Film 2497 - They Will Kill You

Intro: I was really curious to see this one, but when it came out in theaters, I didn't make it in time to go and watch it. Being 2026, the year of the horror renaissance, I couldn't possibly leave this one behind. So, a few weeks ago, I decided to give it a go.

Film 2497: "They Will Kill You" (2026), directed by Kirill Sokolov
Watched: From the projector
Language: English
Watched with: No one
Thoughts: I think this movie is full of ideas, and some of them are really good, but towards the end, the story takes such a turn that it ruins the ending a bit for me.
I'll be honest, overall I enjoyed "They Will Kill You": it's bold and very creative, and it has the guts to tell a completely new story in such a unique way, combining elements from horror and thriller, sci-fi and comedy for an overall result that is a crazy ride. And if you like it, what an actual ride it is! It's not perfect, though. I think there is a tonal shift towards the second half of the movie that messes up the vibe a bit, but I appreciate the effort in delivering something new, especially in such a stacked year for horror films.
That said, the ending is where "They Will Kill You" lost me. The cult plot twist is fine -- I mean, not groundbreaking, but it's fun -- and when you mix this element with the fact that its members are immortal and keep on resurrecting... it's actually fun to watch.
My issue is the (real) villain of the story and the fight between him and our main protagonist: it's such a weird scene to watch and, without giving too much away, I think the visual effects are not up to par and, in general, this bit of the story is so over the top that it actually took me out of it. It looks so obviously computer-generated, and what's at stake is so out of the ordinary that I disengaged a bit. Not to mention that the skin part confused me a bit.
All in all, though, this movie surprised me. I went into it without knowing anything about it, with no expectations whatsoever and, yeah, I had fun. It's a combination of so many other movies blended together that it comes out the other side like something new.
Cast: Zazie Beetz, Myha'la, Paterson Joseph, James Remar, Angus Sampson, Tom Felton, Heather Graham, Patricia Arquette.
Box Office: $19.4 million
Worth a watch?: Definitely not a film for everyone, it's extremely violent and filled with dark humor. But if you enjoy films like "Kill Bill", "Ready or Not" and its sequel, or even "Rosemary's Baby", this one could actually work for you. Visually, it's very interesting, Zazie Beetz and Patricia Arquette banter off each other perfectly and, overall, the movie is such a crazy ride that, if you're into it, you end up having fun. For what it is, I enjoyed it.
Awards: /
Key word: Sister.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi

Film 2486 - Office Romance

Intro: Back in June, we spent a weekend in Dingle, Co. Kerry, to celebrate Niamh's birthday and, while there, we watched a couple of movies. This is the first one.

Film 2486: "Office Romance" (2026), Ol Parker
Watched: From the TV
Language: English
Watched with: Debbi, Niamh, Eimear
Thoughts: I quite like romcoms, so this should be right up my alley, but I wasn't really sure I wanted to watch this one. Mainly for a couple of reasons: both Jennifer Lopez's and Netflix's movies aren't usually that good. So, combine the two elements together and you get why I wasn't feeling too excited about "Office Romance". The saving grace of the project is Brett Goldstein - who also wrote the script - one of my favourite actors from the "Ted Lasso" family. Because of him playing the lead, I was kinda intrigued.
I'll be honest, "Office Romance" is quite the odd movie. Lopez and Goldstein have nice chemistry and the romance is believable enough, I'll give them that. Overall, I guess the story is fine, but it definitely takes some strange turns: the birth scene is unnecessarily graphic, the British kink room is weirder than romantic, and the sister (Jodie Whittaker) plot twist is surprisingly serious for a movie like this. This last element especially felt the oddest to me because it doesn't really fit the vibe, even more so when the story tries to make the situation somehow funny by making her some sort of comic relief. It's not; she's in prison - if I recall correctly, she murdered someone? - and if you choose to include this dark element in your romcom, you should treat it in a more appropriate way. Or at least that's how I felt while watching the movie.
Overall, I appreciate the effort to deliver a film that is less your usual romantic comedy and a bit more of an oddball that catches you by surprise at times, but I'm not sure it's done in a completely successful way here. Also, in the more demanding emotional scenes - like the last one at the press conference - JLo still cannot deliver.
Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Brett Goldstein, Betty Gilpin, Amy Sedaris, Tony Hale, Bradley Whitford, Edward James Olmos, Jodie Whittaker.
Box Office: /
Worth a watch?: Of all the romcoms you can watch, I wouldn't have this one at the top of my list. It's fine, the production value is obvious, and Brett Goldstein surprisingly works for a project like this, but overall the story is emotionally inconsistent and feels stranger than it should at times.
Awards: /
Key word: Lawsuit.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi

Film 2466 - Bring Her Back

Intro: I remember watching the trailer and thinking I really wanted to see this movie. Then I never actually got around to it when it was out in theaters. So, one evening when my twink boy was at mine, we decided to give it a go.

Film 2466: "Bring Her Back" (2025), Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou
Watched: From the computer
Language: English
Watched with: Bill
Thoughts: I surely enjoyed it, but I wouldn't say I'd watch it again anytime soon. Reality is, I had big expectations for this one because it was Danny and Michael Philippou's follow-up movie (and only their second overall) after the unexpectedly good "Talk to Me". I say unexpectedly only because I knew nothing about that film and watched it on a whim, not because no one expected it to be good, mind you. Anyway, with this one I definitely had expectations, which we all know what that means. "Bring Her Back" is a decent horror story supported by an amazing Sally Hawkins performance. I would say she carries the whole movie herself, but that wouldn't be entirely true, as her younger co-stars are quite good as well. Sora Wong and Billy Barratt work well off each other, and you'd believe they're actually step-siblings; Jonah Wren Phillips undergoes a physical transformation for the ages, and at such a young age the visual result is absolutely impressive. What I would consider the weakest link of "Bring Her Back" is the plot. It delivers the conventional horror scares, but the mystery behind it all is fairly easy to figure out by the midpoint. From then on, the story lost me a little, in the sense that I was more interested in seeing whether my theories were correct than actually following along and enjoying the movie. I think if you've seen a fair share of horror movies before, it's not too difficult to figure out what's cooking before the screenplay decides to tell you. I understand it's hard nowadays to deliver a truly original story—especially in the horror genre—so I wasn't too bothered by it, but I remember thinking about it while watching the film, and that feeling has stayed with me since. Especially now that I've seen "Obsession" twice and "Backrooms", two of the most successful horror movies of all time, both of which came out almost back-to-back. And with "Weapons" and "Sinners" making such a splash last year, both culturally and at the Oscars, it's impossible not to keep that in mind when checking out other horror films.
Cast: Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, Sally Hawkins.
Box Office: $39.1 million
Worth a watch?: Solid enough, but not the most original horror movie I've seen recently. If you liked "Talk to Me", give this one a go..
Awards: /
Key word: Grapefruit.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi

Film 2463 - Ready or Not 2: Here I Come

Intro: I watched the first one because I was so curious to catch the sequel in theaters, so the moment I had an opportunity to go, off I went.

Film 2463: "Ready or Not 2: Here I Come" (2026), Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Watched: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh
Thoughts: One of the best cinematic surprises of the year so far. Not in my wildest dreams would I have thought that the sequel to a relatively low-budget movie from 7 years ago—a film that had a good run but didn't necessarily make waves in pop culture—would turn out to be not only better than the original, but also THIS good. The cast is iconic, the story is extremely inventive, and it expands the lore in a way that pays homage to the source material while taking it to a whole new dimension. Overall, "Ready or Not 2: Here I Come" is such a wildly chaotic cinematic experience that—if you enjoy this genre—it's impossible not to have a good time. I have to admit that I particularly appreciated watching these two "Ready or Not" movies almost back to back, as I don't think I would have remembered much from the first movie had I not watched it just before catching its sequel at the cinema. Because of this, I was able to enjoy some of the references and callbacks from "Ready or Not" that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. I'm notoriously bad at remembering things. Samara Weaving is once again perfect for the role. She has a sort of fearless-but-pissed-off look that makes her character, Grace, so iconic. This time she's joined in the fight by her estranged sister, played by Kathryn Newton, while on the other side of the story, not one but two iconic actors enjoying a resurgence in popularity join the cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar and Elijah Wood. I think those two alone are reason enough to give this franchise—and this film specifically—a chance. All in all, "Ready or Not 2: Here I Come" is a breath of fresh air in a storytelling landscape that seems to be slowly moving toward more innovative and creative ideas, leaving at least some of the superhero blockbuster franchise fatigue behind. The shift was already in the air, but it's now even more obvious thanks to movies like this one and other recent unexpected hits such as "Obsession", "Backrooms", "The Drama", and "Send Help". It's an exciting moment for cinema, and it feels like we're finally moving beyond existing and established IPs to embrace original ideas and concepts that make the movie landscape feel interesting once again.
Film 2461 - Ready or Not
Film 2463 - Ready or Not 2: Here I Come
Cast: Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, David Cronenberg, Néstor Carbonell, Kevin Durand, Elijah Wood.
Box Office: $42.8 million
Worth a watch?: If you liked the first one, this sequel will blow your mind. I had the best time and was amazed by how much the scope of this franchise has expanded, and by how perfectly all the elements of the story come together. The result is a satisfying and remarkably well-executed film. This franchise really surprised me!
Awards: /
Key word: Rules.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi

Film 2452 - Quiz Lady

Intro: Back home after two weeks in Fuerteventura and before going back to the movies, this is the first film I watched.

Film 2452: "Quiz Lady" (2023), Jessica Yu
Watched: From the computer
Language: English
Watched with: Bill
Thoughts: Not groundbreaking, but I enjoyed it. It delivered exactly what I expected (and was looking for).
It’s always nice to see Sandra Oh, she’s a great actress and definitely deserves more roles on both the big and small screen, and here she’s no exception: she’s playing a very different character from what I’ve seen her do in the past. She’s loud and in your face, channelling crazy and unhinged energy. And look, she didn’t reinvent the wheel, but she definitely delivered. Especially next to Awkwafina, who is her exact opposite here. Reserved and invisible, her Anne gives off almost on-the-spectrum energy, especially when it’s time to play the game and answer all the questions.
Again, "Quiz Lady" isn’t giving anything we haven’t seen before, but the great chemistry between the two leads keeps the boat afloat, and it works.
Cast: Awkwafina, Sandra Oh, Paul Reubens, Jason Schwartzman, Holland Taylor, Tony Hale, Jonnie Park, Will Ferrell.
Box Office: /
Worth a watch?: I think this TV movie is a good vehicle for both Awkwafina’s and Sandra Oh’s talent, and if you like these two actresses, then this film is definitely for you. For everyone else, "Quiz Lady" is a fun enough ride that delivers some enjoayble moments and works as good, lighthearted entertainment.
Awards: It won Outstanding Television Movie at the 2024 Emmy Awards, securing Awkwafina and Sandra Oh (on her 14th nomination!) finally that Emmy win.
Key word: Linguini.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi

Film 2420 - Shelby Oaks

Intro: I didn't want to see this movie and only agreed because I thought it was a different film... and I only realized it once the show started.

Film 2420: "Shelby Oaks" (2024), Chris Stuckmann
Watched: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh, Debbi
Thoughts: The movie equivalent of a scam. One of the worst movies I've watched this year.
It's trying to channel "The Blair Witch Project" so hard that it's annoying to watch the story unfold. It's cliché after cliché and adds nothing to the horror genre.
Cast: Camille Sullivan, Brendan Sexton III, Keith David, Sarah Durn, Derek Mears, Emily Bennett, Charlie Talbert, Robin Bartlett, Michael Beach.
Box Office: $6.6 million
Worth a watch?: I really didn't like it. Forgettable — personally, I wouldn't waste my time.
Awards: /
Key word: Broken glass.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi