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⭐⭐⭐½ Wow! A truly audacious spectacle of a movie not seen anymore in this day and age. Though boasting a huge budget, an insanely litmus-test inducing running time, a humongous roster of quite possibly every visual effects team and house in the entire planet, and staggering box office returns now teetering past the $1.5B mark (and counting), AVATAR 2: THE WAY OF WATER has at its core an ambitious soul and heart and makes an even bigger statement about life, living and families.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ TRIANGLE OF SADNESS (2022) written and directed by Ruben Ostlund Taking on similar themes as the 2019 Palme d'Or and Best Picture Oscar winner Parasite, TRIANGLE OF SADNESS is a gleefully fun, mildly sadistic and no-holds barred attack on the rich and privileged. A largely class and social construct satire that is equal parts commentary, gross-out humor, and survivalist disaster flick, the movie culminates in one of the most hilarious cruise ship Captain's dinner scene that rivals and literally upstages that infamous bridal shoppe scene from Bridesmaids by way of a Monty Python sketch. This trailer does the entire film little justice as it more or less appears to be showcasing actor Woody Harrelson in a rather thankless and throwaway role as the ship's drunken captain. The crown jewel, however, is that of notable Filipina actress Dolly de Leon as Abigail, one of the ship's dedicated and fastidious housekeeping crew. In a wild third act twist, she becomes the film's standout character and is tasked with the unusual hybrid role of both screen villain and heroine. GO!

MONSTER HOUSE (2006) directed by Gil Keenan screenplay by Dan Harmon, Rob Schrab and Pamela Pettler ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A confession: I love computer animated movies, and very much love most of Pixar's output and some from DreamWorks. And I absolutely adore the animated craftsmanship and stories being put out by the folks at LAIKA. And as far as character voices go, how can you go wrong with ANY character voiced by Steve Buscemi and a late-career Kathleen Turner as...the monster! As a big studio effort (in this case Sony Picture's first), you can't get any more inventive than that. MONSTER HOUSE's overall fun factor involves neighborhood kids, a haunted house and Halloween. At best, the movie's general tone mirrors that of some of the best, greatest and now classic 80's live action flicks like "E.T.," "The Goonies" and "Explorers." There are, of course, genuine creepy fright moments in large part credited to the menacing title character but also due to the chosen technical aspect in the utilization of motion capture for the human characters. So this Halloween, take this advice: Grab the kids, nuke the popcorn, sit back and enjoy Monster House.

MONKEY SHINES (1988) directed by George A. Romero screenplay by George A. Romero ⭐⭐⭐⭐ "An Experiment in Fear" Although writer/director George A. Romero's reputation in pop culture movie fandom has primarily been in the zombie horror genre, MONKEY SHINES falls more comfortably in the psychological thriller category. And what a great thriller it is, peppered with enough moments of tension, terror and suspense to ultimately qualify it as that much coveted, Hitchcockian horror/thriller hybrid. This movie is really quite unsettling though even at times darkly humorous than I remember it being when I saw it originally. The overall creepiness comes primarily from the interesting irony of casting trained monkeys and through instinct will do unspeakable things to humans. Besides the terror that unfolds (and body count heightens), this movie perhaps presents a strong argument in not choosing cute little primates as pets, or in this case service animals. Stick with parakeets, as they're apparently harmless. Or are they?

FRANKENSTEIN (1931) directed by James Whale screenplay by Garrett Fort and Francis Edward Faragoh ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "It's alive! It's alive, IT'S ALIVE!" Oh those two words, forever cemented in [horror] movie history. Often replicated, imitated and reinterpreted, but never matched. Next to the Creature from the Black Lagoon and the Wolfman, Frankenstein is right up there on my list of favorite movie monsters ever. All the others that came after, in various permutations and motives---the Freddys, the Jasons, the Michael Myers, the Edward Scissorhands and countless other zombie flicks throughout the decades since, owe a tremendous gratitude and honor to this monster. And even more so this particular movie, the one that started it all. In 1931, sound in movies--then known as "talkies"--were still a relatively new concept. How FRANKENSTEIN succeeded in these early years of this new technology is how well it integrated the simple sound design with the stunning expressionist visuals and characterizations of this film. The monster being mostly mute, has to emote and show feeling and emotion with no dialogue. And all this under layers of pancake makeup and heavy prosthetics. Together with a fantastic score and moody atmospherics, this movie is nothing short of a creative miracle in achieving what it was set up to do: to scare the bejesus out of movie audiences AND feel remorse and empathy for this great monster creation. Only in the movies.

DON'T LOOK NOW (1973) directed by Nicolas Roeg screenplay by Allan Scott and Chris Bryant ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "You are warned...things are not what they seem" To help explain the plot line and narrative style of this film, I would--as a start--need one of those scientific calculators to get a simple non-complicated, unscientific answer. Instead I will digress, and also because I historically suck at math. What else hasn't already been said about the genius of DON'T LOOK NOW. One thing is certain: It demands your full attention, your complete suspension of disbelief and your commitment to repeat viewings. I first heard of this film and the name Nicolas Roeg sometime in the early to mid 1980's as my appreciation and investment in movie watching started to evolve and grow. Remembering how often this film was referenced in movie reviews and "best of" lists, I started researching and scoping out theaters where it would screen. Ultimately, I discovered it on video by way of late-night cable. Clearly, this movie threw me curve balls, disorientation and overall creepiness early on. Must be a British "arty thing" I then thought. Jump forward several decades later and I still find this film immensely creepy, disorienting yet supremely intoxicating. It's a beautiful, dreamy and nightmarish vision of a well yet oddly constructed psychological horror thriller. In other words, like it or not, it will screw your brain big time. Highly recommended.

DIAL M FOR MURDER (1954) directed by Alfred Hitchcock screenplay by Frederick Knott ⭐⭐⭐⭐ To call this movie one of Alfred Hitchcock's lesser works would be almost sacrilegious, to say the least. For safety reasons, I prefer to say it's one of his more lesser known and less appreciated thrillers coming in just a few years before he reached the apex of his film career with two of his most famed works Psycho and The Birds from 1960 and 1963, respectively. DIAL M FOR MURDER is based on a stage play written by Frederick Knott, who also penned this film adaptation. As was the case with the staged version, the movie mostly takes place in a single location. And with that comes the inevitable challenge of creating the kind of heightened thrills and suspense moments in such limited spaces. This is where the hands and vision of a true cinematic genius like Hitchcock succeeds. This movie is a master class in beats, rhythm and camera movement. Along with the three main superb leads who truly don't need any introduction, the plot execution is as tight as it can be, and is perhaps nearly impossible to achieve in lesser hands.

COLOSSAL (2016) directed by Nacho Vigalondo screenplay by Nacho Vigalondo ⭐⭐⭐⭐ There are things in life--like climate change, racial injustice, wars--that are as perplexing as most people's love/hate relationship with actress Anne Hathaway. Sadly, I am one of those people. When things are great (The Devil Wears Prada), she's good. When things are disastrous (co-hosting the Oscars), she's not so good. So as far as the former, the movie COLOSSAL puts her in a relatively good position of playing a rather unlikeable yet sympathetic "loser." And ultimately, I truly wanted this complex and conflicted character to come out winning and victorious by the movie's end. Having said that, I find it a bit fruitless to say or reveal any more about the convoluted yet gleeful plot twists of this fun mashup of dark comedy, thriller, subtle horror (and please don't call it "elevated"), action, drama and character study. Just go.

CHRISTINE (1983) directed by John Carpenter screenplay by Bill Phillips ⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Body by Plymouth . . . soul by Satan" This adaptation of the popular Stephen King novel is one of only eight in John Carpenter's entire filmography where he does not have sole or co-writing credit. It is nonetheless one of the better and more enjoyable King adaptations of that decade, primarily due to the likeability and relatable performances of the three leads, Keith Gordon, John Stockwell and newcomer Alexandra Paul. Most notable in a small role is that of the late Kelly Preston, in one of her very first screen appearances. Aside from the fine performances, the movie's visual and sound effects, instrumental in bringing "life" to the titular character, are pretty remarkable in making you believe just how creepy and menacing a non-human character can be. The car's transformation sequence using reverse photography is a Carpenter signature and is rather awesome to watch. The synth score, by Carpenter and Alan Howarth is terrific, creepy and menacing. As it should be.

Although a direct sequel with a wide gap in terms of narrative and real time, TOP GUN: MAVERICK succeeds as a standalone even better. With flight and dogfight sequences notwithstanding, the singular scene between Maverick and Ice tore me up. Equally, his scenes with Penny form the "heart" of the entire movie. Ice is the soul, for which Maverick has to then carry after his death in that spectacular third act. This is a special, rather extraordinary sequel that should set the STANDARD on how sequels are written, developed and produced. I was not prepared for this ride.