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

The Sheep Detectives (2026) Film Review

Every night a shepherd reads aloud a murder mystery, pretending his sheep can understand. When he is found dead, the sheep realize at once that it was a murder and think they know everything about how to go about solving it.

The Sheep Detectives is directed by Kyle Balda director of Minions (2015), Despicable Me 3 (2017) and Minions: The Rise Of Gru (2022).

When you first look at The Sheep Detectives you might be thinking that this is just going to be a cute CGI talking animal movie made for kids, but shockingly enough the film actually ends up being far more than that. There is some genuinely strong writing here mixed with exploring the themes of death and grief in this beautiful way that ultimately brings the film together.

The cast does such a fantastic job here, Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Galitzine and Molly Gordon do a solid job as the live action cast. While the voice work from Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, and Chris O’Dowd are excellent and give these sheep personality and actually make the viewer feel connected to their characters. As a whole the cast works wonders together and really builds on the film’s world which makes it feel more complete, even the characters who aren’t given a whole lot to do end up being incredibly charming.

The main weapon in The Sheep Detectives arsenal is how it goes about exploring its themes, the exploration of grief, death and the complexities of life is nothing new at all especially in film. However the way this film goes about exploring these themes has this passion behind it, there is this compare and contrast of the old sheep and the younger sheep. The way they communicate with one another and talk about these subjects that might be a bit heavier for younger audiences, but they do this in such a way that is very reminiscent of Pixar’s older films, the film feels like that one family member who first told you about the concept of death. It’s a powerful and devastating feeling but at the end of it all you can’t help but have some closure, sure the film’s exploration of these themes might not exactly be anything brand new. But I think in this sort of entry-level way it’s incredibly effective.

The murder mystery side of the film is also quite a lot of fun, it’s very Knives Out (2019) like when it comes to some of the humor. But it works incredibly well, Craig Mazin’s script really does such a great job of capturing the film’s atmosphere and building the ton of laughs throughout the film. The mystery itself isn’t anything that crazy, but it is just such a fun ride to look around for clues as well as looking at the film’s world.

Overall The Sheep Detectives is definitely one of the biggest surprises of the year, there was clearly a ton of heart and passion poured into this film that truly makes this one such a fun and beautiful experience.

The Sheep Detectives is available on all VOD platforms.

9/10 A

One Night Only (2026) Film Review

Two New Yorkers search for love on the one night of the year when pre-marital sex is legal.

One Night Only is directed by Will Gluck director of Easy A (2010), Friends With Benefits (2011), Peter Rabbit and its sequel (2018 and 2021), Anyone But You (2023) and a few others.

Right off the bat this one has a bizarre premise, it’s been dubbed the “Sex Purge” movie online and yeah there’s parts of it here where that name feels appropriate. One Night Only has just the right amount of decent moments to be quite fun even if the movie bizarrely does not take full advantage of its premise.

Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner are doing a lot of the heavy lifting here, particularly Barbaro who has excellent screen presence and actually has great comedic timing. Her chemistry with Turner is quite great and moves the story along at a nice pace, there’s a few moments here that the two do such a great job of bouncing off of each other from the movie’s script. I don’t think this movie is the best representation of Callum Turner as an actor (I think Emma, Eternity and Rose Of Nevada do a far better job of showing his talent), but he turns in a decent performance here and does what he can with the script.

The cameos are also decently fun, they don’t take away from the movie. In fact a lot of them are the “blink and you miss it” types. The New York City setting also compliments the movie in this sort of sweet away during a few particularly moments, It also does compliment the more bizarre ones as well and really makes it all a fun ride from beginning to end.

What mainly holds this one back just comes down to the movie not really going far enough with its premise. The writing only gives the viewer very vague information about the bizarre world the characters are living in, it almost feels like we are thrown in a conversation that has been going on for 20 plus minutes and instead of catching you up to speed the conversation just keeps going. It’s frustrating because there are moments where the movie is about to elaborate but quickly jumps to another scene or joke.

There really isn’t much else to say here, as it stands One Night Only is fun enough but feels like a missed opportunity in a lot of areas. I still do recommend giving this one a go especially if you have 102 minutes to kill.

One Night Only is currently in theaters.

6/10 C+

Leviticus (2026) Film Review

Two teenage boys must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most – each other.

Leviticus is directed by Adrian Chiarella which is his directorial debut.

2026 has really established itself as a fantastic year for the horror genre (some of which I haven’t gotten to review yet!) Leviticus is a film that had a very positive reaction out of Sundance and it’s incredibly easy to see why. Thematically, this film is truly incredible with so much going on here that is truly worth exploring. When you add in the strong acting, careful pacing and well written dialogue you truly have something special here.

First and foremost the performances from Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen are truly magnificent, there is just something so raw, captivating and tragic about their performances that keep you the viewer glued to the screen. Whether it’s small moments are big moments, there is always something the two offer in terms of strong acting, the performances also capture the atmosphere that the film requires. At the end of the film’s story the performances especially feel incredibly touching and really have this sense of journey to them that you really feel.

At first the horror elements may seem like they are taking a backseat, but that is not the case as the film goes on. There are horrifying ideas such as the church turning what you desire against you or the sin of loving someone you shouldn’t, the way the film goes about exploring these ideas feels incredibly raw and really brings us front and center of how Naim (played by Joe Bird) and Ryan (played by Stacy Clausen) are feeling and dealing with this.

The horror being rooted in hate makes the film all the more horrifying and devastating, while some can read the film’s plot or a summary and may draw comparisons to It Follows (2014). Leviticus goes about its ideas very differently and definitely leans more into the psychological aspects a lot more. Throughout the film you feel the hate that’s manifested floating around, it’s in the atmosphere that only gets more and more depressing. You also feel it in the film’s violence that occurs, it’s not completely random gore that feels like it was placed there for shock value. There is a lot of connection to the story that feels earned and only makes certain scenes all the more devastating.

The film also takes place in a small town, making the feeling of the hate all the more terrifying. There is less places to hide and way less people who could help you, it feels like being trapped in a maze and having no idea where to go. It’s incredibly unsettling and really brings out the film’s themes front and center in the most descriptive ways possible.

Overall Leviticus is a very well done film that has excellent performances and really knocks it out of the park with its ideas. This is one I highly recommend giving a go.

Leviticus is available on all VOD platforms.

9/10 A

Quick Review: Jackass: Best and Last (2026)

Follows the Jackass crew as they perform their final series of dangerous stunts and pranks, marking the end of the franchise

Jackass: Best and Last is directed by Jeff Tremaine director of the Jackass series (2002-2026) and The Dirt (2019).

It’s quite hard to exactly review Jackass: Best and Last simply due to the film being essentially a mix of old and new stunts, you cannot really fault Johnny Knoxville and the rest of the crew for this as they are now in their 50s making what they can do physically limited. But weirdly enough the old footage actually works quite well here, there is some never before seen footage that is quite hilarious and really works as this final goodbye to the Knoxville and his crew.

The new stunts are also quite exciting as well, some of them might not be as grand as stunts from the past. But they still have the entertainment value still in tact as well as the many laughs. As I’ve said in past reviews of the Jackass films it does just feel like a group of friends that are hanging out and having a good time, that’s a main reason why so many people feel connected to Knoxville and his crew and that really shows here.

I also do think the use of old footage does this nice compare and contrast of how far Knoxville and his crew have come and how much the stunts have grown. You go from someone being in a box and pushed down the stairs to being in a buffalo ring.

Lastly Jackass as a whole represents the idea of anyone can pick up a camera and try to make a film, there’s this earnestness in these films to really want to have a lot of fun and represent this group of friends just doing what they love.

Overall Jackass: Best and Last is an incredibly strong send off to the series, I do hope in the near future we get to see Knoxville and his crew again in some sort of project.

Jackass: Best and Last is available on all VOD platforms.

9/10 A

I Love Boosters (2026) Film Review

A group of shoplifters take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven by stealing her clothes and reselling them at a lower price, what they call “fashion-forward philanthropy.”

I Love Boosters is directed by Boots Riley director of Sorry To Bother You (2018).

Boots Riley makes his return after a fantastic directorial debut and while I Love Boosters does not quite reach the heights of Sorry To Bother You (2018), this film is still quite fantastic in its own ways. When you mix incredibly fun performances, well executed messaging and a bizarre yet beautiful visual style, you get some very satisfying results.

The performances all around are quite great. Keke Palmer as Corvette gives an electric and raw performances that is able to balance the film’s humor and this magnetic emotional anchor that the atmosphere requires. Demi Moore taps into a Devil Wears Prada style tension as fashion mogul Christie Smith who has this fierce and cutthroat energy, the interactions between Moore and the rest of the cast are a whole lot of fun and build the film’s world. Naomi Ackie as Sade and Taylour Page as Mariah have this incredibly believable on-screen friendship, plus the comedic timing of the two is truly fascinating and elevates the material they are given even more.

The writing is quite clever, while the film does take a little bit to get going. It is most definitely worth the wait of it all due to the film’s execution of its themes, the film is anti-capitalist and it makes that known from the start. There’s exploration of wage suppression, fashion billionaire exploitation and very absurd realities of modern wealth gaps, these are all explored with this surrealist humor and heist elements which paint the picture quite wonderfully of what director Boots Riley is going for.

When it comes to the film’s visual style there is a whole lot of attention to detail, it’s colorful which gives the film’s world a lot of life. The cinematography from cinematographer Natasha Braier compliments the visual style further by giving this popping like approach, it’s like looking at a painting that moves, you feel like you are walking around with the characters in this colorful world that has a lot to it.

Overall I Love Boosters is a fantastic film that only further shows how talented Boots Riley really is as a director. It’s a fun and actually kind of heartfelt ride that I recommend giving a go if you haven’t already.

I Love Boosters is available on all VOD platforms.

8/10 B+

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+

Most Anticipated Films Of August 2026!

Although July was a bit smaller release wise, there was still plenty of fantastic films such as The Odyssey, Spider-Man, Her Private Hell, Evil Dead Burn and a few others. August for whatever reason this year is quite packed and there’s a whole lot to look forward to.

August 7th

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (Theaters Limited)

Tony (Theaters Limited)

Late Fame (Theaters)

One Night Only (Theaters)

August 14th

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (Theaters Wide)

The End Of Oak Street (Theaters)

The Wrong Girls (Theaters)

The Rivals Of Amziah Kings (Theaters Limited)

Nimrods (Theaters)

August 21st

Tony (Theaters Wide)

The Rivals Of Amziah Kings (Theaters Wide)

It Ends (Theaters)

Hot Spot (Theaters)

August 28th

Coyote vs. Acme (Theaters)

The Sun Never Sets (Theaters Limited)

Finding Emily (Theaters)

The Dog Stars (Theaters)

Buddy (Theaters)

Colony (Theaters)

Idiots (Theaters)

Night Nurse (2026) Film Review

As a series of perverse scam calls unsettles an idyllic retirement community, a starry-eyed nurse becomes entangled with her mysterious patient

Night Nurse is directed by Georgia Bernstein which is her directorial debut.

Night Nurse is an incredibly odd one that is almost certainly not going to be for everyone. However it’s a quite effective erotic thriller that takes its time to build an atmosphere that quickly gets under your skin, which leads to some terrifying results.

The performances are quite fantastic here as they all capture the film’s unpredictable atmosphere. Cemre Paksoy gives a hypnotic performance that has a ton of screen presence and is quite unpredictable, at first her character Eleni Sadik might just seem like your average night nurse. However once the film slowly starts to peel the layers that’s when the character becomes something a whole lot more, Paksoy’s performance here is fantastic and very easily fits the atmosphere the film is going for.

Bruce McKenzie is quite terrifying, he plays this incredibly creepy old man named Douglas in such a scarily raw way that immediately gets under your skin as he slithers around in the film. His tone, body language and the strikingly creepy atmosphere around him is truly effective, the interactions between Douglas and Eleni alone make the film’s atmosphere that much more thrilling and terrifying.

The film’s atmosphere as mentioned before is terrifying when you combine that with the cinematography from cinematographer Lidia Nikonova who does a brilliant job of capturing the creepy sexual nature of the atmosphere, the way the camera moves up and down plus slowly reveals shocking moments makes the film all the more memorable. The music from Steven Jackson and Sam Clapp is also quite effective and brings this sense of dread into the mix.

The film is an erotic exploration of compulsive scamming and caregiving gone horribly wrong that is set in a nursing home, it has this very David Cronenberg like approach in some areas with a little bit of David Lynch thrown in for good measure. But the film does manage to stand on its own quite effectively, the character writing can feel a bit missing at times. But I do think in this case the body language from Paksoy and McKenzie gives the viewer a general idea of how they regularly behave and who they are as people.

If you plan on watching Night Nurse go into it knowing as little as possible, it’s an experience that is truly fascinating that really makes use of thrilling atmosphere and characters. I am very curious to see what Georgia Bernstein does next.

Night Nurse is currently in theaters.

9/10 A

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+