Sundance Film Review: Chasing Summer (2026)

Following a breakup with her boyfriend and loss of her job, a woman heads to her hometown, where she reunites with friends and former flings, which turns her life upside down.

Chasing Summer is directed by Josephine Decker director of Madeline’s Madeline (2018), Shirley (2020), The Sky Is Everywhere (2022) and a few others.

Chasing Summer is a cute little 91 minute comedy that doesn’t overstay its welcome, there isn’t a whole lot to talk about with this one. It’s a midlife crisis film about a woman who loses her job and man, she moves back to her parent’s place and we see wacky shenanigans follow. What you see is what you get from this one, luckily the performances and Josephine Decker’s strong direction make this entertaining enough.

Iliza Shlesinger (who also wrote the film’s script) is by and large what keeps this film going. There’s some genuinely funny moments due to her performance, the interactions she has with some of the other characters are genuinely great and at times feels all too real. Lola Tung is great here as well although she is very underutilized and only gets so much to really do. She does get one interaction with Shlesinger that is quite solid however.

Shlesinger’s script is decent enough, there are some genuinely funny moments and there’s a nice balance of drama and comedy. The twist the film goes for however can be seen coming a mile away and unfortunately the third act is not as strong as the rest of the film. It’s so much slower (not in a good way) and at times feels a bit redundant. I do think Decker’s direction does salvage this a bit by making this feel a bit more personal and has the feel of somebody telling us this story rather than this being unexpectedly dumped on us all at once.

I do appreciate Josephine Decker going for something a bit different from her previous films, even if Chasing Summer is not as good as her previous work. There is a lot of heart here that does help the film cross the finish line, there is this wave of nostalgia to the film. Seeing people you thought you wouldn’t see again, or finding out people from your town you grew up in are still there. There’s this sweet and real feel that Decker captures that gives the film more room to breathe.

Overall Chasing Summer is a decent little comedy, it has its flaws but it does have enough charm and fun to be worth a watch.

Chasing Summer currently has no release date.

6/10 C+

Most Anticipated Films Of February 2026!

January flew by and now we are suddenly February! There’s a lot to look forward to this month as well with tons of new releases! I do have 6 2025 films left to review which I’m aiming for those reviews to be done by the end of the month. Sundance reviews will also be coming this month! Anyway here is the list

February 6th

The Moment (Wide Theater Release)

Twisted (VOD)

February 13th

Wuthering Heights (Theaters)

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die (Theaters)

Nirvana The Band The Show (Theaters)

The Mortuary Assistant (Theaters)

Honey Bunch (Shudder)

February 20th

Psycho Killer (Theaters)

How To Make A Killing (Theaters)

Pillion (Theaters)

This is Not A Test (Theaters)

February 27th

K-Pops! (Theaters)

In The Blink Of An Eye (Hulu)

Crazy Old Lady (Shudder)

Grizzly Night (2026) Film Review

On 12 August 1967, in Montana’s Glacier National Park, the unthinkable happened: On the same night, nine miles apart, there were not one, but two fatal grizzly bear attacks.

Grizzly Night is directed by Burke Doeren which is his directorial debut. The film is based on the true story of the 1967 Grizzly Bear attacks in Glacier National Park.

It’s only January and we have already gotten three killer animal movies. Primate, Killer Whale and now Grizzly Night. If you are going into Grizzly Night expecting the usual killer animal movie you are going to be incredibly disappointed. This one focuses less on the attacks and more so on the rescue efforts, which while admirable and is important to highlight is ultimately not very investing. Which leads to the movie becoming a bit too forgettable for its own good.

The acting is fine enough, nobody here really gives a standout performance but I do think Lauren Call who plays Ranger Joan Devereaux gets better as the movie goes on and actually does have a few emotional moments. Oded Fehr as Dr. John Lindberg is a close second who provides this calm and empathetic atmosphere whenever he’s on screen. Unfortunately the rest of the cast gets the short end of the stick, the acting from the rest ranges from bad to middle of the road. It doesn’t help that the writing gives them very little to work with.

The writing is this movie’s biggest problem, it’s a shame to because the true story itself is incredibly interesting. To this day nobody knows exactly what made the two Grizzly Bears attack so there’s this air of mystery that’s genuinely fascinating. The writing unfortunately does not capture that feel at all, instead it opts to try and set the bear attacks up as something bigger but ultimately changes its mind and focuses mainly on the rescue efforts. Which as I said earlier is incredibly admirable, but the dialogue is just not there to support it. A lot of the characters are very thinly written and don’t offer all that much outside of support.

The big parts Grizzly Night has going for it is the filming and the nature atmosphere, cinematographers Brian Mitchell and Ian Start do a very good job of capturing the outdoors which leads to some decently shot scenes. While director Burke Doeren is able to capture the feel of the outdoors with the atmosphere, there is definitely something here that the rest of the movie failed to lean into especially with the final act that feels very rushed.

Overall Grizzly Night has its moments, but those moments are outnumbered by the amount of flaws that are present here. It’s a very bland telling of an interesting true story.

Grizzly Night releases Friday on all VOD platforms in the USA and on Digital and DVD February 2nd in the UK!

4/10 D+

Bugonia (2025) Film Review

Two conspiracy-obsessed men kidnap the CEO of a major company when they become convinced that she’s an alien who wants to destroy Earth.

Bugonia is directed by Yorgos Lanthimos director of Dogtooth (2009), The Lobster (2015), The Killing Of A Sacred Deer (2017), The Favourite (2018), Poor Things (2023), Kinds Of Kindness (2024) and a few others.

Part of what makes Yorgos Lanthimos such a fascinating director is his ability to take the viewer into a much different world in each of his films. Even if you don’t fully like a certain film of his you always have to give him credit where credit is due, he makes the world of said film unique. That’s certainly the case here with Bugonia and it just might be one of his very best films, every single corner there is something going on whether it be the character’s movements, a score that is almost mocking the characters with this triumphant opera even though what’s shown is the exact opposite. Plus a lot of unexpected twist and turns make this film a very bizarre ride. Although Bugonia is a remake of South Korea film Save the Green Planet! The film manages to be its own thing!

Emma Stone as usual delivers in every single way possible. Her approach to such a bizarre script feels natural, her interactions with Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis alone make the film worth watching. She captures the bizarre atmosphere and balances the humor and the film’s darker moments masterfully. The chaos between her character Michelle Fuller and Teddy Gatz (played by Jesse Plemons) only shows how incredible her performance really is.

Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis are both fantastic here as well. Teddy Gatz is a character whose trauma, abuse and anger leads him down a path that isn’t reality. The way Plemons portrays this is incredibly effective and only shows the unhinged nature that Teddy has piled in him. One moment he can seem somewhat in reality and the next moment he can be spouting the most nonsensical things you ever heard of, these are the moments in particular that really shows how incredible Plemons’s performance really is. In between all of this Aidan Delbis delivers some humanity, while his performance isn’t as grand or large in scale as Stone or Plemons. He delivers a more quiet yet impactful performance that sticks to the viewer in the end.

The writing is fantastic, there’s a lot going on here thematically. Such as conspiracies caused by corporate pain, the loss of truth, corporations reducing their employees and such much more. Each of these themes is tackled masterfully, with a lot of exploration of the characters and just overall fascinating character and world writing that gives such bizarre picture. Seeing how and what pushed Teddy over the edge was some of the film’s most important moments, it does not necessarily sympathize with him it just hands you these scenes and asks you “what do you make of this?”

The cinematography from cinematographer Robbie Ryan and the score from Jerskin Fendrix combined together create something truly fascinating. The cinematography gives this film a small scale look yet feels much bigger, that’s mainly because a majority of the film we are in this one house. Yet when the film does switch to the outdoors in some scenes it feels massive, it’s a nice balance that keeps it very natural and strangely grounded. The score as I said at the beginning almost has this humor to it, there’s this triumphant opera that points a finger at the character and laughs at them when something doesn’t go according to plan. It’s hilarious and quite effective something you don’t see a whole lot of films attempt to do mainly because it’s hard to nail down.

Finally there’s the last bit of the film and the bizarreness of the film in general. Despite being bizarre this strangely feels like one of Lanthimos’s most grounded films, rabbit holes like this do exist and people’s trauma and abuse can lead them down a dark path. The final act has one of the best song uses of 2025, I won’t say what it is here because it truly is effective and creates this haunting yet calming picture. The bizarre nature of the film is both comedic yet atmospheric, there’s a lot going on here that only adds up as the film goes on.

Overall Bugonia is one of the best films of 2025, a fascinating film that has so much to explore with excellent performances.

Bugonia is available on all VOD platforms.

10/10 A+

Mother Of Flies (2026) Film Review

When a young woman faces a deadly diagnosis, she seeks dark magic from a witch in the woods; but every cure has its cost.

Mother Of Flies is directed by John Adams, Zelda Adams and Toby Poser directors of The Deeper You Dig (2019), Hellbender (2021), Where the Devil Roams (2023), Halfway to Zen (2016), Hell Hole (2024) and a few others.

The Adams family are back with a really solid and atmospheric experience with Mother Of Flies. A film that unlike their last film Hell Hole (2024), manages to keep the eerie atmosphere and deliver tons of chilling scenes that capture the feel of abandonment with its setting. The film does take a bit to get going and there are some rough moments with the acting, but in the end the film delivers on its premise and leaves the viewer satisfied.

The performances are about the same as they have always been in any of the Adams family’s films. In other words it can range from being decent to rough territory, however the charm of them being a family and doing these films together seriously helps out in the long run. Despite some of the rough acting, you can feel the passion that John, Zelda and Toby spread on screen. It definitely works a lot better in this case since the film feels a lot more intimate which does give the viewer some touching father and daughter moments between Jake (played by John Adams) and Mickey (played by Zelda Adams). Toby Poser as Solveig is a pretty formidable witch, she has this calm yet intimidating energy to her that the viewer feels right when she’s introduced. The film’s slow burn feel heavily relies on Poser’s performance which ends up working to the film’s benefit.

The atmosphere is dark and has the feel of abandonment, it’s the same type of feel that Hell Hole (2024) tried to capture but unfortunately fizzled out as the movie went on. Luckily that’s not the case here with Mother Of Flies, whether it because Toby Poser’s calm yet threatening performance that ultimately tries to get Mickey by herself, or the cinematography from cinematographer Fabian Gamper is just visually more interesting and tackles the feel of abandonment much more sharply.

The film does admittedly take a bit to get going, it’s a film that takes its time to build the world around it and I would say the wait is worth it. The film’s script definitely has it’s weak points particularly with the second act of the film where there does seem to be some repetitive moments going on here. However as the film’s mystery becomes slowly realized by Jake and Mickey things get much more investing and brings the viewer into it all.

Overall Mother Of Flies is a solid film from the Adams family, it’s a huge improvement over Hell Hole (2024) and brings the atmosphere front and center.

Mother Of Flies is available on Shudder.

7/10 B

Primate (2026) Film Review

Lucy’s tropical island homecoming turns deadly when her family’s clever chimpanzee, Ben, becomes rabid. With her father away and no help coming, paradise becomes a prison as Lucy and her friends fight for survival against a pet they once trusted.

Primate is directed by Johannes Roberts director of The Other Side Of The Door (2016), 47 Meters Down (2017), The Strangers: Prey At Night (2018), 47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019), Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City (2021) and a few others.

Primate is a very solid start to 2026 when it comes to theatrical released films, it’s a very simple killer animal film with a very mean edge to it that helps it stand out. Combine that with a fantastic synth score that is very John Carpenter like and some gnarly kills with decent acting and you have yourself a quite fun experience.

The performances are solid, not everyone here sticks the landing but Johnny Sequoyah, Jessica Alexander and Troy Kotsur do great here. Even with the limited screentime Kotsur has he is still able to leave this connection to the viewer which makes you care about his care. Sequoyah and Alexander are fun here as well, there is not a whole lot going on here in the character writing department. But the film does make up for it by stacking up what follows.

Primate’s secret weapon is its gnarly kills and its beautiful 80s like synth score. Starting with the kills they are quite brutal from the opening scene all the way to end, have this extra sense of darkness added to them due to Ben the chimpanzee being unpredictable. Much like in real life chimpanzees are very unpredictable, making this all the more haunting and shrouded in this air of mystery of what’s going to happen or what is he going to do? Of course if you have seen any killer animal film you probably do know what’s going to happen, but even then, it still works in the film’s favor simply due to how much the kills show the brutality of it all.

The score is what makes this film so effective, it’s a synth 80s score that feels very John Carpenter like and it compliments the film’s atmosphere wonderfully. The score is from Adrian Johnston who funnily enough also did the score for one of director Johannes Roberts previous films The Strangers: Prey At Night (2018). Which also had a wonderful score that fit the atmosphere, Johnston does that again here with Primate. It has that feel of 80s B movies you would catch on a random tv channel, when you combine the score with the film’s atmosphere and suspenseful moments you get some truly fascinating results that end up being a ton of fun.

The film does admittedly take a bit to get going, there are definitely some scenes here that the film could have easily went without using. However that does not take away from the film’s buildup and atmosphere that never takes you out of the film, you can almost overlook the film taking a bit to get going simply due to it’s atmosphere feeling dark and rich.

Overall Primate is a fun time, it’s got the kills, score and acting to back it up. Plus Ben the chimpanzee is fun here as well.

Primate is currently in theaters.

7/10 B

The Rip (2026) Film Review

A group of Miami cops discovers a stash of millions in cash, leading to distrust as outsiders learn about the seizure, making them question who to rely on.

The Rip is directed by Joe Carnahan director of Smokin’ Aces (2006), The A-Team (2010), The Grey (2011), Stretch (2014), Boss Level (2020), Copshop (2021), Shadow Force (2025) and a few others.

The Rip is yet another January Netflix original film that isn’t bad (the first being People We Meet On Vacation), while that’s not exactly high praise and admittedly is the bare minimum. A lot of Netflix original January films would wish they are at least middle of the road. There’s a decent amount to like about The Rip from the cast to the action scenes which brings a decent enough experience to fans of the genre.

The main reason why The Rip works is mainly due to the cast. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are undeniably a great duo who work incredibly well together, their dialogue bounces off of each other naturally and the two are already great actors which does help make the material of The Rip a bit more interesting. Teyana Taylor and Sasha Calle also get some great moments here, even if they sometimes feel a bit underutilized in certain sections of the film.

The writing for the most part is decent, the first two acts help establish the film’s atmosphere in surprisingly great detail. The atmosphere is thrilling enough due to the writing and gives these characters some sort of alert to check their surroundings, it’s not a case where everything feels like it’s safe. There’s a few moments in particular that are decently tense thanks to this. With that being said, the writing does drop the ball during the film’s final act. The tension that was built up filters away in a very predictable and empty conclusion that really does feel like the writers couldn’t think of way to close the story. It’s unfortunate because there was some genuine intrigue going on here prior to the incredibly empty final act.

The action scenes are solid, they are not anything groundbreaking and won’t change the landscape of the action thriller genre. But due to the film’s atmosphere the scenes work decently enough, especially when you combine them with the settings which the movie does a pretty good job of incorporating them into the mix. The cinematography is also shockingly really solid, cinematographer Juan Miguel Azpiroz captures some beautiful shots here that add to the overall detail of the movie even if they are little moments.

Overall The Rip is a serviceable action thriller that despite having struggles to close out the film, does just enough to stick the landing and give something that fans of the action thriller genre will have a decent time with.

The Rip is available on Netflix.

6/10 C+

Killer Whale (2026) Film Review

After a life-shattering tragedy, Trish tries to comfort her best friend, Maddie, by taking her on a spectacular adventure to a private lagoon halfway across the world. However, their peaceful retreat soon becomes a terrifying fight for survival when a killer whale seeks vengeance for a life in captivity.

Killer Whale is directed by Jo-Anne Brechin director of Zelos (2017), Paper Champions (2020), One Perfect Match (2023) and Designing Christmas With You (2023).

Killer Whale is the first truly terrible movie in 2026 and it’s not even really close. For a film that is about a killer whale, it’s quite dull and has very little engagement. Even if you like killer animal films (such as myself), you will not find any enjoyment out of this one due to how uninterested the movie really is at going all out and instead tries to be other films of the genre.

Virginia Gardner is the only part of this movie that’s great, she tries her absolute best to work with a script that is severely lacking in character and excitement. She’s able to turn some scenes into scenes that would be otherwise terrible into something a bit more tolerable. The acting from the rest of the cast is terrible, it almost feels parody like at certain points which might have been funny if that was what the movie was going for but unfortunately that’s not the case at all here. The bad acting truly takes you out of the movie and away from the little suspense the movie had (I’m being generous when I say little suspense.)

The writing attempts to go for what made The Shallows (2016) and even Fall (2022) which funnily enough Virginia Gardner was also in Fall (2022) and like this movie it was distributed by Lionsgate. Anyways, to say the movie fails to capture what made those two films great would be an understatement, the writing is just not there and as I said before it often feels like a parody. Combine that with some terrible decision making and this poor attempt at trying to give these characters some depth and you have yourself a poorly written movie.

A lot of this comes down to a lack of experience of the genre from director Jo-Anne Brechin, she’s mostly directed Hallmark movies in the past and while it’s nice to see a director try to do something out of their comfort zone (I’ve said in past reviews that I like seeing directors do this.) There comes a point where if you aren’t able to capture a single element of the genre you are tackling maybe it’s best to call it quits, the lack of an atmosphere and thrills are prime examples of this and you can quickly tell they are absent by watching the first 10 minutes of the movie.

Overall Killer Whale is terrible, dull and not engaging, even for a low budget killer animal movie this is severely lacking in what makes the genre fun.

Killer Whale is available on all VOD platforms.

1/10 F

People We Meet On Vacation (2026) Film Review

Poppy wants to explore the world and Alex prefers to stay home with a good book, but somehow they are the best of friends. They live far apart, but for a decade they have spent one week of summer vacation together.

People We Meet On Vacation is directed by Brett Haley director of The New Year (2010), I’ll See You in My Dreams (2015), The Hero (2017), All The Bright Places (2020) and All Together Now (2020).

Netflix romantic comedies have set this terrible expectation for viewers, that’s mainly due to the poor quality and a majority of them being almost identical to one another. But every now and then you get one like People We Meet On Vacation that manages to actually be quite great, while it does have it’s flaws which basically comes down to familiar genre beats. There is this level of likability to the film that helps it cross the finish line.

Emily Bader and Tom Blyth both give very solid performances, the chemistry between the two is undeniably charming. It has this natural magnetic energy going on here that the viewer feels almost immediately from the moment they start sharing scenes together. Emily Bader does a fantastic job of making Poppy such a funny and lovable character that mixes well with Tom Blyth’s character Alex. Tom Blyth plays a different type of role here and he nails it quite well. It just mainly comes down to the chemistry and the two really nailed it, there’s this authentic feel to the film that we really do not get a whole lot from these Netflix romantic comedies.

The soundtrack is solid and fits the mood of each scene, the cinematography from cinematographer Rob C. Givens is shockingly quite great. There’s a lot of moments here where the film takes advantage of the setting and delivers some gorgeous shots that show off the setting in great detail.

The writing is solid, there’s some genuine funny moments that work in the film’s favor. While the character moments of the film are not grand, they do add up to being quite meaningful towards the end. The film definitely has familiar beats but luckily it never goes the incredibly predictable route and opts for a more natural and grounded approach.

Overall People We Meet On Vacation isn’t anything groundbreaking, however it is incredibly refreshing to see a romantic comedy be effective and accomplish what it’s being sent out to do. Great performances, solid pacing and solid natural dialogue, I recommend giving this one a look.

People We Meet On Vacation is available on Netflix.

7/10 B

The Housemaid (2025) Film Review

Hoping for a fresh start, a young woman becomes a live-in maid for a wealthy couple who harbour sinister secrets.

The Housemaid is directed by Paul Fig director of Bridesmaids (2011), The Heat (2013), Spy (2015), A Simple Favor (2018), Jackpot (2024), Another Simple Favor (2025) and a few others.

Well it’s very clear to see which of the two Paul Fig films released in 2025 is the better one. After the disappointing Another Simple Favor I figured Paul Fig was going to bounce back with The Housemaid and that was most certainly the case. This is a film that lives in it’s own little world, it knows it has incredibly silly atmosphere that’s reminiscent of those LifeTime channel movies and it’s unapologetic about it which ends up making the film work in the long run.

What makes The Housemaid works as well as it does is the performances. Particularly Amanda Seyfried who leans into Nina Winchester’s unsettling energy that goes into this glorious over the top feel along with this unnerving feel and with a nice mix of entertainment. We can see different parts of Nina’s mind just spill out in different scenes and that’s masterfully captured by Amanda Seyfried who truly brings it home especially during a few particular moments that shoot the film’s bizarreness level up so many notches.

Sydney Sweeney has some solid moments as well, while not every single moment of her performance is great. She is able to squeeze in some great lines and keep her character Millie interesting to the viewer, the interactions between her and Seyfried are some of the film’s best moments which makes the first half of the film quite entertaining and thrilling. Brandon Sklenar is fine enough, he’s by far the film’s weakest performance and his character is unfortunately not incredibly interesting. He does admittedly have some decent moments during the film’s last bit however which I guess does make up for it.

As I said before, the film lives in its own little world and the same can be said about the writing. The writing establishes this thrilling yet silly atmosphere that completely works due to Paul Fig’s direction and his familiarity with blending these genres together, even if I’m not a huge fan of every single one of Fig’s films something I always do appreciate about him is that he likes to experiment. He likes to see what he can put the comedy genre in and make it work, that’s the case here. The film also has the theme of domestic abuse that it explores, which is mainly done through Nina, as entertaining as Seyfried’s performance is there’s also this bit of sadness to her performance that is quite effective when the second half of the film rolls around. It catches the viewer off guard and really delivers in the end.

Overall The Housemaid is an effective thriller that captures a lot of the campy nature of films similar to it while also bringing in some strong atmosphere, well written dialogue and some strong performances especially from Amanda Seyfried.

The Housemaid is available on all VOD platforms.

7/10 B