Content Warning: This story contains discussions of sexual themes.

Movie theaters have always been a special place for me. Whether it be horror, comedy, romance  or action, I think any movie is enhanced by seeing it in theaters. And as someone who spent over 20 hours in movie theaters this September, I think I have some authority in saying what the two best and worst movies this month were. 

Good – The Wild Robot – PG

Dreamworks has proved again and again that they know how to make a good movie; The Wild Robot is no exception. This film had every hallmark of an animated classic: beautiful animation, a great story, touching characters. I’m normally not a fan of famous casts, especially for animated movies, but between Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal and Mark Hamill, I think the voice acting was truly one of the highlights of the film. 

If I had to warn you of anything going into it though, it would be the soundtrack. Multiple pivotal moments are absolutely thrashed by this cheap pop song they put over them. It genuinely rips you out of the film as this knock off Zara Larson song plays over what should be a really moving scene. Luckily, this is probably the only major issue I had with the movie as a whole. If you’re looking for a good film to see with the family, or you just need a cry, I would wholeheartedly recommend The Wild Robot. 

Best – Speak No Evil – R

I don’t think I’ve ever watched a movie that made me as scared as this one did that I still enjoyed, but Speak No Evil is just that good. It’s really impossible to describe, something about James McAvoy’s face awakens such a primal fear in me. Plus one of the actresses looks just like my dad’s friend, which added a whole new level of horror that felt way too real, but that’s just me. 

I usually take notes while watching movies, as my memory doesn’t always serve me well, but every scene of this film burned itself into my brain so I was completely unable to take my eyes off the screen to write anything. This movie is not for the faint of heart. It’s not just terrifying, so many scenes are extremely uncomfortable and tense to a nauseating degree, but I loved every bit of it. 

If you’re not usually into scary movies, or you know my dad’s friend Caroline, this film probably isn’t for you. But if you’re a fan of true horror, or James McAvoy, you should really check this one out. 

Bad – Megalopolis – R

When I first saw this movie, I left the theater confused but not entirely appalled at what I had seen. Do you ever see something and think “that was probably good, but I think I was too stupid to understand it”? That’s how I felt. However, after letting it stew for a bit, I do just think it was bad.

This is one of those films that just does things for the sake of doing things. There’s a lot of scenes where Adam Driver is just kinda bouncing around and having sex and repeating the same lines over and over. And the whole time I just thought, why? 

It didn’t feel important. It felt like it was being artsy and sexual for the sake of being artsy and sexual not because it wanted to make a point about those things or even because they were relevant. And more than anything, it was painfully boring. Like I genuinely almost fell asleep in the first 30 minutes. 

If you really like Adam Driver, maybe you could get something out of this. But otherwise, you could spend two and a half hours doing literally anything else and it would probably be more worth it. 

Worst – The Killer’s Game – R

Have you ever thought “man, I sure wish I could watch a movie with barely any plot, useless celebrity cameos, and that serves as nothing more than background noise?” If yes, then I have the perfect film for you. The Killers Game manages to have every cliche possible, while barely even being a movie.

There’s not really anything to even say about this film. There’s no character growth, no cinematography, no plot. It’s supposed to be a comedy, but I counted maybe five jokes, and at least half of them were either “haha, that person has an accent!” or “haha, Terry Crews is here!” 

If you need a movie that would be more enjoyable the less of it you watched, The Killers Game will be right up your alley. If you’re not, I’d recommend Deadpool or something. There are plenty of other gritty action rom-coms out there that do more than The Killers Game and do it better.