Movie reviews of Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen

Down the line, I’m sure we’ll get a third Hardy-led Venom film. Let’s hope it’s much better than these two have been. But I will admit that this sequel is a slight improvement. Review

It is a different experience, but it’s also one of the more interesting of the latest entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe because of this permeating soulfulness, the tribute that the film is to its late titular character, and the epic and complex anti-hero that is introduced here through epic world-building. Review

It is a mostly unremarkable but generally decent true crime drama that ultimately gives you the idea that reading the Wikipedia entry on the story might be more interesting, even though Chastain and Redmayne deliver fine performances. Review

It is a deeply moving and staggering anti-war film that both in an auditory manner and visually rivals the most well-made war films of the previous decade. Review

Zach Cregger’s Barbarian is one of the most surprising, and most original new horror films that I have frankly seen in years. It is a horror film that constantly stays a step ahead of you and which manages to be both genuinely scary and surprisingly genuinely funny. Review

Black Adam is a moderately entertaining but, ultimately, quite generic and underdeveloped superhero origin story that fails to elevate the titular character to be anything more than just the next hero in line. Review

It’s too messy and the writing is too all over the place for me to be able to call it a good movie, but I will say that I kind of enjoyed it and that it is a marked improvement over Halloween Kills. Review

The score is sometimes overdramatic in moments that because of it now play unintentionally awkward, the editing and the direction are subpar, and the acting is often over-the-top and almost always unconvincing. Review

Werewolf By Night is a brisk and slight but very fun and entertaining hour of Marvel horror comedy. Review

It is a pretty great Stephen King premise, but in failing to add anything meaningful to it, or in failing to add some bold horror developments to it, I think writer-director John Lee Hancock fails the story. Review

It is very bleak, though, which makes it a little bit difficult to recommend to your average moviegoer. Still, I think Abbasi has done a really good job with this one. Review

It is an excellent satire of privilege that exposes faux-equality and individual worth, and, in moments, it is absolutely hysterical. Review

While missed potential is frustrating, a competently made ambitious mess is much more interesting than a forgettable safe film. Unfortunately, the behind-the-scenes drama ended up being much more interesting than what the film had in store for its audience. Review

It has some notable British stars, but the story is predictable, underwhelming, at times poorly executed, and ultimately the film is quite forgettable. Review

While all members of the cast look the part, none of them leave a strong impression performance-wise. The film, as a whole, is predictable and its inspirations are much too obvious. Review

It pains me to say that Barbara Rothenborg’s Kærlighed for Voksne is a cliched erotic thriller — which feels like a knockoff of better films in the genre — that I cannot recommend. Review

It is true that there are a lot of shows and films like this one, but I would definitely recommend it to those who are particularly interested in true crime adaptations. It’s solid! Review

Jordan Peele’s Nope may be the type of film that challenges your average moviegoer’s expectations, but, to me, Jordan Peele has knocked it out of the park again. Review

It needs intensity, great action, tension, and great creature effects. This film has all of that, as well as a revelatory performance from Amber Midthunder. Review

Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives is a fine dramatization, but you’d be better off just watching The Rescue, a documentary that is simply much better. Review

I still thought this was a really good little coming-of-age show that, again, I think is perfect for Disney+. I just need a second season to focus more on the family, friends, and culture, but less on world-ending events. Review

The Russo Brothers’ The Gray Man is a fine but undeniably generic globetrotting action-thriller that is buoyed up immensely by its truly star-studded cast. Review

Cooper Raiff’s Cha Cha Real Smooth is a charming and very relatable late-coming-of-age film that features uniformly good performances. Review

In spite of the ending and the trite and cliched writing, the film mostly works because of John Cho and Mia Isaac’s convincing performances. Review