MOVIE REVIEW: VERITY

 

Hired to be a ghostwriter for renowned author Verity Crawford, Lowen Ashleigh's assignment takes a dark turn when she discovers chilling autobiographical notes. As she wrestles with disturbing and twisted confessions about Verity's husband, she soon finds it hard to separate fiction from reality, manipulation from attraction, and opportunity from obsession.

Director: Michael Showalter

Cast: Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, Josh Hartnett, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Brady Wagner

Release Date: October 2, 2026 

 

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Rated R for sexual content, some nudity, language, violence and bloody images.

Runtime: 1h 54m

Review:

Verity is a glossy psycho thriller that does just enough to elevate the material above Lifetime quality, thanks mainly to a vamping Hathaway, with the story’s series of twists playing out predictably.  Michael Showalter brings a steady hand behind the camera, delivering a visually slick film that takes full advantage of its locale and good-looking cast.  It’s almost too sleek of a film since there’s an artificial air to everything thrown onscreen which gives the entire thing utterly detached from reality.  It’s hard to blame Showalter much since the script is peppered with stiff, unnatural lines of dialogue that feel most like old school Cinemax than anything else.  If the story had just gone all in with its tawdry subject matter and fully embraced it, silliness and all, the film would have worked better as a guilty pleasure.  As is, Anne Hathaway is the only one of the cast who understood the assignment by leaning into the cartoonish nature of the character.   Hathaway chews up every bit of non-comatose screentime she gets and it leaves you wishing the film gave her more time to brood as a mother who hates every aspect of it.  Sadly, those moments come and go far too quickly with Dakota Johnson being asked to carry the lion’s share of the load.  Johnson can deliver some decent performances with good material, but this script offers up a painfully one dimensional and bland character which sets her back to her default setting of the human embodiment of “meh.”  There are a few bits of background thrown around at the beginning of the film but after that her character isn’t given any sort of tangible depth or texture to make you care about her which makes her the least interesting person onscreen.  Josh Hartnett fares slightly better since he’s given a tad more to work with but there are reveals which are telegraphed from a mile away.  The climax plays out in a similar fashion as everything you expect to happen, but instead of eliciting gasp they provide unintentional laughter.  The ending is supposed to be shocking, but it delivered in such a blasé manner that it leaves you with more of a collective shrug than a visceral thrill that leaves you begging for another entry, which is set up at the end.  Verity ends up being a barely passable erotic thriller that thinks it’s far more clever than it actually is.

C-

MOVIE REVIEW: DIGGER

 

The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove that he's humanity's saviour.

Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu

Cast: Tom Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons

Release Date: October 2, 2026 

 

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Rated R for pervasive language

Runtime: 2h 9m

Review:

Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Digger is a big on every level imaginable, from the scope and scale of the story to the performances led by a particularly fascinating turn from Tom Cruise.  Iñárritu’s film starts off an over-the-top satire in the vein of Dr. Strangelove with oversized cartoonish characters and a world ending crisis at the center of it all.  There’s a major reveal, roughly about a half hour, into the film which changes everything you’ve seen before and going forward, serving as a clear line of delineation.  The story, performances and overall look of the film is reshaped from that point as we are watching something different and far more intriguing than what you are originally led to believe.  It’s a bold choice which is sure to divide audiences but ultimately, it opens up multiple thematic story threads that will linger in your mind well after the film ends.  There’s plenty to dissect afterwards with the film tackling everything from climate change to how art deals with catastrophes and portrayals of those involved.  Some parts work far better than others but even the parts that don’t work have an audacious energy that’s hard to deny especially since the cast is fully on board with Iñárritu’s vison.  Tom Cruise leads the way by bring the kind of over-the-top energy he brought in his Tropic Thunder cameo with the heavy makeup and prosthetics freeing him to go for the gusto throughout.  Cruise delivers each line with an impressive level of commitment highlighted by a nearly 10-minute speech by Digger taking responsibility for the calamity and flipping it back on the raucous international crowd along with the audience.  Nearly every bit of Digger’s dialogue, along with the majority of the supporting cast, is delivered at max decibel levels, which makes more sense in the context of the film.  Intermixed between are smaller moments where Cruise offers up an impressive level of nuance and depth to the character even if the daughter subplot feels slightly under served.  It’s the kind of performance that’s sure to garner Cruise some awards consideration regardless of how critics feel about the movie as a whole.   The talented supporting cast are given plenty of time to shine with John Goodman, Riz Ahmed and Robert John Burke leaving lasting impressions whenever they pop up onscreen.  Sadly, Sandra Hüller and Jesse Plemons feel underutilized with both seemingly begging for more to do.  Digger might not for everybody, almost by design, but those who can appreciate what Alejandro González Iñárritu delivers will find a multi layered story and a stellar level of artistry on both sides of the camera.        

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: THE INFLUENCER PROJECT

 

An influencer travels to Copenhagen for a documentary about her online fame. However, when an obsessive stalker tracks her every move, she must confront her terror to reclaim power.

Director: Mike Nybroe

Cast: Chiara King, Luca Storm, Mike Nybroe, Jazmine Summer, Alexandre Willaume

Release Date: October 2, 2026 US/ October 16, 2026 UK

 

Genre: Horror

Rated R for strong bloody violence, suicide, and language throughout.

Runtime: 1h 35m

Review:

The Influencer Project throws a handful of interesting ideas about the dangers of the influencer lifestyle in the form of a horror mockumentary that works best when it’s grounded closer to reality in its first half before losing its way by turning into a generic slasher in the back half of the film.  Documentary filmmaker, Mike Nybroe, shows off some real talent in his directorial debut by delivering a sleek looking film, taking advantage of his background to create a believable mockumentary.  It helps that he cast real life influencer, Chiara King, as his star especially early on as we get a glimpse behind the scenes of content creation and what is driving the process.  King, to her credit, is perfectly comfortable in the lead role by delivering a natural turn that feels authentic, which is helped by the film’s early focus.  There are plenty of moments where you can tell she’s pulling on her personal experiences which makes her character feel more fully formed than what’s on the actual page.  She possesses a likeable screen presence which makes the film far more watchable than it would be if her character came off as more inherently vapid.  The film starts to struggle once the more outright horror moments start taking hold, relying on an overabundance of jump scares which never lets a tangible sense of tension take hold.  It doesn’t help matters that the situations and character’s actions start to get progressively more nonsensical as the film heads into its final act.  The slasher storyline feels undercooked since it’s never allowed to truly germinate before the film moves into full on horror mode.  It’s a shame because there are some cynically, satirically funny elements thrown about like the steady stream of all too real comments that come through as the King is running for her life.  A post credit stinger also offers up something far more interesting than the standard issue slasher which would have made The Influencer Project much more memorable.  

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: PRIMETIME

 

Chris Hansen, host of "To Catch a Predator," sets out to make television history in 2006.

Director: Lance Oppenheim

Cast: Robert Pattinson, Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers, Bokeem Woodbine, Anna Faris

Release Date: September 25, 2026

 

Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller

Rated R for disturbing sexual material, graphic nudity, some violent content, and language.

Runtime: 1h 50m

Review:

Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime takes beats from the 1976’s Network and 2014’s Nightcrawler to capture the standard definition sensationalism of To Catch a Predator, powered by stellar turn from Robert Pattinson.  Oppenheim’s first narrative feature is neon tinted character study of Chris Hansen as he and his producer’s drive to make their show the biggest thing on TV.  He gives his film a tangible immediacy from start to finish even as the whole thing turns into a fever dream of misguided self-aggrandizing, justice.  It’s a fascinating film that envelopes you on multiple levels as we go down the rabbit hole along with the characters in the film.  None of the characters are portrayed in a particularly favorable lights with most of them, outside of Skyler Gisondo’s naïve Decoy Dan, being painted as little more than hollow people chasing notoriety and relevance at any cost.  There’s a griminess to it all that bleeds through the screen that’s hard to ignore which gives you a clear idea of what the filmmaker thinks of the whole endeavor.  At the center of it all is Robert Pattinson who perfectly captures Hanson’s inflections and tone which makes it easier to ignore the fact that he looks nothing like the real person.  Pattinson delivers some of his best work of the year, impressive on its own after delivering memorable performances in The Odyssey and The Drama earlier this year.  He’s entrancing anytime he’s onscreen which makes you wonder why the film devotes so much time to Skyler Gisondo’s character.  That’s not to say Gisondo performance isn’t great because it is, but the character just isn’t as interesting as the film’s version of Hansen. Pattinson manages to capture the character’s drive to be respected for what he considers a noble task regardless of how he gets there, highlighted by a couple of hilarious encounters with Dateline stalwart, Stone Phillips.  Merritt Wever is devilishly good as Hansen’s producer that’s more than game to get as much of the salacious content as possible until she slowly starts losing control of the show.  The film takes a much more abstract approach in the final act which won’t work for everyone, but it doesn’t detract from the electric energy of Primetime and its central star.  

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: RESIDENT EVIL

 

A medical courier finds himself in a desperate fight for survival against bloodthirsty, mutated creatures.

Director: Zach Cregger

Cast: Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, Johnno Wilson, Paul Walter Hauser

Release Date: September 18, 2026

 

Genre: Action, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore and language throughout.

Runtime: 1h 37m

Review:

Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil is a lean, mean machine of wonderfully constructed scares and gross outs, taking heavy inspiration from John Carpenter’s The Thing, that’s a thrillingly fun ride from start to finish.  Cregger’s decision to avoid the pitfalls of trying to adapt any of the game specific storylines or characters pays in spades as we follow Austin Abrams’s hapless courier thrown into the world of the video game.  Cregger’s love of the game shines through as he drops plenty of Easter Eggs along with tongue in cheek references to the seemingly endless number of padlocks should make gamer fans smile.  The way shots are constructed and set up really delivers the look and feel of early games along with an increasingly grotesque collection of creatures our protagonist encounters.  There are a handful of masterfully set up jump scares that’s sure to get even the most seasoned horror fans to shudder in their seats.  The visuals are consistently impressive from the opening snow covered farmhouse that dominates the opening act to the urban hellscape of Racoon City, highlighted by a speed run down a street as zombified citizens launch themselves off buildings.  Woven into all the carnage thrown onscreen is a rather sinister sense of humor that works incredibly well for the film thanks in large part to Austin Abrams’s performance.  Abrams’s character has a strange Jessie Pinkman, from Breaking Bad, Michael Cera hybrid energy as he is thrust into the nightmarish situation, he finds himself in.  He’s tasked with carrying the film since there aren’t many supporting characters populating the film with recognizable faces such as Paul Walter Hauser, Kali Reis and Zach Cherry popping up and disappearing in steady succession.  This is Abrams’s film and he delivers excellent work, making this iteration of Resident Evil one of the best adaptations of the video game and one of the most fun horror films in recent memory.  

A

MOVIE REVIEW: HOPE

 

A police chief, a policewoman and a group of hunters try to track down and kill a mysterious creature that's laying waste to a Korean village.

Director: Na Hong-jin

Cast: Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander, Michael Fassbender

Release Date: September 9, 2026

 

Genre: Action, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated R for strong bloody violent content and language throughout.

Runtime: 2h 36m

Review:

Hope, the latest South Korean sci-fi import, boasts a fun tone along with a series of impressively staged action sequences which propels the majority of the film before the story takes a turn that’s bound to be divisive.  Writer/Director, Na Hong-Jin, displays real confidence and talent behind the camera as he sets up the characters and mystery with impressive restraint as he builds tension before revealing the monsters, almost forty minutes into the film.  There are bits of 90’s Michael Bay smattered throughout as Hong-Jin uses a kinetic pace to establish the setting in town and in the forest that makes for a visually engaging experience that sets with the collections of characters.  The only thing keeping the action sequences from really hitting is some incredibly shoddy early 2000’s level CGI that’s rather distracting throughout.  The script doesn’t offer up a ton of backstory on the motley crew collection of locals, but it does give the whole thing a fun, almost goofy tone amidst all the carnage that recalls other genre bending movies like Shaun of the Dead or Return of the Living Dead.  There are some truly hilarious moments spread throughout the film with the cast showing off some strong comedic timing, a story from a survivor recounting his bathroom trip in the woods is a gut buster.  Hwang Jung-min bumbling police chief serves as the main character for the film, with him delivering solid work as he tries to be brave in the face of the horror unleashed on his unsuspecting town.  He brings a perfect, everyman quality to the character that serves the film well with him being believably frazzled from start to finish.  Zo In-sung brings more self-assured energy as his second cousin, Ko Sung-ki, who investigates the local woods with a group of his friends.   Jung Ho-Yeon brings a rather chaotic, unhinged energy as a rookie cop, Im Sung-ae, as soon as she appears onscreen about halfway through the film.  The rest of the characters are mostly a collection of types rather than fully realized people which is easier to forgive since the majority of them are little more than cannon fodder.  Issues start to pop up in the back half of the film as the story starts going in some unexpected directions with more than a handful of story threads left unanswered which makes the whole thing feel like set up for a sequel which may or may not come although Na Hong-Jin has stated the script for that sequel is complete.  As a standalone film, it leaves Hope slightly unsatisfying which is a shame since so much of the film works so incredibly well. 

B-