Quick Reviews: Soulm8te and The Devil’s Mouth (2026)

A man acquires an Artificially Intelligent android to cope with the loss of his recently deceased wife. In an attempt to create a truly sentient partner, he inadvertently turns a harmless lovebot into a deadly soulmate.

Soulm8te is directed by Kate Dolan director of You Are Not My Mother (2021). The movie serves as a spin-off to M3GAN (2022) and is the third installment in the M3GAN series.

After M3GAN 2.0 (2025) did poorly in theaters both critically and financially (although I found it to be a messy but fun movie), I guess Universal decided this series that they had wasn’t going to go anywhere so they pulled the planned theatrical release for SoulM8te and went with a VOD release.

After watching Soulm8te I can understand why they decided to pull it, this movie is basically every single AI bot movie we have gotten the last few years. A huge comparison being Subservience (2024) which I actually do think this movie is a touch better than but that’s really not saying all that much. There really is not a whole lot to say here so I’ll keep this short.

Lily Sullivan does a great job as Sara, she’s genuinely terrifying at times and captures the thrilling atmosphere the rest of the movie desperately needed to. Some moments during the movie’s final act in particular are some standouts, the unpredictable mannerisms combined with the artificial behavior make Sullivan’s performance far and away the best part of this movie.

The rest of the performances are fine enough, David Rysdahl’s character David is just not that interesting. There’s this whole theme of him trying to cope with the death of his wife which is touching but we only ever get pieces of this sprinkled throughout the movie. It’s not quite enough to really dive into him as a character, Claudia Doumit does fine enough here but is sadly just not given anything really interesting to work with.

As for the rest of the movie it’s basically what you have come to expect from a lot of these AI companion horror movies. Everything you think is going to happen does in this movie, I’ll give the final 20 minutes some credit for being somewhat fun. But for a majority of the movie you are sitting there fully expecting everything to fall into place (which it does), M3GAN 2.0 (2025) for all its faults remained consistently fun throughout the running time, Soulm8te just does not have the energy or strength to really bring anything together in the end.

Overall Soulm8te is a very bland addition to this whole AI companion movie sub-genre, Lily Sullivan shines but that’s really about where it ends. You could easily do so much worse, but it’s incredibly easy to see why Universal pulled the plug on the theater release.

Soulm8te is available on all VOD platforms.

5/10 C

A group of college friends’ Thailand adventure turns deadly when they become trapped in submerged caves with a dangerous predator. As oxygen runs low, past conflicts emerge in their desperate fight for survival.

Quick Review

The Devil’s Mouth is directed by Jeff Wadlow director of Cry Wolf (2005), Never Back Down (2008), Kick-Ass 2 (2013), True Memoirs Of an International Assassin (2016), Truth Or Dare (2018), Fantasy Island (2020), The Curse Of Bridge Hollow (2022) and Imaginary (2024).

I believe The Devil’s Mouth is the third or fourth Shark/killer Orca movie I’ve seen this year and much like the others this is terrible. A dead giveaway for this being bad should have been that it’s directed by Jeff Wadlow a director who for his 5 movies has popped up every 2 years so I guess we were due for another.

There is just not a whole lot to say here about The Devil’s Mouth, the only reason why I watched this one was because of Kathryn Newton who is by far the best part of the movie. The rest of the cast try to make the best with what they have but the writing is horrendous mixed with insufferable characters (outside of Sara played by Newton) that you almost immediately do not care for at all.

Due to the movie being PG-13 the gore is noticeably absent making the whole shark attacks feel incredibly empty, how you are able to make B grade shark movie this dreadful to sit through is quite the accomplishment. The CGI is terrible and the movie itself is not well crafted at all, there’s no personality going on here with the cinematography. Occasionally you get one or two shots that set up for something mildly interesting before the movie brings it back down again.

The Devil’s Mouth is the very definition of a terrible streaming movie that is talked about for about a week before immediately being forgotten about.

The Devil’s Mouth is available on Amazon Prime Video.

1/10 F

Nimrods (2026) Film Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nimrods releases tomorrow in theaters.

9/10 A

Blue Film (2026) Film Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blue Film is available on all VOD platforms.

9/10 A

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)