Rated PG
Opens: June 13, 2025
Kevin says HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON ROCKS!

Disney isn’t the only studio producing live-action remakes of their animated films. DreamWorks has thrown its hat into the ring with HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON.

Closely following the animated film from fifteen years ago, the story follows a young Viking named Hiccup who befriends a dragon, in spite of living in a village that constantly hunts the beasts. Hiccup must use his new relationship to show his village how to work together for everyone’s benefit.

Although it’s a bit of a slow-starter, when the movie takes off, it’s hard to look away. Using breathtaking visuals and thrilling flying sequences, this is a film that calls to be seen on the biggest screen possible.

While at its heart it’s a kids’ movie, it’s doesn’t talk down to its audience. There’s a real human side to the story, and that makes it entirely watchable by parents and older generations.

Some elements seem unnecessary to remake, like Toothless the Dragon looking almost identical to his animated version. However, there’s other elements of the live-action presentation that gives the film the extra zhuzh it needs to be awe-inspiring.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON gets four Viking axes out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated R
Opens: June 6, 2025
Kevin says BALLERINA kinda rocks!

To milk more money out of the JOHN WICK franchise, Lionsgate offers moviegoers the spin-off BALLERINA.

The story follows an orphan raised by a secret society as a ballerina and assassin. When she comes of age, she goes rogue to take out the cult that killed her father.

On the good side, BALLERINA leans into what makes the JOHN WICK films so enjoyable: non-stop action, ridiculous stunts, loud fight sequences, and a sizzling cinematography popping with color and contrast.

Star Ana de Armas holds her own from a physicality standpoint, and her acting has improved over the years. She makes the character relatable but she doesn’t let her adorable side take over.

On the downside, this film is a bit much. It’s a thin story with a basic revenge set-up, though not as quirky as Keanu Reeves going after the guys who killed his dog. While the action is top-notch, the movie feels like it just moves from fight scene to fight scene without caring about the plot.

Still entertaining with a rip-roaring third act choice of weaponry, BALLERINA works.

BALLERINA gets three flamethrowers out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated PG-13
Opens: May 30, 2025
Kevin says KARATE KID LEGENDS kinda rocks!

The original Karate Kid returns to the big screen to train a new protégé.

KARATE KID LEGENDS follows the previous films’ template: a teenager moves to a new city with his mother and attracts the attention of some neighborhood bullies. Eventually has to fight in a martial arts contest to prove himself.

The greatest strength of this film is when it pushes the same buttons from the original. It does lay the bullying on a bit thick, but that works for the pulpy build of the secondary characters. Overall, this makes for a, breezy underdog story.

The film tries some new angles, like the kid teaching kung fu to an aging boxer, played by Joshua Jackson doing his best George Clooney impression. These elements make the film crowded – and you might find yourself checking your watch until Ralph Macchio shows up. However, they help this not be just a cheap retread.

Not as iconic as the original, it’s still an entertaining way to capitalize on the success of COBRA KAI.

KARATE KID LEGENDS gets three and a half wax ons out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated PG-13
Opens: May 23, 2025
Kevin says MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING kinda rocks!

After two years, the second half of the latest MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE adventure has landed.

MISSION: IMPOSSILBE – THE FINAL RECKONING picks up where DEAD RECKONING ended two summers ago. Ethan Hunt has to take down The Entity, a powerful AI bent on taking over – and eventually destroying – the world. Think of it as James Bond facing off against an overblown Grok.

The MISSION: IMPOSSILBE franchise always delivers on impressive stunt work and action sequences. However, these last two films were by cobbled hubris, amounting to a six-hour two-part movie that really could have been a single, shorter feature.

THE FINAL RECKONING takes time to build to its climax, paced more like a suspense film than a summer action. In a way, it feels like a streaming series where the punch comes only in the final episode.

The final action sequence is breathtaking and beautifully shot. Unfortunately, you have to wade through a lot of slow dialogue, reiterated plot points, complicated MacGuffins, and music crescendos to get there.

Still, it’s worth a watch, especially for the cinematic experience. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING gets three shirtless Tom Cruises out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated R
Opens: May 9, 2025
Kevin says FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES kinda rocks!

It’s taken more than a decade, but Death is back for a sixth helping in FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES.

The story follows a college student who has visions of a catastrophic accident sixty years ago. She learns her grandmother cheated Death in that accident, and now the Grim Reaper is trying to get rid of everyone who survived… and their families.

If you’ve seen any of the Final Destination movies, you know what you’re getting into. The characters are served up on a silver platter to face their gory and gruesome demise in complex Rube-Goldberg situations. And if you’re a little sick and twisted like me, you’ll find the humor in it.

The writing is passable, loaded with clichés and silliness. But, silliness is kind of the key to a film like this.

Creative, bloody, and fun, it’s not for the faint of heart. And it also has a sweet moment where audiences get to say a final good-bye to horror icon Tony Todd.

FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES gets three lawn mowers out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated R
Opens: May 9, 2025
Kevin says FIGHT OR FLIGHT kinda rocks!

After a comeback with the movie TRAP, Josh Hartnett flies into an action film.

FIGHT OR FLIGHT tells the story of a burned government agent lured back to the job to find an elusive hacker on an international flight. The only problem is that dozens of hit men are also on the flight trying to kill both of them.

FIGHT OR FLIGHT takes up the challenge of having a massive, multi-layered brawl happen in the toughest of conditions. Most of the film takes place on the plane, resulting in some creative and high-octane sequences, often with hilarious results.

Whether its firearms, martial arts experts, or chainsaws, the things that made it on this plane are unbelievable, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t fun to watch.

The overall story is full of clichés and is as predictable as a Harlem Globetrotters game, but it makes things work with a committed cast and its tongue firmly in cheek. This is what BULLET TRAIN could have been if it had pared down its bloated running time.

FIGHT OR FLIGHT gets three and a half bags of peanuts out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated PG-13
Opens: May 2, 2025
Kevin says THUNDERBOLTS* ROCKS!

Marvel Studios hopes to goose its franchise back to the top with a new film about unlikely heroes.

THUNDERBOLTS* follows a rag-tag group of marginal super-villains who unite against a common enemy. Along the way, they stumble into becoming the not-so-bad guys.

It’s tempting to say THUNDERBOLTS* is Marvel’s answer to DC’s SUICIDE SQUAD, ’cause that does work on some level. However, the characters in the Marvel universe have always been rife with redemption, and it touches on how we are all flawed individuals.

While it’s a team film, the story belongs to Black Widow’s sister Yelena. Florence Pugh does the heavy lifting through a traumatic childhood and contemporary reconciliation.

This is different than other Marvel movies because it plays in a darker sandbox. Swap out the Iron Man snark for a bit of snarl and you’ve got the feel of your middle school buddies relentlessly teasing you.

In the end, THUNDERBOLTS* offers a nice diversion from the usual bright and flashy Marvel fare. Now if they would just light the actors properly so we could see what was going on, that’d be great.

THUNDERBOLTS* gets three and a half boxes of Wheaties out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated R
Opens: April 25, 2025
Kevin says THE ACCOUNTANT 2 kinda rocks!

I hope your taxes are done properly because Ben Affleck is back as the accountant you don’t want to be in charge of your audit.

THE ACCOUNTANT 2 continues the story of an autistic man who used to make a living running numbers for organized crime. After escaping from prison, he works with a secret organization to help track down human traffickers and their victims.

This sequel continues to showcase Affleck’s talent as a relatable anti-hero, and with a more developed story of him and his hit-man brother, this film leans into the whimsy and humor amid all the violence.

Jon Bernthal plays Affleck’s brother, and the two have fantastic chemistry. This alone is enough to deliver an entertaining action film.

The script does struggle to handle a lot of things – from developing the fraternal relationship to telling a rather gruesome story about the bad guys. The movie still falls into the autism-as-a-superpower Hollywood trope rather than just portraying people with autism as… well, people, but this is forgivable in the grand scheme of action films.

THE ACCOUNTANT 2 gets three and a half deductions out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated R
Opens: April 18, 2025
Kevin says SINNERS kinda rocks!

The director of BLACK PANTHER gets out a wooden stake and takes a stab at vampires this weekend.

Ryan Coogler directs SINNERS, a drama about a pair of criminal twins who return home to the deep South of the 1930s to start up a juke joint. They have to reconcile their past relationships and build a new business with dirty money… oh, and there’s also a bunch of vampires out to get them.

At its heart, SINNERS is a serious drama about the lives and struggles of Black Americans in the early 20th century. The vampire angle is more secondary… or rather, symbolic in many ways.

This leads to a deeper, richer story with complex characters in shades of gray, taking a hard look at human struggles… at least until the film goes all FROM DUSK TILL DOWN on the audience.

The biggest sin that SINNERS commits is its running time. Coogler loves to breathe in his films, but that makes them drag in many points, which happens throughout this movie.

Still, Coogler delivers a solid film that is impeccably made.

SINNERS gets three blues guitars out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated R
Opens: April 11, 2025
Kevin says THE AMATEUR kinda sucks!

Oscar-winner Rami Malek takes a stab at the everyman-seeking-revenge thriller with the new movie THE AMATEUR.

Malek plays a CIA analyst whose wife is killed in a terrorist attack. Seeking retribution, he wants to be trained in the field so he can go after the men who killed her.

The everyman’s revenge genre is popular, though the story still relies on his character as an IT genius for the CIA. But beyond that, a significant portion of the film plays out like a standard spy story with few stand-out thrills.

It’s not uncommon for a movie to present its best moments in the trailer, but THE AMATEUR practically turns this into an art form. Not only does the trailer telegraph every satisfying moment, but it does so with better pacing and writing than the full-length feature.

Malek seems bored throughout the movie, and the muted, dimly-lit cinematography doesn’t help. What could have been vibrant and thrilling is presented in shades of gray.

There’s a decent story hiding somewhere in THE AMATEUR, but you’ll need an expert spy to find it.

THE AMATEUR gets two encryption codes out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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Rated PG
Opens: April 4, 2025
Kevin says A MINECRAFT MOVIE kinda rocks!

Hoping to capture the success of THE LEGO MOVIE and SUPER MARIO BROS., Hollywood is bringing another game to life.

A MINECRAFT MOVIE brings the viewers into the world of Minecraft, where players can build anything they can imagine. When a trouble teen and a has-been videogame champ stumble upon a portal to the Overworld, they team up with Steve to stop a threat.

Very much like the world of Minecraft, this movie is a scattershot of admittedly cool ideas with forced connective tissue. This makes it schizophrenic, trying to tap into the Minecraft mythos but also tell a coherent story.

A MINECRAFT MOVIE borrows ideas from JUMANJI to BARBIE, and as a grown-up, I felt it was a mess. A fun mess, sure, but a mess none-the-less.

Only the committed performances of Jack Black and Jason Momoa kept the film from completely falling apart.

If you’re a kid, you’re gonna love A MINECRAFT MOVIE. But I am a grown-up, so it only gets three Endermen out of five. I’m Kevin Carr, and that’s the way I see it.

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