I rated Exit 8 (2025) 7/10 #IMDb Kazunari Ninomiya gets lost in the subway in what appears to be a never-ending corridor. Enjoyable creepy Japanese horror that’s based on a game of the same name. Doesn’t outstay its welcome.

I rated The Whales of August (1987) 6/10 #IMDb Lillian Gish (93) and Bette Davis (79) star as aging sisters who live together in Maine. It’s amazing to think silent movie legend Gish is leading a film in 1987. The story isn’t enthralling but you’re here for the amazing cast, including Vincent Price

I rated The Odyssey (2026) 8/10 #IMDb After winning the Trojan War, Odysseus and his men struggle to return home. It’s a very well made production with a strong cast. The war and the return are done better in Troy and The Return, but as a whole Nolan’s film is very enjoyable and doesn’t drag.

I rated Giant (2025) 8/10 #IMDb The story of the rise of Prince Naseem and his trainer Brendan Ingle. Both Amir El-Masry and Pierce Brosnan are great in their respective roles. Not a story I knew anything about, being not a fan of boxing, but well made and enjoyable.

I rated An American Pickle (2020) 5/10 #IMDb Seth Rogen falls into a big vat, gets pickled, and wakes up 100 years later in present day. There is some amusement to be had here in the first half hour, but the concept struggles to stretch to 90 minutes.

I rated Apex (2026) 5/10 #IMDb Charlize Theron is a mountaineer who decides to go kayaking in the Australian outback, but it gets a bit dangerous. Straightforward cat and mouse thriller. Taron Egerton is pretty good. The CGI is quite obvious unfortunately and there’s little that’s interesting.

I rated The Dink (2026) 5/10 #IMDb Jake Johnson is a failed tennis pro who must turn to pickleball after an injury. It’s a fairly light Happy Gilmore-esque sports comedy. It doesn’t hit any highs, but Mary Steenburgen is good in it.

I rated Over Your Dead Body (2026) 6/10 #IMDb Jason Segel and Samara Weaving are a married a couple who travel to a retreat in the woods to sort out their marriage. It’s a fun horror comedy but the film can’t decide if it’s daytime nighttime snowing sunny. Lots of gross out bloody moments.

I rated Send Help (2026) 7/10 #IMDb Overlooked and overworked analyst Rachel McAdams gets stranded on a desert island with her horrible boss Dylan’s O’Brien. This is an enjoyable dark comedy Cast Away movie that’s really quite gory. Both McAdams and O’Brien are very good.

I rated The Running Man (2025) 7/10 #IMDb Glen Powell must survive 30 days on the run to win a huge prize. Edgar Wright directs this fun remake which is quite different in approach to Arnie’s 1987 movie. It’s quite long at 2h 13m but is entertaining throughout.

I rated Masters of the Universe (2026) 7/10 #IMDb Prince Adam returns to Eternia to challenge Skeletor. This big budget adventure doesn’t take itself in any way seriously, thankfully, and manages to make the basic plot as fun as possible. Excellent 80s rock soundtrack.

I rated They Will Kill You (2026) 7/10 #IMDb Zazie Beetz arrives at a NYC high-rise looking for her sister. It’s a fun horror actioner but it really overplays Kill Bill references. It goes the full hog though and at 90 ish minutes, doesn’t outstay its welcome.

I rated 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) 7/10 #IMDb The Jimmies bring their charity to the people, while Ralph Fiennes makes progress with the infected. This sequel definitely brings in some new ideas to the series but overall I wouldn’t say it’s a particularly pleasant watch.

I rated The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) 4/10 #IMDb A princess gets captured, Bowser returns. Theres a real lack of any story to warrant the time. Things happen, lots of “remember this from one of the Mario games?”, and that’s about it. How could a film so colourful be so boring?

Just finished The Homework Conundrum - apart from some very short works, this is the very first full-on teaching book I’ve read cover to cover in my 17 years of teaching. Very easy to read with plenty of ideas at all levels within a school or college. As can be seen, plenty of post-its were used!

Jo Castelino@drcastelino.bsky.social · 2y ago

Last Summer, I wrote a book on Homework, the first in the Teacher CPD Academy series by @innerdrive.bsky.social. The Homework Conundrum is out on 12th November 2024 and is available to pre-order! tinyurl.com/hwconundrum #EduSky #CogSciSci #UKTeaching

I rated Lee Cronin's The Mummy (2026) 5/10 #IMDb More an Exorcist film than a Mummy movie. The internal logic of letting the daughter return home in her horrible state with no care plan seems utter nonsense. The parents just stand by and let the grisly horror happen. And it *is* grisly.

I rated Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War (2026) 5/10 #IMDb I’ve never seen any of the Jack Ryan TV series and you don’t need to watch this. It’s a fairly entertaining generic spy thriller that’s essentially the same as any other spy thriller you’ve ever seen. Overall: immediately forgettable.

I rated Obsession (2025) 9/10 #IMDb Michael Johnston’s wish of making his friend love him more than anyone else in the world goes terribly wrong. The perfect mix of comedy and horror. Inde Navarrette as Nikki is perfect throughout. A good companion piece to Weapons.

I rated How to Make a Killing (2026) 6/10 #IMDb Glen Powell, although disowned at birth, is still in line to inherit a huge wealth as long as he can knock off 7 relatives. A dark comedy that’s missing a lot of potential comedy. Too many straight boring characters unfortunately.

I rated Hoppers (2026) 6/10 #IMDb Disney animation in which animal rights activist Mabel takes control of a beaver avatar to stop the destruction of a local habitat. Overall fun animation that goes at least 20 minutes too long. I particularly enjoyed Loaf who got too little screen time.

I rated Romancing the Stone (1984) 6/10 #IMDb Romance novelist Kathleen Turner travels to Colombia to save her kidnapped sister. Indiana Jones-ish vibes with Michael Douglas. It’s a relatively fun adventure. Danny DeVito brings some comedic villain relief.

I rated Mortal Kombat II (2026) 5/10 #IMDb Karl Urban joins the fray as Johnny Cage who must help to save the Earth (again). Urban rescues the nonsense from being complete pap, and the fight scenes are relatively enjoyable, but there are better ways to spend 2 hours.

I rated Mortal Kombat (2021) 4/10 #IMDb A bunch of humans must fight in Mortal Kombat otherwise the world is doomed. There are some entertaining action bouts but it’s plagued by some atrocious acting.

I rated Iron Lung (2026) 3/10 #IMDb On an alien moon, a convict is sent down into an ocean of blood in a small submarine. Written, edited, directed, and starring YouTuber Markiplier, it’s a 30 min short story turned into 2 hours. All of the story is in one confined space and it is not scary at all.

I rated Scream 7 (2026) 4/10 #IMDb Neve Campbell returns and a new Ghost Face is after her daughter. After the promise of Scream VI, this lacklustre re-tread brings nothing new to the franchise. The AI sub plot doesn’t help and the killer reveal is incredibly weak.

I rated Backrooms (2026) 6/10 #IMDb Chiwetel Ejiofor gets trapped in a seemingly infinite set of rooms where he may or may not be alone. One of those “What if” scenarios that then requires some kind of explanation in the final act that never comes. Atmospheric and creepy, but not a lot of sense.

I rated The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) 7/10 #IMDb Maggie Smith is a teacher at an all girls school in the 1930s who has her favourites and promotes the rising fascism of Spain and Italy. This film is an absolute safeguarding nightmare and should be watched alongside reading the annual KCSIE.

I rated Alien: Romulus (2024) 7/10 #IMDb A bunch of miners hack in to a mysteriously “empty” space station. More enjoyable than people had told me, and it nicely aesthetically matches the original Alien. Shame that the CGI recreation of Ian Holm is so awful.

I rated Scream VI (2023) 7/10 #IMDb The action moves to New York where a new Ghost Face is on the loose. This one definitely feels different to previous entries and tries something new. The killer reveal at the end is still nonsense of course, but overall enjoyable. No Neve Campbell this time.

I rated Scream (2022) 6/10 #IMDb Scream 5. Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette all return. It looks better than the previous instalment and is more enjoyable, but is still out of ideas. How many murderers could one small town have?