“Master Of The Universe” (*1/2 out of four) was a cheesy, low-rent action adventure about a young man (Matthew Garemske) who must utilize all his extraordinary powers to fight back against a sinister and subversive force that threatens to overtake him and his village people. Made as a quickie cash-in to capitalize on the new “Masters Of The Universe” (if you couldn’t guess by its title) but it’s pretty tawdry and lame. Basically a Roger Corman version of “He Man”, if that at all sounds entertaining to you.

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“Scary Movie” (***1/2 out of four) was an uproarious reboot of the classic parody series about various friends (Anna Farris, Regina Hall, Marlon Waylans, Shawn Wayans) who regroup and reunite when the masked killer Ghostface is on the loose again. Not only far better than the last few stale entries in this series but the best entry ever and is packed with laughs and up-to-date barbs about political correctness, social media, etc and various cameos (Shaq is particularly funny). A real off-the-wall surprise and a bullseye return to the series for The Wayans Brothers who are all in top form here.

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“Saturnalia” (*1/2 out of four) was substandard supernatural hokum about a young girl (Sophia Anthony) who arrives at a prestigious boarding school under the domineering rein of its cruel headmistress (Velvet) and finds that there are sinister and subversive forces that are engulfing them all. Slipshod rip-off of Dario Argento’s “Suspiria” right down to its similar title and theme score from Goblin but sorely missing his mesmerizing and haunting artistry.

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“Deep Water” (** out of four) was a soggy suspense thriller about a group of airline workers and passengers (Aaron Eckhart, Ben Kingsley, Angus Sampson, and others) who crashland on a flight from Shanghai to Los Angeles in shark-infested waters and have to unite and band together to stay alive. Ho-hum retread of routine shark/shock scenes from “Jaws” and also director Renny Harlin’s own “Deep Blue Sea” right down to the title. A few jolts and scares here-and-there but film is usurped by a weary feeling of Déjà vu. It might be time to retire killer-shark movies before their entertainment value becomes extinct.

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“Marshmallow” (*1/2 out of four) was a fluff job about a group of campers (Giorgia Whigham, Pierson Fode, Paul Soter, and others) who gather around a campfire and discuss the legend of the title marshmallow character but soon come to find out he is still very much alive and (yawn) on the murderous prowl. The marshmallow man in “Ghostbusters” was more scary and certainly more visually impressive than anything here over 40 years ago! Stale collection of horror cliches and plot points. Filmed in 2023 and was unreleased for 3 years.

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“Teacher’s Pet” (*1/2 out of four) was a trifling suspense psychodrama about a precocious high-school student (Michelle Torian) about to start college at Yale who is suddenly re-assigned to a slimy new teacher (Kevin Makely) who takes a dangerous interest in her and attempts to turn her life upside down while the principal (Richard Handley) and the cops (Sheldon Brigman and Drew Powell) investigate. Thoroughly routine and by-the-numbers programmer feels like it was made off an assembly line. Filmmakers themselves need to go back to school and “teach” themselves some new ideas.

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“Backrooms” (** out of four) was an over-the-top and cerebral exercise in psychological horror about an alcoholic furniture store owner (Chiwitel Ejiofor) who disappears into another dimension of reality found in the basement of his store and his determined psychiatrist (Renate Reinsve) ventures in to go find him but soon finds that her own mental and psychological state may be in peril. Some undeniably eerie moments are obscured by film’s pretentious tone and cold-hearted unpleasantness. Yet another film all-too-obviously inspired by “The Shining” and various other early works by Kubrick and Cronenberg and cannot hold a candle to either.

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“On The Hunt” (** out of four) was a squalid pulp melodrama about a former military woman (Nicky Whelan) who has to spring back into action to rescue her daughter (Maia Sky) when she is kidnapped by a ruthless and brutal sex-trafficking ring (led by Til Schweiger and Cam Gigandet). Fast-paced enough to make it watchable for action junkies but material is a little tough to take and it all worked better when Liam Neeson went through the same motions in “Taken” about 20 years ago. Whelan is rock-solid in the lead

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“Jack Ryan: Ghost War” (**1/2 out of four) was an overall well-done adaptation of Tom Clancy’s blockbuster spy series about the Jack Ryan (John Krasinski) who reunites with his former C.I.A. operatives (Wendell Pierce, Sienna Miller, and others) to take down a treacherous international enemy who seems to monitor and know their every move. A definite improvement over the last 2 Chris Pine/Ben Affleck adaptations, and features enough spy intrigue and action to be engaging, but lacks the serpentine complexity that defined the best Ryan adaptation “Clear And Present Danger.” Pierce stands out and gives the film a big boost as James Greer.

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