Austin Burke
AustinLovesMovies
Joined 2025
21
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- The Iron Claw
A24’s The Iron Claw features Zac Efron’s BEST performance yet. This shocking true story hits hard. What begins as a familiar family drama morphs into a powerful look at emotional abuse and how far someone can be pushed. Also, Holt McCallany is incredible. It is a truly phenomenal and ultimately powerful film.The Iron Claw - Talk to Me
This is an unforgettable horror experience that almost brings every element home. The atmosphere is built up brilliantly, and the imagery is haunting. These characters make ignorant decisions, but the repercussions provide a story that will keep viewers engaged from start to finish, and the pacing is fantastic.Talk to Me - Bring Her Back
Bring Her Back delivers an unsettling and ultimately unnerving story that feels far more emotionally complex than expected. This film offers a unique look at grief, the impact of loss, and the idea of letting go, while providing grotesque and occasionally horrifying imagery to accompany these ideas. The story surprised me in the best way!Bring Her Back - Karate Kid: Legends
The latest Karate Kid is a bland but harmless sequel with a handful of coming-of-age elements that showcased some potential in the beginning. The film ultimately shoehorns in the nostalgia and has little to offer within its final act, incorporating the expected montages with some well-choreographed fight sequences. Li Fong has some likable qualities as a lead, but this script does him NO favors… Legends is sadly a misfire.Karate Kid: Legends - Final Destination: Bloodlines
Bloodlines encapsulates the insanity of this franchise to perfection in its opening sequence and NEVER lets its foot off the gas. This entry has a level of self-awareness that that eases some of the lunacy at points, and it features just enough chaos to draw your attention away from an otherwise generic storyline. While it doesn’t have the juice of the original, the creative ways we see characters meet their maker should satisfy most. It injects just enough mystery to keep you on your toes, but the real magic lies within the madness. I wanted more from a character standpoint during the buildup, but fans should be satisfied (and terrified).Final Destination: Bloodlines - Hurry Up Tomorrow
What fans of The Weekend could describe as a can’t-miss fever dream, ultimately doesn’t expand beyond that bubble and fails to attract those who are blissfully unaware. There is a lot to like visually, but anything beyond that could only be described as an empty misfire… Too much inside baseball, and not enough to appeal to anyone looking for an interesting story.Hurry Up Tomorrow - Fear Street: Prom Queen
Prom Queen struggles to keep up with its predecessors, mostly due to lackluster script and generic character tropes. The kills are fun-enough, but it offers little beyond the typical shtick. Also, everything is over-exaggerated in such a “YA” way.Fear Street: Prom Queen - Lilo & Stitch
Most importantly, this will be a hit with kids, as I imagine many feeling the exact magic that the original brought my generation. While this remake struggles to outdo its predecessor in any major category, there is a lot to love with the dynamic between its title characters. Stitch rocks, and there are some genuinely charming moments. The script makes a few unnecessary changes that make certain integral moments feel less earned, but it does just enough to stay out of that lazy territory we’ve seen from other remakes. It’s cute enough, and kids will have fun, even if some of the changes rubbed this OG fan the wrong way. I imagine my daughter enjoying it in a few years.Lilo & Stitch - Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
It’s hard not to absolutely love what Tom Cruise continues to do with this franchise. He remains the shining beacon of each film, and his commitment to these remarkable stunts continue to have a massive impact. The Final Reckoning is a fun finale that features a few excellent set pieces and an epic final act. Where this sequel falls short of the last few lies within the story structure and overwhelming amount of exposition. Harkening back to previous installments is one thing, but this entry goes beyond that to an almost unnecessary degree. Thankfully, the intensity and emotional core outweigh the issues, but the flaws are evident. Also, it handles “family” MUCH better than a franchise like Fast and Furious.Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning - Mission: Impossible II
The second entry in this iconic franchise is often considered the worst of the bunch, and for good reason, but it is not without its small victories. The biggest struggle here is finding the right balance between complex and convoluted, which is a victory we see from almost all of the sequels that follow. The editing is reminiscent of Woo’s other films, but it is such a drastic difference from the first film. The subtitles of Hunt’s first mission are absent, and the overly stylized action sequences become the focal point. Hunt gets some fantastic moments here, and his character is improved from the first, but the entirety of the plot surrounding him is far less interesting. There isn’t anything overly memorable about this script or the villainous entity, and some of these scenes are just so far over-the-top. Regardless, even the worst of this franchise can provide some fun moments, and Woo remains a fun action-centric director to watch.Mission: Impossible II - Lean on Pete
A surprisingly heartfelt story that catches you by surprise at every turn. It's full of heart and focused on character.Lean on Pete - Overlord
A wild and completely original zombie premise comes to life in a unique and entertaining way.Overlord - A Different Man
While Stan received a nomination with his other 2024 hit, this may have been the more impactful performance from an emotional standpoint.A Different Man - Fighting with My Family
A fun family-centric premise that takes an extra step to deliver a satisfying (and true) character arc. This will have WWE fans cheering and movie-lovers rejoicing.Fighting with My Family - Magazine Dreams
While the controversy surrounding this film is one thing, the experience itself is another. Featuring a fantastic lead performance, this movie hits unexpected emotions and delivers a brutal tale of fear, anger, and obsession.Magazine Dreams