Hey everybody, welcome back to another review here on MOVIE Morning. Today, I'm reviewing one of my most anticipated action, mid-budget films of the whole year: NOVOCAINE, starring Jack Quaid. The trailer for this film that came out a few months ago immediately put this film on my radar. It had a U.S. release just a few days ago and I had the chance to see it a bit early, relatively, here in the U.K. thanks to a Mystery Screening. So far, Jack Quaid's already been having a pretty good year because I was a big fan of Companion, the horror-comedy that came out at the end of January. So, is Novocaine one of the most fun action films of recent memory? Find out in this review!

Novocaine:

Directed by: Dan Berk, Robert Olsen

Written by: Lars Jacobson

Produced by: Adam Friedlander, Joby Harold, Julian Rosenberg, Drew Simon, Tory Tunnell

Executive Producers: Josh Adler, Paul Barbeau, Lars Jacobson, Matt Schwartz, Sam Speiser

Music by: Lorne Balfe, Andrew Kawczynski

Cinematography by: Jacques Jouffret

Editing by: Christian Wagner

Casting by: Bonnie Lee Bouman, Ronna Kress

Production Design by: Kara Lindstrom

Art Direction by: Kirk Doman, Sara Hartinger, Moray McGregor

Cast: Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Jacob Battalion

Synopsis: When the girl of his dreams is kidnapped, everyman Nate turns his inability to feel pain into an unexpected strength in his fight to get her back.

The Russo Brothers are back with another film... and it's, yet again, another straight to streaming one. Since Avengers: Endgame, the Russos have not been producing the most critically-acclaimed hits, to be nice. Cherry on Apple TV+ was critically panned, The Gray Man received mixed reviews and a lot of their other produced content, like the Citadel universe, was destroyed online. Now, they've devised to go back to the MCU to direct the next two Avengers movies... but until then(!), we've got a $300M+ Netflix movie to enjoy! And those have a great track record, don't they? Don't forget as well, this time the Russos have the writers of all three Captain America movies and the Infinity War/Endgame double feature along with them. Find out whether The Electric State is a return to form for the Russos in this review!

The Electric State:

Directed by: Anthony Russe & Joe Russo

Screenplay by: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely

Based on the book by: Simon Stålenhag

Produced by: Chris Castaldi, Thiago Da Costa, Mike Larocca, Patrick Newall, Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Angela Russo-Otsdot

Music by: Alan Silvestri

Cinematography by: Stephen F. Windon

Editing by: Jeffrey Ford

Casting by: Sarah Finn

Production Design by: Dennis Gassner, Richard L. Johnson

Costume Design by: Judianna Makovsky

Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, Woody Harrelson, Ke Huy Quan, Giancarlo Esposito, Stanley Tucci, Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, Woody Norman

Synopsis: An orphaned teen hits the road with a mysterious robot to find her long-lost brother, teaming up with a smuggler and his wisecracking sidekick.

Steven Soderbergh is back with his 2nd film in under three months: BLACK BAG, a new spy film starring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender. Hey everyone, welcome back to MOVIE Morning, this time for a bit more of a low-key review... in a weekend of MANY reviews. Black Bag just hit theaters yesterday and it has gotten some pretty fantastic early reviews but I'm someone who very rarely LOVES Soderbergh's work. All his films are certainly watchable and his vast filmography proves his versatility as a filmmaker but I think his movies can often feel a little too safe and middling in quality. Is Black Bag a big departure from that? Is it the BEST film of 2025 so far? Find out in this review!

Black Bag:

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh

Written by: David Koepp

Produced by: Gregory Jacobs, Casey Silver

Executive Producer: David Koepp

Music by: David Holmes

Cinematography by: Steven Soderbergh

Editing by: Steven Soderbergh

Production Design by: Philip Messina

Casting by: Carmen Cuba

Costume Design by: Ellen Mirojnick

Cast: Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Marisa Abela, Regé-Jean Page, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Pierce Brosnan

Synopsis: When his beloved wife is suspected of betraying the nation, an intelligence agent faces the ultimate test – loyalty to his marriage or his country.

The greatest superhero show in the universe has returned! Invincible is back on Prime Video and has now wrapped up with its 3rd - and, possibly, craziest - season yet. I have loved this show since season 1 and then diving deep into the original comic book series by Robert Kirkman, almost four years ago now. Season 3 finally kicked off some of the long-running storylines that will likely continue through to the series's end, introducing Oliver as a main character and delving into the beginning of Nolan's redemption (... or is it?). This review will include SPOILERS for this season but I will refrain from talking about the future storylines the show will explore, based off the original comic book series. Enjoy!

OSCAR winning director Bong Joon Ho has finally returned with his next film - a book adaptation - Mickey 17 from Warner Bros. Pictures. This was easily one of my most anticipated films of the year because Parasite is easily one of the best Best Picture winners of the last decade and it made history by being the first International film to ever win Best Picture. Mickey 17 looked like a complete blast from the trailers but I also immediately knew this movie would be dead on arrival in cinemas because the marketing was just a little too gonzo for general audiences. Early buzz for the film was strong so I went in hyped. Is Mickey 17 on the level of Parasite? Find out in this review!

Mickey 17:

Written and Directed by: Bong Joon Ho

Based on the novel "Mickey 7" by: Edward Ashton

Produced by: Dooho Choi, Dede Gardner, Bong Joon Ho, Jeremy Kleiner

Executive Producers: Pete Chiappetta, Peter Dodd, Jesse Ehrman, Marianne Jenkins, Andrew Lary, Brad Pitt, Anthony Tittanegro

Music by: Jung Jae-il

Cinematography by: Darius Khondji

Edited by: Jinmo Yang

Casting by: Francine Maisler

Production Design by: Fiona Crombie

Costume Design by: Catherine George

Cast: Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo, Anamaria Vartolomei

Synopsis: Unlikely hero Mickey Barnes finds himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living.

After six and a half years, Daredevil has finally returned to screens! That's right, Daredevil: Born Again has finally premiered on Disney+! It has been a long and tumultuous road getting to the moment of finally getting this show. From the highly publicized creative overhaul to the incredibly naive & silly comments made by the show runner just a few weeks back, this show hasn't exactly had an easy road getting to our screens. For those of you who are unaware, the Netflix Daredevil series might be my single favorite show of all-time; it's CERTAINLY my favorite comic book show ever and that will likely never be topped. Daredevil himself has always been one of my top three favorite Marvel Comics characters and Charlie Cox's iteration of the character is a better version than I'd ever imagined we could get onscreen. It just feels right for this show to continue, but Marvel Studios & Disney+'s track record hasn't been great, especially of late. Are the first 2 episodes of Daredevil: Born Again AS GOOD as the original show? Find out in this SPOILER review!

Hello, everybody! Welcome back to MOVIE Morning where, today, we'll be discussing the 2025 Best Picture nominees! More specifically, I'll be ranking them based off my preferences, NOT by how likely they are/were to win Best Picture at the OSCARS this year. This is always a really interesting ranking because these films are supposed to be the best of the year, but they rarely represent that for me personally. At the same time, there are very few Best Picture nominees that I actually dislike. So, how do I rank this year's Best Picture nominees? Find out in this episode! Make sure to let me know which one is your favorite on the Spotify Polls!

The time is almost here. The 97th Academy Awards are days away so, as always, it’s time to give you my official winner predictions for the categories, all of them in fact. I believe I’ve missed the last couple of years but this year, I’ve definitely seen more of these films than ever so it’s going to be an interesting episode. I’m not only going to be providing my predictions, but also who I think SHOULD win in each category, which is, unfortunately, more often than not completely different from who I think WILL win. Who’s getting Best Picture this year? Will Sean Baker finally get some OSCARS love or is Conclave sweeping in late? Find out my thoughts on everything OSCARS-related in this predictions episode. Enjoy!

So, the first season of the latest Spider-Man animated series - Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man - has now wrapped up on Disney+. I was shocked by how much I enjoyed the first 2 episodes and have been eagerly awaiting each set of episodes every week. I've also been really excited to delve deep into the show and discuss the entire first season, in full spoiler detail. Continue on if you've seen the show and want to hear a lifelong Spider-Man fan give you his very surprised thoughts on YFNSM - season 1!

The Gorge - the latest film from Doctor Strange and Sinister director Scott Derrickson - has landed on Apple TV+. Welcome back to MOVIE Morning for another review and this time, we'll be talking about a streaming movie; I feel like it's been a while. I think Scott Derrickson is a very talented director: I'm, of course, a huge fan of Doctor Strange and Sinister, but also of the fantastic The Black Phone and the very underrated The Exorcism of Emily Rose. The Gorge, though, hasn't looked great from the previews and I really can't bring myself to get excited for streaming movies nowadays, unless they're titled Knives Out and directed by one of the all-time greatest filmmakers. Is The Gorge a solid thriller for Valentine's Day weekend, or is this one a pass like most streaming films? Find out in this review!

The Gorge:

Directed by: Scott Derrickson

Written by: Zach Dean

Produced by: C. Robert Cargill, Sherryl Clark, Zach Dean, Scott Derrickson, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Gregory Goodman, Don Granger, Adam Kolbrenner

Executive Producers: Korey Budd, Marc Evans, Miles Teller

Music by: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

Cinematography by: Dan Lausten

Editing by: Frédéric Thoraval

Casting by: Sophie Holland, Mindy Marin

Production Design by: Rick Heinrichs

Costume Design by: Ellen Mirojnick

Cast: Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sigourney Weaver

Synopsis: Two highly trained operatives grow close from a distance after being sent to guard opposite sides of a mysterious gorge. When an evil below emerges, they must work together to survive what lies within.