Scream 7 (2025)

What I like about a good Scream movie is: (1) the mystery, I like how they make you guess who the killer is which isn't common in slasher films, (2) the meta-commentary, I enjoy it when the films reference the horror genre explicitly, (3) the humour, more than most slasher franchises Scream movies are generally funny, and (4) the cold open (more on that later). The first film nailed this and that's why it is a classic. The rest have all balanced these to better or worse effect, and whether or not they work is quite tied to how well they pull off this formula. 

Scream 7 leans into the nostalgia heavily. Sidney is back and now she has a daughter who is her age when the first movie's plot happened. And the killer is Stu Macher from the first film, or someone pretending to be him. The series has attempted to dip into the well of the first one before but this one is the most all in on that. For some continuity it brings back my favourite of the newer films' cast, Gooding and Brown as the hilarious twins who also happen to be the nephlings of original film star Randy. 

For me the nostalgia felt forced. We've seen Sidney process her trauma and these slasher movies being about that just feels a bit dated at this point. Even the generational aspect doesn't feel fresh. Didn't the Halloween series just do that? Also the way they bring back previous killers wasn't as interesting as I had hoped. There is an attempt at an emotional ending that just didn't land for me. 

But did it meet my Scream test? The mystery was kinda so so. The end reveal feels like a let down. I think it works best when the killer is revealed to be someone important. The first film set the bar high and the series has been having a hard time keeping up with this. Lately the final killers are often characters I don't care about and the audience doesn't care about. I don't think this film solved that problem even with what they attempt to do. 

The meta-commentary was... okay. The film appears to address in the dialogue issues with the film series' production over the past few instalments. At one point someone says Sidney is "past her prime" which I believe was famously levelled at Campbell. There are mentions of events that sort of tie into the actors' own trajectories through the productions of these movies. Some of that was interesting but not overly satisfying. 

Finally the humour. I think that is Scream 7's strength.  The script's humour is pretty decent. The script takes some plot short cuts that feel a bit, not well thought through, but the story is rather tight and once it gets going it goes well right up to the end. Sure the plot is a bit shaky but for entertainment value and a fun time it's not bad. Some of the deaths are creatively funny in the way this series tries to do. Despite this one not being as memorable as others I still had a good time. 

And for the cold open. I'm not sure it amounts to much. It attempts to blend the nostalgia with the humour and the meta-commentary in a way that signals where the movie is going but its a bit on the dull side compared to the movie itself. 

So Scream 7 is a mixed bag for me... as are most of the sequels. Perhaps that's just the fate of this series. They are good enough to keep making them and watching them but always a bit of a let down from what they could be.  

Scream 7

Starring: Neve Campbell, Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown. Mason Gooding, Anna Camp, David Arquette, Michelle Randolph, Jimmy Tatro, Mckenna Grace, Asa Germann, Celeste O'Connor, Sam Rechner, Mark Consuelos, Tim Simons, Matthew Lillard, Joel McHale, Courteney Cox, Ethan Embry, Roger L. Jackson, Mark Consuelos, Laurie Metcalf, Scott Foley

Director: Kevin Williamson

Writers: Guy Busick, Kevin Williamson 

In the Blink of an Eye (2026)

When a film is around 90 minutes, especially one that hasn't received the best reviews, I am often suspicious there is another film here, a longer one, that the producers didn't have faith in, so it was edited down to something short and digestible in the hopes it will somehow pass. In the Blink of an Eye gives off these vibes strongly. I found it remarkably moving and interesting while also quite entertaining, yet it is being dismissed as sleight and disappointing. While it may be a flawed but noble attempt, I was not disappointed in it. 

Do I feel like it sometimes is on the straightforward side? Sure. Again I wonder if there is a longer cut with more nuance and character development. But even without that I felt myself getting drawn into each story emotionally. The film follows three interrelated (sort of) stories, one in the prehistoric past, one today, and one in the far off future. It is a story of interconnectedness and ambitiously tries to comment on the meaning of life. Is it fully successful? Perhaps not entirely. But does that mean it doesn't work? Not at all. 

I was into it from the get go and its relentless optimism was handled in a way that was refreshing without feeling pedantic. Overall I was happy with it although I did wish some of it was more fleshed out. But even as it is, In the Blink of an Eye is a film I enjoyed and have been thinking about since watching it.

In the Blink of an Eye

Starring: Kate McKinnon, Rashida Jones, Daveed Diggs, Rona Rees, Jorge Vargas, Skywalker Hughes, Andrea Bang, Aria Kim, Luc Roderique,

Director: Andrew Stanton

Writer: Colby Day

Firebreak (2026)

This Spanish thriller has caught on like... well, wildfire. Yes it errs on the side of melodramatic and is eager to play with expectations but it does so quite deftly, and exploits the audiences fears and distrusts. In the end the film is about how our assumptions can turn us into what we don't want to be, or perhaps be seen as. The film's plot may be a bit of guilty pleasure but what is interesting in Firebreak is the way it gets under our skin and says something uncomfortable about us. 

The film goes a little heavy handed into it's suspicious elements and manipulates the audience to react certain ways. Then its ending throws some of that back in the audience's face a bit. The end result is actually to get us to reflect on how we felt and why we reacted the way we did. Do I think the film handles this brilliantly? Not really. But it is effective. Also it a fun watch with its melodramatic approach. The cast is strong and its filmed very effectively. 

Plus the fire subplot in the background is interesting. At first the film feels like it's going to be a disaster movie style film but that's not really where this goes. Still the fire is like a constant reminder of impending danger which acts like a pressure cooker and heightens the tension of the main plot. In that way the film ends up offering a tense watch that then leads to some interesting reflection at the end. So while not perfect Firebreak is a bit of a pleasant surprise. 

Firebreak

Starring: Belen Cuesta, Joaquin Furriel, Enric Auquer

Director: David Victori

Writers: Javier Echániz, Asier Guerricaechebarría, Jon Iriarte, David Victori 

The Bluff (2026)

For films on a smaller budget, perhaps intentionally aimed at streaming, a good rule of thumb is KISS, keep it simple stupid. The Bluff is a great example of this. A straight forward pirate story, limited locations, and set pieces that don't break the bank but remain effective, and you have a fun little movie that delivers some action and good characters. I enjoyed The Bluff and wouldn't be sad if the tales of "Bloody Mary" continue on into new adventures. 

I didn't have Priyanka Chopra becoming action star on my bingo card but she nails this. Her former pirate turned family woman is tough (as nails) and smart and pulls off being able to fight off a hoard of nasty pirates. Urban might be playing to type but he make a compelling rival to Chopra and their little battle of wills, while as I said straight forward, ends up being damn entertaining. 

Sure you can see they cut corners. On the big screen this might have been bigger names (I hear Zoe Saldana was originally eyed for the role) and some of the effects seem designed for a smaller screen at home. As I said, the script cleverly keeps its action intimate so that large set pieces, crowds, big special effects, can be avoided and produced more cost effectively. Therefore the script needed to make interesting characters and a compelling conflict. It mostly achieves this. I found The Bluff entertaining throughout. While I may not have paid to see this on the big screen, I was enjoying it enough to watch at home. 

And that's all I really need from a film. A good time. Sure when a film can surprise me, blow my mind, take me somewhere I haven't been before, I love that even more. But I can appreciate an old fashioned adventure that doesn't talk down to me, doesn't bore me. The Bluff walks that line and gives us just enough that I wouldn't mind seeing more of this story in the future. 

The Bluff

Starring: Priyanka Chopra, Karl Urban, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Safia Oakley-Green, Temuera Morrison 

Director: Frank E. Flowers

Writers: Joe Ballarini, Frank E. Flowers

Honey Bunch (2026)

I love a great old fashioned horror film that leans into creepy and disturbing over gore and jump-scares. Honey Bunch has a simple presence that evokes classic horror tropes; a husband brings his wife to a remote trauma centre after her accident to help her recovery but things are off and she begins to suspect something foul. There is a lot of potential here and Honey Bunch mostly exploits that to great effect, creating an eerie and unsettling rumination on relationships. 

Created by a real life couple in writer/director team Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli and starring a real life couple, Grace Glowicki and Ben Petrie, Honey Bunch has a meta feel to its disconcerting comments on marriage and relationships. 

The film's biggest strength is its sense of nostalgia for a different era of horror film making which it pay loving homage to while also telling a compelling and rewarding story that manages to stick the landing with an ending that lives up to the promise of its concept. Honey Bunch gives us a complicated perspective on relationships, neither a reinforcement of norms not a condemning critique, but a rather unnerving reflection. 

Honey Bunch

Starring: Grace Glowicki, Ben Petrie, Jason Isaacs, Kate Dickie, India Brown, Patricia Tulasne, Julian Richings

Writers/Directors: Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli

Kokuho (2025)

Gorgeous and epic, Kokuho is set in the world of Kabuki and the film makers revel in the pagentry and spectacle of it. Within that is the story of ambition and loss as we follow the life of a performer, Kikuo, as he moves from ingenue to celebrity to inheritor to disgrace to redemption and come back. It is a grand life story and operatic in style. 

Its runtime is as grand as well but Kokuho manages to keep every moment vibrant so the time passes quickly. As a westerner I was worried about long Kabuki sequences but the director makes them riveting and powerful. It often felt like the opera scenes in a Godfather movie. It is no wonder why the films design, costumes, and make-up have received international attention. 

The film's style is dramatic and emotional which sometimes felt a bit heavy handed. Yet it fits for this story so it's hard to fault it for that. It is about actors and their drama so the fact that they are overtly melodramatic felt authentic even if its not my preferred narrative style. 

Kokuho, despite its runtime, begs to be seen on the big screen and it worth the time spent. 

Kokuho

Starring: Ryo Yoshizawa, Ken Watanabe

Director: Lee Sang-il

Writer: Satoko Okudera

How to Make a Killing (2026)

Great premise. Wonderful cast. Snoozer of a movie. At one point I was even asking myself how it was possible to screw this up. All the pieces seemed to be there but the film amounts to little to nothing. It really feels like it comes down to not finding any style. When you watch it you can imagine a director with a more flashy style taking this and really turning it into something amazing... all while you are realizing how not amazing this film is. 

The plot of How to Make a Killing is cinematic gold (it's loosely based on the 1949 classic Kind Hearts and Coronets) but it is a bit on the, let's be generous, over-the-top side and requires a bit of suspension of disbelief. But so are many of cinema's greatest films. The film needed to find a sense of style, storytelling, which would bring us into this world and get us on board. But the characters are all cardboard cutouts, the circumstances of the movie rather unbelievable most of the way through. It never finds anything solid for the audience to feel connected to or even care about. 

I could imagine a different version of this movie where each character's backstory is fleshed out, each given some fascinating bio to build up to their ultimate demise (which all could have been more fun BTW), all while the tension builds as to whether or not he's going to get away with it. But instead How to Make a Killing seems more interested in racing through each plot point so fast we blink and miss em which does nothing for the suspension of disbelief problem. The central character didn't even get a fair shake. I never once felt his relationship had any chemistry but if the film had found a way to parallel building his love story with the string of deaths, perhaps the film could have found a groove to build to an ending we could be on the edge of our seats for. The film's framing sequence spoils more than it helps and the final "twist" is just not as cool or bleak as the film thinks it is. I really wish the film had gone with what it hints at all along, that Qualley's character is a figment of Powell's imagination, but *spoiler* it doesn't and has a much more average ending that feels like its trying to be a gotcha instead of actually having something to say about our world. It can't even commit to it, leaving Powell to seem ambiguous about how things turned out. 

How to Make a Killing may not be as much the director's fault as the editor's. It does feel like it's been hacked to death like the villain in an episode of Dexter. Maybe the original vision was for this to be a more robust and richer story, but maybe the studio didn't have the confidence and went with cutting everything out until there are only 105 minutes left. Whatever the reasons How to Make a Killing just doesn't...

How to Make a Killing

Starring: Glen Powell, Margaret Qualley, Jessica Henwick, Bill Camp, Zach Woods, Topher Grace, Ed Harris, Raff Law, Motsi Tekateka

Writer/Director: John Patton Ford