Weapons (2025): Cregger is two on two with this follow-up to the successful Barbarian (2022). Starring Julia Garner, Josh Brolin and Alden Ehrenreich, it’s a movie that proves hard to pigeonhole. Yes, the marketing says horror/thriller, but it feels fluid: you’ll scare as much as you’ll laugh and the incredible part is that it’s to neither’s detriment. Establishing what it’s all about won’t come easy, but it has something to do with the corruption of family, the dangers of manipulation and control through the medias and whatever sense of community we’ve got left. Weapons just has this presence that good movies have, which then end up lingering in your mind for hours or even days. It was also a surprise to see Amy Madigan (of Streets of Fire fame) in such a central role, which will stand to memory as one of the iconic baddies in years to come. 8
The Addams Family Values (1993): In the follow-up to the 1991 movie, everything seems to fall into place. The plot is tighter, the one-liners actually have bite and even Fester is dosed appropriately. Add to that the energetic performance of Jane Cusack, alongside a host of familiar faces in side-bits (Christine Baranski, David Krumholtz, Peter MacNicol and other cameo appearances), and it all has a different feel. Sure, the fundamentals are the same, because being so family-oriented limits the scope of how strong the dark humour can be. But within these constraints, I thought it did a noticeably better job than its predecessor, even if the movie was a box-office let-down. 7
Superman (2025): Distinctly average and trying too hard. In spite of its back-to-the-roots vibe, I don’t think James Gunn’s Superman really manages to tap into what made this comic book hero the most emblematic of all. Perhaps it wasn’t trying to do that, but it’s hard for me to say what exactly the movie wants to achieve. There’s nothing profoundly wrong with it, it has some good funny and goofy moments, but at every step of the way I had the sense that it had gone through a likeability laboratory to come out this way. The concept behind the key fights is the culinary equivalent of cinematic cardboard, while the subplots don’t even try hard to do anything else beyond padding the story. Add to that the big war, throwback to the kitschy set-ups of the 80s and 90s, and generally ridiculous villains, this new Superman is just too many things to be in any significant way memorable. 6
While You Were Sleeping (1995): A romcom classic that I hadn’t rated, but had most definitely seen, WYWS is one of those slightly uncomfortable flicks about love that the 90s and 00s produced. Sandra Bullock sells metro tickets and falls for one of her regulars, played by Peter Gallagher. Clearly out of her league, but she’s also batting a few leagues below where she could be batting. After she happens to save his life from an oncoming train, some confusion at the hospital, aided by Gallagher’s character being in a coma, leads to his family believing the two are actually engaged. The movie doesn’t take itself too seriously and walks a decent line to not come across as straight out horrific if you think about it, but I don’t think it amounts to more than a minor diversion. Like most of Bullock’s romcoms? 6
The Addams Family (1991): I grew up on some of these Addams Family characters, and I was wondering if any of the childhood allure was still there. The first movie is a bit of a mess, with a plot that’s hastily assembled and one-liners dropped like bombs out of the ether. Even the good ones feel forced and fall flat, but there is still some charm to be had. Raul Julia (especially) and Anjelica Houston are the life-force of the movie, their dynamic brimming with a passion for one another that’s not easy to conjure. Christina Ricci is also a plus and given her performance, it makes sense her character would inspire the modern-day Wednesday. But I wasn’t fond of Christopher Lloyd’s Fester, who was over the top more than I could pleasurably endure. All in all, an ok-ish movie for its slot, but the sequel proved it could be better. 6
tributary stu 