Trashtacular

When I stumbled upon the 2024 action flick "Aftermath," directed by Patrick Lussier and starring Mason Gooding, Dylan Sprouse, Megan Stott, and Dichen Lachman, I braced myself for a thrill ride filled with suspense and explosive action. Instead, what I got was a front-row seat to a demolition derby of filmmaking: a spectacular collision of bad scriptwriting, painful performances, and puzzling plot choices that could run circles around any B-movie cache.

Welcome to the world of "Alarum," a 2025 American action crime thriller that apparently tried to be edgy but feels more like a desperate cry for help. You know what they say—nothing screams creativity like two spies deciding to go rogue so they can, wait for it, get married. Honestly, that’s basically the plot of every romantic comedy, minus the charm and any semblance of coherent storytelling.

I walked into Armor, the latest installment of cinematic disappointment directed by Justin Routt and featuring the legendary (though increasingly puzzling) Sylvester Stallone, with expectations that were perhaps too generous.

"Absolution," directed by a vision that eludes me, features the formidable Liam Neeson alongside a cast that includes Frankie Shaw, Ron Perlman, and Daniel Diemer. It attempts to take us on an emotional journey of an aging gangster trying to reconnect with his children while the criminal underworld supposedly seeks to thwart his efforts.