Jill leaves voice messages to her deceased sister telling her about her chaotic life in San Francisco. Unwittingly, a mysterious Austin TX real estate agent begins to receive their confessions..
Voicemails For Isabelle is directed by Leah McKendrick director of Scrambled (2023).
Every once in a while you get a Netflix romantic comedy that surprises you due to how solid it really is. Voicemails For Isabelle is one of those films, it definitely has its flaws and some usual genre cliches. However you can’t help but fall in love with this one simply due to its charm, performances and a few note worthy scenes that really tie the whole thing together.
The performances here are all pretty solid, Zoey Deutch continues to find her home in the romantic comedy genre, Ciara Bravo’s performance is filled with emotional depth and Nick Robinson is just fantastic. It’s great to see Robinson in a leading role after so long because the wait was well worth it. The cast do such a great job of balancing the film’s humor and the more dramatic moments as well.
Right from the start this film comes out swinging with one of the best uses of Robin’s song “Dancing On My Own”, it’s very much an Up (2009) style beginning but it’s effective and works beautifully. The film also ends with “Dancing On My Own” that scene in particular made me tear up, the film’s build up was well worth it and really completes the journey that Jill Shaw has experienced.
As for the rest of the film? It’s quite great, as I said there are definitely some genre cliches that get a bit in the way of the experience. But I do think for the most part the character writing is handled quite well, the whole theme of love between sisters is beautifully done and told in a quite raw way. What really helps the film in the long run is the strong chemistry the cast has between one another, it makes the film far more real and pop out a bit more.
Overall Voicemails For Isabelle is one of the better Netflix romantic comedy films in recent memory, it has its flaws but it makes up for them with some strong act, great writing and beautiful moments.
Andy Sachs reunites with Miranda Priestly as they navigate their careers amid the decline of traditional magazine publishing.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 is directed by David Frankel director of The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Marley & Me (2008), Collateral Beauty (2016), Jerry & Marge Go Large (2022) and a few others. The film serves as a sequel to The Devil Wears Prada (2006).
I actually really do not have a whole lot to say here about The Devil Wears Prada 2, it’s a decent movie for what it is and I do think it does the whole legacy sequel formula a lot better than some other franchises have been doing lately.
The cast is what are bringing this movie together, Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci are all fantastic here and bring just as much passion and strength as they did with the first movie. The performances are about what you expect but you can’t help but smile and have this great feeling of familiarity, seeing the four characters together again is truly fantastic and really reminds you of why they worked so well together in the first place.
The first 40 minutes or so is the typical legacy sequel style of film, but afterwards things get a bit more interesting. There’s a discussion of certain industries struggling to adapt to the shift of the modern world, particularly ones that flat out refuse to change due to various reasons. Although the movie does not really go enough into these ideas, what the movie does explore isn’t too bad.
Overall The Devil Wears Prada 2 is a fun enough sequel, it definitely tends to be a bit similar to the first movie quite often. However I do think it has its place and in some areas captures what made the first film a lot of fun and so recognizable.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 is available on all VOD platforms.
Detective Enola Holmes heads to Malta, where her aspirations merge in her most complex and dangerous case yet.
Enola Holmes 3 is directed by Philip Barantini director of Villain (2020), Boiling Point (2021) and Accused (2023). The film serves as a sequel to Enola Holmes 2 (2022).
I’m not going to write an extensively long piece about the Enola Holmes series and my experience with it, because honestly the first two movies were cute movies that had their charm and that is really about as deep as it goes. Enola Holmes 3 shows that this series has overstayed its welcome and it might be time to move onto something else.
Millie Bobby Brown does a fine enough job here, but the spark she had in the first two movies is very noticeably absent. The performance just does not land as it did previously, Henry Cavill takes a backseat for a large portion of the movie and much like Brown, his performance has gotten noticeably worse as well. Which this is a bit of a shame because I did find Brown and Cavill decently charming in the previous two movies.
To say I was shocked that Barantini directed this would be an understatement, coming off of last year’s highly successful and acclaimed series Adolescence to this is quite baffling. The direction here is incredibly poor and has no idea what it wants to say or focus on, when you mix this in with the script from Jack Thorne you lead to some very underwhelming results.
The theme this movie attempts to tackle is British colonial history which for a movie series that prides itself on talk about important subjects, the movie does a quite poor job of exploring the subject. It makes surface level observations such as “look guys this was really bad” which is quite honestly embarrassing, it truly does feel like studio executives patting themselves on the back for being performative. It can very well be argued that the previous two movies are just as guilty of this (and I would agree with you), but at the very least they were competent movies that had good things about them. With this movie you do not get that at all and the studio executives feel is a lot more blatant here.
Overall Enola Holmes 3 is quite easily the worst of the series and it’s really not even close. It adds nothing new to the series and only brings the series backwards.
Enola Holmes 3 is available on Netflix.
3/10 D-
A handwritten manuscript of Dante Alighieri’s poem “The Divine Comedy” makes its way from a priest to a mob boss in New York City, where it is taken by Nick Tosches after he’s asked to verify its authenticity.
In The Hand Of Dante is directed by Julian Schnabel director of Basquiat (1996), Before Night Falls (2000), The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007), Miral (2010) and At Eternity’s Gate (2018).
In The Hand Of Dante is a prime example of movie that the only question going through your mind is “how on earth did this happen?” I’m going to keep this short simply because this is one of those terrible movies where it’s not even bad in an interesting way. It is a pretentious mess that thinks so highly of itself yet its saying very little with incredibly poor acting.
Martin Scorsese is the best part about this movie and not even him being dressed up as a Gandalf and Dumbledore hybrid could save this mess (he only has a couple of scenes as well, keep in mind this movie is 2 hours and 33 minutes long.) Scorsese seems to be the only one who is able to give a somewhat decent performance, it’s not terrible and it is almost certainly not something that belongs in the looney bin like some of these other performances.
If you want to hear one of the worst Italian accents ever put to film like no further than Gal Gadot. It’s truly baffling how not a single person on set questioned this, she has no chemistry with Oscar Isaac and the movie trying to build her character does not work at the slightest. Jason Momoa and Gerard Butler feel like cartoon characters trying to copy the behaviors of humans (some of these scenes go on for so long it becomes awkward.) Oscar Isaac does not necessarily give a bad performance it’s just one that is so forgettable and feels like a whole lot of nothing.
Lastly the movie trying to capture the whole Classic Hollywood noir of the 1940s and 1950s is embarrassing. The atmosphere that made those films so great is just not present at all here nor is the thrills. There are some admittedly beautiful locations but that’s where it really ends, the movie’s mystery is confused and does not offer any sort of strong connection with the characters or its themes. It’s a complete and total mess that can only be described as a science fair project that was done the day before it was due.
Overall, In The Hand Of Dante is a disaster of a movie that is truly baffling to watch. This is one of the most bafflingly bad movies I’ve seen in quite some time.
In The Hand Of Dante is available on Netflix.
1/10 F
Jackie, President and CEO of Air Cruz, runs a tight ship in her business, including a rigid anti-fraternization policy for all her employees, which is severely tested when a sexy new lawyer begins working for her.
Office Romance is directed by Ol Parker (or Oliver Parker) director of Imagine Me & You (2005), Now Is Good (2012), Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) and Ticket to Paradise (2022).
Office Romance does not have a whole lot going on here with the exception of the birthing scene that seemingly comes out of nowhere. It’s clearly only here for shock value and that’s really about as deep as it goes. Everything else about this movie is incredibly bare bones romantic comedy cliches.
Jennifer Lopez, Brett Goldstein and Betty Gilpin give fine enough performances, but none of them are quite enough to save the movie from being a chore to sit through. They each get one or two moments to shine, but really that’s where it ends.
The movie heavily relies on its cast to do all of the heavy lifting and carry the movie to the finish line, but completely forgets that you need a good script to help give the cast something to work with and that is just not present here at all.
A happily-engaged couple is put to the test when an unexpected turn sends their wedding week off the rails.
The Drama is directed by Kristoffer Borgli director of DRIB (2017), Sick Of Myself (2022) and Dream Scenario (2023).
After Dream Scenario (2023) I was very curious to see what exactly Kristoffer Borgli was going to follow up with, The Drama is quite a fantastic film that combines this completely bizarre scenario with a surprisingly grounded atmosphere. It’s one hell of a ride that the viewer never wants to get off of throughout its running time.
For starts the performances are all fantastic across the board. Zendaya gives yet another excellent performance, the body language used combined with the twists about her character Emma Harwood are bizarre yet Zendaya makes them all work perfectly. The willingness to tackle the film’s bizarre script as well as being able to capture the film’s atmosphere is truly impressive and elevates her performance.
The exact same can be said for Robert Pattinson, he gives an excellent performance that uses the same body language that Zendaya uses. The way Pattinson is able to master the film’s pitch black humor in such a casual way is truly some of the film’s biggest highlights.
Zendaya and Robert Pattinson are at their best when they are together, the two have this chemistry that automatically works as soon as you get into the film. Their characters are grounded and communicate a whole lot through their expressions and body language, there is one scene early on in the film that is a very clear showcase of this and only keeps adding up throughout the film. Alana Haim also takes the cake for playing one of the most unlikable characters I have seen in a film in a while which she absolutely nails.
The Drama goes for a couple of directions here, it obviously goes for the romance genre which is no surprise if you read the simple plot synopsis. What the film also goes for here though is this absurdist black comedy that really works for a number of factors. For one thing as I mentioned earlier the body language and expressions really help create this atmosphere that connects everything together. It’s like the pieces to a puzzle, it connects so effortlessly and just makes a whole lot of sense especially as the film slowly reveals the whole picture.
I’m not going to say too much else here since getting into the specifics with The Drama most definitely leads into spoiler territory, but I will say that The Drama is both quite a hilarious and truly chaotic ride that ends up being one of the best films so far this year. Everything comes together incredibly well which leads to fascinating results, go into this one as blind as you can.
A once-celebrated artist’s children enlist a forger to access his unfinished canvases in a deceptive bid to secure their inheritance.
The Christophers is directed by Steven Soderbergh director of Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen, Magic Mike (2012) Logan Lucky (2017), Unsane (2018), Kimi (2022), Presence (2025), Black Bag (2025) and so many others.
The Christophers is a much smaller scale film from Steven Soderbergh, even smaller than films such as Presence (2025). What we have here is mainly two people talking about art and the artistic creation and legacy of it all. Combined together, the film ends up being a quite interesting ride with a nice little mystery thrown in.
The performances from the cast are incredibly strong here. Ian McKellen plays Julian Sklar an aging artist whose children are trying to gain access to his unfinished canvases so they can secure their inheritance. While Julian is boastful and unapologetic, McKellen infuses him with sadness wistfulness and vulnerability. There is points where the artist has to confront his legacy and its truly some of the film’s strong moments. McKellen also goes for this more theatrical performance like you would expect in a play, with monologues that capture the film’s focused atmosphere and his interactions with the rest of the cast truly do make this yet another fascinating performance from McKellen.
Michaela Coel is the other half of what makes the film so great, she does a splendid job, her interactions with McKellen are investing. But I think what really pushes her to greatness is this silent performance, there are times where she spends sizing up the situation or listening. Those moments do all the talking and are able to convey what she is thinking or feeling without uttering a word, her character Lori Butler is calculated and waits to see how certain situations play out. Or how Julian is going to react. It’s this silent powerhouse performance that truly sticks to the viewer the whole way through the film.
James Corden and Jessica Gunning provide for strong supporting roles, they don’t have much in the way of character moments. But they do give solid performances that help build the mystery of the film and have great interactions with McKellen and Coel.
The writing is quite strong, there is this whole theme of art ownership whether certain paintings were made by the author or the person who forged them. This question is asked quite a lot throughout the film and the film keeps the question going even after the credits role. Julian throughout the film talks about how the art world has reduced his body of work and all of the power he put into his work into a price, during these moments we can hear the pain in his voice and how much it’s deeply affected him.
Overall The Christophers is a very interesting film, the pacing can definitely drag at times but I do think the rest of the film especially the performances make up for it almost immediately.
The Christophers is available on all VOD platforms.
When a woman crashes at an empty Italian villa, posing as the owner’s fiancée, she discovers an unexpected romance that could transform her life.
You, Me & Tuscany is directed by Kat Coiro director of Life Happens (2011), And While We Were Here (2012), A Case Of You (2013) and Marry Me (2022).
You, Me & Tuscany does not have a whole lot going on here, with that being said it is a decently fun romantic comedy that has its charm.
The movie mainly works due to Halle Bailey, she’s charming and does a fantastic job at bringing the viewer into the film. The character moments have just the right amount of appearances to help build Anna as a character, the rest of the characters are easy to love as well. It’s a very fluffy movie that knows exactly what its audience wants and gives it to them proudly.
The movie can be a bit too familiar for its own good, if you have seen any romantic comedy within the last 5-10 years you can probably make a pretty strong guess as to what is going to happen. You have the setup, the miscommunication and the third act declaration of love. It’s all there and despite being predictable the movie has just the right amount of fun, solid acting and atmosphere to push this one to the finish line.
Not much else to say here, if you are a fan of romcoms this one will do the job.
You, Me & Tuscany is available on all VOD platforms.
6/10 C+
An unexploded WWII bomb is discovered on a busy construction site in the centre of London. Chaos ensues as the military and police begin a mass evacuation against a ticking clock.
Fuze is directed by David Mackenzie director of Hell Or High Water (2016), Outlaw King (2018), Relay (2024) and a lot of others. Fuze suffers from the exact same problem as Mackenzie’s last film Relay did and it’s that the third act throws a wrench into the movie and not in an interesting or good way. The twist could be seen coming a mile away but it still does break the movie.
On the plus side you do get decent performances from Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Theo James, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and even Sam Worthington. They all really try the best with the script that’s given to them, there are some decently thrilling moments plus it has this atmosphere such as this whole “when is the bomb going to go off” type of one.
The main problem here really comes down to the movie’s script, the characters are incredibly paper thin in terms of both development and personality. Sure there are moments of somewhat interesting dialogue between the characters. But unfortunately those are very far and few in between, the story is very typical heist movie affairs which would be fine enough if the third act was not a complete and total mess with a very unsatisfying conclusion.
There really isn’t much else to be said here, Fuze luckily never leans into “bad” territory but this is certainly one that I really can’t give a recommendation.
A science teacher wakes up alone on a spaceship. As his memory returns, he uncovers a mission to stop a mysterious substance killing Earth’s sun, and realizes that an unexpected friendship may be the key.
Project Hail Mary is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller directors of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009), 21 Jump Street (2012), The Lego Movie (2014) and 22 Jump Street (2014).
Project Hail Mary is an absolute beauty of a film, everything that should come together does. Whether it’s the powerful and raw performances, the atmosphere capturing both this sense of loneliness and togetherness or the film’s investing dialogue that brings the viewer along for the experience.
Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace is one of the best performances so far this year, he captures the film’s atmosphere of loneliness and togetherness when the film requires it. Gosling’s charm undoubtedly brings the film together, especially during Ryland Grace’s interactions with Rocky. There’s this beautiful bond that is truly touching and filled to the brim with care, Gosling has shown time and time again how strong of an actor he really is and this time around he really reinforces that and truly goes all out. He’s able to balance the emotional heartbreak and the comedic moments expertly that brings this very human performance that almost anyone can latch onto.
Sandra Hüller once again hits it out of the park, if there is one thing I did not expect going into this film it was Hüller singing Harry Styles’ “Sign of the Times” it is a unexpected yet powerful scene that is only made stronger due to Hüller’s beautiful singing voice. Outside of that, Hüller delivers this grounded cold government official that has this vulnerability attached.
Finally there is James Oritz who voices Rocky who is basically a rock with legs, but do not let that fool you. The amount of character moments he gets is truly fascinating and each one of them only helps build the character, as I previously mentioned earlier, the moments between Ryland Grace and Rocky are truly some of the film’s best, it shows the abilities of both actors and builds their character’s bonds. Oritz much like Gosling is able to balance the emotional and comedic moments, Rocky is definitely a bit more on the comedic side than Ryland Grace is. But that does not stop him from being quite an effective character.
The film’s writing is quite fantastic, the mixture of both loneliness and togetherness is what truly brings this film together for me. The loneliness is the ultimate catalyst of the mission but togetherness is what is needed to survive. We see this with Ryland Grace before going into space this sense of loneliness in the air, sure we see him talking to people but the atmosphere makes sure to highlight the loneliness in the air. The togetherness comes in with Rocky, both Grace and Rocky help each other survive and reach the end of the mission, there is also some flashbacks to when Grace was on earth where there were a few moments of togetherness despite the danger Earth is facing.
Finally there is the film’s technical aspects, when you combine the film’s beautiful and effective score from Daniel Pemberton and the jaw dropping cinematography from cinematographer Greg Fraser who gives some of the best shots from a film so far this year. You get a truly wonderful experience that the film is sure to highlight incredibly well.
Overall Project Hail Mary is a fantastic film that is truly worth the experience. While the film can go on for a bit too long in some areas, that is not nearly enough to stop the film from being quite excellent.
Project Hail Mary is available on all VOD platforms.
When a convoluted, frantic plan to book a gig at Toronto’s Rivoli goes terribly wrong, creators Matthew Johnson and Jay McCarrol accidentally travel back in time to the year 2008.
Nirvanna the band the show the movie is directed by Matt Johnson director of The Dirties (2013), Operation Avalanche (2016) and Blackberry (2023). The film is based on the 2007-2009 web series and its 2017-2018 television adaption.
A director who has quickly become an absolute force in Indie filmmaking is Matt Johnson, with every film he attempts something completely different and always brings something truly special to the table. That’s no exception here with Nirvanna the band the show the movie, this is a film that not only celebrates the fun of making a film. But it’s also a film that is genuinely hilarious, charming and just an absolute joy of a film. It is worth noting that I have not seen the web series or the television adaption but after watching this film, that is very likely to change.
First and foremost, the reason why this film works is of course because of Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol. The two play fictionalized versions of themselves and they truly do such a fantastic job here, every single moment they are firing several jokes with some of the most cleanest and best comedic timing you could really ask for. The two’s chemistry is nothing short of fantastic, as I said before I haven’t seen the series the film is based on but this is just one of those moments you can just tell how excellent they are together. The two do such a fantastic job of bringing this film to life, whether it’s several 2008 references or Back To The Future (1985) references the humor always lands as well as their performances.
The film’s writing is sharp and filled to the brim with clever references that really capture this time capsule like approach that truly feels special, incorporating a lot of ideas from Back To The Future (1985) made for some genuinely hilarious laughs as well as tying the film’s themes together. Usually throwing as many references as you can is a very risky move, however what Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol do here is excellent. There are moments of the film where you genuinely wonder “how on earth did this get made?” I won’t spoil anything here, but it is truly just a fun experience just to see what these two end up doing.
Lastly there’s the films themes, the friendship between Johnson and McCarrol is truly beautiful and is the heart of the film. Two friends doing crazy and ridiculous things together, making a film that captures your friendship and this journey you share with the ones you truly love. The film executes this in such a hilarious and touching way that truly invests the viewer into it all.
Overall Nirvanna the band the show the movie is one of the best films of the year, it’s a wonderful film that even if you are not familiar with the source material I still do recommend giving this one a go!
Nirvanna the band the show the movie is available on all VOD platforms.
An overworked analyst and her arrogant nepo-baby boss survive a plane crash near Thailand and must cooperate to survive on a remote jungle island while their workplace power dynamic collapses around them.
Send Help is directed by Sam Rami director of Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead II (1987), Army Of Darkness (1992), Spider-Man and its two sequels (2002-2007), Drag Me To Hell (2009), Oz the Great and Powerful (2013), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) and a few others.
After a few franchise films, Sam Rami returns with an original film that brings him back to his roots and what he’s best at. Send Help is everything you can really ask for from a Sam Rami horror project. Excellent act, the perfect blend of horror and comedy and creative writing that puts a spotlight on several different themes that all mesh well together.
The performances from Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien are some of 2026’s best so far. Rachel McAdams goes from being calm and collected to insanity in a snap, it’s an unhinged performance that perfectly captures the atmosphere Rami creates with this film. There’s almost this strategic element in McAdams’s performance that the viewer slowly but surely starts to dive into as the film goes on, McAdams has always been a fantastic actress, but here she really kicks it up a notch. From the moment her character Linda Liddle is introduced you immediately get into her character, we as the viewer slowly watch her slowly change over the course of the film and it’s just a huge blast to see.
Dylan O’Brien is also quite fantastic as well, he plays a complete and total asshole and does quite a great job at doing so. The scenes of him trying to stand against an unhinged Rachel McAdams is some of his best moments, the fear in his eyes and the suspense is the perfect combination. The best however is the dynamic between the two, they work effortlessly together, whether it’s the film’s opening moments of O’Brien’s character Bradley Preston being a complete and total asshole to Linda, or when Linda has Bradley at a brutal point where he has no choice but to listen to her. Everything about McAdams and O’Brien working together in the film just makes a lot of sense.
The writing is quite clever, it ties in themes like generated power dynamics, hierarchy, nepotism and toxic workplace politics in both a humorous and serious way. The film is not saying anything particularly new about these topics, however the way the film manages to tie in these topics into the story (you slowly start to see them come into play as the film goes on) is very interesting and what makes the writing so investing.
As I said before Sam Rami returns to his roots and that means we get some fantastic gore, some well done shots (with the help of cinematographer Bill Pope) and creatively built atmosphere. What makes Rami such a compelling and fascinating director is the atmosphere he builds for his films and that’s no exception here. McAdams and O’Brien are quite easily able to capture the atmosphere the film requires, it’s feel of a film that balances its humor and horror perfectly. The film is able to both make the viewer cackle at a simple joke and make you feel somewhat disturbed by some of the gore. It’s the perfect blend that really hits the ball out of the park.
Overall Send Help is a fantastic film, In a year that has been excellent for horror so far. This is definitely one of the best of the pack.
A terminally ill actor becomes obsessed with being featured in the Oscars’ “In Memoriam” segment, exploring ego, humility, and legacy.
In Memoriam is directed by Rob Burnett director of We Made This Movie (2012) and The Fundamentals Of Caregiving (2016).
In Memoriam perhaps has one of the most unique premises I’ve heard of so far this year. The whole idea here is an aging actor is faced with terminal cancer but then wants to make it on the In Memoriam section of the Oscars ceremony, it’s a very eye catching idea that works quite well. While there are a few hiccups along the road, the film does a great job of executing its ideas and helps build its characters around it.
Marc Maron gives one of the best performances of his career, he’s able to balance the film’s dramatic and comedic moments expertly which leads to some genuinely hilarious and impactful dialogue exchanges. He plays off the supporting cast incredibly well, his most hilarious moments come in when he’s on screen with Michael McKean and his best dramatic moments come in when he’s on screen with Talia Ryder.
Speaking of which, Talia Ryder continues to show that she is incredibly underrated. The little moments of Maura (played by Talia Ryder) wanting her father Langston (played by Marc Maron) to teach her about acting have this raw atmosphere to them that you really can’t help but love. The father and daughter bond the two display throughout the film is the heart of it all, it leads to an admittedly predictable yet beautiful ending that will absolutely make you shed a tear or two.
The rest of the cast is great, as mentioned earlier Michael McKean is quite hilarious. Megalyn Echikunwoke makes for a fun addition during the film’s second half and Lily Gladstone although not having a large presence in the film, still goes all out with her performance. The dialogue exchanges between her and Maron are some of the film’s highlights.
As far as writing goes In Memoriam is quite strong, it goes for this dramady type of feel that really works. It’s definitely understandable if some moments could feel like a whiplash for some viewers, but luckily the film does a great job of mostly preventing that by having plenty of down to earth serious moments yet strangely funny. The theme of the time someone has left when faced with a situation like cancer is truly well done and has this sense of care that’s put into it.
The film is admittedly very predictable especially during the second half as it does have a ton of genre cliches. However I don’t think that ruins the movie, the performances, the beautiful moments and the premise itself keep this one afloat. It’s the type of film that you root for due to it just being so charming and in the end the film reaches that finish line.
Overall In Memoriam is a very charming and caring film that has some great performances and is quite hilarious. At times it can feel familiar but one thing is for sure that the film will leave you with a great impression.
Jerome Reviews... 