Carson Kelly Blogs

SOULM8TE is a nice watch, but it is also a surprisingly sad one. Set within the world of M3GAN , the new Blumhouse and Atomic Monster spinoff takes the franchise’s familiar ideas surrounding artificial intelligence and explores them through grief, loneliness, companionship, and the dangerous desire to manufacture a replacement for genuine human connection. Directed by Kate Dolan, the film follows a grieving engineer who is tasked with testing a new artificial-intelligence companion after a powerful technology company acquires his business. His efforts to transform the android into a truly sentient soulmate soon create consequences that neither of them can completely control. One of my biggest questions going into SOULM8TE was whether it could successfully stand on its own while still feeling like a meaningful part of the M3GAN universe. For me, it largely succeeds. The film does not need to place M3GAN herself at the center of everything. Instead, it uses the same universe to approa...

  House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7 was another nice episode, although I do wish certain parts of the story had moved a little faster. There were still several enjoyable moments, and the episode continued preparing the pieces for what should be a major Season 3 finale next week. At this point, I am mainly looking forward to seeing how everything comes together and where the characters are left when the season ends. It is difficult to believe that we are already approaching the conclusion of another season in the Game of Thrones universe. I also want to thank everyone who has read these weekly reviews and joined me for the House of the Dragon watch parties throughout Season 3. It has been a great journey following the story together every Sunday, sharing immediate reactions, and discussing where everything may go next. Next week, we will return for the Season 3 finale and bring this latest watch-party series to a close. I cannot wait to do this all again, hopefully in 2027 for ...

Rating: 10/10 — Nothing but the highest possible praise Review note: This article contains no major spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Few movies arrive carrying the amount of anticipation that surrounded Spider-Man: Brand New Day for me. I followed the buildup, celebrated the announcements, watched the promotional campaign unfold, and counted down the days until I could finally experience Tom Holland’s next adventure as Spider-Man. On July 30, 2026, that long-awaited day finally arrived, and I did not settle for seeing it only once. I first watched the film during a regular Dolby Cinema screening at my local theater. Later that same day, I returned for a second viewing in 3D. By the time both screenings were over, my feelings could not have been clearer: I absolutely loved this movie. Spider-Man: Brand New Day receives nothing but the highest possible praise from me. This is an emotional, visually spectacular, and tremendously entertaining Spider-Man adventure that represents a...

After spending approximately 50 to 60 hours with Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, I am finally ready to share my thoughts and formally conclude my coverage of the game. I have not quite reached the final credits yet, but I am deep into the closing stretch and have experienced more than enough of the adventure to form a confident opinion. Overall, I genuinely enjoyed my time with Black Flag Resynced. Returning to this pirate adventure has been an exciting and often rewarding experience, filled with exploration, action, naval battles, and plenty of memorable moments. The world gives you an enormous amount to see and do, and when everything comes together, sailing across the open sea and continuing the journey can be incredibly satisfying. However, this is also a very long and demanding game. Its enormous scale can sometimes work against it, particularly during longer sessions when the number of missions, travel, exploration, and additional activities begins to feel exhausting. This ...

House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 6 was another enjoyable chapter in what continues to be a very strong season. The opening minutes were especially crazy and immediately gave the episode a great deal of intensity. Without getting into spoilers, the story also features a major character loss that will likely leave many viewers talking once they finish the episode. I had a feeling something significant might happen, but I still want to respect the experience of anyone who has not watched Episode 6 yet. This review will therefore remain mostly spoiler-free.

The story of Michael Jackson is one almost everyone knows. His rise from a gifted young performer in the Jackson Five to becoming the King of Pop remains one of the most recognizable journeys in entertainment history. Unfortunately, MICHAEL did not tell that familiar story with the quality or refinement I expected. This is not a film I completely disliked. Some moments capture the spectacle, music, and extraordinary ambition associated with Michael Jackson’s career. The material itself remains fascinating, and there is enough here for longtime fans and general moviegoers to find something worthwhile. However, the overall execution left me wanting more. Certain details appeared to be altered, simplified, or reshaped for the film, and some of those creative decisions prevented the story from feeling as complete or authentic as it should have. Every biographical film makes changes when adapting a real person’s life, but those changes still need to form a compelling and carefully construc...

The Scary Movie franchise has returned, but unfortunately, this latest installment did absolutely nothing for me. Comedy is always subjective, but I found very little to laugh at in this movie. Most of the humor felt strained, repetitive, and overly reliant on being loud or recognizable rather than genuinely clever. Instead of delivering a sharp new parody for the current era of horror, the film frequently felt like it was simply throwing jokes at the screen and hoping something would eventually land. There may be some enjoyment here for longtime fans who are simply happy to see the franchise return. Familiarity and nostalgia can certainly carry a movie for a while. However, they were not enough to overcome how uninspired and exhausting I found the overall experience. A comedy does not necessarily need an emotional story or complicated filmmaking to succeed. It does, however, need to be funny. For me, Scary Movie failed at that most important task. I went into the film willing to emb...

Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s legendary epic is an extraordinary theatrical achievement and one of my favorite films of the year. There are movies you enjoy, movies you admire, and movies that continue occupying your thoughts long after the final scene has ended. Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey belongs firmly in that final category. I attended an early-morning screening, and hours after leaving the theater, I was still thinking about what I had experienced. This was not merely another new movie to watch, review, and eventually move past. This was one of those increasingly rare cinematic experiences that felt enormous, meaningful, and genuinely unforgettable.

House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 5 was another enjoyable episode in what has continued to be a very strong season. I liked this episode. It had several fun moments, continued moving the different stories forward, and gave me another good reason to remain invested in everything happening across Westeros. This will be a mostly spoiler-free review because I do not want to ruin the episode for anyone who has not watched it yet. I also want to keep this week’s review focused on my overall reaction rather than breaking down every individual scene. Simply put, I had a good time with Episode 5.

House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 4 was another enjoyable chapter in what continues to be a very strong season. I liked this episode quite a bit. It had several good moments throughout, especially for Team Green, and it continued moving the larger conflict forward as we head into the second half of the season. This review will remain mostly spoiler-free, but there were some nice intense dragon moments tonight. Those scenes were easily among the highlights of the episode for me and served as another reminder of how dangerous and unpredictable this war is becoming.

Spoiler-Free Review I just got home from my screening of Evil Dead Burn , and I honestly do not even know where to begin because this movie was fucking awesome. Yes, I am starting the review there. This was one of those theatrical experiences where I walked out excited, energized, frustrated with certain characters, completely overwhelmed by what I had just watched, and immediately ready to talk about it. I attended a 9:00 PM screening on July 9, 2026, and after getting home later that night, I knew I needed to sit down and get my thoughts out while the experience was still fresh in my mind.

  House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 3 was definitely a slower episode, but I still really liked it. After the first two episodes brought so much energy, buildup, tension, and momentum, Episode 3 takes its foot off the gas a little bit. It is not as wild or action-heavy as some of what we have already seen this season, but that does not make it a bad episode at all. In fact, I still think this was a great third episode. There were some really good moments throughout the episode, and even when the pacing slowed down, I remained invested in where this story is going. House of the Dragon continues to remind me why I love this universe so much.

  House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 2 Review House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 2 was absolutely incredible. After loving the Season 3 premiere, I was already excited to see where the show would go next, and Episode 2 did not disappoint. If Episode 1 brought us back into the world of Westeros, Episode 2 made it clear that this season is going to move with fire, blood, and a lot of momentum. There is so much happening in this episode. There is so much buildup. There is more action, more tension, and more of that dangerous House of the Dragon energy where every decision feels like it could push the realm closer to complete chaos. This review will contain spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 2.

Supergirl (2026) will not be for everyone, and honestly, that is okay. That may sound like a strange way to open a review for a major DC Studios film, especially one arriving at a time when so many fans are watching the new DCU with careful eyes, high hopes, nervous hearts, and years of complicated superhero history sitting in the background. But I think it is the right way to talk about this movie. Not every movie is made to land the exact same way for every person. Not every DC story has to be polished into something universal, safe, predictable, or perfectly smooth. Sometimes a movie can be bumpy. Sometimes it can take a while to fully click. Sometimes it can frustrate you a little bit early on, only to come alive later and leave you walking out with a smile anyway. That was my experience with Supergirl. I saw the film earlier today, and after sitting with it for a few hours, sharing my first thoughts, and posting my Letterboxd review, I keep coming back to the same feeling: this is...

“Have a safe journey, kiddo.” I have officially beaten the main campaign of CAPCOM’s new IP, PRAGMATA , after roughly 175–200+ hours , and I can honestly say this was one of the most memorable gaming journeys I’ve had in 2026. PRAGMATA is the kind of new franchise that reminds me why new IP still matters. In a year filled with major releases, sequels, remakes, and massive established names, this game stood out because it felt like CAPCOM taking a real creative swing. It had a mystery. It had heart. It had atmosphere. It had that feeling of discovering a world for the first time and slowly realizing there is so much more underneath the surface. By the time the credits started rolling, I was emotional, satisfied, and already thinking about where this story could go next. For me, PRAGMATA is easily one of my favorite games of 2026, and absolutely a serious Game of the Year contender . It is not just because of the gameplay or the presentation, but because of the journey itself. After spen...

House of the Dragon has returned, and Season 3 Episode 1 is nothing other than peak Game of Thrones at its best. After waiting for the next chapter of this story, I went into the Season 3 premiere hoping it would bring back that old Westeros feeling: the tension, the tragedy, the political weight, the family drama, the dread, the fire, and the sense that every choice matters. By the end of the episode, I felt completely pulled back into this world. For me, House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 1 is a 10/10. This is the kind of premiere that reminds me why this universe still matters so much. It does not feel like a soft return or a slow warm-up. It feels like the show is stepping into the next phase of the Dance of the Dragons with confidence, weight, and purpose. The pieces are moving, the wounds are still fresh, and the world of Westeros feels dangerous again. A Strong Return to Westeros One of the biggest things I loved about this premiere is how quickly it brought me back into the a...

Some movie franchises become more than movies after a while. They become pieces of your childhood, pieces of your memory, pieces of the way you understand growing up, letting go, friendship, imagination, and time. For me, Toy Story has always been one of those stories. So, walking into Toy Story 5 , I had a lot of emotions sitting with me before the movie even started. Excitement, nostalgia, curiosity, a little bit of fear, and honestly, that quiet question a lot of fans probably had: did we need another one? After watching it, my answer is this: maybe we did. Because Toy Story 5 is beautiful. It is powerful, uplifting, emotional, and deeply reflective for anyone who has followed this franchise from the beginning. It understands the weight of what came before it. It understands that these characters are not just toys to the audience anymore. They are old friends. They are symbols of childhood. They are reminders of a time when imagination felt endless, and the world felt smaller, saf...

I want to start this review by being honest about something: my theater experience for Obsession was rough. Unfortunately, some people in my auditorium were being loud during scenes, talking over the movie, and outright spoiling moments for other people. That kind of thing really hurts a first viewing, especially for a horror movie that depends so much on tension, atmosphere, surprise, and discomfort. It was frustrating, because I had been looking forward to Obsession for a while. But I also try to separate the experience around a movie from the movie itself. And the movie itself? I thought Obsession was very good. This is a creepy, unsettling, emotionally twisted horror film that takes a familiar “be careful what you wish for” idea and pushes it into something deeply uncomfortable. The story follows a hopeless romantic who gets exactly what he thinks he wants, only to realize that desire, control, and obsession can turn into something terrifying. That is where the movie really work...

For years now, fans have wondered what the next true cinematic chapter of Star Wars would feel like on the biggest screen possible. After countless stories told across streaming, animation, novels, games, and television, The Mandalorian & Grogu arrive carrying an enormous amount of expectation on their shoulders. Thankfully, the film understands something important from the very beginning: Star Wars has always been strongest when it remembers the humanity beneath the mythology. What makes The Mandalorian & Grogu work so well is not simply the action, visual effects, nostalgia, or scale, though all of those elements are certainly present. What truly gives this film its heart is the relationship at its center. The bond between Din Djarin and Grogu remains one of the most emotionally sincere dynamics Star Wars has introduced in decades, and this movie leans into that emotional core beautifully. There are several moments throughout the film that genuinely linger after the credits r...

Spoiler Warning: This review discusses the full second season of Daredevil: Born Again . After watching all eight episodes of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, I can honestly say this was one of the strongest Marvel Television seasons in a long time. This season had emotion. It had brutality. It had romance. It had grief. It had shocking moments. It had great performances. It had some incredible character work. It had moments when I was fully locked in, moments when I was frustrated, moments when I was nervous, and moments when I remembered why I love this world so much in the first place. Season 2 premiered on March 24, 2026, and ran for eight episodes through May 5, 2026, with Disney+ listing the full season as part of the larger story of Fisk hunting Daredevil while Matt Murdock fights to tear down his corrupt empire. That setup is simple on paper, but the season finds a lot of power inside it. This is not just a season about a masked hero fighting a villain. This is a season abo...