- KVIFF 2026: Fruit Gathering, Incinerator, 3 Weeks After (July 14, 2026)
My final dispatch of KVIFF features some heavy hitters. There’s the Crystal Globe winner, the festival’s top prize. There’s also two coming-of-age stories about how kind the world can be and how unflinchingly harsh it actually is. Each work is led by a lonely, misunderstood protagonist whose mental health is at stake. They’re all deeply beautiful films to look at too, featuring some of the best photography and sense of place and mood of the festival.
There’s a foreboding dreamlike quality to “Fruit Gathering,” writer/director Aung Phyoe’s directorial feature debut, which won the Crystal Globe. The queer film’s imaginative feeling doesn’t offer unwavering bliss, but a stoppage in time, in life, and in romance.
Set in Yangon, Myanmar, the film concerns San Kyi (a spontaneous Nandar Myat Aung), a seamstress at an overcrowded garment factory who becomes emotionally entangled with a new hire: Theint (an observant Nandar Myint Lwin). The pair form a fast bond that borders on parasitic. San Kyi envisions Theint as her ticket toward independence, away from her domineering mother and her ill grandmother. Conversely, to Theint, San Kyi’s steady presence suggests a financial lifeline and a kind ear to be used when necessary and discarded when convenient.
Phyoe harvests great rewards from this dynamic when he narrows his focus on San Kyi and Thient’s turbulent relationship. Eloquently composed shots of a sensorial Yangon that stretch on for an eternity are juxtaposed with San Kyi’s stolen glances of Theint; patient pans across intimately small rooms and sensual tilts down lithe bodies run counter to the cavernous sterile confines of factory life. Cinematographer Thaid Dhi’s visual acumen uplifts the tension felt between San Kyi’s desires and Thient’s limits into Sirkian realms, allowing the film to stretch beyond this romance into further themes.
Unfortunately, “Fruit Gathering” moves with less assuredness outside of its central relationship. Phyoe gestures toward the necessity for worker solidarity in exploitative working conditions, showing how San Kyi’s reticence to agree to sign a petition is emblematic of why unionization efforts struggle to gain steam. But he can’t do more than finger wag. Similarly, Phyoe attempts to contrast the urban from the rural with dream sequences that at once elucidates San Kyi’s painful past along with her ideal future of picking mangos with Thient. By never fully embracing a Thoreauvian fantasy, Phyoe wrestles through several complexities about where and how queerness can thrive.
Consequently, when “Fruit Gathering” aims for the intimate, Phyoe’s vision finds clarity in the collision of obsession and care. And while he does waver in translating the broader themes that interest him, he remains committed enough to this beautifully shot, longingly acted queer romance to plant its seeds deep within one’s memory.
Told with a similarly deliberate pacing, Shuntaro Uchida’s visually evocation coming-of-age film “Incinerator,” an adaptation of Kaori Ekuni’s same-titled short story, takes place over an endless summer lived by a reserved nine-year-old Kozue (Karin). The young girl has a shaky family life: her father Kenji (Takuma Nagao) is a ne’er-do-well musician bordering on an alcoholic; her mother Yoko (Akiko Kikuchi) works heavy hours in a bookstore to support the family; her grandmother is ill in the hospital. Kozue’s only place to let off steam is the incinerator located at the back of her school. While the crucible was installed to burn disused papers, Kozue places objects in it she connects with bad memories.
Her world is brightened, however, when Jinta (Taikia Shinozuka), an equally reserved university student, visits her school to perform a shadowplay. While the vibrant mix of lush colored backgrounds and black silhouettes excites Kozue, she’s equally enthralled by an attentive Jinta. She develops a crush on him. Their unrequited friendship—Jinta, of course, treats her as a little sister—gives Kozue greater confidence to express herself.
Though “Incinerator” runs at 97 minutes, it’s certainly not a brisk watch. That’s intentional. Uchida and his editor Takaki Yokohama rely on long takes whose meditative expressions recall how children experience the world, not in a blinding rush but as a seemingly never-ending desire to finally grow up. Uchida, nevertheless, never speeds up Kozue’s clock, so to speak. In fact, as the film continues, he and Yokohama almost appear to elongate their takes, as though to visually tell Kozue to literally slow down. In that way, “Incinerator” often recalls Chie Hayakawa’s “Renoir,” a film similarly concerned with giving a young girl cinematic space to live, grieve, and grow.
Uchida and his cinematographer Shin Yonekura also craft immersive pastoral scenes, like a motorbike ride between Jinta and Kozue out to nowhere, with the intent of intimating the slower pace necessary for Kozue’s survival into adulthood. Karin shoulders this distant character with a similar assuredness for process, suggesting Kozue’s myriad disappointments without relying on loud dialogue. Instead, every emotion—from petulance to sadness—arises from Karin’s slightly bent posture and her dynamic face: giving a performance, ironically, that feels far beyond her years.
Miroslav Terzić’s brutal and unsettling psychological drama “3 Weeks After,” has one of the strongest openings to a movie this year. It begins on a static frame showing an apartment complex where one flat is engulfed in flames. The sound of the raging fire fills the frame with equal intensity. A downtrodden teenager, Tzotza (Jovan Ginić), enters the shot to observe the blaze before walking away, followed on a track, through his tranquil neighborhood that is no longer filled with crackling sounds but the natural ambience of birds tweeting. He meets up with his friend Darija (Andjela Alavirević), who is surprised but happy that he’s taking this school trip.
See, something happened three weeks prior that’s rendered Tzotza a social outcast. The two incompetent teachers—Milica (Tihana Lazović) and Markuš (Branislav Trifunović)—whisper about its consequences: new articles and cold calls from reporters dominate their phones. His classmates, united in their vitriol, mercilessly tease him. The situation becomes more unstable when Milica (Klara Karaulić), a vapid popular girl with a clearly rich father, sneaks her sadistic boyfriend Miloš (Andrija Marković) onto the Serbian class’ Bulgaria-bound bus. During the short sojourn we will discover the truth: Tzotza’s best friend Andrija died by suicide three weeks ago. The question that looms over the trip is who’s to blame.
For a time, Terzić’s film is acutely controlled. The aforementioned sound evocatively flips between the character’s interior perception of the world and the exterior reality, while cinematographer Damjan Radovanović’s evocative compositions, which often utilizes negative space on barren fields and in mammoth caves to visualize Tzotza’s aloneness, provides a visual counterbalance. He juxtaposes those wide spaces with cramped hallways whose perspective can often feel ghostly. LP Duo’s thrumming score modulates between brooding shaking and overwhelming ecstasy, particularly during an animalistic red-drenched party scene that recalls Gaspar Noé’s “Climax.” But mostly, it’s Ginić’s close-to-the-vest performance—which sees his swollen face drained of all life—that keeps this work grounded as Tzotza endures near-homocidal abuse from Miloš and his gang that only intensifies once the class’ bus breaks down, stranding them in an empty hotel.
It’s a shame then that Terzić dispenses with that hard-fought control in the film’s final minutes. It’s as though the director and his fellow screenwriters: Vladimir Arsenijević and Bojan Vuletić—thought they needed to end on a bang to make the moody trip worth it. Terzić and his DP therefore reach for visual profundity to balance out the film’s hellish turn, composing shots filled with sleeping teenage bodies as a decadent, painterly scene. And while the final push-in toward Ginić’s certainly holds a haunting quality, an edge has been lost in the film’s bluntness, making “3 Weeks After” a terrifying, albeit flawed, commentary on bullying and violence.
- KVIFF 2026: Wrap-up and Awards (July 14, 2026)
It felt good to be back. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve attended the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (after going three straight times, last year, I had to cancel at the last second due to a personal emergency). But walking through the Neo-Renaissance Mill Colonnade, being in the Viennese-Bohemian Municipal Theatre, wandering the cobblestone roads that lead one down toward candy-colored villas that delightfully match the lush mountainous forest and the the winding canals that hold the channels of the Teplá river—restored part of me. This year was the 60th anniversary of KVIFF, giving the always self-deprecating festival a celebratory mood.
The opening night, in fact, saw a highly produced song and dance number that witnessed several Czech singers perform covers of film music in a medley that included a stream of images of the several figures, memories, guests, and movies that are intertwined with KVIFF’s long history. That night, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jesse Eisenberg both received the President’s Award, while Dustin Hoffman was bestowed the Crystal Globe. The evening was heightened by the opening night film, Juan Cabral and Santiago Franco’s “The Match,” being a crowd-pleasing tip of the cap to the World Cup (many festival attendees tried to balance their movie watching with catching games at the local bars).
In the days that followed, more honorees and a bevy of films took their bow. Three-time Academy Award winning cinematographer Robert Richardson, known for his work with Oliver Stone, Quentin Tarantino, and Martin Scorsese, not only took home a Crystal Globe. But he also witnessed the world premiere of Jana Hojdova’s raw documentary about him: “Robert Richardson: The White Devil.” During the festival, he sat down with RogerEbert.com to discuss the film and his career.
Harvey Keitel also appeared for his third visit to a festival that’s become a second home to him. In his speech, he said, “I’m one of you,” to the KVIFF crowd. During that day, in fact, I saw Keitel wandering the streets with two very tall, very muscular bodyguards (you can’t take any chances, the KVIFF attendees are understandably obsessed with him). By closing night, Jeffrey Wright had arrived to accept his President’s Award, an honor that became a full circle moment when the festival announced they would screen “Basquiat,” the actor’s breakout role and the one that first brought him and Christopher Walken to Karlovy Vary with the film nearly three decades ago. Wright also spoke with RogerEbert.com about the importance of “Basquiat” to his career. “I still do feel the influence of that experience,” explained Wright.
On the final night, Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, who arrived with their film “Family Movie,” were also acknowledged. Actress Magda Vášáryová received her Crystal Globe, as did Juliette Binoche. I’ve rarely been affected by seeing a star, but I admittedly melted when I saw Binoche arrive before the ceremony. I’m sometimes reminded that light bends differently around some people.
And while the stars certainly provided KVIFF with some added panache, the quality of the lineup pulled together by Executive Director Kryštof Mucha, Artistic Director Karel Och, and the programming team, is always surprising in its variety and scale. On top of seizing the biggest highlights of Sundance, Berlinale, and Cannes, the festival’s own premieres, drawn mostly from Central Europe, never fails to spotlight new voices and festival favorites. Many of the best works that played, in fact, balanced local filmmaking talent with creators from outside the continent.
In the Promixa competition, whose jury consisted of Estrella Araiza, Devika Girish, Dirk Decker, Marija Kavtaradze, Jakub Felcman—Isabelle Tollenaere’s intimate immigrant drama “Paris Paris” and Giovanni C. Lorusso’s Cambodia-set environmentalist slow-burn thriller “Homo Sive Natura” were personal favorites of mine. The section’s top prize, nevertheless, was awarded to the youthful Czech screwball comedy “Lover, Not a Fighter.” The Jury Award went to Shuntaro Uchida’s rich coming-of-age drama “Incernator” and the Director prize was given to Efthimis Kosemund-Sanidis for “A Whole Person Almost.” Anna Domček and Šimon Domček’s “33 Steps” took home a special mention.
In the Crystal Globe competition, juried by Eskil Vogt, Pavel Rejholec, Amanda Nell Eu, Justin Chang, Nadia Turincev, my personal favorite was Petar Valchanov and Kristina Grozeva’s bleak tragicomedy “Black Money for White Nights.” And while that film was surprisingly shut out by the jury, that doesn’t mean any obviously puzzling decisions were made in what they did choose. They awarded Best Actor to Ghassan Saad for “Pipes” and Best Actress to Anna Schinz for the social issue drama “A Happy Family.” Mad Mengel’s tragicomedy “The Guest” felt like it could’ve easily swept the category, garnering a Best Director prize and the Special Jury prize. But the Crystal Globe ultimately went to Aung Phyoe’s intense queer romance “Fruit Gathering,” a film that hails from Myanmar (it’s the first picture from the country to appear in the main competition).
Not to be forgotten, Helena Třeštíková’s documentary “Bára – Diary of a Rockstar” also took home the Pravo audience award.
Because of the packed lineup, more than any other year at KVIFF, I felt time slipping away. I didn’t get around to many films in the Out of the Past section (though I did manage to catch Kaneto Shindō’s grim post-war melodrama “Children of Hiroshima”) and the Imagina section proved to be just out of my reach as well. I barely had enough time to do my yearly hike, this time it was to the Diana Observational Tower, which had to be saved for my last day.
Hiking through the Slavkov forest is one of my favorite things to do at the festival, if only because the higher you go into the hills, the less you hear the partying and crowds that tend to fill the town. Amidst the towering trees is a humbling that occurs, one that always manages to re-energize me. And when I reached the summit, which allowed me to climb the steps of the Diana—there’s a gondola that’ll take you up the hill if you have limited mobility—I was once again amazed by how, from high, Karlovy Vary simply looks like a storybook: a picturesque small town with vivid architecture, nestled in a sea of verdant trees. It’s impossible not to be grateful that your human eyes can absorb a panoramic review that always manages to put things in perspective, a quality that the best of movies also possess.
As I climbed back down toward the rush of the festival, I hoped it wouldn’t be another two years before I knew this feeling again.
- “Ride or Die”: Two Best Friends, Too Many Lies, and a Good Reason to Get a Fake Passport (July 14, 2026)
“Ride or Die” arrives on Prime Video this week, and its title is accurate in multiple ways. Calling someone your “ride or die” means they’ve got your back no matter what: you need to bury a body, they’ve got the shovel; you need a getaway driver, they’ve already filled up the gas tank. Adding another layer to this story, Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham go on a comedic “Thelma & Louise” inspired adventure, where they either keep running or get permanently extinguished.
That 1991 classic isn’t the only foremother for “Ride or Die.” This eight-episode action-comedy caper proudly blooms from its family tree. A sort of Miss Marple meets “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” in Spencer’s Debbie, an antique-hunting woman-behind-the-man who’s been underestimated but turns out to be sharper than her doubters. She’s paired with the assassin chic of a “La Femme Nikita” with a “Black Widow”infusion in Waddingham’s Judith. A deceptively sensitive woman who isn’t just posing as a forensic accountant, she excels at finance too. Not only do we get the open-road, no-more-apologizing fury of “Thelma & Louise” (with lots of much-needed apologizing), but there are whispers of the “Killing Eve” brand of psychological gamesmanship, and a full-blown French detective version of Lupin. Oh, hello.
Octavia Spencer in “Ride or Die”- Courtesy of Dušan Martinček/Prime
This show is the offspring of an entire fictional lineage of ungovernable women. That’s a lot for one series to hold. Mostly, it carries the weight. Created by Tessa Coates alongside showrunner Matt Miller and director Peyton Reed, of “Ant-Man” fame, the premise is primed for shenanigans: Debbie (Spencer) thinks she knows everything about her lifelong best friend Judith (Waddingham). She’s probably right except for one tiny detail: Judith is an international assassin. After Debbie’s husband crosses an unforgiving criminal organization, and one of Judith’s past hits goes sideways, the two get catapulted into a frantic chase across Europe, pursued by cops, killers, and lies.
But the heart of the matter is a test of what two besties will do to protect one another—no matter what. It’s also about the second life that begins around fifty, when women finally shed the things that have been holding them back, others’ expectations, unrewarded compromises, and what they thought they wanted but don’t. Debbie and Judith blow up each other’s lives. Their disasters are mutual; their resolutions might be the same.
Waddingham and Spencer live up to their lore. Beyond the action-hero swagger and big feminine energy, they convey depth, often with conflicting emotions, in single expressions. Waddingham holds guilt, hope, and tenderness with contrasting ruthlessness. Spencer shimmers with swallowed rage, devastation, and unearned confidence. More than anything, their chemistry is the catalyst for the show, which sparks like a Roman candle, but yes, possibly burns for too long. However, when they’re up against the villainous Ana (Sylvia Hoeks) or playing love games with Ed Skrein—a delight—and Jacky Ido—the Lupin analog I mentioned, you can’t help but smile.
Hannah Waddingham in “Ride or Die” – Courtesy of Dušan Martinček/Prime
Hoeks gives Waddingham a mirror with none of the warmth but clinging to the same desires in the most misguided ways. She’s a great foil for the leads. Bill Nighy does what needs to be done, giving them all fits as the source of Judith’s daddy issues (wait for it, that doesn’t mean what you think it means). And if I had my wish, the mother-daughter pairing of Cathy Tyson and Savannah Steyn would have their own spinoff. The quietly not-quite-confident Sam (Calam Lynch) rounds out a cast that makes this midlife catastrophe well worth the trip.
What’s most refreshing is “Ride or Die” doesn’t ask these women to be precious or repeat the current psychological thrills. It lets them be ridiculous, needy, and dangerous on the way to realizing who they want to be. A Season 2 seems highly probable, given the ratio of assassins to loose ends, a surprising reveal, and the closing cliffhanger. Seems like Debbie and Judith are just getting started. I guess finding out your best friend is a killer for hire is the perfect excuse for an extended girl trip.
As I mentioned, “Ride or Die” is more like one long movie caper than a series. I probably could have done with fewer episodes. The pacing is good, but at times the plotting feels self-indulgent, especially with all eight episodes releasing on July 15. It might have worked better if they dropped two episodes a week—like a K-drama. I may not be texting “you must watch” alerts to my friends, but I enjoyed this. Of course, two besties versus an assassin guild with high-speed action and comedic twists is hard to resist, so don’t. Give in to “Ride or Die” and get your fake passport stamped with heists, second chances, and a friendship that never says die.
Entire series screened for review. Premieres on Prime Video on July 15.
- Freaks, Samurais, and Vampires: Our 10 Most Anticipated of Fantasia 2026 (July 13, 2026)
The 30th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival is upon us, perhaps the largest genre film festival in the world (and, for my money, my favorite), setting nearly three weeks aside at the tail end of July to descend upon Montreal with over 125 buzzy, strange, experimental, and just plain weird features (and more than 200 shorts) that should appeal to genre hounds of several stripes.
Playing July 16 through August 2nd, Fantasia celebrates its third decade with a host of works from around the world, including Chinese wuxia pictures, Canadian horror comedies, and documentaries about everything from VFX legend Steve Johnson to the history of the Ultraman franchise. We’ll also get restorations of films like the Chow Yun-Fat action classic “City War,” Takashi Miike’s bizarre “Gozu,” and Bruce McDonald’s 2008 classic “Pontypool.”
Among the luminaries announced to receive awards at Fantasia include “Drive” director Nicolas Winding Refn, whose latest film (and his first in a decade), “His Private Hell,” will open the fest; Japanese horror legend Takashi Shimizu (“Ju-On: The Grudge”) will receive the Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award, coinciding with the world premiere of “Village of Eight Gravestones” (more on that later) and the North American premiere of “The Mouths.” The fest will also host the Canadian premiere of Jane Schoenbrun’s hotly anticipated “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” as well as a two-hour “fragment” from Louise Weard’s groundbreaking (and lengthy) work of trans cinema, “castration movie chapter iii: a fragmentary passage.”
For more info on the fest and how to buy tickets, head here. In the meantime, if you need to plan your schedule, here’s a handy list of titles we’re particularly excited about.
Freaks Part II
While “Her Private Hell” is opening the fest, Fantasia will close with the latest from some local boys made good: Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein’s “Freaks Part II,” a sequel to the 2018 film about a hidden society of people with superpowers who are hunted by an unfriendly government. “Part II” follows the mother and daughter from the previous film, Mary (“Silicon Valley”‘s Amanda Crew) and Chloe (Lorelei Olivia Mote), as they continue their flight from the authorities, hiding their powers and identities to keep themselves safe. But Mary has revenge on her mind, with an eye to the officer (Lili Taylor) who killed her first child. The first “Freaks” overcame a modest budget with some really inventive special effects, and “Final Destination Bloodlines” proved that Lipovsky and Stein have a stellar command of horror thrills, so consider us sat.
The Glorious Dead
The Adams Family are Fantasia favorites, and for good reason; their prior films, “Hellbender,” “The Deeper You Dig,” and “Mother of Flies” (one of my favorites of last year) elevate themselves beyond the DIY auspices of the family filmmaking team into genuinely unsettling works of folk horror. Now, they’re back with “The Glorious Dead,” in which a small-town sheriff and her deputy wake up to find a world that is unrecognizable, spooky, and decidedly bloody, and a townspeople that are increasingly swallowed up by fear and anger. Expect plenty of inventive lo-fi gore, atmosphere shooting from the gills, and some shockingly timely gestures towards what it feels like to live in America today. Think “Evil Dead–dington.”
Hot Spot
“The Lure” director Agnieszka Smoczyńska returns with a sci-fi thriller that, naturally, touches on our growing anxieties about AI. In “Hot Spot,’ the world is ruled by sentient artificial intelligence, and a private detective (Noomi Rapace, seemingly born for these kinds of mid-level science fiction capers) sets about solving a murder, only to find herself in the company of a rebel group who might just be able to free humanity from their digital masters. Not much has been said about this, but the heady mix of director and material (which screams everything from Albert Pyun to “Blade Runner 2049“) makes this absolute catnip for a sci-fi hound like moi.
Our Effed Up World
While “Camp Miasma” is the clear marquee title for queer and trans cinema at this year’s Fantasia, it’s always nice to see prolific trans horror wunderkind (and Shoenbrun acolyte) Alice Maio Mackay up to her usual tricks as well. This year’s entry, “Our Effed Up World,” stars “Camp Miasma”‘s Jess McLeod, “Fucktoys”‘ Annapurna Sriram, and the “Hellraiser” remake’s Brandon Flynn as a group of slacker friends who are suddenly tasked with fighting off an alien invasion. Knowing Mackay’s penchant for using genre to probe the messy dynamics of queer friend groups (see last year’s “The Serpent’s Skin,” which charmed me), this ought to be fun.
Permanent Damage
Canadian filmmaker Seth A. Smith returns to Fantasia with a quirky crime caper about an escaped convict (“The Umbrella Academy”‘s Calem MacDonald) who finds himself in a battle of wills with a cruel landlord (Stephen Dorff) as he tries to steal his “golden goose.” Smith’s “Tin Can” from 2020 was a Fantasia highlight for me, a gloopy paranoid sci-fi thriller about the perils of isolation; I’ve long been curious what he’d do next.
The Samurai and the Prisoner
Plenty of previous festival favorites will be playing at Fantasia (another honorable mention I can’t wait to catch: Yuen Wo-ping’s “Blades of the Guardians“), but ever since its rapturous reception at Cannes (see our review), I have been champing at the bit to experience Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s masterful samurai film/murder mystery about a
Los Vampires
The Spanish-language version of 1931’s “Dracula” has long been a fascinating curiosity: a Spanish crew shot at night on the same set that Tod Browning’s classic vampire film used during the day. Craig Mitchell’s “Los Vampires” fictionalizes that account in much the same way as “Shadow of the Vampire” did “Nosferatu,” as a Spanish actor (“Lost”‘s Henry Ian Cusick) who shadows the English-speaking actor (Thomas Kretschmann) who’s playing the count by day. The premise and its promised tone feels like a beautifully deranged ode to the compromises and risks inherent in the creation of art, particularly in the messy days of Early Hollywood.
Village of Eight Gravestones
While his J-horror return “The Mouths” also looks intriguing, of the two Takashi Shimizu pictures announced this year, I can’t help but gravitate to the eerie folk horror of “Village of Eight Gravestones,” in which a young man named Tatsuya visits the rural village where his late mother grew up. Along the way, he’s assisted by the iconic Japanese pulp detective Kindaichi, who helps him solve the mystery of a killing spree that has beset the village shortly after Tatsuya’s arrival. Ghosts of the past and the splattered blood of the present are sure to meet, which is the wheelhouse Shimizu has spent a career mastering.
You Are the Film
Makoto Ueda loves his time-loop stories; after writing the scripts for the exceedingly clever “Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes” and “Rewrite,” Ueda steps behind the camera to film his latest, “You Are the Film.” This time, the twist revolves around two people, three kilometers apart, who must guide each other in real time through the actual cinema screen. That’s an inventive premise on its face, a lovely parallel to the innate interactivity between subject and object that occurs when we watch movies; I trust Ueda to explore it in some fun ways.
Zsazsa Zaturnnah
Based on the Filipino comic book of the same name, “Zsazsa Zaturnnah” (or its full title, “Zsazsa Zaturnnah vs. the Amazonistas of Planet X”) feels like it’ll be a candy-colored celebration of one of the Philippines’ foremost super-queeroes. Under the watchful eye of Filipino animator Avid Liongoren (“Hayop Ka!”, also restored and playing the fest this year) and Manila studio Rocketsheep. “Zsazsa” will tell the story of gay hairdresser Ada, who gets hit by a pink meteor and turns into the curvaceous superheroine of the title—who must, of course, protect her village from the aforementioned Amazonistas and all the terrifying creatures they can muster. It all looks riotous, uproarious, and hilariously flamboyant.
- The Purpose of the Journey: Sam Neill (1947-2026) (July 13, 2026)
When Sam Neill’s family shared news of his passing today, the outpouring of affection online was breathtaking. The death of a movie star often comes with waves of the clips that helped make them famous in the first place, but the response to the loss of Neill felt more personal. Yes, you could easily find scenes from “Jurassic Park,” “The Piano,” “In the Mouth of Madness,” “Event Horizon,” and many more, but you could also stumble upon footage of Neill cuddling a duck, taking a farm selfie, standing up for what he believed in, or speaking about mental health and depression. He was more than an actor; he felt like a friend. When we say that an actor will be missed, we often mean the actor’s work. In this case, it truly feels like we will miss the person who was Sam Neill.
The key to understanding Sam Neill lies in how he brought that humanity to every role he played, whether hero or villain. He was never flashy, but he was as consistent as they come. There may be bad Sam Neill movies; there aren’t any bad Sam Neill performances.
And the list of the most memorable ones spans a wide range of budgets and intents. Most people today will point to his incredible one-two punch in 1993, when he starred in two of the most essential films of their era: “Jurassic Park” and “The Piano.” Given the genuine affability of a man who loved his farm more than the red carpet, Neill had a striking career in horror, appearing in essential works like “Possession,” “Dead Calm,” “In the Mouth of Madness,” “Event Horizon,” and more. He could ground out-there concepts with what felt like genuine intellect. We believed his characters were smart, and there’s something scarier about the smartest guy in the room being unable to stop the madness of a horror film.
Neill was born Nigel John Dermot Neill in Northern Ireland to an English mother and a New Zealand father. They moved back to New Zealand in 1954, catching the acting bug (and taking the name Sam) in productions at the University of Canterbury. He made his acting debut in a TV film in New Zealand in 1971, but his international breakthrough came six years later in Roger Donaldson’s excellent “Sleeping Dogs,” often cited as the first feature-length film produced entirely in New Zealand. Two years later, Neill appeared in “My Brilliant Career,” alongside Judy Davis in Gillian Armstrong’s Oscar nominee.
From there, the parts came consistently. After the success of “Omen III: The Final Conflict,” “Possession,” and “Ivanhoe,” Sam Neill was in contention to step into James Bond’s shoes after Roger Moore exited the franchise. Timothy Dalton got the job, but the screen test below is truly worth watching to wonder how different movie history could have been.
The rest of the ‘80s included memorable turns in “Dead Calm” and “A Cry in the Dark,” but he really became a household name in the ‘90s. “The Hunt for Red October,” “Until the End of the World,” “Sirens,” “In the Mouth of Madness,” and “Event Horizon” are all great, but it was the ’93 double feature that displayed Neill’s range as an actor who could look at home in any genre, in any period.
One of the best films to watch today to appreciate Sam Neill is Taika Waititi’s “Hunt for the Wilderpeople,” in which Neill’s deep humanity comes through in his character’s gruff exterior. It’s a lovely performance in a great comedy.
There were so many great little turns throughout Neill’s career. There are TV fans out there today mourning what they loved about “Merlin,” “Peaky Blinders,” and even the recent “Untamed,” too. He felt like one of those actors who only took parts that truly interested him, or opportunities to elevate specific creators. He was politically active in New Zealand in his support of Aboriginal causes, and open about his battles with cancer in the last few years (although his family made clear his passing was cancer-free).
In one of Sam Neill’s final interviews for The Guardian, he was once again remarkably open and deeply human. He says in there that he’s “had to overcome the ordinariness of [his] appearance.” It’s a funny thought for someone so magnetic on-screen to consider himself ordinary, but it speaks to how Neill went through the world, never thinking that he was above anyone else because he happened to be a movie star. He was just as much an activist, a farmer, and a friend. And a heck of a good duck cuddler.
- First Look Featurette for 'Tony' Young Chef Film with Dominic Sessa (July 14, 2026)
"Bourdan's life shows us; you can live right on the edge & learn so much from the failures, that it creates you." A24 has revealed a new behind-the-scenes featurette for Tony, made by brilliant Canadian filmmaker Matt Johnson (following Operation Avalanche, BlackBerry, and Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie). Ready for release in August during the summer. This film is about the real life chef / author / TV personality Anthony Bourdain, best known as the iconic host of travel program "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" on CNN. Dominic Sessa (from The Holdovers) star as the young Tony during his early years. The movie takes place back in 1976, when a young Bourdain had a life-changing experience working as a line chef in Provincetown, MA – which became the basis of his book "Kitchen Confidential". It follows Bourdain, angsty aspiring writer, as he pursues a girl who eventually draws him into the culinary world. This stars Sessa as "Tony", Emilia Jones, Dagmara Domińczyk, Rich Sommer, Stavros Halkias, Leo Woodall, with Antonio Banderas. So far so good, I'm enjoying all of this footage and these behind-the-scenes glimpses. Plus I'm always excited to watch any new movie made by Matt Johnson. It will be out in theaters very soon. // Continue Reading ›
- Searching For a Better World in Ridley Scott's 'The Dog Stars' Trailer #3 (July 14, 2026)
"He's an unknown... We survive because have rules about how to deal with unknowns." The DOG days of summer are almost upon us. 20th Century revealed a third trailer for Ridley Scott's new post-apocalyptic thriller movie titled The Dog Stars, based on the book by Peter Heller. Opening in theaters worldwide in late August at the end of the summer - catch it on the big screen. This trailer plays up the post-apocalyptic vibes to complement the first trailer and the second one from a month ago. Does it look any better? Sparse survivors in the aftermath of a catastrophic pandemic traverse the ravaged wasteland landscape in hopes of finding the origin of a mysterious radio transmission - wanting more from their lives. Jacob Elordi stars in this as Hig, a pilot flying his little yellow Cessna plane around. With Brolin as a tough ex-marine. They face invaders and the endless struggle of hope for a better life outside of their current existence in a tiny enclave. Starring Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, and Margaret Qualley, with Guy Pearce, Benedict Wong, and Allison Janney. Will they find someplace that isn't overrun with these freaky cannibal humans out to get them? Is there any safe haven or is it all just ravaged now? Curious to find out when this opens next month. // Continue Reading ›
- De Niro & Monaghan in Serial Killer Thriller 'The Whisper Man' Trailer (July 14, 2026)
"I never thought it was going to start again..." Netflix has revealed the first official trailer for an unsettling crime thriller titled The Whisper Man, arriving to watch starting in the end of August this summer. The latest from director James Ashcroft, adapted from the bestselling novel by Alex North about the mysterious case of a serial killer and a missing child. A grieving father and his young son relocate to the quiet town of Featherbank, which was terrorized by a killer known as "The Whisper Man" 15 years earlier, while rumors circulated that Whisper Man worked with an accomplice. When his 8-year-old son is abducted, a widowed crime writer looks to his estranged father, a retired former detective, for help, only to discover a connection with the decades-old case of a convicted serial killer. "Despite the genre and the trappings of a serial killer thriller, it was the characters and the father-son relationship that’s mirrored throughout the story that really made me sink in." The Whisper Man movie stars Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, Adam Scott, Hamish Linklater, Owen Teague, Acston Luca Porto, and Will Brill, with Michael Keaton as "The Whisper Man". This definitely looks creepy and mysterious – just hope it's better than most Netflix thrillers. // Continue Reading ›
- Quirky Scottish Isle Comedy 'The Incomer' Trailer w/ Domhnall Gleeson (July 14, 2026)
"I think some people think I'm a bit of a weirdo." Sumerian Pictures has debuted the must watch first trailer for The Incomer, a kooky Scottish indie comedy from Scottish filmmaker Louis Paxton, making his first feature film after tons of other award-wining shorts. It first premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and ended up as one of my favorites of the fest because it's so delightful and off-beat and wacky and heartfelt just tons of fun. On a remote Scottish isle, siblings Isla and Sandy hunt birds and talk to mythical beings while fighting off outsiders. Their lives change when Daniel, an awkward official from the local government, arrives to relocate them. He's an "incomer" and they don't like him and they try to get rid of him – but they also must learn to grow & accept others. Starring Domhnall Gleeson as Daniel, Gayle Rankin & Grant O'Rourke as Isla & Sandy, with Emun Elliott, Michelle Gomez, and John Hannah. I'm a big fan of this film and Scotland is gorgeous! It's a charming indie discovery & entirely worth a watch. // Continue Reading ›
- First Trailer for Tony Gilroy's 'Behemoth!' with Pedro Pascal as a Cellist (July 14, 2026)
"What are you doing here?" Searchlight Pictures has revealed a teaser trailer for a highly anticipated new film titled Behemoth!, the latest creation from accalimed writer / director Tony Gilroy, best known for Michael Clayton (brilliant film), the Bourne movies, and "Andor" series most recently. The film stars Pedro Pascal as a famous cellist from a family of musicians who returns to Los Angeles to start a career as a music composer for movies. A love letter to the music of the movies and the people who make it. Gilroy has been a huge lover of movie music his whole life and is finally making his personal story about that passion. The film features a series of composers known as "The Behemoth! Collective" all creating music for it - including: Michael Abels, Emily Bear, Lukas Frank, Michael Giacchino, James Newton Howard, Henry Jackman, Nami Melumad, Brandon Roberts, & Alan Silvestri (reported by The Playlist). The title is a reference to a major movie Pascal's character is creating music for called Behemoth!. The full cast includes Pascal, with Olivia Wilde, Eva Victor, Alexa Swinton, Kaya Ralls, Erik Griffin, Jobeth Williams, Margarita Levieva, with Hank Azaria & Will Arnett. What a fabulous teaser - I'm extra hyped for this. // Continue Reading ›
