Spoiler-Free Review of “A Working Man” in Theaters: Watered Down Version of Taken has its Moments

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

“You didn’t see anything…”

A Working Man released in theaters on March 28th 2025. The action thriller film stars Jason Statham, Arianna Rivas, David Harbour, and Eve Mauro. It runs for approximately an hour and fifty-six minutes.

A former black ops soldier agrees to help his boss find his missing daughter after human traffickers kidnap her.

Here is the trailer:

A Working Man has some solid fight scenes and enough action in it, but does it do enough to be worthy of YOUR next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Jason Statham being Jason Statham…

If you came to see Jason Statham kick some ass, then you’ll be pleased. He plays his standard character in this one and is given enough of a layered backstory to make you root for him that much more.

I’ve seen every Jason Statham film to date (some of them horrible and some of them bad-ass). This one falls somewhere in the middle, but it was fun seeing him dominate the big screen once again.

Solid fight scenes.

I wouldn’t say that they were as brutal or bad-ass as the ones from The Beekeeper, but there were enough of them to keep me entertained. This film checks off enough boxes for a standard action thriller and it delivered in the fight sequence department.

The Cons:

Cringe-worthy dialogue and ridiculous villains…

I don’t know who came up with the dialogue for this one, but it was atrocious at times. The villains were bonkers and so silly. I couldn’t take them seriously. There were a few stand-out ones, but the majority of them were really over-the-top. I guess I wanted one worthy opponent to go up against Statham’s character and we never really got that challenge. It all just felt too easy and very by the numbers.

Also, I’m not sure when Michael Peña forgot how to act, but his crying scenes made me laugh out loud in the theater. They felt so empty and fake.

In a lot of ways, this film reminded me of Taken, but it didn’t reach that level of intensity. There were some glimmers of it, but a lot didn’t measure up.

This movie was also way too long…

So am I in or out?

I’m in about 75 percent…

A Working Man is your standard Jason Statham action flick with some worthy fight scenes to appreciate, but it doesn’t measure up to The Beekeeper.

I wouldn’t say that you need to rush to the theaters for this, but if you enjoy action movies, there’s enough here.

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

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

A VACATION TO DIE FOR…

When sisters, Nina and Gemma are vacationing in Hawaii with their friends, they get invited to an exclusive party on a private island that seems too good to be true. There’s only one rule…they can’t miss their ferry at midnight or they’ll have to wait until morning to leave the island. Only they didn’t realize that breaking this rule meant they would be hunted down on the island one by one.

Who will make it off the island alive?

I hope you enjoy my island thriller!

Blood Rose Island is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “Somewhere Quiet” on Demand: An Eerie and Effective Slow Burn

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

“Sometimes the nightmares can feel really real…”

Somewhere Quiet released on demand on February 2nd 2024. The horror mystery film stars Jennifer Kim, Marin Ireland, and Kentucker Audley. It runs for approximately an hour and forty-two minutes.

After surviving a kidnapping, a woman tries to cope with what happened to her by traveling to her husband’s family home in the middle of nowhere, but her grip on reality begins to deteriorate as she tries to return to normal, causing her to question everything and everyone surrounding her.

Here is the trailer:

Somewhere Quiet is not your average slow burn film, creating a true sense of confusion for both the characters and the audience, as we try to piece together what is transpiring on screen, making this complicated, but also intriguing. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Effectively creates a creepy and unsettling tone from start to finish.

The setting and score complimented this film so well. There was such an eerie vibe going on and it continued to build and build with great suspense. This film was honestly a complete mindf*ck. It was really out there and strange, but it kept my attention and brought me into everything in an unconventional way.

Marin Ireland and Jennifer Kim are beyond brilliant!

Wow, Marin Ireland nailed the extra creepy vibe here. She gave such a twisted performance and had my skin crawling several times just from some of her expressions. She was bloody fantastic!!! Jennifer Kim was really strong as our lead as well and I loved the dynamic between them. This movie was so weird and these elevated performances heightened this that much more, making this such a compelling watch.

The Cons:

A lot of questions by the time I got to the end…

This was good and bad for me. I like when a movie resonates with me well after it’s over, but there were so many missing pieces here that were never explained. In a way, that mirrors what our main character was going through so I get the intention, but I did need a little bit more here.

If slow burns are not your jam, this may not be for you. The pacing is sluggish for a long time, but it still manages to create this sense of dread without doing much, which says a lot, so I wouldn’t say this was a major con.

So am I in or out?

I’m in!!!

Somewhere Quiet is trippy and unsettling with two note-worthy performances!

This film wasn’t what I thought it would be, but it stuck with me well after I finished it.

If you enjoy films like Mother, May I? and The Night House, this one is right up your alley.

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

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

A VACATION TO DIE FOR…

Who will make it off the island alive?

I hope you enjoy my new island thriller!

Blood Rose Island 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!

Spoiler-Free Review of “The Black Phone” in Theaters: A Horror Movie Worth Your Time

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

“You don’t have to be scared…”

The Black Phone released in theaters on June 24th 2022. The horror film stars Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, and James Ransone. It runs for approximately an hour and forty-two minutes.

Set in the late 1970’s, a young boy is abducted by the neighborhood “grabber” and held in a soundproof basement when he begins to receive calls from the killer’s past victims on a disconnected phone.

Here is the trailer:

The Black Phone features a villain who is beyond terrifying, along with exceptional characters to root for against all odds. Is it worth a watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Blumhouse Productions

Terrifying in a very real way…

I don’t know about you, but this is the type of film that scares me the most. Sure, there are supernatural/paranormal elements in this one, but this isn’t your typical gore fest or jump scare horror film. There is this unsettling and creepy vibe present throughout the film. It crawls under your skin, festering into something beyond scary. There are so many real and cruel moments in this film that make this way more than your average horror film.

Ethan Hawke truly immersed himself into this role with sadistic perfection and I think I’ll be having nightmares about his character for quite a long time…

Characters to root for.

Finney and Gwen were fantastic characters. Gwen was my favorite and I think that Madeleine McGraw was truly wonderful. I was very invested in what happened to them, which made this movie even more absorbing. I think they nailed the brother-sister relationship and really helped the audience connect with them on a deeper level.

Even though this is a horror movie, it was also a movie about self-discovery and growing up as well.

The Cons:

Unanswered questions and some fuzzy details…

By the time I got to the end of the film, I was satisfied, but I also had a lot of unanswered questions. There were details that didn’t add up from some of the flashbacks, which had me scratching my head. Since this was such an engaging watch, I wanted to know more and perhaps I will invest my time in reading the short story by Joe Hill to fill in some of the blanks.

So am I in or out?

I’m in 100 percent!!!!!

A terrifying and captivating watch from start to finish!

This movie was so well done and I was so impressed with the performances all around, making this a must see watch for horror fans!

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on The Black Phone 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!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “Big Sky” on ABC: Highway Thrills and Spills

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

Beware the open road…

Big Sky premiered on ABC on November 17th 2020. The series will feature 10 weekly episodes. It stars Katheryn Winnick, Kylie Bunbury, Ryan Phillippe, and Brian Geraghty.

Based on the novel, “The Highway,” this new David E. Kelley series follows a small town kidnapping mystery, revealing character connections along the way.

Here is the trailer:

Big Sky may be the new roadside thriller we need, but does it do enough to keep us invested? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of ABC

Enough twists to keep you coming back for more.

I wouldn’t say that this thriller is delivering anything new, but it’s just what I need right now. I want to know more and the twists grabbed my attention. That will at least have me coming back for two more episodes to see what is going on here.

There are some creepy and intense moments sprinkled in as well, but we need more!

Images courtesy of ABC

Supporting characters steal the show.

There are plenty of familiar faces in this series and I was excited to see Ryan Phillippe back on the small screen. I’m a huge fan of Cruel Intentions and I Know What You Did Last Summer, but I really enjoyed his performance in the suspense series, Secrets and Lies that came out a few years ago.

However, I have to give props to some of the minor characters who managed to keep this show alive in the midst of some lacking performances. The potential victims are a lot more interesting than some of the obvious stars and I want to know more about them.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of ABC

The sub-plot is lacking…

I mean, really lacking. We jump into these soap-opera-esque cat fights filled with bad dialogue and acting. I was honestly ready to turn the show off during several points because of this. The mystery is enough to keep me invested for now, but that can quickly change.

Weird mentions of the pandemic.

I don’t know if this was meant to be intentional because of the timing of this release, but we get a few misplaced mentions of the pandemic. Only we don’t see anyone wearing masks and there is little context here.

I’m not sure that this was really necessary and it didn’t do the show any favors.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of ABC

I’m about 50/50 on this one.

The acting and writing is lacking in a lot of areas and it may be enough to make you tune out on this one for good, but if you enjoy guilty-pleasure thrillers, there is enough happening to keep you coming back for more.

I have to admit that the twist at the end of the pilot episode changed my tune and now I want to see what happens next. Either way, I’m in for a little bit more, but I’ve definitely lowered my expectations.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Big Sky 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 new supernatural thriller Girl Number Thirteen is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Girl Number Thirteen is available here!

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