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 

 

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- 

MOVIE REVIEW: ONSLAUGHT

 

An Army sniper unleashes her lethal skills to protect her young daughter from a rogue squad of genetically engineered soldiers.

Director: Adam Wingard

Cast: Adria Arjona, Dan Stevens, Eric Wareheim, Reginald VelJohnson, Michael Biehn, Alex Pereira, Drew Starkey, Rebecca Hall

Release Date: September 4, 2026

 

Genre: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated R for strong bloody violence, some gore, sexual material/nudity, and language.

Runtime: 1h 32m

Review:

Adam Wingard’s Onslaught is an efficient homage to 70’s/80’s B-movies with is barebone, bloody story offering up a set up to unleash a series of set of survival set pieces for Adria Arjona’s PTD riddled vet to survive as she protects her daughter.  Wingard is clearly in his wheelhouse as he delivers a slick looking pulp film that echoes 80’s John Carpenter at various points during its runtime along with a healthy dose of old school grindhouse film.  The action set pieces are all well-constructed and shot with a keen eye to make sure they leave a lasting impression especially when the murderous death squad appears.  The film is populated by over-the-top characterization with the villains being appropriately sleezy and kinky, which leaves you wishing the script had given them a bit more to do.  Michael Biehn, Rebecca Hall and Dan Stevens are both more than game to play in this sandbox, but the film never takes advantage of their substantial talents with their roles being little more than extended cameos.   Drew Starkey has a bit more time to work with his special operative character, Cyrus, who is deployed to contain the death squad.  Adria Arjona carries the lion’s share of the load here as she tries to squeeze out every bit of pathos out of her character.  Arjona is solid throughout, delivering a focused turn that’s engaging enough to make you care about her and her daughter’s survival.  The back half of the film turns from the bloody action of the first half into something that’s much closer to slasher horror.  The death squad turns into tactical gear adorned versions of Michael Myers, Jason and Leatherface as they stalk through the trailer park delivering more than a handful of effective jump scares along the way.  The series of fights that occur are brutally bloody bits of orchestrated mayhem with only the final face feeling a tad underwhelming.  Onslaught is the kind of movie that falls apart if you think about it too much and it has the presence of mind to move everything along at a steady pace and not overstay its welcome. 

B

MOVIE REVIEW: BUDDY

 

Dressed as a unicorn, a beloved children's TV host reveals his true self as a dark and violent force of nature.

Director: Casper Kelly

Cast: Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Patton Oswalt, Michael Shannon, Topher Grace, Keegan-Michael Key

Release Date: August 28, 2026

 

Genre: Horror 

Rated R for bloody violence, some drug content and language – all involving children.

Runtime: 1h 35m

Review:

Buddy is a hilarious campy horror oddity that delivers as much gory fun as it does scares in a nightmarish multicolored kid’s show.  Casper Kelly carefully creates Buddy’s world with such attention to detail that the show itself could probably pass for the real deal.  There plenty of inspiration pulled from Barney along with bits and pieces of other children’s shows over the years.  It’s disarmingly familiar from the moment the film opens but there’s always a sense that there is something off kilter about the whole thing.  Kelly doesn’t take long to unfurl the insanity of the world these kids are trapped in with Keegan-Michael Key’s psychotic Buddy.  Keegan-Michael Key’s voices the character with impressive glee as he switches seamlessly between saccharine sweet and menacing.  He carries the lion’s share of the load as the lynch pin of the whole thing aided by some solid supporting turns from people like Patton Oswalt and Michael Shannon as other anthropomorphic characters.  Oswalt is lots of fun as Strappy, a talking backpack, who faces a full-on existential crisis as his world reveals itself to be incredibly murderous and fraught.  The child actors are just as strong, led by Delaney Quinn, who plays Cristin Milioti’s missing daughter.  Quinn plays up the children’s show actor initially before she finds out the level of danger, she finds herself in.  Milioti’s Grace does the most she can with her limited screentime, especially early on as she tries to remember a missing child nobody else seems to remember.  Once she’s sucked into Buddy’s realm she easily transitions into the adult players on show before coming to her senses and doing everything possible to save her daughter.  The story gets progressively darker as it goes along and there are a handful of juicy details tossed about that makes everything feel like some sort of twisted Monsters Inc which makes Buddy something distinctive in the horror genre.  

B+