Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on June 18th, 2026
“I'll drink to that.”
Directed by the legendary Sidney Poitier, Fast Forward was part of a cycle of mid-late 1980s dance movies which included Fame, Flashdance, Footloose, Dirty Dancing, Breakin' aka Breakdance, Electric Boogaloo: Breakdance 2, Salsa, Beat Street, Heavenly Bodies, Rappin.' In this addition to the mid-1980s dance movie craze, a tight-knit group of eight high school students from a small town in Ohio form a dance troupe called "The Adventurers". Driven by pure ambition, they pack their bags and head to New York City to chase their big break. The film served as the debut theatrical feature film for most of the cast members, though there were a few recognizable faces. Such as Debra Varnado (All the Right Moves), who played Debbie Hughes, and Don Franklin, who played Michael, who I recognize for a host of tv show appearances. The movie wasn’t really the breakout film it was hoped to be, particularly given the stiff competition during its era. And unfortunately, while I did find it intriguing at times, I’m skeptical that the film will find new life amongst this newer generation.
Posted in: The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on June 12th, 2026
“If you found out we weren't alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you?”
This movie marks the 30th collaboration between Steven Spielberg and John Williams. Their first was The Sugarland Express, over 50 years prior. This is even more noteworthy, given that when Spielberg initially approached Williams about making the score, Williams first suggested four other composers take the job, since Williams had retired from film scoring. Spielberg insisted Williams score the film himself, and Williams finally agreed. This film also marks a personal achievement for Steven Spielberg, directing at least one sci-fi movie in each decade of his career: Firelight (1964), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Jurassic Park (1993), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Minority Report (2002), War of the Worlds (2005) and Ready Player One (2018).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on June 10th, 2026
“Hello, Sidney. Did you miss me? Nice little town you found, you and your pretty daughter. Reminds me of where we grew up.”
Honestly, after the last film, in which the creators broke the tradition that the three O.G. characters (Sidney, Gale, and Dewey) always made it to the final credits, I thought was going to be the end for the franchise after all. Because if there was one thing I knew, which had held true for five films, was that those three were not to be touched. So when the powers that be made the decision to kill off David Arquette’s character (I know I shouldn't be revealing spoilers; however, if you haven’t seen the previous film, you shouldn't be reading a review for its sequel, so sorry not sorry), I was of the opinion that there was nowhere else for the story to go.
Posted in: The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on May 9th, 2026
“I'm warning you. I got a Saturn Award for Best Fight in a Feature Film, so don't mess with me.”
So, it goes without saying the success or failure of this movie rested solely on Karl Urban’s portrayal of Johnny Cage. Johnny Cage is among the most popular characters in the video game franchise. Not to mention, he was my favorite character back in my Sega days. For me, while I still enjoyed the first film, his absence was felt. I was thrilled when I heard that he was going to be featured in the second film. I will admit when I heard that Urban would be playing the role, I was mildly skeptical. While I know Urban to be a fantastic actor and hilarious, the physicality of the role, I initially thought would be too much for him. Luckily, it proved me wrong. It’s been five years since the reboot, and yet for the most part, the sequel feels like no time has passed at all. Especially given that everyone member of the cast from the reboot returned for the sequel, including a few that I wasn’t expecting. This of course includes some new additions as well as a bit of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina reunion.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on October 1st, 2025
So, I don’t want to make this film out to be more than it was intended to be, a movie intended to capitalize on the nostalgia of Pitch Perfect fans by bringing together three of its stars (Rebel Wison and Anna Camp of the original trilogy, as well as Gigi Zumbado appeared in Pitch Perfect 2) in what amounted to a lackluster comedy. In addition, the film was to capitalize on residual popularity of Rebel Wilson, who won over so many with her quick wit and unique brand of humor. However, the film came off as more of a mash-up of already-seen Rebel Wilson movies, specifically Bridesmaids and The Hustle. And while I commend Rebel Wilson’s nunchuck skills as well as most of her own stunts in the film and her commitment to filming despite getting injured on the final day of filming, this wasn’t a movie that really did it for me. There wasn’t enough originality to keep my interest. The plot essentially felt like a rehash of another average wedding flick that shotgunned a hostage situation. Even with the addition of Justin Hartley and Stephen Dorff, this film felt like more like a direct-to-streaming movie than a theatrical release.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on October 1st, 2025
This episode collection was all right with me, but in the eyes of my son, it could do no wrong, and as he is the one actually in the age demographic, this will be the one time where I defer to the opinion of a three-year-old. In this ten-episode collection, Marshall takes charge and leads the pups from everything from a blaze at a lemonade stand to saving a lost penguin. This disc marks the first time that my son has willingly sat through the watching of something from start to finish. It’s not all that surprising, as he was a fan of the series before this disc, but I still found it significant, because he does remain selective about which episodes he watches. Fortunately, Marshall is among his favorite of the crew, especially now that Rubble is off doing his own thing. Luckily, Rubble also featured in this episode collection, so my son got the best of both worlds.
Posted in: The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on September 28th, 2025
“Viva la Revolucion.”
I don’t say this lightly, but One Battle After Another is without question the best movie that I’ve seen this year. With a star-studded cast that includes at least three Oscar-award winning actors (Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and Benicio Del Toro), several other Hollywood veterans (Regina Hall and Wood Haris), and up-and-coming talent (Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti’s film debut), the film establishes itself from its opening credit and held my attention till the very end. Inspired by Thomas Pynchon's 1990 novel Vineland, this epic dark comedy follows DiCaprio as Pat Calhoun and Taylor as Perfidia Beverly Hills are lovers and members of the far-left revolutionary group known as the French 75. While breaking out detained immigrants from a detention center, Perfidia humiliates the commanding officer, Steven Lockjaw (Penn), who develops a sexual fascination with her. With the French 75, Pat and Perfidia carry out attacks on politicians' offices, banks, and even the power grid. Still obsessed with Perfidia, Lockjaw leverages his position to pursue the group, more specifically Perfidia.
Posted in: The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on September 21st, 2025
“Now we’re playing some football.”
Let’s just start with the high marks: Marlon does his thing, which I fully expected that he would. Right when you think that we have already seen the best that he has to offer, he finds a new gear, and let it be known that he will not be typecast as just a comedian or as a writer or as producer. He is, in fact, him. Pun intended. Tyriq Withers shows some promise as a leading man, and like his character is clearly hungry to make a name for himself, with this project being his second box office horror appearance this year (the other being I Know What You Did Last Summer). Also, you can see Jordan’s Peele’s influence on the film, as there are a handful of similarities to his previous projects. However, Him, while entertaining, does not achieve the same impact as those aforementioned projects. There was plenty of intrigue, but the train somewhat comes off the track, particularly in regard to the film’s conclusion.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on August 29th, 2025
“I read somewhere, thou shalt not steal. I think it was in the Bible, "Thou shalt not steal." That's not complicated, is it? But, if you do have a problem with that, you can always take it up with God, or Karl Marx, or the Kardashians, or anyone.”
Unfortunately, even Anthony Hopkins wasn’t enough to elevate this film beyond just an OK watching experience. A remake of a remake, Locked stars Hopkins as well as Bill Skarsgard, who I am convinced struggles with picking good movies to become attached to. Not saying that this is a shining example of those difficulties, but I doubt it will do anything to further his reputation in the industry. The film is a remake of the Argentine film 4x4 (2019), which was previously remade in Brazil as A Jaula (2022). Despite not being in the same room for the bulk of the film, I will say that the two played off one another quite well, which I attributed to both actors having significant stage presence. That aside, the film drew too many parallels to another psychological thriller franchise starring an enigmatic actor whose character had penchant for entrapping individuals who needed to learn a lesson.
Posted in: The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on August 9th, 2025
The simplest way I can think to sum up this movie is as such: If you saw the first film (Freaky Friday), then you have essentially already seen the second film already, Freakier Friday. This is due to there being very little difference between the two films beyond the passage of time. Yes, Lindsay Lohan now finds herself in the adult role, but the film’s themes are very much the same. In the interest of fairness, I will admit that there is very little room for deviation given the film’s premise. This is a “walk a mile in another person’s shoes” type movie, and the film delivers on that, so when push comes to shove, the film delivered on what it was supposed to. However, I feel like this kind of movie was the reason that Disney created Disney+ for. As nice as it was to see Lohan return to the silver screen, this film marks Lindsay Lohan's first theatrically released leading role in 18 years. However, it just felt like the film would have been better suited on the streaming service. I will give this legacy sequel credit for its continuity, as it found a way to bring back nearly every character from the first film, which was something that I did not expect.
