FACES OF DEATH (2026) review
written by: Isa Mazzei and Daniel Goldhaber
produced by: Don Murphy, Susan Montford, Greg Gilreath & Adam Hendricks
directed by: Daniel Goldhaber
rated: R (for strong bloody violence and gore, sexual content, nudity, language and drug use)
runtime: 98 min.
U.S. release date: April 10, 2026
Back in the day of brick-and-mortar video stores, the “Faces of Death” movies were renowned for being the most intense horror flicks, primarily because the conceit was that what viewers were watching was true. The gory and macabre situations featuring real-life murders and disasters were captured on film, and the real kicker was that they supposedly actually happened. Added to the mystery and urban legend of it all was the fact that you couldn’t just rent these VHS copies, which felt like copies of copies of copies, at a franchise like Blockbuster. No, it was more like the ma-and-pop video stores you’d find in a strip mall, where the “Faces of Death” cult films would be behind-the-counter only rentals or located in a back room, behind a beaded curtain, where the porn was, aka The Forbidden Place, where you were too embarrassed to venture despite your itching curiosity. Read more…
MIKE & NICK & NICK & ALICE (2026) review
written by: BenDavid Grabinski
produced by: Andrew Lazar
directed by: BenDavid Grabinski
rated: R (for strong/bloody violence, pervasive language, sexual material, and drug use)
runtime: 107 min.
U.S. release date: March 27, 2026 (Hulu)
I can’t recall the last time I watched a movie and became so disinterested so quickly, but that’s what happened with “Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice”. This action-crime comedy, which dabbles in time travel, from writer/director BenDavid Grabinski, aims to be exciting and humorous but falls flat at every turn. The movie is being compared to mid-1990s Tarantino imitators, but that doesn’t quite fit here. A comedy involving time travel should be funny, twisty, and maybe even complicated, but this one feels determined to convince us it’s something it’s not. The only reason I stuck around was to see if and how “Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice” could redeem itself. It never did. Read more…
PALESTINE 36 (2025) review
written by: Annemarie Jacir
produced by: Ossama Bawardi
directed by: Annemarie Jacir
rated: not rated
runtime: 120 min.
U.S. release date: November 18, 2026 (limited); March 27, 2026 (wider); April 3, 2026 (wider)
There can’t be just one film that informs us how Palestine as we know it came to be, but “Palestine 36” is a good place to start. Veteran Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir (“Wajib,” “When I Saw You,” “Ramy”) takes us back to the titular year, recounting the Arab revolt against British colonial rule in Palestine from 1936 to 1939 during the Mandate period. Rather than focusing on one particular person or a specific side of the conflict, writer/director Jacir uses a sprawling ensemble cast to convey the complexities of the people involved. Some of whom portray historical characters specific to that period, while others are amalgams of actual people. While it may be a film set in the past, “Palestine 39” feels relevant to present-day conflicts and, hopefully, provides a better understanding of the tensions and violence seen over the years. Read more…
LATE SHIFT (2026) review
written by: Petra Volpe
produced by: Lukas Hobi and Reto Schaerli
directed by: Petra Volpe
rated: not rated
runtime: 91 min.
U.S. release date: March 27, 2026
In the German/Swiss drama “Late Shift”, we’re reminded that there’s a global health crisis that has nothing to do with health but everything to do with the daily struggles and stress nurses face. Like teachers, there are too few nurses around, despite everyone always saying there’s a need for them, and those who do show up and work each shift nonstop are underpaid. We know this, but it’s good to be reminded. Written and directed by Swiss director Petra Volpe (“The Divine Order”), the film takes a focused look at one late shift navigated by two nurses and one nurse aide who are outnumbered by patients in need and those who grieve for them. It’s not as hectic as an ER, but the demands and constant multitasking are still there and heightened when the focus is on one young nurse who’s doing her best despite impossible odds. Read more…
DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN Season 2 (review)
Despite the show’s subtitle, anyone hoping for an adaptation of writer Frank Miller and artist David Mazzucchelli’s seminal Born Again storyline will be disappointed. That story arc ran throughout most of the monthly Daredevil comic book back in 1986. While the blind, acrobatic superhero created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett debuted in his own self-titled book in 1964, Born Again became the go-to story for anyone new to the character. There are elements from that storyline in the first three seasons of the Netflix Daredevil show (2015-2018), but calling the revival and continuation “Born Again”, which dropped a year ago, is a spot-on double entendre. For those well-versed in Miller’s story, seeing that title brought apprehension and anticipation, but the first season of “Born Again” became a fitting jumping-on point, and now we’re in the thick of it with Season 2 dropping. Read more…
PROJECT HAIL MARY (2026) review
written by: Drew Goddard
produced by: Amy Pascal, Ryan Gosling, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Aditya Sood, Rachel O’Connor & Andy Weir
directed by: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
rated: PG-13 (for some thematic material and suggestive references)
runtime: 156 min.
U.S. release date: March 20, 2026
Hail Mary, full of Grace! There’s a spacecraft called “The Hail Mary” floating light-years from Earth in a distant star system, and its sole occupant is Dr. Ryland Grace. He’s on a mission to figure out why the Sun is losing solar power and what can be done to reverse it so Earth can be saved. “Project Hail Mary” is an adaptation of Andy Weir’s 2021 novel, a story that deftly balances “hard science” details with relatable human emotions and problem-solving. Screenwriter Drew Goddard returns to Weir’s work after previously adapting 2015’s “The Martian”, and directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller take the helm with the goal of creating an epic space exploration. It’s an immediately engaging story, involving a complicated mission, a confused albeit brilliant human, and a helpful alien, told with impressive production design and visual effects. Considering we don’t have too many sci-fi adventures with complex science and human behavior, “Project Hail Mary” is a welcome big-screen experience that reminds us of the possibilities of space travel and the transcendent potential of cinema. Read more…
Finding Gratitude in an Oscars Ceremony
You know that feeling when you’re stuck behind a slow-moving vehicle with no real option to go around? How about when you’re walking, and you actually know where you want to go, but no matter what, either slow walkers or stoppers unknowingly manage to thwart your forward momentum.
That’s kinda how I felt with this year’s Oscar season. It went on forever. Read more…
SXSW 2026: And Her Body Was Never Found
Have you ever looked back on your arguments with your spouse or significant other and thought they would make a good screenplay? Not the kiss-and-make-up kind, but the ones where you retroactively realize you were in the wrong or it was just a situation where both of you were at your worst? I’m talking about the kind of arguments that aren’t easily forgotten, although possibly forgiven. These are moments that linger or scar your relationship. Ones you’d happily erase or re-do, if you could, rather than memorialize for all to see. It turns out real-life husband and wife, Polaris Banks and Mor Cohen, respectively, thought the exact opposite and decided to incorporate their own arguments into a film: starring, writing, and producing themselves, and shot and directed by Banks. The title, “And Her Body Was Never Found,” doesn’t bode well for the couple, especially the wife, played by Cohen. Read more…
SXSW 2026: Bagworm & Daughters of the Forest
South by Southwest (SXSW) returns to Austin, Texas, for its 39th year from March 12th through March 18th. While the festival started out as a hub for independently produced films, it has, over the years, premiered movies backed by major studios, featuring top-name actors and directors. Thankfully, there’s still an emphasis on burgeoning filmmakers of both narrative and documentary filmmaking. While I’m not there in person, I was able to review a couple of the films curated for the festival. There are two very different films, which is the idea and the draw of any film festival. Below, you can check out my review of “Bagworm” and “Daughters of the Forest”. Read more…
UNDERTONE (2026) review
written by: Ian Tuason
produced by: Dan Slater and Cody Calahan
directed by: Ian Tuason
rated: R (for language)
runtime: 94 min.
U.S. release date: March 13, 2026
Until there’s a horror movie that revolves around a protagonist who has tinnitus, we have “Undertone”, which puts its main character through aural hell. It’s akin to a found-footage horror flick, only in this case, there are audio files that leave the listener totally creeped out. Writer/director Ian Tuason takes an effective minimalist approach on a limited budget, taking place in a single location, as a podcaster is gradually tormented by sound. It’s a movie that relies heavily on sound design to evoke psychological chills; that’s all “Undertone” has to offer. The story misses out on saying anything poignant or compelling about grief, guilt, or anxiety. Read more…
