During his construction shift, crane operator Thomas, 40, gets a call to pick up his wife from the hospital. He finds her alone and weeping on a bench outside.
My Wife Cries is directed by Angela Schanelec director of Orly (2010), I Was at Home, But (2019), Music (2023) and many others.
Out of the 10 films I saw at the New York Film Festival My Wife Cries is hands down the weakest, I truly hate that I’m having to give this movie the “quick review” treatment but there is just not a whole lot to be said here.
On a technical level the movie is decently impressive, I do like the shots that almost feel like static images. It really makes you take everything in that you are looking at and really encourages your eyes to interact with the environment and frame of the image. On the top of my head I can’t really think of many films that attempt to do this, so I give the movie points for taking this swing.
The performances and monologues are solid as well, while the monologues are not quite enough to help the minimal narrative. I do appreciate the acting that went into delivering them, Vladimir Vulevic and Agathe Bonitzer in particular are quite great.
The minimal narrative is what hurts the movie the most, we don’t get really any strong insight of the character’s relationships. We do get scenes of them either sharing their grief over a friend who has died or announcing pregnancies but that is not nearly enough to really bring out strong character moments. I do think you can make a strong film with minimal dialogue but the way the movie tries going at this simply does not work.
Overall, My Wife Cries is by no means bad. There are some very strong moments here that are unfortunately held back by the movie’s weak story.
My Wife Cries is currently seeking US distribution!
Bela, an 8-year-old girl living in a home with marital problems, confronts a sinister entity which comes out of her closet. The presence, whom she calls “Other Mommy,” becomes increasingly threatening to her and her family.
Other Mommy is directed by Rob Savage director of Strings (2012), Host (2020), Dashcam (2021) and The Boogeyman (2023). Other Mommy seemingly came out of nowhere, the trailer showed up one day and went semi-viral which I can definitely see why. It looked like a quite fun horror movie with Jessica Chastain involved. Unfortunately this is very much a case of the trailers being far better than the actual movie, my initial reaction was a lot more harsh and while I have softened on the movie just a bit. Other Mommy is still a complete and total mess that while competently made, is very weak when it comes to acting and especially writing.
The performances range from bad to fine enough, I do think calling Jessica Chastain’s performance “bad” in my initial was incredibly harsh. I do still believe her performance here is not great, but I would not call it bad either. There are moments of greatness where she does attempt to salvage the movie with some decent sequences, unfortunately there is only so much you can do with such a horrendous script. As for everyone else the performances are not great, Jay Duplass and Arabella Olivia Clarke tried their best but the script is not letting their performances grow. The character writing is just not there at all and opts to go for a lot of horror genre character cliches, making the whole journey feel incredibly pointless.
As bad as some of the acting can be, the writing is what ultimately kills this movie. From the constant use of “Daddo” to dialogue that is about as investing as paying taxes, it truly feels like nobody had any sort of idea what direction to take this movie. It also takes itself way too seriously which just makes the experience all the more confused. The best way I can describe Other Mommy is this, do you remember those horror movies like Ouija (2014), Wish Upon (2017), Deliver Us From Evil (2014) and many others that studios kept pumping out? Well Other Mommy is basically one of those movies only not as bad and seemingly missed that train.
The large amount of jump scares do not do this movie any favors at all, every 2 minutes the movie feels obligated to throw a jump scare at you which becomes incredibly obnoxious. This has been said so many times at this point, but shoving in as many jump scares as possible into your movie does not make it more scary. There are so many other elements you need to consider such as atmosphere, story significance, sound and so much more.
Lastly, while I do think the themes of motherhood and childhood vulnerability are interesting. The movie does not have the firepower to really dive into these themes, there are moments of promise but then the movie quickly goes back to being a jump scare fest. It’s a shame because had these themes been better explored this could have made for a somewhat decent movie.
Overall, Other Mommy just does not have a whole lot going on here. It’s not quite as bad as my initial reaction made it out to be, but much like I said in my Ice Cream Man review, in a year where there is so many great horror films this one sticks out like a sore thumb.
Lowen Ashleigh, hired to ghostwrite for best-selling author Verity Crawford, uncovers Verity’s autobiographical notes, and becomes involved in what may prove to be a lethal conspiracy.
Verity is directed by Michael Showalter director of The Big Sick (2017), The Lovebirds (2020), The Eyes Of Tammy Faye (2021), The Idea Of You (2024) and a few others.
Verity was one of the movies I watched during the time a friend and I were doing the New York Film Festival. I decided on making a ranking list of films of everything I saw from September 28th to October 12th and for the longest time Verity was there (it ultimately got beaten out by V/H/S/Mixtape.) Look I did not go into Verity expecting some sort of masterpiece or thought provoking film, it is a Colleen Hoover adaption after all, I will say this….It is the best Colleen Hoover adaption! That’s not saying much but that is something I guess.
The best part of this movie is Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, out of all of Hathaway’s performances from this year I would definitely say that this one is the weakest simply due to the movie surrounding it. However she still gives it her all here and the last 20-30 minutes are decently effective because of it. As for Dakota Johnson’s performance, I for some reason liked it fine enough. I absolutely do agree that there are some huge rough spots but I do think her delivery in some areas works and she is trying to make the most out of such a hollow script. Their characters unfortunately do not get the development they need to in order to be investing, which I guess with Colleen Hoover adaptions that is to be expected.
What truly kills this movie is the story and script, for almost the entire movie outside of the last 20-30 minutes nothing remotely interesting happens. Sure we get some glimpses of events coming up, but there is truly nothing investing or worth thinking about for more than 2 minutes. At times the most interesting part to look at is the house the movie mainly takes place in, it’s a neat house that does have some pretty solid atmosphere.
When the final 20-30 minutes arrive it’s like we stepped into an entirely different movie, the twists are genuinely decent (even if they are a bit predictable) some of the campy nature is present and there are some genuinely funny moments of baffling decisions that I can’t help find endearing. It’s such a shame the movie takes way too long to get here, by then the viewer has probably long since checked out.
Overall Verity just does not have a whole lot to discuss, it’s quite forgettable and does not work as an erotic thriller. If you took away Hathaway and Johnson you are left with a movie that would have been better off premiering on the Lifetime channel.
It presents a new anthology in which music and sound become a source of terror.
V/H/S/Mixtape is the ninth installment in the V/H/S franchise.
As someone who usually gets a kick out of these movies, I must say that V/H/S/Mixtape is a disappointment and is easily the worst entry since V/H/S: Viral (2014). I’m not exactly sure what happened here but this one in particular feels cobbled together like science fair project that was worked on the night before it’s due. There has been a new installment to the franchise every single year since 2021 with a new installment already announced for 2027 which is V/H/S: SCP that will apparently get a wide theater release. Which funnily enough everyone (including myself) thought because of this announcement, the series was going to skip this year…and maybe they should have. Mixtape truly feels like they felt obligated to just release a new installment every year.
As per usual with these movies, I’m going to talk a little bit about each segment, give them a score from 0-5 and then give my final thoughts of the overall movie. Do not expect this to be as long as other entries though, there is not a whole lot here with most of these segments. Let’s start with
Premature Burial (wrap around segment) directed by Tobias Forge director of Ghost: Rite Here Rite Now (2024) – An absolute low point for the franchise, look I understand what they are trying to do with the whole MTV parody thing but the humor is incredibly juvenile and way too try hard to be funny. The wrap around segment also includes the band GWAR which I personally did not care for, I’m not even quite sure if fans of the band would be interested either. It’s mainly just poor acting and making jokes about jerking off (which is within the first couple minutes of the movie). The segment does not really add anything to the other segments it’s basically this whole “let’s see how you react to this one!” which I guess is fine enough but overall feels pointless. Overall quite terrible and as I said a true low point for the series….0/5.
Another Cabin (music videos) directed by Flying Lotus director of Kuso (2017) and Ash (2025) and Tobias Forge (already listed what he has directed) – In between the main segments there are a few music videos which are a decent enough palette cleanser from some of the main segments. There really is not a whole lot to discuss here as they are just that music videos. I am a sucker for stop-motion (who isn’t?) so I do like that one fine enough. Overall the music videos only last for a few minutes, visually pretty solid but not much else. It’s a shame to because Flying Lotus directed “Ozzy’s Dungeon” a segment for one of the franchise’s previous installments V/H/S/99 (2022) and that segment was quite great. Shame he was restricted to music videos rather than an actual segment….3/5
Dance Dance Dance Dance directed by Rachel Zhan (who has her upcoming directorial debut Baobao in pre-production.) – The first actual segment of the movie and this is a promising start, it’s yet another take on the whole “show from your childhood is actually evil” sort of thing but I do think what mainly supports this segment is the puppets, I am also a sucker for puppetry it’s a talent that does not get the recognition it deserves of how much talent, focus and passion is put into it. That really shows here and it also is genuinely funny at times, the kills are quite gnarly and help the atmosphere be playful yet creepy, the acting is unfortunately what holds the segment back from being great (although Barbara Crampton is solid.) Overall the segment is quite straightforward, had it not been for the puppetry this one would be very forgettable…3/5
Heartbeat directed by David Moreau director of Them (2006), MadS (2024) and a few others – Unfortunately I did not like this one, it’s a great concept on paper which is about YouTuber urbex influencers that get trapped in a sonic military facility. The problem here is the segment does not do a whole lot with it, seeing the characters slowly but surely go insane due to the sound is interesting enough. But there is basically no story or anything to really make you care for these characters. I think this would have made for a decent longer horror short that you would see on YouTube, but as it stands this one is very forgettable and does not have enough meat on the bones…2/5
The Music Of Mr. Sze directed by Ernest Dickerson (who has done mainly done TV work.) – A man is filming for his documentary and meets another man called Mr. Sze who is a musician, from there events get weird and chaos ensues. Easily the most forgettable of the main segments, it takes way too long to get into the interesting bits and the acting is once again incredibly lacking. It does not help that this one is very much on the predictable side of things, we have seen plenty of those “something weird is going on in a certain room” sort of plots before and done far better as well. I’ll give it points for the last 2-4 minutes but that is not nearly enough to save it…..2/5
Death Tone directed by RZA director of Love Beats Rhymes (2017), One Spoon Of Chocolate (2025) and a few others – Quite easily the best segment of the pack, the acting might be rough around the edges. But between the segment’s style, gore and Neela Jolene’s performance this is quite a lot of fun. An obsessed young sound engineer/musician samples sounds of real-world violence to make this track left behind by her late father is such an interesting premise and it works wonderfully here. It’s quite brutal and truly makes you wish that most of the other segments were as interesting. The story side might be a bit weak but the segment does not overstay it’s welcome and accomplishes what it’s sent out to do…4/5
Overall, V/H/S/Mixtape is disappointing. There are lot of great ideas here but unfortunately a lot of the segments fail to utilize them in interesting ways. The lack of atmosphere is very noticeable in mostly all of the segments with the exception of Dance Dance Dance Dance and Death Tone, easily one of the weakest installments of the franchise.
An idyllic summer town descends into madness when an ice cream man serves kids sweet delights with horrifying results.
Ice Cream Man is directed by Eli Roth director of Cabin Fever (2002), Hostel (2005), The Green Inferno (2013), Knock Knock (2016), Thanksgiving (2023), Borderlands (2024) and a few others.
I really do not think you needed me to tell you that Eli Roth’s Ice Cream Man is hands down the worst movie of the year, Eli Roth had a slight comeback with Thanksgiving (2023) but that was mainly due to how solid the cast was. Borderlands (2024) had a ton of production issues so if you wanted to give Roth the benefit of the doubt you could. But with Ice Cream Man it is quite clear that Roth is stuck in this edgy phase that has long since died out.
First and foremost the acting is terrible there’s no other way to describe it. Dylan Hawco and Ari Millen are the closest you get to tolerable performances, but even they struggle to make the script worthwhile. The development the characters do get is a complete and total mess with moments that take themselves way too seriously (especially towards the end), it’s almost baffling to see the “twist” this movie went for because it adds almost nothing to the plot.
The movie also feels like it’s straight out of a bubble gum commercial and not in a good way, maybe that was the intention of taking this sort of style and putting killer kids over it. But from the way it’s presented it feels incredibly cheap, lifeless and the use of AI during the villains entire back story is nothing short of pathetic and worthless.
Lastly, Ice Cream Man is basically if you took Cooties (2014) and made it one of the worst movies of the year. I’m not going to sit here and say Cooties (2014) was some sort of masterpiece, but at the very least it was fun, had personality and it was actually quite decent. Ice Cream Man does not offer that at all, the most you can say is that the gore might be fun but even it does not add anything to this movie’s world.
Overall, Ice Cream Man is horrendous, especially in a year where the horror genre has been quite fantastic this one sticks out like a sore thumb.
A group of sorority sisters who end up trapped with a murderer. Nora’s tipsy memories hold the clues to figuring out who is killing their friends, but she can only remember them when she’s drunk.
Buzzkill is directed by Jem Gerrard director of Slay (2024), Invasive (2024), Invasive 2: The Getaway (2025), Takeout (2025) and a few others.
I don’t typically talk about Tubi movies but I made the exception for Buzzkill since it did seem somewhat fun and well that’s exactly how it turned out.
Buzzkill is a modern slasher movie that sure does exist, there is not anything inherently terrible or good about it. To be quite honest the most surprising thing about this is the acting actually not being that bad, the cast really tries to salvage what they can. The movie’s lead Siena Agudong is likable, has some solid comedic timing and plays a pretty convincing drunk who is wandering from room to room trying to solve a mystery. It helps that her character Nora is pretty fun as well and has this likability factor to her character.
The kills are not too bad here, they are much better than you would expect and have this attention to detail to them (somewhat at least.) There really is not anything flashy going on here but the kills work all around.
When the movie gets into the final act that’s when the plot gets a little too stupid for its own good, it does not help that it’s quite predictable and anyone who was following along before hand can have a pretty good shot at predicting what is exactly going to happen.
There really is not a whole lot more to say here, from what is presented it’s fine enough. But there just is not enough meat on the bones for the viewer to really sink their teeth into. You could probably get a good laugh out of this one from your viewing before almost immediately forgetting about it.
Buzzkill is available Tubi
5/10 C
Sophie, who is admitted to an elite tennis academy hidden in the South of Europe, where she must contend with fierce competition and the school’s increasingly sinister undercurrents.
Bloody Tennis is directed by Nikias Chryssos director of The Bunker (2015), A Pure Place (2021) and Rave On (2025).
Bloody Tennis is if you took Suspiria (1977) and Challengers (2024) then somehow made them dull and not interesting at the slightest. It’s a shame because there are some good ideas here with Bloody Tennis they just take a while to get going and even when they do finally start it’s way too late.
Sandra Guldberg Kampp gives a fine enough performance here but it is nowhere near enough to carry the movie to the finish line, very little is known about her character Sophie and the movie does not do itself any favors by not giving her any sort of character development. The rest of the cast are not great, to be absolutely fair to them the script lacks any sort of depth so it was an uphill battle from the start.
The movie has its moments of promise such as the last 10 minutes or so when the plot finally gets into the somewhat interesting territory. For a majority of the movie the plot goes for this whole “how far would you go to succeed” type of story which we have seen plenty of times before. It’s the bare bone version of that with not really adding anything new to the conversation. It is a shame because the last 10 minutes lead into something actually pretty sinister before the credits roll.
Overall Bloody Tennis is a very forgettable ride that has some intriguing ideas, but never utilizes them and only ever gets somewhat interesting until the movie is nearly over. A very bare bones experience that you will immediately forget about.
Before we get into the list I think a few things are in order to talk about. The first one being that I am currently doing the New York Film Festival, so expect a ton of reviews for films that I see very soon.
The second thing being a lot more lengthy to talk about. So last week I was pretty much on track to be caught up reviews with only having 6 or 7 films left and then I got sick. I felt like garbage throughout the whole week and since then I have watched a lot more films, luckily I’m a lot better now and was well enough to attend NYFF (thank god or else I would have probably lost my mind.) so looking at the rest of this week, next week and the week after (my last day for the NYFF at the time of writing this is October 12th) this is going to add a lot more films, that is also factoring in any theatrical releases that I see, some films going to digital I need to catch up on ect.
So as you can imagine that’s going to be quite a lot of films and reviews, which do not get me wrong I absolutely love but at the pace I was going I just cannot see myself being able to review all of these films in a reasonable time. This is obviously not me saying that we need to rush out reviews (that’s the exact opposite of what I want) but I also do not want to end up in a situation where I’m reviewing Evil Dead Burn in December.
So what’s the plan here? I think what’s going to happen is that some films are still going to get the usual long reviews, while others are either going to get very short reviews or have the sort of approach I did with my 2025 Wrap Up reviews that are still decently long but they don’t fit in the same mold as the usual reviews I do. Right now it’s to be determined on which films I’m putting in which categories.
Anyways reviews are likely going to return next week I just wanted to update on where I’ve been. Now let’s get on to the list.
A mysterious discovery is made on the outskirts of the remote harbor town. The residents find themselves in a desperate fight for survival against something they have never encountered before.
Hope is directed by Na Hong-jin director of The Chaser (2008), The Yellow Sea (2010) and The Wailing (2016).
Hope is one of the strangest films I’ve seen so far this year, at first the film starts out slow that over the course of the film gets more and more insane and bizarre. The film reels you in with its small village mystery and then keeps you attached when it decides to go all out with the monster elements and the ultimately bizarre moments. Hope is going to be a bit more tricky to review, since I do not want to spoil anything, so I will just give a basic overview that won’t hurt your experience of the film.
The performances are quite shockingly great, particularly Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung and Jung Ho-yeon, even if there is little to no character writing here. We get a general idea of their characters and the film makes it work, it helps that the performances are a whole lot of fun that balance the film’s serious and more silly moments. The film captures the look of fear and flat out confusion in the characters faces, the slow movement in their walking is so well done especially during the film’s first act a scene that takes place in the village.
The cinematography is outstanding and really does a lot of the talking rather than the script, cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo does a fantastic job of making every single corner suspenseful. The earlier mentioned village scene is a prime example of this, Hwang Jung-min’s character Ko Bum-seok is armed with his gun not exactly knowing what is terrorizing the village, every single time he reaches a corner there is potential for this beast to strike. You feel that with the cinematography focusing so Ko Bum-seok as well as the area around him, the atmosphere truly grabs onto the viewer and never lets go, it’s truly one of the film’s many best moments that truly makes an excellent example of how cinematography and atmosphere can do most of the talking.
The film’s build up to the monsters is truly fantastic, while yes the film does have a slow start I do think that overall benefits the film. The film is able to bring in its suspenseful atmosphere, get the viewer caught up about this small village mystery before it evolves into something far greater. You also feel this sense of exploration as well, like you are exploring the film’s world along with the characters.
The CGI is admittedly incredibly silly however I do think that was the intention, the film is definitely self aware that it looks ridiculous and goes all in with ragdoll physics that feel straight out of the video game series Grand Theft Auto, plus the CGI is strangely charming and has this incredibly fun feel that really matches the tone the film is going for.
Finally there’s the action scenes, particularly the horseback and car scenes. Once again the attention to detail that comes from the cinematography is truly fantastic and really builds the suspense of the scenes, the focus and sharpness of these moments that truly bring everything together.
Overall Hope is an insane ride from beginning to end, it’s the sort of film that you must go in knowing as little as possible to really get the full experience.
A woman’s relationship with her older, divorced boyfriend hits a rough patch just as her ex reappears in her life, leading to complicated emotions and messy entanglements in the Alaskan wilderness.
The Sun Never Sets is directed by Joe Swanberg director of Marriage Material (2012), All The Light In The Sky (2012), Drinking Buddies (2013), Happy Christmas (2014), Win It All (2017), Build The Wall (2020) and many others.
Of the films I’ve seen from Joe Swanberg I believe without a doubt that The Sun Never Sets is hands down his best to date, perhaps it’s due to Swanberg making the film based on his own experiences with relationships which gives the film a much more personal feel. When you combine that with strong performances, the story being told in such a grounded way and the execution, you have yourself a genuinely well done film.
The performances all around are fantastic, Dakota Fanning, Jake Johnson and Corey Michael Smith are all really excellent here and each contribute to the film and its themes. Jake Johnson brings this comfortable yet nuanced approach during the film’s dramatic moments and even balances the comedic ones masterfully. Corey Michael Smith brings this vulnerable and grounded energy to the film as well as the love triangle of the film.
Finally there is Dakota Fanning who quite honestly gives a career best performance that is compelling, raw, she does such a fantastic job of portraying this free spirited woman at romantic crossroads and she’s the emotional core of the film. Which Fanning makes use of by really going all out with her already beautiful performance. Fanning’s performance really spoke to me, I’m still not 100% sure why that is the case. Perhaps it’s due to the way Dakota Fanning’s character Wendy explores the world around her or the way she communicates with those around her.
The writing is truly well done, while there is not anything new being explored here. The way the film goes about exploring the love triangle is quite grounded, the film mainly explores the messiness of relationships and looking at old wounds. Old wounds particularly when it comes to relationships can be incredibly difficult, in this case once Wendy’s ex-boyfriend Chuck (played by Corey Michael Smith) remerges, this forces Wendy into this emotional limbo where past issues and present issues combine together. The way the film goes about executing this is quite well done and truly effective, especially due to Wendy’s character writing where we also start to feel what she is feeling.
The ending is quite fantastic and feels like a very natural choice, apparently Dakota Fanning is the one who pushed for the ending and I must say that it was a very smart move. The ending moves away from the typical tropes of the genre and instead has Wendy finding this quiet, uplifting moment of calmness after traveling through the film’s chaotic and messy love triangle.
Overall The Sun Never Sets is a beautifully done film that the more you really think about it the more you truly appreciate it. Between the excellent acting, directing and character writing, there is so much here to truly appreciate.
When a lovesick musician is given the wrong number for his dream girl, he teams up with a driven psychology student to find her. Together, they spark a hilarious campus-wide frenzy that tests their own hearts and ambitions along the way.
Finding Emily is directed by Alicia MacDonald which is her directorial debut.
I have said before that I do not typically cry when watching romantic comedies, but something about Finding Emily really clicked for me and I’m still not 100% sure what exactly that was but It left me truly impressed. Perhaps it’s the beautiful performances, the direction or the strong balance of the film’s grounded and more crazier moments.
The performances from Angourie Rice and Spike Fearn are truly magnificent, the film’s best moments are when the two get to play off of each other in this natural and focused way that really brings the viewer along for the ride. You directly feel the two’s chemistry fly off the screen and invest the viewer, their personalities are wonderful and their characters Emily Raine (played by Rice) and Owen Brompton (played by Fearn) are charming and have this grounded nature to them. The supporting cast such as Cora Kirk, Kat Rooney, Nadia Parkes and many others are all great here and give memorable performances that contribute to the plot.
The writing is quite well done, not only does the film have its grounded moments which are mainly from the conversations between Rice and Fearn. But the film also has it’s more crazier moments that take some liberties of not being grounded but are still quite a lot of fun. The film understands that not every single moment needs to be grounded and that is perhaps it’s secret weapon, it has this beautiful balance of grounded and more crazier elements that mix surprisingly well together.
In a lot of ways Finding Emily does feel like a throwback to the 2000s romantic comedy era, one way being the soundtrack that really does capture the atmosphere and spirit of the film. It’s very clear that Alicia MacDonald really cares for the genre so she goes all in here and makes the best experience a fan of the genre could have.
Overall Finding Emily is genuinely fantastic, it’s a whole lot of fun with a strong story and cast. It’s one of the best films of the year and arguably one of the best romantic comedies of the 2020s so far.
