Power Ballad (2026)

Carney makes movies about loving and making music. With Power Ballad he focuses on the nebulous relationship surrounding the "ownership" of music, in the specific context of what constitutes writing a song? Power Ballad muses on this question in interesting ways, surprisingly not offering us too easy an answer making this a far more intriguing story that I had anticipated. Presented as a simple moral question, the film actually goes in different directions, as we explore how ones relationship to art can affect ones relationship to the people they love.  

I liked how Power Ballad  doesn't go where you think it's going to go. The film is the least interesting when it is following funny hijinx of Rick trying to reach Danny. It is at its most interesting when each is struggling with their relationship to the song in question, the catchy and very digestible titular ballad. 

For me the film doesn't quite have enough juice and feels like it needs to pad its story a bit. The lead up to Rick and Danny's final confrontation errs on the silly side a bit too much for my tastes, but when they do finally talk, really talk, again the film finds its groove. And the final moments worked for me, a rather satisfying conclusion of the thorny issue that finds a realistic way to resolve the plot, even if it doesn't quite answer the central question, a question I feel is more complicated than a simple yes or no. Sure the film gives us what the legal answer may be but its focus on relationships gives the film its emotional centre. 

Power Ballad

Starring: Paul Rudd, Nick Jonas, Peter McDonald, Marcella Plunkett, Beth Fallon, Havana Rose Liu, Jack Reynor

Writer/Director: John Carney

 

Masters of the Universe (2026)

Despite being in the generation that grew up with Masters of the Universe, it was not my thing. I had a couple of the toys as a child, I'd watch the show occasionally, but I was never into it or followed it that closely. I never quite understood the appeal. This is a property that is based on a toy line before it is any narrative or set of characters. Everything is built around the toys being sold. So the attempt to readapt it into something for a modern audience faces specific challenges and now that I've seen it, I'm not sure the new attempt pulls it off. 

Is this as bad as 1987 live action film? Not even close. That was a disastrous mess that wasn't even on a it's-so-bad-it's-good level. But is this a clever, self-acknowledging nostalgic tribute a la Dungeons and Dragons Honor Amongst Thieves? I don't think it gets there. It certainly leans into its self-awareness, mocking itself manytimes throughout, but it pushes past a teasing tone into mockery. 

And the story just isn't the fun, playful romp it needed to be. It's rather on the cliched and rote side. Dare I say it was a little dull? The production is at a high level (especially when we have 1987 to compare it too) but the script feels half-assed. The cast, acts like they are constantly winking at the audience with Leto and Brie being the most scenery chewing of the bunch. I get that it would be incredibly hard to take the premise and characters of Masters of the Universe not feel ridiculous but it could have been done with a tone that wasn't so condescending to itself and perhaps showed a bit more affection for the property. 

Masters of the Universe

Starring: Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Idris Elba, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Kristen Wiig, Jared Leto, Dolph Lundgren, 

Director: Travis Knight

Writers: Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee, David Callaham

Backrooms (2026)

I am often drawn to films that explore what is unnerving over explicitly "scary" images. Sometimes this difference is more a matter of how we understand the experience than the experience itself. I find the ideas behind the story to be the parts which are the most effecting. Rarely do films which feature a "monster" chasing people scary. The idea of our understanding of reality being challenged is far more impactful for me. Backrooms is the sort of film that draws this out of its audience with its atmospheric unsettling ambiance. 

I understand the film has roots in initial images of subliminal spaces which went viral before being adapted into a web-series which had a following of it's own. Backrooms takes full advantage of the cultivated visual aesthetic from these sources creating a complete world it exists in that is so disquieting in both its familiarity and its uncanniness. The film's power lies in the way it takes the mundane and alters it slightly enough to rattle us. 

Backrooms sometimes feels like there are a few ideas being played with simultaneously but it does so mostly in a way that feels consistent. There are only a few moments where I felt like it was taking some short cuts (like a character explaining a little to much, or another stumbling upon answers a bit to quickly). 

Despite critiques that say the film is not traditionally horror, it does have some rather normal horror tropes such as a persistant, mostly unseen monster hunting down its final girl. Thankfully it uses this sparingly focusing more on the way the characters' memories and emotional interiors are fabricated into a confounding "reality". Parsons finds a balance between the stalking monster trope and the more interesting aspects of how we remember who we are and what that makes us into. 

I was worried the film would attempt to "explain" itself, especially in its end scenes which begin to go down that road, but fortunately it pulls back and leaves us with more questions than answers... exactly what it should do. Sometimes the film does attempt to provide us with a helping hand a bit more often than I would have preferred but I appreciated how the ending can be interpreted a few ways. I look forward to all the conversations about what this story.

Backrooms

Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell, Avan Jogia

Director: Kane Parsons

Writer: Will Soodik

Tuner (2026)

Sometimes a movie just comes together completely and Tuner is one of those movies. It has a great premise whose screenplay brings out its best features. The performances are top notch with Woodalll and Liu showing they both have the potential to carry a film. And Roher directs it all so beautifully into a really entertaining film. 

This is the sort of film I can confidently recommend to almost anyone. It gets a little intense at the end so I'd watch for that if you are somewhat sensitive, but it's worth risking that for such a pleasing movie. I really don't want to say too much about it except go see it. 

Turner

Starring: Leo Woodall, Dustin Hoffman, Havana Rose Liu, Lior Raz, Tovah Feldshuh, Jean Reno

Director: Daniel Roher

Writers: Robert Ramsey, Daniel Roher

I Love Boosters (2026)

I'll watch whatever Boots Riley puts out. He knows how to wrap up sharp social commentary into a delicious package that is a gas to watch. I Love Boosters certainly does fall into that category even if it starts to collapse onto its own silliness a bit by the end. Still I had a great time and I appreciate it's heart and soul. 

The film is very funny and visually incredible to watch. Riley has created a dystopic world for his very real world analogy and filled it with dynamic characters and a plot that perhaps cross just into the ridiculous. While I had a great time, I did feel it tipped over to the point where it became too much. But just a bit. I didn't feel it's overly optimistic ending was completely earned. 

 

Still having said that the film is a wonderful watch and it brings to the fore, with little to no nuance, very important issues. The best thing about this is Palmer's rich performance. Despite all the craziness around her she grounds her character so effectively and powerfully breathing a pathos into the film it might not have without her. Yet she remains part of this over-the-top world bridging it to our reality. 

I Love Boosters

Starring: Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza González, LaKeith Stanfield, Will Poulter, Don Cheadle, Demi Moore

Writer/Director: Boots Riley

The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026)

Reasons I loved The Mandalorian and Grogu:

1. Old fashioned genre adventure movie. This took me way back to the kinds of matinee adventures I'd see as a kid. It had monsters and gun fights and colourful characters. It had me on the edge of my seat and rooting for the good guys. The film offers a lot for fans of the series but is completely accessible to anyone of almost any age no matter how much Star Wars you have seen. You could easily walk in off the street knowing nothing about Star Wars and follow everything. 

2. Space westerns! There is something about this genre that just grabs me. I don't know what it is about the mix of styles and themes that gets me but this is something the Mandalorian series has done so well and this film continues that tradition. 

3. The use of practical effects. The film feels lived in and the richness of the visuals (which contribute back to #1 above) give is such a warmth and joy to watch. There is a lot of CGI as well but it doesn't take me out of it. 

4. Pedro Pascal (enough said).

5. This is an adoption story. I am a sucker for these. Whether it's Superman or The Mandalorian I love films that explore the richness of found family. Star Wars has a lot of this and I find it very moving. 

6. Sigourney. Legend. The Queen of Science Fiction. 

7. This is Star Wars. I am exactly the right to be in love with Star Wars. I was a kid for the original trilogy, in college for the prequels, and a parent taking my child to see the sequel trilogy. This space fantasy means the world to me and getting a new big screen adventure that embraces all that it is (Hutts! fighter battles! Zeb!) slaps a big smile across my face. The film echoes themes and moments from across the franchise (there is always a bigger fish) which is a big part of what makes Star Wars feel like Star Wars. 

8. Grogu is easily one of the most enjoyable characters to come out of Star Wars in a generation and seeing him get to star in this adventure made my little heart happy as all hell. 

The Mandalorian and Grogu is just damn fun with a lovely relationship at its core. It doesn't claim to be very much at all and that makes it just a really great time at the cinema. This is the series that made me fall in love with movies and this film is keeping that love alive!

The Mandalorian and Grogu

Starring: Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, Jeremy Allen White, Steve Blum, Brendan Wayne, Lateef Crowder

Director: Jon Favreau

Writers: Dave Filoni, Noah Kloor, Jon Favreau

Obsession (2026)

For me Obsession appears to know what it is trying to say but chooses to do something different instead. It takes a rather clever play on the careful-what-you-wish-for/monkey paw trope, an idea that in itself could be horrifyingly creepy and instead turns it into an excuse to lean into standard horror movie creepiness instead. The idea here, that a man chooses for a woman who she should be in love with against her will, would have been enough on its own to make a truly disturbing film. Instead Obsession is obsessed with just having her act creepy, violently, and uses jump scares to scare us. But the worst part is that the film hints at how scary it's actual premise is at moments before falling back into being just another horror movie like all the rest. 

The film starts out great. It sets up its story perfectly; a "nice-guy" is in love with a beautiful and truly lovely young woman who has apparently "friendzoned" him but can't bring himself to let her know how he feels. Instead he snaps a toy wish granter (which to be fair he thinks is just a joke and won't have any real effect) wishing that she would love him more than anyone in the world. From there the story gets going and for me gets off track. 

Imagine the film where she acted like a real person madly in love, perhaps unhealthily obsessed, perhaps acting out against those she sees as threatening to their relationship. He would have to wrestle with her possessiveness and with the reality that he knows this is not what she chose and that her love for him wasn't a choice she made. There is so much potential there. But this film mostly ignores that only taking short glimpses into that world. 

Instead it immediately has her acting "weird" like she's possessed by some evil spirit more like a traditional horror movie. She does a lot of things that no one would do in any realistic context. The film even has moments where it leans into the possession idea. But mostly it leaps from unnatural behaviour to violent act like it's an Exorcist movie. There is no reason she would feed him a cat nor walk around like a crab hiding in the dark. The film just felt off a lot of the time. What I wanted was for him to wrestle with the fact that he has essentially assaulted her and the worsening of this as he continues on but the film barely scratches this surface instead leaning into being creepy in a traditional horror movie sort of way. It's like the film has a very limited understanding of relationships and consent, the very things that this morality tale really need to work. 

As the film ends it finally taps into some of the energy I wanted from this and leaves its very bleak ending in a place that made sense to me. But by then I was already over this version of this story. Perhaps someone else will do a better job of this one day but this isn't that film. 

Obsession

Starring: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Andy Richter

Writer/Director: Curry Barker