Hey everyone — Steve Stebbing here with another episode of What The Hell Should I Watch, and this week’s packed with awards-season contenders, dark biopics, auteur passion projects, and a few deep dives into cinematic obsession.
We start with James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg — a tense, talk-heavy post-WWII drama starring Rami Malek as Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley, trying to understand the psychology behind Nazi leadership. Russell Crowe is magnetic as Hermann Göring, making this one of the most engrossing and unsettling prestige dramas of the year.
Next up, David Michôd’s Christy — Sydney Sweeney is a knockout as real-life boxer Christy Martin, delivering a fierce, emotionally raw performance in a biopic that refuses to pull its punches. It’s bruising, heartfelt, and unforgettable.
Then there’s Jan Komasa’s Anniversary, a blistering domestic-political meltdown starring Diane Lane and Kyle Chandler. It’s a slow-motion family implosion that hits disturbingly close to home, smartly skewering American privilege and denial.
Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague is next — a stylish, black-and-white, French-language love letter to the French New Wave. Zoey Deutch dazzles as Jean Seberg in a film that celebrates rebellion, wit, and the joy of creation.
We also look at Chris Stuckmann’s Shelby Oaks — a grief-soaked horror debut that blends found footage and psychological dread. It’s flawed but deeply sincere, and a promising first outing from a filmmaker who clearly loves the genre.
Then comes Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another — a sprawling, feverish, politically charged epic starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and Benicio del Toro. It’s wild, ambitious, and deeply human — PTA firing on every chaotic cylinder.
Next up, Brian Kirk’s Dead of Winter — Emma Thompson leads a tight, brutal survival thriller set in the frozen north, pulled into a kidnapping that quickly becomes a fight for her life. It’s cold, tense, and refreshingly adult filmmaking.
Then we hit Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein — the master’s long-awaited gothic take on Mary Shelley’s classic. Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, and Mia Goth bring heartbreaking emotion to a film that’s less horror and more tragedy. Del Toro turns the monster story into a haunting meditation on creation and isolation — visually stunning and emotionally devastating.
We also dive into Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films, a new Disney+ doc exploring the artistry and obsession behind James Cameron’s underwater epic. It’s equal parts filmmaking clinic and pure madness — a fascinating watch for anyone who loves the craft (or chaos) of blockbuster production.
In New to the Library, I spotlight David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds and Macon Blair’s The Toxic Avenger 4K Steelbook — two wild visions of death, rebirth, and rot worth adding to your shelf.
And in Butting In, Chloe takes on Kiah Roache-Turner’s Beast of War — an Aussie WWII survival horror about stranded soldiers and a shark that’s more relentless than the enemy. She breaks down why this gnarly, practical-effects-driven creature flick is way smarter (and bloodier) than it sounds.
Next week, we’re looking at Lynne Ramsey’s Die My Love, Sentimental Value, and Predator: Badlands, plus some lingering VIFF leftovers.
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Steve Stebbing 