Movie Mag | Issue #2 | September 2023

MOVIE MAG MOVIE MAG

Table of Contents

Introduction! Reel News!

September 2023 Movie Reviews! The Climax! The Conjuring Universe Ranked! The Saw Franchise Ranked! The Picks Are In! Show Me The Money! Cinematic History! Happy Birthday! The SupporterS!

Welcome to Movie Mag!

Welcome to the second issue of Movie Mag where we highlight what came out in September 2023 and look ahead to October!

This past month we went and watched Bottoms, The Equalizer 3, The Nun II, A Haunting in Venice, Dumb Money, Expend4bles, Saw X, and The Creator! You can read our thoughts on each of these in this issue!

Check out The Climax featuring a work of art from Alice, who creates awesome art through drawing and tattooing! Alice took inspiration from The Nun II when creating The Climax!

Why not kick off spooky season by ranking a couple iconic horror franchises! In this issue check out how we rank The Conjuring Universe and the Saw Franchise including their newest installments from this past month!

Don’t stop now! Check out our picks for some monthly awards, how the worldwide box office for 2023 currently stacks up, celebrate the anniversary of some great movies, and wish some stars a Happy Birthday with us!

We hope you enjoy the second issue and we look forward to bringing you more movie content every month!

When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

“I’ll have what she’s having.”

Reel News! Reel News!

The MCU Lineup Continues to Shift

Here is how the MCU Disney+ releases stack up as of right now, Loki Season 2 (October 6th), What If..? Season 2 (Christmas), Echo (January 2024), X-Men ‘97 (Early 2024), Agatha (Late 2024), Ironheart (Delayed), Wonder Man (Delayed), Daredevil: Born Again (Delayed).

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

The Crow Set for a ReBoot

Lionsgate purchased the rights to The Crow in an eight-figure deal and is set to release a reboot in 2024. Bill Skarsgård will step into Brandon Lee’s shoes and play Eric Draven in the reboot.

Source: Collider

Halloween Town is Returning to theaters

The Nightmare Before Christmas is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and will return to theaters for a limited release in October.

Source: Discussing Film

Poor Things Wins Best Film

Poor Things, the newest film from Yorgos Lanthimos, took home Best Film from the Venice Film Festival. It is slated to release on December 8, 2023.

Source: Discussing Film

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Brightburn 2 in Development

The H Collective is currently developing a sequel to the horror take on Superman, Brightburn They are looking to use AI in the process.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Lando is Coming to the Big Screen Instead

Donald and Stephen Glover will now be working on a Lando movie instead of a television series.

Source: Variety

Time for More Smiles

Smile 2 will be released in theaters on October 18, 2024.

Source: Discussing Film

Mean Girls Musical Hitting Theatres in 2024

The Mean Girls musical reboot will now get a theater release and will release on January 12, 2024.

Source: Discussing Film

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One Love on Valentine’s Day

Bob Marley: One Love has been delayed to February 14, 2024 for a Valentine’s Day release.

Source: Discussing Film

Ready to Live Like an OgrE?

Shrek’s Swamp is now available on Airbnb and is hosted by Donkey

Source: Airbnb

The Writers Strike Has Officially Ended

After 148 days the WGA has come to an agreement that includes protections against AI, an increase in streaming residuals, and writer pay increases that ended the second-longest strike in WGA history.

Source: Discussing Film

A24 Leads Bidding War for Iconic Horror Franchise

Malek Akkad is actively shopping the rights to the Halloween franchise and is hearing offers for both television shows and films. A24 and Miramax are the two main parties in the bidding war with A24 currently winning the battle with plans of making Halloween TV shows. Paramount is also very interested in creating a Season of the Witch series and is also bidding on the rights.

Source: Bloody Disgusting & Critical Overload

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Actors Returning to DC

James Gunn confirmed that John Cena (Peacemaker), Viola Davis (Amanda Waller), and Xolo Maridueña (Blue Beetle) will all return to reprise their rules in the DCU

Source: Discussing Film

Minecraft is Ready for Filming

The script for the live-action Minecraft movie is finished and is ready to begin filming in Spring, if actors are given a fair deal from the studios.

Source: Variety

Rick & Morty Movie Rumors

Warner Bros. and Dan Harmon have had conversations about developing a Rick and Morty film.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

OceanGate Titan Film

A film about the OceanGate Titan submersible incident is currently in the works.

Source: Deadline

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Release Date | August 25, 2023

Director | Emma Seligman

Distributor | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Budget | $11 Million

A Pleasant Surprise Yet still Upsetting at Moments A Pleasant Surprise Yet still Upsetting at Moments

By: Wil Brienza

I had no idea what to expect with Bottoms, but I saw Marshawn Lynch was in it and was intrigued enough to want to see this opening weekend As a huge David Fincher fan, it also helped that I knew the premise of the movie was playing off of Fight Club I went into the movie with no expectations at all, and left pleasantly surprised, yet upset with some minor details scattered throughout the film

Best friends PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edibiri) create a female fight club with the goal of meeting girls and losing their virginity to cheerleaders The fight club takes off and when the truth comes out it creates drama between the two best friends and the rest of the club

Again, I was pleasantly surprised with Bottoms. The comedy landed a lot of the time and the acting from Sennott and Edibiri was top notch. Early on it seemed like this movie was going to be very cringy and it definitely was, but it somehow worked. The movie was very self aware which made the comedy work. Now there were still cringy details that pissed me off. Some of these are me just nit picking, but I just couldn’t ignore them. First, the football players wearing full uniform the entire movie for some reason really upset me, and on top of that the jersey numbers all started with a zero, which again both are minor details, but they upset me every time they appeared on screen. Honestly, the only thing I truly hate about this movie was the football team. Outside of the wardrobe and number situation the players themselves were so detestable, that it actually showed the writing talent from Emma Seligman, but it still upset me when they found screentime.

The acting across the board was pretty good Starting with Sennott, who took big steps forward in her career with this performance, was definitely the best female performance from this month Edibiri was also fantastic and they had so much chemistry on screen that it enhanced this experience exponentially Ruby Rose also turned an excellent performance as the fight club recorder, who gets treated poorly and is still the bigger person throughout I can’t leave out Marshawn Lynch, who was hilarious throughout as the fun teacher that doesn’t give a shit and signs on to represent the fight club without knowing the details He fit this role perfectly and makes me want to see more of him in future comedy projects

Honestly, this was a very good movie, but the football players and some of the jokes that didn’t land kept me from rating this any higher than I did I will probably give this another watch down the road, but I wouldn’t say it has super high replay value This is a movie that definitely deserves one watch, because for someone this movie may hit the spot perfectly, but for me it was just a good watch

A Movie For People Who Want Something Unusual A Movie For People Who Want Something Unusual

By: Kory King

Going into Bottoms I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about it. The trailers had me under the impression that it was a queer-heavy movie that makes a fun twist out of the David Fincher flick, Fight Club. Now, there is definitely some inspiration from that film, but it is more than just a soft parody of the 1999 classic thriller.

Bottoms begins with two Lesbian best friends, PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri) who decide to make a selfdefense fighting club as a means to get closer to their cheerleader crushes by using a front that the women at their school need to protect themselves from the football jocks and the rival team. Along the way, the two friends begin to bond and make a safe haven for all the women in their class.

Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri make fantastic leads with a colorful chemistry not often seen in feature films I had worries that by the end PJ and Josie were going to end their arcs by discovering they don’t need the women they desire because they’ve had each other all along Thankfully director Emma Seligman knows exactly what she is doing and understands that this would undermine and demine their well-established friendship The film has heart, and talent, and is definitely the funniest movie I have seen in a while Mostly in part due to ex-football star, Marshawn “Beast-Mode” Lynch, who brings his own style of carefree comedy that is much needed in this film Hazel Callahan (Ruby Cruz) is also a standout in this film and brings great acting chops in her slightly-more grounded and depressing scenes

Special acknowledgement to Nate Jones who worked on the production design along with Angela Gail Schroder, Zach Hamlin, and Tye Plaisance who all worked on set design The sets were exactly what this film needed and gave the proper sense of unreality and dramatic over-romantics of high school The film reminds me of a rated-R High School Musical in its exaggerated depiction of high school.

All that’s left to speak about is how I feel about this film. The answer to that might be more complex than needed but what can I say? You’re reading MY magazine. At the end of the film, I was feeling conflicted needless to say. It’s a very different kind of comedy film, and it definitely needs a period of adjustment. There are other comedies like this one, but Bottoms still has something unique about it. The writing for the most part was decent. Still, the thing that slightly bugged me was some pacing issues. That combined with a somewhat predictable ending still made me feel like there was something somewhere to be desired. Small details also stuck with me like the fact that the opposing team wasn’t in the stands at the end of the film. I ran circles in my head for about 20 minutes and still couldn’t figure out why that is.

If you’re a fan of comedies and spend most of your days wondering what happened to the comedy genre, then this will almost definitely be something to tickle your fancy I feel frustrated writing this review because after only two days have gone by, I have no memory of this film It gave me fondness at the moment, but I don’t feel anything upon looking back on it It’s an average movie with bright spots that might move on with me

BOTTOMS|ORIONPICTURESINC.

Release Date | September 1, 2023

Director | Antoine Fuqua

Distributor | Sony Pictures Releasing

6/10

Third Installment Was a Bit of a Let Down Third Installment Was a Bit of a Let Down

By: Wil Brienza

This was one that drew a good amount of interest from me, but it just fell a bit short. The Equalizer is a phenomenal film and in my opinion, The Equalizer 2 was also great, but the third installment although it had its moments was still a letdown.

Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) is now living in southern Italy where he begins falling in love with the peace he finds in living there. His peace is interrupted when he finds out that the town he lives in is under the control of crime bosses and it is now up to him to bring the town back to peace.

It is obvious that Washington has a passion for these movies, and he brought it once again He is easily the best part of the movie and at 68 years old he is still bringing the action When it comes to the acting he is easily the best part I did not realize that Dakota Fanning was in this movie, but she was honestly disappointing The line delivery felt very flat and I almost got the feeling she didn’t want to be there at moments When I found out she was in it, I was interested in seeing what she had to offer, but it is safe to say I was disappointed

The other place this movie fell short for me was the lack of a supporting characters that you care for The first two films did a great job in doing that with Alina (Chloë Grace-Moretz) and Miles (Ashton Sanders), but in this one that was not the case The movie has phenomenal action sequences and honestly the opening scene was top tier, but the pacing is unsteady and has you bored at moments then on the edge of your seat at other moments, which makes it hard to follow

The third act was decent, but when you compare it to the first two installments it once again falls short. The Equalizer has one of the greatest third acts in any action movie I have ever seen, and the second movie also has a great third act, and if you forget about those movies, you can actually enjoy this movie’s ending, but the action falls off a lot when compared to the first two films.

If it weren’t for Washington this movie might have taken even more of a hit on the score. His passion for these projects alone make them worth the watch. This movie has very little replay value, but give it a chance. Antoine Fuqua overall did a great job with the first two movies, but the third one is at best decent. I am still excited to see more from Fuqua, but I am glad this will only be a trilogy.

I Saw Equalizer 3 Today... I Think? I Saw Equalizer 3 Today... I Think?

By: Kory King

I’m genuinely having a hard time remembering that I saw this movie today. That is a terrible sign considering I saw it the day I am writing this review. We all love Denzel Washington and we all love The Equalizer and The Equalizer 2, but this is not the follow-up you were looking for.

When Robert McCall lands himself in a spot of bother thanks to a bullet wound, he ends up in a town in lower Italy and finds his own version of peace there Only after McCall has found some tranquility inside the town, he discovers a mafia that casts a dark shadow over its people and decides to take a stand for the town he comes to love

I was not a fan of The Equalizer franchise and had zero clue what to expect when I started them last week Say what you want about The Equalizer 2 which is a movie I liked a lot, but nothing will ever change my mind about the first If you haven’t seen The Equalizer, I IMPLORE you go see that movie right now I could rewatch that film any day of the week The second was a decent sequel that doesn’t capture the same magic as the first but still has lots of heart and great side characters for Denzel to bounce off

Denzel is great, what a shock right? Denzel Washington is easily the best part of The Equalizer franchise and is clearly the main thing keeping The Equalizer 3 alive. You can feel his love throughout the film and it’s obvious he cares deeply about this character. That is probably as good as the compliments get. The other thing I want to make note of is that the action from Antoine Fuqua is still quite brutal and enjoyable. I think if I had it my way he would be the one to direct a predatorial scene in a Batman movie where he gets to pick off gunmen one by one. Fuqua’s hand-to-hand scenes are obviously where this director shines. As far as shot composition goes, Fuqua is still as good as he has ever done, and I am not one to complain about decent cinematography.

From there I now realize I mostly have criticisms of this film. For one, I did not like any of the side characters brought in. Dakota Fanning was a fairly decent inclusion but nobody from the small town in Italy could even hold a candlestick to Alina (Chloe Grace Moretz) or Miles (Ashton Sanders). I think Denzel is a natural born father figure and I think he is at his best when he gets to give a look in on that side of himself The movie sorely lacked from that dynamic The movie was also quite slow for the first hour or so, which did not work in its own favor It all leads to an undeserving climactic ending with a villain who is not well established and has 3 scenes at most before meeting his demise In the third act fight when McCall takes his final stand against the terrorizers of his town, there is little to no tension because we do no not get to see McCall’s process in taking down the guards posted outside the villain’s safe house The action is limited, but satisfying for the few times we get to experience it The life lessons being taught from Robert McCall are also nowhere to be found thanks to a lack of side characters that we can connect and grow with I understand trying to do something different and make us care about a town as a whole for Robert to watch over, but it just doesn’t work the same as it did in the previous films

All in all, I thought The Equalizer 3 was an okay film But in hindsight I think this is a deeply flawed, and unsatisfying third entry in this franchise I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would and am left feeling disappointed I still believe in Fuqua and his future as a filmmaker.

Release Date | September 8, 2023

Director | Michael Chaves

Distributor | Warner Bros. Pictures

Budget | $38 Million

Another Solid Film in The Conjuring Universe Another Solid Film in The Conjuring Universe

By: Wil Brienza

It is the opinion of most that the first Nun movie was a disappointment to say the least (not as bad on a second watch), but The Nun II was a much better movie and did a great job at instilling fear into its viewers, aka myself From a great opening scene, to jump scares that worked, this installment in The Conjuring Universe is a good movie in my books

Four years after coming face to face with an evil force, Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) finds herself in a religious battle with the same force after a priest in France is brutally murdered

The biggest problem with the first movie is the pacing is atrocious and creates extended periods of yawns This movie did a great job at eliminating that issue. From start to finish, The Nun II was able to captivate your mind. Within all of that, director Michael Chaves created great jump scares along with shots that created tension and fear at every bend. The first two acts of this movie honestly rank high in The Conjuring Universe.

We received another great performance from Farmiga which is just a staple of any great movie in The Conjuring Universe whether it is Taissa or her mother, Vera Farmiga. Jonas Bloquet reprised his role as Maurice and did great as well. I thought he did a better job this movie in creating a character you root for from getting the girl, to making it to the end of the film. Once again, Bonnie Aarons killed it as the Demon Nun (no pun intended) and you honestly couldn’t find someone more perfect for the role. It is a shame hearing everything going down, but hopefully it gets figured out, because this is her role.

The reason for my score not being higher mainly comes from the third act where the movie falls off a bit, but not enough for it not be considered a good movie The ending just became too much for me and Chaves could have dialed it back a bit and probably ended the movie in a better way I also am not sure how I feel about the growl from the Demon Nun, it is kind of odd, but the bloody teeth also add to the look of the character that creates so much fear for many

I was very happy with this film and it is a much better spinoff for a character that I fell in love with in The Conjuring 2 If you are a super fan of The Conjuring Universe, this movie may be hit or miss for you due to the third act, but any fan of horror in general should give The Nun II a watch

I’m Pretty Sure I Need a Third Nun, and I’m Just I’m Pretty Sure I Need a Third Nun, and I’m Just as Struck as you Are as Struck as you Are

By: Kory King

Like most of the world, I did not care for The Nun back in 2018 I thought it was a pretty meandering film that did not execute the mystique of The Conjuring Universe’s big-bad correctly. Though, upon a rewatch, it was a slightly better film than I had remembered, but The Nun II is a WHOLE different story.

I may have liked The Nun II more than I should’ve. The overall film is a very solid horror film. It’s your typical 8/10 horror film, but the opening to this film is such a masterpiece in horror and suspense. It is now EASILY my favorite opening to any of the films in The Conjuring Universe. Quite possibly my favorite opening to any horror film PERIOD. The rest of the movie does a great job of continuing the suspense throughout the film. Even in scenes that I had seen in the trailers already, I was in an immense amount of anxiety due to the context of the scene, in the film. There are some claustrophobic scenes that were impressively directed by Michael Chaves, yet one major problem still remains for me the third act.

Unfortunately, horror movies sometimes feel the desire to turn a horror movie into an action movie There are correct ways to do this and very wrong ways to go about this approach Take the films Nope, Us, Get Out, A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Halloween (1978), The Last Voyage of The Demeter, etc These are all films that are mostly consistent with the tone of the film and are fitting for that very reason Nope does an entire genre change but that’s because it’s less of an alien abduction film and more of a hunt vs hunted film

The Nun II goes from being a suspenseful unholy film that sends chills down your body, to an all-out brawl against a monster-like version of the Nun, and her enforcer Maurice It takes the turn of going from a preacher being hoisted in the air and being burnt alive, to a blow-for-blow fight where physical strength is needed It also gets a little too familiar with the idea of using hidden holy/magic gems to fight off a powerful witch-like character

The acting in the film never really stood out from the main cast, but quite good from Taissa Farmiga, Storm Reid, Jonas Bloquet, and Anna Popplewell. But there is not enough love for Bonnie Aarons who does a fantastic performance as usual. She has one of the most emotive and menacing stares in all of Hollywood. She is a symbol for fear and an excellent casting choice in this role. Hopefully, we will see more from her in the future as the Nun but, due to an unfortunate lawsuit against Warner Discovery Media for using her likeness without consent, this may be a final standing for Aarons’ career in The Conjuring Universe.

If you like horror, and you have an appreciation for getting a good, tense scare, then I highly recommend you give The Nun II a shot. A small problem with the film is it overstates and constantly reminds you of who everyone in the story is. This is usually an insulting maneuver, but after a five-year pause between films, I was glad to be reminded of the first film I say all this to explain that you don’t need the first movie to fit this in under your belt It stands on its own thanks to all involved parties

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Release Date | September 15, 2023

Director | Kenneth Branagh

Distributor | 20th Century Studios

Budget | $60 Million

7/10

A Solid Third Installment in An Average Trilogy A Solid Third Installment in An Average Trilogy

By: Wil Brienza

A Haunting in Venice utilized an added horror element to make it the best film in this trilogy Following Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile doesn’t make it very hard to create a better movie and that was accomplished Not saying the first two movies are bad, but they are above average at best

Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) is now retired and living in Venice when he is convinced to attend a seance at a haunted mansion Soon after the seance one of the guests gets murdered forcing Poirot to do what he does best and find out whodunit

Branagh’s acting has never been the problem in this trilogy, and once again that is showcased. His direction is sometimes questionable, but I think he improved in this installment. The first movie had a solid ending, then the second was very predictable. This movie finally had me questioning whodunit, most of the movie. I also think adding the horror element only made things more interesting. Although it wasn’t super scary, it still created an eerie feeling that enhanced the story. The direction Branagh went in this movie was much better. On top of the direction, the cinematography was gorgeous. Random zoomed out shots of Venice at night were both easy on the eyes and created that eerie feeling mentioned before. The shots would make you want to visit the beautiful city despite the hauntings happening in the movie.

The acting was great In typical fashion a star studded cast was assembled and again the acting was very good I can’t think of any flaws when it came to acting and even want to shoutout the performance from Jude Hill who was incredible as Leopold Ferrier a super mature child, that takes care of his father most of the film I love it when a child can turn in this type of performance, and am excited to see what he does next in his young career

Once again this film doesn’t differ much from the first two in the sense of providing some boring moments In the genre of whodunit it can many times draw some yawns and that is the biggest gripe with this one is it had some moments that felt drawn out and sometimes wasn’t necessary, but is not as bad as the first two movies in this story

This movie met my expectations in the sense that I expected it to be better than the first two but it wasn’t going to be anything ground breaking I was hoping the horror element would create more fear, but at the end of the day it still enhanced the movie If you are a whodunit fan, then of course this is a watch you should make, other than that, give it a chance but it won’t be for everyone.

in Venice is a Massive Improvement in A Haunting in Venice is a Massive Improvement in the Trilogy the Trilogy

By: Kory King

That’s right, I said TRILOGY, SURPRISE!!! This movie is the third installment in a franchise, and I had absolutely no idea it connected (loosely) to Death on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express. The connection to the other films is in the same vein as Blanc from the Knives Out series of films. Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) is the lynchpin of this universe as your run-of-the-mill Sherlock, but the twist is essentially that he is French, has a mustache, and is OCD.

This goes probably without saying but I think Kenneth Branagh is a delight as Hercule Poirot. After the first and second movies in this series, I had no desire to see this character or his adventures continue. But I can now confidently say that I would watch a fourth entry to this series if Branagh still hangs around. He is a charismatic lead who does a fantastic job with the source material given. As a director, I still have my reservations though. I’ll take his directing over your average Hollywood director with no visual style, and no personal flare. Specifically in A Haunting in Venice, Branagh shows a test of strength in this film in the horror-esk scenes. He finds a way to incorporate very suspenseful and eerie imagery into this film I had a personal deep affection for how slow, unsettling, and dreadful the Gondola rides were treated However, the reservations come in when there are simple scenes of characters talking, walking, or just sitting somewhere, and there is an oversaturation of creative cinematography We all have a love for the scene in Black Panther where Erik “Killmonger” Stevens takes the thrown in an engaging camera tilt to symbolize how Wakanda has just been turned on its head by this villainous overtake If they had continued to use that same trick over, and over again, the audience would’ve grown tired of watching the movie over its runtime I love Branagh’s creativity, but I think he could use a small amount of leveling out

In general, I think this film is creative in its approach to mixing a whodunit with a horror classic about a haunted mansion The only problem that I personally faced is that I guessed the ending and the twist within the first ten minutes of the film Maybe that is my fault for looking too deep into the movie, and having expectations that cannot be met I personally have a lot of fondness for the Knives Out series from Rian Johnson, and I need to understand that not every whodunit can be on the same level as those two films. This just isn’t a movie that is going to blow you away with its surprising twists and turns. The only surprise I encountered was the death of Michelle Yeoh’s character at the end of the first act. Which is not something I would label as a “good surprise”. I was quite disappointed to see such a beloved actress, with such a rich and interesting character be shelved so quickly. Still, we are left with a cast of characters that I would still deem as interesting. In particular the two kids who work for Michelle Yeoh’s character, and the father/son duo that have an upside-down relationship that is tragic yet very heartwarming to see.

All in all, if you are looking for something different in a world where repetition is becoming increasingly more common, I suggest you give A Haunting in Venice a chance. I quite enjoyed it and was easily able to move beyond the minor complaints I had in the film.

Dumb Money

Release Date | September 15, 2023

Director | Craig Gillespie

Distributor | Sony Pictures Releasing

I Like that Stock and I Love this Movie I Like that Stock and I Love this Movie

point. With a captivating story, a fantastic cast, great pacing, quotes your sure to repeat to your friends, and did I already mention the cast? Oh I did?.. Oh well! It warrants two shout outs! Dumb Money was a fun movie that will be added to my collection the day it hits the stores shelves.

Keith Gill (Paul Dano) takes a leap and invests his life savings into GameStop and through social media he pushes an enormous following to follow him in investing into the video game retail chain This stock tip creates wealth all around until the rich fight back creating problems for everyone

Let’s start with the obvious the cast I am going to just fanboy over Paul Dano for a minute He is easily a top five favorite actor of mine which was created by his roles in Prisoners, Swiss Army Man, The Batman, and The Fabelmans Let’s just say he doesn’t miss, and that holds true once again When I saw he was the lead, I could have told you this movie would be at least an eight There isn’t much better than him in the game, and he once again brings his role to life and plays quite literally the perfect nerd who is just trying to make it happen for his family Now that we have praised Dano, let’s talk about some others Pete Davidson was fantastic as Kevin Gill, the idiot little brother to Keith, who pushes buttons the whole movie just to deliver great advice The billionaires are played by Seth Rogen, Nick Offerman, and Sebastian Stan who all killed it I am really enjoying Rogen in more serious roles like his role in this and The Fabelmans Don’t get me wrong he provides comedy in both, but compared to his usual film, he is maturing as an actor and it is great.

Another bonus to a cast like this is the quotes usually stick, and that is true for Dumb Money. With little quotes like “diamond hands”, “I like that stock”, and “to the moon”. I have found myself using these quotes daily and don’t see it stopping anytime soon. I even enact diamond hands when I dabble in sports betting, and just let it ride.

This movie was charming, funny, and inspirational all wrapped in one. Craig Gillespie did a great job with the direction of this movie and creates an easy to follow captivating movie for everyone to enjoy. The only gripe I have is the screentime taken from Dano by a couple of the side characters that followed the stock. I enjoyed that aspect, but a little more Dano would have gone a long way with him being the main character in the film. Other than that, this movie has no complaints from me

It doesn’t matter what you are into, you should make time to get out and catch this movie while it is in theaters I myself plan on going again before it leaves, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you wanna catch a second showing after as well!

Dumb Money: A Triumphant Piece of Art Dumb Money: A Triumphant Piece of Art

By: Kory King

Craig Gillespie is a bit of an underrated filmmaker and an unsung hero for me Coming from I, Tonya, Lars and the Real Girl, and Cruella, Gillespie established himself as a solid filmmaker who won’t sacrifice a moment to show you something you haven’t seen before He has a great eye for projects that fit his style, and he is a master at turning crude content into more than just a split moment of comedy. The tone of this film is nostalgic in its lonely, and spine-chilling depiction of the 2020-2021 year. It’s a very quiet film and plays its moments of silence perfectly. Dumb Money reminds me of how Lars and the Real Girl had a way of using a lack of score, to indicate the way the main characters on screen are feeling in those dead-of-night winter moments.

It goes without saying but this cast is incredible. I don’t know how they roped so much talent in for the movie about GameStop’s rise and crash in the 2020 stock market but credit to the crew for bringing them all in. With the likes of Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, America Ferrera, Nick Offerman, Anthony Ramos, Sebastian Stan, Shailene Woodley, Seth Rogan, Vincent D’Onofrio, Dane DeHaan, and Clancy Brown. That’s 90% of the cast in this film altogether. All of them doing fantastic jobs but I must admit I particularly loved Dane Dehaan’s portrayal as the douchebag nothing manager who’s a nerd but is power tripping over his position at a videogame store with zero leeway to give The cast is obviously the main push of this film, but that does not mean that there aren’t other things to love

The score is tonally very fitting, and I appreciate Gillespie again for this because he seems to have some sort of magic touch when it comes to giving composers like Will Bates specific instructions on how to feel, and where the music should go The score is somber, hopeful, and very triumphant when it needs to be, and for a movie about something as subtle as this subject, that can be a hard balance to find Cinematography is not standout in any way but exactly what it should be The Gill family dynamic is relatable and feels quite close to home for a lot of people including me They fight, they love, they act out, and they support each other There is no one word or way to describe any family, and I think that every day complexity is an important note to hit There are moments where the family fights for one minute, and then unanimously choose to grieve together which is not an uncommon feeling in most families

There’s really only one complaint I have throughout the film and that is the focus of the movie. The movie has good pacing and moves at a clip. I was never bored, or confused by the speed at which the film was moving. But there were a few times where I got frustrated with the way the movie was cut up to service so many stories. Dano doesn’t get enough screentime in this film as the main focus and drive for the movement Keith Gill is starting. I liked seeing the other perspectives from the followers of Roaring Kitty. But even though I like this actress, I wish they had cut some of America Ferrra’s story. She takes up way too much screentime and doesn’t add much of a different perspective than the other side stories. I think she’s a fantastic actress, but I think it’s overestimated how much we want to watch these subplots, when Keith is the person, we are all there to see.

Dumb Money is still a beautiful movie, and a morale booster for your week. It absolutely deserves your attention if you have a free afternoon Oh and we like the stock as well

DUMBMONEY|SONYPICTURESRELEASING

Release Date | September 22, 2023

Director | Scott Waugh

Distributor | Lionsgate Films

Budget | $100 Million

I Can’t Believe I Spent $10 to See This I Can’t Believe I Spent $10 to See This

By: Wil Brienza

I don’t even know what to say about this one. Although super cheesy, I did somewhat enjoy the first three movies in this franchise. This fourth one however should have never been made. Aside from some fun action in moments, the rest of this movie is a chore to watch and had me wondering if a refund would have been possible.

After a decision from Lee Christmas (Jason Statham) costs one of the Expendables their life, he is booted from the group. This leads to him taking charge to save the day for the rest of the Expendables.

Alright we will start with the very limited positive notes. First, the action had its moments and created limited fun moments of watching. Statham was very good, and when it comes to acting that was about it. Stallone was solid, but you’ll have to watch and see why that doesn’t really matter. Done, that is it.

Now just about everything else was wrong with this movie The most obvious flaw was the CGI This movie looked horrible, and it wasn’t just at moments it was throughout the entirety of its runtime They obviously have a vendetta against practical effects and the special effects team must have been on vacation when this was being made It was truly a pain to see how bad the CGI was without no improvement at any moment

Another part that was hard to watch was the acting Megan Fox was meh, maybe a cash grab, who really knows Dolph Lundgren might be getting close to having to call it, not that he was terrible, it was just visibly apparent that age is catching up to him, and it honestly leaves you sad. For the rest of the cast they were alright, but nothing was worth writing home about.

I didn’t have super high expectations with it being a fourth installment to an already cheesy franchise, but man this still disappointed. The story was never super exciting, the new characters were meh, the villain sucked, and again it just looked horrible I was truly sad that I didn’t use that $10 on another film If you are a fan of the franchise maybe you will find some redeeming qualities, but anyone who likes movies will see this and probably be just as upset as I was I would not blame if this review kept you from ever seeing this If you really want to see it, wait for streaming!

EXPEND4BLES|LIONSGATEFILMS

I mean... Yeah. Expend4bles Was Nothing Short of I mean... Yeah. Expend4bles Was Nothing Short of Horrific

Horrific

By: Kory King

I do not think I have had this much to say about a film I disliked in a LONG time Especially a film that I have zero connection to In all honesty, I did not watch Expendables 1-3 in preparation I chose to put my energies into some other properties that we’re going to be reviewing here on Movie Mag soon Turns out I made one of the best decisions of my life Eventually, I’ll get to them, but a lot of that depends on if they make a fifth entry into this franchise I find that very unlikely unless the stars themselves put their own money into this franchise

I’m going to start off with a few good things to say For one, the action is pretty decent at times All the explosive stuff ended up washing over me, but the hand-to-hand stuff was good Jason Statham is still doing his usual shtick but for some reason, I still like it He knows exactly who he is, and he’s the best at what he does His chemistry with Stallone is genuinely great and I would watch any movie with these two guys chummin’ it up like best buds Stallone is also the other star of the show obviously, and he does the best anyone could do with what is given Now that those things are out of the way, I suggest not reading the rest of this if you don’t want spoilers Because there are things to actually spoil in this movie. And they’re all really stupid.

I can appreciate a movie taking a chance or a big swing. Even if I don’t like the decision that is being made, I can respect change. But what I despise most is pretending to take a controversial turn and then walking back on your decision. I think it was a dumb idea to kill off Stallone so early in the movie, but I thought it was even dumber to do a forced scene of Stallone’s return to save Statham. I had accepted Stallone’s death in the film and even felt some empathy for Statham’s character. But all that emotion was ripped away by one of the worst “surprise I’m alive” scenes in history. The choice to kill off Statham was another decision that I would have respected at the very least, but the movie took it upon itself to rip that from itself.

The CGI is also God-awful throughout this film I’m always a bit easy on the use of CGI because I personally don’t have any knowledge of what it takes to make the most simple digital creations Giving this film a $100M budget and then wasting it on sub-par talent is embarrassing, to say the least This is a movie that is dedicated to star power and big names Because of this, every other area of this film suffers

The acting by everyone else is also just straight-up terrible Apart from Stallone, and Statham I only liked one other person Tony Jaa is the only other person that isn’t devoid of life, and uninteresting, and he isn’t even in any of the marketing Megan Fox is astoundingly terrible in this I always liked her and thought she was a decent performer but after Expend4bles and Mortal Kombat 1 (2023), I can personally say I am not a fan in the slightest 50 Cent is great in Get Rich or Die Tryin’ so I figured he would be entertaining at the least He has almost nothing to say and when he does speak, he’s also horrendous Dolph Lundgren is also barely in this and proves that he is well past his prime Lundgren is quite unbelievable at this age, finally Randy Couture is almost as annoying as Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran is just as uninteresting as the rest of the team, and Andy Garcia is unfortunately lazy.

Overall, it’s a crap film I don’t like to say things as harsh as that because a lot of people work on these projects for better or for worse But this is utter garbage, and I don’t want you to waste your money and time on a cash grab Almost none of this movie is enjoyable, and I can’t wait to forget it

Release Date | September 29, 2023

Director | Kevin Greutert

Distributor | Lionsgate Films

Budget | $13 Million

A Good Ending for an Iconic Franchise A Good Ending for an Iconic Franchise

By: Wil Brienza

Heading into this film I decided to sit down and binge the first nine Saw movies in a five-day span I couldn’t remember which I had or hadn’t seen, so it was best to watch them all I remember liking them a lot less when I was a little younger but was surprised at how many of the movies in this franchise are enjoyable It got me excited for Saw X and I was not let down I would even put this in my top three movies in the entire franchise

John Kramer (Tobin Bell) suddenly has hope with a newfound operation that could cure his cancer He travels to Mexico with hopes of extending his life just to find out that it is all a con and he was scammed for his money He does what he knows best to bring revenge to the con artists, which provides no cure at all.

Bell turns in another great performance in what has become his lifetime role as Jigsaw. We get to see more screen time in this movie and he shines. Shawnee Smith did a decent job as well, but the de-aging could have been a little better (if this is a prequel). That is a minor gripe, but with the abundance of screen time she gets, it hurts more every time. The supporting cast also did a great job and you even felt for them even after what they did.

The craziest part about this movie is that it makes you feel like everything Kramer does is justified, which yes the people did him wrong, and lots of people at that. It just makes you feel a little gross when you feel that way about what he had done to people throughout this franchise This is mostly due to the great direction from Kevin Greutert who I was very happy to see get another shot at this franchise The fact that he created a story that had you sympathizing for someone with that high of a kill count, truly blew my mind

The traps weren’t anything special, but the gore was turned to 100% This is definitely not for the weak stomached With gallons of blood, intestines used as ropes, and self inflicted brain surgery you are sure to cringe just a little at this film

The pacing was a most of the reason I knocked it a little on my score The beginning is very slow and you catch most of the drift from the trailer (gross) I wish they showed less in the trailer and it might have made the pacing a little better honestly Once the action gets rolling though, it takes off.

Saw fans will probably love this film and I think most horror fans will like it as well. I was very happy with this ending to the franchise and encourage anyone he isn’t squeamish to give it a watch.

Saw X: The Internet Fools Me Again Saw X: The Internet Fools Me Again

By: Kory King

For the five days prior to Saw X, I busted my ass to fit in the first nine films and suffered some brutal consequences. I ended up liking much of the first nine movies to my surprise. I figured it would be like the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise for me. Two or three decent ones, and the rest are mostly pretty fun, but bad. But no, I actually ended up enjoying them all to a decent level. The unfortunate situation I encountered was that my brain started to get overwhelmed with having to spend hours a day watching people be brutally killed, and tortured. It by no means scared me, but my brain just felt dirty after watching so much of the same type of filth. And the pot of gold on the other side of the rainbow was not all that it was cracked up to be thanks to our good friend, the internet. The reviews were raving, and talking about how this is potentially the best Saw film, and how the genre proved itself to still be relevant. I could not disagree more, and my hopes couldn’t have been shattered more.

The acting in general was great I’m covering no new ground but giving credit where it is due Tobin Bell is excellent I’m not even going to dance around this It’s maybe his best performance yet, and I am so glad he got all the screen time that he personally deserves Shawnee Smith puts in a great performance as well for the character of Amanda And Gabriella played by Renata Vaca, might be the supporting character that had my sympathy the most, in this entire franchise I’m a little biased but I also really appreciate the performance by Michael Beach, who is a personal favorite actor of mine I can’t complain about a single performance throughout this entire film But acting is one of very few pieces to this jigsaw puzzle

The story itself was a good idea, but the way in which it plays out is not very satisfying For one, the movie is too slow and too long I like that this film took its time but if you’ve seen the trailers, you know exactly where this movie is heading This is even more frustrating because you have the whole story already, and you have to slog through the first hour And one of my biggest hot takes is that I personally hate how much time this movie is dedicated to focusing on John’s cancer. It’s saddening to watch, and just unsettling to relish in for an hour. In general, I just do not like films that revolve closely around people being deathly ill. It’s not an objective complaint, but it’s just my preference. When the story finally gets moving and the games begin, I also found the traps to be underwhelming overall. They’re brutal at times like with Gabriella, or the janitor at the beginning of the film. But it is an absolute lie to say these traps stand out in any way. It’s just as generic as any other film in the franchise.

My next biggest complaint is the lack of staples in this franchise. There’s only one small scene where Billy the Puppet shows up, there’s only a few people going through the traps, and the twist at the end is so generic and anticipatable. I saw the twist coming from a mile away and most of these movies did a great job tricking me into thinking/believing that I had the story figured out. The only movie more predictable to me was Spiral From the Book of Saw, and I liked Spiral better because even through it isn’t hardly any better, it took a chance on telling a completely different story with some directing style

I do not hate Saw X, but underwhelmed is an understatement I wouldn’t be mad if the franchise ended here, but it did leave a bit of a sour taste in my mouth

SAWX|LIONSGATEFILMS

I Just Hope This Film Isn’t Foreshadowing Our Future I Just Hope This Film Isn’t Foreshadowing Our Future

they do for the

majority. The Creator is an example of that. It seems to be doing really well and all the buzz around it is positive, and I agree it is a good movie, but for me it was just good. With great performances across the board, a captivating world created by Gareth Edwards, and a story that is incredibly current, this movie will be loved by many.

As a war between humans and Artificial Intelligence is going on former special agent, Joshua (John David Washington) is tasked with finding and killing the creator of AI who has created a super weapon that can destroy mankind. They soon find out that the super weapon is AI in the form of a little girl

This movie is gorgeous The world Edwards created is astonishing and it leaves you captivated at a visual masterpiece The story is also very good and with the premise being around AI which is very current in our world right now, it almost scares me seeing what could be if we continue to develop AI Hopefully this is something after I am long gone, but you never know However, this movie does a really good job at showing that this could become a reality

Washington does a very good job portraying emotion throughout this entire film along with Madaleine Yuna Voyles who also tugs hard on the heart strings in this one A phenomenal performance from both leaves them deserving of some hardware come award season next year

Hans Zimmer did a great job once again, but are we surprised? The score was very good which is crazy considering it isn’t one of my favorites from Zimmer. Goes to show the talent that man possesses when it comes to scoring movies.

What knocked it a bit for me was the runtime. This movie felt long and at moments to me it dragged. I thought a good 15 minutes probably could have been cut out and it still could have delivered. The story albeit very good, had moments where it just wasn’t for me, and yes that is subjective, but hey this is my review. This objectively is a very good movie, but again the genre sometimes doesn’t hit home for me like it does for others.

With that being said, I still fully recommend any movie or Sci-Fi fan takes the time to catch this on the big screen. It is not a movie you wait to see on streaming, the theater experience is worthwhile. Don’t ask me to buy your ticket though.

The Creator is Science Fiction at its Best The Creator is Science Fiction at its Best

By: Kory King

As a massive fan of the Sci-Fi genre, I can confidently say that The Creator is one of the best Sci-Fi flicks I have seen in recent years Gareth Edwards goes all out with an expansive world that has a lot of implied lore that doesn’t take a real cinephile to figure out It’s a sad futuristic earth that is haunted by the continuing war that plagues the mind of the average citizen on earth It feels almost Watchmen-esk in the way that both sides of the war have an increased feeling of dread for the end of the world in which they now know it Edwards puts you through a test of humanity to see if you can change your own bias and viewpoint of Artificial Intelligence

There is a very clear message about what makes a soul, a soul. We are in the middle of a powder keg with the writers’ strike recently ending, and a lot of the focus for that strike was to end AI taking the jobs of real human writers with emotions and not algorithms. The timing of this movie coming out could not be any crazier.

John David Washington is easily one of my top three working actors to date, so I don’t think it’s going to shock anyone when I say that he is an incredible actor in this. He turns in such an emotional performance and has a clear understanding of how to take the script and put his own personality to it. This may be one of the rawest performances for the actor, I have ever seen. Crazily enough though, Washington doesn’t get the award of best performance. That honor belongs to Madeleine Yuna Voyles who plays Alphie. Voyles puts in the single best performance for a child actor that I have seen in my life This young girl needs to be in contention for best actress and should win Voyles almost had me in tears three different times I cannot sing her praises any higher Great performances from Gemma Chan and Ken Watanabe as well in supporting roles but I don’t think that is a surprise to anyone

The movie also sounds amazing Hans Zimmer did the score which I did not know until the day of the film Giving him praise for a score is no different than giving a director like Scorsese praise for one of his films If you hire Zimmer, then you’re getting the best of the best Very somber and Blade Runner (not surprising considering he did the score for Blade Runner 2049) sounding music, mixed with beautiful Asian strings and woodwind instruments that combine with the future tech synth sound The sound design is also nothing short of immaculate The sound of every different robotic motion has a distinct sound that almost combines sounds from movies like War of the Worlds, District 9, and Transformers This is the best type of film to experience if you’re looking for a new wide world to experience

The last thing I really need to talk about is the look of this film. Greg Frasier produced, and worked as the cinematographer so it’s no coincidence that I spent the whole movie being reminded of Dune, Rogue One, and Blade Runner. Frasier has an excellent eye and is the best to do it since Sir Roger Deakins. The entire film’s color palate is also amazing. If you’ve seen Rogue One, then you’re destined to recognize the look of this film. There are also a lot of video game inspirations I feel, thanks to the Jedi Fallen/Halo/Destiny reminiscent set design. Combining beautiful golden and white space metals, with the sweeping softness of the forest in Asia.

The Creator is a world I loved living in, and I think it would be a shame for you to miss a real treat from Gareth Edwards. If you watch the film and feel nothing after reading this review, send me your receipt and I will personally pay for your ticket.

Artist Spotlight Artist Spotlight

NAME

HOMETOWN BIRTHDATE

Alice

Cambridge, OH

July 21st

FAVORITE GENRE

FAVORITE MOVIE

FAVORITE DIRECTOR

FAVORITE STAR

FAVORITE ART STYLE

ART AMBITIONS

Horror/Psychological Thriller

Last Shift (2014)

Hayao Miyazaki

Gary Oldman/Meryl Streep

Art Nouveau

Perfecting my art style and tattooing/creating

My inspiration is wanting to create art that art pieces based on old tales and mythologies.

ART INSPIRATION

helps people feel beautiful and confident with their bodies, it’ s like magic in real time. To make art that flows with life and color and hidden secrets that only you as an individual would know. I’ m inspired everyday by the wonderful tattoo artists at Open eyes for inspiring and believing in my art as well.

The Conjuri The Conjurin

Wil’s Rankings Wil’s Rankings

The Conjuring 2 (2016)

The Conjuring (2013)

Annabelle: Creation (2017)

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me... (2021)

Annabelle (2014)

The Nun II (2023)

The Curse of La Llorona (2019)

The Nun (2018)

Annabelle Comes Home (2019)

ng Universe ng Universe

Kory’s Rankings Kory’s Rankings

The Conjuring 2 (2016)

The Conjuring (2013)

The Nun II (2023)

The Conjuring: The Devil Made... (2021)

Annabelle: Creation (2017)

Annabelle (2014)

The Nun (2018)

The Curse of La Llorona (2019)

Annabelle Comes Homes (2019)

The Saw The Saw

Wil’s Rankings Wil’s Rankings

Spiral (2021)

Saw (2004)

Saw X (2023)

Jigsaw (2017)

Saw II (2005)

Saw III (2006)

Saw VI (2009)

Saw V (2008)

Saw IV (2007)

Saw 3D (2010)

Franchise Franchise

Kory’s Rankings Kory’s Rankings

Saw II (2005)

Saw (2004)

Saw III (2006)

Jigsaw (2017)

Saw 3D (2010)

Saw VI (2009)

Saw IV (2007)

Spiral (2021)

Saw X (2023)

Saw V (2008)

The Picks Are In! The Picks Are In!

Best Picture

Best Actor

Best Actress

Best Director

Best Music

Best Cinematography

Worst Performance

Worst Picture

Dumb Money Dumb Money

The Creator The Creator

Paul Dano Paul Dano as Keith Gill as Keith Gill

Rachel Sennott Rachel Sennott as PJ as PJ

Craig Gillespie Craig Gillespie

Dumb Money Dumb Money Bottoms Bottoms

Tobin Bell Tobin Bell as John Kramer as John Kramer

The Creator The Creator

Megan Fox Megan Fox as Gina as Gina

Madeleine Yuna Voyles

Madeleine Yuna Voyles as Alfie as Alfie

Gareth Edwards Gareth Edwards

The Creator The Creator

The Creator The Creator

The Creator The Creator

Megan Fox Megan Fox as Gina as Gina

cinematic cinematic history! history!

Time to celebrate films released in October!

20 20th th

School of Rock School of Rock

October 3rd, 2003 October 3rd, 2003

20 20th th

SCHOOLOFROCK|PARAMOUNTPICTURES

His methods are unusual. His approach is unique. But his curriculum rocks!

Lost in Translation Lost in Translation

October 3rd, 2003 October 3rd, 2003

Sometimes you have to go halfway around the world to come full circle.

20 20th th

30 30th th 30 30th th

Kill Bill: Volume 1 Kill Bill: Volume 1

October 10th, 2003 October 10th, 2003

Here comes the bride.

Rudy Rudy

October 22nd, 1993 October 22nd, 1993

45 45th th

RUDY|TRISTARPICTURES

The Nightmare Before Christmas The Nightmare Before Christmas

October 29th, 1993 October 29th, 1993

It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog. In this town of Halloween!

Halloween Halloween

October 27th, 1978 October 27th, 1978

Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday!

... to you!

October 3rd October 3rd

Happy 50th Birthday, Neve Campbell!

Scream (1996), The Craft (1996), Scream 2 (1997)

October 5th October 5th

Happy 40th Birthday, Jesse Eisenberg!

Zombieland (2009), The Social Network (2010), Vivarium (2019)

October 8th October 8th

Happy 80th Birthday, Chevy Chase!

Caddyshack (1980), Fletch (1985), National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

October 12th October 12th

Happy 55th Birthday, Hugh Jackman!

Prisoners (2013), Logan (2017), The Greatest Showman (2017)

October 22nd October 22nd

Happy 85th Birthday, Christopher Lloyd!

Back to the Future (1985), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), The Addams Family (1991)

SCREAM|DIMENSIONFILMS

THESOCIALNETWORK|SONYPICTURESRELEASING

CADDYSHACK|WARNERBROS.PICTURES

PRISONERS|WARNERBROS.PICTURES

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rip michael gambon 1940-2023