Her Private Hell (2026)

Her Private Hell is written and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, and unfortunately it continues the filmmaker's uneven output following the heights of Drive. This is a film that wields symbolism like a sledgehammer, repeatedly beating the audience over the head with imagery and dialogue that leave little room for interpretation. There is no subtlety to its themes, and the screenplay introduces some characters through clumsy exposition rather than allowing them to develop naturally. The score is another major distraction, overwhelming scenes that would have benefited from restraint instead of constantly demanding the audience's attention. To make matters worse, the ending is telegraphed so early that there is little satisfaction when it finally arrives. It left me wondering whether the brilliance of Drive was more a product of its cast and collaboration than Refn's direction alone.

Sophie Thatcher, known for Companion and Yellowjackets, delivers what is easily her weakest performance to date. She has proven herself capable of carrying emotionally demanding material before, but nothing here ever comes together. Whether it's the dialogue, the direction, or the character itself, her acting never finds its footing and lacks the authenticity needed to anchor the film.

Charles Melton, known for May December and Riverdale, gives a performance that is simply forgettable. He never leaves much of an impression despite his screen time. Havana Rose Liu, known for Bottoms and No Exit, struggles with a character that comes across as stiff and emotionally distant, resulting in a wooden performance. Kristine Froseth, known for The Assistant and Looking for Alaska, also feels miscast, unable to find a natural rhythm within the film's heightened style. It's disappointing because each of these actors has shown far stronger work elsewhere, suggesting the shortcomings lie more with the material and direction than with their abilities.

Overall, Her Private Hell is an exhausting experience that mistakes obvious symbolism for meaningful storytelling. Between its heavy-handed script, intrusive score, predictable conclusion, and underwhelming performances, the film never gives the audience a reason to invest in its world or characters. For me, this is another major disappointment from Nicolas Winding Refn and one of the weakest films of the year. Result: F

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Onslaught (2026)

Onslaught is a grindhouse action/horror movie, and I had no idea it was going to turn into a slasher until about five minutes in. Adam Wingard , a V/H/S alumni, writes and directs, and while the action can be pretty good at times, it's also flawed in some pretty obvious ways. The biggest problem is the plot armor given to the heroine. Why can these super soldiers hit everyone else just fine, but suddenly can't hit her? It makes some of the action feel less exciting when you know the movie is going to bend the rules to keep her alive. Adria Arjona spends the majority of the movie dressed like she's headed to Walmart, but somehow she doesn't look bad. Few people could probably pull off an outfit like that and still make it work. She does a decent job in the role, even if the character is clearly protected by the script whenever the action gets going. Dan Stevens has a great cameo, and Reginald VelJohnson brings his classic acting chops to the movie. Drew Starkey pla...

The Runner (2026)

The Runner is directed by Kevin Macdonald and written by Mark Gibson , and it starts off incredibly cringe. Considering Gibson's past work, that isn't exactly surprising, but the camera work and directing choices are all over the place as well. The premise itself is already pretty unrealistic, and the movie does very little to make it believable. It also doesn't help that the pacing makes the whole thing feel much longer than it actually is. Gal Gadot's portrayal of a mother is so awful that I started wondering if she's ever actually interacted with her own children. There are moments where she runs with decent form, but then there are other times when she's running all limp-wristed, exactly as you'd expect someone who clearly isn't a runner to run. More importantly, her character is incredibly difficult to take seriously. Even though she has a kidnapped child, she still acts like she should be bossing the kidnapper around. It doesn't feel like a...

Coyote vs. Acme (2026)

Coyote vs. Acme is directed by Dave Green , and this is easily his best work to date. Some of that credit belongs to Samy Burch , the Oscar-nominated writer whose screenplay gives the film enough personality to keep it entertaining. All that praise aside, Coyote vs. Acme is fun but ultimately nothing particularly special. The film is appropriately silly for a Looney Tunes movie, but the pacing is its biggest problem. At 103 minutes, it feels noticeably longer than it needs to be, and cutting it down to around 90 to 95 minutes would have made the movie considerably tighter. Will Forte is easily the best casting choice in the film. He fits the comedic tone perfectly and brings the right amount of energy to a movie that depends heavily on its absurdity. John Cena , on the other hand, is easily the worst casting choice. His performance is so wooden that it feels like he's barely trying, and he seems to be phoning it in throughout most of the movie. It's especially noticeable wh...

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