The Black Phone (2022) 🎬 →

Last night, as part of our family Halloween tradition whereby: my sister-in-law comes over for dinner, we make pizza, collectively hand out candy, and watch a movie— we decided to watch The Black Phone (2022).

In the past five years, we've struck out on movie picks more often than we've won. The selections have been so bad that I can't recall any of the titles, except Hocus Pocus (1993), which remains as disappointing now as it was when first released.

Needless to say, I wasn't feeling too optimistic about The Black Phone. But when it comes to horror films, I'm willing to give anything a go just to see if a 'diamond in the rough' can be found.

The film centered on a typical trope— someone is kidnapped and tries multiple different ways to escape. The delivery was okay, though I would have preferred Wes Craven's approach in The People Under the Stairs (1991). However, I wouldn't have much luck convincing my family to take in that classic.

As someone who likes to live in reality most of the time, the idea of random phone calls coming through a disconnected landline phone is a stretch, but I was willing to play along. I figured any movie centered on phone conversations couldn't be as bad as Cellular (2004) or The Call (2013)— both films so forgettable they don't deserve mention.

What I enjoyed most was Ethan Hawke's portrayal of the antagonist, The Grabber, and to a lesser extent, James Ransone's performance as The Grabber's brother. These characters brought entertainment value while building some foundation for understanding what drives people to kidnap and abuse. While their screen time wasn't nearly enough compared to that of the protagonist, Finney (Mason Thames), they brought humor and complexity to what felt like an otherwise blasé cast of characters.

Had I been able to get behind the supernatural elements, I likely would have enjoyed it much more. Additionally, fewer interruptions from candy-seeking trick-or-treaters might have helped me invest more deeply in the characters and their interactions.

With all that said, I wasn't completely disappointed.

The First Omen (2024) 🎬 →

We’re not big on the horror genre in my household, and there are a few reasons why. Horror films often have plot holes, weak performances, and stories that lack any real connection to reality. Still, around Halloween, we like to step outside our comfort zone and give a couple of films a chance to change our minds.

The other night, we watched The First Omen (2024) on Netflix. We chose it because the reviews were better than the other suggestions we had to work with.

While it wasn’t the worst movie we’ve seen, it didn’t quite hit the mark. Some flashbacks and dreams could have been developed more, and the connections to The Omen (1976) weren’t clear enough for those of us unfamiliar with the original. Key relationships critical to the plot also needed more attention to make the story work.

We won’t be watching this one again, but oddly enough, it piqued our interest in the 1976 original. Something about it caught our attention, though I can’t quite put my finger on what.

Will & Harper (2024) 🎬 →

Warm and heartfelt, but in the end, it left me wanting more. With Will Ferrell involved, I expected more humour, and from both characters, I hoped for a deeper dive into their journey—especially Harper’s feelings about their transition. I thought the film would explore their relationship more fully, but that never quite happened. I wanted it to be better than it was.

That said, there’s nothing wrong with it, and I’m sure many found it more engaging than I did. But for me, Will & Harper (2024) was just fine.

Mile 22 (2018) 🎬 →

Watched on a whim, Mile 22 (2018) was better than I was expecting for a recent Mark Wahlberg flick. Although I should have saw the end-of-film plot twist from a mile away— all of the signs were clearly there in hindsight, I appreciated that the "good guys" did not win in this spy action flick. Not a movie I am likely to re-watch in the future, it was a decent "turn the brain off" watch.