{"id":2434,"date":"2025-09-18T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/?p=2434"},"modified":"2025-09-17T21:09:36","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T21:09:36","slug":"movies-with-the-doomsayer-june-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/18\/movies-with-the-doomsayer-june-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Movies with the Doomsayer &#8211; June 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Blockbusters, horror and queer films, oh my.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"660\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/friendship-movie-2025-art.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2437\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/friendship-movie-2025-art.jpg 660w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/friendship-movie-2025-art-300x114.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>Friendship<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>HEAR YE!!!\u00a0 HEAR YE!!!\u00a0 A confession for you, my loyalest of followers.\u00a0 I am most certainly a fan of Tim Robinson and his sketch comedy, <em>I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson.<\/em>\u00a0 I cannot stop the grin from worming its way onto my face when I watch Tim in the most uncomfortable situations.\u00a0 So naturally, why not just make one of those scenes into a movie.\u00a0 String together a handful of sketches with a loose fitting plot; throw in a charismatic and equally funny Paul Rudd in for good measure.\u00a0 You have yourself the ingredients for comedy gold.\u00a0 Well, my loyal followers, sometimes the idea you put down on paper, doesn\u2019t always pan out.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The main plot running through <em>Friendship<\/em> is Craig, played by Tim Robinson, meets Austin, played by Paul Rudd, when returning a package for Austin that was mistakenly dropped off at his house.&nbsp; The two oddly hit it off and a friendship starts to form.&nbsp; However, the friendship falls apart when Craig takes some rough housing too seriously during a boy&#8217;s night.&nbsp; From that moment, Craig is desperate to do anything to win Austin back. From showing up at Austin\u2019s work to stealing a gun from his house, Craig starts sinking into deeper and more vain acts just to get Austin\u2019s attention.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The film oscillates back and forth from being awkward, to funny, back to awkward and finally just sad.\u00a0 It definitely felt as if a <em>I Think You Should Leave<\/em> sketch going on far past the punchline.\u00a0 Imagine a bunch of those sketches strung together, leading to someone having the worst day possible.\u00a0 They are fired from their hot dog salesman position because they drove the hot-dog-shaped van, into a store.\u00a0 Then, he tries to get a pay-it-forward chain going because he\u2019s out of a job with no cash to his name.\u00a0 Finally, he comes home to learn his girlfriend left him because he spent too much time on the zip line during their last date.\u00a0 Isolated, these incidents have great comedic elements to them; string them together, and you start to feel guilty for the universe\u2019s metaphorical chew toy.\u00a0 I applaud Robinson for taking the leap to the big screen, but <em>Friendship <\/em>is not something I would show to someone I call a friend.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/FDB-1024x538.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2438\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/FDB-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/FDB-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/FDB-768x403.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/FDB.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>Final Destination: Bloodlines<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a card-carrying millennial, I am aware of the infamous logging death scene in <em>Final Destination 2, <\/em>and it convinced a whole generation to avoid driving behind logging trucks.\u00a0 Despite this knowledge, I never saw this 2003 thriller nor the other films in the series.\u00a0 Fortunately, the recent <em>Final Destination Bloodline<\/em>, has given me an opportunity to taste what this series has to offer.\u00a0 The film focuses on intergenerational trauma, that felt more fitting than the shoehorned trauma in <em>Thunderbolts<\/em>.\u00a0 The family&#8217;s grandma survived a <em>Final Destination<\/em> experience and basically became a doom preper.\u00a0 Anxiety took over as she was constantly worried death would come for her kids.\u00a0 So with death metaphorically knocking at the door, the family has to learn that you\u2019re not living if you\u2019re constantly worried about death.\u00a0 While not a traditional horror film, the suspense filled nature of watching a Rube Goldberg machine arm itself and then spring to life in a gory fashion was satisfying to watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My one complaint of the movie is that the dialogue feels a little off.\u00a0 I have been noticing this in movies like the <em>Scream<\/em> reboot, <em>Heart Eyes<\/em>, and now <em>Final Destination Bloodlines<\/em>.\u00a0 The way all the characters speaks feels like there is no conflict amongst each other. One of the characters in <em>Final Destination Bloodlines<\/em> said she was mad at the main character for visiting their grandmother, but the way she said it made it feel like she could forgive her at any moment.\u00a0 It feels like this weird millennial\/gen z hybrid where everyone loves everyone even when there is friction between them.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a dealbreaker, but it is something I have noticed.\u00a0 I am sure if I watched a ton of films from the 90s and the 00s, I would notice weird dialogue trends amongst them as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Overall, solid film and one that makes me interested in exploring the rest of the series.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"722\" height=\"342\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Dogma-1999-Movie-Poster.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2439\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Dogma-1999-Movie-Poster.jpg 722w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Dogma-1999-Movie-Poster-300x142.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 722px) 100vw, 722px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>Dogma (1999)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whoever is responsible for this movie being locked away, Blu-rays being rare and being cast out from streaming deserves to burn in the pits of hell.\u00a0 For those unaware of Kevin Smith\u2019s masterpiece, <em>Dogma<\/em> is a film about Bethany, a woman suffering a crisis of faith, tasked with preventing two angels from entering a church and undoing reality.\u00a0 Along the way, she forms a rag tag team consisting of Jay and Silent Bob, the 13th apostle and a muse.\u00a0 The brilliance of the film, is in Smith\u2019s expertise in balancing the satire and deep philosophical conversations about religion.\u00a0 It expertly pokes fun at the gaudy overindulgent churches that has become the Catholicism brand, but is still able to have an open and honest conversation about why people drawn to go to church.\u00a0 You can feel Smith torn between wanting to have faith, but struggling to get past the ugliness that religion has morphed into.\u00a0 Something, I imagine, many struggle with as faith has been used a weapon to divide and control us.\u00a0 This is easily my favorite film about religion, and I think anyone who has walked away from Catholicism should check out.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"940\" height=\"528\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/28DL.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/28DL.png 940w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/28DL-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/28DL-768x431.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>28 Days Later (2002)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As I stand atop my soapbox in the year of 2025, I think we can thoroughly agree that the zombie genre has run its course.\u00a0 Zombies serve to push a handful of well written characters into life or death situations.\u00a0 With the new zombie film, <em>28 Years Later,<\/em> peering over the horizon, I felt it was a good opportunity to go back to where the series started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now before you shout me down from my soapbox, I know the series claims that these aren\u2019t zombies, but infected.\u00a0 I certainly enjoyed watching the opening scene where a chimp with the rage virus attacks and creates patient zero, but at the end of the day, these infected are no different from zombies.\u00a0 Semantics aside, I am not sure if <em>28 Days Later<\/em> was the first zombie film to laser focus on the struggles of the remaining survivors, but it does a damn good job of it.\u00a0 As the rag tag group of Jim, Selena, Frank and Hannah work together to make their way across infected London, I became deeply invested in their survival.\u00a0 The moment where one of them becomes infected and begins screaming at them to get away before being shot, tore my heart asunder; despite being a common zombie film trope.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the torrent of zombie films over the years, I can see how someone might consider this derivative.\u00a0 However, considering how this film walked, so many more zombie films can run, I believe <em>28 Days Later<\/em> should be held up as a great amongst the genre.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"686\" height=\"386\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/hq720.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2441\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/hq720.jpg 686w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/hq720-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 686px) 100vw, 686px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>Bound (1996)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>HEAR YE!!!\u00a0 HEAR YE!!!\u00a0 I always find it fascinating when two unlikely genres are smashed together to create something unique.\u00a0 <em>Bound<\/em>, for example, is a mob movie intermixed with a lesbian love story. \u00a0 Much like many forms of fusion food, it sounds like it wouldn\u2019t work, but somehow does.\u00a0 Our story revolves around Corky, played by Gina Gershon, an ex-con who moves into an apartment building next to a big time gangster.\u00a0 A fling between her and the mobster\u2019s girlfriend, Violet, played by Jennifer Tilly, forms and the two hatch a plan to steal some money from her mobster boyfriend, Caesar, played by Joe Pantoliano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While scenes such as Corky and Violet making love might feel out of place next to Caesar having a sit down with the crime family, it\u2019s the strong writing that ties this movie together.\u00a0 Every character is well-defined and adapt at playing their cards close to their chest.\u00a0 Yes, Corky and Violet are trying to work together, but the feeling Violet might have seduced her and will sell her out the moment the plan goes sideways is always ever present.\u00a0 It\u2019s akin to watching a tense high stakes game of poker; I was on the edge of my seat the entire film.\u00a0 There\u2019s no doubt the writers and directors behind this film will go one to do great things.\u00a0 Who are the writers\/directors, you ask?\u00a0 Lily and Lana Wachowski, of course.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"970\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/207b3bb6-b477-4586-ad26-04b06e347b3e.__CR00970600_PT0_SX970_V1___.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2442\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/207b3bb6-b477-4586-ad26-04b06e347b3e.__CR00970600_PT0_SX970_V1___.png 970w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/207b3bb6-b477-4586-ad26-04b06e347b3e.__CR00970600_PT0_SX970_V1___-300x186.png 300w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/207b3bb6-b477-4586-ad26-04b06e347b3e.__CR00970600_PT0_SX970_V1___-768x475.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 970px) 100vw, 970px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>Dangerous Animals<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have the itch that can only be scratched with a summer shark film, then do I have the movie for you.\u00a0 MY LOYAL FOLLOWERS, MAY I PRESENT <em>DANGEROUS ANIMALS.\u00a0 <\/em>Our film revolves around Zephyr, a free spirited surfer who has a run in with a serial killer named, Bruce Tucker.\u00a0 Bruce, played by Jai Country, is mesmerized by the shark in a way that only Steve Irwin can match.\u00a0 He waxes poetically about how sharks are a perfectly engineered killing machine, and gets off on kidnapping tourists to feed to the sharks.\u00a0 A sharp blend of serial killer and shark monster movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alas, the devil is in the details on this one.\u00a0 Early on, Zephyr meets a guy and they hit it off.\u00a0 She ends up ghosting him in the fear of losing her independence.\u00a0 Bruce even recognizes her drive and solidarity, comparing both himself and her to the predatorial beasts that he greatly admires.\u00a0 These details might be overlooked by audience members who just want to watch Bruce feed people to sharks, but these elements allow the film to avoid being labeled just another generic horror film.\u00a0 Much like <em>Abigail<\/em>, these characteristics help flesh other Zephyr, Bruce and the rest of the cast into real people, thus we become invested in their survival.\u00a0 Sadly, it\u2019s an overlooked part of horror films, even to this day.\u00a0 Alas, <em>Dangerous Animals<\/em>, is able to avoid the jaws of the mediocre film beast with its gory shark attacks and sharp writing.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/BHB.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2443\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/BHB.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/BHB-300x171.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>Bring Her Back<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>HEAR YE!!!\u00a0 HEAR YE!!! PRAISE BE MY LOYAL FOLLOWERS!!!\u00a0 The Philippou brothers, the brothers behind the brilliant <em>Talk to Me,<\/em> have released a new movie: <em>Bring Her Back.<\/em>\u00a0 This film is about a brother and her blind sister going to live with a new foster mother after the sudden death of their father.\u00a0 At first, the foster mother Laura, played by Sally Hawkings, appears nice, but slowly begins giving unsettling signs.\u00a0 Including fostering a young boy named Oliver, who checks off all the boxes in the classic creepy kid stereotype.\u00a0 Yes, unfortunately, my loyal followers, I don\u2019t think <em>Bring Her Back <\/em>reaches the heights of <em>Talk to Me<\/em>.\u00a0 I certainly respect the film for being a dive into grief and pondering just how far you will go to bring a loved one back.\u00a0 However, the movie is rather predictable.\u00a0 Laura mentions early that her deceased daughter was also blind, and makes it very clear that she only wanted to foster the sister.\u00a0 The pieces fall into place rather quickly, and films where I can see where the final act is building to, struggle to hold my attention.\u00a0 I am not ready to write off the Philippou brother\u2019s just yet, nor will I say <em>Bring Her Back<\/em> was a bad film.\u00a0 I do, however, hope they can put the time into a story on par with <em>Talk to Me<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/p1820_v_h8_ag-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2444\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/p1820_v_h8_ag-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/p1820_v_h8_ag-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/p1820_v_h8_ag-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/p1820_v_h8_ag.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>Friday the 13th (1980)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you told a marketing expert, that you didn\u2019t want your slasher icon to show up in the first film, they would turn white as a ghost.\u00a0 With the 13th of June landing on a Friday, what better time to watch the films that gave birth to the infamous hockey mask wearing slasher: <em>Friday the 13th.\u00a0 <\/em>With this being my first time with the film, I was unaware that Jason would only show up at the end and his mother would more or less be the star of the show.\u00a0 Even without Jason, the film is well paced, giving us a drip feed of teens slashed to bits.\u00a0 Sure, the gore in this film looks dated by today\u2019s standards.\u00a0 However, when you&#8217;re nearly old enough to be the Homeland Security Secretary, you can\u2019t help it when your face, er\u2026 I mean, effects, start to look droopy.\u00a0 Overall, <em>Friday the 13th<\/em> is still a solid 80s slasher flick.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/PhoenicianScheme-1024x576-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2445\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/PhoenicianScheme-1024x576-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/PhoenicianScheme-1024x576-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/PhoenicianScheme-1024x576-1-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>The Phoenician Scheme<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My loyal followers, if the fate of the world depended on me guessing what films belong to a specific director: I would pick Wes Anderson.\u00a0 From the peculiar way the camera moves to the quirky obtuse characters, no other filmmaker is so consistently on brand than Wes Anderson.\u00a0 Some love it, other loath it.\u00a0 I find his films to be a great palette cleanser after watching nothing but bog-standard action films.\u00a0 The metaphorical vegetables pairing with deserts, but vegetables that have been cooked and seasoned to perfection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today\u2019s helping from Anderson is <em>The Phoenician Scheme, <\/em>a film about wealthy entrepreneur Zsa-Zsa Korda, played by Benicio del Toro, trying to complete his one last financial project: a massive infrastructure project in the Phoenician.\u00a0 During this time, he is also trying to convince his an estranged daughter, who became a nun, to be the sole heir to his estate.\u00a0 I find myself thinking fondly on this film, as it seems to minimize the head scratching moments and focus on the relationship between Zsa-Zsa and his daughter, Liesl, played by Mia Therapleton.\u00a0 Fear not, fans of Anderson\u2019s quirkiness, Anderson has included many of his trademark oddball characters, including Michael Cera as an entomologist.\u00a0 I do feel, with the almost scaled down nature, this might be the best entry point into Anderson\u2019s catalog.\u00a0 If you have been dining on nothing but the film equivalent of ice cream, I do implore you to give this rich helping of steamed vegetables a try.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"952\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/28WL.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2446\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/28WL.png 952w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/28WL-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/28WL-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 952px) 100vw, 952px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>28 Weeks Later (2007)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many of the things I praised about 28 Days Later carry over to this sequel, despite having a different writer\/director team.\u00a0 The focus is on the people and what they do in these stressful moments.\u00a0 In the case of Don, he chooses to run rather than save his wife Alice.\u00a0 Assuming she didn\u2019t survive the encounter, Don is stunned when his kids discover her still alive.\u00a0 It begs us to question our own morals in these desperate times.\u00a0 Yet, the film is still able to shed some light, showcasing the heroics of one Sergeant Doyle, played by Jeremy Renner, with one of the most bone-chilling sacrifices I have seen in a film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, my loyal followers, I am not someone who likes to nitpick plot details.\u00a0 If I can understand the characters and their motives, and the ride is enjoyable enough, I won\u2019t really care if the hero or villain\u2019s plans are stupid.\u00a0 The internet has raged on about Thanos\u2019s plans in <em>Avengers: Infinity Wars.\u00a0 <\/em>Yet, it doesn\u2019t matter if his plan just kicks the can down the road, he truly believed it was the only option.\u00a0 With that in mind, the US Army\u2019s emergency quarantine plan is horrendous if one lone infected can just waltz in.\u00a0 How is that entrance not covered?\u00a0 I understand they need to spread the infection and create chaos in the base, but with how well written everything else is, this one detail feels incredibly lazy.\u00a0 Nonetheless, I still think this film belongs in the upper echelon of zombie films.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MITFR-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2447\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MITFR-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MITFR-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MITFR-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MITFR.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>Mission Impossible &#8211; The Final Reckoning<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think Tom Cruise needs more credit when it comes to consistently making action films with smooth as butter pacing.\u00a0 With <em>Mission Impossible &#8211; The Final Reckoning <\/em>being the final in the series, it would have been easy for the film to morph into a string of references and cameos.\u00a0 Or even worse, become obsessed with its own lore; looking at you <em>Fast and Furious X<\/em>.\u00a0 Fortunately, as soon as the film starts to feel the weight of a scene dragging too long, it immediately throws Cruise into an action set piece.\u00a0 The film doesn\u2019t even have time to give the world-destroying AI a name other than the Entity; a name, that I would not be surprised, was initially just a placeholder name and the writers forgot to change it.\u00a0 Despite my friendly jabs, I did walk out of the theater satisfied with the film.\u00a0 I won\u2019t say this is the best <em>Mission Impossible,<\/em> nor any particular scene belongs in a top ten <em>Mission Impossible<\/em> stunts list.\u00a0 Yet, this is a solid send off to the franchise from Cruise and his team.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"582\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/the-life-of-chuck-1024x582.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2448\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/the-life-of-chuck-1024x582.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/the-life-of-chuck-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/the-life-of-chuck-768x437.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/the-life-of-chuck.jpg 1458w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>The Life of Chuck<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I think about nihilism, I often think about that <em>Rick and Morty <\/em>quote: nothing matters, come watch TV.\u00a0 Occasionally, a movie will come along that wants to scream that\u2019s bullshit to the fictional fourteen-year-old character, and tell them life does matter.\u00a0 <em>The Life of Chuck,<\/em> my loyal followers, is one of those movies.\u00a0 A story about a man who has, an unfortunately short life, but is able to make it matter.\u00a0 Simply by being unafraid to enjoy the simpler things, like dancing.\u00a0 Director Mike Flanagan said in an interview that out of all the films he had worked on, this is the one he was most proud of, and I can certainly see why.\u00a0 In an age, where it is so easy to fall into the red pill nihilism that <em>Rick and Morty<\/em> has festered in, <em>The Life of Chuck <\/em>stands as a brilliant remedy to all of it.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1200x675-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2449\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1200x675-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1200x675-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1200x675-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>HEAR YE!!!\u00a0 HEAR YE FILMMAKERS!!!\u00a0 The easiest way to get me atop my soapbox and cry out to the masses to see your movie, is to include some raw, unfiltered rock and roll in your film.\u00a0 My heart is one of a rock n\u2019 roll drummer, keeping the organs of this old Doomsayer beating in sync.\u00a0 So when I was presented with the rock opera <em>Hedwig and the Angry Inch, <\/em>I couldn\u2019t help raise up my hands in the shape of the devil horns and head bang throughout the whole film.\u00a0 The film revolves around Hedwig; a queer punk rocker who travels from East Berlin to the US.\u00a0 There she meets Tommy Gnosis and they become lovers and bandmates.\u00a0 Unfortunately, Tommy ends up stealing all of Hedwig\u2019s songs, forcing her to rebuild herself in a Midwestern tour.\u00a0 With scenes including a bandmate attacking an audience member for calling Hedwig a freak, I couldn\u2019t help but feel like <em>Hedwig and the Angry Inch <\/em>was one of the most punk rock films I had ever seen.\u00a0 With the world on the brink of destruction, some punk rock that\u2019s unafraid to be true to who they are, is definitely what we need right now.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"814\" height=\"440\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/28YL.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/28YL.png 814w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/28YL-300x162.png 300w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/28YL-768x415.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 814px) 100vw, 814px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>28 Years Later<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you were hoping for a mindless zombie film, then congratulations, you got your wish.\u00a0 As someone who is invested in the art of storytelling, it was disappointing to watch this film.\u00a0 <em>28 Years Later <\/em>is two stories fused into one, and they both clash with each other like oil and water.\u00a0 The film revolves around Spike, a young teen who lives in an isolated community.\u00a0 The first half of the film show us Spike\u2019s Dad taking him on a hunt in the mainland, a forging expedition.\u00a0 During these scenes, the film makes it painfully clear that Spike is not only scared of the infected, but uncomfortable with killing them.\u00a0 He has multiple opportunities to kill infected that are basically pinned down, and hesitates twice in one day.\u00a0 When a pack of infected even attack Spike and his father, he is unable to provide any support and is frozen in fear as his Dad deals with their assailants.\u00a0 My grievances do not stem from being a terrible hunter; it\u2019s what the second half of the film tries to convince us of, that rubs me the wrong way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After returning from this hunt, Spike decides he is going to take his terminally ill mother into the mainland in the hopes of finding her a doctor.\u00a0 The film asks us to forget the previous day when Spike struggled to draw his bow on an infected suspended upside down, and believe he can escort a woman who can barely stand on her own into the infected riddled mainland.\u00a0 This is what people talk about when they refer to a Mary Sue character.\u00a0 If you want to show us an inexperienced Spike slowly gaining the confidence to survive, then I welcome it.\u00a0 If you want to show us an experienced Spike taking on the burden of caring for his mother in hostile territory, then I welcome that story as well.\u00a0 What I will not tolerate is the idea that these two stories happen mere hours between each other.\u00a0 Combined with the almost comical ending makes me thoroughly uninterested in <em>28 Years Later 2<\/em>.\u00a0 I will certainly be weary of watching future Danny Boyle films.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/f1-the-movie-2025-06-28-11-45-08-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2451\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/f1-the-movie-2025-06-28-11-45-08-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/f1-the-movie-2025-06-28-11-45-08-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/f1-the-movie-2025-06-28-11-45-08-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/f1-the-movie-2025-06-28-11-45-08.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>F1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My loyal followers, sometimes you don\u2019t need to reinvent the wheel; you just need to polish it to a mirror shine.\u00a0 <em>F1 <\/em>pledges itself to this philosophy entirely.\u00a0 Anyone who has seen a handful of racing films will most likely recognize the various story beats the film employs.\u00a0 Brad Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, the aging driver who is pulled back into F1 when his long time friend Ruben, played by Javier Bardem, asks him to join his F1 team to assist his young prodigy.\u00a0 Sonny must get back into the swing of racing Formula 1 with hot shot rookie Joshua Pearce, played by Damson Idris, determined to not be outshined by Sonny.\u00a0 From that description alone, you can see elements from <em>Days of Thunder<\/em> and <em>Cars 3<\/em>.\u00a0 However, the eye is in the detail.\u00a0 Not only is director Joseph Kosinski using every camera trick he learned from <em>Top Gun: Maverick<\/em>, but the script is working overtime to make Sonny and Joshua feel far from stock characters.\u00a0 The film goes through great lengths to highlight both racer\u2019s pre-race ritual, emphasizing the details that make these two drivers similar but different.\u00a0 Even off the track, the film goes through painstaking detail to show, that even though Hayes and Pearce are get drivers, they wouldn\u2019t get far without their strategy and upgrades made to the car.\u00a0 This film was made for an IMAX theater, and was easily one of my favorite films from this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s a big one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-opinion","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2434"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2434\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2452,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2434\/revisions\/2452"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}