Matthew Shepherd

The film follows crime novelist Tom Kennedy and his son Jake as they move to Featherbank, where child abductions linked to the long-imprisoned killer Frank Carter begin again. The review argues that the promising cast and themes of abuse, grief, family trauma and generational damage are undermined by a stale pace, limited suspects, implausible twists and anticlimactic reveals. Michael Keaton receives particular praise for an unsettling performance, but the film is ultimately judged forgettable and not worth recommending.

The piece argues that Star Wars should continue moving beyond the Skywalker saga by developing character-led Disney+ series about figures operating at the margins of galactic history. It proposes shows for Qi’ra, Asajj Ventress, Doctor Aphra, Captain Rex, Plo Koon, Quinlan Vos, Hondo Ohnaka, the Grand Inquisitor, Sabine Wren and Baylan Skoll, pairing each with a distinct genre such as crime thriller, noir, comedy, horror or political espionage. The common appeal, it argues, lies in stories about criminals, soldiers, survivors and disillusioned figures rather than chosen ones.

Death Among the Pines is a thriller directed by Nathan Shepka and written by Tom Jolliffe. The film follows Angela, who shelters a stranded stranger during a rainstorm just as a police officer arrives searching for an escaped criminal. It is receiving a coordinated digital rollout across more than 40 countries, including an international release through Bloodstream TV, North American TVOD distribution on Prime Video, and an AVOD launch on Tubi. High Fliers Films is scheduled to release the film in the UK on September 7, 2026.

LEGO has unveiled the 6,130-piece Ultimate Collector Series Executor Super Star Destroyer from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. The 53.5-inch-long model, depicting Darth Vader's flagship, includes a display stand, a scale Star Destroyer, a build of the Executor's bridge and seven minifigures featuring Darth Vader and six bounty hunters. The set is available for pre-order ahead of its October 1 release at $799.99/£614.99.

Just Play Dead follows wealthy spouses Jack and Nora Wolf as they scheme around a staged murder, insurance fraud and competing plans to kill one another on a tropical island. The review argues that Martin Campbell’s comedic thriller is slow, emotionally flat and insufficiently seductive, despite charismatic performances from Samuel L. Jackson and Eva Green. Its nonlinear structure and frequent twists fail to sustain interest, although the final revelations briefly approach the enjoyable, ridiculous trashiness the film could have delivered.

Funko has announced a new collection of The Karate Kid Pop! Vinyl figures featuring Daniel LaRusso in two poses, Johnny Lawrence, Mr. Miyagi with a bonsai tree, and a Daniel-versus-Johnny two-pack recreating the All-Valley Karate Championships final. The figures are available for pre-order ahead of an October 25 release.

A lovesick musician, Owen, searches a Manchester university campus for Emily after receiving a phone number with a digit missing. He is joined by Emily Raine, a psychology student who uses his romantic quest as a thesis experiment while concealing her own disillusionment with love. The film interrogates the questionable behavior and shifting perceptions common to romantic-comedy meet-cutes, balancing social commentary with humor, music, and emotional warmth. Spike Fearn and Angourie Rice are praised for their chemistry and performances, although the film’s numerous supporting characters make limited impact. Overall, it is judged an infectious and thoughtful romantic comedy that delivers both romance and comedy while examining genre clichés and contemporary attitudes toward attraction, consent, and safety.

Parasomnia follows Riley, a survivor of a group-home massacre whose strict sleep rituals are disrupted during a birthday gathering, triggering night terrors, violence, and buried secrets. The horror film explores grief, trauma, and emotional control through striking nightmare imagery, an eerie entity called The Seer, strong practical gore effects, and especially effective performances by Jasmine Mathews and RJ Brown. Although the story becomes somewhat convoluted near the end, it is presented as a frightening and distinctive independent horror film.

Mondo has opened pre-orders through September 4 for a $265, 1:6-scale Shredder figure based on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The figure includes interchangeable portraits and hands, removable armor and fabric costume pieces, signature weapons, a mini Shredder figure, Krang-themed accessories, a stand, and an exclusive MondoVerse origin comic. The product is expected to begin expanding Mondo’s TMNT figure line.

Ridley Scott’s adaptation of Peter Heller’s novel follows Hig, a pilot grieving his dead wife and living with his dog and former Marine Bangley in a fortified Colorado airport hangar after a virus devastates humanity. The review praises Scott’s technical competence and several action sequences, especially Josh Brolin’s stand at the hangar and an escape in a small airplane. However, it condemns the film as derivative, clichéd, overstuffed, and vague about its virus and factions, while arguing that its romance and themes of grief and rebuilding relationships are underdeveloped. The review also objects to what it sees as uneasy right-wing messaging and gives the film two stars.

The feature proposes ten potential villains for Tom Holland’s next Spider-Man film, including Kingpin, Black Cat, Hobgoblin, Mister Negative, Venom, Chameleon, Morlun, Kraven, Hammerhead and Prowler. It argues that Kingpin is the best immediate choice because a street-level power struggle would force Peter Parker to confront a threat he cannot defeat through physical strength. The symbiote is suggested as a stronger direction for a sixth film, while Prowler could organically begin a transition toward Miles Morales.

The 2017 adaptation of Jo Nesbø’s The Snowman had strong prestige-thriller ingredients, including Tomas Alfredson directing, Michael Fassbender leading an ensemble cast, and a $35 million Universal production. However, the Norwegian shoot was rushed and ran too short to film an estimated 10–15% of the screenplay. The missing scenes left unexplained character behavior, abandoned plot threads and confusing investigative geography, producing a film that critics rated at just 8% on Rotten Tomatoes. The production had originally been associated with Martin Scorsese, while editor Thelma Schoonmaker was unable to reconstruct a coherent narrative from the incomplete footage. Val Kilmer’s illness and post-production dubbing further symbolized the film’s fractured execution.