After an unplanned week off, Chloe and I are back with a great slate of new releases currently in theatres, a couple of streaming binges and more. Many apologies go out to you, the viewer, after a head cold took me down, but trust us, you didn’t want to see me struggle through it. The result wouldn’t be pretty!
We start off with Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, the first from the famed franchise in theatres since the very lacklustre finish to the latest trilogy, released seven years ago. While Lucasfilm seems to be hemorrhaging money out of this release, I have some fun with the family for this movie, and I implore people to give it a chance. I will acknowledge that it is a reworking of an entire season into one feature, but I’ve made my peace with that.
The money part of this episode is something that has sparked a new obsessive rabbit hole for me, Backrooms. Written and directed by a nineteen-year-old Kane Parsons, this is the A24 big-screen produced feature continuation of the YouTube he started, using the free editing app Blender. This movie is immersive, gripping and a dread-filled odyssey that will stick with you for days or weeks after.
While we celebrate the good horror, here’s another entry into the genre that isn’t as great, The Autopsy Of Jane Doe director André Øvredal’s new road trip creeper, Passenger. I argue that the film benefits from a sort of effective trailer that is more like a short film, but sadly, the end product loses all of its steam before the third act. Let me tell you, I shouldn’t be outright laughing during a horror film in its bigger setup moments!
We go out on a good one in theatres, though, as a Vancouver International Film Festival blind spot finally gets its release on the big screen. Tuner is the second film from filmmaker Daniel Roher in 2026 and, for me, cemented Leo Woodall’s status as a formidable leading star and reminded everyone of the timeless charm of Hollywood legend Dustin Hoffman. This film might go down as one of the best this year, in my opinion.
Moving on to the streaming, Nicolas Cage, personal movie god and constant in my film appreciating life, does something he has never done in his storied career: Television. Re-entering the Spider-verse again, Spider-Noir not only gives the legendary Nic his first real comic book win (aside from Kick-Ass) but also was something he called “the most satisfying work of his career”. The fact that you can choose to watch it in black and white or colour just adds to the cool factor.
Finishing up, Mindy Kaling has another new series to add to her Infinity Gauntlet of solid shows she has created, and it feels like a bit of a spiritual sequel to some of her best work. Not Suitable For Work follows a group of early twenty-something New Yorkers looking for the next step after high school. Love, work and living situations are all relatable subjects, but this pilot didn’t hit as well as Never Have I Ever did, a Netflix favourite on this show.
Chloe butts in with a real classic this week, making me a really proud father as she discovers the 90s independent films that shaped me as a movie lover. SLC Punk is the discovery this time around, and both of us give the great Matthew Lillard his flowers as Chloe praises a side of his talent she previously hadn’t seen before. It’s easy to remember that this film hits hard no matter what generation is taking it in.
Coming up next week:
Scary Movie
Masters Of The Universe
Carolina Caroline
Our Hero, Balthazar
Stop! That! Train!
The Voices Of Our Mother
Heel
…and more.
New episodes of What The Hell Should I Watch? drop every Friday at 9 a.m. Pacific.