Tag: Film Recommendations
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Buddy Review: Inside Casper Kelly’s Bloody Takedown of ’90s Kids’ TV
Casper Kelly’s feature debut, Buddy, uses the sugary aesthetic of ’90s kids’ TV — think Barney & Friends by way of analog horror — to tell a much darker story about what happens to children on sets run by people who hold all the power. Behind the felt puppets and primary colors is a pointed,…
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It Ends Review: Alexander Ullom Turns Existential Dread Into Horror
Alexander Ullom’s “It Ends” turns existential dread into an unsettling portrait of post-pandemic Gen-Z anxiety. With four friends trapped on an endless road, this deceptively simple horror film asks the question that’s perhaps scarier than any monster: what happens when the panic wears off and you’re still not sure what comes next?
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The End of Oak Street Review: A Family Drama With Teeth (and Claws)
David Robert Mitchell’s “The End of Oak Street” markets itself as a nostalgic ’80s family adventure with a prehistoric twist — but underneath the dinosaur carnage is something considerably colder and more personal. In this review, 818 Lens breaks down how Mitchell subverts the Amblin formula he’s clearly indebted to, unpacks the mid-film gut-punch that…
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The Invite and I Want Your Sex: Olivia Wilde’s Year of Wanting
Olivia Wilde is having one of the most interesting years of any actor in 2026 — not because of box office numbers, but because of range. In The Invite, which she also directs, Wilde plays a sexually starved wife whose marriage cracks open the night her upstairs neighbors come to dinner. In I Want Your…
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Spider-Man: Brand New Day Review — Why This Is Peter Parker’s Most Human Outing Yet
Spider-Man: Brand New Day finally lets Peter Parker stand on his own — no Stark, no Strange, no safety net. What emerges is a surprisingly emotional story about isolation, growing up, and the cost of shutting people out, anchored by a clever, grounded introduction of Jean Grey. Here’s my full spoiler-heavy breakdown of what works,…
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The Odyssey Review: Christopher Nolan Rewrites Homer’s Ending
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey turns Homer’s homecoming into a reckoning with guilt and war — and delivers the best thing he’s made since Oppenheimer.
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Masters of the Universe Review: A Surprisingly Thoughtful Reimagining of He-Man and Masculinity
Travis Knight’s Masters of the Universe reimagines He-Man for a modern audience through themes of identity, masculinity, and self-discovery. While its lengthy runtime and franchise-building ambitions occasionally work against it, strong performances from Nicholas Galitzine and Jared Leto help establish a promising foundation for the future of the beloved franchise.
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Boots Riley Is Back — and I Love Boosters Might Be His Best Film Yet
Nearly eight years after Sorry to Bother You, Boots Riley returns with a surrealist heist comedy that smuggles Marxist theory inside one of the most visually electric films of the year. Keke Palmer leads. Demi Moore villains. The fashion is immaculate. The politics are sharper.
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Backrooms Review: Kane Pixels Brings the Internet’s Most Unsettling Universe to the Big Screen
At just 20 years old, Kane Parsons — known online as Kane Pixels — has delivered one of the most anticipated horror films of 2026, and A24’s biggest opening weekend in the studio’s history. Backrooms, the feature film adaptation of Parsons’ viral YouTube series, arrives with the weight of enormous expectation and an internet fandom…
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“Obsession” Review: Curry Barker’s Monkey’s Paw Horror Is One of 2026’s Best Films
Curry Barker’s Obsession is deceptively simple in premise and relentless in execution — a supernatural horror film rooted in male entitlement, romantic cowardice, and the very real anxieties of modern dating. Anchored by a career-defining performance from Inde Navarrette and a sharp, darkly comedic screenplay, Barker’s feature debut is one of 2026’s best films and…