KPop Demon Hunters (2025)

Streaming Service: Netflix
Movie Name/Year: KPop Demon Hunters (2025)
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy
Length: 1h 35min
Rating: PG
Director: Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang
Writer: Danya Jimenez, Hannah McMechan, Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans, Bo Yeon Kim, Erika Lippldt
Actors: Arden Cho, May Hong, Ji-young Yoo, Ahn Hyoo-seop, Yunjin Kim, Ken Jeong, Lee Byung-hun, Daniel Dae Kim, Rumi Oak
 
Blurb from IMDb: A world-renowned K-Pop girl group balance their lives in the spotlight with their secret identities as demon hunters.
 

Selina’s Point of View:
The trailer for KPop Demon Hunters was insane. I was looking forward to seeing it, but I just couldn’t find the time. Then my daughter saw it while she was visiting with some cousins, and her reaction made it essential that I see this film. My daughter doesn’t like movies. She’ll occasionally watch one for my sake, but if she genuinely likes a flick, that speaks wonders for it. She LOVED KPop Demon Hunters.
 
Honestly? I loved it too.
 
The animation style was gorgeous. The few times it wasn’t, was on purpose. Either because it was exaggerating excitement or because it was pointing out a flaw we were meant to see. Not unlike most anime. The soundtrack was also exceptional, and I recommend having captions on so that you can catch as much meaning in the lyrics as possible your first time around.

The best part about KPop Demon Hunters, though, is how easily I was able to relate to the characters. Anyone who’s ever had to deal with a brain that attacks them will.
 
When that happens with me, I call it “Mean Brain.” That means my brain is saying awful things to me, and I can’t seem to shut it up or block it out. The influence of Gwi-ma sounds exactly like mean brain to me. It was interesting, and maybe even a little triggering, to hear it on screen.
 
KPop Demon Hunters is so much more than I thought it would be, and I went into it with HIGH expectations. I can’t recommend it enough.
 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 97%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 92%
Metascore – 76%
Metacritic User Score –8.2
IMDB Score – 7.7/10
 
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 5/5
 
P.S. Some behind-the-scenes looks during the start of the credits.
 
Movie Trailer:

'Tis the Season - Santa Games (2022)

Streaming Service: Hulu
Movie Name/Year: Santa Games (2022)
Genre: Comedy
Length: 1h 30min
Rating: Unrated
Director: Keoni Waxman
Actors: Marquez Jackson, Faizon Love
 

Blurb from IMDb: When the manager of a mall where Santa Charles work decides to replace him, he asks to find his replacement. When this ad goes viral, the interview process becomes a series of tasks and challenges leading to an all-out competition.
 

Selina’s Point of View:
Holiday films are usually good fun for the whole family – at least the ones that aren’t horror. Since I was trying to avoid rom-coms this season, I thought leaning into the family aspect for some flicks would be a good way to do that.
 
Unfortunately, Santa Games was not the best pick.
 
The premise of the film made me smile when I came across it, so it was an easy add for the schedule. I knew it was going to be a low-budget flick, so I had my expectations ready for exactly that. Even still, it wasn’t good.
 
In the first ten minutes of Santa Games there had to have been about 20 fat jokes.
 

Now, I grew up in the 80s. I can handle fat jokes. They were woven into pretty much all the media at the time. Some of those films/shows I still go back and watch today. The problem is that not one of the jokes in Santa Games was funny. In fact, it was mostly the main character repeating, “was that a fat joke” over and over again. That’s not even creative.
 
As the movie progressed, it didn’t get better. Most scenes had the exact same annoying musical background that got overly repetitive.
 
There was only one scene in Santa Games that I kind of liked. It was a little after the half hour mark, between the main character and his nephew. It was a good scene, meant for a better film, with better acting.
 
It’s a shame. With the premise and the setting of Santa Games, a little more creativity could have made it a good film. Instead, it feels wasted.
 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 56%
Metascore – None
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 3.7/10
 
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 1.5/5
 
Trust-the-Dice’s Parental Advisory Rating: PG
 
P.S. Some scenes during the credits.

'Tis the Season - Candy Cane Lane (2023)

 

 

Streaming Service: Amazon Prime

Movie Name/Year: Candy Cane Lane (2023)

Genre: Holiday, Comedy, Fantasy

Length: 1h 57min

Rating: PG

Production/Distribution: Amazon Studios, Eddie Murphy Productions, Imagine Entertainment, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Amazon Prime Video

Director: Reginald Hudlin

Writer: Kelly Younger

Actors: Eddie Murphy, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jillian Bell, Genneya Walton, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Madison Thomas, Nick Offerman, Chris Redd, Robin Thede, David Alan Grier, Ken Marino, Anjelah Johnson-Reyes, Lombardo Boyar, Timothy Simons, Danielle Pinnock, D.C. Young Fly, Iman Benson, Belle Le Grand, Tiago Roberts, Trevante Rhodes, James DuMont, Ali Astin, Riki Lindhome, Catherine Dent, Kimberly Christian, Amanda Schoonover, Haiden Pino, Tom Lindsey, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Mitch Grassi, Kevin Olusola, Matt Sallee, Aidan Kennedy, Amy Johnston

 

IMDb Blurb: A man is determined to win the neighborhood's annual Christmas decorating contest. He makes a pact with an elf to help him win--and the elf casts a spell that brings the 12 days of Christmas to life, which brings unexpected chaos to town.

 

 

Cat’s Point of View:

When I first watched the trailer for Candy Cane Lane, I was fairly bouncing in my seat with anticipation for its release on Prime Video. Every time I see a movie billing Eddie Murphy (Mr. Church, Coming 2 America, You People) in a comedy, it gets all my nostalgic feelings of glee stirring. When paired with the concept of a fun family Christmas movie and the rest of the star-studded cast, Candy Cane Lane was a no-brainer to add to my must-watch list for a December “Family Movie Night.”  (It was a foregone conclusion that this film would land on my personal Top 20, as well.)

 

I’m a bit frustrated with the low-trending rating scores I’ve seen for Candy Cane Lane. Was it the best Christmas comedy movie I’ve ever seen? No, and yet it was a fun experience. I certainly didn’t feel like my time was wasted. My family and I watched together and we had a great time.

 

 

There were some sketchy CGI effects in the opening sequence of the film that set up expectations for potential wonkiness, but it honestly didn’t seem to repeat itself. A few of the comedic moments were a little cringe, but it had less of that flavor of comedy than quite a few recent well-received movies. The themes of family, the Christmas spirit, and putting loved ones over “keeping up with the Joneses” and the commercialization of the holiday all fit within the story without feeling like someone was preaching.

 

Seriously, Candy Cane Lane was far more entertaining than most of the recycled Christmas romance stuff that plays nonstop this time of year on the Lifetime and Hallmark networks. My daughter and I were also very excited about how the story worked our favorite a capella group Pentatonix into the tale.

 

 

I do feel that with a team such as Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross (Little, Black-ish, American Fiction) playing his his on-screen wife, there was considerable potential for more of Murphy’s trademark comedic style. There was, however, nothing wrong with his more straightforward character who was working at being a good dad and family provider - even if slightly Christmas-obsessive.

 

Jillian Bell (Green Eggs and Ham, Fool's Paradise, Good Burger 2) has been firing on all cylinders playing villains this year, too.

 

Over all, Candy Cane Lane had an interesting concept that felt fresh where its Christmas Magic was concerned while delivering relatable family content. It was a bit of a bonkers ride, but it was easy to just go with the flow. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Candy Cane Lane to anyone looking to add something fun to a family movie night this Holiday Season.

 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 39%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 42%

Metascore – 47%

Metacritic User Score – 4.4/10

IMDB Score – 5.7/10

 

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5

 

P.S. – There are some bloopers and an additional scene mid-credits.

 

Movie Trailer: