Crossroads was released in February 2002. The movie is about three friends who go on a road trip right after high school graduation. The movie stars Britney Spears, Zoe Saldana, Taryn Manning, Anson Mount, Justin Long, Kim Cattrall, and Dan Aykroyd. 

I thought Crossroads was good for what it was. The main attraction of the movie was the fact that Britney Spears was the star. Britney Spears was a big a pop star when the movie was released. The film came out after her third album came out. That album featured the tracks I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman, Overprotected, and I Love Rock & Roll which were all featured in the movie. The Darkchild remix of Overprotected was the one in the movie. Britney Spears did a good job as the lead especially given it was her first starring role. It did seem that the movie and role were tailored to her. It would have been interesting to see how things would have progressed if Britney Spears pursued more acting roles in her career. The rest of the cast did a good job. The three leads had good chemistry together. It was cool to see Zoe Saldana in an early role. I was not aware until a few years ago that she was even in Crossroads. Taryn Manning also did a good job in her role. Anson Mount was good as the love interest to Britney Spears’ character Lucy. 

As a coming of age movie, it does the job. It was fairly typical. There was some melodrama that seems par for the course for these types of movies. The movie is not anything special, but it is a good watch for a quiet night at home. 

I am surprised and not surprised that the movie did not do that well in theaters. Given how big of a star Britney Spears was at the time, I thought the film would have dominated the box office. I was eleven when the film came out. I didn’t know any better. I can understand why the film wasn’t bigger. It seemed to be a movie only Britney Spears’ fanbase would be interested in, and I am not really sure how many of her fans turned out for it when it came out. I was actually not allowed to see the movie at the time and my parents didn’t want to sit through it anyway. My interest in the movie dropped as the years went by. Hence why it took now to finally get around to watching it. 

Crossroads clocks in at little over ninety minutes. I think that was long enough. There didn’t seem to be much juice to go any further. A lot of the plot was typical and surface level. There is nothing wrong with that. It was pleasant to watch. 

Crossroads does its job well as a road trip coming of age melodrama. It is light and easy to sit through. It serves as a good starring vehicle for Britney Spears, and it does a good job of incorporating music including several of her songs. 

Looney Tunes: Back in Action was released in 2003. It was the last live action/animation movie in the franchise until Space Jam: A New Legacy came out in 2021. Looney Tunes: Back in Action sees Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck team up with a security guard who wants to be a stuntman and a studio executive who is in danger of getting fired to save the world from the evil CEO of ACME. The film stars Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, Timothy Dalton, Heather Locklear, Joan Cusack, Joe Alaskey, Jeff Bennett, Billy West, Eric Goldberg, and Steve Martin. 

I thought Looney Tunes: Back in Action was fun for a Looney Tunes movie. I did not see it when it came out in 2003. At the time I was not that interested in seeing it. It wasn’t until more recently that I wanted to check it out. I took it out of the local library. I thought it was decently funny. Looney Tunes has always been hit or miss with me even when I watched the cartoon. I had similar feelings when I saw The Day The Earth Blew Up movie last year with Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. Since Back In Action was released in 2003, some of the jokes are dated. A lot of the references were very early 2000s. The cast does a solid job. Brendan Fraser was enjoyable. This was after The Mummy Returns. It was also a few years before he took a break from acting. Jenna Elfman did a good job as a studio executive. Steve Martin was entertaining as the main villain. 

The movie mostly focused on Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck along with Brendan Fraser and Jenna Elfman. The other Looney Tune characters did not have substantial roles. They were mostly cameos. There were a lot of jokes throughout. Some worked while others did not. Some of the gags were a little random. 

The movie holds well today. There were bits that felt a little dated. That is going to happen with older movies. The movie clocks in a little over ninety minutes. That is plenty of time for a Looney Tunes movie. Looney Tunes is not really something that could sustain two hours or more. It is not impossible if it were the right project. 

Back when it came out, Looney Tunes: Back in Action bombed at the box office. It made around 20 million domestically and worldwide made a around a total of 67 million. At the time I was surprised that it did not do that well. I thought it was going to be a big hit. I was also thirteen at the time. I figured that Looney Tunes was popular and that automatically guaranteed it would be a big hit. I know now that is not always the case. The movie opened in November 2003. It came out around the same time as Elf which did very well. The Eddie Murphy Haunted Mansion came out shortly after. That made more than Looney Tunes as did the live action Cat in the Hat which also made more than Looney Tunes. At the time there was some stiff competition with family films. After watching the movie, I can understand why it did not do that well. I am not sure it was a movie worth seeing in theaters as opposed to waiting to rent it. It was good for what it was, but it was not spectacular. 

There is a fun post-credit scene at the end of the movie. This is also before the seriousness of credit scenes where they tend to set up a future instalment. Iron Man would be coming out five years later. 

Looney Tunes: Back in Action is a solid Looney Tunes movie. It is fun to watch on a Friday night or a weekend to let loose for ninety minutes or so and to shut the brain off for a bit. 

The final chapter picks up where the second film left off with Maya fighting for survival. The film stars Madelaine Petsch, Gabriel Basso, Ema Horvath, Krystal Ellsworth, Richard Brake, Hannah Galway, George Young, Rachel Shenton, and Miles Yekinni. 

I thought The Strangers: Chapter 3 was good. Madelaine Petsch does a good job carrying the trilogy. Having recently watched Chapter 2, it was interesting to see where things went and to see the transformation Maya takes throughout the movies. 

The movie dives a little more into the Strangers’ backstories. The film takes some interesting turns. The runtime is around an hour and a half. I think that is the perfect length for this type of movie. If it had gone on longer, it would have started to like it was dragging. 

This is the first film in this trilogy that I have seen in theaters. I watched the first two at home. It was a nice experience to see it on the big screen. The movie felt a little more action packed compared to the other films. The second film was a bit of a slow burn. Things seemed to be moving a bit more in Chapter 3 from the beginning. 

The Strangers: Chapter 3 is a solid conclusion to the Strangers trilogy. It does a good a job of expanding upon the core concept of the original and Madelaine Petsch does a standout job as the protagonist. 

Continuing from where the first movie left off, Maya fights for her life after surviving an attack from three strangers. The film stars Madelaine Petsch, Froy Gutierrez, Gabriel Basso, Emma Horvath, Olivia Kreutzova, and Matus Lajcak. 

The Strangers: Chapter 2 was released in September 2025. The movie bombed at the box office grossing around 15 million domestically. Worldwide it accumulated around 21 million. The unique thing about The Strangers is that all three movies were filmed at once. Chapter 3 is currently in theaters now having opened on February 6^th, 2026. The Strangers: Chapter 1 also did not do that well in theaters when it was released. However, it did make more than Chapter 2 having made around 35 million domestically and 48 million worldwide. Chapter 1 was released in May 2024. Chapter 2 was released a little over a year afterward. Chapter 3 was released five months later. 

I thought The Strangers: Chapter 2 was good for what it was. The movie clocks in around 98 minutes. There were times the movie felt slow. It did pick up later on. It started to feel intense as it progressed. Madelaine Petsch really carries the movie as Maya. She does a solid job. Prior to watching her in The Strangers’ movies, I knew her as Cheryl Blossom from the TV show Riverdale. The Strangers: Chapter 1 was a fairly direct remake of the movie that came out in 2008 with Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman. Both movies had the same story beats for the most part. Chapter 2 further expands on what was established in the Strangers movies. One thing that was interesting was getting glimpses of the Strangers’ backstories. 

A big part of the movie is paranoia. Maya doesn’t know who to trust and the movie does a good job of conveying that to the audience. There were times throughout the movie I was not sure who to trust. The movie does a good job of being a paranoia and survival thriller. Those seem to be two core themes in the movie. 

As a middle chapter, the movie is solid. It will be interesting to see how things play out in Chapter 3. The movie does give a pretty good idea of where it will head for the conclusion. There is a mid-credit scene. 

Minor Spoilers 

The mid-credit scene gives a glimpse of Chapter 3. 

The Strangers: Chapter 2 is a solid a middle chapter that expands on the initial premise. Madelaine Petsch does a good job throughout the movie. It is a slow burn at first, but things eventually pick up setting the stage for the Chapter 3. I am very interested to see how everything plays out and how this chapter will end for Maya. 

An employee and her boss are stranded on an island after a plane crash and the two have to survive on the island. The film stars Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien, Xavier Samuel, Chris Pang, and Dennis Haysbert. 

I thought the Send Help was good. It was not great, but it was not bad. It was an over the top Survivor. Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien did a great job in their roles. It was a different kind of role for Rachel McAdams. I am curious what Regina George would think of her Linda Liddle. Dylan O’Brien was great as Bladley Preston, Linda’s jerk of a boss. 

The movie had some twists. It definitely makes one question who the true villain is, if there is really a villain. 

Send Help is not that long. It clocks in a little under two hours. It is the right length. The movie goes at a fast past. 

Send Help is a good movie with some twists and turns. Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien do a great job carrying the movie. 

The Sully family faces a new tribe The Ash People as well as dealing with the humans who want to colonize their world. The film stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Oona Chaplin, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement, Britain Dalton, Jack Champion, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Giovanni Ribisi, and David Thewlis. 

I thought Avatar: Fire and Ash was good. I thought it was better than the second movie. I liked the second movie; however, I thought it was fairly similar to the first one. This one was a little more distinctive. I think a smart choice was to introduce the Ash People. The movie has a fairly good story and a nice emotional component. 

I thought the movie was good but not great. I do think the Avatar franchise can be a little overhyped. They are solid movies, but they are that not wonderful compared to other franchises. I did feel the movie was slightly too long. I feel like the core of the movie would have been fine if it had been a little shorter. Three-hour movies can be tough. The Lord of the Rings is one of the few I feel can justify the length. Avengers: Endgame is another one. 

I saw the movie in 2D. 3D movies give me a headache. I saw it on a regular screen as opposed to IMAX or Dolby. I did find the movie a little distracting at times due to the HD and 4K. I understand why it was that way. It did feel at times like I was in Best Buy in the television section. It was a little harder to enjoy the visuals at times. 

Assuming the movie winds up doing just as well as the first two, James Cameron stated there were plans for Avatar 4 & 5 as well as a possible 6 & 7. Should the franchise continue, I am curious to see where this could go next. This film seemed to conclude the initial story. Maybe a brand new story and new characters could be the focus of future instalments. 

Avatar: Fire and Ash is a solid movie and a fitting conclusion to the story that started in the first film. Time will tell if there were be more visits to the world of Pandora and what that could like like. 

The conclusion that continues the story of Elphaba and Glinda. The film stars Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Colman Domingo, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum. 

I enjoyed Wicked: For Good. I think it is a solid movie. The cast does a great job. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande really hone their characters. They both really carry the movie. The songs are good. The movie is a fitting a conclusion to Wicked. I never saw the Broadway show, but I did read the books that the musical is based off. It is interesting to see the differences that between the book series and the movie. 

The movie has a few surprises that I was not expecting. I am not sure if those surprises are in the Broadway show, but it was nice to be surprised. 

Wicked: For Good is a solid movie and a fitting conclusion to a classic story. The cast does great work and the songs are solid. It’s a good movie for the holiday season. 

A newer version of the classic 80’s movie that focuses on Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Frank Drebin. The film stars Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter-Hauser, CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand, Liza Koshy, and Danny Huston.

I thought The Naked Gun was fun. It followed the same formula as the original movies. Liam Neeson does a really good job as Frank Drebin Jr. Pamela Anderson also does a good job as well. They have good chemistry together. The rest of the cast play their parts well.

The movie is fun, but it was not the best movie nor the best comedy. It also was not the worst though either. It kind of runs in the middle. It is also a nice pace. It clocks in around eighty-five minutes or so. I think the film would have dragged on if it had gone beyond ninety-minutes.

The Naked Gun is a fun movie that is good for the end of summer.