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The last weekend in October brought some interesting films, including a strong group of streaming options. Below is my thoughts on the new movies I saw this week. Want to keep up with everything I’m watching? Follow me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

Canary Black (Prime Video)
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Rupert Friend, and Ray Stevenson
Synopsis: This new action film for Prime Video comes from director Pierre Morel, who gave us the Taken franchise. Here, we have a CIA Agent, Avery Graves (Beckinsale), who is at the top of her game. She works for her best friend and mentor (Stevenson) in Europe. She’s married (Friend), but her husband isn’t part of the life. That leaves her to balance the personal and professional. But when her husband is kidnapped, and those that have him demand she steal a secret file from the CIA, the personal and professional become merged. This one had good action sequences and moved at a good pace. Morel has a good feel for delivering a tight action film. The actors do a nice job here, too, with Beckinsale handling herself well in an action-heavy role. The story moves along well and the twists work well enough to keep you hooked to the story. This was better than expected and a nice little streaming watch.
Rating: Rated R for violence and language.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five

Don’t Move (Netflix)
Starring: Kelsey Asbille and Finn Wittrock
Synopsis: This thriller for Netflix has a unique set up. Iris (Asbille) is a grieving mother who stands atop a mountain, ready to end it all. Richard (Wittrock) is a stranger who shows up and, through his seeming understanding, gets her to stand down. As they go to leave, the situation changes. Richard isn’t what he appears to be, and soon Iris finds herself injected with something that acts as a paralytic. She is slowly becoming unable to move and unable to escape. Can she survive? This is an interesting set up for a film, and it has some interesting twists along the way. It's mostly a two-hander, with Asbille and Wittrock carrying the narrative. Both are solid here. The film moves at a good pace, building the tension and carrying viewers on a journey. It’s also a tight 90 minutes, so it doesn’t overstay its welcome or wear out the premise. It’s a decent streaming watch.
Rating: Rated R for some strong violence and language.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Netflix)
Synopsis: This documentary made its debut at Sundance and now is streaming on Netflix. It tells the story of Mats Steen, a young man confined to a wheelchair by illness who died too young. After his death, his parents discovered he led a rich, inter-connected life through his character on the World of Warcraft. The film uses his character avatar and the diary he left online to bring his story to life. It’s a fascinating look at his life and the way that technology can bring us together and serve as an outlet for those who don’t have other options. It’s an emotional journey that features interviews with those who knew him through the game and celebrates a unique life and its impact on the world.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.
Verdict: Three stars out of five.

Venom: The Last Dance (Theaters)
Starring: Tom Hardy
Synopsis: All journeys come to an end. That’s even true for our cinematic journeys. While Spider-Man gets most of the headlines, the journey of Venom on the big screen has been a successful one for Sony. With The Last Dance, the third film in the franchise, we bring an end to the story of Venom and his human host, Eddie Brock. But how would it end? And would it be a ride worth taking? Those were some of the questions leading into the final film. It turns out, the answer is yes. We pick up with the scene included at the end of Endgame, with Eddie (Hardy) trying to make sense of Thanos. Quickly he’s brought back to his own reality, and it doesn’t take long to discover he’s a fugitive. So, Eddie and his alien alter-ego Venom decide to pay New York City a visit. The only problem is a new threat has emerged. Turns out Venom and his buddies helped prevent galaxy-wide annihilation by imprisoning their creator. But the key to said creator breaking free is recapturing Venom, who holds the codex to his freedom thanks to his unbreakable bond with Eddie. As long as they’re both alive, the galaxy is in trouble. There’s more character introductions and things that happen in this film, but we don’t really take on the Venom ride for the plot. Suffice to say the trailer does a nice job of setting expectations here. This is more about the execution. We know there will be comedy, some violent adventures, and impending choice will have to be made. Will Eddie sacrifice himself to save the world, or will it be the friend he never sought out who has become a part of him? Those questions are answered in a surprisingly emotional way. This film moves at a good pace and doesn’t waste time. There are nice action set pieces, plenty of fun jokes, and a lot of time with this odd couple at the center who have grown on me over the course of three films. I was never a huge fan of the Venom franchise, but I’ve been consistently impressed with Hardy’s work in the films. He’s great here, too. This film surpassed my expectations and has quickly become my favorite in the franchise and the best of the non-Spider-Man films produced by Sony. It’s a fun and at times emotional ride. It’s a great spectacle for the big screen and a fitting cap for this franchise. If you’re a fan, or just casually interested in comic book films, this is a ride worth taking.
Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, bloody images and strong language.
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

Your Monster (Theaters)
Starring: Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey
Synopsis: Sometimes we hit a wall in our lives. We come to a point where nothing is working and everything feels like it’s falling apart. It’s in those moments, we have to rely on our inner strength. But what happens if that strength is a monster waiting to be unleashed on the world? The new film Your Monster is about that topic. It comes from writer/director Caroline Lindy and is a feature adaptation of her 2019 short film of the same name. It focuses on a woman who is at the bottom of her journey and looking for a way back up. That way back up comes in the form of a monster who had periodically come to her in times of need. Laura (Barrera) is in the hospital. She’s been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing surgery to save her life. At the same time, it just doesn’t work for her boyfriend Jacob (Edmund Donovan), who makes the difficult decision that he needs to focus on himself and leave her. So, now she’s sick and alone. Her friend, Mazie (Kayla Foster), gets her to her mother’s house but leaves her alone with her thoughts. Before long, Laura stumbles across Monster (Dewey), who lives in her closet. This isn’t the first time she’s come across monster. He pushes her to move on but, before long, they become fast friends. When the play she helped develop with Jacob is about to debut, Laura decides to audition for the lead—a role she was once promised was hers. She doesn’t get the part, but she’s invited to serve as part of the chorus and the primary understudy. Laura accepts the job but finds it hard to see Jacob at work and moving on in his personal life. That leads Laura to lean more on Monster, which ends up having a difficult impact on her life moving forward. This is a clever tale. There’s comedy, romance, drama, and even musical numbers. All of it comes together in a unique and unexpected way so that by the time you reach the conclusion, you’re completely drawn in. That conclusion, too, is somewhat unexpected in the most delightful way. Lindy has a vision for the story, and she brings that out through the film. There are fun and touching moments, and very tense moments. The look of the film works well and helps drive the story forward with a third act that is, at times, visually stunning. And all of it is helped by a great lead performance from Barrera. She shines throughout the film, but particularly in the tense final act. Her presence in the role is great and helps draw you into the story. I also enjoyed Dewey as Monster, a part he played in the 2019 short film as well. He’s funny and engaging, playing beautifully off Barrera. Your Monster is a different kind of film, but one that fits the season well. It’s worth checking out for those looking for something unique and compelling.
Rating: Rated R for language, some sexual content and brief bloody violence.
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five