Squeeze out the last few dollops of sun tan lotion and prepare for one final game of beach volleyball, because the summer is coming to an end – at least as far as Hollywood is concerned. After this week, all eyes will be focused on Halloween and Christmas, so if you do still want to bask in the glory of summer 2025, do it now!
This summer has seen the release of some big titles (Superman, Weapons, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, etc) and plenty of popcorn has been consumed along the way. But hey, all good things must come to an end, and the wrap-up is here.
The final big summer releases include The Thursday Murder Club, The Toxic Avenger, and The Roses. Plus this week, there’s a crime caper with Eenie Meanie.
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Now streaming…
Eenie Meanie (2025)
First up, in action-thriller Eenie Meanie, former teen getaway driver and current bank clerk, Edie, is visiting her ex-boyfriend, John when she stumbles into trouble. John is being roughed up by goons, Edie helps him escape, and suddenly she’s caught up a situation she really does want to be in.
From here she is drafted in to take part in a casino heist. Despite her reluctance, Edie agrees to the job, and chaos ensues.
Written and directed by Shawn Simmons, Eenie Meanie stars Samara Weaving, Karl Glusman, Steve Zahn, Andy Garcia, and Randall Park. The film is a so-so crime picture, which offers occasional laughs, as well as a dash of high-speed action.
The highlights including Weaving, who is good in everything; the car chases, which are fun, fast, and occasionally furious; and the editing which is fairly slick. Eenie Meanie is an old school crime drama, which looks good and is certainly serviceable.
Where Eenie Meanie falls down is in the lack of originality. The film never pushes the envelope, and when all is said and done it mostly plays by the numbers.
As a result, it’s watchable, and will pass the time fine, but it’s never top tier stuff. That said, Weaving’s performance is solid, and this elevates the material.
Anyway, should you wish to check it out, Eenie Meanie is now streaming on Hulu in the US, and on Disney+ in the UK. It’s not must-see viewing, but it’s fine for what it is.
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In cinemas…
The Toxic Avenger (2023)
Over to the cinema now for the superhero horror comedy, The Toxic Avenger. Written and directed by Macon Blair, the movie stars Peter Dinklage, Jacob Tremblay, Elijah Wood, Luisa Guerreiro, Julia Davis, and Kevin Bacon, and is the fifth entry in the Toxic Avenger movie series, as well as a reboot of the franchise.
In the film, when janitor and single-father, Winston Gooze is seemingly bumped off and tossed into toxic waste, his body is transformed into a hideously deformed creature with superhuman strength. Dubbed ‘Toxie’, he takes to the streets armed with a toxic-infused mop to battle corruption, and track down his missing stepson.
Debuting at Fantastic Fest back in 2023, before being shelved for two years until a distributor could be found, the release of The Toxic Avenger has been a long time coming. However, now it’s here (and being distributed by Cineverse and Iconic Events) the wait has been somewhat worth it.
While The Toxic Avenger is far from the best release of the summer, and to be clear, it won’t work for everyone (some will dislike it considerably – you’ve been warned), it is quite fun for those who enjoy this sort of thing. When approached with suitable expectations, as well as an understanding of what this is (a remake of a Troma movie, only with an increased budget), there’s something quite likeable about the picture.
It’s complete nonsense, at times a bit too hectic for its own good, and there are way too many villains in the film, but it’s also humorous and heartfelt – surprisingly so! Who knew that a Toxic Avenger movie would be so interested in focusing on the relationship between stepfather and son?
The scenes between Winston and his stepson, Wade are some of the film’s strongest moments. This might be a film about a super-powered guy wiping the floor with baddies, but there is a bit more depth here and there.
The big draw of the film is Peter Dinklage, who plays the role of Winston and also provides the voice of Toxie (with Luisa Guerreiro portraying the physical embodiment of the character).Dinklage is a great bit of casting, he raises the material considerably, and he brings a certain level of warmth to the story.
The actor is joined by a cast of well-known names and faces including Tremblay, Wood, Davis, and Bacon, and once again they improve the overall quality. Simply having recognisable talent ensures this is a step up from the Toxie films of the past, plus including actors who can actually act is always a win-win situation.
Of course, they can only do their best with the material they are given, but they all pull in the right direction. That said, because this film keeps one foot in its Troma origins, don’t expect an A-grade film, at best it is an acquired taste.
Ultimately, The Toxic Avenger is a midnight movie, best enjoyed with brain switched off, and a beer or three in hand. It’ll work for those who embrace it, but less so for everyone else.
The Toxic Avenger is more mainstream than previous Troma movies, but it’s still niche. If your idea of a great time at the cinema is watching something like Return of the Killer Tomatoes, then this latest take on Toxie will suit you fine.
Should you wish to take a look, the film is on limited release in UK and US cinemas. Yep, limited release, so you’ll have to grab it where you can.
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Now streaming…
The Thursday Murder Club (2025)
Back to streaming for this next film, director Chris Columbus’ murder-mystery, The Thursday Murder Club. Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Richard Osman, the film stars Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Celia Imrie, and Ben Kingsley, and follows the story of a group of elderly amateur sleuths who set out to solve a murder.
In the film, ex-spy, Elizabeth Best lives at Cooper’s Chase retirement home with former union leader Ron Ritchie, and retired psychiatrist Ibrahim Arif. Every Thursday the trio gather together to discuss cold cases, hoping to solve them.
The group expands when former nurse Joyce Meadowcroft joins along. And then things begin to hot up when the owner of the retirement home is killed, and the group finally have an active murder to solve!
With The Thursday Murder Club being a best-seller, which lines the shelves of countless supermarkets and every branch of Waterstones, there has been a fair bit of anticipation for this movie adaptation. Unfortunately, that anticipation is largely met with disappointment, because The Thursday Murder Clubis a bit of a misfire.
The story is slow, the murder mystery is quite dull, and the less said about Pierce Brosnan’s terrible cockney accent the better. The core four bring the talent (Brosnan’s accent aside), but the magic simply isn’t here.
The Thursday Murder Club also wastes its impressive supporting cast which includes David Tennant, Jonathan Pryce, Naomi Ackie, Daniel Mays, Tom Ellis, Paul Freeman, and Richard E. Grant. Most of these actors seem to have been included to add further star power to the picture, but other than bloating the budget their inclusion is underwhelming.
All-in-all, The Thursday Murder Club works OK(ish) as a late ‘90s, Sunday evening kind of thing, popping up in the schedules after The Antiques Roadshow, but as a 2025 tentpole release from Netflix, or a series starter, it lacks oomph. Although, a couple of mild titters do at least lift things.
Anyway, should you wish to take a look, The Thursday Murder Club is now streaming on Netflix. Due to the popularity of the books it’ll probably do well for the streaming service.
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In cinemas…
The Roses (2025)
And finally, new to UK and US cinemas this week is the satirical black comedy, The Roses. Directed by Jay Roach, and based on Warren Adler’s novel The War of the Roses, as well as the 1989 movie of the same name, the film stars Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch as a once happy couple who grow to hate each other.
In the movie, architect Theo and chef Ivy meet in London, develop a relationship, and move to the US. Ten years later, the pair have kids together, however there are now a few cracks in their marriage.
As the years continue to tick along, and their careers move in different directions, those cracks widen. Once upon a time Theo and Ivy saw only love for each other, while now they start to see hatred.
With a fairly consistent amount of laughs and two great performances from Colman and Cumberbatch, The Roses is decent and fairly likeable stuff. The movie’s exploration of a troubled and seemingly doomed relationship is realised rather well, and the story certainly hits the right beats when demonstrating how a once fruitful partnership can eventually turn sour.
If you’re after a film which navigates the choppy waters of a marriage on the rocks, this is certainly it. And if you want a few chuckles along the way you can have them too.
However, while The Roses does get a lot right, and tells an engaging tale, it isn’t without problems. The breakdown of the relationship is drawn out longer than it needs to be, and the film never plays into the farcical nature of their dislike for each other.
If you’ve caught any of the promotional material for The Roses and you presume this film is a couple of hours of Colman and Cumberbatch trying to bump each other off, you will be disappointed. The Tom & Jerry style shenanigans that are teased don’t happen until the last ten minutes, and even then it’s all over before it starts.
As such, the film never quite delivers on its potential. The opportunity for madcap mayhem is there, but oddly it’s ignored in favour of a more gradual decline in the Roses’ relationship.
On the plus side, despite the missed opportunities, The Roses is more than decent and extremely easy to watch. It’s definitely the better of this week’s releases, and if you approach it as more of a cake-and-cup-of-tea watch, rather than a riotous popcorn affair you’ll probably have a better appreciation of what’s on offer.
Your enjoyment of The Roses may come down to how much you want to see a couple go through a break up, but there is fun to be had. Not amazing, but yeah, it’s alright.
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Movie of the Week
Onto Movie of the Week, and this week the title goes to The Roses. Colman and Cumberbatch are on fine form, while the laughs are quite high.
And if you like The Roses, then you might also enjoy:
- The War of the Roses (1989) – The original film adaptation of The War of the Roses starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny DeVito.
- Meet the Parents (2000) – The Roses director Jay Roach helms this enjoyable comedy starring Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro.
- Throw Momma From the Train (1987) – Danny DeVito, Billy Crystal, and Anne Ramsey team up for this black comedy about a son who is keen to bump off his mother without having to do the deed himself.
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Forthcoming attractions
That’s it for this week, and for the summer blockbuster season. Summer isn’t over just yet, but it is time to call it a day on all the big summer releases (RIP summer 2025).
But don’t worry, there’s plenty more movies on the way. Next week we enter the spooky season, and because Halloween is on the horizon it means you should expect dark thrills and heaps of horror.
Speaking of which, coming soon Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga take on the supernatural (supposedly for the final time) in The Conjuring: Last Rites; and a group of young men are subjected to an exhausting contest of endurance in dystopian thriller, The Long Walk.
All this, plus much, much more will be popping up between now and October 31st. And you can read all about it each week on Movie Reviews 2025.
Alex
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