Skinwalker Island (2025) | We've seen this movie before, with a better story & better effects, but never has shapeshifting horror been such a family affair. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 3.5/10. I don't really have an excuse for this one. Skinwalker Island follows a group of siblings who return to their family’s Florida island after their grandmother passes away. Of course, because no low-budget horror gathering is complete without anarchy, their resident troublemaker cousin crashes the grief party just in time for supernatural forces to start clocking in. What unfolds is a mix of ancestral, shape-shifting curses and characters who probably should have just sold the island and moved on with their lives.

Let’s start with the script. Written by Jon Carlo, the plot is about as bland as unseasoned mashed potatoes. It checks off familiar horror beats without adding much flavor. You’ve seen this movie before. You know where it’s going. You can practically hear the “ominous forest noise” sound effect before it happens. The suspense is nearly nonexistent, and when the possession angle kicks in, it feels rushed and barely explained. Someone gets taken over, someone dies, and the “why” is treated like optional DLC content.

That said, Carlo the director, fares better than Carlo the writer. He somehow manages to make the film look more expensive than it probably was. The shots are clean, the Florida scenery is decent, and the overall presentation is polished enough to trick you into thinking something bigger is coming. Unfortunately, it rarely does. The effects leave plenty to be desired, especially when CGI blood shows up looking like it was applied with the “basic red splatter” preset. Most of the kills are either off-screen or poorly executed, which is always a risky move when your story is this thin.

Interestingly, the lead actors appear to actually be siblings, and I’d already seen them in Carlo’s previous film, Feral State. This is a slight step up from that one (which I rated a brutal 3.1), so progress is technically being made. Jasmine Tamposi, playing Lucy, has definitely improved since then. She was adequate here. The brother, Oliver, still needs a few more classes. Solid enough that I didn’t find myself actively wincing, which is growth. Meanwhile, Nicholas Tamposi plays Lucy’s dad, and age-wise, might very well be Oliver & Jasmine’s real-life father. It’s giving a “family production meeting over Thanksgiving dinner” vibe. But hey, at least there’s commitment.

The dialogue, though, is often irritating. The extra characters are largely interchangeable, and the attention-seeking social media cousin is more eye-roll than comic relief. His performance feels especially forced, which doesn’t help an already predictable movie (sorry, bruh, not naming you). The shapeshifting creature itself never feels fully defined, as if the filmmakers couldn’t quite decide what it was supposed to be. Even so, one particularly mean-spirited attack does land effectively. It’s nasty in a way that briefly jolts the movie awake. And it doesn't involve any half-baked creature.

Overall, Skinwalker Island looks better than it reads, and that’s about the kindest thing I can say. It’s a marginal improvement over Carlo’s previous effort, but not nearly enough to make it recommendable. I found myself checking out mentally more than once, which is never a great sign when supernatural horrors are supposed to be lurking in every shadow. Not one I’d suggest rushing out to see unless you’re a completionist for low-budget shape-shifter cinema.

Skinwalker Island (2025)

https://jackmeat.com/skinwalker-island-2025/

Hamnet (2025) | This wonderfully acted movie is not exactly a feel-good pick, unless crying quietly in the dark is your thing. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 7.7/10. I realized March 15th is coming soon, and I would like to get all the Best Picture nominees in so I can make more educated picks for the Oscar Contest. Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet opens with a title card explaining that in Elizabethan England, “Hamnet” and “Hamlet” were interchangeable due to the era’s creative relationship with spelling. It’s a small detail and not just historical trivia. It’s part of the backbone of the film.

After her eleven-year-old son dies during the plague, Agnes Shakespeare (Jessie Buckley) is shattered. Her husband William (Paul Mescal) mourns too, but in a very different way. She is the wound exposed. He is the scar forming quietly underneath clothing. All of this takes place in the unforgiving landscape of 16th-century England. The film follows Agnes, a healer who can mend others but not herself. She attempts to navigate grief while still being a wife and mother to her surviving children.

Let’s get this out of the way. You already know this story is going to hurt. The plague doesn’t exactly scream “feel-good matinee.” But what makes Hamnet devastating isn’t just the tragedy, it’s how convincingly it’s performed. The acting here is on another level. Buckley delivers a performance that feels less like acting and more like a mental excavation. When that moment of realization hits her during the stage performance of Hamlet, the entire range of emotion she cycles through is staggering. It’s raw, unfiltered grief. Agnes doesn’t romanticize her pain. She wears it like armor made of broken glass.

Mescal plays Will as a man who buries his sorrow so deep it comes back out as poetry. Their dynamic is painfully believable. One partner imploding, the other transmuting loss into language. You can practically see the creative gears turning behind his eyes while hers remain flooded.

The supporting cast is equally strong. Bodhi Rae Breathnach as Susanna, the eldest child, brings a quiet resilience to her scenes. I had just seen her in Shelter, and she continues to impress. Noah Jupe, playing the stage version of Hamlet, again had my full attention, as he did in The Carpenter’s Son. The theater sequence with Agnes in the audience is one of the film’s most powerful moments. Grief meeting art in real time.

I thought Hamnet was visually stunning. Cinematographer Łukasz Żal deserves major credit for creating an atmosphere that feels authentically lived-in rather than museum-polished. There’s mud, candlelight, and damp air. You can almost smell the 1500s (which, I'd be willing to bet, wasn’t pleasant).

If there’s a drawback, it’s the pacing. The film moves deliberately, sometimes very deliberately. It slows down to force you to sit in the grief, to feel its corrosive weight. There’s no swelling musical cue to soften the blow. Sadness here isn’t poetic. It’s damaging and relentless, without a cure in sight.

Go figure. A movie about the Shakespeare family delivers some of the best acting of the year. Don’t be surprised if you don’t make it through dry-eyed. It may not be my Best Picture pick (I’ve still got two contenders left to watch), but in terms of performances? This one’s setting the bar uncomfortably high.

Hamnet (2025)

https://jackmeat.com/hamnet-2025/

Shelter (2026) | Not his best, but when Statham starts clearing rooms, I remembered why these movies still work. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.3/10. Jason Statham has built an entire career around playing men you absolutely do not want to inconvenience, and Shelter continues that proud tradition.

Statham plays Michael Mason, a recluse living on a remote Scottish island, clearly enjoying the “leave me alone” phase of his life. The film opens with some genuinely gorgeous oceanfront scenery - IMDb credits Wicklow Town, County Wicklow, Ireland, for the views - and it’s a strong visual hook. There’s something calming about waves crashing against cliffs…especially knowing that at some point, those cliffs are going to echo with gunfire.

When Mason rescues a young girl, Jessie (Bodhi Rae Breathnach), from the sea, the film wisely slows down instead of sprinting toward explosions. Their relationship gets time to develop, which gives the story a bit more emotional weight than your standard “gruff loner with a mysterious past” setup. Breathnach delivers a captivating performance, holding her own alongside Statham with surprising confidence. If you haven’t seen her before, you probably will again, especially with her upcoming role in Hamnet already drawing attention. (Oscars 2026, get your picks in)

Of course, this wouldn’t be a Statham vehicle without someone deciding that the quiet island hermit is actually a massive problem. Writer Ward Parry builds a fairly layered conspiracy to justify why Mason suddenly becomes target number one. It’s not reinventing the wheel. You’ve absolutely seen versions of this before, but it’s presented with enough detail to stay entertaining.

Once the attack hits Mason’s home, the movie shifts gears and doesn’t really look back. I enjoyed seeing a car chase that avoids the modern obsession with CGI chaos and instead opts for grounded, believable stunt work. The cars behave like cars. Gravity behaves like gravity. It’s refreshing. After the action moves to London, we get well-choreographed, old-school fight sequences that lean on practical effects and tight choreography rather than flashy digital noise.

A close-quarters gunfight inside an electronic music–pumping nightclub is a particular highlight. Loud, chaotic, and satisfyingly brutal. The bad guys meet their ends in ways that feel earned, not cartoonish.

What ultimately makes Shelter work is Statham himself. He plays this role effortlessly, commanding attention without overacting. There’s a steady confidence to his presence that keeps even the familiar plot beats engaging. The film also earns points for sidestepping a certain overused villain trope ending - if you know, you know - which was a welcome surprise.

In tone, this feels closer to The Beekeeper than some of his more straightforward punch-fests, blending character moments with efficient, no-nonsense action. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s sturdy, practical, and entertaining. And honestly, that is exactly what I want from a Statham flick.

Shelter (2026)

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

Die Hart 2: Die Harter (2024) | Kevin Hart's 2024 sequel has decent action sequences proportional to its large budget, but it fails on the comedy front. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 4.6/10. Die Hart 2: Die Harter follows the classic sequel rulebook. Bigger budget, louder explosions, and the bold confidence that surely this time they’ve cracked the formula. To absolutely nobody’s surprise, it sticks closely to the blueprint of its predecessor. Only this time, it doesn’t quite level up.

Once again, Kevin Hart plays a heightened, self-aware version of himself, still on a mission to cement his legacy as the greatest action star alive. His grand plan? Come up with his own flick packed with unscripted, unpredictable chaos to wow the suits that finance it. Because if there’s one thing action movies need, it is more chaos. Hart's master plan has a blind spot that puts him in the middle of a vengeful plot from his past. It turns out that if you make a living by making fun of people and being loud, someone might hold a grudge. Who knew?

Let me start with the positives. The budget is clearly visible on screen. The movie looks really good, and the action scenes are impressive. The stunts are big, and director Eric Appel captures them well. So you get some excitement instead of just a lot of confusing fast edits. There are times when you can see what this series could be. A funny action series that makes fun of action movies while still being a big blockbuster. When the movie focuses on the action, it is actually good.

Now…about that comedy.

For someone known for rapid-fire delivery and sharp comedic timing, Hart feels strangely held back by a script that doesn’t give him enough good material. The humor is very hit-or-miss. And unfortunately, it misses more than it hits. Several jokes feel forced, as if the punchlines were added during a lunch break rewrite. The timing occasionally feels off, and the wit just isn’t as sharp as fans have come to expect. You can almost see the jokes coming and then watch them trip over their own setup.

The storyline has some promise to it. A meta commentary on fame, ego, and legacy, but the execution is just off. That vengeful twist from Hart’s past should have added some thrills. Instead, the plot feels disjointed, bouncing between ideas without committing to any of them. The pacing suffers, and the film occasionally drifts into “Are we still doing this?” territory.

Getting Nathalie Emmanuel and John Cena involved was smart, adding some much-needed energy. Cena, in particular, continues to prove he understands how to play the straight-faced absurdist better than most. Their chemistry with Hart creates a few genuinely fun moments, but even they can’t fully rescue this script.

In the end, Die Hart 2: Die Harter delivers action sequences I call proportional to the ridiculous budget. But the comedy, which should be the backbone of the concept, doesn't always work. I mean, it's not a disaster, but it's very disappointing. Especially given the talent they hired. There are hints of what this franchise could be, but in the end, it goes with safe and forgettable, just like Die Hart did.

Die Hart 2: Die Harter

If Hart’s goal is to become the greatest action star alive, he might need one more training montage, preferably with better punchlines.

https://jackmeat.com/die-hart-2-die-harter-2024/

Die Hart: The Movie (2023) | The new thing is to make fun of yourself and this attempt is just average. Double feature today. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 5.0/10. I never did check out the TV show on Roku, so I am going solely off of this flick, which I guess is the episodes edited into Die Hart: The Movie. Seems the latest trend for stars is to make a parody of themselves. There are far better examples of this happening lately after JCVD got the whole idea started.

This flick follows Kevin Hart's fictionalized journey to become an action movie star. The film revolves around his enrollment in a school run by Ron Wilcox (John Travolta), where he tries to learn the ins and outs of becoming an action hero. While the premise of the movie is interesting, the execution falls flat. The humor, which is Hart's forte, is present but fails to land in most scenes.

The action sequences lack the required punch and feel half-baked, which is quite disappointing for a movie that's supposed to be an action-comedy. The performances are mediocre, with Hart doing his best to carry the movie, but unfortunately, even his screen presence couldn't make up for the weak script. The supporting cast does an okay job, but aside from Jean Reno, they are mostly forgettable. The pacing of the movie is also off, and some scenes feel unnecessary and stretched out, while others seem rushed and underdeveloped.

The plot is predictable, and there are no real surprises or twists to keep the audience engaged. In conclusion, I just found this one to be a mediocre movie that fails to deliver on its promises. While it has its moments of humor and action, it's not enough to save it from being a forgettable film. I would only recommend it if you're a die-hard Kevin Hart fan or if you're looking for a mindless, time-passing movie while working (worked for me). And if so, may as well move on to Die Hart 2: Die Harter.

Die Hart (2020)

https://jackmeat.com/die-hart-the-movie-2023/

Return to Silent Hill (2026) | Return to Silent Hill feels like wandering through a nightmare that never quite explains why you’re there in the first place. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 4.9/10. Another Bloody Disgusting logo to begin with, so you never quite know what you're going to get. Sometimes that logo means "grab the popcorn," and other times it means "grab your phone". Return to Silent Hill lands somewhere in between.

His disjointed memories and guilt bring painter James Sunderland (Jeremy Irvine) to Room 318 after a handwritten letter from his lost love, Mary Crane (Hannah Emily Anderson) is slid under his door. Seeking closure, he heads to their special place in Silent Hill, now a desolate shell of a town that apparently no real estate agent dared visit in about twenty years. The more James searches for Mary, the more his grief warps the world into a psychological horror show, complete with shifting dimensions and monsters. The more James seeks his lost love, the more it seems to be a setup.

Visually, the film gets a lot right. The grim, darker contrasts of Silent Hill work nicely against the more colorful flashbacks, and the production design leans heavily into the series’ signature oppressive atmosphere. The backgrounds often look downright trippy, and the creatures are genuinely unsettling in that classic Silent Hill way, like someone turned therapy notes into practical effects. I recently fired up Silent Hill 2 in VR and could immediately tell this follows the same story path, though I only played briefly, so I won’t be diving into the endless debate about what the film changed or left out. I’m sure the hardcore fans are already handling that across the internet with surgical precision.

Laura, played by Evie Templeton, is easily the standout. She is wonderfully creepy and unpredictable, and injects some much-needed personality into a film where most of the characters feel like background NPCs waiting for their dialogue prompt. That isn't a knock on Anderson at all, since she has her hands full with multiple characters in this flick and juggles them quite well.

Oddly enough, this reminded me more of Silent Hill: Revelation than the original Silent Hill film. It never wraps up a complete movie, and the plot often feels paper-thin despite some heavy psychological themes. The atmosphere and scenery do most of the hard work, while the story struggles to find a direction. You can see where the film wants to explore trauma and guilt, but the pieces never fit together into a complete picture.

Director Christophe Gans returns after gracing us with the first Silent Hill, but this time he doesn’t quite recapture the same magic. Visually, he’s still on target, but the storytelling feels incomplete, like a puzzle missing just enough pieces to be tossed in the trash.

Then again, if you’ve ever played a Silent Hill game or watched the previous films, this may all feel strangely familiar. Great mood, deliberate pacing, and a journey that never quite clarifies its destination. It isn’t awful. Just another haunting trip through Silent Hill that looks the part but never fully finds its soul.

Return to Silent Hill (2026)

https://jackmeat.com/return-to-silent-hill-2026/

Marty Supreme (2025) | A beautifully made movie about a ping pong genius who’s such an ass I spent the whole time hoping he'd lose. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 7.1/10. Marty Supreme is another one of this year’s Best Picture nominees that I felt obligated to check out, if only to see what all the awards-season noise was about. Set in 1952, the film follows 23-year-old New Yorker Marty Mauser, played by Timothée Chalamet, a man who puts 110% into everything he does. Unfortunately for everyone around him, that energy is directed solely at his own selfish ambitions. Marty is convinced he could be the best table tennis player in the world, and he is dead set on proving it at the world championships in Japan, even though he has no money, no official support, and the personality of a cheese grater.

Marty works in his uncle’s shoe store while dreaming of ping pong glory, all while claiming he needs success to support his overbearing mother (played by Fran Drescher), who is currently supported by the very relatives Marty regularly inconveniences. Along the way, he manipulates just about everyone in his orbit, including his married childhood friend Rachel (Odessa A’zion), with whom he’s carrying on an affair without a second thought for the consequences. Marty genuinely believes that an American champion would elevate the sport’s profile, but the film makes it clear that his real motivation is ego first, everything else second.

To fund his unlikely journey, Marty tries to ingratiate himself with retired movie star Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow) and her wealthy businessman husband, Milton Rockwell (Kevin O'Leary). Calling the scene where Marty hooks up with Kay "fiction" is a huge understatement. It would never happen. Marty’s schemes and hustles often play out over ping pong tables rather than pool tables, which makes for some entertaining and unusual sequences. It was especially satisfying to see how his first meeting with Endo (Koto Kawaguchi) ultimately plays out.

The film is very well shot and convincingly acted across the board. The 1950s set design feels authentic and lived-in, helping sell the period setting without drawing unnecessary attention to itself. The cinematography and overall production quality are undeniably strong, and Chalamet delivers a performance that proves just how convincing he can be as a complete jerk, since he doesn’t seem like one in real life, that’s actually a pretty impressive feat. The hustle sequences around the ping pong table are genuinely fun to watch and give the movie some personality.

Where Marty Supreme stumbles is in its script and flow. It’s just that the story feels so disjointed, and Marty’s character development is completely lacking by the end of it. He seems to learn nothing from his experiences and faces virtually no consequences for his actions. It’s hard to get behind him when he’s been so obnoxious throughout the entire thing that I found myself wanting him to fail at pretty much everything he tries.

The music choices also feel strangely out of place for a 1950s setting, even if any movie that sneaks in a track by Public Image Ltd. earns a few bonus points from me.

Ultimately, Marty Supreme is a technically impressive but emotionally unfulfilling film. It’s a well-made movie with a strong central performance, but it’s one that never provides you with any reason to ever care about its protagonist. Not my choice for Best Picture, no matter how hard the marketing tries to persuade me otherwise.

Marty Supreme (2025)

https://jackmeat.com/marty-supreme-2025/