Faces of Death (2026) * * *

 

Directed by:  Daniel Goldhaber

Starring:  Barbie Ferreira, Dacre Montgomery, Jermaine Fowler, Josie Totah, Aaron Holliday, Charli XCX

I'm dating myself but I recall combing video stores with friends looking for videos to rent and Faces of Death sat on the shelf, waiting for someone to rent it and see what the fuss was about.  For those unfamiliar, Faces of Death (and its two sequels) was a pseudo-documentary which recreated (and in some cases used actual footage) horrific deaths such as a SWAT team opening fire on an armed man, a monkey bludgeoned to death and then having its brains eaten, and other assorted pleasantries.  All hosted by "Doctor" Francis B. Gross (get it?) who narrates the affair with monotone detachment.  Dr. Gross is played by actor Michael Carr, who assures us all he's as horrified and puzzled as the rest of us.  The box on the videotape promised that Faces of Death was "banned in 66 countries" but obviously not the United States. 

The 2026 movie isn't based on Faces of Death directly, but its serial killer uses the killings in the VHS video as inspiration for his crimes.  The elevator pitch for Faces of Death could be Seven meets Untraceable (an underrated 2008 Diane Lane film) in which its killer posts grisly murders that mimic the crimes on Faces of Death and gets way too many likes from a supposedly civilized society.   Our hero is Margot (Ferreira), who works at a TikTok-like service reviewing posts and determining whether they should be tagged or deleted per its standards.  She underwent recent trauma in which her sister was killed by a moving train while both were posting a video.  Margot sees videos of a man being executed in the electric chair and another having his head bashed in by mannequins.   Surely, these are fake, right?  But they are disturbing enough for Margot to research them and then realizes they are indeed recreations of scenes from Faces of Death.  Her roommate just so happens to have a VCR and a copy of the movie for her to discover.  

The videos are courtesy of Arthur Spevak (Montgomery), a John Doe-like serial killer who kills not just for enjoyment but to spread a message about society's sickness as if he isn't contributing to it.  Montgomery is an effectively creepy killer while Ferreira gives us a wounded, but feisty protagonist who wants to stop the killings.  I didn't know what to expect from Faces of Death and on some level, I was pleasantly surprised by its slick production values and its simple story which focuses on the strengths of the genre.  And in some weird way, it harkens back to the days when going to Blockbuster or West Coast Video was an adventure in itself.  It was good to see Dr. Francis B. Gross again.  

Ted Lasso (2020-present) * *

Starring:  Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein, Juno Temple, Phil Dunster, Nick Mohammed, Brendan Hunt

Ted Lasso begins as a promising fish-out-of-water series about an American football coach hired by a scheming European League soccer team owner in hopes he will flop and humiliate her ex-husband who formerly owned the team.  But then it grew into a slog and ran out of gas by the end of season two.  Whether I'll watch season three is still up in the air.  Where did a series that started so swimmingly go so wrong?

Ted Lasso (Sudeikis) is hired by Richmond FC owner Rebecca Wilton (Waddingham) after a video of him celebrating a Division II football title went viral.  She recently was awarded full ownership of the club in her divorce.  Does she want to win?  No, she wants to get back at her ex by running the team he loves into the ground.   Ted is a folksy optimist who admittedly knows nothing about soccer but wishes to learn.  He takes his longtime assistant "Beard" (Hunt) along for the trip to London.  Ted's eternal positivity is hard to withstand, even for Rebecca, who receives a daily helping of biscuits from Ted each morning.  It doesn't take long for Rebecca to succumb to Ted's charms (although not romantically) and soon enough she feels guilty and confesses her plot to him, which takes away a good part of the edge.  Rebecca is no Rachel Phelps (for those Major League fans out there).

Ted has to deal with two different types of team distractions:  Jamie (Dunster), the egotistical star of the team who doesn't play well with others, and gruff veteran Roy Kent (Goldstein), who doesn't like Jamie and can't stand having a novice like Ted coach the team.  We know the scales will fall from their eyes eventually.  The biggest concern with the first two seasons is how Ted Lasso simply plods along without much direction.  There isn't enough soccer for us to care about, and the characters aren't entirely engrossing.  Like the show, they are compelling in spurts, but not enough to carry our attention over two seasons. 

The Drama (2026) * * *

 

Directed by:  Kristoffer Borgli

Starring:  Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Mamoudou Athie, Alana Haim

Kristoffer Borgli's Dream Scenario (2023) starred Nicolas Cage in a wicked satire about cancel culture.  If you recall, Cage's character inexplicably begins appearing in the dreams of random people and becomes a celebrity, until he suddenly starts killing people in the dreams.  Then, everyone wants nothing to do with him, and he is banished from polite society over something of which he has no control.  The movie took an absurd development and ran with it.  The Drama, Borgli's follow-up, begins with a couple approaching their upcoming wedding like most engaged couples do, and then a confession by Emma (Zendaya) to her husband-to-be Charlie (Pattinson) in front of their best friends alters everything.  It isn't what you think.  It's something no one could see coming but having an affair or a one-night stand would've been preferable in Charlie's mind and the mind of Emma's matron-of-honor (Haim).  

I won't reveal what Emma's secret is, but it forces Charlie to see Emma in a new light and question whether he even wants to marry her on the eve of their wedding.  No one can blame Charlie for having doubts, but the events involving Emma way back in high school did not actually occur.  There I am hinting at the secret, but The Drama is about others' reactions to it.  Emma loves Charlie and wants to marry him.  He's not so sure, but does he want to undo all of the wedding plans and disrupt everyone's schedule?  He oscillates between wanting to proceed with the nuptials and calling the whole thing off.

If nothing else, The Drama's underlying themes are that some things are better left unsaid and people may say they want total honesty from their partner, but the "total" part could present problems.  Zendaya and Pattinson are appealing, but are more acted upon than anything else.  They are almost deliberately unexciting, because what matters more is how Borgli uses them as vessels to further his plot and the questions it presents.  When someone asks you to be totally honest, maybe still think before you say something you'll regret. 

Shrinking (2023-2026) * * *

 

Starring:  Jason Segel, Jessica Williams, Harrison Ford, Christa Miller, Ted McGinley, Lukita Maxwell, Jeff Daniels, Michael Urie, Luke Tennie, Brett Goldstein, Damon Wayans, Jr., Michael J. Fox, Wendie Malick, Lily Rabe

Three seasons into Shrinking, you can forgive it its trespasses because it creates a sense of family within its characters.  Sure, they can simply walk into each other's houses without knocking at the door, but we care about them warts and all.   They grow on you.

At the start, we meet psychiatrist Dr. Jimmy Laird (Segel) who numbs the pain of losing his wife in a car wreck with drugs and prostitutes.  His daughter Alice (Maxwell) barely speaks to him because Jimmy essentially left her to fend for herself with her own grieving.  Jimmy works for Dr. Paul Rhoades (Ford), a gruff, sometimes irascible straight-shooter who suffers from Parkinson's Disease.  Jimmy's other colleague is Gaby (Williams), herself going through a divorce and a strained relationship with her mother.  One day, Jimmy decides to deal with his patients in most unorthodox manners, such as a former solider with PTSD named Sean (Tennie), who punches first and asks questions later.  

Jimmy's concerned and well-meaning neighbors are Liz (Miller) and Derek (McGinley), with Liz being more outspoken and Derek coming off as a truly kind man.  All of these characters interact regularly, with Louis Winston, the drunk driver who killed Jimmy's wife in the accident, attempting to shoehorn his way into Jimmy's life by apologizing.  Is he able to succeed?   The answer may surprise you in touching ways.

Over three seasons, there are too many characters and subplots to encapsulate without driving yourself mad.  So, the review is meant to capture the overall feel of the show.  It's breezy and doesn't bog itself with heaviness even in the midst of tragic developments.  The more dramatic moments are still light without treading lightly.  Even when the characters behave badly, they aren't mean and they maintain their likability.  Some of the repeated joke themes can be tiresome, but by then everyone is on to the next joke or situation.   I'm no therapist, and Shrinking is probably as accurate about psychiatry as Rocky is about boxing, but it sure makes you feel good to watch.  

They Will Kill You (2026) *

 

Directed by:  Kirill Sokolov

Starring:  Zasie Beetz, Patricia Arquette, Tom Felton, Heather Graham, Myah'la

Another week, another battle to the death with a Satanic cult.  This time it's Asia Reaves (Beetz) who infiltrates a demonic hotel called The Virgil in hopes of rescuing her sister (Myah'la) from the cult's grasp before it's too late.  They Will Kill You is Tarantino-esque in its delivery of its gory violence, but it grows tiresome fast.  There is plenty of blood and kills, but this time, the killed cult members can quickly resurrect and pull themselves back together with nary a scratch on them.  That's one of the benefits of living in The Virgil, so we are treated to certain characters being annihilated three or four different times. 

I understand the action is meant to be over-the-top, but it is also boring.  How many stab wounds can one person endure (who is not a cultist) without eventually bleeding to death or at least going into shock from blood loss?  It becomes apparent that no matter what Asia does to her tormentors, they will come back again and again.  I'm reminded of the Pirates of the Caribbean series' pointless swordfights with the undead.  How exactly do you plan to kill the undead, especially with a sword?

They Will Kill You clocks in at 94 minutes and feels every bit sluggish getting there.  We have heroes and villains we equally couldn't care less about.  Beetz is game as the butt-kicking hero, and yes that's Oscar winner Patricia Arquette as Lilith, the main antagonist, but They Will Kill You attempts to bring the Tarantino style without the energy.  

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (2026) * * *

 

Directed by:  Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

Starring:  Samantha Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, Elijah Wood, David Cronenberg

Ready or Not (2019) was a successful action movie in which a newlywed named Grace (Weaving), who married into a rich family, spends her wedding night trying to survive a deadly game of hide and seek from her new in-laws and husband.  Ready or Not 2 picks up where the first one left off, with Grace sitting on the steps of the mansion she burned to the ground while smoking a cigarette.  She went through hell, but soon learns that she will have to survive another game of people who want to control Satan's earthly cult and need to do so by killing Grace.   

I won't get into why or how that is that Grace controls the fate of Satan's biggest and most powerful cult, except that the action starts after the children of the cult's leader Chester Danforth (famed director David Cronenberg) smother the old man to death.  Moments before, he was watching a story of a terrible war on tv and called in to demand a ceasefire.  The screen scroll then reads, "Ceasefire reached" seconds later.  His evil children Titus (Hatosy) and Ursula (Gellar) are two of the numerous players trying to kill Grace (and her estranged sister Faith (Newton)), who has the unfortunate luck of being Grace's next of kin contact and actually shows up to Grace's hospital room.  Grace explains in roughly two minutes of dialogue what happened in the last movie and then the game is afoot.

Grace and Faith are kidnapped and taken to a remote country club where Satan's attorney (Wood) explains the ground rules to the participants who are looking to take out Grace.  The participants can't kill each other, even accidentally, or they'll be immediately burned up by Satan.  Then, family members on hand must join the game even if they don't want to.  What's interesting about the Wood character is that he truly has no skin in the game.  He doesn't mind seeing this cultists off each other and when Grace outsmarts them in a key scene, a smirk crosses his face.  And who knew Satan required an attorney here on Earth?  What does he have down below?  A second attorney who specializes in underworld matters?   Do they work for Al Pacino's firm from The Devil's Advocate?  

Yes, of course this is silly, but it's fun because ultimately we want to see Grace and Faith destroy their would-be assassins.  Of course, reconciliation is in the works because if not, then you've come to the wrong movie.  Yet, Ready or Not 2 is not simply a retread of the first movie.  The stakes seem higher and it's no longer just a family affair.  You can understand by the Lord of Darkness is fed up with the idiots who want to rule the cult.  In a way, you sense he admires Grace's chutzpah, although he won't admit it. 

Project Hail Mary (2026) * *

 

Directed by:  Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

Starring:  Ryan Gosling, Sandra Huller, Lionel Boyce, voice of James Ortiz

If Project Hail Mary feels eerily like The Martian (2015), it is because both are Andy Weir novels adapted by Drew Goddard.  The Martian is more upbeat even though its protagonist is stranded on Mars alone and has to come up with ways to communicate with NASA and pray for a timely rescue.  Project Hail Mary despite giving its hero Dr. Ryland Grace (Gosling) an alien lifeform to play off of, threatens to collapse under its own heavy atmosphere.  It reminded me of Interstellar (2014), which wasn't exactly a picnic either despite its outstanding technical achievements.  Project Hail Mary is a bloated downer of a movie with even some of the visuals looking chintzy.

Dr. Grace is a middle school teacher with a PhD in molecular biology but personal issues have forced him to work at the school.  If you think about it, being a teacher isn't bad.  You get weekends and holidays off and sometimes all summer if you play your cards right.  But, Ryland is approached by Eva Stratt (Huller) with an offer to use his skills to determine if bacteria is eating the sun.  I kid you not.  Dr. Grace determines that there is and if the bacteria isn't destroyed, life on Earth will cease in about thirty years.  The catch:  Dr. Grace and two other astronauts will have to man a shuttle to a destination light years away to perform the mission with no hope of returning home alive.  Dr. Grace has reservations about participating in a suicide mission, but his hand is soon forced.

The beginning of the movie has Dr. Grace awakening with the other two crew members already dead, so he has to figure out not only his mission but how he even got there.  Dr. Grace then meets an alien life form shaped like a walking, talking rock.  Dr. Grace is able to use a special translator to translate the language he affectionately calls Rocky speaks into English and the two we learn are on the same mission to save their respective planets.

Gosling does all he can to give Dr. Grace dimensions, but it's quite a load to carry.  Rocky is lovable...for a rock, but the movie itself becomes a 2 1/2 hour slog to get through, not to mention how depressing it is.  You could see where such material could be fun in a schlocky sci-fi way, but Project Hail Mary is so solemn and deadly serious that fun seems to be the furthest thing from its mind.  It makes Interstellar appear cheerful by comparison.