Film 2462 - Weapons

Intro: Still obsessed with this one and happy it won an Oscar!

Film 2462: "Weapons" (2025), Zach Cregger
Watched: From the computer
Language: English
Watched with: Bill
Thoughts: I've expressed how much I like this film, how great I think it is, and what an amazing example it is of how a horror movie can become an iconic piece of pop culture, so I'll keep it short and sweet.
I think "Weapons" is the best movie that came out last year. It's a cinematic crazy ride, and Amy Madigan is a force of nature here. Her work as Aunt Gladys is untouchable, and I'm so glad she got her flowers. She deserved that Supporting Actress Oscar and, for once, the Academy made the right call. "Weapons" is very much an ensemble film, yet she's impossible to forget, as her impact goes far beyond her performance on screen.
I love this movie. It's inventive, well-written, smart, and has something to say. And this is, especially in the horror genre, an amazing feat to achieve.
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Cast: Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Toby Huss, Benedict Wong, Justin Long, June Diane Raphael, Amy Madigan.
Box Office: $270 million
Worth a watch?: If you're looking for a horror movie with twists and turns and a villain for the ages, "Weapons" is the movie you've been looking for.
Awards: Amy Madigan won for Best Supporting Actress at this year's Oscars. 2 Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress (Madigan) and Cinematic and Box Office Achievement. Madigan is also nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role at this year's Actor Awards.
Key word: 2:17.
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Film 2415 - Weapons

Intro: An evening at home with some nice food and a great movie.

Film 2415: "Weapons" (2025), Zach Cregger
Watched: From the TV
Language: English
Watched with: Yegor, Gigi, Seamus
Thoughts: Unexpectedly, my favourite movie of 2025 — so it was just a matter of time before I rewatched it.
This second time around, I enjoyed "Weapons" even more because I was able to pay attention to details I hadn’t noticed the first time I saw it in cinemas. It also felt less episodic this time; knowing the plot beforehand made the whole experience more cohesive, even though it’s split into different parts from the various characters' points of view.
Needless to say, apart from being a great horror movie, the standout of "Weapons" is Amy Madigan's performance. Back in the summer, not many people anticipated that her Gladys could become a vehicle for her second Oscar nomination, yet it happened. She even won at the Critics' Choice Awards for Best Supporting Actress, which was amazing to see — finally, some well-deserved recognition for her and for the horror genre in general. Unfortunately, missing out at the Golden Globes — where she lost to Teyana Taylor for "One Battle After Another" — and not receiving that BAFTA nomination were good indications that her chances of actually winning the Oscar gradually decreased, shifting from being a serious contender to simply being happy to be nominated and recognised.
Which is sad, because not only would her win have been a fantastic moment, but it also kind of repeats what happened last year with the "Anora" vs. "The Substance" situation: Demi Moore's performance was overlooked, and the Academy chose to reward a younger actress, once again reinforcing the young vs. older trope (which is, ironically, the core theme of "The Substance") and the general lack of support for the (body) horror genre when it comes to major acting awards. And don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with Mikey Madison's performance in "Anora"; I just feel like she could have had another opportunity to win an Oscar later in her career. Not to mention that the cultural impact "The Substance" had over the past couple of years is undeniable, and seeing Moore’s performance recognised would have been the cherry on top.
Going back to "Weapons," I think this movie is great and an impressive horror achievement. It was a smash hit at the box office, it’s still culturally relevant to this day, and overall, it’s simply an extremely well-made film.
P.S. As a testament to how much I liked this movie, I’m including the portrait of Aunt Gladys that I drew a month or so ago and posted on my The Moustache Designer Instagram account (feel free to give it a follow if you’d like: @the_moustached_designer).
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Film 2415 - Weapons
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Cast: Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Toby Huss, Benedict Wong, Amy Madigan.
Box Office: $270 million
Worth a watch?: My favourite movie of 2025. So yeah, go and watch it.
Awards: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Madigan) at the Oscars 2026. 2 nominations at the Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actress (Madigan) and Cinematic and Box Office Achievement. Madigan is also nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role at this year's Actor Awards.
Key word: Stick.
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Bengi

Film 2399 - Weapons

Intro: I decided to wait for the Golden Globes nominations to be announced before writing this review because I was curios to see if this movie would actually get the nomination everyone was talking about.

Film 2399: "Weapons" (2025), Zach Cregger
Watched: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh, Debbi, Yegor
Thoughts: This year, no other horror movie has been this successfull and a performance achieved this level of praise and iconic status since "The Substance" came out last year and Demi Moore was nominated for her first Oscar. Amy Madigan seems to be heading in the same direction (and disappointment?).
To be honest, I don't think she really has a shot at winning - especially considering what happened this year at the Academy Awards - but it's nice to finally see a great performance in the horror genre being recognized and brought front and center of the award season ahead. Madigan and her aunt Gladys are the glue of this film, not to mention the most entertaining part of it.
What I liked about "Weapons" is its dual nature: there's a mystery to be solved that feels very mch grounded into reality and there's the horror movie components that lurk in and elevate the story. Yes, one would have to be fun of the genre to better appreciate the scary moments, but this is still a pretty compelling story and entertaining piece of media.
The cast is on point, the screenplay well written thanks to a very intreaguing premise and, overall, Zach Cregger's latest cinematic effort is one of the best movies we've seen in this otherwise lucklaster 2025.
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Cast: Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Justin Long, June Diane Raphael, Benedict Wong, Amy Madigan.
Box Office: $268.2 million
Worth a watch?: One of my favourite movies that came out this year and definitely one of the best horrors we got in a while.
Awards: Nominated for 2 Golden Globes: Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture (Amy Madigan) and Cinematic and Box Office Achievement.
Key word: Aunt.
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Bengi

Film 2395 - The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Intro: I'm not super into superhero movies lately, but this one got me intrigued.

Film 2395: "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" (2025), Matt Shakman
Watched: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh, Debbi
Thoughts: Is it the best Marvel movie out there? No, but it's definitely a big improvement compared to other films released in the recent past. Not to mention that this new Fantastic Four outing is definitely better than the one from 2015.
To be honest, I really appreciated the more "domestic" and intimate tone of "The Fantastic Four: First Steps", the dynamic between the main characters is really interesting and it's easier to empathise with the characters when the scope of the story is scaled down and presented as a group issue. In this sense, it was a smart move to include how the public perceives the group while the story develops, giving a grater insight into how the protagonists feel and why they act the way they do.
Being that this a movie from the Marvel Universe, of course it has to be connected to a greater plot and serve not only as a reboot, first installment of a new franchise, and origin story, but also as a vehicle for a sequel and other superhero movies to come, so we don't escape this mandatory step here. Still, it is less prominent compared to previous films and, because of the characters' charm and the overall tone of the story, it's not as annoying.
Overall, I enjoyed "The Fantastic Four: First Steps", I think it's well-cast, the 60s vibe suits the franchise, and the adventure is entertaining and well enough crafted. Definitely a win for Marvel.
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Film 2395 - The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Julia Garner, Sarah Niles, Mark Gatiss, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, Ralph Ineson.
Box Office: $521.9 million
Worth a watch?: Superhero fatigue has been happening for a while now, so it's completely understandable if this is not your cup of tea. "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" is a good superhero movie, it has a nice aestetics, a good cast and, overall, it's quite entertaining. If you like the genre, it's a good watch.
Awards: /
Key word: Baby.
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Bengi

Film 2367 - Wolf Man

Intro: An afternoon watch in the living room with my housemate Kate, we decided to go for a horror movie.

Film 2367: "Wolf Man" (2025), Leigh Whannell
Watched on: On the projector
Language: English
Watched with: Kate
Thoughts: Not exactly a masterpiece, I don't really think this movie serves as a great reboot of this franchise.
Christopher Abbott is a good lead and I liked how they tackled the sow transformation into a werewolf, especially in terms of how his senses change, but other than this. nothing really stood up with me. Especially the big plot twist regarding the creature that attacks Abbott's character: you can tell from a mile away who the creature is, so no surprise there.
A bit of a waste of Christopher Abbott's and Julia Garner's talent to be honest.
Cast: Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, Sam Jaeger, Matilda Firth.
Box Office: $34.9 million
Worth a watch?: Not that I particularly liked the previous "The Wolfman" with Benicio del Toro, but this one isn't great either and it's not doing the franchise any favour. I mean, the movie isn't terrible, you can watch it fine, but don't expect too much.
Awards: /
Key word: Father.
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Bengi

Film 2321 - Apartment 7A

Intro: Secondo appuntamento di Halloween rigorosamente sul divano.

Film 2321: "Apartment 7A" (2024) di Natalie Erika James

Visto: dal proiettore
Lingua: inglese
Compagnia: Sarah

In sintesi: ho iniziato questo film senza sapere che fosse direttamente collegato a "Rosemary's Baby". Verso metà della visione, andando a curiosare su internet, ho poi scoperto che si trattasse del prequel ufficiale del famosissimo film di Polanski e tutto ha cominciato ad avere un senso (a partire dal poster).
Le atmosfere sono simili e ci sono sufficienti rimandi alla pellicola originale, anche se in generale "Apartment 7A" mi pare riesca sufficientemente a distinguersi (a parte il titolo, che trovo veramente poco fantasioso). In particolare ho apprezzato la sequenza di ballo ispirata alla Hollywood dei grandi musical del passato che qui, immancabilmente essendo questo un horror, cela tutt'altro significato.
Julia Garner è un'ottima protagonista, mentre Dianne Wiest si dimostra (al solito) magnifica comprimaria. Onestamente, un piacere anche ritrovare Jim Sturgess che da troppo tempo non ritrovavo in qualche progetto.
Non un prodotto perfetto e, certamente, era impossibile bissare l'impareggiabile originale, però il film funziona abbastanza bene quando si entra nel vivo dell'azione (ci si mette un po', però).
Anche se solo disponibile in streaming, ho trovato curioso che la produzione del film non abbia pubblicizzato di più e meglio un progetto di così alto rilievo, considerato che "Rosemary's Baby" è ancora oggi ritenuto uno dei migliori horror della storia del cinema.
Ps. Il palazzo usato nel film mi ha ricordato tantissimo l'Arconia (in realtà The Belnord, NY) di "Only Murders in the Building", anche se la location usata per le riprese, scopro da internet, è stata l'edificio The Dakota di New York.
Cast: Julia Garner, Dianne Wiest, Jim Sturgess, Kevin McNally, Marli Siu.
Box Office: /
Vale o non vale: Alcuni storceranno il naso, considerato che si tratta di un prodotto direttamente derivato da un grande classico, ma preso per quello che è "Apartment 7A" fa il suo dovere. Visivamente ed esteticamente presenta uno suo stile ben definito, il cast è ottimo e l'atmosfera è quella giusta. Non iconico quanto l'originale, certo, ma si lascia guardare.
Premi: /
Parola chiave: "The girl who fell".
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