Release Date: 02/10/26 [VOD] Genre: Thriller. MPAA: Not Rated. Distributor: Cineverse Entertainment. The Verdict: A Must-See From the same man behind the absolutely bonkers Nicolas Cage horror, Willy’s Wonderland comes a contained thriller that radiates inquiry as the question looms as to why this is their mark for the night.  Olga Kurylenko and Oliver Trevena play Sara and Jason, two high end robbers, who chose their final mark before retiring from their life of crime. Thei

Season Ten. [Episodes 1 - 6] Aired On: Netflix. Release Date: 02/11/26. Genre: Reality-TV. Romance. The Verdict: A Must-See This season is different, the contestants are factually more mature than previous years with only two contestants under the age of 30 and they all come from my home state of OH-IO… so maybe I am a little biased.  But in all honesty things six episodes in feel different, yes there’s still the occasional toxic relationship that gets air time but for the m

Release Date: 12/02/25 [VOD] Genre: Comedy. MPAA: Not Rated. Distributor: Indican Pictures. The Verdict: A Must-See Tapawingo  feels less like a feature film and more like two hours of what happens when Napoleon Dynamite  collides with Pee-wee’s Playhouse  and Beavis and Butt-Head . Everyone seems like they’re maybe 12 years old, no one has a triple-digit IQ, but it’s weirdly kind of a good time. Jon Heder is Nate Skoog, a stunted (sort of) adult who lives with his mom and w

Release Date: 02/06/26 [Cinemas] Genre: Comedy. Drama. Mockumentary. Thriller. MPAA: Rated R. Distributor: A24. The Verdict: A Must-See As Jasmine Kennedy famously declared, “This is your moment! Have it!” And Charli XCX absolutely is. After the neon burst of brat  summer in 2024, her momentum has not slowed, with brat  still sitting at the center of the pop conversation. At the same time, she has been steadily carving out space in film and television, composing the score fo

Release Date: 02/11/26 [Cinemas] Genre: Fantasy. Horror. Thriller. MPAA: Rated PG13. Distributor: Fathom Entertainment. The Verdict: A Mistake Gale: Yellow Brick Road can’t be faulted for being ambitious, taking elements of the classic The Wizard of Oz and the much more grim sequel Return to Oz , this film isn’t afraid to defy expectations.  Utilizing a gothic, Grimm fairy tale atmosphere, the film has a unique take on the world of Oz, or at least the path to get there. Be

Release Date: 02/10/26 [VOD] Genre: Mystery. Thriller. MPAA: Rated NR. Distributor: Epic Pictures. The Verdict: A Maybe The Huntsman excels in its opening act, revealing a grim narrative where the mystery of “why” a serial killer does what they do is locked behind a coma. That idea is relinquished relatively quickly though as accused serial killer, Lincoln (Garret Dillahunt, Deadwood ) is awoken suddenly by assigned nurse, Max (Shane Ashmore, X-Men ).  We see a darkness li

Release Date: 02/13/26 [Cinemas] Genre: Comedy. Mockumentary. MPAA: Rated R. Distributor: Neon. Seen for SXSW 2025. The Verdict: A Must-See Nirvanna: The Band The Show The Movie  is not only an outrageous title, but an extraordinarily wild experience. Venturing into this film almost entirely blind I wasn’t sure what I was getting into, luckily it’s a surreal comedy that will leave you cracking up and shocked . The film is shot as a documentary on speed with interactions with

Season Two. Aired On: Crunchyroll. Release Date: 01/18/26. Genre: Adventure. Fantasy. The Verdict: A Must-See Every couple of years, there is an anime that ends up changing my life. Back in 2020, that anime was Cowboy Bebop - thanks in large part to its cast of wandering characters all learning to carry that weight. I watched Cowboy Bebop in my third year of university, after changing schools - and it hit like a ton of bricks. The animation style, the ever-changing cast, a

Release Date: 01/30/26 [Cinemas] Genre: Action. Thriller. MPAA: Rated R. Distributor: Black Bear. The Verdict: A Must-See It’s not always a bad thing to play things by the books, and this classic escort mission delivers exactly what it needs to for an excellent theatrical experience. I’ve always said if you have Jason Statham, all he’ll need is a good scene partner and director and he has both for support in Shelter .  The new Ric Roman Waugh directed film sees Statham as a

Release Date: 11/07/25 [Cinemas] Genre: Drama. MPAA: Rated R. Distributor: Neon. The Verdict: A Must-See There is a scene midway through Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value where Elle Fanning’s character, Rachel, implores fading filmmaker Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård) that she is not the right fit for a part he wants her to play in his upcoming film. That part belongs to someone else: Gustav’s daughter. Rachel bows out of the project, leaving Gustav no alternative but to fix his

w/ Director Timur Bekmambetov. SYNOPSIS Set in the near future, a detective accused of murdering his wife has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to an advanced AI judge.   Cinefied's Dempsey Pillot spoke with Mercy director Timur Bekmambetov about the state of AI in the modern world and how it plays a major role in the film...

Release Date: 02/06/26 [Digital] Genre: Horror. Thriller. MPAA: Rated R. Distributor: Republic Pictures. The Verdict: A Maybe Darren Lynn Bousman’s Twisted isn’t a Saw film, but it does share many similarities. It’s a story about revenge, innovation, grit, and determination. It even has a new “anti-hero” holding the knife. But it’s needless to say, John Kramer is still irreplaceable.  The story follows a con artist played by Lauren LaVera ( Terrifier 3 ) who lists homes on

Release Date: 02/06/26 [Cinemas] Genre: Horror. MPAA: Rated R. Distributor: Lionsgate. The Verdict: A Maybe After three years and two mediocre movies, the reboot trilogy that no one asked for is finally coming to an end. The Strangers: Chapter 3  is billed as the epic conclusion to the story of Maya, a young woman who has been terrorized by serial killers in the middle of a small Oregon town. While it does continue to (literally) retread some of the same ground from the prev

Release Date: 10/15/25 [Cinemas] Genre: Crime. Drama. Mystery. Thriller. MPAA: Rated PG13. Distributor: Neon. The Verdict: A Must-See In the shifting power dynamics of the middle east, there are citizens picking up the wreckage of an oppressive regime. Constant reminders of the traumas thrust upon them as they build towards the best future that they can imagine. One day a mechanic, Vahid, recognizes a familiar noise; a creak of a prosthetic leg belonging to his torturer from

Limited Series. Aired On: MGM+. Release Date: 02/01/26. Genre: Thriller. The Verdict: A Mistake Spread over a four episode arc, Vanished is a dangerously slow burn whose flame is snuffed out long before it ever reaches its conclusion.  Kaley Cuoco stars as Alice Monroe, a woman on vacation with her long distance partner Tom (Sam Claflin), a man who disappears suddenly while on a train travelling through France. From the moment Tom goes missing, anxiety is properly present a

Release Date: 02/06/26 [Cinemas] Genre: Fantasy. Horror. Romance. MPAA: Rated R. Distributor: Vertical Entertainment. The Verdict: A Maybe By now, you know the story: boy loves girl, boy must lead a holy war, girl dies, boy forsakes God and becomes the father of vampires. Writer-director Luc Besson’s latest film is a fairly standard Dracula  adaptation for its first 40 minutes. There’s a lavish castle, some truly gnarly suits of armor, and a battle scene full of blood and fi

Release Date: 01/30/26 [Cinemas] Genre: Horror. SciFi. MPAA: Rated R. Distributor: Markiplier. The Verdict: A Mistake Films based on video games walk a tightrope. Often, they want to be faithful to the source material while also appealing to a wider audience. Many video game adaptations fail to do either. The latest addition to this niche genre, Iron Lung , rides hard in the faithful column as a devoted rendition of the cosmic horror game but fails to rise above its claustro

Special Event. Aired On: ABC. Disney+. Release Date: 02/04/26. Genre: Comedy. Family. Music. The Verdict: A Must-See Celebrating 50 years, The Muppet Show  is back and it’s just as wonderful as ever to be a Muppet fanatic, even if it’s just for a singular special. A special that plays out as more of a nostalgic pilot episode (with a piece of dialogue even aimed at that). As someone that grew up with The Muppets at Disney World but not The Muppet Show in particular, this felt

Release Date: 01/30/26 [Cinemas] Genre: Crime. Drama. Thriller. MPAA: Not Rated. Distributor: Greenwich Entertainment. The Verdict: A Must-See Islands is the kind of slow-burning character study that quietly sinks its hooks in rather than announcing its intentions up front. Directed by Jan-Ole Gerster, the film places its focus on isolation that exists even in the most picturesque environments, using its sun-drenched setting as a deliberate contrast to the emotional stagnat

w/ Director Renny Harlin. SYNOPSIS In the series' most brutal chapter, Maya collides with the masked killers, and finds the only way out of the nightmare...is in.   Cinefied's Dempsey Pillot spoke with Director Renny Harlin about he third + final entry in his The Strangers trilogy, his involvement in Alien3 and what franchise he wouldn't mind taking a stab at...