Greetings and salutations, Patriot Nation! I’m AJ Delgado, a new writer for the entertainment section, and I will be ranking all the movies I saw in the month of September 2025 from the worst to the best. Let’s get into it!
5. Afterburn
Afterburn is the latest action heist movie starring Dave Bautista and Samuel L. Jackson. First off, before I start my review, I would like to congratulate everybody who worked on this movie, because it takes a lot of people and a lot of hard work to make a film, but Afterburn is a really tough movie to even give a rating. I have to be honest, it’s not even worth an F. The acting was horrible, as well as the cinematography, because it was so dark that you couldn’t see anything. This movie was boring, it was cartoonish, and it should’ve been a cartoon to make it more interesting. Plus, I gotta say Dave Bautista in a leading role—I’m sorry, but he could not act to save his life. He was so terrible in this movie!! He doesn’t get you excited at all. In my humble and honest opinion, it was very lame and probably the worst movie I’ve seen all year. This movie made no sense; it was low-budget, and I’ve seen better acting in a commercial. Out of the three wrestlers who are main actors, Bautista is the worst one. John Cena is the best wrestler actor, and he is hilarious. The Rock is the highest paid of the three—he’s not an amazing actor and has his limitations—but he has gotten better. Bautista is just terrible. Samuel L. Jackson was quiet, and we really could’ve done without him, too. Overall, Afterburn is the worst movie I’ve seen all year, and is impossible to rate.
I’m gonna give Afterburn an E for Empty.
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4. Him
Him is the latest Jordan Peele produced football horror feature directed by Justin Tipping. This movie stars Marlon Wayans, Julia Fox, and more. I try to be as honest with films as I can, but unfortunately, Him is a swing and a miss for Monkeypaw Productions. This movie markets itself to be a football “Horror”, and instead proceeds to turn into a psychological thriller opera. If you really listen to most of these directors talk, this is what they try to aim for. They will take a certain subject matter and make a play or movie out of it. This fell more into the opera-type category. Which is fine, but you have to make it make sense. Without spoilers, this movie did a terrible job of explaining things. They just leapfrogged from one subject to another so quickly, and that was the premise of the movie. Marlon Wayans gave a good yet over-the-top performance, but kind of solo-carried this movie. Just his performance would’ve been better if he were given a better script. Overall, Him is not a good movie, and I don’t even feel like talking about it anymore.
I’m gonna give Him a D-
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3. The Conjuring: Last Rites
This is the tenth entry in the Conjuring saga and the fourth one directed by Michael Chaves. This is a great entry in the franchise. Some scenes feel a little too long as it is over 2 hours, but it’s overall really good. I have only seen 6 out of the 10 Conjuring entries, and this is my second favorite personally. I know some may disagree, but this is my opinion. There are some new additions to the franchise, such as a daughter that Ed and Lorraine had, and her boyfriend, who is planning to propose to her. I personally didn’t think it was a bad bonus to the movie, and the acting from them and everyone else was really good too. This is supposed to be the last movie in the franchise, so overall, I think this is a good send-off. I think they’re probably gonna make a spinoff of the daughter and her boyfriend/fiance, as well as her family and her experiences with him—and maybe even a new curse. So overall, The Conjuring: Last Rites is a very solid entry in the Conjuring franchise and a good way to end it.
I’m gonna give The Conjuring: Last Rites an A-
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2. One Battle After Another
One Battle After Another is the latest Paul Thomas Anderson directed dark satire starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti. I got the opportunity to go see it, and I have a very positive review to share. I really liked this movie! People are saying Sean Penn is the standout, but for me, Leo was one of the stars of the show. I think he might even get nominated for best actor at the Oscars—he may not win, but at the very least, he’ll snag a nomination. Sean Penn was absolutely hilarious, and he acted well, too. To sum it up, this is a satire on action, adventure, politics, and thriller films. There’s something for everyone in this movie. The runtime may seem long, but it’s incredibly reasonable in context to the plot. It doesn’t drag at all, and actually flies by. Fun fact: the original cut of the movie was over 3 hours, but they decided to trim it down. Overall, I really enjoyed One Battle After Another, and I thoroughly enjoyed the performances. Don’t let the runtime deter you! It’s original, unique, and has something for everyone.
I’m gonna give One Battle After Another an A
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1. The Long Walk
This movie is directed by Francis Lawrence, the director of the famous Hunger Games franchise, and the writer is JT Mollner, who wrote and directed the 2024 film, Strange Darling. This is also based on the Stephen King book with the same name, The Long Walk. I loved this movie! It gives you a lot to think about, as it’s just a lot to take in. It’s a lot similar to Hunger Games, with the premise of sacrifice and youth for the “greater good” to survive. I thoroughly enjoyed it myself! It’s also a very deep movie, and leaves you thinking, even as the credits are rolling. I’m not gonna spoil too much, but there are also some funny moments from the characters—mostly coming from the banter of certain characters in the movie, as it is a group of young guys. So that adds lightness to the serious tone of the walk or die premise. So overall, go see The Long Walk ASAP!!
I’m gonna give The Long Walk an A+
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