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Now, this movie was one that I had not heard about prior to sitting down here in 2025 to watch it. And with it being a religiously-based movie, I have to admit that I did harbor some doubt about it. But I still opted to watch the movie, solely because it was a movie that I hadn't seen, nor heard about. And maybe writer and director Maggie Betts would pleasantly surprise me with this 2017 drama.

Writer Maggie Betts, whom also directed the movie, put together a fair enough script, though you have to be in the mood for a slow paced drama such as this turned out to be, and running at more than two hours, you might have to arm yourself with a cup of coffee and an extra supply of patience. Now, I have to admit that I am by no means traversed or familiar with the way a cloister functions or is run, so I have no idea how true the narrative in the movie was to actual life. Do or did nuns actually have to crawl around on all four to ask for penance?

There wasn't a lot of familiar talents on the cast list, at least not for me. I was only familiar with Margaret Qualley and Melissa Leo. The acting performances in the movie were quite good.

The cinematography in the movie was good and certainly added a lot to the overall enjoyment of the movie. And there was quite a lot of attention to detail, and I will say that the props, wardrobe and setting departments certainly did a good job as well.

While the movie was watchable, it is hardly a movie that warrants more than a single viewing, as there just simply wasn't sufficient of interesting material to make it so. I am not saying that it is a bad movie, not at all, it just wasn't a particularly riveting narrative. And running at 123 minutes, the movie could have benefitted from a more round-handed trim in the editing room.

My rating of writer and director Maggie Betts' 2017 movie "Novitiate" lands on a five out of ten stars.

I had recently just sat through the 2024 movie "Married to a Balla" and can't really claim that I found it enjoyable, but I still opted to watch the 2025 sequel, simply because it was a movie that I hadn't already seen.

After having seen the first movie, I still have no clue what a "balla" is. So maybe after watching the sequel it will make sense.

Writers Jacqueline Davis, Jamal Hill and Tressa Azarel Smallwood, with the latter two returning to for writing duties from the first movie, put together a script that was every bit as boring and mundane as in the first movie. So you're not in for anything grand here.

I recognized Dominique Madison, Emanuel Alexander, Alonte Williams, Cristina Encarnacion and Mario Golden on the cast list, as they were also in the first movie. The acting performances in the movie were fair.

This sequel certainly will cater to an audience that enjoyed the first movie. However, if you didn't enjoy the first movie, then you most definitely will also not enjoy the sequel.

And no, I still have no clue what a "balla" is.

My rating of director Emily Skye's 2025 movie "Married to a Balla 2" lands on a generous three out of ten stars. Emily Skye also directed the 2024 movie "Married to a Balla".

Truth be told, I had zero expectations to this 2025 werewolf-themed horror movie titled "Frenzy Moon" prior to sitting down to watch it, solely because the vast majority of werewolf-themed movies are lousy and questionable affairs at best. But still, since it was a movie that I had never seen before, nor actually ever heard about, of course I opted to give the movie the benefit of the doubt.

The storyline in the movie was pretty straightforward, but also so simplistic that you could essentially replace the werewolf with anything else in the horror genre and still have the same movie. I was not particularly impressed with the narrative that Gregory Lamberson put together here.

I was not familiar with a single actress or actor on the cast list, though I have to say that some of the acting performances were dubious and wooden, while others were adequate.

The effects in the movie were a mixed bag of nuts. Some of the blood and gore effects were fair adequate, while the werewolf itself was one of the worst renderings of a werewolf that I've seen in a long, long time. It was inarticulate and just generally looked like a cheap, terrible Halloween costume.

This was a pretty low key attempt at making a werewolf movie, and not one that I would recommend you to waste 80 minutes on watching. Nor is it a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time.

My rating of writer and director Gregory Lamberson's 2025 movie "Frenzy Moon" lands on a very generous three out of ten stars.