sweet and smitten real estate agent who also enjoys surfing. After spending the night together, Zephyr takes off to wrestle with these newfound feelings she has.

But before their potentially cheesy love story can get off the ground, things take a terrifying turn. While parking her van near the beach for the evening, Zephyr is attacked, sedated, and kidnapped. She wakes up in a metal room with another young woman named Heather (Ella Newton). We quickly learn they’re in the belly of a ship belonging to the burly Tucker (Courtney).

Tucker takes vacationers out to sea for private underwater shark encounters. But that’s just a facade. In reality he’s a maniacal serial killer who gets his kicks chumming the water and then feeding his victims to the sharks. To make it more unsettling, he films their gruesome deaths with an old VHS camcorder. And let’s just say he has a pretty large home movie collection. But the determined and resourceful Zephyr proves to be Tucker’s biggest challenge and she’s not willing to go down (literally) without a fight.

Image Courtesy of IFC Films

Within the first ten minutes it becomes obvious the title “Dangerous Animals” is referring to more than the well-known ocean predators. The much bigger threat is Tucker who is as mesmerizing as he is sadistic. Courtney is a psychotic force of nature, delivering a brawny, unnerving performance that’s laced with a disarming charm. Byre gives Courtney room to create a truly memorable villain, leaning into his star rather than over-explaining his character’s psychopathy.

“Dangerous Animals” hits its mark thanks to its straightforward storytelling approach and a truly sinister undercurrent. The film is a nail-biting thriller at heart but with a chilling horror movie edge. Add in a dash of sharksploitation and a career best performance from Jai Courtney and you’ve got a wildly entertaining feature with a gnarly B-movie bite. See it on the big screen; see it with a crowd. “Dangerous Animals” opens June 6th exclusively in theaters.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

REVIEW: “Barron’s Cove” (2025)

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Garrett Hedlund gets a meaty character to unpack in “Barron’s Cove”, a gritty and grounded crime thriller from writer-director Evan Ari Kelman. The 40-year-old Hedlund has proven to be a captivating actor when given the right material and he certainly gets it here. Kelman’s script may stretch itself a little too far, but it builds good drama and its characters are well developed and fit nicely within their complicated world, none more than Hedlund’s.

The story is set in the small Massachusetts town of Monroe City. Hedlund plays Caleb Faulkner, an enforcer for a construction supply company owned by his uncle, Benji (Stephen Lang). Caleb’s job is to ensure contractors buy exclusively from his uncle, and he does so by any means necessary. It’s not work Caleb enjoys. But he owes Benji for taking him in, and the money he makes helps support his ex-wife Jackie (Brittany Snow) and their young son Barron (Dante Hale).

Image Courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment

Caleb’s life comes crumbling down after Barron is tragically killed during a horrific incident on a train track. The details surrounding the boy’s shocking death are hazy. All the police tell Caleb is that Barron was out on the tracks with two other boys, one of them being Ethan Chambers (Christian Convery), the bratty and seemingly deranged son of a crooked candidate for state senate, Lyle Chambers (Hamish Linklater).

Overcome with the guilt of not being there for Barron, a frustrated Caleb desperately tries to get answers. But with each dead-end he turns a little more volatile. Caleb is eventually pushed to the brink after Barron’s death is unexpectedly ruled a suicide. With no real explanation (and nothing left to lose), Caleb goes on a self-destructive quest for the truth. And that quest starts with Ethan Chambers.

Image Courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment

I won’t give away where the story goes, but it takes some unexpectedly dark turns. Throughout it Kelman does a good job exploring small town corruption, with dirty cops and dirtier politicians playing key roles in how things play out. Interestingly, nothing is as cut and dry as it first seems. Kelman throws us several curveballs, especially in the second half. And while the back end isn’t as tightly wound as the first half, it keeps us engaged and guessing.

“Barron’s Cove” is a rural crime thriller in every sense. Yet underneath its rugged exterior is a surprisingly thoughtful examination of revenge versus forgiveness. It mostly comes through Hedlund who shrewdly channels his character’s torment and pain. The script leaves much of Caleb’s struggle on the surface, but Hedlund finds ways to take us deeper. It’s a rich and textured performance that fuels many of the film’s strengths and elevates the movie beyond its few weaknesses. “Barron’s Cove” opens June 6th in theaters and on VOD.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

Movie News and Trailer Drops from Netflix’s 2025 Tudum Event.

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Over the weekend Netflix held its 2025 Tudum event live at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. A star-packed lineup was on hand to share news, first looks, and release dates for some of the platform’s biggest upcoming movies and television shows. Fans of television got plenty of new announcements for hit shows like “Stranger Things”, “Wednesday”, and “Squid Game”. But movie fans were also treated to some exciting reveals. Here are three new movie trailers along with their 2025 release dates that were shared during Netflix’s Tudum event.

“Frankenstein”

The biggest treat of the evening came from Guillermo del Toro who presented the first trailer for his highly anticipated adaptation of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”. To no surprise del Toro assembles a stellar cast that includes Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Ineson, David Bradley, Charles Dance, and Lars Mikkelsen. This first trailer teases everything fans of the filmmaker are looking for. It shows off del Toro’s distinct visual style and management of tone while also honoring the classic Shelley tale. “Frankenstein” releases this November at it looks to be well worth the wait.

“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery”

While it was much more of a tease, writer-director Rian Johnson gave us our first look at the third installment in his Knives Out series. “Wake Up Dead Man” is his latest mystery featuring Daniel Craig’s famed private detective Benoit Blanc. This standalone sequel to 2022’s “Glass Onion” sports another captivating ensemble: Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church. The film seems to have a much different tone than its predecessors while still maintaining the form as a classic whodunit. “Wake Up Dead Man” releases on December 12th.

“Happy Gilmore 2”

While we got our first look at “Happy Gilmore 2” a couple of months ago, Netflix released its first full trailer at Tudum. While I get that some people have a certain nostalgic attachment to 1996’s “Happy Gilmore”, I can’t say that I do. So admittedly I may not be the target audience. Maybe that’s why the “Happy Gilmore 2” trailer didn’t excite me as much as it will others. I can’t help but like Sandler. But this looks like a standard Sandler joint with the same brand of comedy and an endless list of cameos from his friends. So if you’re a longtime Sandler fan, this is probably on you must-see list. For everyone else, we’ll see. “Happy Gilmore 2” releases on July 25th.

REVIEW: “Fountain of Youth” (2025)

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Those of us who enjoyed the two Nicholas Cage led “National Treasure” movies from the mid-2000s will find a lot of similarities in the latest Guy Ritchie feature, “Fountain of Youth”. Ritchie’s latest hearkens back to an era of big studio features like those silly but fun Cage movies, Brendan Fraser’s “The Mummy” film series, and even the beloved “Indiana Jones” franchise.

“Fountain of Youth” is a smile-inducing callback to those action-adventure movies that audiences once loved. They were the kind that gave us easy-to-like characters on wildly entertaining adventures. And they were infused with just as much humor as action. Sadly these features seemed to have aged out as cinema grew more serious-minded. Now Guy Ritchie attempts to tap back into what made those tentpole movies successes. And he does so with modestly satisfying results.

Image Courtesy of Apple TV+

“Fountain of Youth” certainly has the ingredients for success starting with its cast. The infinitely likable John Krasinski, the talented and daring Natalie Portman, the incredibly versatile Domhnall Gleeson, and the hard-working and effortlessly alluring Eiza González all provide the energy and charisma a movie like this needs. The problems come with the storytelling. There’s nothing egregiously wrong with the story itself (written by James Vanderbilt). But it’s almost mechanical in how it plays out, adhering so stringently to a formula that it can’t help but feel too familiar.

Krasinski and Portman play estranged siblings, Luke and Charlotte Perdue. Their father, an esteemed archeologist, died a year earlier and the brother and sister haven’t seen each other since. While Luke is off in Bangkok stealing a priceless painting from a criminal organization, Charlotte works as a curator for a London art gallery. She’s also making her way through an ugly divorce with her ex-husband (Daniel de Bourg).

One day Charlotte is surprised to find Luke in her gallery. Their lukewarm reunion hits a snag when Luke swipes a Rembrandt painting from its display. Charlotte chases after him only to learn she was being lured to his hideout. There she’s greeted by Luke, their father’s old crew (Laz Alonso and Carmen Ejogo in thankless roles), and a billionaire named Owen Carver (Gleeson). Luke reveals that he’s been tracking notes left by their late father that may reveal the location of the legendary Fountain of Youth.

Carver, who is dying of liver cancer, has agreed to fund their efforts. But Luke need’s Charlotte’s help piecing together and solving the final clues. After a little persuasion she eventually agrees and the group sets off on their globe-trotting adventure. But getting where they need to go won’t be easy. Hot on their heels is Interpol led by Inspector Abbas (Arian Moayed). Also following them is a mysterious woman named Esme (González) from a secret society dedicated to keeping the Fountain’s location hidden.

Image Courtesy of Apple TV+

Ritchie takes his audience around the world, making stops in Thailand, England, Ireland, Austria, Vatican City, and Egypt. To their credit the locations look tremendous even if the stops there aren’t all that memorable. The movie also features some terrific production design that helps set the stage for some of its impressive set pieces. Arguably the best takes place on a segment of an old sunken ship that is brought up to the ocean’s surface. And of course there is the big action-packed finish that looks a bit better than it plays.

But even though the cast seems invested and are giving it their all, their characters and their storylines are captive to a recycled framework that keeps the audience stuck in overly familiar territory. Ritchie plays it relatively safe and by-the-books which may disappoint those looking for more than the movie promises. At the same time, it’s an easily digestible and moderately entertaining adventure that can be enjoyed by the entire family. That alone scores it points, especially in our current era of movies. “Fountain of Youth” is now streaming on Apple TV+.

VERDICT – 3 STARS