This week’s episode is packed with franchise spectacle, one of the smartest films of the year, Japanese horror slow-burn tension, and a pair of very mixed Disney+ additions.
From Illumination’s latest Nintendo cash machine to a mind-bending Zendaya / Robert Pattinson dark satire, plus Chloe weighing in on Edgar Wright’s The Running Man, this is one of those episodes that covers the full spectrum of what makes movies fun to talk about.
🎬 Fresh For Your Eyeballs
First up is The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and this one really left me cold. The animation is gorgeous, the character designs are perfect, and the Nintendo references come at you like a speedrun — but that’s also the problem. It feels less like a real movie and more like a loose excuse to dump characters and cameos on screen.
The big takeaway from my review is simple: this is money over substance. It’s bigger, louder, and more focused on expanding Nintendo’s cinematic universe than telling a story with real stakes. The Star Fox cameo is fun, Glen Powell’s voice work is a cool surprise, and the Daisy tease will thrill fans, but none of it adds up to anything meaningful.
Then there’s The Drama, which turned out to be one of the smartest and most fascinating films I’ve seen this year. What starts as a wedding-week relationship story starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson slowly mutates into a sharp, satirical psychological spiral built around a devastating confession game.
The way it explores youthful mistakes, unforgivable actions, and moral fallout is riveting. Kristoffer Borgli’s direction is bold, but what really knocked me out was the editing, which might honestly be my favorite of the year so far.
Also in theaters, Chloe and I both review Exit 8, Neon’s adaptation of the 2023 anomaly horror game. It absolutely nails the feeling of being trapped in an endlessly repeating subway space, forcing both the audience and the lead character to scan every frame for what’s wrong.
Its slow-burn tension, unsettling anomalies, and emotional third act make it far more affecting than a simple game adaptation. Horror fans should absolutely seek this one out.
📺 The Streaming Pile
On streaming, I checked out Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, and unfortunately this legacy reboot just didn’t do much for me. Even at only four episodes, it never found a compelling enough reason to exist beyond the reunion itself.
Much stronger is Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, which might be one of the best things Lucasfilm animation has done since The Bad Batch. Dave Filoni leans fully into Maul as an antihero caught between the Empire, the Force, and his own ambitions to rebuild power.
The action absolutely rips, Sam Witwer remains perfect in the role, and Wagner Moura adds a fantastic new presence to the galaxy.
🎙️ Butting In
Chloe has a fantastic Butting In lineup this week.
First up is Edgar Wright’s The Running Man, and Chloe actually prefers it to the original thanks to the larger societal worldbuilding, Glen Powell’s charisma, Josh Brolin’s villain turn, and Wright’s kinetic style.
Then she dives into Marrowbone, the gothic thriller starring George MacKay, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, and Mia Goth, which becomes a devastating exploration of grief and trauma.
And finally there’s Marie Antoinette, where Chloe loved the decadent production design but had major issues with Sofia Coppola’s softer portrayal of the historical figure.
🔮 A Taste of Next Week
Coming up next week:
Hunting Matthew Nichols
Thrash
Outcome
The Boys: Season 5
Alpha
Fantasy Life
For Worse
Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice
Pretty Lethal
…and more.
New episodes of What The Hell Should I Watch? drop every Friday at 9 a.m. Pacific.
Fresh For Your Eyeballs
New To The Library
A Taste of Next Week
Fresh For Your Eyeballs
Horror Takes a Nosedive
New to the Library
Next Week on the Show