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Cam (2018) - a Netflix Original Movie 

Madeline Brewer, Patch Darragh, Melorca Walters, Devin Druid, Imani Hakim

Directed by: Daniel Goldhaber

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 6/10

Synopsis: In Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei's paranoid horror thriller "Cam," an erotic webcam performer (Brewer) finds her followers stolen by a doppelganger who hijacks her channel, pushes the sexual envelope farther, and otherwise seems determined to destroy her life. A new kind of identity theft!

Verdict: I really enjoyed this, you can tell it was heavily influenced by Black Mirror, very well acted by Brewer.

The Calling (2014)

Based upon the novel The Calling (2008) by Michael Redhill under pen name Inger Ash Wolfe

Susan Sarandon, Gil Bellows, Ellen Burstyn, Topher Grace, Donald Sutherland & Christopher Heyerdahl

Directed by: Jason Stone

Platform: Recorded from TV

IMDB: 5.8/10, RT: 52% Rotten

Synopsis: Sarandon plays a Detective in the small sleepy town of Fort Dundas where not much happens until a string of gruesome murders pits her against a strange serial killer driven by a higher calling.

Verdict: Great cast, good performances but there isn’t near enough tension that’s needed and it does plod along at times.

Wei cheng (Call of Heroes) (2016)

Language: Cantonese with English subtitles 

Ching Wan Lau, Eddie Peng, Louis Koo, Jing Wu, Shuying Jiang

Directed by: Benny Chan

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 6.5/10, RT: 100% Fresh

Synopsis: In 1910 China the country is split after the fall of the Qing dynasty and different warlords battle for power with Cao Ying being the most vicious, a group of warriors stand up to him to protect their village.

Verdict: The movies looks great, the score is pretty good and the Kung-Fu action top notch. Recommended!

Calibre (2018) - a Netflix Original Movie 

Jack Lowden, Martin McCann, Tony Curran, Ian Pirie, Kate Bracken & Kitty Lovett

Written & Directed by: Matt Palmer

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 6.7/10, RT: 94% Fresh

Synopsis: A shocking deed turned their weekend trip into a nightmare. Now their only hope is to swallow their paranoia and act normal.

Verdict: Great cinematography and very well acted, the tension and uneasiness comes across very well. Recommended!

Cabin Fever (2016)

A pointless remake of Cabin Fever (2002) 

Gage Golightly, Matthew Daddario, Samuel Davis, Nadine Crocker

Directed by: Travis Zariwny

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 3.7/10, RT: 0% Rotten

Synopsis: While visiting their getaway cabin, five friends succumb to a flesh-eating disease.

Verdict: Pointless remake of the Eli Roth 2002 movie, just watch that one.

Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid (1969)

Burt Bacharach won an Oscar & Golden Globe for the soundtrack

Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katherine Ross

Directed by: George Roy Hill (The Sting)

Platform: NowTV 

IMDB: 8.1/10, RT: 90% Fresh

Synopsis: Wyoming, early 1900s. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid are the leaders of a band of outlaws. After a train robbery goes wrong they find themselves on the run with a posse hard on their heels. Their solution - escape to Bolivia.

Verdict: A fantastic --script and two great leads an entertaining movie makes! Great end sequence! Recommended!

The Bye Bye Man (2017)

Based upon the chapter “The Bridge to Body Island” from “The Presidents Vampire” by Robert Damon Schneck

Douglas Smith, Lucien Laviscount, Cressida Bonas, Michael Trucco, Carrie-Ann Moss, Faye Dunaway & Doug Jones 

Directed by: Stacy Title 

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 4.3/10, RT: 20% Rotten

Synopsis: When three college students move into an old house off campus, they unwittingly unleash a supernatural entity known as The Bye Bye Man, who comes to prey upon them once they discover its name. The friends must try to save each other, all the while keeping The Bye Bye Man's existence a secret to save others from the same deadly fate.

Verdict: Bye Bye Man went Bye Bye after 20 minutes.

BuyBust (2018)

Filipino Language, English subtitles 

Anne Curtis, Brandon Vera, Victor Neri, Arjo Atayde, Levi Ignacio

Directed by: Eric Matti

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 5.8/10, RT: 81% Fresh

Synopsis: After surviving the slaughter of her entire squad in a drug raid compromised by dirty cops, anti-narcotics special operative Nina Manigan (Anne Curtis), is eager to go head-to-head with the drug cartels that hold a bloody grip on Manila. But when her new mission in the city's most dangerous slum goes south, the angry civilians turn on her squad. Trapped between a brutal drug gang and hordes of bloodthirsty citizens, their only option is to fight their way out, turning one claustrophobic street at a time into a symphony of apocalyptic violence.

Verdict: Very reminiscent of The Raid but set in the streets of the slums of Manila, it’s also nowhere near as polished with the fighting and gun play but still a decent actioner with very good cinematography.

Bushwick (2017)

Dave Bautista, Brittany Snow, Angelic Zambrana, Jeremie Harris

Directed by: Jonathan Milott & Cary Murnion

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 5.2/10, RT: 46% Rotten

Synopsis: BUSHWICK tells the story of twenty-year- old Lucy (Snow) and war veteran Stupe (Bautista). Texas, and other states (mostly Southern) are trying to secede from the U.S., and NYC is being used as a negotiation tool. Lucy meets Stupe after coming up from the subway into the military invasion of Brooklyn. Together they decide to cross the treacherous five blocks of Bushwick - littered with looters, local militias and the invading forces, in order to get home and be reunited with Lucy's grandmother.

Verdict: I enjoyed it, the single POV camera following the characters really works for this movie. It reminds me of the beginning of one of the Half-Life sequels, shades of The Purge 2 but more realistic and enjoyable. The political landscape causing the strife is never really explored except in one scene but it’s just background for the two main characters to survive. I’d recommend giving it a watch.

Burning Sands (2017) - a Netflix original movie 

Trevor Jackson, Tosin Cole, DeRon Horton, Alfre Woodard, Steve Harris, Trevante Rhodes

Directed by: Gerard McMurray (The First Purge)

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 6.1/10, RT: 88% Fresh

Synopsis: Deep into Hell Week, a favored pledgee is torn between honoring his code of silence or standing up against the intensifying violence of underground hazing.

Verdict: A great performance by Trevor Jackson is what keeps the interest in this movie, the hazing these fraternity pledges go through is worse than what R.Lee Ermey put the soldiers through in Full Metal Jacket. Have to admit I don’t understand the point of fraternity in College, what it’s for etc but the scary thing is this is based on the directors experiences! I just hope the film was an extreme look at that.

The Burning Plain (2008)

Charlize Theron, Kim Basinger, Joaquim De Almeida, Jose Maria Yazpik, Robin Tunney, Bret Cullen and Jennifer Lawrence 

Directed & Written by: Guillermo Arriaga

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 6.8/10, RT: 38% Rotten

Synopsis: A drama with a two-tiered storyline concerning a mother and daughter who try to form a bond after the young woman's difficult childhood.

Verdict: A very layered story you have to pay attention to as it time jumps and you connect the pieces, it held my attention but needed more of an emotional impact. Theron seems to get naked in every role she’s in. Lawrence in a pre-Hunger Games role is quite good.

Bunraku (2010)

Josh Hartnett, Gackt, Woody Harrelson, Ron Perlman, Kevin McKidd & Demi Moore

Directed by: Gary Moshe

Platform: Recorded from TV

IMDB: 6.2/10, RT: 17% Rotten

Synopsis: In a world with no guns, a mysterious drifter, a bartender and a young samurai plot revenge against a ruthless leader and his army of thugs, headed by nine diverse and deadly assassins.

Verdict: Visually interesting but this was "The Spirit" level awful.

Bull Durham (1991)

Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Trey Wilson & Robert Wuhl 

Directed by: Ron Shelton (White Men Can’t Jump, Tin Cup)

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 7.1/10, RT: 97% Fresh

Synopsis: A fan who has an affair with one minor-league baseball player each season meets an up-and-coming pitcher and the experienced catcher assigned to him.

Verdict: Enjoyable sport movie with good performances all around.

Buddymoon (2016)

David Giuntoli, Flula Borg, Claire Coffee

Directed by: Alex Simmons

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 6.1/10, RT: 75% Fresh

Synopsis: When a former child actor is dumped by his fiancé days before the wedding, his excitable German best man takes him on the honeymoon instead: a backcountry trek in the remote mountains of Oregon.

Verdict: Annoyed and bored me after 20 minutes.

The Bucket List (2007)

Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Sean Hayes & Berverly Todd

Directed by: Rob Reiner (This is Spinal Tap, Stand by Me, The Princess Bride, A Few Good Men, Misery)

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 7.4/10, RT: 40% Rotten

Synopsis: Two terminally ill men escape from a cancer ward and head off on a road trip with a wish list of to-dos before they die.

Verdict: A cutesy comedy drama, it has its moments and it’s held together by two great actors.

Bugsy (1991)

Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Harvey Kietel, Ben Kingsley, Elliott Gould and Joe Mantegna

Directed by: Barry Levinson (The Natural, Good Morning Vietnam, Rain Man)

Platform: NowTV 

IMDB: 6.8/10, RT: 85% Fresh

Synopsis: Not the life of gangster Bugsy Siegel, this biopic focuses on his involvement in creating Las Vegas.

Verdict: Not a film I’d watch again and it doesn’t rank in my top 5 Gangster movies but it’s worth watching for the standout performance by Beatty.

Broken Vows (2016)

Jaimie Alexander, Wes Bentley, Cam Gigandet

Directed by: Bram Coppens

Platform: NowTV

IMDB: 4.3/10

Synopsis: A charming yet troubled man spirals into a rage after being rejected by the woman he initially seduced.

Verdict: Utter snooze fest.

Breath (2017)

Based upon: The novel “Breath” by Tim Winton

Elizabeth Debicki, Simon Baker, Simon Coulter, Ben Spence

Directed by: Simon Baker 

Platform: NowTV 

IMDB: 6.8/10, RT: 79% Fresh

Synopsis: Based on Tim Winton's award-winning and international bestselling novel set in mid-70s coastal Australia. Two teenage boys, hungry for discovery, form an unlikely friendship with a mysterious older adventurer who pushes them to take risks that will have a lasting and profound impact on their lives.

Verdict: It plods along and didn’t really hold my interest, I started to get bored by about 40 minutes.

Breaking In (2016)

Gabrielle Union, Billy Burke, Richard Cabral

Directed by: James McTeigue (V for Vendetta)

Platform: NowTV

IMDB: 5.4/10, RT: 26% Rotten

Synopsis: A mother fights to save her kids during an home invasion.

Verdict: Story been told a million times and this one offers nothing new, Union was good but I was bored after 20 minutes.

The Break Up (2006)

Jennifer Aniston, Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Joey Lauren Adams, Cole Hauser & Jason Bateman

Directed by: Peyton Reed (Yes Man, Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp)

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 5.8/10, RT: 34% Rotten

Synopsis: In a bid to keep their luxurious condo from their significant other, a couple's break-up proceeds to get uglier and nastier by the moment.

Verdict: I didn’t mind this, Vaughn is his usual self in a comedy and he worked well with Aniston.

Breach (2007)

Based upon: The true story of Robert Hanssen, an FBI agent who spied for the Soviet Union and later Russia for more than two decades.

Chris Cooper, Ryan Phillippe, Laura Linney, Denis Haysbert

Directed by: Billy Ray

Platform: Netflix 

IMDB: 7/10, RT: 84% Fresh

Synopsis: FBI upstart Eric O'Neill (Phillippe) enters into a power game with his boss, Robert Hanssen (Cooper), an agent suspected of spying for Russia. O’Neil is tasked with finding the truth while gaining Hanssens trust to take him down.

Verdict: A slow burn spy drama with good performances by Cooper and Phillippe.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

Based upon: “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” by Truman Capote

Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal & Mickey Rooney

Directed by: Blake Edwards (The Pink Panther, A Shot in the Dark)

Platform: NowTV 

IMDB: 7.7/10, RT: 88% Fresh 

Synopsis: A young New York socialite (Hepburn) becomes interested in a young man (Peppard) who has moved into her apartment building, but her past threatens to get in the way.

Verdict: Loved Hepburn in this and it’s quite a good fun romantic comedy drama, if you can get past the horribly offensive Japanese character played by Mickey Rooney, Edwards would later come out and say he had wished he could recast that part.

Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)

Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Carpenter, Don Johnson & Udo Kier

Directed by: S. Craig Zahler (Bone Tomahawk)

Platform: Netflix

IMDB: 7.1/10, RT: 91% Fresh

Synopsis: Vaughn plays Bradley ex-boxer and now mechanic who loses his job, he reconciles with his wife (Carpenter) and begins working as a drug runner, flash forward 18 months and they have a big house, cars and his wife is pregnant. He gets caught on a big deal and sent to prison for 7 years, fully intending to tow the line and do his time until the Mexican drug lord involved in the deal kidnaps his wife and threatens to kill his unborn baby unless he gets put into maximum security and kills an enemy of his.

Verdict: Vince Vaughn in a truly transformative role for him, he gained 15lbs of muscle and trained in boxing for 3 months, the film is very reminiscent of grindhouse and is super violent, Vaughn commits to the role and at 6’5 I believe him! The fights look like they hurt, even being acted, a bit too real at times that made me wince but I was captivated by Vaughn’s performance.