Parvulos: Children of the Apocalypse is a unique take on a zombie movie that isn’t exactly scary, but still offers a gore-filled good time.

I love a good horror movie, which is what I expected Parvulos: Children of the Apocalypse to be. While it isn’t exactly scary, it does lean into the gore aspect from time to time while offering a fresh and unique take on the zombie movie. That said, it sometimes feels more like a comedy, similar to Shaun of the Dead (but not as good).

Because of this blend of genres, I can see how some horror fans might not like the comedy and how some comedy fans might think the gore is too much. Personally, they both really worked for me and I had a lot of fun with this film.

Set in a dystopian future, the film follows three brothers who are forced to navigate their way through life during a zombie apocalypse. We are instantly welcomed into their world, coming face-to-face with their day-to-day struggles, such as what they are going to be able to eat that day. As a mother, I immediately felt the need to protect them and connected to the characters, hoping to see them make it out alive.

After what feels like maybe too long of a set up, we discover the secret they are hiding in their basement. This is where the fun really kicked in for me, but where I can admit that some viewers will give up on the film. In an order to avoid spoilers, I will simply say that from this point on, things get more intense and bloodier than I expected.

What I love so much about Parvulos: Children of the Apocalypse is the relationship between the brothers. They try to live normal lives as best as they can. The oldest has been thrust into being the man of the house well before he was ever prepared to be, but he still has that brotherly bond with his siblings, as well as the maturity to take care of them.

I am also a big fan of the dulled color throughout the film, which allows it to showcase the blood and gore when it wants to. Parvulos: Children of the Apocalypse is a bit too long, and it leans into some classic tropes that zombie fans have come to expect, but it still brings something unique and entertaining to the genre.

The three main child actors are fantastic as well, really bringing their A-game. Parvulos: Children of the Apocalypse might not be a perfect movie, but I have a feeling that a lot of horror fans are going to dig it.

NEXT: Sinners Review: Believe The Hype, It’s Phenomenal

About Parvulos: Children of the Apocalypse

In a dystopian future ravaged by a viral apocalypse, three young brothers–Salvador, Oliver, and Benjamin–find themselves isolated in a remote cabin deep within the woods. As they navigate this desolate world, they harbor a dark and disturbing secret in their basement, a presence they must feed to ensure their own survival.

Parvulos: Children of the Apocalypse is now playing in theaters.

Warfare is a reminder of the horrors of war, making it an intense and extremely tough watch. It is sure to leave audiences shaken to their core.

Warfare is the best war movie to grace the screen in a long, long time. Directors Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland commit to showing the horrors of war rather than sugar coating it. This is an intense and extremely tough watch. I saw the majority of the film through my fingers, which I truly believe is the point.

This movie follows a platoon of American Navy SEALS through what was one of the most horrific days of their lives. It starts off with the boys having some fun, but things take a shift early on and it quickly becomes one of the most intense war movies I have ever seen.

I have never been in an audience, at a theater, that is so quiet and hanging onto every single moment. You could hear a pin drop, and I am fairly certain I was not the only one holding my breath. The horrors that are playing out on screen are a reminder as to why war is so terrible. And with the way the world is right now, this was an even more terrifying watch than I expected.

Part of the reason Warfare works as well as it does is because of the incredible ensemble cast. They need to portray the bond of a brotherhood that is created during tough situations, and they do exactly that. There are certainly some big name actors – Will Poulter, Charles Melton, and Joseph Quinn to name a few – but every single person on screen knows what they are doing and are fully committed to their roles.

While the majority of the movie takes place in one location, it never feels stale or drags. It is a high-octane, heart-pounding experience from start to finish. It might be only ninety-five minutes, but if I did not know that, I would have thought it was less than an hour long. It somehow both flies by but also has audiences living in certain moments for what feels like far too long.

Warfare is based solely on the memories of this Navy SEAL team, which is incredibly impressive. Once things really get going, there is no going back. There is a lot of blood and gore involved and quite a few stomach-turning moments. If you are squeamish, be warned, because this movie is not afraid to go there.

If you have concerns that Warfare includes politics, do not worry, as it leaves them at the door. That is not what this movie is about, rather, it is a way to honor those who have served without making anyone the hero or the villain. The point of this film is to bring these soldiers’ memories to the screen, as heartbreaking as they are at times.

Warfare should absolutely be seen on the biggest screen possible, in a theater with the best surround sound imaginable. This will create the immersive experience that the film deserves. Turn off your phone and allow yourself to be transported. As difficult as it can be to get through at times, do not turn away from the screen. Really soak it all in.

This movie left me shaken to my core. It is something that will stick with me for a very long time.

NEXT: Sinners Review: Believe The Hype, It’s Phenomenal

About Warfare

Written and directed by Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland (Civil War, 28 Days Later), Warfare embeds audiences with a platoon of American Navy SEALs on a surveillance mission gone wrong in insurgent territory. A visceral, boots-on-the-ground story of modern warfare and brotherhood, told like never before: in real time and based on the memory of the people who lived it.

Warfare comes to theaters on April 11.

Sinners is a masterclass in filmmaking. It is somehow dark, sexy, thrilling, intense, emotional, intriguing, captivating, and terrifying all at once.

Sinners perfectly blends multiple genres to create a movie like you have never seen before. It boasts a powerful message about society and how people can drag others down while offering up a terrifying vampire story. It is dark, sexy, twisted, emotional, and honestly, a whole lot of fun. There are laugh-out-loud moments and others that will bring you to tears.

In Sinners, Michael B. Jordan brilliantly portrays twin brothers who have returned to the Deep South from Chicago. It doesn’t take long to realize that the Smoke Stack Twins are feared by many, as they work hard to set up the grand opening of their own Juke joint. What is meant to be the start of something wonderful quickly turns into a nightmare when vampires come looking for an invitation in.

There are a lot of fantastic things about this movie, from the acting to the genre-switching to the cinematography, but my favorite has to be the way writer-director Ryan Coogler utilizes aspect ratios to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Every time it shifted, I would sit forward in my chair and brace for what is about to happen.

This is a true masterclass in filmmaking as Coogler solidifies himself as one of the best working today. There are many reasons that Sinners should be seen on the biggest screen possible, but the aspect ratio shifts were clearly designed for IMAX, so if you want the best experience, see it that way.

One of the characters that really resonated with me in this film is Wunmi Mosaku’s Annie. I hesitate to share specifics for fear of spoilers, but it is revealed that she has gone through something no one should ever have to. As a mother, this cut me deep.

The way she portrays this pain made me want to jump into the film and give her a big hug. She is also great at switching gears, and playing sexy, sultry, and badass when she needs to be.

Speaking of sexy, Hailee Steinfeld does some things in Sinners that I don’t think I will ever unsee – which I am not sure is a good or a bad thing. Her chemistry with Michael B. Jordan is electric, and I loved every moment they were on screen together.

She is phenomenal as Mary. I particularly love that her own ancestry was brought into the storyline. I can only imagine what that must have meant for her as an actor.

Of course, to no one’s surprise, Michael B. Jordan is incredible in this movie. He does a wonderful job of creating two very different characters for the twins. If I didn’t know any better, I would have assumed it was two men playing these characters. The editors deserve all the awards because they are on screen together a lot, and it never looks like he is not standing next to himself.

Jordan is the star of the film. He is incredible. But viewers are sure to be drawn in by newcomer Miles Caton as well. I was shocked to learn that this is his first feature film, as he holds his own in scenes with powerhouse actors.

His character, Sammie Moore, truly is the heart of Sinners. A young man who just wants to play the Blues, even though his father, a pastor, believes that this is going to welcome in the devil. His is another character I wanted to reach through the screen and hug.

This film not only explores racism, but it also focuses on community in a bizarre and twisted way. When you learn the motives behind the vampires (or at least what they claim to be motivated by), it flips things on its head and turns this into a terrifying tale with a smidge of heart.

Jack O’Connell really brings it with his portrayal of Remmick, finding a way to be scary as all heck, but also make you feel bad for him – just a little bit.

Sinners is unlike anything I have ever seen before. It combines many genres, including horror, gothic, musical, thriller, drama, romance, comedy, and action to create something that will be talked about for years and years to come. I cannot imagine anyone being able to recreate this magic, although I think many will try.

Michael B. Jordan has proven himself as one of the best actors working today, but his performance in Sinners takes that all to the next level. His work is exceptional, and I truly cannot wait to see what he does next.

It should be noted that there are mid-credit and post-credit scenes in Sinners. Both of these are more than worth sticking around for, but the mid-credit one greatly changes the narrative of the story. It moved me to tears, so do not leave the theater before the lights come up. Trust me.

NEXT: Christopher Landon Has “Definitely Closed That Door” On Directing A Scream Film

About Sinners

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers (Michael B. Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

Sinners comes to theaters April 18.

The Amateur is just fine. At times, it is a spy thriller that works hard to turn the audience’s expectations upside down; at others, it is slow & ridiculous.

The Amateur tries to take the spy thriller genre and switch things up a little bit. This is something it succeeds at, however, the film itself has other issues that are hard to look past. Still, overall, this is, simply put, a fine movie.

Rami Malek stars as Charlie Heller, a decoder for the CIA whose world gets turned upside down one day when his wife is killed in a terrorist attack. Determined to enact revenge upon her killers, he blackmails his bosses to let him into the field. After some enjoyable training from Laurence Fishburne’s Agent Henderson, he is forced to hunt down the killers while looking over his shoulder for the CIA.

Rachel Brosnahan plays his wife, Sarah, which was a little bit surprising to me. Don’t get me wrong, I adore her, which is why it was strange to see her cast in such a small role. That said, her chemistry with Malek is undeniable in the little time they have together.

Jon Bernthal is also in the film as an in-the-field CIA Agent that Charlie and the other decoders clearly look up to. Frustratingly, Bernthal barely appears in The Amateur. The character itself has absolutely no point and brings nothing to the story. It almost feels like he had a larger role at one point that was cut down because there was no need for him.

Malek is an incredible actor, there is no doubt about that, and he does what he can with this ridiculous script. His character is not a killer, not really, and so he needs to think outside the box if he wants to succeed in killing his wife’s killers. These moments were some of my favorite parts of the film.

That said, the time between his confrontations with the four people who caused his wife’s death was far too long. The Amateur clocks in at just over two hours, but it could have (and should have) easily been a ninety-minute long, fast-paced thriller. Every time it felt like we started to get going, the action would slow to a halt and we would be back with a mourning Charlie.

While on the run, Charlie briefly joins forces with Caitriona Balfe’s character. Their collaboration makes sense because of the breadcrumbs that were laid out earlier, and they form a bond quickly because of their shared experiences. Both are grieving the loves of their lives, which offers some deep conversations that bring heart to the film, but at the same time, can feel out of place.

Laurence Fishburne and Rami Malek have some truly great moments together. I rather enjoyed their relationship, but for a movie that is mostly slow-paced, their bonding moments seemed to be rather rushed, causing confusion when it becomes clear just how much Charlie cares about Henderson – going so far as to call him a friend.

I can appreciate that The Amateur does its best to what we know about spy thrillers on its head. Malek’s character is not good at shooting or hand-to-hand combat, so he must learn to excel in other ways. This part of the movie worked for me, but the time in between each of these moments was often a slog, making me feel like I was on a roller coaster ride of ups and downs.

NEXT: Drop Review: An Intense Thriller From Start To Finish

About The Amateur

Charlie Heller (Rami Malek) is a brilliant, but deeply introverted decoder for the CIA working out of a basement office at headquarters in Langley whose life is turned upside down when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack.

When his supervisors refuse to take action, he takes matters into his own hands, embarking on a dangerous trek across the globe to track down those responsible, his intelligence serving as the ultimate weapon for eluding his pursuers and achieving his revenge.

The Amateur comes to theaters on April 11.

Marshmallow takes a classic horror story and flips it on its head, adding Sci-Fi elements and big, bloody scares throughout.

There is nothing original about a horror movie taking place at a summer camp that gets going when the children start to be terrorized by an unknown killer. We have all seen that play out on screen time and time again. Marshmallow is able to break the mold, however, as it weaves in science fiction elements that will have viewers floored by the time the big twist comes around.

When camp counselors tell a spooky ghost story about a doctor who surgically combined his family to keep them with him forever, there is no surprise when the kids start to have nightmares. One kid in particular is deeply affected because he already suffers from nightmares. On top of that, he has to put up with bullies and has a hard time connecting with the other children.

The scares themselves start off predictable but then go more and more unhinged as the viewers start to learn more about the “doctor” that is stalking these kids. I love a good slasher, which is what I expected this movie to be, but Marshmallow is not that at all. It is an experience, to say the least, that gets stranger and stranger the longer it goes on.

The ensemble cast is made up of mostly young children and teens playing the camp kids and the camp counselors. They all work well together and bring something different and unique to the table. It is hard to talk about without spoiling anything, but Maxwell Whittington-Cooper stands out above the rest – mostly because of his role in all of this.

I am a big fan of the cinematography that was used to capture this film. As showcased in the still and in the poster that are featured in this review, the doctor wears a white surgical gown and has a bright light on his head. This causes the viewers and campers to have no idea about the identity – until the plot calls for it to be revealed, that is. This adds a thrilling suspense to many of the early scenes.

Of course, I am not going to dive into the details, but just know that I was so shocked when all was revealed that my jaw was quite literally on the floor, and I was smiling with glee. I never expected things to go in this direction, which is why it works extremely well. Let’s just say the ending has me begging for a sequel.

Marshmallow comes to theaters on April 11, and if you can check it out on the big screen, I highly recommend it because this is one you will want to watch with an audience.

About Marshmallow

When a once-fabled campfire tale becomes real, a group of campers uncover a profound secret that questions their very existence.

Marshmallow comes to theaters April 11.

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