"Blades Of The Guardians" is an interesting epic, big in scope and aware of itself through and through. Directed by action legend Yeun Woo-Ping, the film follows the story of a disavowed soldier of the Emperor's Guard that becomes a mercenary. He cares for a young boy whom we learn more about throughout the film. Primarily though this is the story of Dao Ma (Wu Jing), a man staying under the radar and making money. Woo-Ping has gathered together some of the best martial artists (including many known to the West) but these are covered in beards and make up so it allows the audience to sink into the characters without wondering who they are.

The intention of "Crime 101" is a 2020s form of a Los Angeles crime story but on a baseline level. With a great cast it follows a character based cross-section that we used to see a lot more but mostly has been relegated to TV and smaller actors simply because the medium has evolved. That said it is great seeing these bigger actors doing this kind of crime thriller set in Los Angeles like a modern film noir. One can tell Chris Hemsworth likes this style of movie but probably doesn't get as much of a chance as likely sometimes being Thor can limit the possibilities outside the core.

Writer/Director Luc Besson, with his take on the horror romance of “Dracula” with Caleb Landry Jones (who starred in his previous "Dogman"), has definitely an interesting play that is both similar and yet different from Gary Oldman and Francis Ford Coppola. It does change certain key elements and takes away certain character but doesn't suffer for it.

The aspect of castaways on a deserted island sometimes has a certain ring. But with Sam Raimi and a movie called "Send Help", there is bound to be a darker connotation. The film is obviously a rich set up for McAdams to flex her muscles in both psychological and physical ways after a plane crash provides an avenue for bad feelings avenged.

Jason Statham seems to know a little bit about playing specific heroes. In an era where there are few to take that mantle, he has found a sustainable formula while still picking specific and efficient enough scripts to make sense. His new movie "Shelter" from "Greenland" director Ric Roman Waugh is an efficient, entertaining, mid-range picture that knows what it is while still delivering a character that can function time and again.

The tenets of South Korean horror are usually good in using a setting or object to create a mythology. "Ghost Train" uses that in a similar way. What does work well is the build of this one to almost tell a Twilight Zone nature of a couple different people who have been affected by the train. It is not so much about the train itself but the station it inhabits which has its own past.

"Night Patrol" is an interesting play upon the cop/gang genre by placing it within a deeper genre context but not avoiding what the film is really about. Directed by Jordan Prows, an AFI alum, the film delves into the gangland structure of Los Angeles with a similar vengeance of something like "Training Day" but a different track.

"Primate", helmed by "Welcome To Raccoon City" director Johannes Roberts is an interesting play because of its build but also the ethical and empathetic considerations it brings into play. Its focus works on college age girls returning to Hawaii where one of their fathers is doing research on primates. The initial texture because of its setting has a "Jurassic Park" dread to it but on a much smaller scale.

Gerard Butler, like Jason Statham, but in a different way, has found a way to crash his own corner of the concept realm while still delivering box office. Seemingly "Greenland", bolstered by the pandemic, did well to allow the story to move on. "Greenland 2: Migration" is bigger in scale and obviously takes on a different locale in a way. Beginning in Greenland where the last film ended, utopia, or what the inhabitants were hoping for, doesn't turn out in the way they hoped.