Tag: Jacob Batalon

Spoiler-Free Review of “Novocaine” in Theaters: Jack Quaid Gives us Quirky Charm in this Enjoyable Action Flick

*This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!*

“I can’t feel pain…”

Novocaine is an action-comedy film that released on March 14th 2025 in theaters. The film stars Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Jacob Batalon, Ray Nicholson, and Betty Gabriel. It runs for an hour and fifty minutes.

When the girl of his dreams is kidnapped after a bank robbery, a man who cannot feel pain becomes an unlikely hero to try and save her life.

Here is the trailer:

Novocaine features some hilarious and heartwarming moments along with some terrific fight scenes. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Light and fun!

It’s good to see a movie like this every once and a while. This film didn’t take itself too seriously at all. I thought it was super fun with a lot of humor that actually landed. The chemistry between our two main leads was sweet enough and the dynamic with the villains was fantastic (mostly courtesy of the brilliant Ray Nicholson killing it again).

Jack Quaid’s awkward, but endearing charm worked well here, making him an unlikely hero to root for against all odds.

Images courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Creative and entertaining fight scenes.

In a lot of ways, this film reminded me of a watered down version of Crank starring Jason Statham. I liked that film better, but Novocaine had the same type of outrageous fight scenes that were very entertaining.

The fight scenes were silly, but they were also great to watch on screen. It was awesome hearing the rest of the theater audience react during certain gruesome parts.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Paramount Pictures

A touch too long.

I personally think this movie should have been just under 90 minutes. The beginning was a little sluggish. It also felt very by the numbers. We learned about why we should care about these two characters while getting a touch of chemistry between them. I think the chemistry could have been fleshed out a little bit more, but I didn’t need this movie to be any longer than it was.

Once we got to the robbery and action, things picked up a lot, but it was a slower start for me.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Paramount Pictures

I’m in!!!

Novocaine is a fun and breezy comedy-action flick packed with inventive fight scenes.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts on Novocaine in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

It was only supposed to be temporary…but when Olivia Crewe accepts a new position that seems too good to be true, she soon discovers that twelve other girls previously had the same job as her. Only none of them lasted for more than thirty days. No notice. Nothing…right before they mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

My supernatural thriller Girl Number Thirteen is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Girl Number Thirteen is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “Tarot” in Theaters: Gimmicky Version of Final Destination Feels Familiar

*This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!*

“I’ve never seen cards like this before…”

Tarot released in theaters on May 3rd 2024. The supernatural horror film stars Harriet Slater, Avantika Vandananapu, Jacob Batalon, and Adain Bradley. It runs for approximately an hour and thirty minutes.

A group of friends unknowingly unleash a curse on them when they conduct horoscope readings with a box of tarot cards they find.

Here is the trailer:

Tarot attempts to channel films like Final Destination and Stay Alive, but does it do enough to earn a watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Sony Pictures

2000’s horror nostalgia.

This film brought me back to films like Final Destination, Stay Alive, and One Missed Call. I wouldn’t say that it was as good as any of those, but the premise was fun and creepy enough. There were a few stand-out characters to root for and it didn’t waste too much time with unnecessary fluff.

Images courtesy of Sony Pictures

Investigating the lore behind it all was actually interesting.

I was honestly impressed by the background provided for what was causing the curse on the deck of cards. The film was based off of a 1992 novel named Horrorscope and that probably helped with this. It enhanced the premise a lot more and I was more invested in the outcome because of it.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Sony Pictures

Predictable with mostly cheesy scares.

There were actually a few well done scares toward the end, but the majority of them felt really watered down…especially in the beginning. This film needed some more edge and perhaps a decent twist to make it stand out. When it leaned more on twisted fun with its villains, it worked better. The dialogue wasn’t great and everything felt very rushed. I wish they would have spent a little bit more time on the lore because that was the most interesting part.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Sony Pictures

I’m in about 75 percent…

Tarot has 2000’s horror energy with some creepy moments built in, but it needed to embrace some twisted fun to make it truly shine. 

I wouldn’t say that you need to rush to the theaters to see this one, but it’s worth a quick watch when it comes to streaming.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Tarot in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

THIS COMPETITION IS KILLER…

When former friends, Shay and Adriana team up to participate in a Halloween scavenger hunt with a cash prize, they temporarily put their differences aside to outsmart their opponents. However, they soon start to realize that a dangerous threat is playing their own version of the game, stalking them during each hunt.

Winning is now a necessity as their lives are at stake. As old wounds and memories re-surface, Shay and Adriana attempt to unmask the threat before the night is over, but soon learn that Scream Hunt is not done with them just yet…

My young adult horror thriller is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Scream Hunt is available here!

**If you enjoyed this blog, I would love it if you would click the follow button on your way out to subscribe.  Thanks for your support!