SXSW Review: Pizza Movie (2026)

High college students face an unexpectedly epic journey when they must navigate two flights of stairs to retrieve their pizza delivery, turning a simple task into a surreal adventure.

Pizza Movie is directed by Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher which is their directorial debut.

Pizza Movie starts off simple enough but quickly goes on to be a bizarre ride that is truly fun and quite hilarious. The film has a lot of Harold & Kumar and Scott Pilgrim DNA mixed with classic stoner comedy elements all of this combined makes for a movie that is truly an entertaining ride.

The performances are a blast of fun, you can very easily tell the cast was having the time of their lives while on set and it makes their performances all the more better. Gaten Matarazzo and Sean Giambrone work incredibly well together, the comedic timing of the two is on point and the dialogue the two share with one another is truly hilarious. Lulu Wilson is also a quite fun addition to the two and brings this fun dynamic along for the ride.

The writing is quite humorous and is not afraid to get bizarre, while the movie does admittedly lose steam towards the end which is simply due to the pacing feeling a bit uneven at times. It’s still quite enjoyable the whole way through, the writing has this feel where you have no idea what is going to happen next due to the film’s bizarre atmosphere. It has that going for it and luckily it mostly delivers on that, the writing has its clever moments that did surprise me.

The main criticism mainly comes from some of the earlier jokes and the character writing. Some of the early jokes in the movie aren’t anywhere near as good as the rest of the movie, granted they aren’t dreadful which is mainly due to Matarazzo’s and Giambrone’s delivery. The character writing particularly with Lizzy is a bit underwhelming and does feel a little last minute, with that being said Lulu Wilson is still able to pull out a good performance from it and as I said earlier is a fun addition.

Pizza Movie is definitely one of those movies where you should go in knowing as little as possible, I was a bit vague throughout this review because it very much is a case of telling what exactly happens or even hinting at it really ruins the surprise. I do recommend giving this one a look once it releases!

Pizza Movie releases April 3rd on Hulu!

6/10 C+

SXSW Review: Sparks (2026)

A Nevada reservoir rumored to be a time portal keeps life interesting for the Crop, aimless teenage best friends in Sparks-until Cleo arrives determined to reach 1960s Paris.

Sparks is directed by Fergus Campbell which is his directorial debut.

Sparks is an interesting, almost immediately the whole premise immediately grabs your attention. A group of teens believe that a reservoir might be a portal through time, along the way there is this discussion about adolescence that gives the film and its characters more depth. While there are some writing issues here and there, Sparks ends up being a very charming little film that you really can’t help but appreciate the passion that went into it from the cast and crew.

The performances are incredibly fun here, it’s great to see Elsie Fisher again as she is quite a phenomenal actress and she continues to showcase that with this film. Madison Hu is also quite great and has such fun chemistry with the rest of the cast. The rest of the cast are just as great, everyone gives humorous and heartfelt performances that really add to the film’s fun spirit that’s present throughout the experience. Hearing the characters simply talk about their love for old cinema, their dreams and passions in life is truly fascinating and brings this beautiful raw into the mix.

The writing is humorous yet clever, the time travel aspect of it is fresh and works well with the context of the story. It’s not overly confusing and does not try to tangle itself into knots with trying to explain how it works. But the idea that is explored here as I said earlier is adolescences and captures this idea of wanting to be in a bigger place than you are currently in, there are some scenes of the teens just shouting ideas off the top of their heads which does a great job of depicting boredom but also having fun as well. It very much feels like a friend group that you might know of or even have one that you might have/currently are a part of.

The cinematography from Keldon Duane-McGlashan is absolutely gorgeous, it displays the beauty of the Nevada desert and adds its on bit of character as well. The direction from Fergus Campbell is sharp, careful and has this breezy atmospheric feel that makes these characters come to life.

Overall Sparks is a fun one, there is a lot of love for filmmaking here that really stands out. It might take some time to figure out what is exactly going on. But even then it’s a fun film that is a very quick 1 hour and 18 minutes.

Sparks currently has no release date.

7/10 B

Sundance Review: Josephine (2026)

After witnessing a sexual assault in Golden Gate Park, 8-year-old Josephine acts out violently as her parents struggle to help her process the trauma, causing her to seek control and justice in her own way.

Josephine is directed by Beth de Araújo director of Soft & Quiet (2022).

To say I was incredibly interested to see what Araújo would do next after the highly disturbing and shocking Soft & Quiet (2022) would be the understatement of the decade. While Soft & Quiet was disturbing in a louder and more in your face sense, Josephine is disturbing in a more quiet and calculated way that ultimately leads to a very grounded film that is truly powerful.

All three of the main performances are phenomenal, starting with Mason Reeves who gives one of the best child actor performances in recent memory and right from when she witnesses a horrific crime taking place you can automatically feel the brightness taken away from her. Reeves’s character Josephine who is an 8-year-girl completely shuts down and her behavior changes as well, it’s truly devastating to watch and the loss of innocence is fully on display here. Mason Reeves’s body language and long silent pauses are crushing and incredibly authentic. The film truly does a fascinating job of displaying how this sort of trauma can really affect someone especially a child who isn’t fully able to comprehend what they just saw.

Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan both give phenomenal performances here. Tatum gives a career best performance that really sticks with the viewer due to the amount of power and emotional depth that goes into his performance as Damien (Josephine’s father). Gemma Chan is the weakest of the three, however that does not mean for a second that she’s bad. She just doesn’t get as many huge moments of power, she does make up for it with more quiet ones that have this more distant feel, it’s this interesting yin and yang going on here. Tatum gives the more louder and striking moments whereas Chan gives this more distant yet incredibly effective performance. Chan’s character Claire (Mason’s mother) has all the worries of a mother and she really tries with all her might. Chan and Tatum work incredibly well together and really display the reactions of parents who are horrified effectively.

The film’s opening brings you right into the experience in the most disturbing way possible. It is a very disturbing moment that is what ultimately leads to the events of the film and how it traumatizes Josephine. We see over the course of the film with how much it’s really affecting Josephine and with trauma like this it does not simply go away. A child seeing an act of sexual violence and having so much weight on her shoulders because of being a witness is soul crushing.

I don’t want to say too much more as Josephine is the sort of experience that you should absolutely go into knowing as little as possible. It’s a film that is certainly not going to be for everyone due to disturbing nature. With that being said this film broke me and really made me cry, it’s a disturbing yet important film that I do recommend taking a look once it releases.

Josephine currently does not have a release date.

10/10 A+

Sundance Review: Union County (2026)

Follows Cody Parsons as he navigates a drug court program, while his foster brother Jack also deals with heroin addiction, and their sister tries to stay clean.

Union County is directed by Adam Meeks which is his directorial debut.

We have seen plenty of road to recovery films before, some good, some bad and some incredibly forgettable. Rarely we get to see one of these films that prioritizes authenticity in this case though Union County is one of those films. The story itself is a very traditional road to recovery film, but it’s the details that only add up to this film which helps it reach the finish line in the end.

First and foremost a large majority of the supporting cast (including Annette Deao who is a huge stand out of the film and I’ll get into in a moment) are not actors. They worked at the drug court program itself and some were even participants of the program as well. This brings this blend of documentary and narrative film elements into the mix which Adam Meeks does such a fantastic job of presenting. It’s a beautifully told story that feels authentic the whole way through the experience.

The performances are all fantastic across the board, Will Poulter once again shows he is a terrific actor. He gives this grounded and convincing performance as Cody a man who is struggling with addiction, there’s subtle moments that show internal pain. His portrayal of addiction and recovery is deeply humane, there are so many striking moments presented here each of which really build Poulter’s performance. Poulter’s ability to show immense regret through this more muted direction feels incredibly real and is presented incredibly well. This is undoubtedly a career best worthy performance from Will Poulter.

Noah Centineo shows that he has really evolved as an actor, he plays Jack (Cody’s brother) who is a very complex and grounded character that is also struggling with addiction. Although his screen time is limited, he completely transforms into his role which leaves a lasting impact on the viewer. Finally there is Annette Deao and the rest of the supporting cast who as I mentioned before either work at the program or are participants of the program. Deao is the stand out among them as she gives a phenomenal performance where she is basically playing herself, the conversations between her and the rest of the cast are nothing short of brilliant. These arguably some of the film’s most raw moments and they all really deliver in this striking detail. Deao is a real life counselor at the program making her scenes all the more powerful.

As mentioned before the film blends documentary and narrative film elements together, Meeks does an excellent job at doing so especially when it comes to details. The writing has this raw feel that while can have the very traditional road to recovery film elements, still manages to be striking in its execution. Authenticity is what is holding this film together and luckily the whole way through there isn’t a single moment that takes you out of the film.

Overall Union County is an authentic experience that tells such a powerful story of recovery. The cast do such a phenomenal job of telling this story and truly bring so much strength, emotion and care into the experience.

Union County currently has no release date.

8/10 B+

Sundance Review: Big Girls Don’t Cry (2026)

A 14-year-old girl named Sid navigates identity, desire, and the internet during a transformative summer, imitating older peers to fit in

Big Girls Don’t Cry is directed by Paloma Schneiderman which is her directorial debut.

Big Girls Don’t Cry is yet another pretty solid coming of age film, that does have some familiar beats as other films in the genre. But expands upon them as the film goes on, we quickly get some incredibly done chemistry, exploration of the characters and the daily lives of them. All of this combined together paints a quite raw picture that in some way connect with the viewer.

The performances are what hold this film together. Ani Palmer plays Sid a 14 year old girl who is trying to find who she is and wants to desperately fit in with her old peers. Palmer gives a phenomenal performance as Sid due to her long pauses and facial acting that are both striking and capture that of a teenager growing up. It’s truly a fascinating performance that really sticks with you after viewing. Rain Spencer is just as fantastic here, Spencer has plenty of moments where she completely steals the scene she’s in. I was unfamiliar with Rain Spencer (I have not seen The Summer I Turned Pretty) prior to watching this film, so I’m quite impressed with her performance here.

Which does lead me to one of my favorite parts of this film…the chemistry. Every single one of the cast feels connected and has natural dialogue touch that makes the film all the more real. That’s especially the case with Ani Palmer and Rain Spencer, every single moment the two share the screen it feels like we are listening to a raw conversation between two individuals.

The writing is quite strong here as well, while there are some moments that are a bit on the weaker side. The rest of the film really brings the viewer into Sid’s experience and presents it in this very grounded way. Throughout the film we see Sid trying to figure out who she is and the more important moments that lead up to her to figure out the final conclusion.

Overall Big Girls Don’t Cry can definitely feel a bit familiar at times and it may not bring anything new to the coming of age film genre. However I do think this film is undoubtedly going to connect with a lot of people simply due to how it’s presented and how well written the characters really are and sometimes with films like this that’s all that really matters.

Big Girls Don’t Cry currently has no release date.

7/10 B

The Dreadful (2026) Film Review

The Dreadful follows Anne and her mother-in-law Morwen who live a solitary, harsh life on the outskirts of society – but when a man from their past returns, he will set off a sequence of events that become a turning point for Anne.

The Dreadful is directed by Natasha Kermani director of Shattered (2017), Imitation Girl (2017), Lucky (2020) and Abraham’s Boys (2025).

The Dreadful is one of those movies where soon as the movie ends you almost immediately forget what you watched. Outside of the atmosphere and the actually quite beautiful cinematography, there is just not a whole lot going on here making the whole experience feel empty and dreadful (I had to throw in at least one joke here) to sit through.

Kit Harington and Sophie Turner are not horrible here, but they aren’t exactly great either. Their performances just aren’t strong enough to overcome the movie’s terrible script that feels like a slog to get through. Their characters Jago (Harington) and Anne (Turner) are not interesting enough to make the viewer care for the story. What adds fuel to the fire is the two just don’t have very good chemistry, individually the performances aren’t horrible but together there is a ton of awkwardness that starts to rub onto the viewer and never goes away.

The atmosphere tries to do some heavy lifting and bring some scenes to life, which at times it does feel like I’m in this movie’s world especially when you combine it with the cinematography from cinematographer Julia Swain. Swain really tries to make everything work, she brings some beauty to certain scenes with the gorgeous cinematography that is quite detailed. Unfortunately the rest of the movie fails to compliment or take advantage of this, it’s frustrating because the ideas that the camera presents is far more interesting than the ones written in the script.

The pacing is painful, despite the movie only being 94 minutes long. It feels more like a 2 hour long movie that is purposely going as slow as possible, nothing invests the viewer throughout the movie. It’s a very dull and forgettable experience that the viewer will almost certainly check themselves out of by the time the movie is over.

Overall The Dreadful is terrible and there is just not a whole lot to comment on here. At the very least it’s forgettable so it won’t stick with you for that long when it’s over.

The Dreadful is available on all VOD platforms.

2/10 F

Bodycam (2026) Film Review

Two officers, trying to cover up a tragic accident, uncover a terrifying supernatural conspiracy, blurring the lines between reality and nightmare.

Bodycam is directed by Brandon Christensen director of Still/Born (2017), Z (2019), Superhost (2021), The Puppetman (2023) and Night of the Reaper (2025).

Right off the bat Bodycam has a good idea going for it, being a found footage movie that uses body cams to tell the story. Unfortunately this movie fumbles the ball almost immediately and never takes advantage of its own ideas. Instead it opts for jump scares, a laughably bad ending and a huge lack of atmosphere that tries to pull from video game franchises such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill which ends up being a complete and total mess.

The only major positive here is the performances from the movie’s two leads Jamie M. Callica and Sean Rogerson, the two do what they can with such a ridiculous and very shallow script. There are moments where they are able to make some of the dialogue salvageable, which ends up being some the only decently thrilling scenes the movie has going on. Unfortunately those don’t last for very long due to the movie’s need to fall in the incredibly ridiculous territory.

What ultimately really hurts this movie is the script, lack of an atmosphere and the ending. The script as I said before is incredibly shallow and has very little going on here. A lot of it is the typical found footage movie cliches and the overall story being incredibly undercooked, it’s a giant mess that hardly ever gives the viewer an idea as to why certain events are happening in the first place.

The lack of an atmosphere becomes apparent when you see that the movie resorts to jump scares…which is basically the entire movie. As I said before the movie tries to pull the atmosphere and feel of Resident Evil and Silent Hill however the movie does not have the psychological touch that the Silent Hill video game franchise has and it doesn’t have the fun and thrills that Resident Evil has. It’s a complete and total mess that tries to be a terrible replica but can’t even do that correctly.

Finally there’s the ending which is laughably bad, we do end up getting the reveal of what exactly is going on here in the end. But what we do get is this CG creature that feels incredibly out of place, it’s one of the most ridiculous endings to a movie I’ve seen so far this year and completely takes the viewer out of a movie that if it hadn’t taken you out of the experience before it sure will now.

Overall Bodycam is terrible, the performances from Callica and Rogerson are decent enough but that is nowhere near enough to save this complete and total mess of a movie.

Bodycam is available on Shudder.

3/10 D-

Quick Review: Shelter (2026)

Michael Mason is a recluse on a remote Scottish island who rescues a girl from the sea, unleashing a perilous sequence of events that culminate in an attack on his home, compelling him to face his turbulent history.

Shelter is directed by Ric Roman Waugh director of Snitch (2013), Angel Has Fallen (2019), Greenland (2020), Kandahar (2023), Greenland 2: Migration (2026) and a few others.

There is only so much you can say about these Jason Statham action thriller movies at this point, some of them such as The Beekeeper (2024) have a lot more going on than others. If you go into Shelter wanting more you are going to be disappointed, with that being said the movie is ultimately very forgettable.

Jason Statham does a decent job once again, there is a classic saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and that absolutely applies to Statham and his performances. He’s good at what he does and he undeniably has the charisma to back it up, although I will say that finding out Michael Mason (played by Statham) was a former government assassin could be seen coming from a mile way especially if you have seen other Statham films. Bodhi Rae Breathnach as Jessie is great here as well, there’s times where it almost feels way too good of a performance for this movie, luckily the movie does take advantage of this and ends up making Jessie somewhat of an interesting character.

The action is pretty standard, there isn’t anything truly exciting going on here. However when you combine it with some of the set pieces (the club scene in particular) you do get something pretty neat every now and then. The cinematography from cinematographer Martin Ahlgren is solid and he manages to capture the movie’s atmosphere and suspense that it’s going for, even said suspense does not always land.

Overall Shelter isn’t terrible, it’s ultimately just another Jason Statham movie that is forgettable but does have a handful of good elements about it.

Shelter is available on all VOD platforms.

5/10 C

Crazy Old Lady (2026) Film Review

Pedro (Hendler) is asked to look after his ex’s senile mother, Alicia (Maura), but she traps him in her home, turning a simple favor into a fight for survival

Crazy Old Lady is directed by Martín Mauregui director of Love (Part One) (2005).

Crazy Old Lady automatically hits you with this claustrophobic atmosphere as soon as it begins which is mainly thanks to cinematographer Julián Apezteguía’s camerawork. It’s a film that does meander a bit but it ultimately does reach the finish line with a solid conclusion.

The performances from Daniel Handler and Carmen Maura are what really make the film. Especially Maura who gives a genuinely intimidating performance, she’s able to capture this sense of dread in each scene. She effortlessly switches between personalities that really does make you wonder which one is going to take the front seat in the scenes of Alicia (played by Carmen Maura) and Pedro (played by Daniel Handler) exchanging dialogue. Maura captures the film’s claustrophobic atmosphere immediately when she enters the film and keeps it that way throughout the experience. Daniel Handler does a great job of displaying fear and realizing how insane the situation really is. He compliments Carmen Maura’s performance incredibly well and serves as this stone to build the movie’s haunting atmosphere.

The writing might not exactly be fantastic and there are cases where the movie is lacking a bit of depth, however the performances from Maura and Handler are able to elevate the material and make it a bit more interesting. With that being said the movie does meander a bit which does end up hurting the pacing at times, the pacing can feel breezy or it can feel rough it’s a very strange case of the movie using both.

Finally there are some backstory elements that are introduced but are not fully explored, the movie does make up for it with some symbolic elements such as the decaying house. The house actually does get development when it comes to the cinematography being so well detailed and with the lighting.

Overall Crazy Old Lady is a decent little film that does hold back at times, but it delivers when it comes to performances, cinematography and atmosphere.

Crazy Old Lady is available on Shudder

6/10 C+

Clika (2026) Film Review

After a video of his music goes viral, he starts selling drugs to earn money for his music, leading him into a world of danger and conflict.

Clika is directed by Michael Greene director of Live (2018).

There is not a whole lot to comment on here with Clika it’s a movie that means well, but ultimately ends up becoming such a huge mess when it blends so many genres together and isn’t able to nail any of them down.

The acting in particular is incredibly rough, it’s hard to really blame the actors as they are given such a shoddy script to work with. However a major problem comes in when singing is involved, the problem being that Jay-Dee can’t sing all that well. You could do far worse, but it is all over the place and does take the viewer out of the movie almost immediately. Eric Roberts has his few moments but even then it feels like he just came on set to collect a paycheck and book it out of there.

The over reliance on voice overs that are delivered poorly certainly hurt the movie, however what really breaks this movie is the constant jumping between genres. You have a music biopic, drama and a thriller none of which are done particularly well. The music biopic part is filled to the brim with cliches that it’s almost impressive how many they squeezed in. The dramatic moments aren’t enough to really bring the viewer’s attention, the only thing that’s really keeping the viewer is the lower budget filmmaking having some sort of charm (but even then that can only work for so long.) Finally there is the thriller portion which ends up being a crime plot that does end up being the movie’s strongest part but unfortunately still lacks a ton of development.

I get Clika was loosely based on the true life story of Jay Dee (Jesus Diego), but the way this movie goes about telling this story in this poorly constructed mess is very baffling. It’s frustrating because stories like this deserve to be told properly, it’s ultimately one of those bad movies that are harmless but really makes you leave the movie feeling like there was a missed opportunity here.

Clika is available on all VOD platforms.

3/10 D-