Tag: Reviews

Scream 7 (2026) | REVIEW

Neve Campbell hiding from the Ghostface killer in SCREAM 7 — PHOTO: Paramount Pictures (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Kevin Williamson — Screenplay by Kevin Williamson and Guy Busick.

When Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (often referred to as Radio Silence) took over the reins to this long-beloved slasher franchise from the late, great master of horror Wes Craven — starting with 2022’s Scream legacy sequel — they did a good job of steering the film series in the right direction by creating two films (also including Scream VI) that successfully introduced a new core group of characters, inserted the effective meta-genre commenary that Craven’s films were known for, and earned strong box office returns and critical reception. That goodwill was dealt a significant blow when, after Radio Silence had already exited the seventh film in the series due to scheduling conflicts, the rebooted series’ lead, Melissa Barrera, was, shockingly, fired for pro-Palestinian posts on social media. Following this, co-lead Jenna Ortega announced that she would not return for the seventh film, and director Christopher Landon left the project (and was replaced by original Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson). Recently, boycotts have been announced, and protests have been organized. The very public behind-the-scenes drama has led to a troubled production, and, among the fanbase, there were concerns that this seventh entry would suffer for it. After having seen the film, I can say that, well, ultimately, it’s not just drama behind the camera that’s holding Scream 7 back.

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TV Review Catch-Up – 2025, pt. I of II | Bite-Sized Reviews

Top Row: Poker Face Season Two (Peacock); The Pitt Season One (HBO); The Studio (Apple TV+).
Bottom Row: Peacemaker Season Two (HBO); Severance Season Two (Apple TV+); Mr. Scorsese (Apple TV+).

It does what it says on the tin, as one might say. Look, in 2025, I was particularly pressed for time, and so I prioritized posting film reviews. That said, I saw a lot of television shows in 2025 (so many!), and I have a lot of thoughts on shows and seasons that I loved, liked, or was underwhelmed by, which I want to get out there before I post my list of the best television shows of that year. Do note that shows which are not referenced or listed in this collection of reviews or bite-sized reviews can still appear on the aforementioned future list, and that I did, in fact, review other television shows from this year, so please do seek them out on my all-time TV season review overview by clicking here.

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The Rip (2026) | REVIEW

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in THE RIP — PHOTO: NETFLIX (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Joe Carnahan — Screenplay by Joe Carnahan.

We’re only a few weeks into the new year, and we already have a freshly made and relatively high-profile action thriller to feast on. That high-profile feature is Netflix’s The Rip, which brings together famous friends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in a film built around drug money, dirty cops, and snitches. The Rip, from The Grey-filmmaker Joe Carnahan (who, in recent years, has been making plenty of B-movie action films), is the first 2026 film that I am reviewing, and it also happens to be the first 2026 film that I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s not high art, but it is exactly the kind of straight-to-streaming action thriller star-vehicle that you would want to chew on in January. 

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Stranger Things – Season Five (2025) | TV REVIEW

Gaten Matarazzo as ‘Dustin’ in Stranger Things: Season Five — PHOTO: Netflix (Still image from trailers).

Regardless of what you think about the show or this season, I think you have to admire the gusto of the release strategy for the final season of Stranger Things, of which the first volume (episodes one to four) was released early in December, the second volume on Christmas, and the series finale on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day (depending on your region). Stranger Things really took over a huge chunk of the online entertainment focus in December, despite the fact that massive trailers for huge films were released alongside a new Avatar film in theaters around the world. They really made the three-part release of the show into events. But did the series finale of the most popular US-based Netflix original series, or the season as a whole, live up to the hype it created for itself? Well, let’s talk about it, because it’s not a straightforward answer. 

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IT: Welcome to Derry – Season One (2025) | TV REVIEW

Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise in IT: WELCOME TO DERRY — Photograph Courtesy of HBO.

Having a whole HBO show centered around Stephen King’s IT and its iconic character, Pennywise the Dancing Clown, always felt like it would be an obvious success. It’s honestly a little bit strange that it didn’t come sooner, given that the two-part film adaptations, IT: Chapter One and IT: Chapter Two, are two of the highest-grossing horror films ever made (with Chapter One holding the top position). The wait is over as the first season of the films’ spin-off show IT: Welcome to Derry recently ended. Though it received some online fan criticism for taking its time, I found it to be absolutely thrilling. Frankly, I think it’s a lot better than Chapter Two was.

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‘A Minecraft Movie,’ ‘The Phoenician Scheme,’ ‘After the Hunt,’ ‘F1,’ and ‘Jay Kelly’ | Bite-Sized Reviews

Top Row (L-R): A Minecraft Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures); The Phoenician Scheme (Focus Features / Universal); After the Hunt (Amazon MGM / Sony Pictures Releasing).
Bottom Row (L-R): F1 (Warner Bros. Pictures / Apple TV+); Jay Kelly (Netflix).

Oh my, we’re back again! In this edition of additional bite-sized reviews – my recurring blog post series highlighting films that I want to share my thoughts on, but that I, crucially, don’t have time enough to cover in a more lengthy full review — I’ll tell you what I think about 1) one of the biggest theater hits of the year, 2) Wes Anderson’s latest flick, 3) Guadagnino’s most recent feature film, 4) Brad Pitt’s racing movie, and 5) Noah Baumbach’s big George Clooney-vehicle. As is often the case, most, if not all, of these bite-sized reviews may have been seen early on my Letterboxd account, so do note that you can get a sneak peek at my future reviews over there. Let’s get to it!

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‘TÁR,’ ‘The Last Showgirl,’ ‘The Bikeriders,’ ‘Queer,’ and ‘Sonic 2’ | Bite-Sized Reviews

Top Row (L-R): TÁR (Focus Features/Universal); The Last Showgirl (Roadside Attractions); The Bikeriders (Focus Features/Universal).
Bottom Row (L-R): Queer (A24); Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Paramount Pictures).

We’re getting towards the end of the year, and so now seems like a good time to assemble some of my thoughts on some films that didn’t ultimately get a full solo review dedicated to them, even though I had something to say. So, here we are, today I’ll share my thoughts on 1) one of the most celebrated films of the decade thus far, 2) Gia Coppola’s Pamela Anderson-vehicle, 3) Jeff Nichols’ film about biker culture, 4) Daniel Craig’s first performance in a Luca Guadagnino film, and 5) a sequel to one of the most popular video game adaptations. Do note that if you are so kind that you also follow me on Letterboxd, then you may have seen some of these bite-sized reviews over there already. Let’s get to it!

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IFSCA’s Best Films of the Century, thus far list (2025) | SPECIAL FEATURE

In early October of this year, the International Film Society Critics Association (IFSCA), of which I am a voting member, released its list of the 100 best films of the century thus far. I had taken part in the voting, got the opportunity to write a few review-type blurbs for certain films, and I was really delighted to be able to take part in this process. Today, both for posterity’s sake (meaning for the purpose of preserving and presenting my writing for my site’s readers) and to widen the list’s reach, I want to share my very brief review blurbs for the films that I was selected to comment on, release my 10 film ballot, and navigate you to the list home over on the IFSCA WordPress site. Let’s get to it.

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Bring Her Back (2025) | REVIEW

Sally Hawkins in BRING HER BACK — PHOTO: A24 (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou — Screenplay by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman.

In Bring Her Back, we follow Australian step-siblings Andy (played by Billy Barratt), a 17-year-old young man still struggling with previously undisclosed trauma, and Piper (played by Sora Wong), his visually-impaired younger sister, after they find their father dead in the shower. Now, with Andy not being quite old enough yet to be Piper’s legal guardian, they risk being split up by the system, but the siblings put their foot down and eventually get a foster parent to agree to house them. But while this foster parent, Laura (played by Sally Hawkins) hopes to adopt Piper, the siblings still have hope that they can eventually go out on their own. However, Laura, a grief-stricken former counselor who has recently lost her own visually-impaired daughter, has ulterior motives and, it appears, she may have already experimented with occult rituals on another child in her care.

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Den Sidste Viking (2025) | REVIEW

(L-R) Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas in THE LAST VIKING (DEN SIDSTE VIKING) — PHOTO: Nordisk Film / Rolf Konow.

Directed by Anders Thomas Jensen — Screenplay by Anders Thomas Jensen.

Only a select few films can fill up theater rooms across Denmark like Anders Thomas Jensen’s directorial efforts can. Ever since he burst onto the scene with Flickering Lights, he has been a favorite for Danish filmgoers, and it is always genuinely delightful to see Danes flock to theaters whenever he has gotten ‘the gang back together’ (the gang always consists of Denmark’s two most popular actors Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Mads Mikkelsen) to tell a ‘black comedy’ narrative with absurd quirks and goofy but strangely lovable oddball characters. Now, he’s back again with The Last Viking (Danish title: Den Sidste Viking), which is yet another instantly successful Danish black comedy with some of Denmark’s most popular actors. It doesn’t quite hit the highs that Riders of Justice (Retfærdighedens Ryttere) did, but it is nonetheless quite good and will be very satisfying to those with a love for the wavelengths of Jensen’s oeuvre. 

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