Project Hail Mary (2026)

Sometimes a movie comes along that is just a simple crowdpleaser yet captures something, just right for the moment and becomes destined to be a classic film loved for the ages. It doesn't necessarily need to be complex or perfect or without flaws. It just needs to be truly entertaining and accessible for almost anyone. Project Hail Mary is that sort of a movie and I'll be surprised if it doesn't become a big hit.  

I could get into why the film's plot cuts some corners and perhaps jumps from set piece to set piece conveniently wrapping each up with a little bow. I could discuss how the film is a little on the emotionally manipulative side. But I'd be a party-pooper so instead I'll just talk about why I enjoyed the film so much regardless of its imperfections. 

Project Hail Mary is an aggressively optimistic movie. As I said, it manages to solve each of its cataclysmic problems, usually rather quickly. Its central character is likeable with a capital LIKE and never lets the immense pressure of the plot bring him down. When you think about it the film's story goes to some very dark places. Very dark. Yet the film doesn't dwell there, instead finding the bright spots in the almost pure darkness and coming out shining. I think this is a big part of the appeal. Perhaps it is the film audiences need in 2026. 

Gosling is a big part of this. He is extremely charming and relatable and just appealing. It is hard to think of another A-lister who could have pulled this off. His charisma carries the film and truly makes it all work. He'll have you at hello and his delivery of the film's relentlessly cheerful humour is the secret sauce that brings Project Hail Mary to life. 

Lord and Miller have made a lot of rather happy movies and find a real joy in their storytelling. This may be a bit of a magnum opus for them, the sort of film that might define who they are as film makers. And that's not something they should be upset about. 

So yeah there were things I could focus on to pick apart about this movie but I just don't want to cause I had a good time and I want to sit with that. Project Hail Mary and its star won me over. 

Project Hail Mary

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub, Priya Kansara, Orion Lee, James Ortiz

Directors: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

Writer: Drew Goddard

Father Mother Sister Brother (2026)

Father Mother Sister Brother is the sort of film that I loved more and move the longer it went on. It is an anthology film, featuring 3 separate yet related stories set one after the other; Father, Mother, then Sister Brother. Each revolves around "family" and explores the lack of connection within those familial connections. As Father began I was only half into it, but as that reached its conclusion, and we began to move into Mother I began to understand more about what was going on and appreciate the journey. As we finally got to Sister Brother I was enraptured. By the end I wanted to start again. 

Each short in this film is a separate story that does not even imply it is in the same story/universe as the others. But the tales echo each other. The characters have discussions on similar small-talk subjects. They each reference certain objects. But mostly it is the theme of knowing each other in families. The film is both warm in its politeness and cold in how it keeps its characters distant. It is masterful how it balances a lot of the issues with staying close to family. 

Jarmush's films tend to be on the quiet and reflective side and this is no exception. His cast is incredible and delivers the sort of performances needed to go on this journey. The introspection asked of the audience is palpable while the film shows us, like in the famous meme, the tip of the iceberg while implying the large body of ice underneath. It is a masterclass. And it had me bringing up a lot of feelings that I wasn't expecting. Father Mother Sister Brother is unassuming yet powerful. 

Father Mother Sister Brother

Starring: Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Charlotte Rampling, Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Sarah Greene, Indya Moore, Luka Sabbat 

Writer/Director: Jim Jarmush

Undertone (2026)

There are things about Undertone that impressed me but in the end I found it rather unsatisfying. On the one hand the director does a really good job of utilizing space and lighting to create a real sense of unease and discomfort, almost a claustrophobia. But on the other, his underlying themes are so muddled, and the plot is just incoherent enough to take the power of out the story. I'm usually all in for ambiguity, especially in horror, but there is a line where it no longer becomes scary when it isn't suggesting that anything is even happening. 

The gimmick here is clever. We are watching a podcaster record her show and she is listening to audio clips sent to her. Her co-host is recording in another location so we only get his voice as well. The idea is that all we get is the sounds and being denied the visible aspects of the story makes it more disquieting and unsettling. And it does, for the beginning. But the film sort of gives up on this part way through and falls into horror movie cliches such as creepy childish drawings and power surges (maybe?) that make the lights flicker. Instead of sticking to the idea that the visual world is normal but the what we are hearing is off, the film loses some of its power. 

But I might have been able to roll with this if the film had built a cohesive sense of story and or dread. But the film isn't clear on what its story is about. By the end there is just chaotic sounds that aren't connected enough to truly instil any real fear. There are a lot of cliches (childhood songs, backwards music, speaking in tongues, screams/jump-scares) but nothing that suggests what the threat is. 

I also found its meta-narrative sort of questionable. The main character discovers she is pregnant and at one point makes an appointment for a "clinic" and the recordings and other information presented seems to suggest there is a horror that is making mothers kill their babies. What is the film saying?

But the worst sin was that it just wasn't scary in the end. It was a muddle that started out strong but didn't stick any sort of landing. 

Undertone

Starring: Nina Kiri, Adam DiMarco

Writer/Director: Ian Tuason

 

2026 Oscar Nominated Shorts (2026)

This year's crop of films is more optimistic than other recent years. I have remembered years where coming out of watching them you'd be filled with sadness and dread. But this group provides a lot to smile about. I found myself laughing often during these films. There is some pain and loss expressed here, and they give us a lot to think about, but there is also hope in these films.  

Animated

Butterfly

Painted like a watercolour, Butterfly is a holocaust story, and a story of loss and survival. The story is sparse in it's telling, letting the emotion and visuals drive home its message. It is easily the most gorgeous of the group nominated this year.

Forevergreen

Forevergreen is animated to have the feel of stop motion. The story, reminiscent of The Giving Tree is about maturing and and sacrifice. It is, for me, perhaps the slightest of the five nominated films, but it is still charming in its way.  

The Girl Who Cried Pearls 

Pearls is actually stop motion and its set design and puppetry are intricately amazing. The story is clever with some twists and very adult themes about what is truly valuable. It presents perhaps the most complicated of the narratives of the five nominated films. 

Retirement Plan

Clever and sharp, Retirement Plan is the shortest of this crop of five films. Domhnall Gleeson narrates the thoughts/wishes of a middle aged man looking towards retirement. It is funny and impactful in its brief run time and might be my favourite in the end, maybe because it feels the closest to home for me. 

The Three Sisters

Visually original with its hand drawn animation the film follows three sisters (twist!) who live on a small island when a sailor arrives and uproots their existence. It is quite humorous but also sweet and a lovely little bit of cinema. 

Documentary

All The Empty Rooms

Following a journalist and photographer who take pictures of the bedrooms of children who've been killed in school shootings, this film is a powerful testament to the humans these children were and the families they have left behind. 

Armed With Only a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud

This is the story of photojournalist Brent Renaud, who survived many war zones to bring the story of war to those unaffected, only to finally give the ultimate sacrifice while covering the war in Ukraine. The film highlights the dangerous but important work photojournalists do. 

Children No More: Were and Are Gone

This powerful story of Israelis who protest their country's war in Palestine by holding silent vigils for the children killed in the way by the Israeli army. They face the verbal harassment and threats of physical violence of their fellow citizens yet stand firm in their commitment to ending genocide being committed in their name. 

The Devil is Busy

This film is a day in the life of an abortion clinic in Atlanta. We get a personal look at the people who work there and their dedication to providing this service despite hateful protests outside and discriminatory laws that limit their ability to help those coming to them. 

Perfectly a Strangeness

The most oddball of the this group of five films, and perhaps the only one that isn't struggling with how horrible the world is, Perfectly a Strangeness follows three donkeys who come across an observatory and, well... that's a good question. It is rather strange film that doesn't wear its point on its sleeve but is beautiful in a quiet way and does bring into question the definition of what a documentary can be. 

Live Action

Butcher's Stain

The most grounded of the group. this short film takes a fairly straight forward problem that may be not be as familiar to western audiences, and sets it out for us in a way that makes complete sense. It is powerful in its transparency. 

A Friend of Dorothy

This one was easily my favourite of the bunch with a delightful yet sensitive performance by Miriam Margolyes. The story is incredibly simple yet it is done so effectively it feels fresh. You will smile all the through.

Jane Austin Period Drama

This feels like an elevated SNL skit. Parodying the sort of films the title references with its sharp and truly hilarious script, the film plays with words and our cultural assumptions about menstruation in fun and nonthreatening ways for a light but very entertaining time. 

The Singers

The Singers is a surprisingly touching upending of masculine tropes. It may be the only film I felt was cut off too short. 

Two People Exchanging Saliva

The darkest of the group, this French film's critique is not explicit yet it feels more visceral. It presents a world slightly different yet tied to our own discomfort with sexuality. It remains somewhat ambiguous yet still makes a point that is fascinating to think about. 

Hoppers (2026)

I love it when a film surprises us and turns out to be something more than what it was sold as. In this case Hoppers appears from the trailers and marketing to be a film about a young woman being "transformed" (the how and why don't matter) into a beaver and interacting with the adorable woodland creatures of the glade. But it ends up being about so much more. This is a complex and nuanced lesson on world peace that is so effectively and entertainingly told that both the young and old alike can understand it. And it's all wrapped up in a wonderfully funny and moving story. 

I'll say first that Hoppers is one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. Its humour is organic and very joyful. This isn't biting satire, it is about finding the sort of exuberance that leads to honest, heartfelt laughter. It is also the sort of humour that transcends age. Both kids and adults will find it hilarious. 

And the film tells a truly engaging adventure story. There are real stakes (in fact some of the youngest audience members might be disturbed by some of the events) and real characters and there is edge of your seat action. Hoppers is for sure an entertaining film. 

But the genius here is how they work into the story a quite profound exploration of the interconnectedness of civilization and how to resolve conflict in pluralistic societies. I used the phrase "world peace" as an oversimplification earlier. What truly impressed me was how intelligent and sincere the film's attempt to wrestle with complex political issues is. And, as I said, it is done it a way that the younger audiences who watch it can understand and internalize it while also speaking to the adult in the room. Hoppers is quite a remarkable achievement. 

Fun movie? Check! Will keep you guessing and laughing? Check! Has something interesting and intelligent to say? Double check! Hoppers is a real winner. 

Hoppers

Starring: Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy, Dave Franco, Eduardo Franco, Sam Richardson, Meryl Streep

Director: Daniel Chong

Writer: Jesse Andrews

The Bride! (2026)

I've heard quite a bit about what a so-called "mess" Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride! is but that didn't pan out when I watched what was a brilliant fever dream reimagining that is both wildly bold and biting while also being tragically sensitive. Yeah The Bride! is a dark carnival ride but I was along for it entirely. The film is demanding you listen to it. It is about finding a voice and using it and I get that for many they won't want that voice heard. For many the won't want to hear it. I say scream it out Maggie. 

The character of the Bride is one that has such a rich history in film and originally literature. From Shelley's original creation (in 1818 of all times) which is one of the most effective critiques of maleness created. She hints at the "monster" wanting a bride, a companion, yet her narrative denies him this while suggesting the idea of this potential female creation which may be even more threatening to the status quo than the first Frankenstein creation. Then this was brought to life in the queer camp masterpiece that is James Whale's Bride of Frankenstein film in 1935 which doesn't give her a voice but gives her the agency to reject what the men think is her purpose. I'd argue Kill Bill's Bride is a variation on the theme of a woman molded into what a man wants who again fights back against her designated role leaving devastation in her wake. 

Gyllenhaal takes all of this and makes it explicit. Perhaps wearing it on her sleeve is a reason so many are having a hard time with this film. She starts with Shelley herself and her desire for a voice. Gyllenhaal's Shelley says things like "mother fucking" and laughs at us from beyond the grave. There is no apology here for stepping out of the lines our culture has set out. This is a story, and a story allows for a lot of leeway, and Gyllenhaal runs with that freedom. She mixes elements from Whale's film with Bonnie and Clyde, Busby Berkeley musicals, and pulp fiction crime novels to weave her tale of a woman pursuing her own destiny. It is often audacious and rarely subtle. But anything that is messy here is intentional and... well the point. 

Order is often a male imposition while feminine power invites a visceral, organic griminess that challenges the neatness being imposed. Male desire is focused on hierarchy and black lines of right and wrong while there is more fluidity in femininity. Often is it "mess" which is used to shame women and keep them in line. From the word hysterical itself to the denigration of being "emotional" the openness of messiness is a threat to the stoic order. Gyllenhaal even hints at queerness in moments, another sort of messiness which opposes the "cleanliness" desired by the patriarchy. There are fluids here (literally), emotional outbursts, variability, all the things we are taught to see as unclean and... well, feminine. So much of the reaction to this film is proving the film's point. 

Buckley is a revelation creating an original character. The Bride herself is so complex and volatile yet she creates such a rounded and full character that we can't help feeling for and perhaps even seeing ourselves reflected. She isn't alone as Bale and the rest of the cast are also strong, but she is the titular Bride and all rests on her. She triumphs, creating an iconic version of an icon that is surprising, vulnerable, and I believe will be enduring. 

Is The Bride! a lot? Damn right it is. And I'm here for it. It is movies like this that wreck normal movies for me. I know they can't all function like this, especially since normie audiences won't be able to handle them, but when they do come along I am thankful. The best part was coming out of this knowing The Bride! doesn't need our approval.

The Bride!

Starring: Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Jake Gyllenhaal, Penélope Cruz, Julianne Hough, John Magaro, Matthew Maher, Zlatko Burić, Jeannie Berlin 

Writer/Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal

 

Youngblood (2026)

Rarely do remakes improve on the original but Youngblood might be one of the examples. This beautifully filmed drama skates a thin line between the sports movie cliches inherent in the genre and its refusal to completely give in to them. Strong performances from James, Doyle, and Underwood really cement this as a solid watch. 

Youngblood is an exploration of the toxic masculinity in sport, with a particularity for hockey. It is about taking responsibility for yourself and your actions. It's about the ways men process pain, both the good and the bad. 

It is filmed with an eye towards a kinetic energy. The hockey is breathtaking even though there is less of it than you might expect. But director Davis brings this energy to all the scenes. It is an exciting film to watch. Some of this means perhaps it cuts some corners and doesn't develop everything as much as I might have liked to keep its tight runtime and story telling momentum.

Youngblood is a strong film from Davis who has focused on hockey and black players in previous films (documentaries). This fiction film shows strong promise. 

Youngblood

Starring: Ashton James, Blair Underwood, Shawn Doyle, Henri Richer-Picard, Tamara Podemski, Oluniké Adeliyi

Director: Hubert Davis

Writers: Charles Officer, Josh Epstein, Kyle Rideout, Seneca Aaron