The Rivals Of Amziah King (2026) Film Review

Amziah King, beekeeper, musician, and anchor of his community, reunites with former foster daughter Kateri after many years apart, and fends off threats to his honey business.

The Rivals Of Amziah King is directed by Andrew Patterson director of The Vast Of Night (2019).

The Rivals Of Amziah King is two films in one, the first part is this fast paced, music filled film that gets you into the film’s world. While the second part plays out like a revenge thriller with some pretty unique and energizing music. It’s a very different experience that comes together quite beautifully.

First and foremost the performances are all quite fantastic, Matthew McConaughey gives not only one of the best performances of the year but also his entire career. From the speech pattern, to the body language and how he interacts with the rest of the cart, it’s truly fascinating to see McConaughey at his absolute best here. He’s incredibly charismatic, genuinely funny at times and the most surprising part of it all he’s quite an excellent singer, he sings a song called “Quill” which is one of the film’s very best moments and truly shows the viewer the magic of this film. If there is one thing you are going to walk out of this film remembering it will almost surely be McConaughey’s performance.

Angelina LookingGlass is a newcomer who gives a phenomenal performance and much like McConaughey, one of the best performances of the year. From the moment she enters the film you can feel the charisma from her, LookingGlass gives a very captivating breakthrough performance that easily connects to the film’s world and atmosphere. Her interactions with McConaughey are truly remarkable, it’s a prime example of two incredible performers going back and forth and not holding back at the slightest. The second part of the film where LookingGlass is put in the spotlight is when her already fantastic performance becomes truly remarkable, she’s able to quickly adapt to the atmosphere change and bring this quiet and focused performance that truly is well executed.

The writing is nothing short of incredible, as mentioned earlier the film’s two parts have very different feels. The first part is a fast paced and moving story that really gets you into the film’s world and characters. The simple moments of Amziah King (played by Matthew McConaughey) talking to his band mates and friends is truly entertaining and quite beautiful, the raw performances here really do all of the talking and help connect the viewer much more easily.

The second part of the film is much more of a heist revenge thriller but almost in this playful way. The music (from Erick Alexander, Jared Blumer and Ben Hardesty) as mentioned earlier, is quite unique in the case where it’s energetic but it strangely captures the tone that the atmosphere is asking for quite masterfully. Cinematographer Miguel I. Littin-Menz and editor Patrick J. Smith are partly thanks to this due to how beautiful they are at their craft. When you get some glorious shots of Alabama combined with the fast and neat editing you truly get some jaw dropping results. The second part of the film may come off as a very typical heist and revenge story, but the way it’s executed completely elevates the material.

Overall, The Rivals Of Amziah King is one of the best films of the year and truly gives the viewer a very different experience. This is one that you should absolutely seek out!

The Rivals Of Amziah King releases tomorrow in theaters.

10/10 A+

Don’t Say Good Luck (2026) Film Review

Sophie Birenbaum is ready for the spotlight as the lead in her high school musical — until suddenly she’s living with even more drama at home than on the stage.

Don’t Say Good Luck is directed by Julia Hart director of Miss Stevens (2016), Fast Color (2018), Stargirl (2020), I’m Your Woman (2020) and Hollywood Stargirl (2022).

Earlier in this year in April we had Roommates which starred Sadie Sandler, Don’t Say Good Luck stars the other Sandler sister Sunny who does quite an incredible job. Don’t Say Good Luck does not really do anything brand new, but the execution is undeniably beautiful and filled to the brim with heart that you cannot simply ignore. It’s quite a huge surprise that really adds up into a delightful experience.

The performances are all quite great, Sunny Sandler and Melanie Lynskey are the clear as day standouts here. Lynskey delivers a raw and believable performance of someone going through illness, she has the moments of pain but also the moments of joy with her family. She wants to just have normal days with her family and that is truly beautiful and really gives the film this extra charm.

Sunny Sandler delivers such a fantastic performance, while there are moments in the script that aren’t as polished. Sandler is able to really dig into the film’s heart and bring out the beautiful light of the film, her singing voice particularly with the song “She Used to Be Mine” by Sara Bareilles is truly beautiful, I’m not exactly sure how someone can sing like this at just 16 years old (the time this was filmed) but it’s truly astonishing and brings you to tears. It’s genuinely one of the most beautiful moments I’ve seen from a film so far this year, Sunny Sandler throughout the film gives the film this warmth and rawness the atmosphere requires.

The writing is beautifully done, the mother and daughter dynamic between Sophie (played by Sunny Sandler) and Elizabeth (played by Melanie Lynskey) is truly beautiful and leads to the film’s touching ending. The writing can lean on familiar tropes, but due to the film’s much more grounded approach to the subject matter it works a lot better. That’s mainly because the film slowly but surely explores the bond between mother and daughter plus it looks at the daily lives of the people around them, there is not any massive jumps of character or time making this feel a lot more focus.

Overall Don’t Say Good Luck is not breaking any new ground, but you can very easily tell this was made with heart and it truly goes all the way. Between great singing vocals, performances and some raw moments in the writing. This is a film I recommend giving a go!

Don’t Say Good Luck is available on Netflix.

8/10 B+

Nimrods (2026) Film Review

Three buddies drive cross-country in a van, causing mayhem and mischief while racing to LA for their big break: opening for Green Day on New Year’s Eve.

Nimrods is directed by Lee Kirk director of The Giant Mechanical Man (2012) and Ordinary World (2016). The film is inspired by the early touring days of Green Day.

Green Day is a band that I’ve loved since I was a teenager, I’ve seen them twice in concert and both times were truly magnificent. My first exposure to them was random top 10 videos on YouTube (remember when those were popular?) I remember “Holiday” being used and from there I became a fan.

Nimrods might just be a coming of age story with Green Day coating but that is most certainly not a bad thing at all. The film is a celebration of the band as well bringing in the most charming and beautiful parts of a coming of age film front and center. This is truly some of the most fun I’ve had with a film so far this year.

The performances are all quite great, Mason Thames, Kylr Coffman and Ryan Foust all have wonderful chemistry between one another. They really do feel like a group of friends who care for one another, Thames in particular is quite strong and shows he can tackle more dramatic moments. Jenna Fischer has a small role here but leaves such a charming impression on the viewer, then there is McKenna Grace who although has limited screen time is quite great here. Thames and Grace have excellent chemistry (I mean they are actually dating so that makes a lot of sense), plus Grace’s performance makes an impression on the viewer and remains that way throughout the rest of the film.

Underneath the film’s chaos is this genuinely sweet story about growing up, we see that with Tommy (played by Thames), Fred (played by Coffman) and Chad (played by Foust) they want to spend as much time together as they can before going off on their separate paths to adulthood, it’s something almost everyone has went through with their friends and it’s just explored and told in such a earnestly way here. Between all of this we get chaotic moments as well as hilarious ones that only add to the film’s fun nature.

The use of Green Day’s music is phenomenally done, there’s a few standout moments in particular that I won’t spoil here. But I will say that these moments really build such a beautiful atmosphere that just screams “coming of age story” this could have easily been a very basic advertisement for Green Day and their music, but that is not the case here. They went the extra mile to make sure that these moments are full of triumph, they might not be large in scale moments. But they do leave such a huge impact on the viewer.

Charm is most definitely the right term to use here when describing this film, even if you are not a fan of Green Day you can still feel the charm coming from this film. The film embraces this youthful and immature nature of the characters which gives them a lot more depth and in turn gives this film a lot more strength.

Overall, Nimrods is quite fantastic and whether you are a Green Day fan, coming of age films, both, or neither there is something here for everyone with this film.

Nimrods releases tomorrow in theaters.

9/10 A

Blue Film (2026) Film Review

Fetish camboy Aaron Eagle agrees to spend the night with an anonymous client, only to discover a disturbing tie to his past.

Blue Film is directed by Elliot Tuttle director of The Steps (2020).

A majority of the time I have already heard about the films I’m reviewing, that was not the case with Blue Film, I saw a bunch of people on Twitter being shocked by it and calling it disturbing and well it most certainly is. However I do think the film is a lot more than just shocking or disturbing, there is a whole lot more going on here that really does make this such an interesting and quite effective film.

This film would not have worked nearly as well had it been for the performances from Kieron Moore and Reed Birney, the basic setup is Aaron Eagle (played by Moore) is a camboy who specializes in financial domination, Hank Grant (played by Birney) offers Aaron $50,000 to spend the night with him, the two meet and from there things get progressively more and more disturbing. Reed Birney’s performance is going to haunt me for a very long time, the way Birney’s portrays a man who has such a disturbing and disgusting past is truly terrifying yet incredibly well done. The back and forth between Moore and Birney throughout the film is truly incredible and is one of those examples of two great performances just bouncing off of each other.

Birney and Moore’s performances also have a ton of facial acting that really goes the long way, especially when you have a ton of close up shots that can really read their faces and what they are thinking throughout the film. These are performances that must have been quite emotionally taxing to really pull off, this absolutely leads the two of delivering some of the best performances of the year.

The main thing to note about this film is that it does not care about being liked, this is the type of film that puts you in the middle of this conversation between two characters who have their own set of issues and the film simply says “make of this what you will.” This is quite effective approach that is disturbing and actually pretty grounded as well, the film isn’t justifying any of the actions of anyone here. It’s more so giving the viewer this look into the mindsets of these two men.

It’s like if you set a recording device down without anyone knowing and let everyone in the room have a discussion, you don’t know what is going to be discussed and some of the discussions that do get brought up will definitely shock you. The atmosphere is quite haunting and effective, you never know where this film is going to go which leads to more and more shocking results.

That’s all I’m really going to say about Blue Film, this is the sort of film where you really have to go in blind to really get the full experience. This is a film that is almost certainly not going to be for everyone, but I did find this one fascinating and incredibly well acted. Make sure you know what you are getting into before watching this one.

Blue Film is available on all VOD platforms.

9/10 A

Late Fame (2026) Film Review

A reclusive, middle-aged poet working in the post office is suddenly embraced by a group of young creatives who hail him as a genius, leading him to question their motives and his own life choices.

Late Fame is directed by Kent Jones director of Diane (2018).

Late Fame is a quite straightforward film that feels more like we are seeing the daily lives of Ed Saxberger (played by Willem Dafoe) and the people around him. Which is certainly not a bad thing, in fact the film does quite a great job of exploring New York City and giving this look at old art community with the new art community, how things have changed or what has stayed the same.

Right off the bat, Willem Dafoe gives a beautiful performance. What makes Dafoe such a phenomenal actor is he masters both down to earth performances as well as flashy ones. In the case of Late Fame, this is a much more grounded performance from him and excels at it. Each and every moment you see Dafoe’s character Ed interacting with the characters you truly do feel like you are there. He gives this nuanced performance of a poet trying to figure out how to handle this newfound recognition, there are some genuinely beautiful moments that really show how much Dafoe puts his heart and soul into it all which results in one of the best performances of the year.

Greta Lee is just as fantastic, she plays her character Gloria in this energetic way where she blazes across the screen. Gloria is this actress who sings and communicates with everyone around her, there’s a lot of memorable moments where Greta Lee does not hold back and does such a fascinating job of making Gloria come to life. The scenes of Dafoe and Lee exchanging dialogue are near perfect and complement these two excellent actors tremendously.

The film’s several themes are very well done, dealing with newfound recognition when you least expect it can be tricky and Late Fame does a great job of showing why that is. If you have long since been out of the spotlight there’s many changes you could notice as well as many questions going through your head. Such as “what has been the biggest change?, what can I do to adapt? Will this ultimately bring me what I want?” and so many more.

The theme of the old art community, new art community and somewhere in the middle plus how the three act are explored. The pretentiousness of the new art community is shown through Edmund Donovan’s character Myers, the silent desperation of wanting to hold on to a time we remember fondly of the old art community is shown through Willem Dafoe’s character Ed Saxberger and finally you have somewhere in the middle where Greta Lee’s character Gloria is, she puts on this self-assurance which makes this insecurity that you want to hide from everyone. It’s all explored beautifully and done in this very detailed way that wraps the film up very nicely.

Overall, Late Fame is a very well told story that really brings everything together beautifully. Between the strong writing, well done performances and the raw approach from director Kent Jones it all adds up to a film worth experiencing.

Late Fame releases Friday in New York in theaters, Los Angeles August 14th and additional cities to follow.

8/10 B+

Power Ballad (2026) Film Review

Rick, a washed-up wedding singer, and Danny, a fading boy band star, bond over music and a late-night jam session. When Danny turns Rick’s song into a hit, Rick sets out to reclaim the recognition he believes he deserves.

Power Ballad is directed by John Carney director of Once (2007), Zonad (2009), Begin Again (2013), Sing Street (2016), Flora and Son (2023) and a few others.

If you have seen any of John Carney’s previous work then you probably know how Power Ballad is going to play out. With that being said there is this sense of charm to Carney’s work that you just can’t ignore as the viewer. It all comes together to bring you this big warm hug that is truly beautiful.

I believe what pushes this film the extra mile is Paul Rudd’s performance, while this sort of character isn’t exactly anything new for Rudd. He very clearly pours a large amount of love into this performance that does bring some quite funny moments as well as the more dramatic ones where Rudd is able to dive a little bit more into his character Rick Power.

Nick Jonas actually surprises here, outside of any of the Disney Channel projects he did years back. I never really bought Nick Jonas as an actor, but here he actually does quite a solid job. Maybe it’s because this performance speaks to him a lot more since you do have the whole music theme going on here, but you can feel the passion behind his performance which ultimately does lead into some strong interactions between him and Rudd.

Peter McDonald deserves a special mention, his character Sandy is not incredibly involved with the plot. But I do like the bond that Rick and Sandy have between one another even if the film really does not explore it all that much.

The music is excellent, the film’s original song is How To Write A Song Without You which has two different versions one of Paul Rudd and one with Nick Jonas. Both versions do a fantastic job of telling the film’s story and the eventual reveal of the song’s origin in the film is truly beautiful. It helps that Paul Rudd has a beautiful singing voice that puts a lot of emotion into the song, the compare and contrast between the Rudd and Jonas versions is admittedly pretty interesting especially when you have the context of what exactly happens in the film.

As far as direction goes John Carney does not exactly do anything brand new here, but as previously mentioned the film is incredibly lovable and ultimately works incredibly well due to the music, cast and the pacing that keeps things in line. Plus the film knows exactly what it’s sent out to do and it’s to bring the viewer into the experience and give them this ray of light that is genuinely beautiful.

Overall Power Ballad is beautifully told and is no doubt a crowd pleaser, any fan of John Carney’s work will love this one.

Power Ballad is available on all VOD platforms.

8/10 B+

Tuner (2026) Film Review

A talented piano tuner who suffers from hyperacusis discovers an unexpected aptitude for cracking safes, turning his life upside down

Tuner is directed by Daniel Roher which is his first narrative film.

When it comes to bringing in all sorts of different type of styles, Tuner really delivers on that front. What may seem like a very typical crime thriller on the surface actually ends up being a whole lot more investing, captivating and is able to differentiate itself from a crowded genre.

Leo Woodall really impresses here, not only is he able to capture the film’s thrilling atmosphere but he’s also able to completely adapt to the film’s more light hearted atmosphere when we get some romance between Leo Woodall and Havana Rose Liu. In a lot of cases film’s like this would not be able to juggle two very different atmospheres however the film is able to do this simply because it’s well paced and fits everything in like a glove. Which gives Woodall the opening to deliver the performance required, he’s able to show a level of skill here that is not only fun but investing.

Havana Rose Liu is also quite fantastic here as well, she gives this proud and spirited performance plus her chemistry with Woodall is honestly the film’s best moments. There is this natural like feeling that connects Niki White (played by Leo Woodall) and Ruthie Waymon (played by Havana Rose Liu) one of the film’s best moments is when they are simply talking about life goals, it’s a quite beautiful moment that really brings the film together and really shows the talent of Woodall and Liu incredibly well.

The writing is quite strong here, there’s a lot of character moments that work and just have this natural feel that the viewer can connect with. There are a few hiccups plot wise during the film’s third act however that is truly not enough to stop it from being quite investing. The story also might not be anything new, but it’s how the film goes about executing it is what makes this one stand tall.

The technical aspects are truly fantastic, the sound design is effective and turns several scenes into giant paintings that the viewer explores with their eyes and ears. The editing is snappy and quickly brings the viewer into the experience, it helps keep the pacing in line and as a result feels like a quick watch (in this case that’s a very good.)

Overall Tuner is a quite effective crime thriller that takes a plot that would be otherwise a bit forgettable and manages to turn into something investing and thrilling. The film does cross some familiar territory but the execution is effective enough to bring this one to the finish line.

Tuner is available on all VOD platforms.

8/10 B+

I Want Your Sex (2026) Film Review

When fresh-faced Elliot (Cooper Hoffman) lands an exciting job for renowned artist, icon and provocateur Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde), his fantasies come true as Erika taps him to become her sexual muse.

I Want Your Sex is directed by Gregg Araki director of Mysterious Skin (2004), Nowhere (1997), The Living End (1992), Three Bewildered People In The Night (1987), White Bird In A Blizzard and a few others.

Gregg Araki makes his return and it was definitely worth the wait, Araki mostly sticks with what he does best when it comes to his filmmaking style. However he also brings a bit more to make the experience differentiate itself from the rest of his work. You also have some very committed performances as well as this commentary on sex and how often people see it merely as performance rather than expression. All of this together creates such a fun and investing time.

The performances are why this film works as well as it does, Cooper Hoffman does such a fantastic job of playing this submissive goof and truly works well with the rest of the cast. His commitment to the role is truly phenomenal and really does bring this sense of passion to his performance. Olivia Wilde is just as fantastic, right from the beginning of the film she automatically commands the screen with so much confidence and sharpness that really brings her performance together. It’s definitely a unique performance from Wilde which truly works due to the commitment she has to the role.

But together, Hoffman and Wilde truly elevate the film’s material. There are comedic moments and serious ones that the two really bounce off of perfectly. The two personalities of their characters makes for very entertaining moments that bring this natural chemistry that really gives the film the atmosphere it needs to truly shine.

The supporting cast is also quite great, Chase Sui Wonders is great and works well with Hoffman, Charli xcx has a small yet genuinely funny performance and Mason Gooding gives what is perhaps his best performance of his career thus far. This is the first time where Gooding actually manages to bring something a bit more to his performance and while he does not really play an incredibly important part here. There is something about his performance that feels genuine here, plus he works well with Hoffman and manages to bring in a few laughs.

The film’s writing is quite clever, admittedly there’s a few predictable moments. But the film makes up for it with its commentary on sex and how some people see it as performance rather than expression as I mentioned before. It’s very well done and gives Erika Tracey (played by Olivia Wilde) and Elliot (played by Cooper Hoffman) some strong character writing that almost feels like this compare and contrast situation that is pretty well done.

Something Araki does tap into is the modern youth’s outlook on sex and relationships as well. There is a lot of nuances here that Araki points out especially a scene that is earlier on in the film where Erika and Elliot have a brief but interesting conversation. There’s a lot of nuances of just growing up in general no matter what generation you are from, it’s very well done and really shows how much thought is put into what Araki is saying rather than just barging into an argument with no knowledge of the subject.

Overall I Want Your Sex is a very campy yet strong film that is a whole lot of fun. The amount of commitment and passion put into this film can be felt through the screen. This one might not be explosive as some of Araki’s previous work, but it still has what makes Araki such an excellent director.

I Want Your Sex releases tomorrow in theaters.

9/10 A

Rose Of Nevada (2026) Film Review

Mysterious boat returns to a village 30 years after vanishing. Two men join its crew hoping for better fortune. After one voyage, they find themselves transported back in time, mistaken for the original crew.

Rose Of Nevada is directed by Mark Jenkin director of The Midnight Drives (2007), Bait (2019), Enys Men (2022) and a few others.

Rose Of Nevada is a film where if I had to describe it in one word it would be mystery, because 90% of the time you are not quite sure what is exactly going on here and not in the bad sort of way. The film’s world has this atmosphere attached to it that really compliments the full theming as well, when you combine that with excellent performances and Mark Jenkin’s clever direction. You end up with an experience that you are not going to forget anytime soon.

The performances from George MacKay and Callum Turner are really strong and lure you into the film, I also do love the compare and contrast element going on here with their characters. Nick (played by MacKay) notices that time is being moved backwards, while Liam (played by Turner) embraces the time change almost as sort of way to go against it or challenge it.

The time travel element is incredibly well done here, the whole idea of a ship that was thought to be lost just appears ones day is the sort of story that you would tell your friends around a campfire. The film’s atmosphere compliments this as well, its oozing with this haunting feel that really makes you wonder where did this ship go? What did this ship see? It’s the many questions like these that we don’t really get an answer to but that is perhaps the most haunting part of it all, it’s such a brilliant way to really tie this into a ghost story and truly make the whole story stand on its own.

The whole 16mm look is absolutely fantastic, it brings its own sense of character into the mix and has this haunting version of nostalgia attached to it that really makes this film’s atmosphere all the more haunting. Mark Jenkin’s cinematography has so much detail going on here as well. It paints this haunting picture of going backwards in time that nobody can really do anything about because the source of it is unknown.

Finally there’s the direction from Mark Jenkin who does such a fantastic job of painting a town with no way forward and can only really look back, some people accept it while others who have something to live for do not. It’s especially haunting since as I mentioned earlier the reason why this is happening is not explained and it traps you in this fear of the unknown territory, how far back are the characters going to go in time? What are they going to witness? Those are questions that are entirely up for the viewer to decide and think about.

Overall Rose Of Nevada is a really strong film, it may take a little bit to get going. But once it does it leaves an impact on the viewer and gives you several questions to think about. I do think that if you plan on watching this film you should go in knowing as little as possible.

Rose Of Nevada is currently in theaters.

8/10 B+

Remarkably Bright Creatures (2026) Film Review

Through unlikely bonds formed during night shifts at a local aquarium, Tova, an elderly widow, learns of a life-changing discovery that may bring her joy and wonder once again.

Remarkably Bright Creatures is directed by Olivia Newman director of First Match (2018) and Where the Crawdads Sing (2022).

Going into Remarkably Bright Creatures I knew very little, all that I knew was Sally Field and Lewis Pullman were in the cast. On the surface this might seem like a very nothing special about it Netflix movie that involves an Octopus. Surprisingly enough however there is a whole lot more going on here and when you combine that with some strong performances and actually well written dialogue, you have yourself something to really sink your teeth into.

What is mainly holding this film together is the cast, Sally Field who plays Tova is just so endearing and lovely, her chemistry with Lewis Pullman is genuinely charming and by her own she is just such a brilliant actress. Sally Field has always been fantastic and that continues to show here, she is the heart of the film and due to her beautiful personality and charisma it naturally works and brings the viewer into the film.

Lewis Pullman is also quite fantastic here, Pullman is an actor who has been quickly becoming more and more of a star and his performance here continues to show why that is. Seeing his character Cameron slowly have this friendship with Tova is truly beautiful and really fits into the film’s whole theme of making connections in all sorts of places and those connections can lead us to places we never could imagine. It’s truly beautiful and the character work (even if there are parts of it that does feel a bit incomplete) for Cameron plus how Pullman executes it with his dialogue and acting is truly fascinating.

Finally there is Alfred Molina who voices Marcellus the octopus, much like how one of Netflix’s other films Spaceman (2023) had Hanuš an empathic spider played by Paul Dano. Remarkably Bright Creatures has Alfred Molina voice an octopus who observes the connection between Tova and Cameron plus solidifies it. Molina does such a fantastic job here whether it was intentional or not that he was cast since he played Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 (2004). The scenes we get of Marcellus talking to the viewer or about what is currently happening are truly fascinating and it mainly just comes down to Molina’s tone and how he really executes the dialogue. There are moments that actually did make me tear up quite a bit as well.

The film’s script is shockingly strong, as mentioned before we get the whole theme of connections and where they can take us. It’s beautifully done in this very natural way that you can very easily tell the cast and crew poured their heart into, there is a mix of sad, dramatic and genuinely funny moments that really bring the whole film together in the end. I definitely think a few more scenes with Marcellus would have made the narrative a bit stronger, but from what’s presented with the script it’s quite strong.

Olivia Newman’s direction is incredibly charming and really brings the whole film together in a nice little bow, the film is a very human story about connections and Newman does such a fantastic job of capturing this feeling especially when combined with the atmosphere. The film can be a bit predictable at times but that is not nearly enough to stop it from being genuinely charming.

Overall Remarkably Bright Creatures is a very solid film that has strong performances from Field, Pullman and Molina plus beautiful direction from Newman to back it up. The theme of connection is well executed and the film is just a blast to watch, give this one a go if you haven’t.

Remarkably Bright Creatures is available on Netflix.

8/10 B+