In 2016, we got “Don’t Breathe” when a small group of thieves broke into a dangerous blind man’s home. That same year, we also got “Hush”, which is the opposite with an innocent deaf woman having to defend her house from an individual killer trying to break inside. I can safely say that I enjoyed “Don’t Breathe” a lot more than this.

In “Hush”, Maddie (Kate Siegel) is a deaf writer, who lives in secluded home. A masked killer (John Gallagher Jr. “Peppermint”, “10 Cloverfield Lane”) is out to kill her. She must now figure out a way to defend herself as the killer continues to taunt her.

The Maddie character is not interesting. She’s deaf but has no personality whatsoever. The killer is appalling. He has the most generic mask I’ve ever seen. However, he ditches the mask early on so there’s no mystery. He wants to toy with Maddie. However, it becomes clear that this is a stupid idea. Instead of making Maddie particularly smart, the writers make the killer an idiot. We cannot get invested in Maddie’s struggles because the killer is made significantly less threatening than he should be. There are a few other characters but none of them are even vaguely interesting.

Watching a modern film about a deaf person means that we have to endure several lengthy moments where mobile phones are left ringing for what feels like an eternity. The killer is boring. Imagine if Michael Myers had taken off his mask and had a conversation with Laurie Strode in the “Halloween” films. When you make a killer incompetent in horror/thriller, our engagement in what unfolds onscreen is significantly diminished. “Don’t Breathe” gave us more competent characters and therefore, real tension. “Hush” just never quite gets things right and I certainly didn’t care about what happened.

“Drag Me To Hell” is a return to the horror genre for director Sam Raimi (“Army Of Darkness”, “Spider-Man”). For his “Evil Dead” films, Raimi gained a reputation for being able to successfully combine violent horror with comedic elements. “Drag Me To Hell” undoubtedly has moments of comedic brilliance but it feels very uneven.

In this film, Christine Brown (Alison Lohman “Matchstick Men”) is an ambitious loan officer at a bank. She makes the decision to evict an elderly gypsy woman (Lorna Raver) for repeatedly failing to pay her bills. However, Christine comes under sustained attack from supernatural sources when the gypsy places a curse on her. Can Christine lift the curse or is she destined to be dragged to Hell?

Alison Lohman does a good job as Christine. She’s likeable, smart and capable. I almost feel like I could compare her to the female leads of “Alien” or “Halloween”. Still, I must confess that she’s never as captivating as Bruce Campbell’s Ash from the “Evil Dead” films. Lorna Raver is also really good as Mrs. Ganush. She looks like the most stereotypical gypsy ever. None of the other characters are particularly interesting. Some of the effects on the various supernatural manifestations are rather underwhelming.

“Drag Me To Hell” has some hilarious moments. We see an elderly woman get a stapler jammed in her mouth during a fight and we also see a possessed man regurgitate a cat’s corpse. I wanted more ridiculous moments like these. Also, the special effects throughout were disappointing. Many of Raimi’s other films such as the “Evil Dead” trilogy and “Darkman” had great special effects. “Drag Me To Hell” is inconsistent and it’s a shame because I like Raimi as a filmmaker. Maybe a Bruce Campbell cameo would have helped me enjoy this movie more.

As a promotional piece for the “Sonic Unleashed” videogame, we also got this film. It’s sort of like if you threw Sonic into an episode of “Scooby-Doo”. It’s quite frankly awful and I don’t get who would find this entertaining. It has virtually nothing to do with the “Sonic The Hedgehog” games. It’s a major disappointed when compared to both the 90s anime film and the 2020 live-action one.

On a clichéd dark and stormy night, Sonic and Chip enter a spooky mansion. While walking around, they are terrorised by some ghosts. Sonic is transformed into his ‘werehog’ form and must fight against the ghosts. Really, that’s pretty much everything that happens in this.

Nobody speaks in this short. Sonic looks decent here and he looks exactly like he does in the “Sonic Unleashed” videogame. Just don’t expect to see Sonic doing any of his signature running. Instead, we have to see him in his dull werehog form. Chip was a character that I think was introduced in “Sonic Unleashed”. The ghosts are pretty boring. They look a little like the stupid ghosts from the “Casper” films. The animation on the characters is fine considering its meant to be a companion piece to the videogame.

“Sonic: Night of the Werehog” is a completely pointless short. Fans of the “Sonic” games are going to be disappointed because it has next to nothing to do with any of the games. Besides fans of the franchise, nobody else is going to bother to seek this short out. Aside from the animation, I just don’t have anything positive to say about this. It’s a total waste of time and I urge “Sonic” fans to just go and watch the “Sonic X” series, the 90s anime movie or the live-action 2020 film instead of this meaningless addition to the franchise.

“[Rec]” is a Spanish horror film and it’s actually the first found-footage film I’ve seen that I’ve actually enjoyed. For the first time, I was seeing a film that seemed to justify the use of the style. The whole thing is meant to be a recording for a news show and the tight corridors mean that a lot of the camera angles would probably have been pretty much the same even if it was filmed conventionally.

A television reporter (Manuela Velasco) and her cameraman follow firefighters attending a callout at an apartment building. However, they are soon trapped inside the building. There is someone or something in the building that the authorities outside do not want to get out.

Manuela Velasco is apparently an actual tv presenter in Spain so Spanish audiences may have been even more easily sucked into what’s going on in this film. There is the reporter, the cameraman, firefighters, police and the residents. I don’t really want to spoil things by explaining what else is inside the building. I will at least make it clear that whatever is that is causing the issue, is presented in an entertaining way. There is also something that appears at the end and it is legitimately unsettling.

After suffering through “Blair Witch Project”, “Cloverfield”, “Paranormal Activity” and a handful of others, I had lost all hope in ever seeing an engaging found-footage film. “[Rec]” shows that it is at least possible to do a good film in this style. While it’s nothing amazing, I was interested in what was going on and I didn’t feel the camerawork robbed me of seeing what was going on. This film was so successful that it even got a string of sequels and an American remake, titled “Quarantine”. If you like horror films then I think you should really give this film a chance.

“Devilman: Crybaby” is an anime series that defies explanation and I just don’t have a clue how I felt about it. It’s gory, sexually depraved and just filled with every kind of repulsive imagery you can imagine. However, it’s creative, stylish and intriguing too.

Akira is a socially awkward high school student. After being introduced to the sinister underworld of demons, he undergoes a transformation and gets the body of a demon while retaining his human heart. He is now ‘Devilman’ as he leads the fight against the demons but when humanity learns of the existence of demons, the world descends into complete chaos.

Many of the characters in this show engage in sickening acts. Many of them transform into horrifying monsters. Seriously, some of the designs of the demons are truly nightmarish. The Devilman character has existed for many years with different versions but this was my introduction to the character so I can’t make any comparisons. I don’t get the whole gimmick of having him be this powerful being but always crying. Akira also has a mysterious friend and you have to wait until the end to find out the truth about him. The animation on the characters is interesting.

“Devilman: Crybaby” is genuinely shocking at times. It blends together philosophical themes with excessively disturbing visuals. In a way, I admire it yet I’m also repulsed by it. Honestly, some of it is just disgusting and it reminded me of films such as “Videodrome”. I can’t decide whether I like the show’s art style as it looks very different from most anime shows. I think I’ll have to give “Devilman: Crybaby” a negative review. I understand if some people really love it but I can also imagine many people despising it. It’s certainly a weird and uncomfortable show to watch.

“Android Cop” is The Asylum’s attempt to cash in on the hype around 2014’s “RoboCop” remake. For a film from The Asylum, it’s not actually that awful. It’s not good by any means but it’s not completely irredeemable like many of their pictures (“Transmorphers”, “Atlantic Rim”, “King of the Lost World”).

In a futuristic Los Angeles, Hammond (Michael Jai White “Spawn”, “The Dark Knight”) is a tough cop, who gets partnered with an android (Randy Wayne). The two don’t exactly get along but they’re going to have to learn to work together. They’re given the task of entering a forbidden section of the city to find the mayor’s daughter. However, they uncover a dangerous conspiracy.

Michael Jai White is a decent action star and he can certainly fight so it’s disappointing to see him in a low-budget flick like this. That being said, he actually gives a fairly good performance. The android cop he gets partnered with is just absolutely awful though. He’s not interesting, he’s not funny and he’s just a total bore. His outfit looks appalling too. Most of the time, he doesn’t even wear his helmet; he just looks like a regular guy. How can you have a sci-fi film with an android cop and have him just look like a regular person? None of the other characters are particularly interesting.

“Android Cop” is not terrible like many of The Asylum’s movies but it’s still pretty bad. The special effects here are an improvement from many of The Asylum’s other film but they’re still rather underwhelming. “Android Cop” also steals plot elements from other sci-fi films including “Ghost In The Shell” and “Firepower”. The sad truth is that this isn’t really that much worse than the 2014 “RoboCop” remake and it’s better than the abysmal “RoboCop 3”. Really, what I’m getting at is that you should watch the original “RoboCop” again.

“War In The Pocket” takes you away from the big battles and key figures seen in many “Mobile Suit Gundam” films and shows to focus on a smaller and more personal story. This O.V.A. series is pretty short and light on action when compared to many of the other “Gundam” shows but I still managed to enjoy it.

Set on a neutral colony, we follow the adventures of a young boy by the name of Al, who idolises the Gundams. After he goes to check out a damaged mobile suit, he meets a group of terrorist fighters engaged in the ongoing war between Earth and the colonies. Al will soon learn the moral complexities of war.

The decision to focus less on the pilots of the mobile suits and Gundams is an interesting one. We do still see some mobile suit and Gundam action but it’s significantly less than we see in many of the other films and shows. That being said, I like the focus on the young boy on a neutral colony. I think moving away from characters central to the conflict, helps to make this fictional universe much larger. Not every character in your franchise has to be someone massively impacting events. I like the animation on all the characters and the robots.

“War In The Pocket” is definitely not “Gundam” at its most exciting but I think it’s still worth checking out for fans. I like this smaller story that helps make the universe feel more larger and brimming with life. While the action is less frequent, the sequences we do get are still enjoyable. For those not familiar with “Gundam”, this maybe isn’t the best place to start due to the reduced amount of action. “War In The Pocket” tries something different and succeeds.

After their rip-off of “Transformers” with “Transmorphers”, The Asylum turns to stealing from “Pacific Rim” with “Atlantic Rim”. It’s got pretty much the same premise as “Pacific Rim” with people in mech suits fighting giant aliens but it’s just terrible.

Giant alien monsters are coming out of the Atlantic Ocean and threatening the American coast. A secret U.S. government program has a group of talented soldiers get inside giant mech suits to do battle with the hostile alien invaders. Can they stop the monsters or will a nuclear strike be required? As you can tell that it’s almost identical to the film it’s copying.

The characters are terrible and the acting is horrendous too. Graham Greene (“The Green Mile”, “Dances With Wolves”) is in this as General Hadley and he gives probably the most monotone performance of his career. We only get to briefly see the aliens and robot suits but whenever we do, they look horrendous. They look almost as bad as the C.G.I. at the end of “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie”. I complained about the fights in “Pacific Rim” being at night and/or underwater but “Atlantic Rim” chooses to have its fights during the day so it just shows how awful their C.G.I. is. Seriously, they’re like something from an original PlayStation game.

“Pacific Rim” was an entertaining film with some great giant monster action. Please, never confuse it with the monstrosity that is “Atlantic Rim”. This is a disastrously bad film and it just serves as further proof that The Asylum puts no effort into whatever they’re making. If you’ve seen “Transmorphers” or their other ‘mockbusters’, you know exactly what to expect from the talentless folks at The Asylum. Just go and watch “Pacific Rim” and ignore this one at all costs. “Atlantic Rim” is lazy and dull.

I very vaguely remember Bionicles being a thing. They were an array of toy robots from Lego and they even got their own film series. “Bionicle: Mask Of Light” is clearly a film aimed at very young kids. It feels like “Lord of the Rings” with the Transformers.

In “Bionicle: Mask Of Light”, a group of good Bionicle robots must fulfil their destiny by going on an epic journey while carrying a mystical artefact. Along the way, they must do battle with evil robots. I’m sure people that are into Bionicles could tell you in more detail but I’m afraid that a lot of just went in one ear and straight out the other.

The robots themselves are not very exciting. They’re like Transformers but with even less distinct personalities. The animation on the robots is fine for direct-to-video children’s film from the early 2000s. The animation is not as good as “Toy Story” or anything like that. Of course, just like in the “Transformers” cartoons, the good robots spend a lot of their time fighting the bad robots. One of the little robots spends so much time calling out his friend’s name that it almost feels like something from a parody skit at times.

I’m sure kids who love Bionicles with love this movie but to me, I just wish I was watching “Transformers”. The whole plot was so generic and similar to “Lord of the Rings” that I just couldn’t get invested in what was going on. I appreciate that I’m really not the target demographic. I understand that this is not a terrible film or anything like that, it’s just not my cup of tea. There would be more “Bionicle” films and then finally, Lego started making some other “Lego” movies with the most notable one being “The Lego Movie” in 2014 and that film was way better than this.

After more than a decade since its abrupt end, “Samurai Jack” finally returned in 2017 for the fifth and final season. This gives us the conclusion we needed to one of the best Cartoon Network shows. It also upped the violence and gave us darker themes. I enjoyed this final season just as much if not more than the original run.

It’s been fifty years since Samurai Jack was flung into the dystopian future by Aku. Samurai Jack has not aged due to the effects of the time travel. However, he has become hopeless. He lost his magic sword and all the time portals have been destroyed. Will he ever get back to the past to undo the nightmarish future created by Aku?

All the characters look great with the animation looking pretty much identical to the earlier seasons. Some of the voice actors have changed. I loved the original voice of Aku, which was done by Mako (“Conan The Barbarian”). Aku doesn’t sound quite as good now but the new voice is fine. I think the characters are still written really well and this season goes a bit deeper into Samurai Jack’s soul. I don’t want to spoil anything by talking about some of the other characters by enjoyed a lot of them.

The final season of “Samurai Jack” is just what we needed. The stylish action sequences are great and the stakes feel higher now that we have some proper gore. The characters and relationships are really fascinating. I think the ending is perfect for this show. If you haven’t seen any of the earlier “Samurai Jack” seasons, I recommend watching at least the first three episodes (you can also watch them as “Samurai Jack: The Premiere Movie”). Now, maybe one day we’ll get a live-action “Samurai Jack” movie.