Sundance 2026: Chasing Summer
The latest film from director Josephine Decker isn’t as stylishly artful as her previous films, 2018’s “Madeline’s Madeline” and 2020’s “Shirley,” and some may be disappointed by that. For the millennial coming-of-middle-age dramedy “Chasing Summer”, Decker aligns herself with the wild and fun sensibilities of its screenwriter and star, Ilisa Shlesinger, and the result is a story that is hilarious, charming, and sexy. While the two women grew up in different Dallas suburbs, they have fun here, bringing together Shlesinger’s whip-smart, rapid-fire dialogue with Decker’s vibrant approach to a big studio comedy. These relatably flawed and funny characters, offered from a female’s perspective, are a blast to hang out with. Read more…
THE MORRIGAN (2026) review
written by: Colum Eastwood
produced by: Ashley Holberry and Gavin Cosmo Mehrtens
directed by: Colum Eastwood
rated: R (for some sexual content, graphic nudity, language and brief violence)
runtime: 96 min.
U.S. release date: February 3, 2026 (VOD)
“This is god’s work, Sean. He’ll forgive us for what we have to do today.”
If the UK and Ireland seem to have a stranglehold on folk horror, it’s likely due to the subgenre’s emergence in the late 60s and early 70s with some distinctively British folk horror films like “Blood on Satan’s Claw” and, of course, “The Wicker Man.” In fact, UK and Irish filmmakers continue cranking out entries in the subgenre, with the last few years bringing us such notable films as Mark Jenkin’s “Enys Men,” Ben Wheatley’s “In the Earth,” Kate Dolan’s “You Are Not My Mother,” Damian McCarthy’s “Oddity,” and Alex Garland’s “Men.”
Sundance 2026: Closure
At around 4 am on May 27th, 2023, 16-year-old Krzysztof “Chris” Dymiński snuck out of his family home in Ożarów Mazowiecki, hopped on a bus to Warsaw, and walked to the center of the Gdański Bridge, above the Vistula River. He was captured on a rotating CCTV camera, standing motionless, staring at the water below for about 20 minutes. The camera swiveled away and back within 3 minutes, and the boy was gone, never to be seen again. Read more…
Sundance 2026: Nuisance Bear
Two things occur at the beginning of “Nuisance Bear” that catch our hearts and curiosity. There’s an undeniably adorable shot of a mother polar bear and her two cubs lying on the snowy ground. It’s striking in its peacefulness and its incredibly up-close proximity. The other thing we don’t just see but also hear is the voice of Mike Tunalaaq Gibbons, who speaks to us in his beautiful Eastern Canadian Inuktitut dialect, his soulful, weathered face conveying endless stories. The elder patiently tells us, “I’ve never told this story before. It may seem like a simple story, but no story is ever a simple story.” From those two things, I was hooked and anticipated what kind of story the directors Gabriela Oso Vanden and Jack Weisman would share in their curiously titled documentary. Read more…
THE WRECKING CREW (2026) review
written by: Jonathan Tropper
produced by: Jeffrey Fierson, Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Matt Reeves & Lynn Harris
directed by: Ángel Manuel Soto
rated: R (for strong bloody violence, sexual material, pervasive language and some drug use)
runtime: 122 min.
U.S. release date: January 28, 2026 (Prime Video)
“The Wrecking Crew” is not the latest MCU entry (if you know, you know), but rather an attempt to update the buddy cop action comedies of the late 80s/early 90s. From the outside looking in, it would seem that Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa would be the perfect duo to revive the subgenre. Sure, there’s an expectation of loud testosterone-fueled behavior, but here are two actors who are capable of giving more than that. They just need the right material to show their range. Sadly, this isn’t it. Read more…
SEND HELP (2026) review
written by: Damian Shannon and Mark Swift
produced by: Sam Raimi and Zainab Azizi
directed by: Sam Raimi
rated: R (for strong/bloody violence and language)
runtime: 114 min.
U.S. release date: January 30, 2026
“Send Help” isn’t just another horror movie dropping in January; it’s a horror comedy from veteran director Sam Raimi! What’s there to be excited about? Well, it marks the first movie he’s made since 2009’s great “Drag Me to Hell” that isn’t an IP – his last two were blockbusters for Disney, 2013’s “Oz The Great and Powerful” and 2022’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” – which means he’s free from any franchise constraints and is able to go full Raimi on us. While that means his signature style, sadistic sense of humor, and proclivity for copious blood are back, there’s a compelling story with an absolutely phenomenal performance from Rachel McAdams, which is another reason to get excited. Read more…
A PRIVATE LIFE (2025) review
written by: Rebecca Zlotowski, Anne Berest, and Gaëlle Macé
produced by: Frederic Jouve
directed by: Rebecca Zlotowski
rated: R (for some sexual content, graphic nudity, language and brief violence)
runtime: 103 min.
U.S. release date: December 5, 2025 (limited) and January 23, 2026 (wider)
According to recent interviews, Jodie Foster‘s mother had dreams that her daughter would learn French and become an actress in French cinema. Well, she has fulfilled those dreams in her latest role as a renowned psychiatrist in “A Private Life”, a dark comedy/mystery thriller directed by Rebecca Zlotowski. It marks the first time the Oscar winner has played a leading role in French. Perhaps for that aspect alone, the film will be a curious watch for some, but those who know Zlotowski’s work should agree that any new film from the French artist is worth checking out. Read more…
WONDER MAN (2026) review
Considering that more well-known Avengers have made live-action appearances in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), it would make sense that some of the lesser-known characters finally made their debut. One such character is Wonder Man, who possesses immense superhuman strength, heightened senses, the ability to fly, and regeneration. He’s essentially immortal, powered by ionic energy. That all sounds impressive, but we barely see any of that in the new 8-episode miniseries, “Wonder Man”, which drops in its entirety on Disney+ on January 27th. Created by Destin Daniel Cretin and Andrew Guest, the show is more of an introduction than an origin story for a character that hasn’t appeared in live-action before, let alone any other MCU offerings. Read more…
MERCY (2026) review
written by: Marco van Belle
produced by: Charles Roven, Robert Amidon, Timur Bekmambetov, and Majd Nassif
directed by: Timur Bekmambetov
rated: PG-13 (for violence, bloody images, some strong language, drug content, and teen smoking)
runtime: 100 min.
U.S. release date: January 23, 2026
Release dates are a curious, albeit purposeful thing. Studios know that we know that January theatrical releases typically mean that they have no confidence in their movie and just need to drop it to make some kind of profit. Maybe we’ll get one worthwhile new release in the first month of the year (so far, this year it’s “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple”), but for the most part, we’re getting B-movie material like director Timur Bekmambetov’s “Mercy”, which is being marketed as a sci-fi AI thriller, but is more like a nauseating VR experience. It’s not a bad movie. But despite being competently made, it’s a movie whose lead takes a seat (literally) to a vapid, forgettable story. Read more…
The Top Ten Films of 2025
There was a plethora of great films in 2025. It was an impressive year. If you don’t feel that way, I’m glad you’re here. Now, I feel like I say that every year, but this year feels different. It was the rare year that my list consisted solely of films that I gave 4-star reviews to. It’s not that I was decidedly generous this year; it’s that the films were just that good. It was a challenging year in many ways, and 2026 isn’t letting up. So, let’s take it one day, week, and month at a time, and look out for each other, as we take in the art of cinema. Read more…
