The Forbidden City (2025) | She came to find her sister and accidentally started a one-woman demolition job on the Roman underworld. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 7.0/10. The Forbidden City looked like one of those “this could either slap or completely fall apart” watchlist gambles. Basically, it more "punches and kicks" in a way that kept me entertained enough not to complain.

Right out of the gate, you’re dropped into a scenic martial arts training sequence that screams important backstory incoming…except the movie forgets to translate the text explaining it. So unless you’re fluent, you’re just nodding along like, “Yep, mountains…training…this will definitely matter later.” It’s a bold strategy. Confuse first, explain maybe never, but thankfully, the film quickly pivots into something universally understood. People getting absolutely wrecked.

Enter Mei (Yaxi Liu), who wastes no time establishing herself as the human equivalent of a wrecking ball. The opening fight alone is worth the price of admission, featuring tight choreography and one of the more creative uses of a compact disc you’ll ever see. Seriously, somewhere out there, DVDs just got nervous. Mei doesn’t just fight, she improvises, turning anything within arm’s reach into a weapon. It’s chaotic, fast, and a clear nod to some of Jackie Chan's best.

Then we meet Marcello (Enrico Borello), who spends a good portion of the film getting physically and verbally bullied by Mei while trying to figure out what she’s yelling at him, in Chinese. The language barrier becomes an ongoing gag, and honestly, it works. Watching Mei aggressively demand answers while the Italians scramble for Google Translate energy is oddly hilarious. It adds a layer of charm you don’t usually get in revenge-driven action films.

Of course, the tone shifts hard once Mei finds her sister. What starts as a rescue mission turns into a revenge story, and that’s where The Forbidden City kicks into a more emotional side. Director Gabriele Mainetti actually gives these quieter moments room to breathe, pairing them with strong visuals and a fitting score. It doesn’t feel like filler. It feels earned.

The dynamic between Mei and Marcello also develops in a surprisingly natural way. Despite not sharing a language, they still manage to connect. And why not take a nice little scooter ride through Rome that’s equal parts awkward and genuinely sweet. It’s here that the film drops some heavier backstory about the sisters, and it lands better than expected.

That said, the pacing does stumble. The shift from high-energy action to emotional drama can feel a bit like slamming on the brakes at full speed. I am thoroughly enjoying Mei dismantling entire rooms of criminals, and suddenly, I'm in a quiet, melancholic reflection scene. It works individually, but the transitions aren’t always smooth.

But when it comes to the important stuff, The Forbidden City nails it. Innovative action sequences, an unusual intercultural relationship, and just enough emotion to prevent it from becoming a mindless beatdown. And if you enjoy seeing a strong woman take control of a roomful of thugs who can’t even comprehend what she’s saying, this is the movie for you.

The Forbidden City (2025)

https://jackmeat.com/the-forbidden-city-2025/

Captive (2023) | Feels like a horror-comedy that forgot both the horror and the comedy even though Scout Taylor-Compton showed up ready. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 3.7/10. Just a great poster, combined with a familiar name, can work for me, and this time, Captive (2023) did just that. Put Scout Taylor-Compton in a horror comedy scenario about some stoners sneaking into a house and finding a strange captive in the basement? Yeah, that should be a recipe for chaos, laughs, and at least a few “oh damn” moments.

Instead, it’s more like a recipe where someone forgot half the ingredients…and nearly burned what was left.

The premise keeps these moving early on. A group of party-hungry stoners decides to squat in a random house for the weekend (always leads to good things), only to stumble across something they definitely didn’t sign up for. A chained-up stranger downstairs. That’s a great launching point for paranoia and some darkly comedic stupidity. You can already imagine the arguments, the bad decisions, the inevitable “we should NOT be here” realization.

Unfortunately, Captive mostly just…hangs out.

These characters have been ripped straight out of the “Generic Stoner Archetype Starter Pack,” minus the fun. There are so many opportunities for laughs, and yet the movie manages to fail at being funny despite itself. How do you not find any amusement when you have guaranteed madness, stupidity, and an actual mystery in your basement?

On the horror side? Not much better.

Captive (2023) never quite figures out what it wants to be. It’s not goofy enough to work as comedy, and it is not scary enough to be horror. It simply hangs out in that uncomfortable middle. I kept waiting for it to pick a lane, hit the gas, and take off, but it never did.

On the performance level, Scout Taylor-Compton is the only memorable one. She seems to have walked in right from another film that she actually did well in and is trying to keep it together as best she can. The rest? Well, let’s just say that the effort varies widely. It becomes difficult to root for any particular character’s survival or demise.

And then there are the effects. When your horror elements look like they were filtered through a social media app circa 2015, it’s tough to feel any real sense of dread. Instead of pulling you in, they kind of took me straight out of the moment entirely.

In the end, Captive (2023) is one of those frustrating “almost” movies. The concept is solid. The setup is there. And there are glimpses of what should have worked, but it never comes together. It’s not terrible in a #turkey way, it’s just…there.

Captive (2023)

Think of it as a party you were excited to go to, only to realize halfway through that nobody brought music, snacks, or a keg.

https://jackmeat.com/captive-2023/

Forbidden Fruits (2026) | It’s like The Craft met Heathers at a food court, then spent an hour posing before remembering to be violent. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 5.2/10. There’s a very specific feel Forbidden Fruits is going for, and to its credit, it commits to it. Even if it sometimes feels like it’s more interested in being cool than actually being, you know, entertaining.

Right out of the gate, the film sets the tone with a radio-dial intro, landing us in full Shudder territory before introducing Apple (Lili Reinhart), who casually manipulates a guy in a parking lot like it’s just another Tuesday. Subtle? Not even slightly. But it does immediately tell you what kind of world you’re stepping into. One where the Free Eden girls rule the mall like it’s their own slightly cursed kingdom.

Apple, along with Cherry (Victoria Pedretti) and Fig (Alexandra Shipp), runs a secret witchy femme cult out of a mall. Of course they do. It’s giving The Craft with a heavy splash of Heathers, and yeah…I could feel those influences in basically every frame. Sometimes that works. Sometimes it feels like the movie is one sarcastic monologue away from just admitting it has both films on speed dial.

The dynamic gets shaken up when new hire Pumpkin (Lola Tung) enters the mix, immediately calling out the group’s performative “we’re all sisters” energy - which, let’s be honest, had red flags all over it from the start. There’s also the legend of Pickle (yes, Pickle), the mysterious fourth member who’s no longer around, complete with a whole “Ballad of Pickle” detour that feels like the film daring you to stay invested.

And here’s the thing. For a solid chunk of its 103-minute runtime, Forbidden Fruits is all buildup. A lot of attitude, a lot of aesthetic, a lot of “look how edgy we are”…and not a whole lot actually happening. You’ll start to feel it creeping in. That little voice in your head going, “Are we going somewhere with this?”

Then, almost on cue, something finally does happen.

The third act kicks in like the movie suddenly remembered it promised horror, delivering a blood-soaked payoff that includes, of all things, a weaponized escalator. Yes, really. And honestly? It works. The kills are creative, the tone fully dives into dark comedy absurdity, and there’s even a twist that doesn’t feel like it was pulled out of a clearance bin. It gives the film a bit of meaning and, shockingly, sticks the landing better than expected.

Bonus points for dodging the typical Hollywood ending, too. It doesn’t go where you think it will, which is refreshing in a genre that often plays it safe.

That said, you can’t overlook the amount of time it takes to get there. Act one and two feel like an extended hangout that doesn’t know when to leave, but not all viewers will be willing to sit through that long for the reward. If you appreciate a good dose of '80s mall culture, however, then this might work for you.

And just when you think it’s all over, the post-credit scene reveals Sharon (Gabrielle Union), because apparently, this mall has more secrets to spill.

Forbidden Fruits (2026)

In the end, Forbidden Fruits isn’t terrible. It’s just uneven. More dark comedy than horror, more vibe than substance for the most part. But when it finally decides to bite, it at least leaves a mark.

https://jackmeat.com/forbidden-fruits-2026/

Immortal Combat (2026) | This movie made me nostalgic for losing quarters in the arcade, because at least Mortal Kombat earned my pain. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 2.2/10. The moment that Immortal Combat started, I knew I had just accidentally punished myself. However, it did not become apparent to me how far off track it is until the battle scene set in France in 1429. This is where Joan of Arc (Eve Fournier) is seen in the middle of a war in Orleans, just seconds before being shot by an arrow, when she is suddenly transported to the future as if something went wrong in the History Channel boardroom.

This latest pile of mockbuster trash comes courtesy of The Asylum, which would've been the only warning I needed. Somehow, this one slipped past my defenses before I hit play. But my inability to hit "stop" after that is my own damn fault. The greatest fighters in history, like Attila the Hun (Sasha Di Capri) and Joan of Arc, have been pulled from their own times and placed in a life-and-death fight to the death under the guidance of a mysterious organization headed by Aria (Dominique Swain). Of course, it is just like its title implies. It’s a terrible knock-off of Mortal Kombat 2.

I mean, I grew up happily feeding quarters into Mortal Kombat arcade machines, so I’ll admit the idea had just enough shamelessness to keep me curious. Historical warriors in a futuristic death match? Sure, why not? But Immortal Combat takes that mildly entertaining concept and destroys it every chance it gets. One of the earliest gems is the explanation that everyone can suddenly speak English thanks to a “language interface” implant. And delivered with such straight-faced seriousness that I almost had to admire the audacity. Almost.

The fight scenes are, frankly, horrendous. These aren’t battles so much as awkwardly staged shoving matches with the occasional slow, telegraphed punch. Every time the movie tries to build momentum, it trips. Characters die and then are somehow brought back through some vague, never properly explained method that seems less like plot and more like the writers refusing to let 'em die. The effects are “special” in the most charitable way. I say AI can do better. and the acting ranges from wooden to accidentally hilarious.

Still, I have to give it this. For an Asylum production, it is somehow not the worst piece of cinematic trash I have sat through. That might be the nicest thing I can say. Even the mid-credits sequel tease feels like the film itself shrugging and saying, “Sure, why not another one?” Maybe their next incarnation can upgrade the AI model they were using here.

The real tragedy here is that I made the mistake of watching it, so you do not have to. Learn from my suffering. Immortal Combat is the kind of movie that makes you appreciate bad movies that are at least entertainingly bad. This one mostly had me checking the time remaining.

Immortal Combat (2026)

https://jackmeat.com/immortal-combat-2026/

Border (2018) | If weird movies had airport customs, Border would breeze right through and still leave everyone confused and impressed. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.8/10. Border (2018) is one of those flicks that caught me by surprise, as it quietly whispered, “You have absolutely no idea where this is going.” Seriously, that’s the best way to go into this one.

Going in, I thought that it would be a thriller of a sort, maybe something dark and involving crime with a supernatural aspect. Instead, what I ended up watching was a peculiar, oddly charming, yet extremely disturbing romantic thriller. This is not your typical “customs officer catches the bad guy” movie. Not even close.

The premise alone is fascinating. Tina (Eva Melander) works at border control and has an extraordinary ability. She can literally smell guilt, fear, and hidden emotions on people passing through customs. It’s a great hook, and the film uses it brilliantly right away. Watching her sniff out suspicious travelers like the world’s most intimidating bloodhound gives Border an immediately eerie charm. It’s almost darkly funny at times. Imagine trying to sneak contraband past someone who can practically smell your bad decisions.

Then along comes Vore (Eero Milonoff).

The moment he appears, Border (2018) does a complete u-turn into something completely out of the ordinary. Tina’s never-before-failed intuition faces an equal opponent. She senses something is off, but not in any way she can understand. From here, all the mysteries of the movie unravel bit by bit.

And that’s really where Border shines.

I suggest going in as blind as possible. The less you know, the better. The reveal works so well that talking about it will take away everything that makes it great. It continues to peel back the layers until it evolves from being just another thriller into a weird yet thought-provoking one.

That said, the pace is rather slow. The movie moves into areas where it appears to have nowhere particular to go and ends up walking around in circles in its efforts to get there. In some cases, the sequence seems to last longer than necessary, and occasionally the plot becomes disoriented.

The part that stands out is just how unapologetically weird this movie is. And that isn't just Tina's appearance. Border fully commits to its concept, and because of that, it stands out in a sea of more formulaic thrillers. It’s almost haunting. A little romantic, a little disturbing, and not something you forget five minutes after the credits roll.

It is not what I was expecting, and believe me, that is a good thing. If you do plan on checking out Border (2018), avoid spoiler-heavy reviews. This is one of those films where the mystery is half the experience.

Border (2018)

https://jackmeat.com/border-2018/

Apex (2026) | Beautiful to look at, stressful as hell, and a great reminder that the Aussie outdoors is exactly why I stay inside. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.1/10. Sometimes you watch a movie for the story, other times you watch because the scenery is so gorgeous you ignore the fact that someone is about to take the express route off a mountain. Apex lands somewhere nicely in the middle.

The film opens with one of those immediate “absolutely not, count me out” moments as Sasha (Charlize Theron) and her husband Tommy (Eric Bana) are hanging off the side of a mountain like it is a casual weekend hobby. I am already stressed just watching them clip in. The cinematography wastes no time showing off the jagged terrain, and just when I was admiring the view, that ominous score crept in and lets us know somebody is about to discover gravity the hard way.

Sure enough, the initial tragedy strikes hard, leaving Sasha with guilt-filled baggage that accompanies her throughout the movie. Moving forward five months, the tale moves onto Australian soil, where cinematographer Lawrence Sher totally steals the show. The Blue Mountains are captured with breathtaking scale and texture, the kind of imagery that makes every frame look like a tourism campaign directed by someone with a very dark sense of humor. Since those mountains are basically right over there (I'm pointing at a window), it is quite fitting to see them used as both beauty and nightmare fuel.

Of course, because movies insist on doing this, every random Aussie bloke Sasha runs into is framed like he either has excellent hiking tips or several bodies hidden nearby. Ben (Taron Egerton) gives off immediate serial killer energy, and Apex does not exactly try to hide it. Once Sasha heads out into the wilderness by kayak, I had the same practical thought you did. How exactly are we getting back to the truck here? Miles. Sorry, kilometers downstream, and apparently, the return plan is just teleportation.

Before that becomes a concern, Apex throws in another very relatable Australian horror moment. Snake in the tent. Honestly, for a second, I actually wondered if the movie was going to go into nature survival rather than human hunting. Sasha, as expected, views this situation as a nuisance and continues rowing like poisonous snakes are on his agenda.

Then Ben’s real game begins.

From there, Apex moves into a typical psycho hunting victims in the wilderness movie. Complete with its ritualistic undertones and disgusting revelations about Ben's obsession, making it more terrifying. Some of the escape route logic stretches credibility, and yes, the broader story beats can feel predictable. I could often see where the next turn was heading long before the movie got there.

Still, the tension works because the film smartly keeps the focus tight. This is mostly a two-person showcase, and both Theron and Egerton do strong work carrying it. Theron, in particular, sells Sasha’s gradual shift from grieving survivor to something colder and more ruthless. That transformation becomes the core of the movie, even when the plot itself follows familiar tracks.

In the end, Apex may not revolutionize the genre of being stalked in the wilderness, but it’s slick enough to make the 90-minute film run fly by. And considering I can be in the Blue Mountains in a couple of hours, this did not exactly inspire confidence in any future day trips.

Apex (2026)

https://jackmeat.com/apex-2026/

They Will Kill You (2026) | A bloody, darkly hilarious flick that knows exactly how ridiculous it is and has a blast with every severed limb. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 7.2/10. I have been looking forward to They Will Kill You ever since that first trailer dropped, and thankfully, this one delivers exactly the kind of campy and unhinged chaos I hoped for. If you go in expecting subtlety, this movie will probably laugh in your face, quote the devil, and then hit you with a flaming axe.

The film opens with a wonderfully cynical tone: two young people staring into a bizarre mannequin display posed like some perfect wealthy suburban family, while the line “When poor people give to rich people, the devil laughs” flashes like a warning label for everything to come. It is one of those openings that instantly tells you this movie has something mean and darkly funny on its mind. That humor is immediately undercut by a far more brutal scene as the pair flees from their father, culminating in the older sibling being forced to shoot him after the chilling line, “You’ll never touch her again.” Not exactly a cheery start, but it got my attention.

Ten years later, Asia Reaves - initially going by Isabel and played by Zazie Beetz - arrives for a housekeeping job in a towering NYC high-rise. Naturally, because horror movie employment opportunities are never normal, the building comes with a long history of disappearances and an atmosphere so suspicious it might as well have a neon sign blinking RUN. Patricia Arquette’s Lily Woodhouse welcomes her in, and as a longtime fan ever since True Romance, it was great seeing Arquette bring that same magnetic screen presence here.

Writer-director Kirill Sokolov wastes absolutely no time letting the weirdness loose. Everyday sounds, creaking pipes, footsteps, elevator noises, are used brilliantly to build tension before masked attackers descend on Asia’s room in a full-blown assault sequence less than twenty minutes in. It instantly brought back the same “what in the actual hell is happening?” energy from his criminally overlooked Why Don't You Just Die!. And once the violence kicks in, it really kicks in. This thing goes all in on comic-book-style gore, with blood spraying like the building’s plumbing system is filled with red paint.

At this point, I am wondering how they are going to keep up the pace. Once the truth comes out that “Isabel” is actually Asia Reaves, the same girl from the opening, the film opens up into something even wilder. Dark humor, a temple for Satan, rich people being predictably awful, and the kind of plot escalation where you just shrug and say, sure, why not? Watching Heather Graham’s character get her head blown clean off is the sort of moment that tells you death here is less a consequence and more a temporary inconvenience.

We get to meeting Maria Reaves (Myha'la), the reason big sister came looking in the first place. The back half leans even harder into the madness with an enjoyably goofy flaming axe fight, a surprisingly decent new depiction of Satan, and a sword fight near the end that is so bizarrely entertaining I genuinely do not want to spoil who it is between. It is one of those sequences that makes you grin because it fully commits to the insanity.

They Will Kill You (2026)

Best of all, They Will Kill You absolutely flies by. There is barely any slowdown, and Sokolov never misses a chance to throw more blood, guts, and black comedy at the screen. It is stylish, violent, weirdly funny, and just cynical enough to make its “damn rich people” theme land.

https://jackmeat.com/they-will-kill-you-2026/