2026 Film Catch Up Lightning Round Reviews: Rosebush Pruning, The Dog Stars, Moana, The Uprising and Sunny Dancer!

A family struggling with genetic illnesses lives on a country estate. Personal drama develops amongst them in this intimate portrait.

Rosebush Pruning is somehow even more underwhelming than Karim Aïnouz’s previous English language effort Firebrand (2023). I admire the strangeness of Rosebush Pruning but a majority of it does not come together at the slightest. The movie is definitely trying to go for this Luca Guadagnino, Yorgos Lanthimos and Saltburn (2023) feel but completely misses the mark.

The only major positives I can really give this movie is Elle Fanning who does what she can with a very confused script, this is nowhere near one of her best performances. But Fanning does have this natural screen presence that is able to pull out a solid performance no matter the circumstance. The cinematography from cinematographer Héléne Louvart is also quite fantastic and showcases some gorgeous shots of Spain, as far as how the film looks it’s gorgeous.

The same can not be said for the rest of the movie, the character writing is incredibly absent and the satire aspect of the movie is incredibly overworked to the point where it starts affect the dramatic weight of it all. This is yet another “eat the rich” type of story and while the ideas are there it just offers nothing new at all, I do want to say that this movie at some points goes into this realm of “it’s so bad it’s funny” territory. Some of the moments the movie uses to provoke or shock the viewer ends up with the viewer saying “wtf” and giving this slight laugh.

Overall, I still honestly have no idea what to make of Rosebush Pruning and that’s mainly due to just how much of a mess the whole movie is. Outside of Elle Fanning (the other performances aren’t bad here just not very memorable) and the cinematography, the experience feels very underwhelming. The shocking moments do make for somewhat of a funny “well that just happened” sort of thing in the moment, but once the movie ends you start to ask yourself why any of this happened and what does it contribute.

Rosebush Pruning is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

In a post-apocalyptic world, a virus wipes out humanity. Survivors face roaming scavengers called Reapers. Protagonist Hig, a pilot, survived the flu but lost his wife.

The Dog Stars is a very unfortunate case of where the writing completely sinks the entire movie, Ridley Scott’s direction is also nowhere near as strong as it usually is here, combining these two results in a very dull experience that feels way longer than it really is.

The performances here are not necessarily bad just very underwhelming, Jacob Elordi is trying his hardest but the script gives very little development for his character. It’s especially clear as the movie goes on that we only ever get glimpses of character writing with none of it going any further. Margot Qualley is in the same boat, fine enough performance but just does not have the character writing to back it up. Josh Brolin and Guy Pearce have some fun moments.

It’s such a shame to because you can tell that the movie was aiming to be some sort of character-oriented movie and using the post-apocalyptic setting was the perfect match for this sort of thing. The writing is just not there at all, everything we are told is either very basic information or elements that are spoken about only for them to get immediately dropped a couple of scenes later. It’s a frustrating experience that really tears your hair out.

The cinematography from Erik Messerschmidt is at least atmospheric and does capture the post-apocalyptic feel of the movie, when it comes to really putting the viewer into this setting the movie does a solid job. There are some scenes towards the end that do unfortunately stray away from this setting, but for the most part it matches quite well.

Overall, there is just not a whole lot going on with The Dog Stars. It’s a very forgettable post-apocalyptic movie that has some great ideas but lacks the necessary firepower to really back the movie up, especially in the writing department.

The Dog Stars is available on all VOD platforms.

5/10 C

A brave teenager named Moana leaves her island for the first time and sails with a shape-shifting demigod named Maui to fix a dangerous curse.

The live action Moana is one of those prime examples of why I do these lightning reviews, there is absolutely nothing to be said here that already has not been echoed 40+ times already.

Everything that the animated 2016 film did right, the live action movie does completely wrong. That is especially apparent when the world of Moana feels like the life of it all has been drained and replaced with terrible visuals, CGI and horrendous green-screen use that almost immediately takes the viewer directly out of the movie.

Dwayne Johnson’s wig in this movie is laughably bad to the point where you have to think “who looked at this and thought this was okay?” Johnson is also just nowhere near as charming here as he was in the animated film, whether it be because of his performance or the lack of chemistry he has with the rest of the cast.

Catherine Lag’aia really tries her best here as Moana, she undeniably has a great singing voice that is able to do justice to the songs. But that can only last for so long as the rest of the movie is nothing but a shot-for-shot remake of a movie that is only 10 years old and a terrible one at that.

Overall, there is just nothing going on here. The acting is fine enough but it’s so visually unappealing and is completely missing the spirit of the original animated film. If you already did not like the Disney live action remakes then this one isn’t going to change your mind (rightfully so.)

Moana is available on all VOD platforms

3/10 D-

Based on the true story of the uprising that inspired the legend of Robin Hood, Andrew Garfield stars as the leader of a rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II in a fight for justice.

If there is a contender for a movie that almost nobody talked about this year it would be The Uprising, the most interesting to come out of this movie is the whole thing where they briefly changed the movie’s title to Uprising: The Rise Of Robin Hood before switching it back to The Uprising.

The movie itself is a very forgettable historical action movie that does not have a whole lot going for it. Andrew Garfield, Jamie Bell and Cosmo Jarvis are some of the movies bright spots but even then that comes with a slight negative. Garfield’s character “The Ploughman” is incredibly one note figure of grief and rage, it is admittedly satisfying to see him go all out during the action scenes as a result of this rage. But when it comes to character writing? You won’t be getting much there. Historical figures like John Ball (played by Jamie Bell) and Wat Tyler (played by Cosmo Jarvis) are strangely sidelined, sure they do get some moments but the story is largely about The Ploughman.

The action scenes have this brutality to them that works well, they are well done and are actually one of the few things that even attempts to build this atmosphere that in turn brings the viewer in. It’s just such a shame that when a character is killed you don’t care enough to due to how paper thin these characters are.

The handheld camera that Paul Greengrass opted to go for here is quite baffling, I know it’s his signature style but it just does not work here at all in this kind of setting. It truly is a huge whiplash when you compare how decently done the action scenes are and then you see everything else.

Overall, The Uprising came and went and well it’s easy to see why. It’s forgettable and just does not have a whole lot going for it, even the theme of rebellion is done in this very surface level way and the movie itself prioritizes action over story.

The Uprising is available on all VOD platforms.

5/10 C

As if conquering cancer wasn’t hard enough, 17-year-old Ivy’s parents sign her up to spend her summer at what she calls “chemo camp”, where she manages to find unexpected friends in a group of misfits and has a summer she’ll never forget.

I am not going to pretend that Sunny Dancer is anything groundbreaking, but when you compare it to the last four movies I watched for this second set of Lightning round reviews it’s quite honestly a breath of fresh air.

Sunny Dancer is a charming coming of age story that has so much heart and passion poured in. You can easily tell by the performances especially Bella Ramsey who does such an excellent job here especially during the film’s final moments. The rest of the cast are just as great, Ruby Stokes, Daniel Quinn-Toye, Earl Cave, Jasmine Elcock, Conrad Khan and so on are all strong here and each contribute to the film to make this a much more grounded experience. Without these performances being as raw as they are I don’t think Sunny Dancer would have worked nearly as well.

The film’s final moments are quite sad, but there is this feel of healing. One particular moment of Jessica Gunning (who only has a few scenes but makes every minute count) and Bella Ramsey does such a beautiful job of sharing this with the viewer. The whole theme of living versus surviving is truly beautiful, it has this feel of living in the moment. Not every single moment is exactly deep, but the film does just enough for the viewer to really get the full picture.

Overall, Sunny Dancer might not be anything new and sure it is a bit predictable. But it’s such a charming and beautiful film that you can’t help but really appreciate it for what it is.

Sunny Dancer is available on all VOD platforms.

7/10 B

New York Film Festival Review: Club Kid (2026)

A hard-partying New York City club promoter sees his whirlwind lifestyle upended by the arrival of the 10-year-old son he never knew he had.

Club Kid is directed by Jordan Firstman which is his directorial debut.

It’s truly amazing how beautiful a directorial debut can really be, the only thing I knew about Jordan Firstman prior to this film was he was in Rachel Sennott’s series I Love LA (which a second season is coming I believe next year) and he did a pretty solid job there. Fast forward to Cannes and the reaction to Club Kid was quite incredible and that continued throughout the festival season. The hype and talk for this film is completely justified, because there are so many brilliant elements, moments and character writing here that leaves the viewer amazed.

The performances are brilliant, Jordan Firstman as Peter who constantly has ups and downs throughout this film is absolutely incredible. He delivers this layered and incredibly sincere portrayal of a man who is forced into unexpected fatherhood, he constantly says throughout the film that he is “not good at this” and you can see the lack of confidence he has for himself on his face. But over the course of the film you see Peter slowly gaining more confidence and wants to be a good father, it’s a beautiful performance that you really feel the power from Firstman. It’s a raw performance that makes you laugh, be happy and devastated, one of the film’s final scenes of Firstman sitting in bed with Diego Calva is truly heartbreaking and actually made me cry. It’s such a real moment that many will walk away from this film remembering.

Reggie Absolom as Arlo is absolutely fantastic, this is a star making performance through and through. Throughout the film he is able to keep up with Jordan Firstman when it comes to performances and even surpasses him during certain scenes. There’s this raw father and son bond that slowly grows throughout the film, Arlo does not speak much at first but we see him open up. It’s a brand new environment for him and to see him connect with his surroundings is truly beautiful. This is portrayed in such a raw and incredibly focused way that really brings the film’s spirit home and explores this bond father and son bond between Peter and Arlo in beautiful detail.

The rest of the cast are fantastic as well. Cara Delevingne perhaps gives the best performance of her career, Diego Calva’s chemistry with Firstman is raw and has just enough time to shine that really does make you care for their bond and Saturn Risin9 is quite fantastic every time they appear on screen, there’s a few moments in particular where they share the screen with Firstman that really brings the film together. The moments of Saffron (played by Saturn Risin9) mentoring Arlo on how to DJ are undeniably charming and are just some of the films most beautiful moments.

If there is one word to describe the direction from Jordan Firstman it’s sensational, there are multiple moments here where I can pick out and say “that’s an incredibly beautiful moment that I am never going to forget” Jordan Firstman compliments his direction with his script which is outstanding. Combining his direction and script paints this raw picture that shows the life of a man who is thrown into a very unexpected fatherhood and does the best he absolutely can, the characters face consequences and they move to a future that has so much confusion much like audience does when it comes to the future. We have no idea what’s in store for us so seeing this being portrayed on screen is truly fascinating.

The film also has plenty of hilarious moments that really work with what the script is going for, these moments are sprinkled in between the uplifting moments and some of the more sad ones. Which quite honestly makes the film that much more raw and matches the whole theme of life throwing you into unexpected scenarios, it’s a crowd pleaser with so much heart that fully connects the viewer from the very first scenes.

Overall, Club Kid is a powerhouse of a directorial debut. What Jordan Firstman does here is sensational, he crafts this raw and downright beautiful story that really encourages the viewer to connect with the world and its characters. This is no doubt not only one of the best films of the year but one of the best of the 2020s! I am very interested to see what Jordan Firstman does next.

Club Kid releases tomorrow in theaters!

10/10 A+

2026 Film Catch up Lightning Round Reviews: Toy Story 5, Pinocchio: Unstrung, Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence, Minions & Monsters and It Ends.

So quick note before we start, there are going to be more posts like this. This is mainly for films that I just really do not have a whole lot to comment on, some reviews here are going to be longer than others. Anyways on to the reviews!

Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the rest of the gang’s jobs are challenged when they’re introduced to electronics, a new threat to playtime.

Despite making a billion dollars at the box office, Toy Story 5 does not seem to really be talked about all that much and now that I have watched it I can see why.

The film is by no means bad, it’s a cute kids movie that still has that classic Toy Story charm you know and love. But this one really does not have the same impact as the rest of the series. I do like that Jessie is the main character this time around, she is a character that always felt kind of sidelined after Toy Story 2 (1999). Her story is very well done here, Joan Cusack delivers such an excellent voice performance especially during the film’s more quiet moments.

I do like the theme of toys versus technology, it’s done in a simple yet effective way. I do think the main criticism here is the script, it’s not as strong as previous entries of the series and does feel very held back at times. Or it’s mainly due to already seeing these characters go through completed character arcs and almost everything here feels like a bonus that is not all that interesting.

Overall, Toy Story 5 is fun enough and his it’s charm, if you liked the previous films you will probably like this one fine enough.

Toy Story 5 is available on all VOD platforms.

7/10 B

Follows a young boy named James, who is grieving the loss of a loved one, when his grandfather Geppetto—reimagined almost as a mad scientist—gives him a sentient, immortal wooden puppet named Pinocchio for companionship.

I really do not think you need me to tell you that Pinocchio: Unstrung is not a good movie. Here we have the fifth installment in The Twisted Childhood Universe or the Poohniverse.

What I have said in the past about these movies can absolutely be applied here, admittedly this is the one that takes itself way less seriously than the others. But that unfortunately does not result into a good movie. The gore is at least somewhat fun and Robert Englund as The Talking Cricket is great, but that’s really where the movie ends.

A majority of it is just not very interesting, there is the whole “child hides creature from other people” type of plot that is present. I will admit there is this layer of sympathy for Pinocchio that is effective, but unfortunately it does take a while to kick in.

Overall, you could easily do a lot worse but if you didn’t like the previous movies this one is not going to win you over.

Pinocchio: Unstrung is available on all VOD platforms.

3/10 D-

The US government labels the original tomato uprisings as mere fiction, but genetically infiltrated smart-device tomatoes (“Mytomato”) threaten the world. An unlikely coalition must stop the self-aware, evolving produce.

Who knew that Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes was going to make a return in 2026? This is the fifth movie in the franchise and I must say this is quite charming.

There really is not a whole lot to comment on here as it is pretty much what you would expect from reading the plot. I will say that if you are not a fan of the franchise then you are not going to like this movie, this movie’s humor heavily ties back into and even builds upon the previous movies.

I do think what makes this movie work is the undeniable charm, it’s clear as day that the cast and crew had a lot of fun here and you can’t help but appreciate it. Sure the movie does run for a bit longer than it should, but at the very least the movie is charming and continues the goofiness of the previous movies. This is especially effective since the franchise was never very popular or incredibly well loved by audiences.

Overall, Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence is an Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes movie in 2026, if you like the series then you will like this one, it’s as simple as that.

Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence is available on all VOD platforms.

6/10 C+

Follows the Minions in 1920s Hollywood as they search for frightening creatures for their monster movie, partner with a green creature, and must save the planet after unleashing monsters

Not in a million years did I think that I would like a film from the Minions franchise more than a Toy Story movie but here we are.

Minions & Monsters is genuinely great, while yes it does fall a bit back into the standard Minions fare. There is this love for classic Hollywood, silent films and filmmaking in general that is absolutely beautiful. The sequences are truly well animated and the gags are genuinely funny and actually pretty clever as well.

The background detail is truly fascinating with a ton of bits and pieces of classic Hollywood history to look at and discover. There is also a fantastic comedy action sequence across Hollywood that is incredibly charming. The voice cast also does a pretty solid job here, Christopher Waltz, Jeff Bridges and Jesse Eisenberg in particular are strong here.

As I said before, the film does fall a bit back into the standard Minion fare particularly during the final act. The film remains charming enough to stick the landing and result in a pretty big surprise all around.

Overall, Minions & Monsters is the best of the Minions movies. The writing might not be anything really noteworthy but the classic Hollywood element surprisingly mixes well with the Minions.

Minions & Monsters is available on all VOD platforms.

7/10 B

Friends on a late-night food run become trapped on an infinite highway with otherworldly terrors lurking beyond. Confined in their car, they must decide whether to accept their fate or attempt escape.

It Ends is truly a fascinating one, it’s a film where at the start it does feel like this is going to be more gimmicky. But as the film goes on you can very easily tell that it is not the case here at all.

I talk a lot about the theme of being in a void or sense of loneliness in my reviews and I make it no secret on how much I enjoy when a film implements these themes into the story. It Ends is if you took the whole “trapped in a void” theme and made an entire film about it, it’s quite haunting and very early on gives the viewer a clear idea that there is no escape.

What really makes It Ends work are its characters and acting, Phinehas Yoon, Akira Jackson, Noah Toth and Mitchell Cole are all quite fantastic and deliver these raw performances that do such a great job with the character writing. The chemistry between the four feels incredibly natural and immediately makes the viewer believe that the four do have this bond, the film slowly but surely peels back the layers of these characters as it goes on. The jokes disappear, the conversations between them are mainly silence and you just feel this sense of dread in the car. You know something is going to happen to the four but you are not exactly sure what that something is.

The film’s lack of explanation of where the four are is also incredibly effective, we know just as much as the four does. In a very clever way this really brings you into the film and focuses all of your attention to the screen, the effective cinematography from Evan Draper and Jazleana Jones is truly fantastic and fits the atmosphere like a glove. The void like feel is well captured with the camera and you truly do feel this sense of mystery as to where the four are.

Overall, It Ends is a strong film that is quite an impressive directorial debut for Alexander Ullom. This is one that highly recommend giving a go!

It Ends is available on all VOD platforms.

8/10 B+

Most Anticipated Films Of November 2026!

We are at the home stretch of 2026 and this month is quite busy in terms of releases! First and foremost Club Kid and Josephine are absent on this list since I have already seen them (Club Kid Review coming Thursday.) This month I am aiming to be fully caught up review wise (I have 10 reviews left at the time of writing this) in between those posts I will have a few lightning round reviews of five films per post that I missed from the last couple of months. I already have the first set sorted! Anyways on to the list

November 6th

Godzilla Minus Zero (Theaters)

Wild Horse Nine (Theaters)

Mouse (Theaters) and November 13th (Wide)

La Bola Negra (Theaters)

Possible Love (Netflix)

Being Heumann (Theaters) and November 13th (Apple TV+)

November 13th

Victorian Psycho (Theaters)

Paper Tiger (Theaters) and Expands (November 20th)

November 20th

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (Theaters)

Elsinore (Theaters)

November 25th

All Of A Sudden (Theaters)

Tangles (Theaters)

The Only Living Pickpocket In New York (2026) Film Review

Harry cares for his disabled wife, Rosie, but accidentally steals a valuable USB memory stick from a dangerous young man named Dylan (Will Price) linked to a vengeful crime family.

The Only Living Pickpocket In New York is directed by Noah Segan director of Blood Relatives (2022).

The Only Living Pickpocket In New York is one of those films were I went into it without really knowing anything about it besides the cast, I did not do this for any particular reason it just was not fully on my radar until I heard really good things about it after it premiered premiered at Sundance. Anyways this film is quite a great one, it has this classic 70s thriller feel throughout and delivers some beautifully done performances that really stick with the viewer.

The performances across the board are fantastic. John Turturro plays Harry Lehman, an aging pick pocket who takes care of his wife who is incredibly sick. Right from the beginning of the film Turturro comes out swinging with his performance, his conversations with the rest of the cast and even moments where he is just walking or traveling from borough to borough and letting the film’s catchy score do the talking. Turturro goes all in with this performance, one moment in particular is with Tatiana Maslany who plays Harry’s estranged daughter Kelly, it’s not a very long scene but it does give some character moments and is a pretty strong example of why Turturro is so excellent in this film.

The supporting performances from Steve Buscemi, Giancarlo Esposito and Tatiana Maslany in particular are very strong here. Maslany only gets one big scene (the earlier mentioned one) but it is quite fantastic and really shows how great she is as an actress, Esposito and Turturro going back and forth with their acting is truly fascinating even if the conversations they have is just catching up and small talk. Steve Buscemi is really great here and delivers this natural performance, him and Turturro are fantastic on screen together. There might not be a whole lot to these characters writing wise, but the performances are more than enough to make up for it.

The filming and atmosphere are phenomenally done here, the film actually shot in all five boroughs in New York (Manhattan, Queens, The Bronx, Brooklyn and Staten Island) which is really neat because it does bring this feel of each of the boroughs contributing to the film in their own ways. Some of them bring this bigger scale, others complement the lighting of the film and others have stronger story beats installed in them. Cinematographer Sam Levy does a fantastic job with the attention to detail, the film has a very 70s look that really does capture a 70s New York City.

The film’s themes of connections and relationships is quite strong here, throughout the film we constantly see Harry talk to several people from various points in his life, the relationship between him and his wife is tragic yet beautiful. Of course you have Harry’s friendship with Ben (played by Steve Buscemi) that’s incredibly fun and then you have Detective Warren and Harry who have went on two separate paths but they still have this respect for one another. Even though a lot of these moments are small, they work mainly due to the script really highlighting these moments.

Overall, The Only Living Pickpocket In New York is a fantastic film that really does capture a 1970s New York in this quite beautiful way. The movie does have a lot of cliches but the acting, filming, atmosphere and direction more than make up for it.

The Only Living Pickpocket In New York is currently in theaters.

9/10 A

Resident Evil (2026) Film Review

A hapless courier is tasked with delivering a package to a remote hospital. He soon finds himself caught in the middle of an outbreak and must fight through hordes of mutated creatures to survive.

Resident Evil is directed by Zach Cregger director of Barbarian (2022), Weapons (2025) and a few others. Resident Evil is the eighth live action film based on the video game series.

Resident Evil is no stranger to film adaptions, there was the 6 films that that Paul W.S. Anderson directed which ranged from being just okay to quite terrible. Then there was Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2022) a movie that promised to be more faithful to the video games and well while it was faithful as did adapt the first and second games, it was quite terrible and almost immediately forgotten about.

Zach Cregger takes the approach of creating a new story and does not use any of the characters from the video games but spiritually captures the franchise incredibly well. This leads to Cregger’s film being hands down the best live action film especially combined with the loneliness, performances and the atmosphere.

The main performance here is Austin Butler as Bryan a medical courier who is given the simple task of delivering a last minute package to Raccoon City. Butler gives such an excellent performance that captures the atmosphere almost immediately, the sense of loneliness is really present here since he is the only one we see for long periods of time. Sure a few other characters pop up once in a while but they either only show up very briefly or are quickly killed off, which is quite effective. You see moments of Bryan relaxing a little bit when he sees other people only for said people to be quickly killed off which brings back the sense of dread. Butler does such a fascinating job throughout the film and always keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat or incredibly entertained (there are some genuinely funny moments here.)

The atmosphere is top notch, right from the beginning you can feel the film’s atmosphere oozing off of the screen and into the viewer’s mind. It really does capture the spirit of the video game franchise, being all alone and exploring areas whether they are big or small where anything can pop out and chase you. There are three moments in particular that perfectly capture this, an early scene in a small house, the sewer and finally the film’s final destination the laboratory. All of these scenes perfectly capture the film’s thrilling atmosphere as well as the video games, the jump scares are genuinely effective and really get you into the film quite quickly.

The ending can be a miss for some people, however I actually quite liked it. Sure it kind of ends on a cliffhanger, but I see it more as a tragedy for Bryan as a character. Between knowing he is not going to make it and leaves a tearful farewell message to his girlfriend Michelle (Abrams gives such an emotional performance here) and pleading for the cure as he slowly loses himself to the affection. It’s truly a huge sad moment that really paints this tragic picture.

Overall, Resident Evil is quite a fantastic ride from beginning to end. Thematically there is not a whole lot going on here, but there really does not need to be. It’s an incredibly strong film on its own with Austin Abrams, the atmosphere and the film’s world complimenting it beautiful.

Resident Evil releases on VOD platforms November 3rd!

10/10 A+

Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) Film Review

A forgotten Peter Parker lives alone as a full-time Spider-Man until mounting pressure triggers a dangerous change and a powerful new enemy emerges.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton director of I Am Not a Hipster (2012), Short Term 12 (2013), The Glass Castle (2017), Just Mercy (2019) and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). The film serves as the 38th film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the fourth film in the MCU Spider-Man series.

Spider-Man as a series at this point is its own event, it does not need to be attached to the MCU to be this huge event. Even when some of the Spider-Man films are not exactly great there is always this air of mystery of which villains are going to be in it? Which other heroes are going to appear? It’s a whole lot of fun and that especially applies here. Brand New Day is the best of the Tom Holland films mainly due to the exploration of the character, this huge New York feel and the acting.

Tom Holland is at his best here, this is more than likely the result of him over the years diving more and more into the character. Which this film proudly shows the result of it, the emotional moments he nails down incredibly well. It’s truly beautiful to see just how much he has improved over the years, there are moments here where he captures moments of the first two Sam Rami Spider-Man films. His interactions with the rest of the cast such as Sadie Sink are especially quite fantastic.

The rest of the cast are just as great here and go all out. Zendaya is once again really strong and once again brings so much heart into these movies. Jon Bernthal actually gives a half decent performance (what a night day difference from his performance in The Odyssey) there are some genuinely funny moments between The Punisher and Spider-Man that add to the film’s charm. Florence Pugh gets a quick but very fun scene that shows why Yelena as a character is so well loved.

Sadie Sink as Jean Grey is one of the film’s strongest parts, Sink has always been such a great actress (I would say she is the best of the child actors from Stranger Things.) So seeing her nail the part of Jean Grey here is incredibly satisfying, she gives this devastating and emotional performance that really sticks to the viewer. It’s a beautiful performance that really gives this film the emotional core it needs to bring everything together. Jean Grey’s backstory is very well done and captures this sense of loneliness that I truly did not expect, it’s a quite interesting comparison to the rest of the film’s spirit of community.

Speaking of which, part of what makes this film in particular stand out from the rest of the Tom Holland films is the sense of community here. It’s much more of a New York film than some of the other films and really brings this classic feel of community front and center, you truly feel like that Spider-Man is incredibly important to the people around him, the mixture of isolation that Peter feels early on in the film slowly but surely over the course of the film turns into community which is genuinely beautiful to see. It has this feel of Spidey needs New York and New York needs Spidey.

The action scenes and web swinging are quite excellent, the web swinging feels quite interactive and gives this feel that you are swinging across New York City with Spider-Man while the action scenes are quite fun and have this edge to them that really gives them this highlight that you constantly think about long after they appeared.

Overall, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is quite excellent and has this large in scale feel that gives the character and New York City so much life. It’s by far the most emotional film of the Tom Holland films and as I said earlier, the best!

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is available on all VOD platforms.

10/10 A+

Evil Dead Burn (2026) Film Review

After the loss of her husband, a woman seeks solace with her in-laws. As one by one they transform into deadites, she comes to discover that the vows she took in life – survive even in death.

Evil Dead Burn is directed by Sébastien Vaniček director of Infested (2023). Evil Dead Burn serves as a sequel to Evil Dead Rise (2023) and is the sixth installment in the Evil Dead franchise.

The Evil Dead franchise is one of the most consistently great horror movie franchises (some would argue that it’s the last one) each of the films bring something interesting to the table and have their own personalities. Evil Dead Burn is one nasty film that does not hold back at all, what really makes this one stand out is the brutality of it all combined with its excellent performances.

The performances are quite excellent here, everyone is given a moment to contribute to the story or the film’s incredibly dark nature. Souheila Yacoub is the film’s lead and she is quite great here, her trying to survive in a house of her in-laws slowly turning into Deadites is truly thrilling and terrifying, her depiction of a grieving woman fighting through this full on chaos is quite raw plus she is the emotional anchor of the film that really draws so much power to the film.

Tandi Wright and Hunter Doohan are both really great here, Wright’s earlier scenes before things fall into chaos are her standout moments. She builds enough tension into the narrative which ultimately does make the chaos feel that much more impactful. Doohan essentially plays the survivalist of the group, while not exactly that integral to the film’s story, seeing Doohan give a really solid performance one scene in particular involving Erroll Shand is truly excellent. The look of fear on his face is enough to make him stand with the rest of the cast.

Luciane Buchanan and Erroll Shand are the two who truly go all out here, I would argue that they give some of the best performances of the franchise and of the year even. The best way to describe Shand’s performance is intimidating, his character Edgar Price feels like he is a Resident Evil character who walked into an Evil Dead film, he is terrifying the minute he is introduced. He does not hold back at all, his physical presence is enough to terrify the viewer. But then his actions come in and really make the viewer question, which is more terrifying, his presence or actions?

If there is one thing you are going to remember from this film it’s Buchanan’s terrifying transformation into a Deadite, the way she is able to completely flip from warm and compassionate to absolutely unhinged is truly horrifying. Her taunts, the body movements and her speech all mixed together truly make her performance something special. The subtle eye and muscle movements without speaking is enough to give you a full picture of what she is plotting, there is even some unpredictable moments from her that truly are quite striking.

The film’s brutal tone is most definitely inspired from French extremity (films like Martyrs, Inside, Frontiers and so on), there is a lot of gore and kills that heavily lean into this brutality that only amplifies the darkness of this film. There is a lot of creativity here with the atmosphere that draws from the franchise and the character’s actions to paint a very dark filled layer that the viewer explores.

The film’s setting which is mainly set inside of the earlier mentioned secluded house mixed with the brutal atmosphere leads to excellent results. It gives this sense of only having a limited amount of space to run and hide, when you combine this with the film’s cinematography from cinematographer Phillip Lozano (who is clearly having so much fun behind the camera as he does pull off some really neat shots and camera tricks) you truly get the horrifying painting that this film has been painting since the beginning.

Not only is the film brutal when it comes to atmosphere, gore and kills, but it’s also brutal in it’s theming, between dysfunctional family dynamics and abusive relationships which in turn does give Alice (played by Souheila Yacoub) a very impactful arc that is devastating yet incredibly well done. The film also does have some very dark comedy thrown into the mix which actually does surprisingly work!

Overall, Evil Dead Burn is fantastic. Between the characters, acting, filming, atmosphere and brutality there is so much to unpack as well as explore with this film in the best way possible. It’s a chaotic ride from beginning to end that truly ends up being a worthy installment to an excellent franchise.

Evil Dead Burn is available on all VOD platforms.

10/10 A+

Breeder (2026) Film Review

An eccentric poodle breeder lures a broke college student to her remote ranch with a promise of research funding. But, as he soon learns, there’s a catch.

Breeder is directed by Alex Goyette director of Expelled (2014).

Perhaps the most disappointing movie of 2026 so far, Breeder is a case where the idea of the movie is more interesting or disturbing (in this case) than the movie itself. The setup is incredibly solid but unfortunately what follows quickly falls into a very average cat and mouse like thriller type of deal.

I will say that the performances are strong here, Daniel Doheny does a great job of playing Russell who is rightfully confused and freaked out by what Patti (played by Dot-Marie Jones) is demanding him to do. Doheny does a great job of giving this awkward performance that does add to the movie’s atmosphere early on.

Dot-Marie Jones as Patti however is who steals the show, the moment her and Russell meet you can very easily tell something is off. Her ability to go from being calm to absolutely unhinged in a split second is truly excellent and is the main core of the movie’s atmosphere, she captures this sinister feel of the household while adding a bit of humor into the mix. Dot-Marie Jones does a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to building this suspense during the movie’s more stealthy moments, you can feel her approaching even if you can’t see her and that reflects with Russell’s reactions.

As mentioned before the setup is quite great, it’s not anything unique but it does make you wonder where exactly the movie is going. Unfortunately when the movie does get to that point things feel very oddly tame. For a movie that is about a poodle breeder who runs a human breeding program this feels incredibly watered down, it never goes far enough and plays incredibly safe with the cat and mouse thriller approach. There are some very effective and thrilling scenes, but the movie never goes far enough with its own ideas and opts to go for this very safe line.

The last 20 or so minutes (especially the ending) are very cobbled together and leave the viewer with confusion (and not in a good or interesting way), the last bit of the movie mainly focuses on Russell being trapped which could have been somewhat interesting if the dialogue and character writing were far more effective. I do appreciate the movie’s mostly one location setting as it does help build this feeling that you are trapped inside this horrifying house (effective work from cinematographer Jaryl Lim.)

Overall, I would not say Breeder is a bad movie. It’s a movie that has a lot of intriguing ideas but never really fully explores them. The performances, atmosphere and filming are there just the main ingredient (the writing) is just not present.

Breeder releases tomorrow in theaters.

5/10 C

Quick Review: Crawlers (2026)

Tenants at Paradiso Palms apartments fight a deadly spider invasion while the cunning building manager might be their only hope for survival.

Crawlers is directed by Ángel Gómez Hernández director of Don’t Listen (2020) and The Boogeyman: The Origin Of The Myth (2023).

I’m going to keep this incredibly short, Crawlers is almost the exact same movie as Sting (2024) another bad spider movie. In fact they both take place in an apartment building with a bunch of characters trying to survive. The main difference here is that Crawlers ends up being far worse. Sting at the very least had some sort of 50s and 80s B horror feel going on, Crawlers does not have that at all here.

The only few positives I can give Crawlers is Matilda Lutz who is not fantastic here but she is the only one that is really trying to make the most of the terrible script. Then there are the kills which are admittedly decent, if you have arachnophobia this will definitely enough to scare you for sure.

With that being said the rest of the movie is quite terrible, the performances outside of Lutz are awful and do very little to bring the viewer into the movie’s atmosphere. There is one scene of Lutz in BDSM gear fighting a bunch of spiders which is the closest this movie ever gets to being fun (it’s a shame that’s not until the way end of the movie though.)

Finally the movie tries to play both sides, it wants to be taken seriously and then throws in the earlier mentioned BDSM versus spider scene which is clearly supposed to be campy. It all combines together into a mess of a movie that has very little engagement, terribly written characters and an 81 minute runtime that has some of the slowest pacing you will see from a movie this year.

Crawlers is currently in theaters

2/10 F