Everyone who loves horror movies knows there's always time for one final scare. But does Evil Dead Burn take the opportunity?

The sixth installment in the Evil Dead franchise, directed and written by Sébastien Vaniček and Florent Bernard, sees Deadite family hell unleashed upon stars Souheila Yacoub, Hunter Doohan, Luciane Buchanan, Tandi Wright, Erroll Shand, and Maude Davey.

But does Evil Dead Burn have secret scenes to stick around for? Of course it does, this is Evil Dead! Yes, there are a few surprises in store in the film's credits.

Without dropping any spoilers on you, here's what you can expect, so you don't have cinema lobby regret.

Does Evil Dead Burn have a credits scene?

We won't spoil what happens in the scenes, but just know you should definitely stay for the credits for three reasons:

1. There's a mid-credits scene that's a cautionary tale against helping random ladies on the road.

2. There's a post-credits scene that includes a familiar face for Evil Dead fans, and it could set up the next film.

3. Thousands of people worked on this film. It's nice to stay for the credits.

Evil Dead Burn hits cinemas July 10.

Respect your teachers, folks. They're underpaid, underappreciated, and if you push them to the edge, well, good luck. That's the core message of the Saoirse Ronan-led dark comedy thriller Bad Apples, which has a trailer out today.

Directed by Jonatan Etzler and written by Jess O'Kane as an adaptation of Rasmus Andersson's novel De Oönskade, the film sees Ronan as a Somerset-based primary school teacher named Maria. She adores teaching, but the underfunded education system wears her down on the daily. When her disruptive student Danny (newcomer Eddie Waller) spins out of control, Maria makes some choices.

As I wrote in my review out of BFI London Film Festival, "With Ronan's always-impeccable talents supported by a sublime young cast, Bad Apples leans into unethical impulses, all the while exposing home truths about the under-resourced education system and social disdain toward children with behavioural, emotional, and social difficulties. Plus, it's really funny."

Bad Apples hits cinemas Sept. 18.

Want more of the latest entertainment news, reviews, trailers, and interviews? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter.

If you're in a public place or at work or surrounded by people whose opinion you care about, maybe watch the Hope trailer where you can have a little freak-out?

The latest action-packed South Korean horror from The Medium and The Wailing director Na Hong-jin, Hope promises a blood-soaked nightmare in a small village plagued by a violent creature. The film's name comes from its setting, Hope Harbour, a chill town that didn't expect its quiet streets to be pulverised by a strange (and incredibly strong) beast. Police chief Bum-seok (Hwang Jung- min), officer Sung-ae (Hoyeon), hunter Sung- ki (Zo In-Sung) have quite the task on their hands, to wrangle this rampaging terror before it tears them to shreds.

From the looks of it this is no straightforward monster movie, with intergalactic elements sneaking in. But there's plenty of action afoot, with the town fighting for their damn lives in this Neon trailer.

Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander, and Michael Fassbender also star.

Hope hits cinemas Sept. 9.

Want more of the latest entertainment news, reviews, trailers, and interviews? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter.

Looking for something great to watch at home? Streaming subscribers are spoiled for choice between Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV, Prime Video, Shudder, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. And that's before you even look at the vast libraries of movies and television programs within each streamer!

Don't be overwhelmed or waste an hour scrolling through your services to determine what to watch. We've got your back, whatever your mood. Mashable offers watch guides for all of the above, broken down by genre: comedy, thriller, horror, documentary, and animation, among others. But if you're seeking something brand new (or just new to streaming), we've got you covered there, too.

11. Reminders of Him

Another day, another Colleen Hoover novel adaptation, with Reminders of Him set for home release this week. Directed by Vanessa Caswill (Love at First Sight) and co-written by Hoover and Lauren Levine, this drama is all about processing guilt and finding a path forward in unthinkable circumstances. Longlegs star Maika Monroe plays Kenna, a woman who serves time for the vehicular manslaughter of her boyfriend, Scotty (Outer Banks' Rudy Pankow).

Having given birth to a daughter named Diem (Zoe Kosovic) in prison, Kenna's freedom comes with getting to know this now-six-year-old stranger, the apprehension and complexity of reconnecting with Scotty's parents and best friend Ledger (I Know What You Did Last Summer's Tyriq Withers), and the all-too-present consequences of her past. Tear-jerker for sure.* — Shannon Connellan, Senior Editor

Starring: Maika Monroe, Tyriq Withers, Rudy Pankow, Lainey Wilson, Lauren Graham, and Bradley Whitford

How to watch: Reminders of Him is begins streaming on Peacock on July 10.

10. The Long Walk

One of several high-profile Stephen King adaptations to be hitting screens this year — hi, The Running Man and IT: Welcome to Derry! — The Long Walk conjures up a nightmarish dystopian future in which the U.S. hosts a yearly death march for young men. The last walker standing wins any wish that their heart desires, but at what cost?

Director Francis Lawrence, who helmed four of the five Hunger Games films, pulls no punches in The Long Walk. The result is a relentlessly bleak saga buoyed by a talented young cast that includes Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, and Ben Wang. Serious emphasis on bleak, as this movie is not for the faint of heart (or anyone looking for a happy watch). As I wrote in my review, "After almost two hours of being immersed in this string of deaths, you may find yourself begging, 'Enough already!' The Long Walk, however, does not let up, trapping you in a never-ending nightmare of bloodied feet and fraying minds." — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

Starring: Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Joshua Odjick, Roman Griffin Davis, Josh Hamilton, Judy Greer, and Mark Hamill

How to watch: The Long Walk debuts on HBO Max on July 10.

9. Faces of Death

The absolute nightmare that is content moderation lies at the heart of Faces of Death, the Barbie Ferreira–starring horror that feels way too real. It's inspired by the 1978 VHS exploitation film or "video nasty" of the same name, which had people unsure whether the extreme violence on screen was real or not. It was banned in several countries — you should really watch British horror film Censor to understand this era of film vetting — but it turns up on the shelf of a character in Daniel Goldhaber's new film.

But now, we're in 2026, the age of the internet. The Euphoria star plays Margot, who works not at a movie censorship body but a social media company like TikTok or YouTube. Alongside co-workers (like one played by constant movie star Charli XCX), Margot is part of the department where content is screened against community guidelines and either blocked or left up to feed the attention economy. However, some of those violent videos look super-real, and influencers are going missing...* — S.C.

Starring: Barbie Ferreira, Charli XCX, Jermaine Fowler, Aaron Holliday, Dacre Montgomery, Josie Totah

How to watch: Faces of Death debuts on Shudder on July 10.

8. Summer Sparks

Hungering for a light-hearted romantic comedy? Roku has got you a seasonal treat with Summer Sparks.

Jesse Metcalfe stars as Adam, a single dad looking to reconnect with his teen son during their time at Camp Evergreen. Perhaps the annual cook-off will prove the perfect place to bond? However, Adam's craving for competition catches the eye of Monica (Kathryn Davis), a single mom who's looking to share the camp she loved in her childhood with her own kids. Over cooking and talking childcare, the two develop a spark all their own. — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

Starring: Jesse Metcalfe, Kathryn Davis, and Max Baribeau

How to watch: Summer Sparks is now streaming on Roku.

7. The Man Will Burn

First kicking off in 1986, Burning Man is a week-long event held in the sprawling Nevada desert that becomes a canvas of self-expression for a jubilant community of participants. But while the vibes are party, a lot of planning goes into its mounting each year.

From filmmakers Jehane Noujaim and Vikram Gandhi comes The Man Will Burn, a four-part documentary series that digs into all things Burning Man. As you can see from the trailer, the docuseries will feature interviews with the revelers and the organizers. So, you'll see the highs, lows, and obstacles that are part of "the burn." — K.P.

How to watch: The Man Will Burn is now streaming on HBO Max.

6. The Five-Star Weekend

The small-screen adaptation of Elin Hilderbrand's novel The Five-Star Weekend arrives on Peacock this week, bringing summery vibes and an all-star cast along with it. Jennifer Garner plays Hollis Shaw, a cook and food blogger trying to recover from a devastating loss. As part of her grieving process, she decides to host a weekend getaway at her Nantucket house. Her guests? Friends from different stages of her life (and one extra surprise invitee), played by D’Arcy Carden, Gemma Chan, Regina Hall, and Chloë Sevigny.* — B.E.

Starring: Jennifer Garner, Chloë Sevigny, Regina Hall, Gemma Chan, D'Arcy Carden, Harlow Jane, and Timothy Olyphant

How to watch: The Five-Star Weekend is now streaming on Peacock.

5. The Mountain

If Moana coming to theaters has you craving more stories out of Polynesia, don't miss The Mountain. Rachel House, who played Moana's grandmother in the 2016 film, directs this coming-of-age adventure, produced by her Hunt For the Wilderpeople director, Taika Waititi.

Written by House and Tom Furniss, The Mountain centers on Sam (Elizabeth Atkinson), a young Maori girl with cancer and a big plan to defeat it. Tapping into her roots, Sam is convinced that if she summits the Taranaki mountain, communing with nature will heal her. Along the way, she teams up with a couple of misfits, and together this trio of kids treks to a better future. Meanwhile, their parents understandably freak out about their children going AWOL. Funny and bittersweet, this Kiwi offering is a great pick for a family movie night. — K.P.

Starring: Elizabeth Atkinson, Reuben Francis, Terence Daniel, Byron Coll, Troy Kingi, Fern Sutherland, and Sukena Shah

How to watch: The Mountain is now available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

4. Obsession

Audiences went feral for writer/director Curry Barker's ultra-creepy Obsession. The film turns rom-com expectations on its head by presenting a lovelorn protagonist named Bear (Michael Johnston), who might seem like a nice guy but is actually the movie's villain.

Obsessed with his friend Nikki (a riveting Inde Navarrette), he makes a wish that she'll not only notice him, but will love him more than anyone else. In the way of the mythic monkey's paw, this wish goes horribly wrong, transforming Bear's dream girl into a nightmare. Obsession is thoroughly chilling, especially thanks to Navarrette's harrowing performance. But Barker's exploration of sexual politics ultimately feels juvenile because of a flubbed final act. As I explained more in-depth in my review, "This makes the finale of Obsession unnerving — not so much for what it shows, but for the empathy it ultimately lacks."* — K.P.

Starring: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, and Andy Richter

How to watch: Obsession is now available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

3. Backrooms

The concept of the Backrooms began with a 4chan post, which then-teenager Kane Parsons masterfully expanded into a series of extremely viral short horror films. Backrooms is his full-length feature adaptation, and it's about a bitter furniture shop owner (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who discovers the doorway to another world in the basement of his store. So, does Parsons manage to land the jump to feature? For the most part, yes. Backrooms uses uncanny spaces and an ominous soundscape to chilling effect, dragging us into a world that's as unsettling as it is endless. The movie's only real issue is its third act, which loses some tension after we see the face of the thing that's been chasing the characters through this hellish labyrinth.

"Despite this, Backrooms is still well worth a watch. The ending isn't enough to spoil what came before," I wrote in my Mashable review. "If anything, Parsons has managed to prove himself as an incredibly talented emerging filmmaker while also establishing the first chapter in what will surely end up becoming a brand-new horror franchise."* — Sam Haysom, General Assignment Editor, UK

Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, and Lukita Maxwell

How to watch: Backrooms is now available for pre-order on Prime Video.

2. Amores Perros

Alejandro González Iñárritu's debut feature is over 25 years old now, but it seems to have cemented its place as a cult classic. Running over two-and-a-half hours long, the sprawling drama follows three different sets of characters whose lives are brought together by a car crash in Mexico. To say too much more would probably be doing it a disservice, but the film's Rotten Tomatoes rating — 93 percent critic, 94 percent audience — pretty much speaks for itself. If it's been on your list for a while but you haven't got round to watching it, maybe now's the time. — S.H.

Starring: Emilio Echevarría, Gael García Bernal, Goya Toledo, Álvaro Guerrero, Vanessa Bauche, Jorge Salinas, Adriana Barraza, and Humberto Busto

How to watch: Amores Perros begins streaming on MUBI on July 10.

Best of streaming this week: Little House on the Prairie

A childhood classic comes to Netflix this summer with Little House on the Prairie, based on the beloved series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Like the books, the TV series introduces the Ingalls family, who uproot their lives in the big woods of Wisconsin and begin a new life on the prairie. The show looks to introduce Wilder's work to a new generation, but let's be real: Plenty of adults will also be checking it out to make sure it stays true to the story they grew up loving.* — B.E.

Starring: Alice Halsey, Skywalker Hughes, Luke Bracey, and Crosby Fitzgerald

How to watch: Little House on the Prairie is now streaming on Netflix.

(*) denotes a blurb came from a prior list.

Craving desert power with a side of devastation? Then you're in luck, because Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for Dune: Part Three.

The film concludes director Denis Villeneuve's acclaimed sci-fi trilogy, which took Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) from young duke to Emperor of the universe. His ascent was paved with bloodshed, and by the looks of the trailer, his reign is no less bloody. (Dune Messiah readers know that Paul and his followers' jihad claims a whopping 61 billion lives.)

Dune: Part Three takes place 17 years after the end of Dune: Part Two, which saw Paul become Emperor, meet his future wife Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh), and lose his lover Chani (Zendaya). In a huge deviation from Frank Herbert's novels, Chani fled into the desert after witnessing Paul's brutality, setting up a major rift between the two.

In addition to focusing on Paul and Chani's evolving relationship, Dune: Part Three brings several key new characters into the fold.

Irulan will take on a much more prominent role, as will Paul's sister Alia (Anya Taylor-Joy). Now an adult, Alia must reckon with the extraordinary powers she gained when her mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) drank the water of life while pregnant. Also joining the cast of characters is Face Dancer Scytale, who can shape-shift thanks to genetic alterations from the Bene Tleilax order, and who's apparently got a plan to kill Paul and usher in a regime change.

Finally, Jason Momoa returns, but not as the late Duncan Idaho. Instead, he's Hayt, an artificial human, or ghola, also created by the Bene Tleilax.

To witness these characters in action and witness what's next for Paul and Chani, check out the full trailer above.

Dune: Part Three hits theaters Dec. 18.

From Nia DaCosta's 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, to Curry Barker's Obsession, to Sam Raimi's Send Help, and Lee Cronin's The Mummy, 2026 has had no shortage of gloppy, gory carnage for horror fans. But graphic violence and buckets of blood alone aren't enough to make for a satisfying or even scary film. Sadly, the team behind Evil Dead Burn missed the memo, which is wild because Raimi and Cronin are both producers on this one.

Evil Dead Burn director Sébastien Vaniček broke through in 2023 with Infested, a goosebump-inducing creature feature about a wickedly aggressive nest of spiders taking over an apartment building. For his crack at the Evil Dead franchise, Vaniček reteamed with his Infested co-writer Florent Bernard, crafting a story similarly vicious, violent, and thin on character development.

However, since the 2013 Fede Álvarez reboot of Evil Dead, the ties to the original trilogy have gotten thinner and thinner as this franchise limps along. Yes, the evil dead rise, beckoned by an ancient artifact. They cause chaos and lots of grisly assaults on everyday friends and family. And they may be beaten down, but they're never truly out — not as long as audiences will still come to theaters to see the barrage of blood, guts, and bile.

What is lost in these subsequent sequels are the humor and heart that Raimi and his leading man Bruce Campbell (also a producer on this sequel) brought to the original trilogy, to thrilling effect. Those movies were wild, not only for their outrageous violence but also for the sheer glee of their audacity.

Decades later, I can still remember the shock of seeing those trees chasing after Cheryl, the thrill of seeing Ash battle with himself in the mirror, and the excitement when his chainsaw arm revs into action. Yet all the sequels that followed lack this macabre silliness. This twisted glee keeps Raimi's filmmaking fresh even in 2026. (Again, see Send Help.) Without it, no matter what edgy horror filmmaker they plug and play into the franchise, the result is a sequel that feels tedious, gray, and soulless.

What's Evil Dead Burn about?

A Deadite stands on a boat in "Evil Dead Burn." Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Vaniček and Bernard thrust audiences into a nondescript rural vacation home, where an American family is grieving the loss of their eldest son, Will (George Pullar). With some help from a Deadite, Will dies in a car accident after fleeing a public argument with his French wife Alice (Souheila Yacoub) at their — uh — restaurant.

Okay, to be clear, his mom Susan (Tandi Wright) insists it's a restaurant. But the only scene set there begins with an extreme close-up on a Black woman's behind as she shakes it for the camera, which then tilts up to reveal a packed dance floor, flooded with writhing bodies, red mood lighting, and loud music. So, does Susan not know her son as well as she thinks she does? Or is Will's restaurant less about the French cuisine he reportedly adored and more about overpriced cocktails and nightclub vibes? It doesn't really matter because nothing in Evil Dead Burn does.

These movies are about the hapless folks who are plagued by Deadites, usually through an idle mistake or no fault of their own. Raimi has made magic with this premise even beyond the franchise. (Drag Me to Hell is still a wild ride.) In the case of Evil Dead Burn, Will's younger brother Joseph (Hunter Doohan) accidentally unearths a hidden artifact that awakens the evil dead. How? Well, he was doing research for his novel, of course!

Maude Davey in "Evil Dead Burn." Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Yes, it's a cliché that the sensitive guy is an aspiring author. Evil Dead Burn is full of such clichés, with little else to build character. So, we meet restaurateur/nightclub owner Will, who is belligerent to his French wife Alice, who we know is deep because she likes taking black-and-white photographs. And Joseph has a girlfriend Thya (Luciane Buchanan), who presumably has interests beyond him. But before we'll learn any of these, she's turned Deadite. C'est la mort.

Also in the mix are Joseph and Will's sneering mom Susan and glaring dad Edgar (Erroll Shand), and their one-legged grandmother Polly (Maude Davey), who has dementia. Polly might be intended for comic relief, but the closest she comes to a joke are bits about her memory loss and racism.

Souheila Yacoub is engaging, but can't elevate this mess of a movie.

Souheila Yacoub plays Alice in "Evil Dead Burn." Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Were the first three Evil Dead movies a mess? Absolutely. But Bruce Campbell, with a lantern-shaped jaw as outsized as his charisma, made that mess undeniably entertaining. He was electrifyingly alive in moments serious, scary, and deeply stupid. The vibe of Evil Dead Burn never allows Yacoub to showcase such range.

Instead, she is a woman gripped by grief and trauma, forced to play nice to in-laws who openly resent her — and then try to murder her with an array of homewares and power tools. Why does she stick around, even before the Deadite business begins? Evil Dead Burn will not even attempt to get that deep into a motivation. So, her in-laws spew not only spittle, blood, mashed potatoes, and more blood, but also vile sentiments about her and her not-so-loving relationship with Will.

There might have been a version of this where the barbs were witty in their cruelty, like in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? or Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? There might have been an execution where the characters felt distinct instead of people-shaped wallpaper, set up only to be torn to shreds. But Vaniček shows no interest in complexity, depth, or genre-bending.

The most lively moments of the film have nothing to do with the central characters. The film opens on a fishing trip, where two friends (Keanu Karim and Victory Ndukwe) razz each other before their hobby turns to homicide. Later, a carefree crematorium employee (Shyamal Singh) dances to a rap song while going about his duties, moments before being brutally slain offscreen. These are lively, enjoying laughs and something specific before being ripped into ribbons, which is more than can be said for the family at the film's core. However, it is troubling that all these tertiary characters set up for early slaughter are people of color, as is the first victim in the house, whose face is battered until all that's left is a row of teeth and mush of blood and brain.

Into all this, Yacoub brings a Final Girl resilience. To Vaniček's credit, he doesn't slide her into a skin-tight white tank top or otherwise offer an outfit that urges audiences to leer at her body, even as it's being abused. Dressed in a simple sweatsuit, she wears her weariness plain from the start, even at her husband's sparsely attended funeral. But as the family around her crumbles into pain or possession, she grits her teeth and drags us all through Evil Dead Burn's grueling final act. She's compelling. But a film so resolute in dealing in cliché and cruelty only gives her so much room to play, explore, or shine.

Raimi unknowingly built a sandbox in the 1981 Evil Dead, one he'd return to twice more, twisting horror into comedy, outrageousness, and epic action. He found his voice in those films. But given the same chance, a new generation of horror filmmakers (Fede Álvarez with 2013's Evil Dead, Lee Cronin with Evil Dead Rise, and now Sébastien Vaniček with Evil Dead Burn) have delivered movies that are mean, ugly, and lifeless. They are more interested in shocking than they are provoking us to revel in the weird space where humor and horror collide. Instead, they are just a pastiche that lacks the color, creativity, and verve of the original trilogy. So, yeah, I'm bored.

Evil Dead Burn opens in theaters on July 10.

When Moana was released in 2016, it was a gorgeous cinematic wonder, drawing inspiration from Polynesian mythology, offering moving and catchy songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina, and Opetaia Foa'i, and reveling in the creative freedom animation offers. At its core, it was a story of a young girl rejecting the norms of her society to fight for creation and exploration over annihilation and ignorance.

2026's live-action remake of Moana has the same plot. But because of its execution — and arguably its very existence — it flies in the face of the message of the original. By definition, this remake is retreading the path that directors John Musker and Ron Clements laid down before. Beyond that, however, there's a bizarre, uncanny valley feel to this live-action version. It evoked in me a similar reaction to AI slop, where I cringe at the unnerving blend of the familiar and the not-quite-right.

To be clear, I'm not suggesting Disney — which has been accused of using generative AI in the past — or that Moana (2026) director Thomas Kail employed generative AI in making Moana's home of Motunui or its surrounding lands, sea, and creatures. What I am saying is that, hemmed in between the original film's distinctive features and Disney's determination to treat every animated hit as a proof of concept for a wobbly live-action re-creation, there's something uncanny and grotesque lurking here.

Moana (2026) feels less epic, more Disney Channel.

Emma Puahi-Shapazian as young Moana in Disney's live-action "Moana." Credit: Disney

Jared Bush's screenplay from the 2016 animated adventure is closely followed, though he and his Moana 2 co-writer, Dana Ledoux Miller, share scripting credit for this remake. Once more, Moana's grandmother (played this time by Rena Owen) unfurls the folklore of Te Fiti, a goddess of life and nature; the trickster demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson, reprising his role here); and the volcanic beast Te Kā. While the other children are scared of these stories, a young Moana looks elated.

Kail, who helmed the Broadway productions of Miranda's In the Heights and Hamilton, doggedly follows the film's first act shot for shot, inviting the question of why remake a movie if it's just live-action now? (Because audiences will turn up. I know. I know.)

Kail stays as close as he can to the look of the original film. There's no Little Mermaid-like choice to make Moana's animal pals Heihei and Pua look cringingly photo-real. Instead, they look like their animated versions fleshed out in CG. Which, for Pua, is pretty cute. For Heihei, a gangly chicken with bug-eyes and red bumps all over his face, it's less charming, as reaction shot after reaction shot reminds us that cute but creepy is a fine line to walk.

But hey, this is what Disney fans want, right? A loyal recreation of a thing they loved just 10 years ago (that has a sequel and is readily available to rewatch on streaming). Sure. But aside from my general grievance about the lack of innovation in Disney's menagerie of live-action remakes, Moana has a strangely false quality to it. The cast — led by 19-year-old Catherine Laga'aia — gives performances that feel straight out of a Disney Channel show. They're bouncy and broad in a way that made me expect the cheer of a pre-recorded studio audience to break in.

The artifice of Moana ruins the fun.

Dwayne Johnson is Maui in Disney's live-action "Moana." Credit: Disney

This studio sitcom tone is jarring against the backdrop of Motunui's lush natural wonder. Here, in the village, when the tribe gathers, is where I could see the potential of a live-action Moana. Seeing a lot of AAPI performers gathering together in traditional costume to sing, dance, and showcase their culture was beautiful. The sequences for "Where You Are" and "We Know the Way" are among this movie's best; it's exhilarating to see these elements, in which community comes together to accomplish something incredible, rendered in live action. It reminds us of the incredible feats humans are capable of, through craft and collaboration. Here is where Kail shines, understanding how to orchestrate a plethora of dancers and performers to create a dynamic staging. However, when the movie is focused on Moana, this reality gets lost.

Part of the issue is the aforementioned Disney Channel performance style, which actually makes this Moana feel flatter than Auliʻi Cravalho's voice acting in the first film. The other issue is the sound quality itself. From early scenes with Moana's chief father (John Tui) through most of her scenes with Maui, the sound recording has that isolated crispness of ADR. Typically, additional dialogue is recorded in post-production to smooth over rough spots in the on-set audio (or to make changes to the script). Here, this sound quality is so abundant that it draws attention back to the artifice around Moana.

From there, how am I to ignore how sequence after sequence seems shot against greenscreen? Though the seascape is convincingly rendered by a sprawling army of VFX artists, the lack of breeze in the air and the crisp lines around the actors all draw attention to the seams. Even Johnson's Maui look feels odd. His wig — which was much mocked online — is perfectly coiffed, as if for a shampoo commercial, framing a face that is chiseled but flawless in texture. Then his body is wrapped in Maui's signature tattoos. But it feels like the exquisite corpse game, as if these three pieces of costuming and make-up were made independently and then jammed together. They lack cohesion visually, like too much of this Moana. So, instead of being caught up in the familiar waves of a wonderful story, I was snagging on the rocks of "WTF am I looking at?"

Rooster Heihei in Disney's live-action "Moana." Credit: Disney

I'm sure a great deal of work went into chiseling this remake into something that will please fans. But Moana then falls into the familiar trap that Disney has built with these movies. Fans want something familiar but new enough to justify the cost of a ticket. It's understandable that this action-adventure Disney princess might have seemed like a great opportunity for a live-action adaptation. But Kail is not an action director, and Moana doesn't offer the kind of song numbers that rely on dance the way In the Heights and Hamilton do. Kail seems lost amid the movie's overwhelming CG, which, while solidly rendered, lacks any sense of artistic direction beyond "like the first Moana."

So, the result is a film that misses the point of its protagonist's journey. Rather than going somewhere new, Kail and company avoid discovery, opting instead to approximate popular IP. And in that way, it feels like AI. It does not feel like an earnest, human expression, but rather a shallow approximation that might have the general look but misses the soul of the original work.

Moana opens in theaters on July 10.

UPDATE: Jul. 9, 2026, 9:41 a.m. A previous version of this review claimed Johnson is the only actor returning from the original film. Jemaine Clement also returns, once more lending his voice to Tamatoa.

Avatar: The Last Airbender fans, get ready for a news double whammy. Paramount+ has dropped the first trailer for the highly anticipated Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, and it has also moved up the film's release date by several months, from October to July 25.

The sequel film to Nickelodeon's beloved Avatar: The Last Airbender series, Avatar Aang has been plagued by a series of unfortunate setbacks. It was initially slated for a theatrical release before Paramount switched it to a streaming-only launch. Then, in April, the film leaked in its entirety.

These external factors are a shame, because based on the trailer, Avatar Aang promises to be an exciting return to the world of Avatar, one that deserves to be experienced on the big screen without having any of its surprises ruined by leaks.

The film takes place in the future, with Aang (voiced by Eric Nam), Katara (Jessica Matten), Sokka (Román Zaragoza), Toph (Dionne Quan), and Zuko (Steven Yeun) all grown up. Thanks to their work in the original series, the world's three remaining nations live together in harmony. However, everything could change when Aang learns of an ancient power that could save the Air Nomads from extinction.

The trailer introduces a new airbender named Tagah (Dave Bautista). Like Aang, he appears to have been frozen in an iceberg for generations, only to wake up in an entirely new world. Could he and Aang rebuild the Air Nomads together? (Given that airbenders do make a full return in The Legend of Korra Season 3, we're guessing there are some twists to Aang and Tagah's collaboration.)

Check out the full trailer above to meet Tagah, experience the Gaang as adults, and witness some truly spectacular bending.

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender premieres July 25 on Paramount+.

If you're considering having children, are about to have a child, or have just recently had a child, you may want to give Nightborn a wide berth.

That's certainly the impression given in the trailer for Hanna Bergholm's Finnish horror, which sees young couple Jon (Rupert Grint) and Saga (Seidi Haarla) moving into a remote house in the forests of Finland to start a family.

But is there something wrong with Saga, their new baby, or all of them? Yes.

Nightborn is streaming on Shudder from July 31.

UPDATE: A Siren Head movie has now been confirmed by the Hollywood Reporter to be in the works at Warner Bros. Pictures, with Zach Cregger (Weapons) and Brian Duffield (Whalefall) teaming up on the script.

Monsters that have long been haunting the internet are finding their way to the big screen.

2026 has already been a huge year for the world of creepypasta (internet urban legends) intersecting with Hollywood. Backrooms, Kane Parsons' feature length adaptation of his own series of YouTube shorts, has brought in $300 million at the global box office in four weeks. The Third Parent, an upcoming horror movie based on Elias Witherow's Tommy Taffy short story series that went viral on Reddit's r/NoSleep sub, is due for release next January.

The question is, will another internet nightmare soon be joining their ranks? Could Siren Head, the towering monster created by artist Trevor Henderson, be the next creepypasta to get the movie treatment? Nothing is confirmed yet — but if you look closely, there are clues.

What is Siren Head?

In a nutshell, Siren Head is a monster the height of a telegraph pole that's capable of blending into its surroundings while it hunts human prey. It was created by Henderson back in 2018, after a follower called Cally sent him an image of a graveyard framed against a blue sky. At this point Henderson was quickly building his social media by drawing monsters that he'd splice into photos. He liked Cally's image, and tried to draw something that he thought would look scary standing among the tombstones. Just like that, Siren Head was born.

"I was just drawing a long, emaciated figure, and I just had the idea to put a siren for its head because a) that noise has always terrified me, and b) I've always been kind of obsessed with the idea of numbers stations," Henderson told Mashable back in 2022. "Numbers stations are these radio broadcasts that are constantly playing — and no-one can identify their origins or what they're supposed to accomplish — that are just weird snippets of music, and strange voices saying odd number combinations. There's a lot of theories that they're like old Russian spy channels that have been abandoned and are still counting out codes."

Credit: Trevor Henderson

It's difficult to overstate just how popular Siren Head has become in the years since Henderson shared that first image. It was a slow burn initially, but when YouTuber Markiplier — who recently had his own feature film success with Iron Lung — started talking about the monster on his channel in early 2020, millions of people tuned in.

The thing is now all over the internet. Siren Head-inspired content has millions of views on TikTok and YouTube. There are multiple unofficial Siren Head games on Steam and merchandise on Amazon (much of which has been created without Henderson's knowledge or permission).

"The internet just kind of takes stuff," Henderson said. "And there's not a lot you can do, really, especially when a character blows up like Siren Head did. It kind of stops becoming yours, in some ways, and starts becoming everyone's."

Is a Siren Head movie in the works?

Speculation around a possible movie adaptation has been ramping up over the past week. There's been a couple of reasons for this. First, Henderson has started posting frequently about the creature again on Instagram.

By itself, this isn't that unusual. Although Henderson has created hundreds of monsters, Siren Head is a favorite that pops up now and then. But it's worth noting that the frequency of his posts has dialled up — there have been a handful over the last week alone, including some found footage-style Reels featuring the creature's trademark siren call.

What's even more intriguing, though, is who's been commenting on these posts.

View this post on Instagram

Beneath the above image, which Henderson posted about a week ago, movie producer Scott Glassgold replied with several eyes emoji. Glassgold, who founded production company 12:01 Films, is a big name in the horror movie space, particularly when it comes to adaptations based on viral internet urban legends (he's previously been involved in a number of deals, including stories that originally started on Reddit).

Credit: Instagram

Glassgold's comment didn't go unnoticed. A commenter asked him directly about the possibility of a Siren Head movie in response, to which he replied with three slightly cryptic siren emoji. Henderson himself then responded to Glassgold with a little megaphone. Mashable reached out to Glassgold to ask about the possibility of a film, and his response was just as cryptic. "I'm a huge fan of Trevor's and will be first in line to see anything he does," Glassgold said.

Henderson, when asked about the potential for a movie, also didn't give much away. “I'd be delighted," he told Mashable. "I think Siren Head has a lot of potential to be expanded into a film, but we’ll have to see. Either way, it makes me very happy that people still respond positively to the creature design in 2026."

Credit: Instagram

Credit: Instagram

So, what does it all mean? Well so far, there have been no official announcements and this is all speculative. But Glassgold's comments — plus the fact he's been sharing Henderson's recent Siren Head Reels — seem too deliberate to be chalked up to mere coincidence.

Here's hoping the creepypasta-to-movie pipeline gets a telegraph pole-sized extension in the near future.

Disclosure: The author of this text shares the same film/TV representative as Trevor Henderson. All reporting was conducted independently.

In an era of endless reboots and sequels, The Devil Wears Prada 2 managed to do the impossible: stay true to its roots while evolving for a new generation. In our latest episode of How It Hits, we take a look at the "legacy sequel" phenomenon through the lens of one of cinema's most stylish comedies.

Senior editor Shannon Connellan breaks down the return of Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, and Emily Blunt, and look at how the shift from print to digital journalism provides the perfect backdrop for the continued power struggle between Miranda Priestly and Andy Sachs. Groundbreaking? Actually, yes.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video. This story was originally published on May 1 with the film's release in cinemas.

Two decades and the invention of smartphones and social media later, The Devil Wears Prada is back. It's triggering — I worked at a fashion magazine in the 2010s and it was Miranda Priestly–inspired hell — but it's a high-heeled reboot I frankly welcome on my neck.

Everything we loved about the 2006 original finds reinvention here: Runway's coveted closet, star-studded runway shows, Meryl Streep destroying editorial staff with laconicism. The Devil Wears Prada director David Frankel and writer Aline Brosh McKenna return, treating their shimmering sequel like an event, one that's just as meme-worthy and acerbic 20 years down the runway.

Offering the season's most anticipated collection of high fashion, celebrity cameos, and sweeping statements on modern media, The Devil Wears Prada 2 delivers an expertly tailored sequel, made-to-measure and unmistakably its own brand.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 reinvents the original film for 2026.

Back to that coveted "Runway" closet. Credit: Macall Polay / 20th Century Studios

Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), former Runway assistant in the 2000s, is now an investigative journalist who goes viral for an impassioned "journalism still f***ing matters" speech at an awards ceremony. However, when her whole team gets laid off by text during the same event, Andy needs a job — and the illustrious fashion magazine Runway needs some good PR.

Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) still reigns as Runway's imperious editor-in-chief (don't you forget it). With a little help from her new Gen Z Emily/Andy, Amari (Simone Ashley), she's begrudgingly toned down her signature superciliousness for an obligatory tolerance — ugh, progressive labor laws. However, she's still the most formidable fashion editor on the planet. Alas, Miranda is currently the internet's "villain du jour" after covering a fast-fashion brand linked to sweatshop conditions (it's called SpeedFash, so the clues were there). Going viral puts Andy back on Condé Nast Elias-Clark Publications' radar, so whether the EIC likes it or not (she doesn't), she's Runway's newest (returning) employee.

Understanding the fierce power of The Devil Wears Prada as a pop cultural moment, Frankel and Brosh McKenna stack the sequel with references to the original film. Some are subtle: a Central Park vendor selling seemingly identical cerulean belts (I said seemingly!). Some are overt: Runway's Met Gala–style benefit being groundbreakingly themed "Spring Florals." But where there's past, there's present. Those Motorola RAZR V3s and T-Mobile Sidekick IIs have been replaced with Samsung's latest Galaxy smartphones. The soundtrack's KT Tunstall and Jamiroquai make way for Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga, and Doechii — though, of course, Madonna's "Vogue" makes its requisite appearance. Plus, Andy's ultra '00s pageboy cap gets a full scene nod.

Miranda Priestly: Forever en vogue. Credit: Macall Polay / 20th Century Studios

The Devil Wears Prada cinematographer Florian Ballhaus also returns with nostalgia in hand. The sequel's opening sequence, in which we reconnect with Andy, is nearly identical to the original film, from teeth-brushing to sweeping shots of New York City. Production designer Jess Gonchor (who worked on the original film), art director Robert Guerra, and set decorator Regina Graves meticulously refresh the world of Runway and the '00s New York it thrived in. 

Walking back into Miranda Priestly's hallowed office feels like we never left, though the interior has been updated in the editor's style. The film takes us for drinks at Bubby's, the favored bar where Andy and her friends toast to "paying that rent." It's unmistakably The Devil Wears Prada, but make it 2026, and it's matched by the film's unparalleled cast.

Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, and Emily Blunt make The Devil Wears Prada 2.

"Runway" editorial team, assemble! Credit: Macall Polay / 20th Century Studios

Let's get this clear: The Devil Wears Prada is nothing without its cast. Triumphantly strutting back into their iconic roles, Streep, Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, and Emily Blunt are who we're here to see, decked out in covetable couture from costume designer Molly Rogers (who worked with Patricia Field on the first film) and armed with more ruinous reads than a Drag Race mini challenge.

Streep slips back into Miranda Priestly's Valentinos with ease, delivering withering glares and critiques with the restrained demeanour that launched a thousand reaction GIFs. 2026 brings with it distasteful developments for the editor-in-chief; watching Streep spit out words like "bum bag" in disbelief at current fashion is worth the ticket price. But legacies like Miranda's defy frivolous trends, and Streep's EIC feels eternally en vogue as a woman still at the top of her game, confident in her exquisite taste, and loath to completely bow to a changing industry.

Dazzling in Annie Hall-inspired style, Hathaway returns to her earnest Andy Sachs roots wholeheartedly, moving her protagonist from naive newcomer who can't spell Gabbana to respected journalist, outwardly shrugging off Miranda's signature shade while desperately seeking her approval. Dismissive as always, the editor doesn't recognise her former assistant at all — it's been 20 years and this is Miranda Priestly. However, eventually, the power dynamic between them reverts to muscle memory: Miranda waiting for Andy to fail, Andy determined to succeed whatever the impossible task (there's no secret Harry Potter book, but something more editorial).

Yes, it's Dior, thanks so much for asking. Credit: Macall Polay / 20th Century Studios

The tailored twinkle in The Devil Wears Prada's eye, Tucci's Nigel Kipling, is sublime returning as the charming art director whose dress-downs still rival Miranda's. A darling in Dior, Blunt's Emily Charlton remains serving curt, with the star's sharp comedic timing hitting every mark as Miranda's scorned former assistant — "May the bridges I burn light my way," she declares, genuinely. 

Though there's been 20 years between the events of the first film and its sequel, director Frankel authentically addresses ancient grudges between characters — a moment of camaraderie between Miranda and Nigel had me misty-eyed.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 rolls out the glossiest supporting cast.

The list everyone wants to be on. Credit: Macall Polay / 20th Century Studios

Beyond the core four is a dazzling supporting cast, with Simone Ashley impeccable as Miranda's latest first assistant, Amari, responsible for keeping her boss uncanceled, with the help of a delightful Caleb Hearon as second assistant Charlie. Rachel Bloom lights up her all-too-brief appearance as Andy's book publisher friend who is "editing a memoir by one of Paris Hilton's chihuahuas." 

B.J. Novak plunges The Devil Wears Prada 2 into Succession territory as the heir to Runway's parent company, and Lucy Liu is serene as Sacha Barnes, the one designer who won't do press. 

Meanwhile, Andy's plunged into yet another strained romance storyline with real estate agent Peter (Colin From Accounts' Patrick Brammall), a plot distraction that feels wildly unnecessary, but one that sees Brammall in fine comedic form (a joke about Australians needing to say hello to each other literally anywhere landed only with me, but reader, it landed). 

Ultimately, watching Miranda Priestly and Andy Sachs back on screen is the competency porn we deserve without another season of The Pitt just yet. Though The Devil Wears Prada might be a time capsule of pre-internet publishing, its sequel cleverly reinvents the franchise for the now with its meme-worthy one-liners and undying love for fashion and journalism. That's all.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video. This review was originally published on May 1 with the film's release in cinemas.

You've likely noticed that journalism has transformed in the 20 years since The Devil Wears Prada distilled the profession into a pop-cultural moment. Based on Lauren Weisberger's novel, this iconic satire, alongside fellow fashion media gems Ugly Betty, The Bold Type, and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, inspired a generation of wide-eyed, early-internet journalists. (Me, I'm talking about me.)

Now online metrics keep editors up at night, with virality that all-important talking point in editorial meetings, the higher-ups insistent on "gaining online traction," and the impact of AI overviews and chatbots a pervasive thorn in all of our sides. Legacy media has, of course, transformed with the internet, especially fashion journalism. Recently taking the hallowed reins from Miranda Priestly–inspiration Anna Wintour, Vogue's head of editorial content is former Vogue.com editor Chloe Malle, and the publication's Met Gala is an internet moment as much as an in-person event. 

And it's now, in 2026, that The Devil Wears Prada 2 arrives — refreshed, but ever-committed to old-school media ethics and making Big Bads out of corporate tech bros who value profit over authenticity.

From the film's very first moments, the current state of media is on full display by director David Frankel and writer Aline Brosh McKenna, whether championed or dismissed as yesterday's news.

Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) is still very much the formidable editor-in-chief of the illustrious Vogue Runway magazine. Owned by Condé Nast Elias-Clark Publications, Runway now has a social media and video strategy. In the plot, Miranda's job could potentially evolve from EIC into a "global head of content" (essentially mirroring Wintour's path to being Condé Nast's chief content officer). Only slightly showing grief at her industry's evolution, she's now answering to the Elias-Clark chairman Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman) and his corporate tech bro son Jay (B.J. Novak) along with an ever-evolving world of online advertisers. 

Meryl Streep and Anne Hathway in "The Devil Wears Prada 2." Credit: Macall Polay / 20th Century Studios

Meanwhile, Andy Sachs (Anne Hathway) is winning awards for her work at investigative outlet Vanguard and going viral for acceptance speeches in which she declares "journalism still f***ing matters." Through Miranda and Andy, the film spends ample energy on the difficulties of balancing "pieces with gravitas" and editorial integrity with corporate demands, as well as how hard it can be for editorial teams to argue the value of a publisher's authentic point of view. As Andy says, "They keep sucking the soul out of everything and repackaging it."

To keep Miranda and Andy in esteemed company, there’s a wave of cameos from renowned editors, journalists, and authors including Edward Enniful, Tina Brown, Vanessa Friedman, Kara Swisher, Jia Tolentino, Suleika Jaouad, Amelia Dimoldenberg, Tomi Adeyemi, and Molly Jong-Fast.

But not everyone's on the same "yay journalism!" page. "Remember when magazines were a thing?" asks Emily (Emily Blunt), a disgruntled but still chic ex-Runway employee who has since moved into high-fashion retail. (No one in this movie says the word "Substack" or mentions the overlap between the creator economy and fashion, for what it's worth.)

Emily Blunt in "The Devil Wears Prada 2." Credit: Macall Polay / 20th Century Studios

Again and again, The Devil Wears Prada 2 satirises extremely specific, problematic elements of the current state of media. The excessive spending of the pre-2020s industry is mourned. A moment early on in the film, when Andy's entire editorial team is fired by text at a journalism awards event uncomfortably mirrors the too-many newsrooms gutted by top-down layoffs in recent years. (Succession Season 2 even parodied this sad reality with Kendall Roy's brutal Vaulter layoffs.) Corporate euphemisms like "downsizing" and "consolidation" for layoffs go hand in hand with insistent pressure from the top. "Let's show the markets we are ready to crank that EBITDA!" Jay Ravitz says in a moment of dialogue that's way too real.

At times, the film tips over into grandstanding (watching Andy declare journalism more important than real estate to an agent she's into feels ridiculous). And at times, the film also falls into romanticising the practicalities of the job: Andy helming Runway's well-funded, hallowed features department without a staff writer or freelancer in sight? Unlikely.

But, for a film whose main drawcard is the glossy high fashion world, celebrity cameos, and a magnificent cast, The Devil Wears Prada 2 goes unexpectedly hard examining the challenge of maintaining editorial integrity in today's media industry. That job "thousands of girls would kill for?" It's changed.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video. This story was originally published on May 1 with the film's release in cinemas.

The list of cameos in The Devil Wears Prada 2 is so long it takes up an entire length of the movie screen in the end credits.

The glossy, glamourous sequel invites the A-list to the world of Runway, with fashion designers, creative directors, stylists, models, Hollywood stars, comedians, creators, musicians, athletes, journalists, and authors appearing in scenes involving fashion shows, long Hamptons lunches, and VIP birthday parties. You know, Donatella Versace and Lady Gaga's cameos are brilliant.

Here's every cameo we could spot in The Devil Wears Prada 2, a valiant task if we do say so ourselves.

Donatella Versace

Lady Gaga

Marc Jacobs

Brunello, Camilla, and Carolina Cucinelli

Domenico Dolce

Stefano Gabbana

Naomi Campbell

Winnie Harlow

Ashley Graham

Karolina Kurkova

Amelia Gray Hamlin

Anok Yai

Calum Harper

Law Roach

Wisdom Kaye

Heidi Klum

Jon Batiste

Ciara

Karl-Anthony Towns

Ronny Chieng

Hannah Berner

Paige DeSorbo

Rory McIlroy

Erica Stoll

Sarah Tanno

Frederic Aspiras

Edward Enninful

Vanessa Friedman

Tina Brown

Kara Swisher

Tomi Adeyemi

Suleika Jaouad

Jia Tolentino

Molly Jong-Fast

Jenna Bush Hager

Amelia Dimoldenberg

Brigitte Lacombe

Richard Kirshenbaum

Adam Pendleton

Marc Glimcher

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video. This story was originally published on May 1 with the film's release in cinemas.

You know Lady Gaga appears in The Devil Wears Prada 2, but you don't know just how perfect it is.

Mother Monster, who teamed up with Doechii for soundtrack banger "Runway," garners applause with her cameo in the awaited sequel. But you'll have to wait until the final act to see Lady Gaga in the same universe as Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep).

There are two moments with Gaga appearing as herself in The Devil Wears Prada 2. One is a hilarious dressing room altercation between Miranda and Gaga before a major fashion event in Milan's Accademia di Brera, in which the Mayhem singer is less than excited to see the Runway editor-in-chief — there's not a poker face in sight.

"Who let her in here?" Gaga scoffs at Miranda. "Nigel said I'd never do another cover."

I won't ruin the whole scene, but I will say one thing: We never see Miranda Priestly grovelling, but this scene comes pretty close, as the famously acerbic editor must get Gaga onside. Considering Streep herself asked Gaga to be in the film, it's hilarious to watch them hating on each other in the scene.

On a stunning, structural set, Gaga later performs among the runway models during the show in the Brera, surrounded by Italian designer looks by Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Emilio Pucci, Moschino, Missoni, Lorenzo Seghezzi, Etro, Rosamosario, Roberto Cavalli, Antonio Marras, and of course, Prada. She's singing her track from The Devil Wears Prada 2 soundtrack, "The Shape of a Woman." (The artist has another track, "Glamorous Life," made for the film.)

It's by no means the only cameo in the film, with a runway's worth of fashion icons, Hollywood stars, journalists, and more celebrities invited to the most star-studded affair of the season. And Gaga herself is no stranger to a cameo.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video. This story was originally published on May 1 with the film's release in cinemas.

Looking for something great to watch at home? Streaming subscribers are spoiled for choice between Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV, Prime Video, Shudder, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. And that's before you even look at the vast libraries of movies and television programs within each streamer!

Don't be overwhelmed or waste an hour scrolling through your services to determine what to watch. We've got your back, whatever your mood. Mashable offers watch guides for all of the above, broken down by genre: comedy, thriller, horror, documentary, and animation, among others. But if you're seeking something brand new (or just new to streaming), we've got you covered there, too.

17. Lee Cronin's The Mummy

Evil Dead Rise director Lee Cronin puts his own gory spin on mummy stories in Lee Cronin's The Mummy. (No relation to the Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz franchise, or to the 2017 Tom Cruise flop.) Here, the mummy is Katie (Natalie Grace), a young girl who was kidnapped while her family lived in Egypt. Her parents (Jack Reynor and Laia Costa) rejoice when she turns up years later. However, there are several red flags to her reappearance: She's found in an ancient sarcophagus, and she seems to have a thirst for blood.

Cronin's penchant for creepy kids doesn't quite translate to his take on The Mummy, with most of the film's scares falling flat. As I wrote in my review, "On the one hand, the gore, when it comes, is spectacular. On the other hand, it's sandwiched within an underwhelming storyline that never truly lets loose." — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

Starring: Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, May Calamawy, Natalie Grace, Veronica Falcón, Shylo Molina, Billie Roy, Hayat Kamille, Emily Mitchell, May Elghety, Husam Chadat, Tim Seyfi, and Mark Mitchinson

How to watch: Lee Cronin's The Mummy debuts July 3 on HBO Max.

16. Worst Neighbor Ever

I hate how addicted I am to Netflix's Worst ________ Ever franchise: Worst Ex Ever, Worst Roommate Ever, and Worst Neighbor Ever. They get grim and twisted. And I can't get enough.

This true crime series offers 50-minute (or so) episodes, each unfurling a nightmarish scenario, told by the survivors who lived it. While I've not yet seen Worst Neighbor Ever, I have seen ID's similarly themed Fear Thy Neighbor and both seasons of Worst Roommate Ever. These stories tend to be shocking, creepy, but — be warned — not always satisfying. (HBO's Neighbors seemed to stop at a kind of "This is bonkers, huh?" with no real resolution.)

From the trailer, I'm anticipating this one will be satisfying for your next true crime fix. — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

How to watch: Worst Neighbor Ever is now streaming on Netflix.

15. Sharkfest

It wouldn't be summer TV without sharks, and National Geographic gets things started with its 14th annual SharkFest. The festivities begin July 5 with Hammerhead Sharks Up Close with Bertie Gregory, then continue throughout the month with programming like World's Biggest Mako, Attack of the Samurai Sharks, and Shark vs. Giant Croc. If you're looking to get up close and personal with sharks from the comfort of your own home, dive into Sharkfest. — B.E.

How to watch: Sharkfest begins July 5 on National Geographic, Disney+, and Hulu.

14. The Get Out

If you like your action with some dark comedy, you'll want to check out The Get Out.

Based on Thomas Perry's novel Strip, this thriller stars Russell Crowe as night club owner Manco Kapak. After decades of shady deals, he's ready to change his life to become more legit and less stressed out, but breaking ties with a cartel is easier said than done. Manco hits a unique snag when he's held up by a pair of masked thieves who think of their life of crime as a movie. This premise promises a wild ride, while a star-studded cast assures a fun watch. — K.P.

Starring: Russell Crowe, Luke Evans, Teresa Palmer, Daniel Zovatto, Josh McConville, Nina Dobrev, and Aaron Paul

How to watch: The Get Out is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

13. Obsession

Audiences went feral for writer/director Curry Barker's ultra-creepy Obsession. The film turns rom-com expectations on its head by presenting a lovelorn protagonist named Bear (Michael Johnston), who might seem like a nice guy but is actually the movie's villain.

Obsessed with his friend Nikki (a riveting Inde Navarrette), he makes a wish that she'll not only notice him, but will love him more than anyone else. In the way of the mythic monkey's paw, this wish goes horribly wrong, transforming Bear's dream girl into a nightmare. Obsession is thoroughly chilling, especially thanks to Navarrette's harrowing performance. But Barker's exploration of sexual politics ultimately feels juvenile because of a flubbed final act. As I explained more in-depth in my review, "This makes the finale of Obsession unnerving — not so much for what it shows, but for the empathy it ultimately lacks."* — K.P.

Starring: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, and Andy Richter

How to watch: Obsession is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

12. Bang My Box: The Robin Byrd Story

If you love Sex and the City or And Just Like That... you won't want to miss Bang My Box: The Robin Byrd Story. Produced by Sarah Jessica Parker, this documentary explores the life and groundbreaking sex-positive work of New York City icon Robin Byrd.

Before Carrie was musing over shoes and Mr. Big, Byrd was hosting The Robin Byrd Show on public access TV from her Manhattan apartment. She tackled topics that spooked the mainstream media, including LGBTQ+ rights, sex toys, AIDS awareness, and safer sex. She went from being a crotched-bikini-wearing provocateur to becoming a fearless activist. So, watching her doc seems a terrific way to close out Pride Month. — K.P.

How to watch: Bang My Box: The Robin Byrd Story is now streaming on HBO Max.

11. Human Vapor

Train to Busan, The Ugly, and Hellbound writer and director Yeon Sang-ho has a new horror series for you, and it's based on Ishirō Honda's classic Japanese 1960 sci-fi thriller The Human Vapor. Co-written with Gannibal's Shinzo Katayama (who also directs), this South Korean-Japanese series was developed by Toho (the legendary studio responsible for the original Vapor film and a little-known franchise called Godzilla) and Yeon's own Wow Point studio.

Set in Japan, the series follows a killer known as the Human Vapor (played by newcomer UTA), who appears to be able to turn himself into exactly that in order to murder people — very publicly. Online streams, TV broadcasts, it's live and horrific. And worse, the killer announces the details of his targets in advance, promising a similar press conference each time with gory details. Detective Kenji Okamoto (Shun Oguri) and reporter Kyoko Kono (Yu Aoi) race against time to find and stop the murderer, but learn they're chasing extremely homicidal smoke. Good luck. — Shannon Connellan, Senior Editor

Starring: Shun Oguri, Yu Aoi, Suzu Hirose, Kento Hayashi, UTA, and Yutaka Takenouchi

How to watch: Human Vapor is now streaming on Netflix.

10. Adventure Time: Side Quests

Adventure Time is back with a new look and new 11-minute episodes! Executive producer and showrunner Nate Cash worked on previous seasons of the show as a storyboard supervisor, creative director, voice director, and supervising director. For this new spinoff, he's removed the hard lines of familiar characters, creating a softer feel. But this is still the Finn and Jake we all know and love. 

Across the episodes given to press, Adventure Time: Side Quests offered a kooky collection of tales, introducing new characters and bringing back fan favorites like Ice King, Marceline the Vampire Queen, Princess Bubblegum, and Lumpy Space Princess. Like the early seasons of Adventure Time, these eps are fun, weird, and funny, but do little to affect the show's complex lore. (Look to Fionna and Cake or Distant Lands for that!) The first few made me wonder if Cash was looking to relaunch the show to grab a new audience of young kids. But episodes like "Joey Waffles" and "Game Night" deal in more mature content, like discussions of depression, divorce, and the drama of a Dungeons and Dragons session going off the rails. Which is all to say, fans of the original Adventure Time will likely be grateful for more quests with Finn, Jake, and the oddballs of Ooo. — K.P. 

Starring: Sasha Knight, John Dimaggio, Tom Kenny, Olivia Olson, and Hynden Walch

How to Watch: Adventure Time: Side Quests is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.

9. Elle

Who was Elle Woods before Legally Blonde? Find out in Elle, Prime Video's prequel series. The show transports viewers to Elle's (Lexi Minetree) junior year of high school. Instead of living it up in Los Angeles as she'd hoped, she and her parents must move to Seattle, whose grungy, rain-soaked vibes are the polar opposite of Elle's bubbly pink optimism.

Despite a delightful leading performance from Minetree and some truly fun teen drama, Elle suffers from prequel syndrome. Why does Elle's fish-out-of-water experience here not inform her time at Harvard Law? Why do we need an Elle Woods origin story in the first place? Why not make a new teen drama? As I wrote in my review, "I would like Elle better if it wasn't a Legally Blonde prequel." — B.E.

Starring: Lexi Minetree, June Diane Raphael, Tom Everett Scott, Chandler Kinney, Jacob Moskovitz, Gabrielle Policano, Zac Looker, and James Van Der Beek

How to watch: Elle is now streaming on Prime Video.

8. Enola Holmes 3

Enola Holmes, Sherlock's younger sister, returns for a third Netflix movie, with Millie Bobby Brown back on the trail as the now-established detective. Set in Malta instead of Victorian England, Enola Holmes 3 sees the titular heroine grown up and facing two troubling paths: the case of the kidnapped brother, Sherlock (Henry Cavill), and the case of walking down the aisle. However, Enola's marriage to her beloved Lord Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge) takes a back carriage seat when the game is afoot. "With another playful performance from Brown and her accomplished co-stars, and a Victorian narrative that surprisingly acknowledges Britain's bloody colonial legacy, Enola Holmes 3 files another satisfyingly twisty case for the franchise," I wrote in my review. "And this time, we finally get to hang out properly with Dr. John Watson (Himesh Patel)." — S.C.

Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Helena Bonham Carter, Himesh Patel, Louis Partridge, and Sharon Duncan-Brewster

How to watch: Enola Holmes 3 is now streaming on Netflix.

7. She's the He

Siobhan McCarthy flips the script on '00s gender-swap comedies like She's the Man in She's the He, a film whose cast mainly includes trans, non-binary, and queer actors. "Gender-bending narratives have always been told by cis people, and they've always used trans people as the butt of the joke," McCarthy, who identifies as trans and nonbinary, told Screen Anarchy. "I began to think about what it would mean for one of those stories to get told by a trans person and to really foreground trans joy in the telling of that story."

She's the He centers on best friends Alex (Nico Carney) and Ethan (Misha Osherovich), whose plan to convince their fellow high school students they're not gay involves pretending to come out as trans. But such a performance might just be the start of a real path to self-discovery. — S.C.

Starring: Misha Osherovich, Nico Carney, Suzanne Cryer, Mark Indelicato, Malia Pyles, Emmett Preciado, and Kyle Butenhoff

How to watch: She's the He is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

6. Survival of the Thickest, Season 3

Michelle Buteau and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel's Netflix comedy series takes its final bow with Season 3, with a colossal cast joining Survival of the Thickest to send it off (just look at that starring lineup). Based on Buteau's book and directed by Insecure head writer Amy Aniobi (who's also the showrunner) alongside Survival of the Thickest Seasons 1 and 2 director Kim Nguyen, the series reconnects with designer and stylist Mavis Beaumont (Buteau). She's crushing it in New York's fashion world and looking to launch her own inclusive line for every body type. She's also loving life with her artist best friend Khalil (Tone Bell) and head over heels for handsome Italian Luca (Marouane Zotti). But she's also thinking about the future (and not just the next Paris Fashion Week), which comes with a whole range of blunt health conversations with icon Wanda Sykes in a guest-starring doctor role. — S.C.

Starring: Michelle Buteau, Tone Bell, Marouane Zotti, Peppermint, Liza Treyger, Garcelle Beauvais, Wanda Sykes, D.L. Hughley, Ashley Graham, Ronny Chieng, Ice-T, Wyatt Cenac, Jenna Lyons, Kandi Burruss, LaQuan Smith, Charles Harbison, Ashley Romans, Anthony Michael Lopez, Alecsys Proctor-Turner, RonReaco Lee

How to watch: Survival of the Thickest Season 3 is now streaming on Netflix.

5. Ready or Not 2: Here I Come

In this direct sequel to Ready or Not, Samara Weaving reprises the the role of the Grace Le Domas (née MacCaullay), who was recently widowed when a deal with the devil went sideways for her in-laws. But they're not the only ultra-rich families who've struck such an agreement. And now, a new lot of affluent and armed antagonists are on the hunt for round two. At least this time, Grace gets a Player 2 in her estranged sister (Kathryn Newton).

In my review out of SXSW, I cheered the bonkers fun that the filmmaking team known as Radio Silence brings to this sequel. Particularly shouting out Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shawn Hatosy for bringing mesmerizing menace as a pair of toxic twins, I concluded, "Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is a winner when it comes to being a totally batshit good time."* — K.P.

Starring: Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, Néstor Carbonell, Kevin Durand, Olivia Cheng, David Cronenberg, and Elijah Wood

How to watch: Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is now streaming on Hulu.

4. X-Men '97, Season 2

Disney's revival of the mighty '90s X-Men: The Animated Series is back for a second season — and the Apocalypse is nigh. Ancient Egyptian mutant En Sabah Nur (voiced by Adetokumboh M'Cormack and Ross Marquand in the past and present, respectively) will dominate our heroes' focus in Season 2. However, with the gang scattered across time, reuniting this dream team is higher on the to-do list. Though he's the fan favorite villain who will become Apocalypse, En Sabah Nur's journey is long and full of terrors. Notably, the series comes after turbulence behind the scenes; X-Men '97 showrunner and writer Beau DeMayo was fired by Disney after Season 1, though he had finished writing Season 2. — S.C.

Starring: Ross Marquand, Matthew Waterson, Ray Chase, Jennifer Hale, Alison Sealy-Smith, Cal Dodd, Lenore Zann, and George Buza

How to watch: X-Men '97 is now streaming on Disney+.

3. The Devil Wears Prada 2

The word "iconic" gets thrown around a lot these days. But there's no denying that The Devil Wears Prada movie adaptation was iconic. The fashion had audiences gagging on the eleganza of Andy Sachs' (Anne Hathaway) stylish journey of self-discovery working under the iron fist that was Runway magazine's editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) — herself a thinly veiled Anna Wintour. Who among us hasn't yelled, "Gird your loins!" in a clumsy Stanley Tucci impersonation? Or felt smug about cerulean ever since we first heard that epic monologue?

Twenty years later, this chic sequel picks up with the tables turned. Andy is a successful journalist, while Miranda's reign at Runway is threatened by a current scandal. Will Andy aid her? Or expose her?*

Mashable's Shannon Connellan wrote in her review, "Offering the season's most anticipated collection of high fashion, celebrity cameos, and sweeping statements on modern media, The Devil Wears Prada 2 delivers an expertly tailored sequel, made-to-measure and unmistakably its own brand." — K.P

Starring: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Lucy Liu, Justin Theroux, B. J. Novak, Simone Ashley, and Pauline Chalamet

How to watch: The Devil Wears Prada 2 is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

2. Project Hail Mary

Amaze! Amaze! Amaze! You can now watch sci-fi crowdpleaser Project Hail Mary at home. Based on the bestselling novel by Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary imagines a terrifying scenario: Earth's sun is dimming, and we have one last-ditch hope at figuring out how to save it. That hope is Dr. Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), a science teacher stranded alone in space. Alone, that is, until he meets Rocky (voiced and puppeted by James Ortiz), everyone's new favorite movie alien. 

That encounter kicks off the heartwarming bromance that fuels the rest of Project Hail Mary, which bursts with humor, apocalyptic drama, and riveting spacewalks. As Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko wrote in her review, "Imagine The Martian meets Half Nelson meets E.T., and you'll get some idea of the mirthful mash-up that is Project Hail Mary." — B.E.*

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub, and James Ortiz

How to watch: Project Hail Mary is now streaming on MGM+.

Best of streaming this week: Silo, Season 3

Silo Season 2 left us on so many brutal cliffhangers that Season 3 has felt a long time coming, but now we're hopefully poised to get some of the big questions answered: What exactly is the safeguard? What's next for Sims (Common) and his family? Will Bernard (Tim Robbins) survive that fire? Based on the trailer, which cuts between the underground silo in the present day and the pre-silo storyline started in that surprise Season 2 flashback, it looks like we may also get an origin story. Eep. — Sam Haysom, General Assignment Editor, UK

Starring: Rebecca Ferguson, Common, Harriet Walter, Chinaza Uche, Avi Nash, Alexandria Riley, Shane McRae, Remmie Milner, Rick Gomez, Billy Postlethwaite, Clare Perkins, Ashley Zukerman, Jessica Henwick, Laura Innes, Jessica Brown Findlay, Morven Christie, Reed Birney, Matt Craven, Colin Hanks, and Steve Zahn

How to watch: Silo Season 3 premieres July 3 on Apple TV.

(*) denotes a blurb came from a prior list.

Happy The Odyssey month! Christopher Nolan's highly-anticipated adaptation of Homer's epic poem hits theaters in just two weeks, and to celebrate, its latest trailer gives audiences their best look yet at Zendaya as the Greek goddess of wisdom and war, Athena.

In the trailer, Athena comes to Odysseus (Matt Damon) while he lays, shipwrecked, bearded, and starving, on a rocky beach. She asks him what he recalls of his voyages, prompting flashbacks to the fiery sack of Troy and the storms he and his crew weathered in their attempts to return home to Ithaca. Spoiler alert: They were unsuccessful.

As Odysseus languishes at sea, fighting against monsters and vindictive gods, his family struggles back in Ithaca. Odysseus's wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) faces a horde of suitors, including the slimy Antinous (Robert Pattinson). He clashes with Odysseus and Penelope's son Telemachus (Tom Holland), who still believes his father will come home after over a decade away.

The rest of the trailer showcases The Odyssey's stacked cast, including John Leguizamo as Odysseus' friend Eumaeus, Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy and her twin sister Clytemnestra, and Elliot Page as Greek warrior Sinon. It all comes back to Zendaya's Athena, walking alongside Odysseus and reminding him of the gods' power. Odysseus's response? He'll defy the gods. Knowing Greek mythology, that'll never turn out well, but it could turn out to be an incredible Nolan movie.

The Odyssey also stars Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, Himesh Patel, Mia Goth, Will Yun Lee, Jimmy Gonzalez, and more.

The Odyssey hits theaters July 17.

Luca Guadagnino’s OpenAI movie Artificial may have been dropped by Amazon MGM Studios, but it has a new home.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Neon has picked up the film, which stars Andrew Garfield as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. It's set in the company's turbulent 2023, when Altman was fired from OpenAI and rehired days later.

Amazon pulled out of the film's production in June, with the decision reportedly made by Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios chief Mike Hopkins after $40 million had already been spent on it. Months earlier in February, Amazon announced a $50 billion investment in OpenAI, with the partnership to see Amazon Web Services as core infrastructure for OpenAI.

According to THR, Neon picked up Artificial after studios including A24, Focus Features, and Netflix passed.

Mashable has reached out to Neon and Amazon for comment.

Written by Simon Rich, Artificial not only stars Garfield as Altman, but also The Studio's Ike Barinholtz as rival Elon Musk, A Complete Unknown star Monica Barbaro as OpenAI's former chief technology officer Mira Murati, and Anora's Yura Borisov plays OpenAI co-founder and former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Sherlock Holmes' sharp, fearless sister Enola (Millie Bobby Brown) is all grown up and headed for sunnier European shores, as Enola Holmes 3 throws an international case on her desk and a wedding date on her calendar. 

Based on Nancy Springer's The Enola Holmes Mysteries and adapted by Jack Thorne, the Netflix films have seen the British detective solve the case of the missing mum and the case of the missing sister. Now, with Adolescence director Philip Barantini on a much more upbeat project, Enola Holmes 3 sees her off to Malta. And Enola's got a lot on her plate: She's conflicted about tying the knot, and her famous brother Sherlock (Henry Cavill) has been kidnapped, leaving behind only cryptic notebooks for Enola to decipher.

With another playful performance from Brown and her accomplished co-stars, and a Victorian narrative that surprisingly acknowledges Britain's bloody colonial legacy, Enola Holmes 3 files another satisfyingly twisty case for the franchise. And this time, we finally get to hang out properly with Dr. John Watson (Himesh Patel).

Enola Holmes 3 sends Victorian London's heroes to sunnier shores.

Louis Partridge and Himesh Patel in "Enola Holmes 3." Credit: John Wilson / Netflix

Leaving the perilous alleyways of Victorian England behind, Enola Holmes 3 sends our young sleuth to sun-drenched Malta, where another adventure awaits: marriage. Despite Sherlock's grumblings about losing that all-important Holmes name to an aristocrat, she's engaged to her dear Lord Ernest Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge). However, Enola's increasingly cold feet lead to something much more chilling: missing family members and a sinister plot.

But while Sherlock's sister may be in a completely new setting, the elements of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work have followed her to Malta — as have the charming Enola Holmes-style collage animations and sketches. Though it's not set on Baker Street, watching Enola teaming up with Watson or in hand-to-hand combat with Moriarty is a pure Sherlockian delight, with the young heroine really getting to step into her brother's shoes this time around — with hand-drawn CSI effects highlighting clues and forensic detail.

Sharon Duncan-Brewster is truly chilling in her unnerving interpretation of the villainous Moriarty. Henry Cavill ruffles his debonair version of the famous detective. And Helena Bonham Carter seems to have a ball as Enola's vigilante mother, Eudoria. Thankfully, we get much more time with Patel as the Watson, as the actor brings charm, elegance, and care to Sherlock's future companion — and watching Enola and Watson bitch about Sherlock's worst habits is long overdue.

Millie Bobby Brown's Enola remains on the case.

Millie Bobby Brown in "Enola Homes 3." Credit: John Wilson / Netflix

As the titular heroine, Brown has plenty to balance. While bringing that Holmes-style energy, wit, and curiosity to her investigative side, the star also embraces Enola's struggle with societal expectations, of choosing her now-established career as a Holmes or her marriage as the future Lady Tewkesbury. Enola's Fleabag-style fourth-wall breaking remains an engaging tool for Brown to lean on, though it does have a cheesy "you're probably wondering how I got here" effect at times. Nonetheless, she also kicks ass with impressive stunt sequences, jumping across balconies in burning buildings, firing guns from speeding carriages, and doling out some brutal hand-to-hand combat.

Brown also makes a sweet pair with Partridge, as the film crafts an adorable grown-up romance for the detective and the viscount. And Brown and Cavill's now worn-in relationship as the Detectives Holmes feels authentic, as Enola relies on her brother's teachings to track him down.

Barantini and editor Tommy Boulding weave Enola's memories from the first two films into her present, providing a handy recap of character bonds. But there's still plenty to reveal, secrets which lead Enola Holmes 3 into delicate territory.

Enola Holmes 3 acknowledges British colonialism within its twisty mystery.

Henry Cavill in "Enola Holmes 3." Credit: John Wilson / Netflix

It's not the first thing you'd expect in a teen adventure movie, but as an adaptation of Victorian literature, Enola Holmes 3 acknowledges the painful legacy of British colonialism in theme and narrative.

Set within the late 1880s in the Victorian era, the Enola Holmes series has already successfully dabbled in real events, with the Matchgirls Strike fuelling the narrative of Enola Holmes 2. In the third film, the reach of Empire is no abstract concept and instead a present reality, with the Anglo-Afghan Wars factoring into the storyline, and the film's Malta setting as a Crown Colony proving loaded territory for the characters.

The Malta we watch Enola in — as she trawls through crime scenes and chases leads through a carnival — is one of beauty, but also British sovereignty. Maltese characters are openly deemed second-class citizens, and Enola becomes enlightened, especially when she teams up with Mikiel Mizzi (a great Joe Azzopardi) of the real Partito Anti-Riformista, who resist the Crown. This does hinge on virtue-signalling for the heroine, but it's an acknowledgment by the franchise of the realities of the romanticised period.

Exactly how far characters would go "for queen and country" becomes an underlying consideration. Watson reflects on his father's role during British Raj, and Enola realises her wealthy British privilege. However, Enola Holmes 3 is not a history lesson, merely a reflection of the context it's set within.

As the third chapter in this mystery history trilogy, Enola Homes 3 gives our young detective a high stakes case to crack, a sweet, enduring love story, and real-world context to consider.

Enola Holmes 3 is streaming on Netflix July 1.

The most acclaimed LGBTQ movies of the 2020s — All of Us Strangers, I Saw the TV Glow, Fire Island, Leviticus, even Tár — have little in common with Blue Film. Yet writer/director Elliott Tuttle’s Blue Film holds a 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, even with two very flawed characters and a subject matter most audiences would run from.

Unlike most of the aforementioned films, Blue Film contains no romance or sweetness. While Blue Film's characters are as complicated as Lydia Tár, they are not exceptional performers like she is, nor do they have any of the trappings of success, like money, partners, or kids. Blue Film is about one person who has done unspeakable things and another who humiliates lonely people for cash. Not only are the characters difficult to identify with, but their disclosures and interactions throughout the movie make it intentionally uncomfortable for the audience.

While Blue Film was adored by critics, it hasn't yet found a wide audience. Now that it's been released on streaming, it may find more people willing to confront its difficult story.

I recently connected with Tuttle and the movie's stars, Reed Birney and Kieron Moore, about Blue Film. One thing I wanted to know was what Birney and Moore thought of Tuttle's script. Both actors said they were fascinated by the characters, thought of them as challenges, but weren't sure anyone would actually see such a movie.

"What are the odds of a low-budget movie about a pedophile having an audience?," Birney, a Tony winner who also executive produced Blue Film, said. "For it to come out and be greeted so rapturously and so seriously, I'm still in complete disbelief... even when people don't like it, I understand why they don't like it."

What's Blue Film about?

The movie's protagonist, Aaron Eagle (Moore), is an LA-based queer camboy who performs for a gay male audience. He’s hostile to his online audience, peppering them with slurs, which seems to be what they want. A pathological liar, Aaron refuses to be honest about his life before he became a cam boy. He's also insecure, posturing an extreme version of masculinity by taking up as much space as possible and using his formidable size to intimidate. He’s pretty hard to like, at least in his current incarnation.

Aaron may have been more endearing before heartbreak — and life in LA — hardened him. The movie’s plot kicks into gear when Aaron heads to the home of a fan who's offered $50,000 for a night with him. Answering the door in a ski mask is Hank (Birney), and just like that Blue Film shifts into horror-thriller territory. The shocks will soon arrive, but there are no weapons, per se.

See, Hank is no stranger. He was one of his teachers back in Maine. Recently released from prison for trying to sexually assault one of his students, Hank is now in Los Angeles specifically to see Aaron, whom he believes he was in love with. That's news to Aaron.

What follows is an all-night conversation between the two men as Hank works to break down Aaron’s defenses and extract some truths from him. Hank is hiding a lot, too, but he seems more adept at opening up and offering up some version of his past, even if it’s filled with delusional thinking and bullshit justifications. Hank is a pedophile, and he seems too oddly comfortable with that fact. Some viewers will recoil at that, others will stay to see what happens.

Blue Film is a dark movie, with a hopeful ending.

Hank is a deeply damaged man who has hurt children, but is superficially a much nicer person than Aaron — while Aaron broods and deflects, Hanks smiles and inquires. Thanks to Aaron's youth and the fact that he’s never done anything remotely as evil as Hank, the younger man seems salvageable in comparison. Because the movie is bookended with Aaron, Tuttle seems to indicate his Blue Film is not about redeeming Hank or making the audience sympathize with a pedophile. Yet Hank is an unexpected force for good to grown Aaron.

At one point, Hank talks about the two men as children and asks Aaron if he ever feels pity for his younger self. It’s a question at the heart of the film — do we ever offer compassion to our earlier versions, our innocent childhood selves eventually beaten into cynicism by life? Can we ever drop our adult armor and get back some of that joy and wonder? Hank reminds Aaron of the earlier self he's discarded; a likable kid who loved to sing. At the end of the encounter, Aaron is humming to himself in the shower and then napping peacefully, with the weight of his double identities seemingly sloughing off his shoulders. This suggests Aaron may have a chance at reclaiming some of his more innocent, joyful self.

Tuttle says he began journaling before the script came together. He was writing about his own adolescent sexuality and the story "became this whole other thing about loneliness and the way we explain ourselves to ourselves," he told Mashable.

Blue Film offers no easy answers.

The conversation that constitutes the majority of Blue Film is occasionally interrupted by beer guzzling, weed smoking, and flashes of sex that end almost as fast as they begin; in that regard, there are some similarities between Blue Film and the 2011 gay classic Weekend, which explored how a short, chance encounter between two men can lead to a deep connection; maybe even a relationship. But, unlike Weekend, there is no climactic kiss in Blue Film, or even an indication its characters will ever see each other again.

Still, both movies speak to the queer experience of adopting personas to shed identities that no longer suit us. While Weekend used a sexy, confident twink as a foil for its repressed/depressed protagonist, Tuttle utilizes a pedophile to the same end. It’s a bold choice, and certainly not for everyone.

"It gave me a great reassurance of how intelligent audiences are," Moore said of the response to his film debut. "People want to watch things and pick them apart and decide how it makes them feel rather than being told how to feel."

Blue Film is available to stream on Apple TV and Prime Video.

The U.S. has gone wild for Obsession. Writer/director Curry Barker's twisted horror movie about a wish gone wrong is not only a box office hit, but also the highest-grossing Focus Features release of all time. Audiences have screamed, critics have raved — especially over the impeccable performance of leading lady Inde Navarrette.

While the film centers on an aimless young man called Bear (Michael Johnston), it's Navarrette's cursed girl Nikki who's become the internet's obsession. When Bear wishes for his crush to love him more than anyone else, Nikki becomes a horrifically distorted version of herself, who lives only for his attention.

Today, Obsession comes to digital, and with it comes a featurette clip, in which the film's cast looks back on how Navarrette brought this harrowing portrait of being trapped by male desire to such vivid life.

As seen above, Johnston and fellow castmates Cooper Tomlinson and Megan Lawless share what it was like to be on set as Navarrette created Nikki. For her part, the heralded actress credits Barker with helping her work on finding the physicality for Nikki and her "uncanny valley" look. And he marvels that this scream queen was new to letting loose with a good yell.

Obsession is available for now available for purchase on digital. Obsession will be released on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, Blu-Ray and DVD on July 14. These options include more behind-the-scenes footage and a commentary track from Barker.

Timothée Chalamet has caught the sci-fi bug. Following the release of Dune: Part Three, the Oscar nominee will remain in the realm of space and aliens with Illumination's upcoming Not Alone.

The film, out in April of 2027, marks Chalamet's animation debut. He stars alongside Selena Gomez, herself no stranger to animation thanks to roles in the Hotel Transylvania movies. The pair voice Joe and Fran, employees at Space Burst, a company working on a revolutionary rocket launch.

Not Alone's first teaser trailer highlights the budding romance between the two, complete with flirting, blushing, and the promise of a dinner date. However, Joe and Fran's love story gets derailed when Space Burst's rocket collides with an unknown object and begins hurtling back to Earth — and it's bringing aliens with it.

Up until this point, Not Alone's teaser is quietly sweet, with even a hint of melancholy at the threat of the rocket colliding with Earth. With the aliens' introduction, though, the trailer reminds us that this is an Illumination movie. And Illumination loves nothing more than its weird little guys. (See: the entire Minions franchise.)

Not Alone's weird little guys are a crew of Gumby-looking aliens. Unlike the Minions, they speak English — and they're all voiced by UK comedy royalty. Named Dunk (voiced by Rob Brydon), Welly (voiced by Diane Morgan), and Shirm (voiced by Jamie Demetriou), this alien trio is on the run from their home planet's zealous Officer Zandro (voiced by Brett Goldstein). They wind up hiding out in Joe's home. Will their presence help or hinder his chances with Fran? And how will this first contact end up impacting the rest of Earth?

Not Alone hits theaters in April of 2027.

Throughout his career, director Robert Eggers has put his spin on countless creatures from myth and legend: witches in The VVitch, vampires in Nosferatu, and even mermaids in The Lighthouse. In his next project, Werwulf, he moves on to yet another famed folkloric being: werewolves.

Written by Eggers and Sjón, who co-wrote The Northman, the film takes place in 13th-century England and stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson as a farmer burdened by a terrible, beastly curse. (Spoiler alert! It's lycanthropy.) The film's first trailer offers up a glimpse at how he came by that curse. When he was young, he followed a man into a cave, and a devilish ritual ensued. Note to self: Don't follow strange men into caves, even if they're accompanied by an adorable bird like Werwulf's strange man is.

Now, the farmer is all grown up, and his curse is wreaking havoc on his village. Werwulf's trailer doesn't showcase too much of co-star Anya Taylor-Joy's transformation — what, and spoil all the fun? — but it does offer up frightening shots of writhing bodies, corpses, and blood splatters. Plus, this being an Eggers film, it's chock-full of what are sure to be historically accurate 13th-century farmhouses and naturalistic lighting. (Unfortunately for the farmer, I'm going to guess a good chunk of that lighting will be coming from the full moon.)

Werwulf also stars Eggers regulars Willem Dafoe, Lily Rose-Depp, and Ralph Ineson.

Werwulf hits theaters December 25.

Sony will revoke access to digital downloads from Studio Canal in certain European countries, the company announced this past weekend.

"From September 1, 2026, due to our content licensing agreements, you will no longer be able to access your previously purchased content from Studio Canal, and it will be removed from your video library," the blog post reads.

Following that unfortunate news is a list of hundreds of movies and television shows that will soon be disappeared not only from the PlayStation Store but your own video library, including both small-budget sensations like Attack The Block and Hot Fuzz, beloved rom-coms like Bridget Jones' Diary and iconic action movies like Rambo and Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Sony's announcement also did not include any word about refunds or compensation for the millions of people who thought they were purchasing a product when it turned out they were only leasing it. 

This isn't the first time a major media company has abruptly discontinued access to digital downloads. Hell, it's not even the first time Sony has done it; in fact, irate gamers have been pushing back against this trend for years, crying foul not only about the sneaky practice of retroactively removing purchased products from digital stores but also about the downstream effect of killing the second-hand market. Obviously, if all downloads are digitized, there will be no rifling through bargain bins of DVDs, Blu-rays, or game disks.

And while most games are still sold in both physical and digital formats, the most anticipated game of the year, Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 6, recently announced it will be sold digitally only. Customers who purchase the game in-store will instead receive a physical box containing a download code.

Unsurprisingly, fans across the internet are reacting negatively to the news, especially because they understand a simple concept: when the biggest, best-selling, and most popular game does something, every other game is likely to follow suit.

Whatever you may think of Olivia Wilde as a filmmaker, it's impossible to deny she has a good eye for crafting comedy. In 2019, the American actress who'd proved herself as a sultry starlet thrilled audiences and critics alike with her directorial debut Booksmart. Universally lauded, the teen comedy teamed Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever as a pair of intellectually bright but socially oblivious besties, and the results were heart-warming and hilarious. 

With Wilde's follow-up, however, she fumbled. Don't Worry Darling, a psychological thriller starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, was not only plagued with rumors of on-set discord and bad press before it even premiered, but savaged by critics once it did for its nonsensical plotline and underwhelming leading man. 

Thankfully, Wilde's back with another comedy that combines sexual anxiety with a crackling cast. Pulling double duty as director and star, Wilde appears opposite Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton in The Invite. The quartet plays two couples whose relationships shift dramatically over the course of one dinner party. 

Together, they create a sex comedy that's absolutely hysterical, ribbed with cringe and swagger. But Wilde is the film's weak link. 

The Invite is blisteringly funny. 

Credit: Courtesy of A24

Based on Cesc Gay's critically heralded 2020 Spanish comedy Sentimental, The Invite is largely confined to a sprawling San Francisco apartment that's been newly renovated. There lives bickering married couple Angela (Wilde) and Joe (Rogen), with their young daughter, who will be spoken of but never seen as she's away for a slumber party on this pivotal night. 

Screenwriting team Will McCormack and Rashida Jones (Celeste and Jesse Forever) swiftly establish the disharmony in this home with the kind of lived-in arguments that begin mundane, but grow malevolent as the years go by. Thus, when Joe tumbles in after an uninspired day as a music teacher for bored band geeks, he's met not with a greeting but with Angela's demand that he take his shoes off and put away his folding bike before he can even take a breath. 

An aspiring artist who's channeled all her creative energy into this renovation, Angela is desperate to impress the couple's chic upstairs neighbors, Pina (Penélope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton), who she's invited over for dinner. After months of seeing them in the elevator or hearing them through the floor, Angela is practically giddy to get closer to this curious couple. Joe, on the other hand, mostly wants to tell them to quiet down their loud late-night sex — in part because hearing such thunderous lovemaking only makes the quiet chasteness of their own bedroom all the more obvious. 

But as suggested in The Invite's first teaser, Pina and Hawk bring more than a bottle of wine to this dinner party. Oozing a seductive confidence, the flirtatious pair seem ever on the verge of tumbling into PDA or an indecent proposal. The tension of The Invite's second act is how Joe and Angela will handle such an offer, with one seemingly crushing ahead of their arrival and the other convinced he'll be crushed by the results. 

You likely won't predict exactly how this could-be orgy plays out. But you will cackle at The Invite's sex-positive yet preposterously silly climax. 

Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton are fantastically funny in The Invite. 

To Wilde's credit, she initially puts her co-stars in their comfort zones. Rogen plays an insecure stoner whose self-defense mechanism is jokes. Norton is his foil, a frustratingly confident and erudite man who's dashing and nakedly in touch with his own feelings. As Pina, Cruz oozes an easy sensuality with an enviable cool. 

However, The Invite pushes past these familiar places, giving the actors room to stretch into comic extremes. Rogen's stoner pops off with comically combative observations. Norton's non-toxic masculinity blooms into a bizarre runner about Hawk's deep love of floor rugs. And Cruz's mature breeziness persists whether she's talking about her flan recipe or her love of pegging. But the way she repeatedly says "my boobs" with pointed nonchalance is hilarious all on its own. 

Whether they are fighting or flirting, there's a heady intensity in The Invite, reminiscent of the tension of Roman Polanski's Carnage, which also featured two couples in one room, hashing out much more serious problems. As a director, Wilde thoughtfully stages the unfolding sexual tension across an apartment full of corners perfect for heated exchanges and innuendo. The static camera favored by cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra creates an unobtrusive view into this intimate night. Wide shots early on give us a sense of distance from the lovers, but creep into close-ups as the topics get hotter. 

This creates a claustrophobic atmosphere that exacerbates the social stakes of each interaction. Because, of course, if tonight gets weird, Joe and Angela will still see Pina and Hawk in the elevator, in the lobby, and through their windows. So, a sense of cat-and-mouse comes into play, where it's not enough to say what's screaming in their hearts, but to do so in a way that feels like winning. Because if they don't, they'll always be losers in this newly renovated home. 

Working with editors Anthony Boys and Yorgos Mavropsaridis, Wilde builds a tension in The Invite that was too often absent in Don't Worry, Darling. And to her credit, she's committed to capturing Angela's electrifying need to be seen through every comment about interior design, each placement of an appetizer, and any glance at Joe, Pina, or Hawk. But she can't keep up with her cast. Where Rogen, Cruz, and Norton seem to bloom over the course of the film, Wilde seems to be straining to flesh out Angela from an archetypal self-hating nag. The other performances here feel lived-in, perhaps because the actors in them begin in familiar roles. But Wilde, whose niche might be the unflappable beauty (Tron: Legacy; Don't Worry, Darling) begins in a place of strained panic, and even as Angela begins to relax, the strain persists. 

It's easy to understand why she'd want to be a part of this ensemble even as she directs the film. But when her co-stars are operating at such a high level of developing sexual tension, comedic timing, and pathos, Wilde's performance feels thinner in comparison. Which is not to say hers is not a good performance — it's just not a great one.

This qualm aside, I was enchanted by The Invite. McCormack and Jones' screenplay is smartly written, bringing emotional depth to all four lovers, while solidly establishing the relatable frustrations of long-term relationships. Wilde's direction is deceptively simple in its aesthetic, favoring cinematography that allows us to spy without the discomfort of voyeurism. This keeps the tone light even as the talk turns dirty. And with an ensemble that's totally game to embrace the silly, sexy, and subversive, The Invite is ruthlessly entertaining. 

The Invite opens in theaters on July 3. 

Looking for something great to watch at home? Streaming subscribers are spoiled for choice between Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV, Prime Video, Shudder, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. And that's before you even look at the vast libraries of movies and television programs within each streamer!

Don't be overwhelmed or waste an hour scrolling through your services to determine what to watch. We've got your back, whatever your mood. Mashable offers watch guides for all of the above, broken down by genre: comedy, thriller, horror, documentary, and animation, among others. But if you're seeking something brand new (or just new to streaming), we've got you covered there, too.

13. Power Ballad

Writer/director John Carney (Flora and Son) returns with another movie about where music and feelings collide. Critics out of SXSW cheered his latest, but in my review, I yearned for his earlier films, like Once and Sing Street, which took bigger swings and were wonderful because of that.

Power Ballad stars Paul Rudd as Rick Power, a middle-aged frontman for a wedding band who thinks his dream of rock stardom is long gone. That is, until a fateful meeting with a former boy band member who's going solo turns things around. The song they wrote together is a hit! The only problem is that Rick's getting none of the credit. Nick Jonas stars as this pop idol. And the two are fun together, but unfortunately most of the hijinks of this dramedy keep them apart. — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

Starring: Paul Rudd, Nick Jonas, Jack Reynor, and Havana Rose Liu

How to watch: Power Ballad is now available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

12. See You at Work Tomorrow!

Prime Video's new K-drama is one for the employees who turn up to work while going through a break-up. Directed by Cho Eun-sol and based on McQueen Studio's Kakao Webtoon, See You at Work Tomorrow! is a workplace rom-com simmering within the daily grind. Park Ji-hyun (You and Everything Else) leads as Cha Ji-yoon, a burnt-out corporate product planner whose ability to clock in, deliver excellence, and clock out while compartmentalising heartbreak deserves a raise in itself. She's noticed by coworker Kang Si-woo, played by Seo In-guk (Boyfriend on Demand), and you'd better believe there's tension — and work to be done. — Shannon Connellan, Senior Editor

Starring: Seo In-guk, Park Ji-hyun, and Kang Mi-na

How to watch: See You At Work Tomorrow is now streaming on Prime Video.

11. Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour

Icons of music and movies collide in this supersized concert film, as Billie Eilish teams up with James Cameron to bring her sold-out Hit Me Hard and Soft tour to movie theaters — and now to streaming.

The film offers up a behind-the-scenes glimpse into Eilish's life on tour, as well as electrifying footage of her performances, all captured in 3D. Whether you want to hear more about Eilish's creative process (she co-directed the film with Cameron) or just headbang along to "bad guy," Hit Me Hard and Soft promises to be "The Greatest" treat for the superstar's fans this summer.* — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

Starring: Billie Eilish, James Cameron, and Finneas O'Connell

How to watch: Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour is now available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

10. The Welcome Table

If the headlines about record-breaking heat across the globe haven't been a stern reminder that the climate crisis has very real impacts for humans, watch The Welcome Table. Gasland director Josh Fox's HBO documentary tracks stories of people displaced by the effects of climate change, whether by rising sea levels, drought, or extreme weather events (which are intensified by climate change).

Gathered at a long table, Fox interviewed those on the front line of the crisis, from aid workers to activists and climate refugees themselves, to understand how entire communities are being forced from their homes — and the uneasy plight awaiting them in their new one. And they're a few among many; it's estimated that there will be between 25 million to 1 billion environmental migrants by 2050. — S.C.

How to watch: The Welcome Table is now streaming on HBO Max.

9. Little Brother

Like your comedy crude and gleefully stupid? Little Brother is eager to please in that regard.

John Cena stars as Rudd, a preppy New York City real estate agent who seems to have it all: a beautiful wife (Michelle Monaghan), two sons, a big house, and a successful career. But he wants more, including impressing his ultra-famous older brother (Christopher Meloni) and reality TV stardom. He's on the brink of both when his little brother — as in, a kid he mentored decades ago as part of a charity outreach — comes crashing back into his life. Kooky comedian Eric André stars little brother Marcus, who has a lot of personality and deep thoughts on everything from family to Hoobastank and rim jobs. Naturally, their reunion will bring a lot of chaos and laughs, but most of the "OMG!" variety. — K.P.

Starring: John Cena, Eric André, Michelle Monaghan, and Christopher Meloni

How to watch: Little Brother debuts on Netflix on June 26.

8. In the Hand of Dante

American filmmaker Julian Schnabel has forged his career by exploring the lives of artists in films like Basquiat, Before Night Falls, and At Eternity's Gate. However, his latest does double duty, paralleling the lives of Dante Alighieri, the famed author of The Divine Comedy, with that of American journalist Nick Tosches, who wrote the novel In the Hand of Dante in 2002.

Schnabel paints 14th-century Italy in vividly colorful sequences, where Dante (Oscar Isaac) seeks inspiration for the work that will define his legacy. In stark black-and-white sequences, a fictional narrative plays out, where Tosches (also played by Isaac) gets tangled up with some mafiosos who want him to verify the authenticity of a manuscript believed to be Dante's original draft.

Between Frankenstein and Beef Season 2, Isaac has been making some fascinating media at Netflix. So, we're intrigued by what he's got here. — K.P.

Starring: Oscar Isaac, Gal Gadot, Gerard Butler, John Malkovich, Louis Cancelmi, Sabrina Impacciatore, Benjamin Clementine, Martin Scorsese, Al Pacino, and Jason Momoa

How to watch: In the Hand of Dante is now streaming on Netflix.

7. Avatar: The Last Airbender, Season 2

It's Toph time! Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender returns with an adaptation of the animated show's Book Two: Earth, which means everyone's favorite earthbending master, Toph Beifong (Miya Cech), is making her live-action debut. With her by his side, can Avatar Aang (Gordon Cormier) and the rest of the Gaang help rally the Earth Kingdom against the Fire Nation?

Like the first season of Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender, Season 2 is perfectly fine, if muddled in its wild adaptation choices. (We're doing Season 3's "Painted Lady" this season? Really?) However, it manages to hit some solid highs, including a moving adaptation of "Zuko Alone," fronted by cast standout Dallas Liu. Elsewhere, Elizabeth Yu shines as a deliciously evil Azula, and Cech nails Toph's humor. But smushing Book Two's rich story into seven episodes results in an oddly truncated season of TV — one that's serviceable in a vacuum but pales in comparison to the animated original. — B.E.

Starring: Gordon Cormier, Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley, Dallas Liu, Miya Cech, Elizabeth Yu, Momona Tamada, Thalia Tran, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Maria Zhang, and Daniel Dae Kim

How to watch: Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 premieres June 25 on Netflix.

6. Queens of the Dead

Tina Romero struts in the footsteps of late father George A. Romero by creating a zombie movie that pays tribute to his Night of the Living Dead movies, but through a determinedly comedic and queer lens.

Queens of the Dead follows the hilarious mayhem that breaks out when a zombie contagion hits Bushwick's queer night club scene. Katy O'Brian headlines as a party promoter who's given her blood sweat and tears to build a safe space to dance, flirt, and revel. But when an undead drag queen hits the dance floor, her life is also on the line. Offering a mindful and willfully silly array of queer archetypes, Queens of the Dead is a movie by queer horror fans for queer horror fans. Or as I put in my review, "Drenched in neon, steeped in attitude, and radiant with queer joy, this movie is beyond fine; it's fierce, funny, and fabulous."* — K.P.

Starring: Katy O'Brian, Jaquel Spivey, Riki Lindhome, Jack Haven, Cheyenne Jackson, and Margaret Cho

How to watch: Queens of the Dead begins streaming on Hulu on June 26.

5. Savage House

You've never staged a dinner party like this. A bombastic commentary on 18th-century English extravagance mid-war and plague, Savage House is the latest from writer/director Peter Glanz (Captain America: Brave New World). As the Jacobite uprising rages and smallpox decimates the population, aristocrats Sir Chauncey Savage (a histrionic Richard E. Grant) and Lady Savage (a wonderfully deadpan Claire Foy) land a golden opportunity for social climbing. But they've squandered their wealth, and the servants are fed up. Can they pull it off? Should we even be cheering for them? Is Sir Chauncey... bleeding?

As I wrote in my review, "Savage House will inevitably find itself compared to Yorgos Lanthimos' The Favourite, as two 18th-century dark comedies featuring gout-ridden aristocrats and underlings jostling for a sliver of power. However, Glanz's film finds its own inflamed, leech-dotted footing, as a rambunctious cautionary tale of the cost and moral quandaries of 'rattling the social ladder.'" — S.C.

Starring: Richard E. Grant, Claire Foy, Jack Farthing, Bel Powley, and Kíla Lord Cassidy

How to watch: Savage House is now available for purchase on Prime Video.

4. Avatar: Fire and Ash

Is your TV the most rewarding way to experience the Academy Award–winning visual effects of James Cameron's Avatar: Fire and Ash? No, probably not. But will you still bask in the glory of Pandora? Absolutely.

In the third installment of the Avatar franchise, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his family are once again on the run from Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang). This time, though, he has new allies in the form of the Ash People, a new Na'vi clan who worship fire and destruction. Their leader Varang (Oona Chaplin) is just the kind of spark these films need to keep growing, yet, as I wrote in my review, "Fire and Ash cannibalizes prior Avatar films' best set pieces and story beats, resulting in a film that, while undeniably spectacular, relies too heavily on its prior installments, as opposed to the new Pandoran elements that could make it truly special."* — B.E.

Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Oona Chaplin, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Jemaine Clement, Giovanni Ribisi, David Thewlis, Britain Dalton, Jack Champion, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Jamie Flatters, Bailey Bass, Filip Geljo, Duane Evans Jr., Matt Gerald, and Dileep Rao

How to watch: Avatar: Fire and Ash is now streaming on Disney+.

3. Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness

Curb Your Enthusiasm meets U.S. history in Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, created by Larry David and Jeff Schaffer and executive produced by President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama. The series celebrates the U.S.'s 250th anniversary with sketches that put a Larry David spin on key moments from American history, like the Wright Brothers' first flight or Lewis and Clark's expedition west. In addition to David, Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness features a wide range of guest stars like Bill Hader, Susie Essman, Kathryn Hahn, and Obama himself, making for a star-studded look back through time. — B.E.

Starring: Larry David, Bill Hader, Kathryn Hahn, Jon Hamm, Sean Hayes, Jerry Seinfeld, and Chris Parnell

How to watch: Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness debuts on June 26 on HBO Max.

2. I Love Boosters

Following the critical acclaim of Sorry to Bother You and I'm A Virgo, celebrated rapper/filmmaker Boots Riley returns with the epic anti-capitalism satire I Love Boosters.

Keke Palmer stars as an aspiring fashion designer who's making ends meet by boosting (shoplifting) designer clothes and selling them for low, low prices. She and her thieving friends consider themselves "fashion-forward filanthropists [sic]," but fashion titan Christie Smith (Demi Moore) sees them as "low-class urban bitches." So a class war is on, with plenty of eye-popping fits and bonkers physical comedy.

Out of the film's SXSW premiere, I cheered, "Like the fashion in the film, Riley blends whatever fits his vision without apology. By delivering something this messy and marvelous, Riley makes a statement about the glory to be found outside the box. And make no mistake: I Love Boosters is glorious."* — K.P.

Starring: Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza Gonzalez, LaKeith Stanfield, Will Poulter, and Demi Moore

How to watch: I Love Boosters is now available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

Best of streaming this week: The Bear, Season 5

FX's Emmy–winning The Bear comes to a close this week, with a fifth and final season promised to be filled with more restaurant panic (and life lessons) than ever before. Are you ready? Your answer had better be "Yes, chef."

Season 5 of The Bear picks up the morning after the Season 4 finale, which saw Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) quitting the restaurant industry and leaving the Bear to Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and Natalie (Abby Elliott). Faced with no money, Uncle Jimmy's (Oliver Platt) plans to sell the Bear, and a massive storm bearing down on Chicago, this crew needs to pull out all the stops for what could be their last service. (Don't worry; based on the trailer, Carmy is back, even after quitting.) Sounds stressful, which means it sounds like The Bear. — B.E.

Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, Abby Elliott, Matty Matheson, and Edwin Lee Gibson

How to watch: The Bear Season 5 premieres in its entirety June 25 at 9 p.m. ET on Hulu. The first two episodes air at 9 p.m. ET on FX, with a new episode airing every Thursday at 9 p.m. ET.

(*) denotes a blurb came from a prior list.

At the end of 2025's Superman, she was a high-energy scene-stealer, perfectly paired to her chaotic pup, Krypto. Now Supergirl gives Kara (Milly Alcock) an adventure all her own.

Set far from Metropolis, and based on the comic book miniseries Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, this DC movie launches fans into the cosmos, where the violence and villains are more random. Yet there are evils here that have strong, disturbing parallels to those on Earth. So it's absolutely satisfying to watch a petite but powerful Supergirl dish out attitude with the grudging determination of a lunch lady and kick ass like only a pissed-off superhero can.

Supergirl is better than Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.

Milly Alcock is Supergirl and Matthias Schoenaerts is Krem. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Screenwriter Ana Nogueira took the bones of the DC miniseries, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and dropped its less cinematic elements. The story still follows Kara (Alcock) from her boozy birthday revels in space to a quest for vengeance, sparked by a young girl named Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley). Together, they will hunt down the villain Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts), a member of a band of vicious criminals known as the Brigands. However, Nogueira's version dumps much of Ruthye's tedious narration from the comics, allowing Supergirl to be more centered. Plus, she loops in Lobo (Jason Momoa), a bounty-hunting antihero with big personality, a devil-may-care attitude, and a roaring motorcycle.

Also, taking a page from 2025's Superman, Supergirl leans hard on the cosmic cuteness of Krypto, the flying dog. Supergirl begins where Superman left off, with Kara retrieving her canine bestie. Together, they trek to a red-sun system, where her superpowers vanish, so she can get properly intoxicated. Far from the noble boy scout her cousin Kal-El is, Kara is drowning her agony over the loss of their family and home planet in any booze she can get her hands on. (A flashback reveals why the loss was harder on her. And heads up, comics fans, it's different from the book.)

It's in a dangerous bar that she meets Ruthye, who's seen her entire family slain by Krem, and is now offering her father's sword to whoever will help her spill Krem's blood with it. Kara is not interested in a quest. But when a hulking alien steals the blade, she can't help but intervene — drunkenly. This becomes the pattern for Kara. She retreats to distractions with her pup, but can't help but step in for the underdog. However, this mission gets personal when a run-in with Krem results in Krypto being poisoned by the Brigand leader. Not only does this sideline the superdog from most of another DC movie, but it also puts a ticking clock on their quest. If Kara can't find Krem — who carries the antidote — in three days, Krypto will die.

Milly Alcock is Supergirl and Eve Ridley is Ruthye. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

That still doesn't mean she wants to help a child murder a guy, though. Reluctantly, she brings Ruthye along, equipping her with a Rick and Morty-like suit of protection. In their pursuit of Krem, they will save the day for others, including a bus full of travelers, and slew of girls who've been abducted by the Brigand. In another major shift from the comic, the Brigands aren't just a violence-seeking gang. Here, they have their own sex-trafficking operation, abducting girls from various planets to spawn new Brigands. (There's a line about how the Brigand race has no women, so this is how they procreate. Which makes zero sense, even in a world in which Kryptonians can fly under the yellow sun. Anyway, moving on...)

By essentially creating DC's version of Epstein island, this change adds another layer of threat to Supergirl by recognizing the real-world dangers of rape that women and girls face all too often. Referred to by the Brigand as "the brides," these girls are stolen from their family, robbed of their autonomy, and made objects by their powerful male abductors. In this setting, having a surly, short blonde woman be their savior feels thrilling, because aside from her superpowers, Kara is just like them. Yet it's not her strength that drives her to save them.

Another difference from the book is that Nogueira emphasizes the final wishes of Kara's mother in a thought-provoking way. Rather than simply "be good," Alura In-Ze (Emily Beecham) advises her daughter not to be "nice" but to "be kind." This is a message that suggests not creating a superficial facade of civility, but doing the work, offering the sacrifice demanded to truly express kindness to others. It's a powerful message and an infuriatingly timeless one. It's just a shame these messages don't permeate the execution of the film.

Despite Milly Alcock's terrific performance, Supergirl's girl power message feels sanitized by its director.

Milly Alcock stars as Supergirl. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Within the script, Nogueira creates opportunities to display Kara's complexity. In some scenes, she seems a carefree party girl. But when she's alone with her dog, her grief throbs. In front of Ruthye, she tries to keep it together. Having her upbringing disrupted by the end of her world means that Kara's not great at playing with others. She's pugnacious but smart, reckless but kind. And Alcock masterfully swerves from one side of Supergirl to another, making her a crackling and compelling character onscreen — certainly more dynamic than the Woman of Tomorrow comic's depiction of an ever-stoic hero who abruptly curses.

Nogueria finds other ways to work more women into the plot line as well. For instance, the abducted girls create a focal point for the spreading malignance of the Brigand — and in the third act, some of these captives will get a chance at revenge. But even little details, like swapping a dragon out for a trio of female raiders as adversaries, bring greater representation to this DC offering. (Women can be villains too!)

However, Supergirl lacks the presentation of lived experience seen in Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman, where Diana got to be delighted by babies and ice cream while also being a powerful warrior, or Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey, where an action sequence has a brief beat so one heroine can hand off a hair tie to another mid-fight. This movie yearns for such moments of specificity.

Jason Momoa is Lobo. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Director Craig Gillespie has made a dazzling array of movies, from the sexy, better-than-the-original remake of Fright Night to the Tonya Harding biopic/comedy I, Tonya to the fabulously fashion-forward Cruella and the GameStop short squeeze dramedy Dumb Money. He's shown a skill for crafting character. And it's not like Supergirl is flat. If anything, it feels like Gillespie got out of the way of Alcock, Schoenaerts, and Momoa. Alcock is not falling into the social pressure to be a (super)girl who smiles to appease. She even gets a beat where she plays up a valley girl voice to undermine a man she assumes will be placated by that. Schoenaerts oozes with sleaze, whether he's murdering innocents or snarling at kidnapped girls, and Momoa has the chaotic himbo energy that's made him such fun on red carpets and in Fast X. (He's so much better suited to Lobo than the nautical saga of Aquaman.)

However, there's just something lacking, keeping it from knitting it together beautifully. The action scenes are full of stunts. But none of the blows hit as hard as when Krypto gets shot in act one. The costuming by Michael Mooney and Anna B. Sheppard is surprising, as Supergirl wears a T-shirt, jeans, and trench coat for most of the film as opposed to her signature supersuit and cape. That it's a Blondie tee feels a bit reductive, as if Blondie is a band for girls. This shorthand is echoed in a soundtrack that includes songs from female-fronted bands like Wet Leg and Rilo Kiley, standards sung by Ella Fitzgerald and Winnie Ama, and a cover of Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle," performed by Kelty Greye and KidMotel.

The issue is not these acts or these songs, but that this approach to capturing girlhood or sisterhood feels like a "nice" superficial exterior to Nogueira's more challenging screenplay. For instance, "The Middle" cover falls into the cliché that's become rampant in movie trailers, where the memorable song is slowed down and song softly, as if that inherently gives it a new or deeper meaning. Its use makes Gillespie's choices feel strategically pandering to a female audience instead of organic to Kara's story.

Matthias Schoenaerts is Krem. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Watching Supergirl, I wasn't able to fully enjoy the ride, because these details kept snagging my attention. I was jerked out of the movie by cosmetic choices that felt not exactly out of place, but certainly not smoothly integrated. Still, there's a lot of great stuff in this DC spinoff.

Alcock is captivating as the conflicted Supergirl, who's not sure if she's a hero or of her place in the universe. Schoenaerts is spectacularly creepy as Krem of the Yellow Hills, while Momoa is snarling fun as Lobo. The story runs more smoothly, dramatically, and satisfyingly than the comic. It shows more often than it tells and creates a greater complexity to its title character. And Nogueira does a sublime job of balancing Kara's processing of grief with comedic moments that allow for breath and laughs. So, this movie won't be bogged down by mourning like a series of the MCU ones post-snap.

But, in the end, while I enjoyed myself, I was never really blown away by this superhero movie. I left pleased, but not in awe, not craving a chance to see it again immediately. Still, if Warner Bros. greenlit a sequel, I'd be game to give Kara and her crew another go.

Supergirl opens in theaters on June 26.

Amazon MGM Studios will no longer release Luca Guadagnino's buzzy Sam Altman biopic Artificial, Variety reported Friday.

The film, which stars Andrew Garfield as the OpenAI CEO and Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk, focuses on Altman's firing (and later rehiring) from OpenAI in 2023. In February of 2026, OpenAI and Amazon announced a strategic multi-year partnership, which includes Amazon investing $50 billion in Altman's company.

According to The New York Times, the team behind Artificial was shocked at Amazon MGM's decision. Guadagnino has worked with the studio before, including on Challengers and After the Hunt. The New York Times reported that Amazon MGM had previously been supportive of Artificial, spending $40 million on it and preparing it for a 2027 SXSW release and potential awards run.

"We have the utmost respect and admiration for Luca Guadagnino as an award-winning filmmaker — not to mention a longstanding relationship that we hope to continue," an Amazon spokesperson told Variety. "We believe that Artificial will be better served if it were released by a different studio and are working closely with the filmmaking team to find the film a new home."

The New York Times reported that Artificial screened last week to potential buyers, including Neon, A24, Focus Features, Netflix, and Warner Bros.' Clockwork. However, no one has snapped up Artificial yet.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

George Lucas is popping out of his semi-retirement for a role in a blockbuster franchise. No, he's not returning to his roots with Star Wars. Instead, he's diving into Illumination's Despicable Me and Minions universe.

On June 19, the AP reported that Lucas has a voice role in the upcoming Minions and Monsters, about the Minions trying to hunt down the perfect monster for their own kaiju movie. Given that the film takes place partly in 1920s Hollywood, it makes sense that Illumination would seek out a cameo from a legendary director. But how did they land on Lucas, who stepped back from blockbuster filmmaking after selling Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012?

In an interview with Collider, Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri revealed that Lucas got involved in Minions and Monsters due to his own minions fandom.

"I had this privilege of meeting George about two years ago, and what led to my meeting him is how much he loves Illumination movies, and specifically Despicable Me, and even more specifically, the Minions," Meledandri told Collider.

From there, Meledandri wondered if he could bring Lucas aboard for the latest Minions-centric film.

"An idea for a character came up out of the story, and so I said to [director] Pierre [Coffin], who co-wrote the movie with Brian Lynch, and Bill Ryan, who produces with me on the film, and I just said, 'Well, what if we could get George?'" Meledandri recalled. "And they're like, 'Are you kidding me?' I had no idea, but I got such a fast yes."

Lucas recorded his lines with Coffin, who also serves as the primary voice of the Minions, in Paris. But according to Meledandri, Lucas's role in the world of the Minions may not be done.

"I saw him recently, and he's already talking to me about the role he wants to do next in the next Minions movie," Meledandri said.

Minions & Monsters opens in theaters July 1.

Toy Story 5 ruled the world at this weekend's box office.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Pixar's latest is on track for a $160 million opening weekend at the domestic box office. That would make it the biggest opening weekend of 2026, beating out The Super Mario Galaxy Movie's $131.7 million three-day weekend gross. (The Super Mario Galaxy Movie opened on a Wednesday, so its five-day Easter weekend gross totaled $190.8 million.)

A $160 million opening for Toy Story 5 would also set a new franchise record for Toy Story opening weekends. Currently, Toy Story 4 holds that crown, with a $120.9 million opening in June of 2019.

Toy Story 5 also came close to breaking three other domestic box office records this weekend: that of Pixar's highest opening weekend, its highest opening day, and the highest opening day for an animated feature. All those titles will continue to belong to The Incredibles 2, which scored a $72.2 million opening day and a $182.6 million opening weekend. Toy Story 5 brought in $71 million on its opening day, making it Pixar's second best domestic opening day ever.

The opening bodes well for the latest film in Pixar's longest-running franchise. Both Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4 grossed over $1 billion globally, and Toy Story 5 could be on track to hit that milestone as well. If it does, it will join five other Pixar films — all sequels — in the $1 billion club. In addition to the past two Toy Story movies, those sequels are Finding Dory, The Incredibles 2, and Inside Out 2.

Toy Story 5 is now in theaters.

Sure to make our year-end list of the best horror of 2026, Leviticus is an Australian thriller that takes a terrifying look at the evils of conversion therapy — with a supernatural twist.

Since writer/director Adrian Chiarella's feature directorial debut premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, critics have been singing Leviticus' praises. Now that audiences can go to theaters and see what all the buzz is about, a new wave of fans is sure to discover how uniquely scary Leviticus is, thanks to its mysterious monster.

Set in a conservative town in Australia, Leviticus centers on the new kid in town, Naim (Talk to Me's Joe Bird), who's swiftly developing a crush on his classmate Ryan (Stacy Clausen). But not long after the two begin hooking up, a "deliverance healer" performs a ritual on the boys that's meant to stop them from being gay. How? Well, that's spoiler territory.

Let's get into it.

What does the title Leviticus mean?

Leviticus is a book in the Bible. And while it has a lot to say, the most relevant bit in terms of this movie is Leviticus 18:22: "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination."

The movie won't quote it, but the actions of the adults in this Christian community suggest they hold this verse more dear than any of the ones where Jesus called for loving thy neighbor.

What is the monster in Leviticus?

Once the boys have endured the ritual from the deliverance healer, they are followed by something supernatural that tempts them sexually, by appearing as the person they most desire. This creature is not defined within the film as a spirit, devil, or demon — though the religious context provided in the small town suggests one of the latter. The boys stalked by the creature refer to it only as "it."

But let's not get it twisted. The real monster of Leviticus? The parents in this Christian community.

Think of it this way: The shark in Jaws is just being a shark. The mayor who keeps the beaches open because he values money over human lives is the real monster.

Similarly, here, the creature is doing what it does by nature — as suggested by the snake eating the frog in the first scene with Naim and Ryan. The monster/villain of Leviticus is the group of so-called good Christians who unleashed a supernatural tormentor on their own children because they'd rather see their kids dead than queer.

What are the rules around Leviticus' creature?

Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen star as two boys in love and trauma in "Leviticus." Credit: Neon

Thrillingly, Chiarella rejects a straightforward approach to explaining the whats and whys of his creature. With the film set firmly from Naim's perspective, the audience only knows as much as he does through what he sees and hears. But much of what he hears is told secondhand, creating an incomplete taxonomy on this troubling creature. Here's what we do know.

The creature is invisible to all but the person it is stalking.

Naim's first encounter with the creature comes before he's endured the ritual, but after Ryan has. So, while spying on Ryan, he sees the blonde teen lead an invisible someone to a secluded photo booth for a hot makeout session. The photo strip from the booth shows only Ryan inside. But when Ryan begins to cry out in pain, Naim pulls back the curtain to see his crush is being strangled. No assailant can be seen, but the indentations of a palm around Ryan's neck can.

Later, when Naim is being stalked by the creature, he asks strangers at a gas station if they can see it. No one can. To all but those afflicted, the boys sound insane.

The creature aims to kill.

These life-and-death stakes are made clear in the cold open, where a lifeguard named Marnie (Tyallah Bullock) unknowingly encounters the creature. In the shower of a public pool, it seduces her and then violently kills her. The same fate will befall the pastor's son Hunter (Jeremy Blewitt) not long after the "deliverance healer" performs the ritual on him.

The creature appears as the person you desire most.

For Ryan, that means it resembles Naim, and for Naim, it looks like Ryan. However, when they meet Jessica, another afflicted queer kid, she warns them its appearance can shift. "It always looks like the person you're the most — you know — into," she explains, "It doesn't matter who it is: best friend, movie star, gym teacher you once had a crush on. It knows."

"It comes for you when you're alone." 

This information doesn't come from Jessica, but Izzy. Hunter's sister relays this info to Ryan and Naim during her brother's funeral, while helping them connect with Jessica, who she once knew from camp. Izzy relays the story of the creature like one might a ghost story around a campfire, with hushed tones and vague but terrifying details. Izzy is also the one who reveals the girl in the beginning died because of the creature, but the parents and the press tell the "dumb story" that Marnie had fatally "slipped."

There's a double meaning there. At face value, you might think she slipped in the shower on slick tile and incurred a deadly concussion. But in the context of the homophobia in this Christian community, it might be seen that Marnie's "slip" back to same-sex lust led to her death. In that sense, the newspaper articles reflect the worldview of the monstrous parents. This, plus the scene where Naim begs the local police for help, reveals the wicked reality of this "shit-hole town." No authority can be trusted to protect these queer kids. Their only allies are each other. And that leads to a curious conundrum at the core of the story.

How can Naim and Ryan trust each other when the creature can look like them?

Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen play Naim and Joe in "Leviticus." Credit: Neon

Chiarella expertly brews tension with this setup, because each time Naim sees Ryan, there's a flush of yearning and terror. Ryan is what Naim wants, but his mother's religious influence — compounded by the lusty creature she unleashed on him — makes him fear his homosexual identity. The creature itself speaks to this. Looking like Ryan, it tells Naim, "This is what they wanted, us to be scared of each other."

As Jessica warned, the creature will only get better and better about mimicking the desired. Sometimes, Naim can recognize it by context, like when it appears at the bus depot while the real Ryan is already on the bus. In some instances, this fake Ryan appears in the clothes he wore the first day they hung out: a blue tank top with orange ribbing and jeans. Other times, it appears in their school uniform: khakis and a white dress shirt. Other times, it appears in an unfamiliar outfit, suggesting its powers are growing.

What powers does the creature have?

On top of invisibility and shape-shifting, it appears to have the ability to probe the thoughts and feelings of its prey. Jessica warns that it knows what they want, and the way it speaks as Ryan in the climactic attack proves this. Beyond that, the creature also has superhuman strength. When attacking Ryan and Hunter, it lifts them off the ground by the throat. At the convenience store, it shows it can interact with other matter, too, chucking a rock at the teen — mimicking the feisty foreplay Hunter and Ryan displayed before the ritual.

Later, the creature will lift a heavy joiner pipe with one hand, the same pipe that the real Ryan and Naim were unable to budge with both hands. As it gets stronger, it can also turn doorknobs and plunge through a wire-mesh door — though not without injury. However, as Naim learns when cornered in his bathroom, piercing damage — be it a nail file or scissors — has no impact on the creature. Only flame can hold it off. But not for long.

Can the creature be killed?

There's nothing to suggest it can. Jessica warned early on that there's no stopping it. And even after Naim set fire to the abandoned warehouse where the creature was trapped inside, he sees it again as he leaves town on the bus.

What does the ending of Leviticus mean?

Joe Bird stars in "Leviticus." Credit: Neon

Having survived the night, Naim learns that Ryan has gone missing. He also learns that his mother will be no ally against the creature. "I can't help you," she says, "This thing can't be undone. That's what they told me."

Naim is shocked to realize his widowed mother, who speaks of Jesus' love and God's grace, knowingly damned him. She claims she did it for his own safety, saying, "I won't be around forever. We need fear, Naim. It's how we survive."

He pleads for more information, but she ignores him. This interaction echoes other moments of parental neglect. When his mum realized he's gay, she immediately took him to the deliverance healer. When he was being tormented by the creature and could not be alone, she demanded he get out of her bedroom and told him she'd not be home that night, assuring his isolation. Their conversation outside the burned-out warehouse is the final chance Naim gives his mom to turn her back on him.

He flees to the bus stop with plans to go to a city, where he might start again. At the bus stop, he finds Ryan. They are at first uneasy, not sure if they can trust their eyes. But soon, they are on the bus, sharing a set of headphones and finding comfort in each other's presence. That's when Naim sees it.

Outside, it stands near a ditch by the road. Once more it looks like Ryan from that first hangout. Despite the stabbing, scratches, and fire, it is whole and beautiful once more. And it is still in pursuit.

Can Ryan and Naim outrun Leviticus' creature?

Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen play Naim and Joe in "Leviticus." Credit: Neon

There's nothing to suggest they can in the film. However, there are some clues that could suggest hope. While the creature did follow Naim to the hospital an hour away, where they met Jessica, it took it some time. Did it walk there? We only ever see it walking. And while some cuts suggest it can travel alarmingly quickly, they feed more into Michael Myers' tendencies of dedicated stalking than a suggestion that the creature can appear in the blink of an eye. So, while it could follow the bus to the big city, it might take time.

Are Ryan and Naim doomed? I don't think so. For one thing, both are blissful in that final shot, riding off together. They are not at the back of the bus, like at the end of The Graduate. The sense that this escape is just a new trap isn't there.

Instead, I suspect that the farther they get away from this toxic community of hypocrisy and homophobia, the weaker the creature will be. This might be wishful thinking on my part. But having rewatched the film, I was struck by how much of the information they're getting is vague or coming from a possibly tainted source. Izzy tells them some bits of information and leads them to Jessica, but she also sets them up to be ambushed for a hate crime. As a pastor's daughter, her viewpoint is one ingrained in retribution. With her brother dead, she has little incentive to be a true ally to the boys.

As for Jessica, she is spending all her time at a hospital so she won't be alone, forced to face the creature. She's grieving her lost girlfriend, self-harming by snapping a rubber band on her wrist until she bleeds, and exhausted by the efforts of it all. She is a cautionary tale: stuck, stagnant, and miserable. And once Naim's mother makes it clear the parents are monsters not mentors, what else is there to do but run?

Metaphorically, the creature is not the shame of being queer, but the religious trauma that the boys have experienced. The church doctrine that queer lust and joy will lead to doom is played out by the creature, but that fear existed in Naim before he even knew about it. When he and Ryan first made out, he got spooked when he caught his own reflection in the mirror, enraptured in sexual pleasure.

To follow the metaphor, queer people can and do overcome the trauma suffered from religious condemnation, ostracization, conversion therapy, and physical abuse. But the first step is learning to love yourself. In this final scene, we get a glimpse of that journey.

When Naim first kissed Ryan at the warehouse, it was in secret, and even then he was afraid. Later, they kissed on the bus on the way home from the hospital, but were toward the back, away from prying eyes. In this final scene, they're closer to the front and in broad daylight. They are no longer afraid of being seen as gay. Maybe that won't keep the creature away. But if it would, it's not like Naim's mum would tell us.

Leviticus is now in theaters.

American filmmaker Gregg Araki is so over movies taking sex too seriously. A defining figure of the New Queer Cinema moment of the early '90s, the director of the Teenage Apocalypse film trilogy (Totally F***ed Up, The Doom Generation, and Nowhere) is back with I Want Your Sex, a cheeky comedy that's got a throbbing debate penetrating its raunchy romance.

Written by Araki and Karley Sciortino, I Want Your Sex plays like a spirited "fuck you" to Halina Reijn's Babygirl. That erotic thriller saw a female CEO (Nicole Kidman) risk her comfortable life over a sexual affair with a male intern half her age, who dominated her in a kinky BDSM relationship. By sharp contrast, Araki's latest keeps the May-December BDSM romance, but turns the tables on who's wielding the whip.

In Babygirl, the heroine's desire was transgressive, as she ceded her hard-won power to an impudent younger man in exchange for consensual sexual degradation. In I Want Your Sex, it's the younger man who is the protagonist hungering to be debased and bossed about. What each craves is the freedom of submission in sexual play, a place where they won't be judged for their yearnings. 

But where Babygirl focuses intently on female desire, I Want Your Sex goes the way of After the Hunt, plunging into a curious intergenerational divide on sex and its politics. Yet, the intellectual undercurrent of this comedy doesn't keep the film from being wildly funny and scorchingly entertaining.

I Want Your Sex pokes at Gen Z prudishness through millennial provocation.

Mashable has previously reported on how Gen Z appears to be less interested in sex than millennials. This carnal culture clash is explored through I Want Your Sex's L.A.-set story of boy meets Domme. Post-college, Elliot (Cooper Hoffman) is floundering to find himself in early adulthood. While his stern girlfriend Minerva (a hilariously frigid Charli XCX) is endlessly focused on her grad school work, Elliot is comically distracted by his sexual desires. Even as Minerva stares at him with boredom, he imagines her talking dirty while big, bouncing cartoon breasts spill out of her top, taunting him.

With such an active sexual imagination, it seems like a (wet) dream for Elliot to get a job working under professional artist and notorious provocateur Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde). The bad bitch of the art world, her work is endlessly centered on sex, lust, and genitals. Thus, she demands a flank of twentysomething lackeys to do her bidding, whether that be answering phones, prepping materials, or satisfying her late-night lust. 

The two are absolute opposites. Where Elliot is rumpled, gawky, and wide-eyed, Erika, who is 14 years his senior, struts with an alluring confidence and L.A. edginess. He wears khakis; she sports leather catsuits. He bungles even small talk. She spits out disdain about the art industry and even her own work with all the passion of making a grocery list. Then, she dares Elliot to agree with her after he's spent all day chewing gum to build a sticky multimedia depiction of a gaping vagina. Where he's an open book, she's a triple-latched diary with a latex cover, slicked with lube. And he's utterly enchanted by this slippery seductress. So when she suggests they have sex with no strings, Elliot is positively giddy.

While their relationship is a HR nightmare, Araki stitches in an undeniable sweetness. Where Elliot's peers consider him cringe, pervy, and too needy, to Erika, he's — to pluck a phrase from the recent BDSM rom-com Pillion — got an aptitude for devotion that she appreciates (in her own stoic way). 

A joyful montage displays Elliot and Erika in various kinky scenarios. He's drop-jawed in delight, accepting a spanking, or handcuffed and bound in leather straps, or crawling around in a skimpy maid's uniform. But when they're not fucking, Erika is mind-snapping in her emotional unavailability, insisting to him that sex is the point and means nothing beyond shared pleasure. As Elliot yearns for more — for her to see him or recognize the connection between them beyond the bondage — things turn gnarly, challenging Erika's carefree-fucking thesis. 

Olivia Wilde is a devilish diva in I Want Your Sex.

Wilde exudes thundering sensuality in a dazzling array of kinky clothes, including boldly alluring office attire that would make the office siren girlies faint. Her Erika is not a three-dimensional woman but an art piece of her own making — slick, sexy, and enigmatic. Fitting, then, that Araki begins his film with a nod to an early icon of problematic, unknowable but fabulous film divas: Norma Desmond, played by Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard.

Like Billy Wilder's phenomenal classic dark comedy from 1950, I Want Your Sex begins with a doomed figure, floating dead in a sparkling swimming pool, the glow of a posh home shining down on the scene. But this time, it's not the brash American man who toyed with the heart of a deranged female artist who's bobbing in the waters. It's the artist herself. 

How did Erika wind up here? And why is Elliot freaking out while wearing a matching pink satin bra and panties? That's the gleefully tawdry question that Araki poses with his intro. From there, every stilettoed step that Wilde takes in the journey of this deliciously mad baddie plays like a clue.

While Hoffman offers a goofy, guileless smile and willing flesh for the stomping, Wilde is a thigh-high boot in human form. She is shimmering and seductive, but with a threat of pain. To his clown, she is not just an eyebrow-arching straight man but a smirking tyrant, impossibly cool even when behaving like a hot mess, the kind juicy exposés thrive on.

With baby bangs and a chic mullet, Wilde presents L.A.'s art scene as a ruthlessly superficial space where sex sells, and it's easier to plead ignorance than it is to ask for consent. She is a caricature of a cynical millennial, attracted to Gen Z's eagerness but bored by their purity politics. Her give-no-fucks façade is as enchanting as it is shallow.

Araki builds out her world with a scowling business partner (an amusingly seething Daveed Diggs). Meanwhile, Elliot's is filled with friends like Zap, his eye-rolling work bestie (Mason Gooding in sassy mode), his flummoxed roommate Apple (a crackling Chase Sui Wonders), and foes like the two frustrated cops (Margaret Cho and Johnny Knoxville) interviewing him about Erika's pivotal last swim. Through all these collisions of colorful characters, Araki is able to explore the central sexual politics with plenty of verve and saucy while silly dialogue.

These contrary viewpoints on sex and relationships are bound to collide dramatically. Thankfully, the pool scene climax is just as juicy and twisted as you might hope for in a Araki spin on Billy Wilder. However, in the film's overlong resolution, the daring filmmaker who won the first-ever Queer Palm at the Cannes Film Festival takes his foot off the gas. This give-no-fucks romp about the beauty of making mistakes in lust and love falters in its daring. Its propulsive pace sputters in search of a happy ending that feels so jarring in tone that it feels almost like another one of Elliot's fantasies — minus the cartoony flare.

Still, even with a conclusion that loses its nerve, I Want Your Sex is an exuberantly entertaining comedy, alive with sexual vigor, earnest humanity, and biting humor. 

I Want Your Sex was reviewed out of NewFest; the movie opens in theaters on July 31.

It feels both impossible and inevitable that we've arrived at Toy Story 5. 

When Toy Story hit theaters in 1995, it was groundbreaking. The first release from Pixar Animation Studios was also the first animated feature created entirely with computers. Critics cheered, audiences flocked, and a toy cowboy named Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and a space ranger named Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen) became instantly iconic. Then, bucking tradition, the sequel that followed in 1999 was actually even better than the original.

Introducing Jessie the Cowgirl (voiced by Joan Cusack) and her horse buddy Bullseye, Toy Story 2 expanded the world, the lore, and the themes of the first film. In Toy Story, Woody fears being forgotten by his owner, Andy. In Toy Story 2, the agony of that experience is efficiently distilled into Jessie's flashback with her first kid, Emily, scored by a rueful Sarah McLachlan singing "When She Loved Me." If you sniffled at even remembering this sequence, you're not alone. 

Toy Story 3 followed, introducing Bonnie, a new kid for Woody and his friends to play with at Sunnyside Daycare, and presenting the franchise's biggest bad yet in Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear (voiced by Ned Beatty). (Also, this third film gave us the absolute gift of Michael Keaton as Ken, years before Barbie.) Once more, critics cheered how this franchise about toys continued to mature. Toy Story 4 came nine years later, introducing Forky (voiced by Tony Hale), a spork turned into a toy by Bonnie's creativity. Though a deeply charming movie, the fourth installment didn’t feel as profound as its predecessors. And now, Toy Story 5 asks how Woody and the gang's world will change with the rise of AI and tech toys. 

In Toy Story 5, the antagonist is a tablet named Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee), who's so addictive that analog toys worry this could mean the end of playtime. It's sort of funny to see a computer-animated movie attempt to critique the dangers of tech to a child's imagination. But as you might predict of Disney — who acquired Pixar 20 years back — there's no meaningful critique of tech toys or AI in Toy Story 5. Instead, digital devices versus analog toys become a way to explore how to find human connection.

Jessie is the hero of Toy Story 5. 

Jessie squares off against Lilypad in "Toy Story 5." Credit: Disney / Pixar

Remember, at the end of Toy Story 4, Woody retired from being Bonnie's (voiced by Madeleine McGraw) toy to reconnect with Bo Peep (voiced by Annie Potts) and live in a playground as a "lost toy." Without him, Jessie has taken over as the playroom's sheriff, inspiring a bunch of imaginative scenarios of play, and making sure all the toys feel safe and seen. But a new challenge arises in Toy Story 5 when the parents of eight-year-old Bonnie (now voiced by Scarlett Spears) buy her Lilypad to help her fit in and make friends. Her peers are all online, constantly connected to The Pond (Lilypad's social media network), playing games and messaging each other with little to no parental involvement. 

No sooner has Lily arrived that Bonnie becomes zombie-like, ignoring her other toys, stressing over missing online chat sessions, and endlessly tapping the screen. Jessie fears no real friends can be made with this "device," a word that Cusack utters like a slur. So, she sets out to help Bonnie make friends in person. But some big choices lead to Jessie and Bullseye ending up far from home, where the cowgirl is forced to confront her past trauma over losing Emily. 

Meanwhile, Woody has returned to help Buzz, who's been deputized by Jessie to keep Lily in check. Though the words "AI" or "artificial intelligence" are never uttered in this movie, Lilypad's sentience leads to trouble for the toys and poor Bonnie. 

Toy Story 5 is about being the weird kid. 

Bonnie plays with Jessie while other girls play on their tablets in "Toy Story 5." Credit: Disney / Pixar

It's been 31 years since I first saw Toy Story. And like that aching flashback in Toy Story 2, Bonnie's experience here hit me hard in the heart. Since she was introduced in Toy Story 3, this cute kiddo with a brunette bob, a love of color, and macabre storylines has been adored by her toys for her creativity. But to other kids, Bonnie is a weirdo. 

At the start of Toy Story 5, she's having a blast imagining a wedding ceremony where someone has poisoned the water hole maid of honor (her dramatic flourishes emphasized in a stylized animation, with softer lines and more vivid colors). But when the neighborhood twins arrive nearby, Bonnie is instantly self-conscious and flustered about how to invite them over to play. Her parents notice, and know the girls in her dance class use Lilypad to play games together online. So they believe they're helping when they present Bonnie with her own. However, as many a parent has learned, letting a kiddo go unsupervised online can lead to bullying, stress, and heartache. 

Blaze types on her laptop in "Toy Story 5." Credit: Disney / Pixar

Because the other kids favor tablets over toys, Bonnie resists playing with her toys, as she has internalized the social pressure that such behavior isn't cool. A sting of remembrance — when Toy Story first came out, I was at the point in grade school when my peers insisted we were collectively too old for dolls and toys. So, I'd taken to hiding my favorites in a small box, tucked away from judgmental eyes. I'd still play, but alone. 

In Toy Story 5, Bonnie is not alone. Through Jessie's haphazard derring-do, the toys meet Blaze (voiced by Mykal-Michelle Harris), a nine-and-a-half-year-old who is as high energy and gleefully goofy as Bonnie. She also seems to have a healthier relationship with technology. Now the trick is how to bring them together. 

It'll take a lot more than a virtual pond or a snarky tablet to save Bonnie from her aching isolation. Jessie will make new allies in some of Blaze's clunky tech devices, like a potty training toy called Smarty Pants (voiced by Conan O'Brien). And meanwhile, Woody, Buzz, and a fleet of recently unboxed high-tech Buzzes will aid in an audacious rescue effort that leads to some splendidly exciting action sequences. 

Joan Cusack is marvelous in Toy Story 5. 

Jessie looks out of a closet in "Toy Story 5." Credit: Disney / Pixar

While the inclusion of high-tech toys is certainly the gimmick of Toy Story 5, it is not the focus. Instead, the story evolves into being about how to find your people. Jessie, once a lost toy, knows the pain of feeling alone. And even as she faces her fears of abandonment, she fights to save her kid from that pain. 

Jessie is a reflection of Bonnie and Blaze. She is spirited and silly, with a big heart that’s easily wounded. And yet she is brave. While Woody and Buzz get up to plenty of hijinks that are great for a trailer and some belly laughs, it is Jessie and her girls who make Toy Story 5 more than just another film in this franchise. They carve out a place for the little weirdos, to be seen and celebrated. 

Directed by Andrew Stanton, who co-wrote the screenplay with McKenna Harris, Toy Story brings back characters we love while introducing new toys for the merchandising line, including Lilypad. Yet the soul of these movies is not lost to consumerism requirements. The animation here is as winsome as ever. The story is admittedly thin, offering not one but two Buzz subplots to fill its feature-length runtime. Still, it is captivating even while uneven. But above all else, Cusack, who has been the MVP of such bizarre kids movies as Toys and Addams Family Values, commands this sequel with her unflappable moxie. 

Woody and Buzz strategize how to best Lilypad in "Toy Story 5." Credit: Disney / Pixar

Whether she is cheering for her friends or condemning her foes, Jessie is exhilarating, funny, and riveting. Cusack's performance is bolstered by a top-tier animation team who created a beautiful and gleefully alive cowgirl, and who have continued that careful illustration to a broader cast of characters. Perhaps predictably, Toy Story 5 is an unabashed crowd-pleaser. But more than that, it is a mainstream film that thoughtfully champions the unconventional. Through Jessie, Bonnie, and Blaze, this joyous sequel cheers the weirdos, acknowledging the hurt of being left out, and the heady highs of finding community through shared strangeness. 

Simply put, this sequel is wacky, warm, and unapologetically weird. Yeehaw. 

Toy Story 5 opens in theaters on June 19.

It's impossible to watch The Death of Robin Hood and not think of Logan. Both films star Hugh Jackman, and both mar his leading-man good looks with old age makeup, scars, and mangy facial hair. In each, he plays an anti-hero whose legend is one of noble heroism but whose reality is a trail of senseless carnage. And in both, his withered humanity is revived by protecting an orphaned girl. In this comparison, The Death of Robin Hood only suffers. 

Logan co-writer and director James Mangold created an emotionally rich drama, punctuated by breathtaking action sequences that showed new potential for superhero films viewed through a revisionist lens. The Death of Robin Hood's writer/director Michael Sarnoski, who has previously made the superb slow-burn thriller Pig and the awful horror prequel A Quiet Place: Day One, pursues a similar goal in re-interpreting the folk legend renowned for robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. But his interpretation lacks complexity, offering in its place much brooding, after a first act overstuffed with truly repulsive onscreen violence. 

There is an attempt at balance, as Sarnoski introduces female characters meant to be a soft and compassionate foil to Robin and his not-so-merry men's brutality. But that feels frustratingly reductive and shallow. 

What is The Death of Robin Hood about?

Credit: Aidan Monaghan / A24

Set around 1247 A.D., this trudging drama begins on the side of a mountain, where cold winds roar across a treacherously frozen terrain. There, a haggard old man lives determinedly alone. This is Robin Hood (Jackman), an outlaw whose thievery has been praised because of the tales of how he redistributed the wealth to aid the poor. But — as the tagline for the film declares — he was no hero. 

Over and over, any chance this Robin Hood gets, he will grumble that those were lies. He and his Little John (an equally grumbly Bill Skarsgård) robbed, maimed, and murdered so many men, women, and children that he cannot remember their names or faces. So, now, he hides in isolation, apathetically fending off would-be killers who are seeking vengeance for crimes he cannot recall. It's a grim beginning, and it will only get grimmer. 

When Little John returns to him, asking for help in fighting off a family that has stolen his land and kidnapped his wife, Robin begrudgingly agrees, noting they both might die. His tone even suggests that's Robin's wish, to just be over with it all. Still, he'll battle hard for his friend, slaying not only the invading men but also employing his legendary archery skills to shoot a fleeing child through the back of his skull and left eye. 

The sound effects chosen for such moments of violence pull no punches, offering sharp cracks of bone, wretched tearing of flesh, and the squish of internal organs ripped asunder. It's stomach-churningly effective in hitting home how efficient Robin is at delivering carnage. By the end of the first act, not only have Little John's foes been felled but Robin himself has too, following a gross and grisly battle of blood, muck, and fire. To the credit of cinematographer Pat Scola, such scenes of violence are both beautiful and horrid. His shots make clear the agony and injury, but play these fights off a backdrop of blazing fire and night sky. The contrast is dizzying and exciting. But soon, this contrast and conflict will be moved to a far-off island, the colors shifting from brown and orange to grays and radiant blues. 

At an ancient priory, a gorgeous nun called Sister Brigid (Jodie Comer) offers aid to the ailing. She's taken in Robin Hood, unaware of his identity. (He tells her his name is Randolf). As his wounds heal, Little John's only child, Little Margaret (Faith Delaney), arrives on the island, orphaned and traumatized. Though at first Robin only wished to die, and failing that, to escape this blissful place of restoration, he is slowly enchanted by Brigid's compassion and by Little Margaret's thirst for a father figure. Reluctantly befriending a persistent leper (Murray Bartlett), Robin begins to consider if this might be "another life" for him — when yet another vengeance-seeking stranger turns up at the priory. 

The Death of Robin Hood is an unpleasant and cynical slog, despite a promising cast. 

Credit: Aidan Monaghan / A24

Like Logan, The Death of Robin Hood functions like a revisionist Western, wherein the lifelong gunslinger looks back on his journey and wonders if all the blood he's spilled can ever be washed clean. Put another way, can a man of violence ever become a man of peace? 

Intellectually, there's something interesting in this cliche. However, Jackman's portrayal in The Death of Robin Hood feels like an echo of his achingly poignant work in Logan, but with less rage and thus less energy. Plus, Sarnoski's approach is dull and episodic. Again and again, someone will ask Robin if he recalls a particular act of violence, and he shrugs his heavy shoulders in response, his expression world-weary. And then the person explains how Robin's actions hurt them personally, to which Robin gives an inscrutable stare in response, over and over. 

It's a tedious way to establish Robin's cruelty. More irksome, he only starts to care about the consequences of his actions once he falls for the lovely nun. While Comer is a critically acclaimed actress thanks to her bold and brilliant performances in Killing Eve, The Bikeriders, and The Last Duel, she — like Jackman — cannot elevate Sarnoski's shallow script, which reduces men and women to archaic archetypes. For instance, to illustrate that Sister Brigid has desires beyond being a loving nurse to the sick and mother to the orphaned, Sarnoski includes a bizarre scene where she sneaks off at night to a cave to masturbate by candlelight. How else could he possibly show a woman could be spiritual and sexual? 

Little Margaret is similarly underwritten, existing chiefly to follow Robin like a sullen shadow with the sad eyes of a Margaret Keane painting. Noah Jupe, who earned praise last year for playing Hamlet in Hamnet, is compelling in a brief role as a boy on the brink of a pivotal decision. To Bartlett's credit, he brings some levity as a leper who talks with fearless sass, even though he knows Robin's true identity and wickedness. But with much of his face covered by bandages and, later, rotting prosthetics, his charisma is almost completely swallowed. Essentially, though most of the other characters exist to balance Robin's unrelentingly grim brooding, the balance is off. So, much of the movie is a muck of unrelenting maudlin reflection, undercutting any attempt at hope of rising above. 

Most frustratingly, from beginning to end, I couldn't get a grip on the why of it all. Not why in terms of Robin Hood's cruelty or ruefulness, but why re-imagine a figure upheld as a rebel for fairness and community as one of careless violence, unchecked cruelty, and selfishness? 

Sarnoski's past films were a more successful mix of darkness and light, offering hardened heroes who fought for joy or love, even as they understood full well the world around them was merciless and cruel. Here, however, we start with a protagonist who is merciless and cruel, and the only reason we are given to follow him, to invest in his journey, is that he is played by Hugh Jackman. Beyond that, this deeply cynical spin on the legend of Robin Hood has no discernible message beyond some trite platitude of the power of second chances. Despite its star-studded cast, and a powerful blend of hard-hitting sound effects and jolting on-camera violence, The Death of Robin Hood feels politically, spiritually, and emotionally hollow. 

The Death of Robin Hood opens in theaters on June 19.

Enemies-to-lovers is a common and often hot romance trope. But what if what makes you enemies is your love? 

Being raised queer and religious can be a minefield, as all your worth and goodness might be cast aside by your community because of who you desire. In such homophobic settings, queer people are told we must deny our desires or risk being ostracized, attacked, and damned. The new Australian horror movie Leviticus explores the agony of this experience through a supernatural horror story that thunders over a tale of first love. 

Australian writer/director Adrian Chiarella makes his sensational feature directorial debut with Leviticus, a title that refers to a book of the Bible in which homosexuality is declared an "abomination." However, rather than being a film that condemns the queer boys at its center, Leviticus empathizes with their yearning and the terror caused by the parents who should love them. Brewed with equal parts desire and dread, this Australian horror thriller explores how homophobia can be the real monster in the closet. 

Leviticus is a possession tale with a unique twist. 

Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen star as two boys in love and trauma in "Leviticus." Credit: NEON

Talk to Me's Joe Bird stars as Naim, a high school boy who's new to a town that's quiet, conservative, and deeply Christian. He has no friends, and is intrigued when a beautiful, curly-haired blonde boy named Ryan (Stacy Clausen) invites him to hang out. And before the afternoon is over, they've flirted, wrestled, and made out on the floor of an abandoned mill. 

Heated Rivalry fans will note a similar dynamic to Ilya and Shane, minus the hockey rivalry. Like Ilya, Ryan is cocky, showing his interest through playful barbs, and even some physical aggression. Similar to Shane, brunette Naim is excited by this muscled blonde's attention, even if he's not ready to recognize what that excitement might mean. But where the wildly popular TV show has being outed as a storm cloud that resolves relatively brightly, Leviticus goes dark, pitting the boys against each other. 

It all begins with a "deliverance healer," called to exorcise the evil out of the queer members of the church. The conversion ceremony is first conducted on Ryan and another boy. But before long, Naim is also subjected to this strange ritual. From then on, he is followed by a mysterious creature that looks and sounds like Ryan. But if they give into their desire for each other with a kiss, this Ryan lashes out, violently assaulting Naim. And he soon learns Ryan is being stalked by a doppelganger of Naim. In both cases, no one else can see their seductive assailants. No one — not the cops nor Naim's recently widowed mother (producer Mia Wasikowska) — believes him as he seeks salvation from this seeming demon. 

Leviticus awes with its ambiguity, but is ruthlessly scary.  

Tyallah Bullock plays Marnie in "Leviticus." Credit: NEON

Surely, horror fans will point to It Follows as an inspiration point, as that film also dealt with a strange, stalking demon who is passed on by sexual contact. Both films certainly reflect the fear of sex and death common in horror. But where It Follows uses nude bodies to shock and repulse its audience, Leviticus only shows how Naim sees the demon — as Ryan, a handsome boy with lust in his eyes. This perspective urges audiences to understand what it is to look upon someone and both desire and fear them. This clever creature has no tells that suggest he is not Ryan, until he attacks. 

"This is what they wanted," the real Ryan seethes, "us to be scared of each other." And in this, Leviticus reveals its aching heart. Here are two boys falling in love. But their story becomes a nightmare, not because of wicked desires but because of a viciously conformative community that would rather see them dead than queer and happy. This revelation makes all the scenes that follow not just frightening but also stomach-churning. Naim desperately wants to reconnect to Ryan, the only person in this "shithole" who sees him for who he is and accepts him as he is. But because of this ritual, he can never be sure it's Ryan's eyes he's looking into or his kiss he's accepting, until the possibility of violence arises. 

By focusing on Naim's perspective exclusively, we too can't be certain of what's real. And one particular jump scare — which had me full-throated screaming — suggests that isolation is no answer either. But what to do when your community and your family reject you? This place is both home and not home. Chiarella reflects that through elegant choices in sight and sound. Cinematographer Tyson Perkins paints this small town in pale but warm hues of pinks, blues, and golds. This does not seem the kind of place where a teen boy would be ripped to pieces with a shrug from the community. But it is. Here, the score by Jed Kurzel bolsters this shudder-inducing truth, giving an eerie echo of percussion that sounds like a racing heart, running down a long, endless hallway. And yet…

Leviticus is defiant in its queer joy, despite the bleak setup. 

Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen star as two boys in love and trauma in "Leviticus." Credit: NEON

While Chiarella's script does follow the supernatural horror trope of having his heroes try to chase down a solution to best their monster, Leviticus is not really about that quest. At its core, it's about Naim and Ryan and what they will choose. There is no ceremony that will magically convert their parents to compassion. If they can't fare better with a mysterious demon, what path is left? 

Some might be frustrated with Chiarella's answer. But I found it awesome. Leviticus won't give an easy answer, just as it won't lay out simple rules of how this vicious monster operates. The movie never even declares it a demon. But based on genre tropes and my own Catholic upbringing, I'm calling it a demon. 

Instead, Leviticus relies not so much on rules or rituals to build its world and message, but on the performances of Bird and Clausen. As in Talk to Me, Bird has a riveting vulnerability onscreen. Here, his eyes flicker with lust, fear, jealousy, and bliss. His slightness compared to Ryan makes him seem fragile, whether he's risking a kiss or running for his life. He is alive, and how could an audience not fall under the skin of his experience, getting goose bumps in arousal and horror right alongside him? 

Joe Bird in "Leviticus." Credit: NEON

As to Clausen, he has two roles, Ryan and the demon version of Ryan. The former is mercurial, code-switching at school to perform hetero masculinity, even as he steals a glance at his crush. When they are alone, mischief sparkles in his eyes, then joy. His self-assuredness is an invitation for Naim to join him, which makes the demon wearing his face and openness as a mask all the more harrowing. This version of Ryan switches seamlessly from provocative lover to dead-eyed terror. When idle, the demon Ryan evokes Michael Myers in his Halloween mask, standing on a once-quaint lawn. When he attacks, his smile vanishes into a ruthless sneer or an inhuman wail. And each time, I felt my breath catch in my throat, until I finally let loose a scream so loud it alarmed even me. 

All this is to say that Leviticus is a religious horror movie about being queer, but one that, despite its demon, does not demonize queerness. Nor does this thriller drown in the bleakness of religious trauma. Instead, Chiarella expertly coaches his cast to plunge into the depths of such pain, so that their characters can surface gasping for air. And because he does so with such immersive intensity, we're left gasping too. 

Supremely suspenseful, smartly done, and ultimately rebellious, Leviticus is an absolute stunner. 

Leviticus opens in theaters on June 19. 

John Early and Kate Berlant have built their careers in comedy through scene-stealing appearances in movies and TV, as well as offbeat sketches of their own making, as seen in their joint special Would It Kill You to Laugh? Now they re-team for Maddie's Secret, a compelling comedy that Early wrote, directed, and headlined as the title character.

Inspired by earnest melodramas, Maddie's Secret centers on a foodie-focused content creator named Maddie Ralf (Early), whose sudden rise to frame has a traumatic impact on her mental and physical health. By her side is her lusty teddy bear of a husband (Eric Rahill) and her sultry bestie Deena (Berlant).

Out of the movie's premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko cheered in her review, "Early and his company manage to be funny while never losing touch with the heart of this story," adding, "John Early is a better ingénue than Sydney Sweeney."

So, when Early and Berlant sat down with Puchko in the Say More studio for an interview on all things Maddie's Secret, the trio not only dug into how the comedy duo defines their brand of humor, but also how Early approached performing a female orgasm onscreen, directed by himself.

For more from Mashable's interview with Early and Berlant — including whether they see themselves as a sexy baby or a monster on the hill — check out our YouTube channel.

Maddie's Secret is now playing in limited release.

As a professional critic, one of my deepest, perhaps most deranged delights is to be wrong about a movie. Basically, I've seen so many that I have a pretty good feel for how a film will hit me, based on who's made it, who's in it, or even the logline. But I relish being surprised. And John Early's latest film is a wondrous surprise, not because it's good, but because of how it's good.

Early is known for his offbeat comedic style, on display as a performer in the genre-bending comedy series Search Party, Dropout's improvised talk show parody Very Important People, and actual talk show appearances, where he and frequent collaborator Kate Berlant commit to bits that essentially satirize celebrity. There's a provocation in his approach that came to an angsty climax in Stress Positions, a COVID lockdown comedy where his lead performance acts like a mounting anxiety attack.

With all this in mind, I imagined Maddie's Secret, Early's feature directorial debut, would also embrace cringe comedy. Perhaps especially because he stars as the title character, a woman juggling a stressful job opportunity and a trauma-rich secret. However, Maddie’s Secret offers something defiantly sweeter, even as it sends up made-for-TV melodramas from the '90s. The film is silly and strange, but even amid campy bits, sincere. So, you'll laugh at its parody elements, but may well be genuinely moved by Early's commitment to this strange and splendid film.

Maddie's Secret is a campy throwback to '90s "movies of the week." 

Credit: Magnolia Pictures

Making its world premiere out of the Discovery slate at the Toronto International Film Festival, Maddie's Secret may seem like a straight-up send-up of those earnest TV movies, where a teen star (think Tiffani Amber Thiessen) would face some contemporary evil or social issue. But like A Deadly Adoption, the underappreciated Lifetime movie parody starring Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig, there's a clear and ardent love for this admittedly trashy corner of cinema. Early is mocking elements of these movies, but crucially, his eponymous heroine is not the butt of the joke.

Maddie Ralph (Early) is an aspiring chef who begins Maddie's Secret as a dishwasher at a culinary content studio called Gourmaybe. There, she giggles happily with her bestie (Kate Berlant), a lesbian who hits on her almost as aggressively as she stares down anyone who'd dare mess with Maddie. Specifically, this means Gourmaybe's shining star (Claudia O'Doherty), who shares recipes while snarling at anyone who's not her handsy producer (Conner O'Malley). 

Don’t miss out on our latest stories: Add Mashable as a trusted news source in Google.

At home, things are more peaceful for Maddie. Her husband is a teddy bear of a man (Eric Rahill), who absolutely adores her, insisting she's perfect. But the pressure to be perfect pushes Maddie into self-harm behaviors she developed as a girl. That pressure only amps up once her career at Gourmaybe takes off and she becomes an on-camera talent, with the vicious lens of the internet on her. 

John Early is brilliant and sly with Maddie's Secret.

Credit: Magnolia Pictures

Remarkably, as a first time feature director and star, Early manages the balance of comedy, drama, and empathy with aplomb. 

The humor in this movie begins subtle. It's in the way Maddie strolls to work, getting lost in thought as she smells a flower, only to have the realization wash over her that she's running late. The performance styles in Maddie's Secret run the gamut from stiff to totally over the top. But that's by design, embracing the traditional range within these vintage treasures of '90s "movies of the week." Where Berlant goes in for goofy leering as a predatory butch, a self-aware gag that has a juicy payoff, Early leans into a much softer performance.

Some might say he's doing drag here, but that suggests a hyper-femininity that's outrageous and potentially even mocking. That's not what Early's doing. Wearing a robust set of boobs and a messy blonde wig, Early isn't being a caricature of womanhood. He's playing a woman. However, because Maddie is desperate to live up to the "good girl" expectations others have for her, the performance is smartly restrained. She is in a cage of her own making, not allowing herself to feel bad in front of anyone else. And so, a tension grows as that pain pulls Maddie into disordered eating, which makes the career that she loves a dangerous place to be. Early manages to play this arc, which veers into a rehab clinic that feels very Girl, Interrupted, with a moving sincerity and a soft silliness that keeps the movie from getting too dark. And his co-stars follow his lead with gusto.

In this space of healing, hurt feels and firm facades abound. For Maddie's endearingly childlike roommate Julie (Vanessa Bayer), that means a cheerful exterior and an obsessive crush on a nurse (Pat Regan), who is unquestionably gay. Then, there's a trio of bad influences (Ruby McCollister, Emily Allan, and Leah Hennessey) who feel plucked from various bad girl movies to create a cool and intimidating coven. This section feels the richest in terms of representing community within girlhood. Well, at first Maddie is reluctant to consider herself anything like the people around her; it is only through sharing herself and her secret with these women that she can break out of the suffocating box she has put herself in.

I left this film in a spin, dizzy about its delicate accomplishments. Not long after, I saw Christy, the Sydney Sweeney-led melodrama, which made me only more impressed with Maddie's Secret. There, an established filmmaker and established dramatic actors fumbled the balance of social issues and accidentally fell into comedic absurdity. Here, Early and his company manage to be funny while never losing touch with the heart of this story.

Basically, John Early is a better ingénue than Sydney Sweeney, which might be the most surprising discovery of the Toronto International Film Festival.

Maddie's Secret was reviewed out of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. It opens in theaters in New York on June 19, and in Los Angeles on June 26.

UPDATE: May. 6, 2026, 1:44 p.m. This review was first published on Sept. 9, 2025. It has been updated for its theatrical debut.

Hayley Kiyoko's journey to her feature directorial debut, Girls Like Girls, began in 2015. That's when the Disney child star turned singer/songwriter released the track "Girls Like Girls," and its subsequent viral video, which Kiyoko co-helmed with Austin S. Winchell. 

More than a music video, "Girls Like Girls" played like a short film, complete with credits that revealed character names: Coley, Sonya, and Trenton. In 2023, this love triangle would be fleshed out in the pop star's debut novel, also titled Girls Like Girls. 

Now, after a decade of living with this story of sapphic longing and first love, Kiyoko delivers an earnest and poignant coming-of-age movie with Girls Like Girls. 

Girls Like Girls is a low-key drama of first love and heartache. 

Credit: Dan Power / Focus Feature LLC

Set in 2006, Kiyoko's debut feature has a healthy dose of nostalgia for the early age of internet. The soundtrack features Tegan and Sara's yearning-rich "Speak Slow," Imogen Heap's electro ballad "Hide and Seek," and AIR's trippy "Sexy Boy."

The teens in Girls Like Girls have cell phones, but instant messaging on a bulky PC is how sheepish 17-year-old Coley (Maya da Costa) prefers to reach out to her crush, the femme and fun party girl Sonya (Myra Molloy). 

New to town in the thick of summer, Coley is killing time at a diner alone when she first spots Sonya, who's radiant in her laughter and adored by her circle of friends. With one shared glance, Sonya ushers Coley into their world, where house parties rage, lakeside hangs are recurring, and sapphic flirtations are only for when Sonya's boyfriend, Trent (Levon Hawke), isn't around. 

Kiyoko captures the easy swoon of young love with montages of the two girls finding their way into each others' arms, then breath. But as confident as Sonya seems, she wilts anytime someone begins to suspect that she and Coley are more than just friends. Having brought her own baggage to this cozy Oregon town, Coley finds the push and pull of Sonya's affections overtaking her vision of herself. Grieving over the loss of her mother and living with the estranged father (Zach Braff) that she barely knows, Coley fears that if Sonya can't love her, she's doomed to be unlovable. 

Girls Like Girls offers space for gay girls figuring it out. 

Credit: Dan Power / Focus Feature LLC

For Coley and Sonya, their attraction to each other is so simple and natural that they don't initially question it. They follow it — slowly and joltingly, but keenly.

In the privacy of Sonya's girly bedroom or her family's backyard pool, they find sanctuary to explore who they are together. Like the short film inspiration from 2015, Girls Like Girls deftly captures the longing in a stare, the excitement in a stolen touch. 

As she did in the music video, Coley sports an oversized jean jacket and the very mid-2000s tattoo-choker, made of swirls of black plastic that stretch around the wearer's neck. She rides a bike, busted up, but hers. And, as teased on the book's cover, a key moment still happens poolside — though without the beat(ing) after. (Do stay through the credits for a post-cred scene worth waiting for.)

A change from the first incarnation, Girls Like Girls is less about the violence queer people can suffer from homophobes, and more about choosing joy over the fear of violence and alienation. Because while Sonya initially seems impossibly cool and untroubled, as Coley gets closer, she realizes her crush is surrounded by friends she can't trust to be herself around. So Coley is faced with the choice of who she wants to be in this new town, and if that means being a fool for love. 

Myra Molloy and Maya da Costa make a compelling pair. 

Credit: Dan Power / Focus Feature LLC

Molloy could teach a class on how to flip her hair. Her breezy grace and flirtatious energy make her instantly recognizable as That Girl. Sonya makes being a teen girl look easy. She exudes joy and cool, and even when you find out it's a facade, you envy her ability to produce it. 

Sonya is a go-getter who practically drags Coley into her friend group, her pool, and her kiss. Meanwhile, Kiyoko scripts her protagonist to be almost infuriatingly passive. She's so afraid of making a wrong move, Coley is like a shadow in her own life, following behind Sonya, afraid to be in the light. Cleverly, this is actually how Coley's dad is framed for the first half of the film — as a shadow.

For several sequences, I stared into the frame at the middle-aged man speaking softly in a dim room, trying to see who he was. This staging reflects how Coley sees her dad, as someone distant and unknown. As they grow closer, he will come into the light. And she will follow, metaphorically, and blossom. Da Costa performs this evolution with aplomb.  

The romance and tenderness found in Kiyoko's music videos throbs in Girls Like Girls. She breaks from creaky conventions of queer coming-of-age tales by rejecting scenes of violence or social ostracizing that once seemed required. Her heroine is soft, too, not pursuing but being pursued. And her ending is not a promise of eternal devotion, but a small win that feels huge for a girl in love. 

Girls Like Girls opens in theaters on June 19.

Thirty years after the original made us try to catch our toys in action, Toy Story 5 is here. And as a Pixar film, there's always one question on audience minds at the end of the film: Is there a secret scene during or after the credits?

Hidden credits scenes have become synonymous with the Disney studio, from the staged blooper reels of Monsters Inc. to the not-so-perfect dentist escape at the end of Finding Nemo. Elio has one. Inside Out 2 has one. While Toy Story's first film doesn't have an end-credits scene, Toy Story 2, 3 and 4 do.

And sure enough, there's fun in the credits of Toy Story 5.

We won't spoil what happens in the scenes, but just know you should definitely stay for the credits for three reasons:

1. There's a mid-credits scene that's high drama.

2. There's a post-credits scene that's a sweet time.

3. Thousands of people worked on this film. It's nice to stay for the credits.

It's not the only Easter egg you'll find in Toy Story 5 either.

Toy Story 5 opens in cinemas on June 19.

Toy Story 5 is careening into cinemas with its foot to the floor, like a Pizza Planet employee behind on their deliveries. And if you're concentrating, you'll spy a very fast Easter egg that's become a staple in Pixar movies.

With Buzz, Woody, Jessie, and the gang back for the fifth adventure in the franchise, I had my eyes peeled for any throwback moments. And while there aren't many, one is clear as day — though it's blink-and-you'll-miss-it-fast.

Without spoiling the storyline, you can spot the reference in the third act of the film. A group of characters is travelling along a rural road when a vehicle approaches, causing them all to freeze in their signature Toy Story way. It absolutely fangs it past them.

That vehicle? It's a Pizza Planet truck. Unmistakeable in its yellow-and-white body and characteristic urgency, this is the vehicle of choice for the forever flustered delivery worker from the franchise's space-themed restaurant and arcade. Pizza Planet appeared all the way back in Toy Story, when Woody tried to trick Buzz into flying home to Star Command.

The Pizza Planet truck has become a bit of a cameo classic in most Pixar films from Turning Red to Onward — of course, there are Reddit threads — and appearing in every Toy Story film (even as a tattoo in Toy Story 4). Those pizzas have got to be ice cold by now.

Toy Story 5 opens in cinemas on June 19.

SEE SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY EARLY: Prime members have the chance to see Spider-Man: Brand New Day at an exclusive early screening two days before its nationwide release. Prime Young Adult subscribers can also claim a free ticket. Tickets are now available — secure yours while supplies last.

Opens in a new window

Credit: Sony Pictures

Get tickets for 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' exclusive early screening

 

Get Deal

A Prime membership really is the gift that keeps on giving, particularly this season. Besides the usual perks, a paid membership also gives you access to exclusive deals this upcoming Prime Day (which falls on June 23 to June 26), $5 pizza at Little Caesars, a sweepstakes for free groceries for a year, and access to an early screening of the highly anticipated Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day officially hits theaters on July 31, but Prime members have the opportunity to see it two days before its nationwide release. The exclusive screening will take place on July 29, 2026 at 7 p.m. local time in select theaters across the country. Tickets are now available through Fandango on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Spider-Man: Brand New Day landing page on Amazon.com. As a treat, Prime Young Adult subscribers can also claim a free ticket.

Head to the landing page and click on the yellow "Buy early tickets" button. You'll then be prompted to log into your Amazon Prime account and redirected to Fandango to select your tickets. All early access showings will be on premium large format screens, which include Dolby Cinema and 3D. Prime Young Adult subscribers will want to click on "Claim 1 free ticket" at the top of the page and follow the same prompts.

Credit: Sony Pictures

Tickets are going fast and screenings have limited capacity, so be sure to snag yours ASAP if you want to see the latest Spider-Man film before everyone else.

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man: Brand New Day brings back stars from the previous three films, plus characters from other Marvel franchises. That includes Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Zendaya as MJ, Jacob Batalon as Ned, Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/Punisher, Michael Mando as Mac Gargan/Scorpion, and Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk, just to name a few. The film picks up four years after the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home in a world where Peter Parker continues to fight crime as Spider-Man in a world that doesn't remember him.

Peep the trailer below:

Not a Prime member? There's still time to sign up and gain access to the early screening, but you'll want to act fast to secure your tickets. And don't forget, Prime Day starts on June 23.

Opens in a new window

Credit: Amazon

Sign up for Amazon Prime

free 30-day trial, then $14.99/month

Get Deal

Looking for something great to watch at home? Streaming subscribers are spoiled for choice between Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV, Prime Video, Shudder, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. And that's before you even look at the vast libraries of movies and television programs within each streamer!

Don't be overwhelmed or waste an hour scrolling through your services to determine what to watch. We've got your back, whatever your mood. Mashable offers watch guides for all of the above, broken down by genre: comedy, thriller, horror, documentary, and animation, among others. But if you're seeking something brand new (or just new to streaming), we've got you covered there, too.

10. How to Make a Killing

They Will Kill You. Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. I Love Boosters. Of all the 2026 eat-the-rich comedies, How to Make a Killing is one of them. It's also the weakest of the bunch.

Writer/director John Patton Ford offers a toothless remake of the 1949 British film Kind Hearts and Coronets. Glen Powell stars as Becket Redfellow, who comes from a ultra-affluent family line but has been disowned by his conservative grandfather (Ed Harris) for being a literal bastard. Raised by his disinherited single mom, Becket has had to work for everything he has. But when a femme fatale (Margaret Qualley) tempts him with the good life, he realizes the way to win his family's fortune is to kill all of those ahead of him in the line to inheritance. It's a fun premise. But Powell is woefully miscast, and How to Make a Killing is more bland than funny.* — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

Starring: ⁦⁨Glen Powell⁩, ⁨Margaret Qualley⁩, ⁨Jessica Henwick⁩, ⁨Bill Camp⁩, ⁨Zach Woods⁩, ⁨Topher Grace⁩, and ⁨Ed Harris⁩⁩

How to watch: How to Make a Killing begins streaming exclusively on HBO Max June 19.

9. Finnegan's Foursome

Ed Burns is back with a comedy about golfing, grief, and family. Finnegan's Foursome centers on the eponymous Irish American family who loves golf so much they have an annual tournament, compete with a big trophy for the winner. That winner has long been patriarch Jack (Ian McElhinney). But when he dies, he has two wishes. One, that his two sons (Edward Burns and Brian d'Arcy James) scatter his ashes in Ireland. Two, that the competition carry on without him.

The brothers may bicker on the green and off, but with their grown children at their sides, they'll play together to figure out what the Finnegan family's next round will look like. If you revel in Burns' brand of feel-good family drama, you'll enjoy his latest. — K.P.

Starring: Edward Burns, Brian d'Arcy James, Erica Hernández, and Brian Muller

How to watch: Finnegan's Foursome is now available for purchase on digital.

8. The Voices of Our Mother

Intergenerational trauma is alive and well in The Voices of Our Mother, which sees damaged siblings returning to the family home to care for their mysteriously sick mom. But is it possible that the origin of her illness isn't entirely natural? You bet! The trailer for Mark O'Brien's film looks like religious horror with more than a few Hereditary-style scares. — Sam Haysom, General Assignment Editor, UK

Starring: Sheila McCarthy, Mark O'Brien, Georgina Reilly, Carolina Bartczak, and Alex Ozerov-Meyer

How to watch: The Voices of Our Mother debuts on Shudder on June 19.

7. Never Change!

Search Party's John Reynolds writes and headlines Never Change!, a comedy about an unusual high school reunion. Imagine if, in 2008, a batch of seniors saw their final year disrupted in a school-leveling tornado. Instead of finishing up their last semester, they moved on to wherever life might take them. Now in their thirties, the would-be class of 2008 is invited back to finish their final two weeks of high school with "no drama." But much silliness ensues.

How will teen cliches like the high school play, prom, house parties, and graduation look with a bunch of thirtysomethings reconnecting to their teen angst? From the look of this trailer, it's gonna get weird. — K.P.

Starring: John Reynolds, Sofia Black-D'Elia, Carmen Christopher, Jo Firestone, Rudy Pankow, Topher Grace, Jackie Cruz, Ana Gasteyer, Patti Harrison, and Zach Cherry

How to watch: Never Change! is now streaming on Hulu and on Disney+.

6. I Will Find You

Netflix has been on a run of Harlan Coben adaptations that are equal parts addictive and ridiculous, and fans will be pleased to know that I Will Find You looks set to crank that dial up to 11. The story follows David Burroughs (Sam Worthington), a father imprisoned for the murder of his own little boy. But wait! Not only is David innocent, but it seems as though his boy might be alive after all — and rather than waiting for the slow cogs of justice to turn in prison, he decides to break out and find him with the help of his former sister-in-law, Rachel (Britt Lower). — S.H.

Starring: Sam Worthington, Britt Lower, Milo Ventimiglia, Erin Richards, Jonathan Tucker, Madeleine Stowe, Clancy Brown, Logan Browning, Vas Saranga, and Chi McBride

How to watch: I Will Find You is now streaming on Netflix.

5. The Season

In the mood for yet another show about the lives of the ultra-wealthy? Then check out Hulu's The Season, a six-part series about Hong Kong's elite — and the outsider hellbent on taking them down. That outsider is Cola Pierce (Jessie Mei Li), a banker from Michigan who finds herself running in the same circles as the powerful Hext family. Backstabbing and eat-the-rich intrigue ensue, all taking place in a series of lavish locations sure to satisfy anyone yearning for a Crazy Rich Asians follow-up. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

Starring: Jessie Mei Li, Toby Stephens, Chris Pang, Kôki, and Justin Chien

How to watch: The Season is now streaming on Hulu.

4. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, Season 1

Ever wish that Star Trek got a bit more high school? Then you'll squee over Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Teen drama meets sci-fi thrills with this new series from Gaia Violo, which focuses on the school where cadets learn the ways of Starfleet, meaning science, diplomacy, and bravery — for starters.

If that genre mash-up alone isn't enough to get you giddy, then how about this: Holly Hunter stars as Captain Nahla Ake, a tough-as-nails commander with a sharp mind, a compassionate heart, and a breezy attitude that already has me swooning. Then, along with a terrific ensemble cast, rich with rising stars, THE Paul Giamatti stars as Nus Braka, a space pirate who is this first season's Big Bad. Could this be as good as it sounds? I can assure you, it's better.* — K.P.

Starring: Holly Hunter, Paul Giamatti, Sandro Rosta, Karim Diané, Kerrice Brooks, George Hawkins, Bella Shepard, Zoë Steiner, Robert Picardo, Tig Notaro, and Oded Fehr

How to watch: Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is now streaming on Paramount+, Season 1 is available for purchase on digital, complete with over one hour of special features.

3. Pressure

This World War II drama is mostly set far from the battlefields, and yet it reveals the pivotal decisions that led to a successful D-Day.

Based on true events, Pressure reveals the story of Scottish meteorologist James Stagg (Andrew Scott), who was chosen to advise General Dwight D. Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser) on how impending weather could impact their attack strategy. Told over the course of a few tense days, Pressure is a fascinating look at how science, international allies, and nature can impact human history. And much like Conclave, another Focus Features release, Pressure has a brilliant undercurrent of humor and humanity. Don't miss it.* — K.P.

Starring: Andrew Scott, Brendan Fraser, Kerry Condon, Chris Messina, and Damian Lewis

How to watch: Pressure is now available for purchase on VOD.

2. Project Hail Mary

Amaze! Amaze! Amaze! You can now watch sci-fi crowdpleaser Project Hail Mary at home. Based on the bestselling novel by Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary imagines a terrifying scenario: Earth's sun is dimming, and we have one last-ditch hope at figuring out how to save it. That hope is Dr. Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), a science teacher stranded alone in space. Alone, that is, until he meets Rocky (voiced and puppeted by James Ortiz), everyone's favorite new movie alien. 

That encounter kicks off the heartwarming bromance that fuels the rest of Project Hail Mary, which bursts with humor, apocalyptic drama, and riveting spacewalks. As Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko wrote in her review, "Imagine The Martian meets Half Nelson meets E.T., and you'll get some idea of the mirthful mash-up that is Project Hail Mary."* — B.E.

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub, and James Ortiz

How to watch: Project Hail Mary is now streaming exclusively on MGM+.

Best of streaming this week: House of the Dragon, Season 3

It's been two long years, but House of the Dragon is finally back for its third season. And what a ride it is! Forget any frustrations you may have had with Season 2's lackluster ending, because Season 3 kicks off with a bang. I'm talking naval battles, new dragonriders, and cataclysmic moves in the Dance of the Dragons. 

As I wrote in my review, "[Season 3's] first four episodes manage to make up for Season 2's finale and then some, delivering jaw-dropping spectacle and somber truths about the cost of war." Be sure to watch the premiere live if you can, and if you need a quick refresher before tuning back into the world of Westeros, we've got you covered with a 60-second recap. — B.E.

Starring: Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Sonoya Mizuno, Fabien Frankel, Olivia Cooke, Matthew Needham, Jefferson Hall, Harry Collett, Tom Glynn-Carney, Ewan Mitchell, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Kurt Egyiawan, Kieran Bew, Abubakar Salim, Clinton Liberty, Tom Bennett, Ellora Torchia, Freddie Fox, and Gayle Rankin

How to watch: House of the Dragon Season 3 premieres on HBO and HBO Max on June 21.

(*) denotes a blurb came from a prior list.

The latest trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day crackles with wild MCU meet-ups.

The film sees Peter Parker (Tom Holland) suffering from strange new spider mutations, including organic webbing. To figure out how to control — or maybe completely reverse — these incidents, Peter goes to the MCU's supreme expert in all things mutation: Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), aka the Incredible Hulk.

That's not the only team-up to look forward to in Brand New Day, though. Later in the trailer, Peter brings MJ (Zendaya) to Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), aka the Punisher, for safekeeping.

Speaking of MJ, she and Ned (Jacob Batalon) still don't remember Peter following the magical memory wipe at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home. However, they're still very much part of Peter's life, as they're his neighbors. Based on a yarn wall in their apartment, Ned is very invested in finding out the true identity of Spider-Man... How long before he and MJ crack the case?

That's most of Spider-Man: Brand New Day's cast accounted for, but one face is conspicuously missing from the trailer: that of Sadie Sink. The Stranger Things star has been cast in an undisclosed role, although she's rumored to be playing X-Men mainstay Jean Grey.

If that's the case, then Sink may be hiding in plain sight in the trailer as the villainous figure who is controlling people's minds and wreaking havoc across New York. Apparently, only Peter is immune to this villain's effects. Will he stop them in time? More importantly, will he and MJ find their way back to one another? Based on a too-brief swinging scene in the trailer, the answer seems like a yes.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters July 31.

Obsession has had a phenomenal run at the Box Office, managed to get the entire internet talking, and achieved 94 percent from both audiences and critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

But what does horror legend Stephen King make of it?

On Tuesday the author took to Threads to share his thoughts, posting a two-line review that suggested he liked it but maybe didn't love it — and nonetheless can't get it out of his head.

"I gave OBSESSION a B+ in my movie book, but I keep thinking about it," wrote King. "That weird mixture of humor and horror."

The buzzy horror movie from YouTuber turned feature filmmaker Curry Barker follows a man called Bear (Michael Johnston) who uses a "One Wish Willow" novelty toy to ask for his heart's desire: his friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette). But being careful what you wish for is just the tip of the discourse iceberg here.

Mashable's Kristy Puchko also had a mixed reaction to the movie, praising Navarrette's performance while questioning the film's perspective.

"Obsession explores an incel's twisted idea of romance through scenes of brutal violence and gross-out gags involving blood, vomit, piss, and a cat corpse," she wrote in her review. "Barker and his cast go hard into the darkness, creating scenes that are visually disturbing and emotionally harrowing. For all that, I can imagine this becoming one of those movies horror fans dare each other to watch. However, even as the audience may come to understand that Bear is not the hero of this story but the villain, Obsession's cinematography favors his perspective, turning the female characters into fleshy, dehumanizing spectacles until the end." 

Meanwhile, if you want some more Stephen King horror movie recommendations, here are some of the films he shouted out in 2025.

A wise band once said, "The years start coming and they don't stop coming." That's how I feel watching the trailer for Shrek 5, which of course, makes good use of Smash Mouth's now-franchise staple "All Star."

Shrek celebrated its 25th anniversary this past May. Now just one year from being kicked off its parents' health insurance, the Academy Award-winning movie has spawned four sequels, a musical, two Puss in Boots spin-offs, and even a fan-created festival. However, there hasn't been a new Shrek film since 2010's Shrek Forever After. So what's happened in the 15 years since we last saw Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers), Fiona (voiced by Cameron Diaz), and Donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy)?

According to Shrek 5's teaser trailer, Shrek and Fiona's triplets grew up, and they're voiced by a new generation of stars. Zendaya voices Felicia, while Saturday Night Live's Marcello Hernández and Superman's Skyler Gisondo voice her brothers, Fergus and Farkle.

While the trailer doesn't give us a sneak peek of Zendaya, Hernández, or Gisondo's ogre voices, it does tease plenty of Shrek and Donkey shenanigans as the pair head to the big city of Further Further Away. There, they encounter a sleazy snowman, who asks, "Wanna date a snowman?" in a clear shot at Frozen. (Look, it's been 15 years since Shrek Forever After, so Shrek 5 surely has a ton of Disney jokes to get off its chest.)

For more Shrek chaos, including a twerking Gingerbread Man (voiced by Conrad Vernon, who co-directs Shrek 5 with Walt Dohrn) and a family trip to jail, check out the full teaser above.

Shrek 5 hits theaters in the summer of 2027.

With Toy Story 5 coming to theaters this week, Disney is ready to give a look at what their animation studio has coming next. Hexed is a coming-of-age adventure about a misfit teen girl named Billie (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld), who discovers she's got magical powers. What could be a super cool moment that many a kid might dream of turns out to be a big mess as it happens chaotically in her school bathroom.

"I don't even know where we go from here," her mother Alice (Rashida Jones) laments when the bathroom snafu gets Billie expelled. The answer, it turns out, is that Billie will be whisked far away from her safe suburban home to the magical realm of Hexe. There, she'll make new acquaintances like Ms. Quill (Tracey Ullman) and Elias Quire (Stephen Fry), and take on a mysterious quest that will change not only her life but the world of witches forever.

Based on this teaser, Hexed is giving The Craft meets The Owl House, and we're here for it.

Hexed opens in theaters on November 25.

Netflix loves a twisty sci-fi in which regular folks get suddenly trapped inside their home with no means of escape. Brick blew our minds, and now another mysterious sci-fi snare is set to to arrive in The Last House, with a tense new trailer out today.

Greta Lee and Wagner Moura star in this thriller from director Louis Leterrier (Now You See Me), with the Past Lives and The Secret Agent stars playing couple Ann and Jason, who find themselves and their kids sealed inside their house. Like the Ultrahouse 3000 from The Simpsons, the house appears to have a mind of its own, pushing its inhabitants into survival mode within their own home.

Gabriel Barbosa, Emma Ho, Noah Alexander Sosnowski, and Riley Chung also star.

The Last House is streaming on Netflix on Aug. 7.

Want more of the latest entertainment news, reviews, trailers, and interviews? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter.

The nightmare that can be modern dating proves a strong jumping-off point for a film involving a blind date that ends up in the path of a cold-blooded murderer. It's a real mood-killer. Set over one snowy night in a tiny town in British Columbia, Canada, All Night Wrong thrusts two ordinary people into extraordinary, frankly terrifying, often hilarious circumstances — the type that really bond, people, you know?

Directed by Jason James and written by Jason Filiatrault, All Night Wrong leans into the surrealism of such wild events through the art of genre-mashing, where indie rom-com meets neo-noir. Here, we find two romantic leads you'll genuinely barrack for: Severance's Zach Cherry and The Apprentice’s Maria Bakalova, whose quest for one night of fun gets them into all sorts of trouble. Together.

All Night Wrong holds all the characteristics of a sweet romantic comedy (or "platon-com," as Cherry referred to it onstage at its SXSW London premiere, keeping things on the platonic side). It's a formula. Two people turn up to a blind date. Things escalate. Hijinks ensue. However, the film takes a thrilling turn into myriad other genres, with compelling performances, unexpected action sequences, and a core mystery the characters can't help investigating to the end. And that body needs to be buried.

All Night Wrong wears its cinematic influences on its bloody sleeve.

Always time for a meal while running from a killer... Credit: Goodbye Productions

James' film starts where all good rom-coms start: two strangers on a date, awkwardly getting to know each other. Cherry's Gary is a painfully polite, unpretentious guy with a sensitive heart. Bakalova's Eli is an unpredictable, dynamic woman who's just here to have some fun. When they decide to get out of here and make for a dodgy roadside motel, things seem to be escalating. However, just like in Martin Scorsese's After Hours, things get weird, and Gary's keen to take himself home. And with all the accidental witness stakes of Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot, Gary and Eli make discoveries they can't unsee.

Now, there's the tiny issue of a stolen car, a dead body, a suitcase full of money, a mysterious woman in distress (an atmospheric wild card in Emily Hampshire), and a killer on their path (an outlandishly good Tyler Labine) — all of which they'll have to contend with if they don't want to end up in jail or six feet under. And they just wanted to have a night out! 

All Night Wrong is near impossible to pin down, genre-wise, seamlessly mashing up elements of '80s road thrillers The Hitcher and Blood Simple to up the tension, while leaning into '30s screwball comedies like It Happened One Night for sweeter moments of connection. It's a film as playful as it is bloody, with a perfectly threatening Labine finding his own No Country for Old Men-style pre-kill monologues with utter conviction, as a tired, jaded man who just can't understand why anyone would want to live in freezing cold Canada.

Despite being set in the present, Tiana P. Gordon's production design is the stuff of '70s and '80s small-town dreams, from the dingy, heart-themed Lido Motel to the fluorescent-lit petrol station Gasoline Alley. Director of photography Byron Kopman deploys dreamy slow zooms to amplify the unease or romance of scenes, though he's also equipped with an arsenal of fast zooms for comedic effect. One of the unsung characters of the film is the music, with a grimy synthwave score woven between the film's Canadian '70s and '80s hair metal needle drops, the ultimate effect being an endless night, stuck in time. 

Zach Cherry and Maria Bakalova are perfect rom-com leads in All Night Wrong

Like modern versions of Jeff Daniels and Melanie Griffith in Something Wild, these two complete opposites find themselves careening around town trying to piece together this increasingly dangerous puzzle, finding their True Romance-level confidence along the way. 

Cherry brings delightfully flustered good intentions to Gary, constantly wringing his hands with real "I've got a bad feeling about this" energy, while Bakalova shines as utter "live a little" chaos in her silk bomber jacket. Their contrasting dynamic propels them further down a road of no return, and as bumbling amateur sleuths, they're a delight to watch. Eli is a fearless rookie investigator fuelled by a need for closure while Gary, who admittedly watches a lot of cop shows, tentatively enters rooms declaring, "I'm a good person! I collect action figures!" to avoid injury. Both of them leave their fingerprints over everything, especially murder weapons that could incriminate them, and make more than a few terrible decisions.

However, as the film progresses, we learn more about just why Gary and Eli came here at all, to a random bar on a dark winter's night, for one evening of throwing caution to the wind. Why is breaking and entering easier for Gary than confronting his real-life problems? Why does Eli need to solve this mystery and deliver a final message of love from a dying man? As the film's dialogue says, "You should get to know the person you're burying a body with." And even though they just met, they might surprise each other.

All Night Wrong makes the case that strangers might see us more clearly than we see ourselves; carrying years of emotional baggage can make self-reflection foggy. Over one wild night, Gary and Eli learn what they're capable of and what they deserve in a relationship, whether it be romantic or platonic. Somehow, somehow this is the lesson I took from this film, one that includes multiple scenes involving grisly violence with garden shed tools and cassette tapes blasting Canadian '80s hair metal. Seems right.

All Night Wrong was reviewed out of SXSW London, with North American release dates to be announced.

You don't need to be a fan of RuPaul's Drag Race to enjoy Stop! That! Train!, but it certainly helps. 

The disaster spoof penned by Hazbin Hotel writers Christina Friel and Connor Wright is broadly funny in the way of The Naked Gun or Airplane!. The jokes are more about embracing sublime stupidity than references to the long-running drag queen competition. However, headlined by the queen of drag RuPaul Charles, and RuGirls like Ginger Minj, Jujubee, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Symone, and Marcia Marcia Marcia (aka Marty Lauter), Stop! That! Train! has more to give to audiences who know the show, or at the very least embrace its zany brand of queer humor. 

Stop! That! Train! delivers Heathers, underdogs, and a "stormaganza."

Ginger Minj and Jujubee play Stank Rail attendants Tess and DeeDee Credit: Bleecker Street

For years on RuPaul's Drag Race, the eponymous host and her panel of distinguished judges have challenged drag queens to become actors in a cascade of outlandish scenarios. There have been spoofs of science fiction, horror, and Shakespeare, to varying degrees of hilarity. But few of these concepts felt capable of supporting a feature-length plotline. Stop! That! Train! solves this problem by creating a totally outlandish scenario that — like most disaster movies — depends on leaping from one batch of could-be survivors to another. In this case, that allows for a nonstop ride of rollicking silliness. 

Stop! That! Train! begins with an ad for Glamazonian Hyper Speed Rail, a big, long, pink (and yes, very phallic) bullet train that promises a luxury experience, complete with a trio of high-class attendants (Hytes, Symone, Lauter). To work on such an illustrious train line is the dream of the tragically unchic besties Tess (Minj) and DeeDee (Jujubee), who are attendants at the far less prestigious Stank Rail. 

That is, until Stank Rail pulls a Spirit Airlines and closes without warning. From there, a twist of fate and a little help from a friend named Barbra (Latrice Royale) gives Tess and DeeDee their chance to be Glamazonians. But head attendant Amber (Hytes) won't make it easy on them. 

Meanwhile, in a control room for trains nationwide, mousy and bespectacled Donna Dusk (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's Rachel Bloom) warns her boss that a collision of natural disasters called a "stormageddon" is set to collide with this big, pink bullet train! Not only could it endanger the lives of everyone on board, but a train wreck of this magnitude could also threaten a nuclear power plant, a children's hospital, and the home of beloved character actress (and recent Tony winner) Laurie Metcalf! 

So, on top of proving themselves to the haughty Heathers of Glamazonian Hyper Speed Rail, Tess and DeeDee will have to face their fears, and team up with President Judy Gagwell (RuPaul, of course) to save the day — and Laurie Metcalf's house! 

Stop! That! Train! is stuffed with celebrity cameos. 

RuPaul Charles as President Judy Gagwell in "Stop! That! Train!" Credit: Bleecker Street

In the tradition of spoofs, this one is bursting with famous faces playing deeply ridiculous roles. Comedians like Matt Rogers, Nicole Sullivan, Chris Parnell, Natasha Leggero, Drew Droege, Guy Branum, Missi Pyle, Joel McHale, and Riki Lindhome pop up, along with Drag Race alums like Monét X Change and Drag Race judge Michelle Visage. 

However, my favorite cameo was Sarah Michelle Gellar, who plays herself as a celebrity who keeps thinking people recognize her, only to be horrendously scoffed at for petty reasons. It's a runner that made me laugh in shock every time. (Imagine not recognizing SMG!) 

And yet, for all the big names in the ensemble, Minj and Jujubee prove a terrific double act. Minj shoulders the role of the smart bestie, blinded by ambition, and shows her growth from glamor toad to showgirl with a kicky dance number. By contrast, Jujubee is a divine as a ditzy blonde. As was the case on Dungeons and Drag Queens, she's radiant in her enthusiasm, even when she's utterly confused. And Stop! That! Train! gives her a romantic subplot that's funny and satisfyingly sexy. 

Stop! That! Train! is brilliant in its stupidity. 

Ginger Minj performs with Marcia Marcia Marcia and Symone in "Stop! That! Train!" Credit: Bleecker Street

Disenchanted director Adam Shankman helms this sensationally silly spoof, which is essentially a bunch of sketches stitched together with a manic pacing. In that way, Stop! That! Train! feels like a throwback to the '80s, when raunchy and unapologetically dumb comedies could thrive. 

Rather than making the film feel like an antique, this devotion to the audaciously goofy feels timeless. Whether it's fumbled flirting with a side of nosebleed, an overwrought flashback of a comically tragic backstory, or the reveal of some DIY Glamazonian uniforms, this movie understands its audience wants outrageous. And Stop! That! Train! delivers. 

Fans of Drag Race will also recognize callbacks to the show, like the catchphrase "Look over there!" — coined by Season 12 champion Jaida Essence Hall. But even if you're not versed on reading being fundamental, this movie is so stuffed with jokes, pratfalls, and visual gags that you'll have plenty of opportunity to laugh yourself silly.  

Stop! That! Train! was reviewed out of Newfest; the movie opens in theaters on June 12.

2026 cinema has been a wild ride from the very start.

January gave us jaw-dropping action and musical mayhem with Greenland 2: Migration, The Rip, and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. February brought spicy tales of love for better and worse with Pillion and "Wuthering Heights." March delivered a big hit with Project Hail Mary and the electrifying box office bomb The Bride! April presented provocative indies like Mother Mary and The Drama, as well as the tedious studio tentpole The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Then, came May with devils, witches, and Hutts in The Devil Wears Prada 2, Hokum, and The Mandalorian and Grogu.

Some of these are sensational. Some are major misfires. Below, we'll break down the must-sees of 2026. Whether you go wild for horror, live for comedy, thrive on sci-fi, or adore a genre mashup, this year has got something great for you.

Here's the best movies of 2026 so far.

15. The Bride!

As writer and director, Maggie Gyllenhaal took a big swing with The Bride!, a dizzying reimagining of the Universal monster from The Bride of Frankenstein. Critics were mixed on it, and despite starring Academy Award winners Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale as the Bride and her monster mate, this epic horror offering tanked at the box office.

But the world is wrong. Set in 1936 Chicago, The Bride! offers up a gangster's moll (Buckley) who is fatefully possessed by Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, who's long dead but still has things to say. So begins a Bonnie-and-Clyde-style crime spree with a besotted creature who loves movie musicals. The result is fitful, deranged, and uniquely beautiful.

Apparently, The Bride! is not for everyone. But to me, it was sensational. As I wrote in my review, "Gyllenhaal and her cast don't just dust off a classic tale for a safe money grab. (Looking at you, Disney live-action remakes!) They tear various Frankenstein iterations to bits, then create an exquisite corpse of the pieces, festooning it with elements from other films about violence, revolt, and violation. The result is a film that is utterly electrifying, sure to spark something in hearts young and old." — K.P.

Starring: Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Penélope Cruz

How to watch: The Bride! is now streaming on HBO Max.

14. Sound of Falling

Director Mascha Schilinski weaves strands of girlhood across generations in Sound of Falling, a magnificent, quiet, and powerful epic. Co-written with Louise Peter, the German director's second feature takes us into the lives of four characters living in the same German farmhouse over a century: Alma (Hanna Heckt) in the 1910s, Erika (Lea Drinda) in the 1940s, Angelika (Lena Urzendowsky) in the 1980s, and Lenka (Laeni Geiseler) in the 2020s.

Each performance is interior and complex, with Schilinski giving these women and girls deserved agency in contexts that refuse to — and their experiences are framed by a magnificent production team. As I wrote in my review, "Capturing the unpredictable, complex tempest that is girlhood onscreen is a challenge many films have wrestled with, and Schilinski assembles a deeply talented production team to make Sound of Falling feel as intimate and private as a diary." — Shannon Connellan, Senior Editor

Starring: Hanna Heckt, Lena Urzendowsky, Laeni Geiseler, Susanne Wuest, Luise Heyer, and Lea Drinda

How to watch: Sound of Falling is now streaming on MUBI.

13. Rose of Nevada

If you relished in the eccentricity of The Lighthouse and crave another salt-encrusted voyage into surrealism, get aboard Mark Jenkin's Rose of Nevada. In the third chapter of the filmmaker's Cornish trilogy (after Bait and Enys Men), time becomes a fickle friend for men of a small coastal village. When an enigmatic fishing trawler shows up 30 years after it disappeared, its sea-wisened captain (Francis Magee) is recruiting able (read: desperate) seamen. Valuing financial stability over a bit of folklore, locals Nick and Liam (George MacKay and Callum Turner) sign up as the Rose of Nevada's skeleton crew.

Not your average commercial fishing trip, the film takes the crew and the audience on a strange, harrowing ride. Jenkin weaves a captivating net that traverses time, all captured on a 1976 wind-up Bolex camera with 16mm film. It feels like something found in the trunk of an old seaside cottage, somewhat inexplicable at times but hypnotising all the same. — S.C.

Starring: George MacKay, Callum Turner, Rosalind Eleazar, Francis Magee, and Mary Woodvine

How to watch: Rose of Nevada opens in theaters on June 19.

12. Exit 8

Months after escaping from Exit 8, I remain ensnared in it. Genki Kawamura's haunting adaptation is more than an ode to Kotake Create's acclaimed 2023 game; it's an impeccable thriller that will have you actively participating in its labyrinthine puzzle. You'll genuinely root for Kazunari Ninomiya as a frantic man trapped in a nightmarish looping subway hallway beneath Tokyo, his only chance of escape being his ability to identify "anomalies" within this wretched corridor. A rare triumph among video game adaptations, Exit 8 is a masterpiece of production, from the meticulous sets to the dynamic cinematography and nerve-racking sound design.

As I wrote in my review, "While video game adaptations come in a range of sublime to mediocre, Exit 8 is a triumphant realisation and expansion of the original concept. Kawamura's punctilious direction and his incredibly talented cast and crew amplify this contained hallway in satisfying, chilling ways. You'll remain in this hallway long after you've left the cinema — we're all still staring blankly at that Exit 0 sign." — S.C.

Starring: Kazunari Ninomiya, Yamato Kochi, Naru Asanuma, Kotone Hanase, and Nana Komatsu

How to watch: Exit 8 is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

11. Send Help

Some movies are just so weird that it feels like a miracle they exist at all. Send Help is such a wonder, as it pairs A-list actress Rachel McAdams with much, much, much, much glop.

Directed by Sam Raimi, Send Help is a genre mash-up that combines tropes from adventure and romance, horror comedies, and survival thrillers with an eat-the-rich edge. McAdams stars as a mousy office worker whose hotshot boss (Dylan O'Brien) treats like a pimple that needs to be popped. But when they end up stranded on a desert island, the power dynamics are dramatically flipped. There will be blood. And vomit, and muck, and more blood. And it will be hilarious. As I declared in my review, "It's also a rip-roaring, no-fucks-to-give good time." — K.P.

Starring: Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien

How to watch: Send Help is now on Hulu.

10. Disclosure Day

Steven Spielberg has brought audiences epic movies about extraterrestrial life touching down on Earth, from Close Encounters of the Third Kind to E.T. to War of the Worlds, and now Disclosure Day. With a screenplay from David Koepp, this sci-fi thriller stars Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor as two strangers who are united in their quest to get the truth about alien life out to the world.

As I celebrated in my review, "With Disclosure Day, I experienced the distinctive thrill of watching a master filmmaker do what he does best. The film, which focuses on a band of people's struggle to release secret information about extraterrestrial contact on Earth, is a dizzying mix of action, humor, adventure, sci-fi, and wonder. Naturally, I laughed, cried, and gasped. But more than that, Disclosure Day made me feel like I better understand the whole of Spielberg's work, and him as a person... On its surface, Disclosure Day is about aliens. But beneath that, it's about us — or more specifically, how Spielberg sees humanity itself. And while he has more faith in us than I do, I hope he's right." — K.P.

Starring: Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, and Colman Domingo

How to watch: Disclosure Day is now in theaters.

9. Mother Mary

Written and directed by David Lowery (The Green Knight, A Ghost Story), Mother Mary is a velvety journey of heartache, hauntings, and healing.

Anne Hathaway stars as a pop icon known as Mother Mary, who's fallen out of the spotlight — hard. Readying for her comeback, she reaches out to Sam Anselm (Michaela Coel), the fashion designer and friend who helped her craft her pop persona. While much of the film is a tense conversation in a crumbling barn repurposed as Sam's design studio, Lowery weaves in surreal flashbacks to reveal not only what came before but also how it hangs over both like a shroud they can't escape.

Rapturous visuals are bolstered by original music performed by Anne Hathaway and written and produced by Jack Antonoff, Charli XCX, and FKA twigs. But the best bit of all are the dueling performances of Hathaway and Coel, who are mesmerizing even in a simple scene of arguing over fabric. (The Devil Wears Prada, who?)

As I declared in my review, "Mother Mary is not only slippery, riveting, unnerving, and haunting, but also one of the most enthralling films 2026 is likely to reveal." — K.P.

Starring: Anne Hathaway, Michaela Coel, Hunter Schafer, Atheena Frizzell, Kaia Gerber, Jessica Brown Findlay, Isaura Barbé-Brown, Alba Baptista, Sian Clifford, and FKA twigs

How to watch: Mother Mary is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video or Apple TV.

8. Pillion

One of the most buzzed-about films of the year earned every minute of the attention. Based on Adam Mars-Jones' book Box Hill, Harry Lighton's tender, funny, and spicy debut Pillion sees Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling delivering formidable performances. Melling is a delight as demure and polite parking ticket officer Colin, who meets burly, stoic, and furiously handsome biker Ray (an outstanding Skarsgård) on Christmas Eve, of all eves.

Instantly connecting, Colin and Ray enter a Dom/sub relationship; we join them navigating kink and sexual boundaries — and attempting to explain it all to Colin's parents. Siddhant Adlakha writes for Mashable in his review, "Led by a pair of fine-tuned performances from Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling, the movie walks a fragile tonal tightrope with remarkable flair." — S.C.

Starring: Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård

How to watch: Pillion is now streaming on HBO Max.

7. Hoppers

Who knew that one of the most bonkers movies of the year (complimentary) would come from Pixar? The animation studio's latest original, Hoppers, introduces technology that "hops" human consciousnesses into fake animal bodies, allowing scientists to study wildlife up close and personal. But when animal lover Mabel Tanaka (voiced by Piper Curda) uses hopping to try to save a glade near her house, she finds herself caught in an adventure wilder than she could have ever imagined.

How wild, you might ask? That would be spoiling the fun of Hoppers' third act, which is the most audacious thing Pixar's produced in years. Let's just say there's an assassination plot, a killer car chase, and a juicy riff on Invasion of the Body Snatchers that will have you thinking, "Man, they're really going for it!" (Again, complimentary.) Of course, there's some classic Pixar sprinkled in there, like a sob-worthy grandmother-granddaughter relationship and a sweet message about community. But it's Hoppers' riskiness and inventiveness that lingers, a welcome change after Pixar's last few films and sequel-heavy slate have too often played it safe. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

Starring: Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy, and Dave Franco

How to watch: Hoppers is now available for purchase on Prime Video.

6. I Love Boosters

Writer/director Boots Riley (Sorry to Bother You and I'm A Virgo) is back with an unabashedly anti-capitalist satire that's star-studded and outrageously fun.

I Love Boosters centers on a clever quartet of shoplifters (aka boosters), known as the Velvet Gang. Let by aspiring fashion designer Corvette (Keke Palmer), they steal from the stores of fashion titan Christie Smith (Demi Moore) to sell the hot goods at low prices. But like his previous works, Riley brings much more to this Afro-surrealist wonder, including skin-crawling conspiracies, a sci-fi MacGuffin, and a sexy demon in the form of LaKeith Stanfield.

Out of the film's SXSW premiere, I enthused, "Like the fashion in the film, Riley blends whatever fits his vision without apology. By delivering something this messy and marvelous, Riley makes a statement about the glory to be found outside the box. And make no mistake: I Love Boosters is glorious." — K.P.

Starring: Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza Gonzalez, LaKeith Stanfield, Will Poulter, and Demi Moore

How to watch: I Love Boosters is now in theaters.

5. The Sheep Detectives

From the director of Minions: Rise of Gru and the creator of the hit TV drama The Last of Us comes a crime story about a slain shepherd (Hugh Jackman), whose homicide case must be cracked by his flock of fluffy and brave sheep, voiced by the likes of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, and Chris O'Dowd.

This movie sounds like a 30 Rock joke, parodying the absurdity of Hollywood movies. However, this cozy crime thriller set in a quaint English village is not just a fun murder mystery, but also a feel-good family film and a mindful meditation about grief.

As I cheered in my review, "Incredibly, The Sheep Detectives is a real movie. Frankly, it could have been a deeply stupid movie with bad CGI animation and a predictable solution, and I still would have been pleased that it even existed at all. I just love a big swing for its bonkers ambition. But props to Balda and his kooky cast, because The Sheep Detectives is so much more than silly fun. It's a smart parody of the detective stories with a cheeky sense of humor, a sensational ensemble, and an ending so poignant that I actually teared up!" — K.P.

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Braun, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau, Emma Thompson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O'Dowd, Regina Hall, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, Brett Goldstein, and Rhys Darby

How to watch: The Sheep Detectives is now in theaters.

4. Hokum

To date, the scariest movie of the year is Hokum. The latest from Irish filmmaker Damian McCarthy (Caveat and Oddity) stars Adam Scott as a misanthropic American novelist who falls down a rabbit hole of folklore and horror.

You see, Ohm Bauman (Scott) has traveled to a remote hotel in Ireland for some grim business, including scattering the ashes of his deceased parents. But when a bartender who was kind to him goes missing, Ohm can't resist the urge to find her, even if he thinks the talk of a witch plaguing the hotel's honeymoon suite is "hokum."

In my review, I called Hokum "a seriously scary masterpiece," explaining, "It's a nerve-shredding, bone-rattling, scream-pulling good time, and an absolute blast to see in a theater." And in case you're on the fence, know this: This movie made me scream myself hoarse while watching it. —K.P.

Starring: Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh, Michael Patric, Will O'Connell, Brendan Conroy, and Austin Amelio

How to watch: Hokum is now in theaters.

3. Is God Is

In a strong position to be the greatest feature directorial debut of 2026 is Is God Is. Playwright Aleshea Harris adapted her award-winning play of the same name into a scorching thriller about twin sisters (Kara Young and Mallori Johnson) on a vengeance-fueled road trip.

Tasked by their long-lost mother (Vivica A. Fox) to slay their vicious father (Sterling K. Brown), these sister set off on a violent journey, where they encounter wild character, horrid secrets, and an inner strength that could be the death of both of them. Beyond its engrossing story, Is God Is is swamped in rich visuals, blisteringly poetic dialogue, and performances so electric that you can feel them in your spine.

As I raved in my review, "Is God Is delivers filmmaking that is so mythic, mesmerizing, and menacing that it's easily one of the best movies of 2026." — K.P.

Starring: Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, Janelle Monáe, Erika Alexander, Mykelti Williamson, Josiah Cross, Vivica A. Fox, and Sterling K. Brown

How to watch: Is God Is is now in theaters.

2. Project Hail Mary

When Ryan Gosling hosted Saturday Night Live in March to promote Project Hail Mary, he said, "People are saying it's like E.T. meets Interstellar, which is crazy, because those are like, what, two of the best films of all time? So they're kind of saying it’s like, what, double that?" 

While it might take a bit more time to determine Project Hail Mary's all-timer status, this sci-fi blockbuster absolutely earned its spot as one of the best movies of 2026, winning over crowds and critics alike. Based on the novel by Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary lures you in with an apocalyptic premise: Earth is launching a last-ditch space mission to save our sun. Soon, though, it morphs into a rich, hopeful tale of friendship between middle school science teacher Dr. Ryland Grace (Gosling) and alien Rocky (voiced and puppeteered by James Ortiz). Thanks to their heartwarming connection, some epic set pieces, and even more epic sweaters, there's really only one word that can truly sum up Project Hail Mary: Amaze! — B.E.

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz, and Lionel Boyce

How to watch: Project Hail Mary is now available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

1. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

One of the great crimes against cinema of 2026 is that 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple flopped at the box office.

Critics went wild for Hedda director Nia DaCosta's bold and brilliant sequel to Danny Boyle's resurrected zombie thriller. But audiences didn't turn out in the droves this heady blend of horror, heart, and heavy metal deserved.

Picking up the story of runaway Spike (Alfie Williams), The Bone Temple plunged us deep into the cult of Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell), whose bizarre introduction at the end of the last film had fans freaking out with theories. A self-styled Satanist with a fixation on torture, Jimmy Savile, and the Teletubbies, Jimmy was an instant icon in horror. But even he was awed by the uncanny stage presence of Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes). The gentle doctor spent most of the movie getting stoned with the Alpha undead Sampson (Chi Lewis-Parry), in sequences that were tender and funny. But the climax of this movie had theaters cheering, as Kelson embraced his inner demons with a fiery performance of Iron Maiden's "The Number of the Beast." And it was one of the most riveting and surprising things I've seen in a movie, ever. It was magical, chaotic, and unforgettable.

As I cheered in my review, "This horror offering — like its prequel and also like 2025's other smash horror hit, Sinners — transcends the grimier aspects of the genre to unearth something gnarly and sublime." —K.P.

Starring: Alfie Williams, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, Alfie Williams, Erin Kellyman, and Chi Lewis-Parry

How to watch: 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is now streaming on Netflix.

The aristocratic art of hosting a dinner party becomes a bloody, pustulant battleground in Savage House, a riveting dark comedy so rich it'll make you sick.

An ostentatious political commentary on 18th-century English profligacy written and directed by Peter Glanz (Captain America: Brave New World), Savage House presents two households, both alike in dignity, living within one household. However, this is no fairytale of upstairs/downstairs benevolence like Downtown Abbey or Bridgerton. Instead, it's a brutal, bombastic tale of class and social climbing, in which extravagance and overindulgence can't cover the cracks forever.

With majestic performances from a theatrical Richard E. Grant and deadpan Claire Foy, pristine production design that literally and figuratively rots from within, and over-the-top direction from Glanz, Savage House is a hilarious cautionary tale, a testament to status-seeking by any means necessary.

Savage House makes a lavish meal of 18th-century class politics and paranoia.

Political suspicion and health paranoia hang heavy in Britain when we meet the Savages, a near disgraced family of nobility only plagued thus far by reckless spending. Smallpox is decimating the population, while the Jacobite uprising is in full swing, with the exiled House of Stuart attempting to overthrow the ruling House of Hanover in the background. Trust is scarce; pestilence abounds. 

With most of the aristocracy's travel plans abandoned, there's little opportunity for the histrionic Sir Chauncey Savage (Grant) and pragmatic Lady Savage (Foy) to reach higher on the coveted social ladder. However, in a moment of pure pox-related luck, the still-traveling Duke and Duchess of Devonshire find themselves in need of accommodation — and they want to dine with the Savages.

But this is no casual soirée; this is a production. And they've only 10 days to see this "march of folly" done by the evening of the impending solar eclipse.

Pooling every last resource and rallying their skeleton crew of a house staff, the Savages will host the Duke and Duchess, and they will savor the spoils of such a lofty connection. But a dinner such as this could also cost them everything, as debt collectors circle, servants plot, and hired professionals (from tailors to providores) know that having money doesn't mean you know how to spend it. 

Richard E. Grant and Claire Foy are shining comedy jewels in Savage House.

Opportunists united, the Savages feel simply made for each other. As the heads of this noble family, Grant and Foy's unique chemistry renders their long relationship one of utter frankness and admiration. Marriage being "hard work" lies at the core of many a film, and here, it reaches more match points than a Wimbledon final. But nothing, not even inflammatory arthritis or in-house adultery, seems to be able to rattle these two, both adorned in Alex Bovaird's exquisite period costumes.

As the magniloquent, simply pestilential Sir Chauncey, Grant is an outsider in the ruling class, more terrified of returning to his working class roots than losing a limb. In his cavalier "everything's fine" manner and an increasingly large powdered wig, he scorns the Jacobites as "seditious imbeciles masquerading as revolutionaries" while performing his own ruse as an aristocrat, rehearsing speeches of feigned hospitality. A maniacal smile plastered on his starchily decorated face, Grant's Chauncey crawls to the end of Savage House, a gangrenous, gout-ridden husk of a networker who refuses to say "when" — especially if you're pouring him another drink. "Like an undercooked soufflé," the film's narrator tells us, "he was collapsing into himself."

Meanwhile, as Lady Savage, Foy is a formidably bemused force who flourishes in a rare comedic role for The Crown star. Having actually come from wealth, the lady of the house married for love rather than social ambition, her rogue romantic choice rewarded with an undeniably compelling but unfortunately spendthrift husband. Knowing the fiscal reality of the duke and duchess' visit and their lack of means to deliver such a production, Lady Savage salvages every last glimmer of possibility, with Foy's fierce performance one of determinedly keeping up appearances while secretly relishing in the madness of it all. 

Neither have much time for their sweet, astronomy-loving daughter Fanny (Kíla Lord Cassidy), whose obsession with the incoming lunar eclipse and her mouse mansion makes for a fitting parallel with the main storyline. However, they should really keep a closer eye on the marvelous Bel Powley and Jack Farthing as their long-suffering servants, maid Dorothy Neville and valet Reginald Halifax.

These are the imperturbable working class people who empty the Savages' stinking bedpans and catch their hungover projectile vomit while lavishing praise upon them and fantasising about their demise. Notably, they're also their employers' confidantes, assisting them in various scams. A thieving brigand borne of gambling addiction, Sir Chauncey requires Reginald's help in his casual chicanery to keep his purse full, with no respect awarded in turn. "I care for you like a son…or an affectionate dog," Sir Chauncey tells his valet. When Dorothy feeds Fanny's mice and hungrily feasts on their crumbs, it's clear these rodents live better than the servants. The Savages might regret that.

Savage House's production design is so opulent it'll make you sick.

Visually, Savage House is at once magnificent and horrific, a triumph of meticulous period detail and visceral juiciness that makes you feel like you can actually smell the film. Production designer Gary Williamson deploys overt visual metaphors of rotting fruit around the mansion, routinely rotated by servants to hide the decay. 

A pendulum of lush, symmetrical wide shots and unwelcome close-ups of beheaded fowl and chewing mouths by director of photography Adriano Goldman, the film brilliantly balances abundance with disgust. Glanz, who also edited the film, delivers furious montages and quick cuts to up the drama over seven parts. As the Savage purse empties and the opulence of the estate increases, the film's set decoration follows suit. Elaborate rehearsal dinner spreads, ludicrous family portraits, a stream of auditioning entertainers, and customised fashions appear edited alongside shots of bloody pheasant bodies, trodden piles of ambiguous shit, festering sores, and grisly 18th-century medical treatments.

It's a gruesome portrait of maintaining hierarchy and influence. And it's this constant contrast between pain and pleasure, effort and guise, that makes Savage House such a compelling depiction of class politics, with the film decrying "perception is everything, especially among the ruling class."

Savage House will inevitably find itself compared to Yorgos Lanthimos' The Favourite, as two 18th-century dark comedies featuring gout-ridden aristocrats and underlings jostling for a sliver of power. However, Glanz's film finds its own inflamed, leech-dotted footing, as a rambunctious cautionary tale of the cost and moral quandaries of "rattling the social ladder."

Savage House was reviewed out of SXSW London and is now showing in UK cinemas and U.S. theaters.

Looking for something great to watch at home? Streaming subscribers are spoiled for choice between Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV, Prime Video, Shudder, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. And that's before you even look at the vast libraries of movies and television programs within each streamer!

Don't be overwhelmed or waste an hour scrolling through your services to determine what to watch. We've got your back, whatever your mood. Mashable offers watch guides for all of the above, broken down by genre: comedy, thriller, horror, documentary, and animation, among others. But if you're seeking something brand new (or just new to streaming), we've got you covered there, too.

10. Find Your Friends

Embedded within writer/director Izabel Pakzad's Find Your Friends is an intriguing probing of the problem around demanding a "perfect victim" in order to believe women. But it takes nearly an hour to get to that point, and then the film does nothing all that interesting with it.

Instead, this grisly thriller focuses on a group of party girls who are so thinly developed they barely have personalities as they exchange gross sex stories and indulge in party drugs and drunken hook-ups. The protagonist Amber (Helena Howard) is defined by a sexual assault in the first act. She can't bear to tell her friends about it, so as she's acting out of trauma, they're annoyed she's bringing down the vibe of their girls trip. Then come dangerous men who only Amber sees for what they are.

Earnest while gory but thin and messy, Find Your Friends is more infuriating than thought-provoking or entertaining. And it's far from fun. — K.P.

Starring: Helena Howard, Bella Thorne, Zión Moreno, Chloe Cherry, and Sophia Ali

How to watch: Find Your Friends debuts on Shudder on June 12.

9. Michael

Upon its release in theaters, critics thrashed this Michael Jackson biopic. But it was a big hit at the box office. And now it's on digital, making it easier than ever to see for yourself what director Antoine Fuqua has created.

The late King of Pop's nephew Jaafar Jackson stars as his eponymous uncle. And the film offers Jackson's fans a chance to relive the big musical moments of his life — up until 1988. That's right, Michael cuts off 21 years before the death of the world-famous singer, so there's no mention of the child molestation allegations that came later. For that, you can look to Netflix's Michael Jackson: The Verdict. — K.P.

Starring: Jaafar Jackson, Nia Long, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Laura Harrier, Jessica Sula, Mike Myers, Miles Teller, and Colman Domingo

How to watch: Michael is now available for rent or purchase on digital.

8. Sweet Magnolias, Season 5

Netflix drama Sweet Magnolias is leaving the Southern town of Serenity. Not for good, but for some of Season 5, which sees trio Dana Sue (Brooke Elliott), Helen (Heather Headley), and Maddie (Joanna Garcia Swisher) reuniting in New York City following Maddie's move there. A trip to the Big Apple isn't all that's on Season 5's docket. There's also Helen's wedding to Erik (Dion Johnstone) to look forward to. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

Starring: JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott, Heather Headley, Justin Bruening, Dion Johnstone, Brandon Quinn, Logan Allen, Anneliese Judge, and Jamie Lynn Spears

How to watch: Sweet Magnolias Season 5 is now streaming on Netflix.

7. Every Year After

The Summer I Turned Pretty may be over (until the film, that is), but Prime Video is not giving up its hold on summer-tinged YA romances. Enter Every Year After, based on Carley Fortune's bestselling 2022 novel Every Summer After. The series introduces Persephone "Percy" Fraser (Sadie Soverall) and Sam Florek (Matt Cornett), two friends who spent six summers growing inseparable, falling in love, then falling apart. Now, it's been years since they've seen one another, but when a tragedy brings them crashing back together, will they be able to rekindle the love they once shared? — B.E.

Starring: Sadie Soverall, Matt Cornett, Aurora Perrineau, Abigail Cowen, Michael Bradway, and Joseph Chiu

How to watch: Every Year After is now streaming on Prime Video.

6. The Listeners

What would you do if you were plagued by a constant humming noise that few others could hear? That's the question at the heart of STARZ's thriller miniseries The Listeners, in which English teacher Claire (Rebecca Hall) struggles to understand her mysterious auditory woes. Originally airing on BBC One in 2024, The Listeners earned critical acclaim from UK critics for its unsettling atmosphere and Hall's lead performance. — B.E.

Starring: Rebecca Hall

How to watch: The Listeners debuts June 12 on STARZ.

5. It's Dorothy!

Dorothy Gale is a character who's seen a wide range of incarnations, from Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz to Diana Ross in The Wiz, Fairuza Balk in Return to Oz, Ashanti in The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, and many, many more. What is it about Dorothy that makes her adventure with the Tin Man, Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and Toto get re-imagined again and again? What does she mean to us? What does it take to bring her to life onscreen? It's Dorothy! digs into that with a long list of celebrity interviews. — K.P.

Starring: Ashanti, Fairuza Balk, Danielle Hope, Nichelle Lewis, Shanice Shantay, Margaret Cho, Roxane Gay, Gregory Maguire, Walter Murch, Amber Ruffin, Lena Waithe, John Waters, and Rufus Wainwright

How to watch: It's Dorothy! comes to digital on June 12.

4. Maternal Instinct

This true crime documentary from director Jessica Dimmock is not for the faint of heart. It begins with a woman named Taylor Parker, who, when pulled over by police, claimed she'd given birth in her car and that the baby needed medical intervention. But something was off about her story: A doctor examined her and declared there was no way she'd given birth to the child. So what happened?

You could google to discover the heinous truth. Or you could watch Maternal Instinct, which begins with this question and then pulls back, talking to Parker's former friends, ex-boyfriend, and almost in-laws about who she was and what she did. This is a story of lies and manipulation that goes deep and deadly. And once it does, Dimmock gives space to the family of Parker's victims, to share who their loved one was beyond the shocking headlines.

In Netflix's library of true crime docs, Maternal Instinct is one with disturbing content that's respectfully uncovered. There'll be no "gotcha" twist, like in Don't F**k with Cats or Unknown Number: The High School Catfish. The story here is shocking enough without problematic theatrics. — K.P.

How to watch: Maternal Instinct debuts on Netflix on June 12.

3. I Am Frankelda

Looking for a dose of spooky stop-motion? Then check out the Mexican animated film I Am Frankelda, hitting Netflix this week. It tells the tale of aspiring Mexican horror writer Frankelda, who winds up as a nightmare maker in a world full of monsters. Based on the trailer alone, it's a feast for the eyes, bursting with lively, hand-crafted animation and a rogue's gallery of memorable creepy crawlies. — B.E.

Starring: Mireya Mendoza, Arturo Mercado Jr, Luis Leonardo Suárez, Fela Domínguez, Gabriela Cárdenas, and Beto Castillo

How to watch: I Am Frankelda is now streaming on Netflix.

2. My Adventures with Superman, Season 3

Sure, The Boys may have ended. But if you crave more super-powered action and comedy featuring Jack Quaid, you can take flight with My Adventures with Superman.

Now entering its third season, this animated series from Adult Swim follows the highs and lows of Clark Kent/Superman (voiced by Quaid). That includes his relationships with Lois Lane (Alice Lee), Jimmy Olsen (Ishmel Sahid), and Supergirl (Kiana Madeira) as well as his battles with villains like Primus Braniac, Lex Luthor, and more. We're not sure what's in store for Season 3. But ahead of the release of the Supergirl movie, it should satisfy your superhero craving. — K.P.

Starring: Jack Quaid, Alice Lee, Ishmel Sahid, Kiana Madeira

How to watch: My Adventures with Superman, Season 3 premieres June 13 at midnight on Toonami, then comes to HBO Max the next day.

Best of streaming this week: Alice and Steve

Brace yourselves for some sensational cringe comedy. Created by Sex Education's Sophie Goodhart and helmed by Tom Kingsley (UK's Ghosts), Alice and Steve asks what happens to 25 years of friendship when one friend starts sleeping with the other's daughter. ("Adult daughter!")

Nicola Walker stars as Alice, a 50-year-old mother of two. She may be married to a sweet younger fellow (Joel Fry), but her best friend has long been Steve (Jemaine Clement). A hair stylist to the stars, he's the person she can trust with her hottest takes and biggest secrets, and vice versa. That is, until Steve hooks up with Izzy (Yali Topol Margalith), Alice's 26-year-old daughter. From there, all bets are off. It's not enough to embarrass him in front of her daughter's Gen Z friends. Alice will burn Steve's life to the ground, and he'll do the same in exchange.

Over 6 episodes, this dark comedy plays like War of the Roses meets It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Which is to say that at first, the comedy might be so abrasive you cringe more than cackle. But by episode three, I assure you, you'll be hooked. By this season's fiery conclusion, you'll be giggling, aghast, and maybe thinking you need to call your bestie. Good news: It's all available now, so you can binge-watch in one go. But maybe have a glass of wine or a Xanax handy? Because Alice and Steve is anxiety-inducing. — K.P.

Starring: Nicola Walker and Jemaine Clement

How to watch: Alice and Steve is now streaming on Hulu.

(*) denotes a blurb came from a prior list.

A lot has changed since David Fincher's The Social Network hit theaters in 2010.

That film examined the founding and meteoric rise of Facebook, as well as CEO Mark Zuckerberg's (Jesse Eisenberg) tumultuous relationship with co-founder Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield). However, Facebook's trajectory since then, from its data breaches to Zuckerberg cozying up to President Donald Trump, has generated enough material for several more movies.

Enter The Social Reckoning. Touted as a "companion piece" to The Social Network, the highly anticipated drama is written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, who won an Academy Award for his Social Network screenplay.

The film dives into the collaboration between Facebook employee-turned-whistleblower Frances Haugen (Anora Academy Award winner Mikey Madison) and Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz (The Bear Emmy winner Jeremy Allen White), which led to 2021's "The Facebook Files." That investigative series used internal documents to uncover Facebook's awareness of its harmful impacts, from teens' declining mental health to political misinformation.

The Social Reckoning finds a new Mark Zuckerberg in Succession's Jeremy Strong, who takes over from Eisenberg. The film's first teaser trailer sees Strong sporting Zuckerberg's unfortunate Caesar cut and nailing his distinctive voice to an uncanny degree.

The teaser also uses a few brief notes from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' Academy Award-winning Social Network score, but the pair, like Fincher and Eisenberg, are not returning for The Social Network's follow up. Alexandre Desplat will score the film instead.

The Social Reckoning also stars Wunmi Mosaku, Betty Gilpin, Billy Magnussen, and Bill Burr.

The Social Reckoning hits theaters Oct. 9.

"The odds of being swallowed alive by a whale are not zero." This is the tagline from the movie I've been giddy about since I first discovered its logline while writing our 2026 movie preview.

As I wrote then, "OK. So of all the film movie plotlines I've researched in writing this list, this is my favorite for the sheer WTF of it all: Based on the novel by Daniel Kraus, Whalefall centers on a scuba diver (Austin Abrams) who is seeking his father's remains in the ocean when he is swallowed by a sperm whale, giving him only an hour to escape or die. See what I mean? If you want to add Kraus' novel to your library queue, join the club."

Now, 20th Century Studios has given us the first look at Whalefall. Directed by Brian Duffield (Spontaneous, No One will Save Us), this thriller had me at "swallowed by a whale." I love the ocean. I also fear it, some say because I saw Jaws too young. After so much watching of shark movies, I didn't know there could be new fears to unlock in the depths. But this trailer has done exactly that!

I'm seated, in 4DX. How about you?

Whalefall opens in 4DX and other large format theaters on Oct. 16.

Steven Spielberg is likely the most iconic American filmmaker living today. He's gifted audiences with the Indiana Jones movies, E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jaws, and Jurassic Park. Now, with Disclosure Day, he may have made his most Spielberg movie yet — yes, even more Spielberg than his thinly veiled autobiography The Fabelmans. 

With Disclosure Day, I experienced the distinctive thrill of watching a master filmmaker do what he does best. The film, which focuses on a band of people's struggle to release secret information about extraterrestrial contact on Earth, is a dizzying mix of action, humor, adventure, sci-fi, and wonder. Naturally, I laughed, cried, and gasped. But more than that, Disclosure Day made me feel like I better understand the whole of Spielberg's work, and him as a person. 

What's Disclosure Day about? 

Josh O'Connor plays mathematician Daniel Kellner. Credit: Niko Tavernise / Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment

The answer might sound dry: a power struggle at a military-industrial corporation called Wardex risks exposing the truth about extraterrestrial life to the wide world, which is on the brink of nuclear war (again). However, in the hands of Spielberg and screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Death Becomes Her, Presence) this is not a dry tale of corporate espionage and stiff whistleblowers. For one thing, it begins with us, their audience, getting stomped in the face. 

Disclosure Day unexpectedly opens in the middle of a vicious grudge match between two bulky pro-wrestlers. And the POV-shot that kicks things off is under the foot of one as he trounces on the face of another. From the start, Disclosure Day is about conflict.

However, as the view of this arena pulls back — exiting the thrashed fighter's perspective — we see our hero in the stands. A meek figure sitting among roaring fans, American mathematician Daniel Kellner (Challengers' Josh O'Connor) is silent and stressed. 

Colin Firth is Wardex head Noah Scanlon. Credit: Niko Tavernise/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment

Swiftly, Disclosure Day reveals he's on the run from Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth) the head of Wardex, because Daniel's backpack contains 78 years of documentation of UFO sightings, alien crash landings, and testing on live survivors. He and a small group of defectors led by a dashing Colman Domingo, wish to reveal this news to the world, believing that the truth is our right. But Scanlon and his army of gun-toting minions believe the world can't handle the truth. 

Into this struggle, others will be pulled in, by fate or chance. Daniel's Catholic girlfriend Jane (a wide-eyed Eve Hewson) is used as an emotional pawn by Scanlon, forcing the couple to go to unusual lengths to ensure their safety. Meanwhile, far off in Kansas City, Missouri, a weather presenter named Margaret Fairchild (a multi-faceted Emily Blunt) has begun speaking in other languages and psychically understanding those around her, all because a bird flew into her exposed-brick loft apartment. Her musician boyfriend Jackson (Thunderbolts*' Wyatt Russell) is understandably perplexed. Especially as she insists — in an urgent whisper — they must evade the men in suits who claim they're from the FBI. 

In a rollicking road trip full of action set pieces, sci-fi spookiness, and deeply humane bits of comedy, Margaret and Daniel will come together and fight for not just the future of humanity, but also humanity's understanding of the universe.

Disclosure Day is about the battle between fear and empathy. 

Daniel (Josh O'Connor) and Margaret (Emily Blunt) are on the side of empathy. Credit: Niko Tavernise / Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment

Snarling and deeply British, Firth feels almost a vintage villain, dusted off from so many '80s action movies. Cheers to the actor best-known for romances like Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones's Diary, and Love Actually, he's pretty damn intimidating as a man who has little faith in mankind. In sneering speeches, Scanlon demands that Daniel understand that people are ruled by fear. Secrets are essential to maintaining societal peace. 

Other arguments are offered across Disclosure Day about why humans might not be ready to understand we're not the center of the universe or even God's creation. But Koepp's dialogue — always rooted in a place of earnest understanding — pushes back with compassion. Daniel, Margaret, and their band of rebels believe in empathy over fear. 

And through this lens, every character's motivations become clear. And frankly, a clear distinction across heroes and villains in Spielberg's filmography. Villains choose fear; heroes choose empathy. In Disclosure Day, Scanlon fears a world where he cannot be in control, in this case of the secrets of the universe. He argues that others will fear these aliens, who do not look like us or speak our language. But their first message to us? "Don't be afraid of what you don't know." 

Emily Blunt plays weather reporter Margaret Fairchild. Credit: Niko Tavernise / Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment

This becomes the plea of Disclosure Day. Not just as we consider what could (and likely does) exist beyond our planet, but in how we consider each other. Empathy is presented not just as a virtue but also as a crucial tool of evolution. If we can overcome our own fears and dare to empathize with those we don't see as like us, what might we achieve? 

The final act explores this in a way that bristled with my suspension of disbelief. Bear with me.

Disclosure Day offers out-of-this-world spectacle and one of the most thrilling action sequences of 2026. 

Steven Spielberg embraces action here. Credit: Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment

Disclosure Day functions like a companion piece to Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Like Spielberg's 1977 film, the story of alien life's existence focuses on how two average white Americans, one male and one female, comprehend it. But more importantly, the production design and creature design of that classic film carry over here, suggesting a narrative continuum without any characters in common. 

What sets Disclosure Day apart is that Spielberg embraces action here. While Daniel and Margaret aren't soldiers, they face off against plenty. That means car chase scenes, fleeing gunfire, stand-offs over alien tech, and one particular chase scene involving a train. The latter was so tense I held my breath, only letting it out to scream in excitement. 

All of this to say, Spielberg had me deeply hooked. I believed in this world, and in these people. In particular because Disclosure Day — in its runtime of two hours and 25 minutes — remembers to take time to establish its heroes through simple, almost mundane actions. In Jaws, it's the scene where Chief Brody plays a simple game of mimicry with his young son over the dinner table. We understand him not as some invincible action star, but a dad who has to do something outrageously risky to protect his family and his home. 

Steven Spielberg on the set of "Disclosure Day." Credit: Niko Tavernise / Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment

In Disclosure Day, this scene is about smashing a cellphone for security. It's a trope in a bunch of espionage movies, typically executed with a casualness that befits a smooth secret agent. But when Margaret gets a call from a stranger who warns her to destroy her cell, she reacts to it with the expertise of a weather reporter. She tosses her phone out the window and directs her baffled boyfriend (Russell is hilarious in this role) to run it over. He tries and fails, leading to some couples bickering that is relatable, but also brilliantly funny because they are fumbling their escape in this awkwardness! 

Which brings me back to the film's final act. Like with Jaws, I wanted to be so hooked by Spielberg's storytelling that I never questioned if a shark even can be blown up that way. But the final act of Disclosure Day isn't asking me to excuse movie science silliness. It's asking me to trust that in a time of crisis, humanity will choose empathy over fear. And while I relished watching Margaret and Daniel's collaboration toward their hard-fought disclosure day, I realized to my own ache that my suspension of disbelief rattled because I don't trust that things would play out as they did. I wish I did. I wish life were like a Spielberg movie. 

On its surface, Disclosure Day is about aliens. But beneath that, it's about us — or more specifically, how Spielberg sees humanity itself. And while he has more faith in us than I do, I hope he's right. 

Disclosure Day opens in theaters June 12. 

With Mortal Kombat II in movie theaters and Street Fighter coming soon, 2026 is a big year for film adaptations of fighting games. But even more are on the way.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a movie based on SNK's Fatal Fury is in the works at indie production banner The Arena. The company has commissioned a script from David S. Goyer (Foundation, The Dark Knight trilogy), which will tell the story of brothers Terry and Andy Bogard. In the original game, the pair are seeking vengeance against crime boss Geese Howard after he killed their adoptive father. And what better way to exact their vengeance than through a high-stakes combat tournament?

Fatal Fury is just one part of Arena's larger plan to build out an entertainment franchise around South Town, a fictional American city where several of SNK's games take place.

Also in the works is the feature film Geese, an origin story for Geese Howard that is reportedly inspired by The Godfather and Joker. Grant Singer (Netflix's Reptile) is set to write and direct.

Arena's plans for the world of South Town go beyond films. An animated Fatal Fury series, titled Fatal Fury: The Vow, is in development from Robert Kirkman's Skybound, which also makes Invincible.

Elsewhere, webtoon author Brandon Chen is developing an Art of Fighting webtoon, which will be the first of Arena's South Town titles to be released.

We know. You can't have a post-credits scene for a Broadway show, because they don't have credits — they have curtain calls. But what else are we to call it when, after the cast of the 12-time Tony–nominated The Lost Boys: A New Musical takes to the stage for their curtain call, the lights drop for one more scene? 

"We call it a tag," The Lost Boys director/co-lighting designer Michael Arden told Mashable in an interview over Zoom. "But it is a post-credit[s] scene." 

The two-time Tony–winning director is up for Best Director of a Musical and —alongside Jen Schriever — Best Lighting Design of a Musical this Sunday at the 79th Annual Tony Awards. So, as Mashable's Entertainment Editor, I sat down to delve into how Arden and company adapted Joel Schumacher's 1987 cult classic into a Broadway musical that has critics (this one included) raving. We talked about the changes from the movie, the expanded queer representation, and, of course, flying vampires.

Then, I had to ask about the scene that urges audiences to leave not on the high of a cheery curtain call, but on the dizzying surprise of what comes after. 

What happens in The Lost Boys: A New Musical's post-credits scene? 

LJ Benet, Ali Louis Bourzgui, Brian Flores, Dean Maupin, and Sean Grandillo fly in "The Lost Boys: A New Musical." Credit: Matthew Murphy

The lights rise to reveal the old ironworks at Coronado Bluff, the abandoned factory that the vampire David and his lost boys call home. But with them all staked and gone, who could possibly be poking around this place of death and decay? 

It's Mrs. Vasquez, the unwittingly widowed wife of Officer Vasquez, the cop who bit it in the show's opening. Over the course of the play, Mrs. Vasquez entreats the people of Santa Clara to help her find her missing husband, offering flyers with his picture on them to billboards and passersby, including new-to-town mom Lucy Emerson. 

At the end of the show, it seems her amateur sleuthing has brought her to the last place her husband let out a breath. She finds his police cap on a table, and groans. Then, she sees a bottle. 

It's the bottle that contains David's blood, introduced when he tempted Michael to drink. As the orchestra music plays a dark theme, Mrs. Vasquez seems irresistibly drawn to the bottle, drawn to drink. As she lifts the bottle to her lips, the curtain falls, leaving her future and that of Santa Clara uncertain. 

Arden said of this scene, "Ashley Jenkins, who plays Mrs. Vasquez, is an actor I've worked with a bunch of times. So the fact that she gets to end the show, and that we get that the next Big Bad bad-ass vampire might be like a fierce Black woman? I'm obsessed with [it]." 

Why does The Lost Boys: A New Musical's have a post-credits scene?

Ali Louis Bourzgui hovers over LJ Benet in "The Lost Boys: A New Musical." Credit: Matthew Murphy

For Arden, it's all about keeping true to the genre of the original film. Arden explained, "The cold open of our show is a character we never meet again that's killed. That is such a horror-specific trope. And I was like, 'Well, it feels like it wants that bookend, wouldn't it be crazy? Do you think we could ever?' And so I wrote a version of it, and put it on the last page of the script. And everyone was like, 'Ha, ha, ha! Wait, could we really do that?' And I was like, 'Why not? We make up the rules, baby!'" 

This reporter noted I couldn't think of any other theatrical production with a "tag," and Arden responded, "I don't think there are any. I think this might be the first." 

But what does it mean? 

Will The Lost Boys: A New Musical get a sequel? 

Maria Wirries and LJ Benet play Star and Michael in "The Lost Boys: A New Musical." Credit: Matthew Murphy

Schumacher's The Lost Boys got two. Twenty-one years after the first film, Lost Boys: The Tribe was released, starring Kiefer Sutherland's half-brother Angus as the surfer-bro vampire Shane. Two years later, Lost Boys: The Thirst debuted, with Corey Feldman stepping up from supporting player to protagonist, reprising the role of Edgar Frog. 

So, could The Lost Boys: A New Musical be expanded into a sequel? Sure, it's rare for a musical to get a sequel. But so are post-credits scenes in theatre. And what is a post-credits scene if not a teaser for more? 

Asked about the possibility, Arden took a pregnant pause, and then said, "Not at the moment. We all need a good rest." 

The Lost Boys: A New Musical is now on Broadway. 

The 79th Annual Tony Awards are coming this Sunday, and we're absolutely giddy in anticipation.

As big fans of Broadway, Mashable's Entertainment team has been hitting the Great White Way to see the best (and worst) of Broadway. Last winter, we celebrated eventual Tony nominees like Oedipus, Liberation, and Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York City) as the best theater experiences of 2025.

Since then, we've reviewed new Broadway productions, like the Daniel Radcliffe-led revival of Every Brilliant Thing, the Jon Bernthal-led stage adaptation of Dog Day Afternoon, the disastrous musical — not based on the movie — Beaches, the joyous Céline Dion jukebox musical Titaníque, the ballroom-influenced Cats: The Jellicle Ball, and the astounding musical re-imagination of The Lost Boys. Yet there are even more shows we saw that we haven't had a chance to sing the praises of yet, including the biting revival of Becky Shaw and 12-time Tony nominee Schmigadoon!

So, before the 79th Annual Tony Awards announces its winners on June 7, we're sharing which shows we loved and why. Be sure to check out our critics' notes before you commit to your Tony predictions.

The Lost Boys: A New Musical

What's it about: Inspired by Joel Schumacher's 1987 horror movie about teen vampires menacing the beach city of Santa Carla, The Lost Boys: A New Musical reimagines the fanged biker gang as a local rock band, whose allure is sexual and supernatural. The Emerson family — Lucy (Shoshana Bean) and her two teen sons, Michael (LJ Benet) and Sam (Benjamin Pajak) — are new in town, but quick to find its dark and bloody underbelly. Specifically, Michael's attraction to a mysterious girl called Star (Maria Wirries) draws him into her circle, led by a charismatic and mulleted bad boy known as David (Ali Louis Bourzgui). Meanwhile, Lucy's flirting with the video shop owner, Max (Paul Alexander Nolan), and Sam has made new friends, self-proclaimed vampire slayers the Frog Brothers (Jennifer Duka and Miguel Gil). As one of the original songs by The Rescues goes, together, can they "make it through the night"?

Why we love it: Look, real talk, Schumacher's movie is loved most for being beautiful and bonkers, not particularly good. Director Michael Arden smartly pulls the best bits from the movie — its dramatic lighting, blend of comedy and horror, intoxicatingly cool vampires, and, yes, the oiled up, muscle-bound saxophone player — and brought them to the stage with remarkable showmanship. The masterful use of blocking and light to draw the eye makes seeing The Lost Boys feel like a horror movie you get to experience, and when his vampires take flight — well, as I raved in my review, it's "breathtaking."

But Lost Boys is marvelous for far more than its effects, which you can see from its 12 Tony nominations. The original songs by The Rescues are moving, while ranging from charmingly silly but sweet ("Superpower") to wistful ("Wild") to heart-wrenching ("Belong to Someone") to sexy as hell ("Have to Have You"). While the cast is full of terrific performances, Tony nominee Ali Louis Bourzgui is absolutely outstanding as David. Far from imitating Kiefer Sutherland's snarling vamp, he seems to draw on the surly sultriness of Rocky Horror-era Tim Curry, with a side of Catholic idolatry in his gestures and rituals. Altogether, The Lost Boys is a marvel, making moody magic on Broadway. — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

Tony nominations: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score Written for the Theater, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Sound Design of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical — Michael Arden, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical — Shoshana Bean, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical — Ali Louis Bourzgui

How to watch: The Lost Boys: A New Musical is now on Broadway.

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

What it's about: Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) is just what it sounds like: a tale of two strangers, a wedding cake, and an odyssey across New York City. Our strangers? Polar opposites Robin (Christiani Pitts) and Dougal (Sam Tutty). She's a world-weary Brooklynite, and he's an Englishman overjoyed to be in New York for the first time. Robin's also on cake duty for her sister's wedding to Dougal's father, and he's all too happy to help her bring the dessert from Brooklyn to Manhattan. But what starts as a simple task soon morphs into something deeper: an unlikely friendship, and an examination of Robin and Dougal's strained relationships with their own family members.

Why we love it: Take a look down Broadway, and what do you see? Waves and waves of musicals based on pre-existing IP. Case in point: this year's Best Musical field, which features a film adaptation (The Lost Boys), a TV adaptation (Schmigadoon!), and an inspired riff on both Céline Dion and Titanic (Titaníque). While they're all heavy hitters, Two Strangers stands alone as the only original work among them, and that deserves to be celebrated. It's a charming two-hander that tempers its fizzy joy with a disarming darkness. Nowhere is this clearer than in its two leading performances: Tutty lights up the stage with his enthusiasm, while Pitts' cool façade hides a wounded interior. The pair are electric, and the show, like its titular cake, is one sweet treat. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

Tony nominations: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score Written for the Theatre, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical — Sam Tutty, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical — Christiani Pitts, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical — Tim Jackson, Best Orchestrations

How to watch: Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) is now on Broadway.

Schmigadoon!

What it's about: Based on Apple TV's comedy of the same name, Schmigadoon! is here to lovingly send up your favorite Golden Age musicals, from Oklahoma! to The Music Man. The show centers on couple Melissa (Sara Chase) and Josh (Alex Brightman), who find themselves in the magical town of Schmigadoon. Here, everything is a musical, and the only way to leave is by crossing the bridge out of town with your true love. Given that Melissa and Josh are going through a rough patch, that last bit might be tricky. Can they find love with any member of the town's chorus of musical archetypes, or even rekindle their own affection?

Why we love it: Schmigadoon! already works great on TV, but, man, it really high-kicks into a new gear on stage. Immaculate sets, costumes, and capital-D Dancing bring Golden Age Broadway roaring into 2026, with the show nicely balancing reverence and satire for its influences. Look no further than Cinco Paul's fiendishly clever songs for proof. Ported straight over from the show, they're a dense whirlwind of references, in-jokes, and pure, catchy fun. (Good luck getting "Corn Puddin'" out of your head.) Plus, they're performed by a killer cast whose delight is downright infectious. Now, is it too early to ask for a stage adaptation of Schmicago? Or of Schmigadoon!'s canceled third season, Into the Schmoods? Musical gods, if you're listening, I need them.

Tony nominations: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score Written for the Theatre, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical — Sara Chase, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical — Ana Gasteyer, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Sound Design of a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical — Christopher Gattelli, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations

How to watch: Schmigadoon! is now on Broadway.

Cats: The Jellicle Ball

What it's about: As Andrew Lloyd Webber once said, "Hal, it's about cats." But in Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Cats becomes so much more. Directors Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch transpose the musical's Jellicle Ball — a parade of cats competing to be reborn through the Heaviside Layer — onto the ballroom scene, an underground haven of queer expression. It's still the music and storyline of Cats, just in a different context, and that context is what makes Cats: The Jellicle Ball truly great.

Why we love it: Cats: The Jellicle Ball is exactly what you'd want from a Broadway revival. Its ballroom focus breathes new, extraordinary life into an oft-maligned musical, lending it deeper meaning. At times, it's a raucous celebration of ballroom, full of clacking fans, gravity-defying vogueing, and showers of glitter. At others, it's a moving reflection on the history of the art form, complete with a tear-jerking ode to the Founding Mothers to kick off Act 2. Overall, it's a triumphant reinvention that, as I wrote in my review, "is the only way I'll accept Cats from now on." — B.E.

Tony nominations: Best Revival of a Musical, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical — André De Shields, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Sound Design of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical — Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations

How to watch: Cats: The Jellicle Ball is now on Broadway.

Chess

What it's about: Like most stagings of Chess before it, Broadway's 2025 revival examines the interplay between three chess players: American grandmaster Freddie (Aaron Tveit), Soviet grandmaster Anatoly (Nicholas Christopher), and Florence (Lea Michele), the brilliant woman caught between them. Unlike prior stagings, this revival turns up the Cold War allegory to DEFCON 1 levels, with Danny Strong's new book looping in real-life Cold War events. (Along with fourth wall-breaking Donald Trump and Joe Biden jokes, for some reason.) 

Why we love it: It's understandable that Chess missed out on a Best Revival nomination. It is, frankly, a bit of a mess. (Again, those fourth-wall jokes are a lot, and not in a good way.) But what isn't a mess are the performances, especially the three that picked up Tony nominations. Bryce Pinkham's Arbiter is a coy agent of chaos, so captivating he can make even the current-day political jokes seem funny and relevant. Hannah Cruz storms the stage as Svetlana, turning her 23 minutes of stage time into an emotional tour de force. And leading it all is Nicholas Christopher's spectacular turn as Anatoly. His lung-bursting "Endgame" makes even the hokiest of Chess's new jokes worth it. — B.E.

Tony nominations: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical — Nicholas Christopher, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical — Bryce Pinkham, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical — Hannah Cruz, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Orchestrations

How to watch: Chess is on Broadway until June 21.

Every Brilliant Thing

What it's about: Ice cream. Things with stripes. People falling over. These are just three of the entries on the million-long list of things worth living for at the heart of Every Brilliant Thing. The one-man-play's unnamed narrator (Daniel Radcliffe) began the list at the age of seven, after his mother attempted to die by suicide. He continues it well into his adulthood, a story he recounts to us with copious amounts of audience participation.

Why we love it: Every Brilliant Thing is a euphoric, life-affirming play bolstered by Radcliffe's ability to invite us in. Here, he must play two roles: that of the narrator, and that of facilitator, inviting audience members onstage to serve as key members of the story. Radcliffe's pure openness helps let participants' guards down, turning Every Brilliant Thing into the most communal theater experience I've ever been a part of. It's captivating, sob-worthy, and yes, brilliant. — B.E.

Tony nominations: Best Revival of a Play, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play — Daniel Radcliffe

How to watch: Every Brilliant Thing is now on Broadway, with Mariska Hargitay in the narrator/facilitator role until July 7, when Tracee Ellis Ross takes to the stage.

Liberation

What it's about: Feminism's past and present collide in Bess Wohl's Pulitzer Prize–winning play Liberation. Tony nominee Susannah Flood stars as Lizzie, the founder of a '70s women's group. She also plays Lizzie's daughter, who connects with the group's remaining members in the present day to understand what happened to the promise of the feminist movement, as well as her own mother's role in it.

Why we love it: Part reflection on second-wave feminism, part mother-daughter story, Liberation is a towering play that acknowledges that there are no easy answers to the questions it's posing. It doesn't try to wrap up its own conversations in a neat bow, nor is it afraid to acknowledge its own blind spots. Take, for example, its examination of how second-wave feminism failed to include Black women. In these moments, Wohl reckons with whether she, as a white playwright, even gets to tell this story. It's these moments of reflection, as well Liberation's many cathartic women's group discussions, that made it such a vital watch during its run. — B.E.

Tony Nominations: Best Play, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play — Susannah Flood, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play — Betsy Aidem, Best Costume Design of a Play, Best Direction of a Play — Whitney White

How to watch: Liberation has closed.

Titaníque 

What's it about? Created by Tye Blue, Marla Mindelle, and Constantine Rousouli, Titaníque is a jukebox musical that uses Céline Dion's songs to retell the story of the Titanic. Sorry, I mean the story of Titanic. See, in this gleefully queer parody, Céline Dion (played by a pitch-perfect and wildly funny Mindelle) crashes a tour of the Titanic museum to recount the story of James Cameron's blockbuster movie as only she remembers it. Between songs and thumping her chest with her fist, Céline introduces her audience to the impoverished artist Jack (Rousouli) and poor little not-so-rich girl Rose (Melissa Barrera), as these star-crossed lovers swoon while avoiding her wretched mother (Jim Parsons in light drag), her cruel fiancé (John Riddle), an unforgiving iceberg (Layton Williams), and Victor Garber (Frankie Grande). 

Why we love it: We first fell for Titaníque during its Off-Broadway run, which began in 2024. There, a rotating cast — often peppered with celebrity guest stars — would weave in wacky bits specific to their fame. Like, when I saw RuPaul's Drag Race's Willam in the role of Victor Garber, he playfully recreated his messy exit from the runway. 

More fun still, this show had a light immersive element, with Céline going into the audience and getting them to interact with props and engage in silliness. We worried this inclusivity and irreverence of that production might get lost on a prestigious Broadway stage. But props to director/co-author Blue, Titaníque leveled up without losing its low-brow edge. 

As I cheered in my rave review, "This energy has been successfully transferred to Broadway, where the Heart of the Ocean shimmers high as a club mix welcomes the audience. The seats are cushier, but the vibes are still party." The bigger stage and flashier staging, "allows Mindelle to bloom, and her co-stars too. Together, they create a musical, magical epic, sure to please, but likely to make you want to shout, 'I'm alive!'" — K.P. 

Tony nominations: Best Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical — Marla Mindelle,  Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical — Layton Williams, Best Book of a Musical

How to watch: Titaníque is now playing on Broadway until Sept. 20. 

Becky Shaw

What's it about? Simply put, this is a darkly funny play about a date so bad it has ripple effects across a deeply dysfunctional American family. When the patriarch of the Slater clan dies, his wife Susan (Linda Emond), daughter Suzanna (Lauren Patten), and adopted son Max (Alden Ehrenreich) are all desperate to fill the hole in their hearts, be it with sex, work, or an impulsive wedding to a guileless indie dude (Patrick Ball). But when Max goes on a blind date with the nervous Becky Shaw (Madeline Brewer), the family's wicked wit is not enough to extract them from her tangle of need and manipulation. 

Why we love it: Playwright Gina Gionfriddo's Becky Shaw may have debuted Off-Broadway in 2009, but all these years later, her brand of politically incorrect humor is sharper and less apologetic than the barbs lobbed in rival Broadway shows like Giant, which is about Roald Dahl's antisemitism, and The Balusters, which explores the prejudice and hypocrisy in suburban HOAs. At the 2026 Tonys, Becky Shaw is not competing with these plays, however, as they're both new. Instead, it faces off against fellow revivals Every Brilliant Thing, Death of a Salesman, Fallen Angels, and Oedipus. 

Being the funniest of these shows won't guarantee it a win. But regardless of how Tony night goes, we urge you to see Becky Shaw while you still can, because Alden Ehrenreich is on fire as the morally gray Max. 

The wide-eyed actor who starred in Solo and stole scenes in Hail, Caesar! is ruthlessly intense as the Slater family's fixer. He says the tough thing without blinking. He makes the move others fear to. He's an absolute bastard, but mesmerizing as he drops devastating witticisms and hard truths. Incredibly, even as his actions urge us to loathe Max, Ehrenreich's flickering vulnerability won't let us. See him do this emotional tightrope walk before Becky Shaw closes. — K.P.

Tony nominations: Best Revival of a Play, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play — Alden Ehrenreich

How to watch: Becky Shaw is now playing on Broadway until June 14. 

Oedipus

What's it about? Playwright and director Robert Icke re-contextualizes Sophocles' Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex as a contemporary political thriller. Mark Strong stars as the eponymous tragic hero, who, in this version, is an idealistic politician under great strain on election night. One of his campaign promises is that he'd release his birth certificate and uncover the truth of how the old ruler, King Laius, died. However, his adviser Creon (John Carroll Lynch) and wife Jocasta (Lesley Manville) urge him to let sleeping dogs lie. After all, Jocasta was married to Laius back then. Revelations could get messy. Of course, a modern audience likely knows what the truth is going in. So watching Oedipus determinedly stomp toward his own destruction is a nerve-shredding experience, sharpened by a countdown clock that emphasizes the incoming moment that will change everything.

Why we love it: Staged in a simple office setting, Oedipus created a claustrophobic feel, where we're trapped with this family in the reality they've built. Strong and Manville are phenomenal together, sharing an electric sexual chemistry that is on full display as husband and wife find pleasure in each other's flesh. Of course, as the truth begins to come out, their world shatters. And Manville was, in particular, riveting. As I cheered in our Best of 2025 Theater experiences round-up, "She delivers monologues that radiate with rage and pain, and still rattle in my head days later. When she declares, 'Cowardice is sometimes the cost of survival,' I felt my heart crumble for her. And I could see by the counter, we still had a ways to go before the terrible, tragic end. A nail-biter, indeed." — K.P.

Tony nominations: Best Revival of a Play, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play — Mark Strong, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play — Lesley Manville, Best Direction of a Play, Best Scenic Design of a Play, Best Lighting Design of a Play, Best Sound Design of a Play

How to watch: Oedipus has closed.

The Tony Awards will air live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, June 7, 2026 (8-11 p.m. ET/5-8 p.m. PT) on CBS. The Tonys will be streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S., preceded by The Tony Awards: Act One on Pluto TV.

Pride is a time in which everyone under the LGBTQ+ umbrella is encouraged to come out and wave their flag in spectacular parades. But for every wild night out, we might need a cozy night in, perhaps with a movie that keeps the party going?

Many a streaming service will make a rainbow show of their LGBTQ+ titles in June. Let us be your guide through the essentials, highlighting movies across Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, HBO Max, Kanopy, and beyond.

Whether you're in the mood for a thigh-slapping comedy, a heart-wrenching drama, a pulse-pounding romance, a mind-expanding documentary, or spine-tingling horror, we've got you covered.

Here is a sensational selection of LGBTQ+ movies to watch this Pride and beyond.

1. The People's Joker (2022)

Credit: Altered Innocence

The most original comic book movie in years just so happens to be a trans coming-of-age story. In The People's Joker, director Vera Drew (who also co-wrote, edited, and stars in the film) plays a closeted trans woman who leaves her hometown of Smallville to pursue her dreams of becoming a comedian in Gotham City. In this wacky political parody of the DC universe, Batman is the villain and Gotham has become a fascist police state where comedy is outlawed, Bat Drones surveil the city, and doctors prescribe an antidepressant gas that forces people to smile. After Drew's aspiring comic starts an underground anti-comedy club that becomes a hangout for Batman villains, she falls for Mr. J, a transmasc Joker who helps her come out and transition — from Joker to Harlequin, as she says. 

A playful riff on the age-old trans-women-as-villains stereotype in media, Drew brilliantly creates her own fusion of Joker and Harley Quinn to tell a complex story of a woman finding herself amid systems of abuse and oppression. Warner Bros. could never dream of making something this inventive. — Oliver Whitney, Contributing Writer

How to watch: The People's Joker is streaming on MUBI, and is available to rent or purchase on Apple TV, Prime Video, and Google Play.

2. I Saw the TV Glow (2024)

Credit: A24

Anyone who felt like an outsider as a kid and relied on fiction to escape their reality, and especially especially queer and trans folks, will find something relatable in I Saw the TV Glow. Jane Schoenbrun's film manages to beautifully and hauntingly capture the power of escaping and coping through fictional worlds, only with the added layer of gender dysphoria.

In I Saw the TV Glow, teenage friends Owen (Justice Smith) and Maddy (Jack Haven) are obsessed with a show about two psychic teen girls, blurring the line between their lives and what's on the screen. We follow Owen over the years as he goes from depressed teen to depressed adult, frozen into a shell of a person. While Schoenbrun's characters aren't explicitly trans, it's not hard to see the parallels to an experience of being an egg, dysphoria, and feeling trapped and afraid to transition to one's truer self. Emotional and devastating — in a Charlie Kaufman kinda way —  I Saw the TV Glow is a masterful meditation on nostalgia, escapism, and the painful journey of finding yourself. — O.W.

How to watch: I Saw the TV Glow is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

3. Love Lies Bleeding (2024)

A super gay, super steamy crime thriller cloaked in neon lights and splattered with blood and sweat — what more could you ask for? Set in the ‘80s, Love Lies Bleeding stars Kristen Stewart as Lou, a reserved gym manager in New Mexico. She sets her eyes on Jackie (Katy O'Brian), a jacked bodybuilder passing through town on her way to Vegas. In classic U-Haul style, the two immediately hit it off, fall in love, and move in together, but soon their blissful romance becomes interrupted by Lou's violent family. Oozing with moody visuals, a tense synth-heavy score, and plenty of sex appeal, Rose Glass' Love Lies Bleeding will scratch the itch for anyone craving a lesbian neo-noir that feels like “San Junipero” crossed with a Coen Brothers' thriller. — O.W.

How to watch: Love Lies Bleeding is available for rent or purchase on Fandango at Home and Prime Video. 

4. L'immensità (2022)

With L'immensità, we get something incredibly rare and long overdue — a story about a young trans boy grappling with gender identity, told by an actual trans filmmaker. The semi-autobiographical film is based on Italian writer/director Emanuele Crialese's own childhood and his memories of growing up in 1970s Rome. 

Penélope Cruz plays Clara, a mother of three young kids and the wife of a distant, abusive husband. Clara's eldest introduces himself as Andrea, yet the rest of his family still call him by his female birth name, Adriana, and claim he's only pretending to be a boy. Refusing to hide himself, he confidently rocks a handsome short haircut, wears masculine jumpsuits, and tells his mother he feels like an alien from another galaxy. L'immensità is reminiscent of Céline Sciamma's Tomboy in how it captures the world through the eyes of a child struggling to understand his gender without the language or guidance. Yet it's also something wholly its own and personal, and carries the authenticity of being told from a trans experience. — O.W.

How to watch: L'immensità is streaming on Kanopy and Hoopla and available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

5. Fire Island (2022)

Credit: Jeong Park / Searchlight

Calling all queers who love Pride and Prejudice, Fire Island is the movie for you! This gay revamp of the Jane Austen classic swaps the 19th-century social decorums and hetero romance for slutty underwear parties, drag bars, and plenty of messy drama set in the titular Long Island gay vacation spot. In director Andrew Ahn's film, Joel Kim Booster (who also wrote the screenplay) plays Noah, a bookish nurse from Brooklyn, and our Elizabeth Bennet. Enter our Mr. Darcy: a standoffish lawyer named Will (Conrad Ricamora) whose judgy attitude and reserved nature immediately turn Noah off. Eventually Noah warms to Will's charms, and the two get their Pride and Prejudice love story, iconic rain scene and all. What's most impressive about Fire Island is how it uses the classic straight romance to bring elements of gay male culture to the screen, earnestly touching on racism and fatphobia in the gay community, as well as telling a story with a predominately BIPOC cast and multiple Asian leads. — O.W.

How to watch: Fire Island is streaming on Hulu.

6. Maggots and Men (2009)

Maggots and Men, a film you've likely never heard of, is a radical vision of gender utopia and revolution that happens to have the largest cast of trans actors — and even more groundbreaking, of transmasculine actors — in any film, ever. 

An experimental work of historical fiction, Maggots and Men reimagines the true story of the 1921 Kronstadt uprising in which a group of sailors launched a revolt against the Bolshevik Party in post-revolutionary Russia. The film jumps between a theater troupe performance narrating the story and scenes of sailors in leisure and revolt, told with filmmaking techniques that wink at Soviet cinema and the Czech New Wave. But you don't need to understand the revolutionary politics of the time or be a film nerd to appreciate the brilliant way filmmaker Cary Cronenwett uses his cast to envision an alternate world of liberated, self-made masculinity. Here, transmasc bodies openly frolic, swim, and work in the glistening sunshine. It's a film for anyone longing to spend some time in a world where trans bodies exist openly and freely, outside the constraints of cis-centric gender norms. — O.W.

How to watch: Maggots and Men is streaming on The Criterion Channel. 

7. Maurice (1987)

Before Call Me By Your Name, there was Maurice. In the gay period drama from beloved and recently out gay filmmaker James Ivory (who wrote the screenplay for Call Me by Your Name), we follow a young man's journey of sexual acceptance in 20th-century London. While studying at Cambridge, Maurice (James Wilby) and his closest friend Clive (Hugh Grant) soon discover that what they feel for each other is deeper than any mere friendship. As time passes and the two men must leave school to enter a society where being gay is highly criminalized, Clive must decide whether or not to embrace his sexuality. Told with tenderness and sensitivity, Maurice will make your heart ache and flutter in the best of ways. — O.W.

How to watch: Maurice is streaming on Kanopy, Philo, Cineverse, and Fandor, and is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

8. T-Blockers (2023)

Rarely do we get the treat of an ultra-low budget campy horror film these days, especially one about a trans vigilante hunting down hateful men. In T-Blockers, the young Australian filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay translates the current political attacks on trans existence into a pulpy sci-fi horror story where the types of men who listen to Jordan Peterson become injected with brain worms that turn them into seething, anti-trans, flesh-eating zombies. After Sophie (Lauren Last), a struggling trans filmmaker, discovers she has the power to sense these monsters, she recruits her friends to take justice into their own hands.

With campy B-movie aesthetics reminiscent of Ed Wood mixed with the queer, punk energy of Gregg Araki films, T-Blockers is stylized, gory, and has a very DIY feel — after all, Mackay made the film when she was 17 years old on a teeny budget of $10,000. It's the kinda movie you'd discover in an old video store as a teen and obsess over with your weirdo friends. — O.W.

How to watch: T-Blockers is streaming Shudder and Philo and available for rent or purchase on Prime Video. 

9. All of Us Strangers (2023)

Credit: Searchlight Pictures

One of our favorite films from 2023, writer/director Andrew Haigh's All of Us Strangers tells a tale surreal and deeply personal. Adapted from Taichi Yamada's 1987 novel Strangers, this horror-laced drama was shot in part in Haigh's childhood home. There, a lonely screenwriter (Ripley's Andrew Scott) visits the ghosts of his long-dead parents (Jamie Bell and Claire Foy), allowing them to get to know him as the adult they did not in the intervening decades. This includes an unexpectedly cathartic coming-out arc. Yet as tender and sad as this drama is, it's also alive with love and lust — the latter thanks to Scott's onscreen romance with Aftersun's Paul Mescal, who plays a neighbor is desperate need of human connection. Altogether, this ensemble offers a movie that will make your spirit soar, your pulse race, and your heart shatter. — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

How to watch: All of Us Strangers is available to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video.

10. The Queen (1968)

You may have seen Paris Is Burning, but have you seen The Queen? Frank Simon's seminal 1968 documentary details the 1967 Miss All-America Camp Beauty Pageant, a competitive drag pageant put together by trans and drag icon Flawless Sabrina. Simon's recently restored doc is so many things at once: an archival treasure of early drag performances, an intimate look at the lives of queer men and trans women offstage, and, most famously, a record of one infamous incident that would later give way to the birth of house culture and the ballroom scene: Crystal LaBeija's scorching tirade to the camera after losing to a white queen. LaBeija later went on to found the seminal House of LaBeija, which led to the very inception of ball culture we see in Paris is Burning, and has been massively influential to Black queer culture today. As an artifact of lost and, to many, largely unknown queer history, The Queen is essential Pride viewing, and honestly, essential every damn day viewing. — O.W.

How to watch: The Queen is streaming on Kanopy and Tubi and available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

11. Rope (1948)

Credit: Snap / Shutterstock

Rope may be known to most as Hitchcock's experimental attempt to shoot an entire film in what appears to be a single shot, but it's also the filmmaker’s gayest. The classic psychological thriller is about a gay couple who murders a man, then throws a dinner party using the trunk the dead body is in as the buffet — quite literally "be gay, do crime," Hitchcock-style. Of course, this was 1948, and that queerness is all subtext, but it roars to the surface thanks to gay screenwriter Arthur Laurents' script and performances by its notably gay leads: Farley Granger, who plays Phillip Morgan with an anxious flamboyance, and John Dall, whose Brandon Shaw embodies a more reserved, posh queerness. That's not even to mention the oozing eroticism of the opening scene — a closed curtain, a roaring scream, a shot of man sandwiched between two others with a rope around his neck. Oh, the abhorrent perversions two (or more) men commit behind closed doors! — O.W.

How to watch: Rope is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

12. The Stroll (2023)

Credit: HBO Documentary Films

There's nothing more powerful and more urgently needed than trans people telling their own stories. In The Stroll, filmmaker Kristen Lovell (making her directorial debut alongside co-director Zackary Drucker) does exactly that, gathering the trans folks she worked with in Manhattan's Meatpacking District to recount the history of The Stroll, an area that was a hub for trans sex workers from the 1970s through the early 2000s. The women and nonbinary interviewees recount not only the horrific police violence and neighborhood harassment they constantly faced, but, and perhaps most significantly, they speak to how The Stroll helped them find a resilient community that enabled them to survive. 

Through a mix of interviews, collage-style animation, and archival footage — including some possibly never-before-seen late footage of trans heroine Sylvia Rivera and an ultra-cringe clip from The RuPaul Show — Lovell and Drucker, who are both trans, achieve something beyond the reach of most cis filmmakers. In place of sorrowful trauma porn, the directing duo create a stunning ode to the power and resilience of trans sisterhood. The Stroll isn't only an essential document of trans history, it's a revitalizing reminder for trans folks that together we have the power to pave a path for a better trans future. — O.W.

How to watch: The Stroll is now streaming on HBO Max.

13. Bottoms (2023)

Credit: Orion Pictures

Craving a raunchy teen comedy that'll have you howling with laughter? Bottoms delivers. The Bear's breakout It Girl Ayo Edebiri stars with Bodies Bodies Bodies' Rachel Sennott (who reunites with Shiva Baby's director Emma Seligman). Together, they craft a tale of an all-girls fight club created to help two "ugly and untalented" gays, Josie (Edebiri) and PJ (Sennott), hook up with their cheerleader crushes. One good lie leads to a violent after-school activity, homemade explosives, sloppy sexcapades, and the most bizarre scene involving pineapple juice you'll ever see. But that's not all. With a wicked wit, Bottoms not only roasts the supposed "glory days" of teendom but also takes shots at rape culture, pushes queer lust to awkward (and relatably so) places, and brings on the blood. This comedy went so hard it not only had critics raving, it had audiences cheering out of its SXSW premiere and ever since.* — K.P.

How to watch: Bottoms is now streaming on MGM+ and available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

14. Dressed in Blue (1983)

Watching Dressed in Blue for the first time feels like discovering a long-lost treasure, one you almost can't believe exists and only wish you'd seen sooner. This docudrama from Antonio Giménez-Rico mixes docu-style interviews with narrative reenactments to tell the life stories of six Spanish trans women living in post-Franco Madrid. Josette, Loren, René, Eva, Nacha, and Tamara gather in the dazzling Palacio de Cristal in Madrid to trade stories, gossip, bicker, giggle, and gossip some more as Giménez-Rico jumps in and out of scripted moments of their pasts. The unique framing gives the film something of an ethereal quality, especially paired with Teo Escamilla's dreamy cinematography that imbues each woman with a glowy, almost goddess-like aspect. Depictions of trans life have long been victim to the gaze of cis creators, and though this film from a cis male director is no exception, Dressed in Blue does feel like something of an anomaly, especially for its time, by allowing these women more agency in recounting their most private memories. — O.W.

How to watch: Dressed in Blue is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video, Apple TV, and YouTube.

15. Born in Flames (1983)

Credit: First Run Features / Kobal / Shutterstock

For anyone in need of some radical-as-hell queer dystopian fiction during these increasingly dark and fascistic political times, Lizzie Borden's Born in Flames will prove to be a most satisfying balm. Set in a futuristic New York City after a socialist revolution, the film imagines America living under democratic socialism, but where the promises of that society are proving unfulfilled. Droves of women are losing their jobs, sexism and racism run rampant, and a queer Black revolutionary has just been captured and murdered by the state. This kicks off a new fiery revolt where feminist groups led by two radical radio hosts team up to take action into their own hands, from plotting direct action in underground meetings to teaching squads of women how to shoot rifles. 

This searing anti-capitalist, anti-racist, pro-feminist treatise is as relevant as ever. Hearing one queer radio DJ shout, "We're being murdered out there in the streets. Wake up, it's time to fight!" you can’t help but feel the parallels to the current attacks on queer and trans life and bodily autonomy happening in this country today. — O.W.

How to watch: Born in Flames is streaming on Kanopy and The Criterion Channel, and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV.

16. Bound (1996)

Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock

A lesbian neo-noir directed by two trans women — there has never been a better combination of words. Bound, the debut feature from Lilly and Lana Wachowski, is a cult favorite for a reason, or maybe 10. It features Gina Gershon playing a tough-as-nails butch lesbian named Corky (just a year after Showgirls' Cristal Connors, mind you), who falls for her sultry femme fatale neighbor, Violet (Jennifer Tilly). This is no mere queer romance though, but a razor-sharp crime thriller where two ordinary women decide to rip off the mob. Violet's abusive boyfriend (a perfect Joe Pantoliano) is about to come into a load of cash, so why not steal it, frame him, and make a getaway for it? Any casual Wachowskis fan can see the sisters' stylistic fingerprints all over Bound, but it's especially a pleasure to see the ways the two spice up classic noir genre conventions with queer sex, startling violence, and a whole lot of queer badassery. — O.W.

How to watch: Bound is streaming on MGM+ and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video. 

17. No Ordinary Man (2020)

There are myriad ways to make a documentary about historical figures, but in No Ordinary Man, Chase Joynt and Aisling Chin-Yee take a unique and even risky creative approach that lands beautifully. To tell the story of Billy Tipton, a jazz musician whose stealth trans status was outed after his death and grossly mistreated for years in the press, No Ordinary Man looks to today's trans community to search for the lost and ignored truths of his life. Joynt and Chin-Yee invite a collection of transmasculine actors to read scenes from a narrative script about Tipton's life. This manifests into something profound, with each actor wrestling with how to portray a man who lived at a time where his transness had to remain secret, and with close to no models to shape himself after. It's a fascinating and incredibly moving creative exercise that both attempts to repair the painful history attached to Tipton's legacy, and showcases the necessity for trans performers to embody the roles of trans characters. — O.W.

How to watch: No Ordinary Man is streaming on Kanopy, and is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

18. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022)

Credit: HBO

One of the absolute best films of 2022, Laura Poitras' Oscar-nominated documentary All the Beauty and the Bloodshed manages to accomplish multiple things: documenting the activism of acclaimed photographer Nan Goldin in a tireless pursuit to takedown the wealthy family responsible for the opioid epidemic, commemorating the vast cultural significance of Goldin's art, and detailing the personal life of the woman behind the camera. A prominent name in the 1980s New York City art scene, Goldin, who identifies as queer, is most known for her visceral, probing photography that captured a community ignored not just by the art world but by the entire world — queer and trans folks, sex workers, and those living with and dying from HIV/AIDS. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed fuses past and present, the individual and the collective, to tell a story that's achingly human, full of urgency and rage yet still simmering with hope. — O.W.

How to watch: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is streaming on HBO Max and is available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

19. Funeral Parade of Roses (1969)

Toshio Matsumoto's Funeral Parade of Roses is an absolute trip, and it might be one of the most enthralling pieces of filmmaking about trans femininity. This 1969 Japanese New Wave film fuses avant-garde editing with meta-documentary style filmmaking and non-linear storytelling to follow Eddie (played by androgynous cis actor Peter), a trans woman who works as a hostess at a gay bar — the lines between trans and gay identity are messy at best, given when this was made. With jarring editing, we're torn between Eddie's love triangle with the bar's owner and his other mistress, fragmented memories of a traumatic childhood incident, and meta-interviews with the other trans bar hostesses. It's all quite disturbing and disorienting, both aesthetically and thematically, and that's kinda of the point — as critic Willow Maclay has written, Matsumoto's film "mirrors the breaking down of gendered perception through the destruction of cinematic form." It's the kinda thing you just need to watch to get, and maybe more than once. — O.W.

How to watch: Funeral Parade of Roses is streaming on Kanopy and NightFlight+.

20. God's Own Country (2017)

Sometimes gay romance dramas are tender, and sometimes they're just super hot. God's Own Country holds the honor of being both, leaving you crying one moment and indescribably turned on the next. Set on a farm in the Yorkshire countryside, Francis Lee's film traces the lonely and pained day-to-day life of Johnny (Josh O'Connor), a young gay man who buries his anger at his father with binge drinking and anonymous hookups. But when Gheorghe (Alec Secăreanu) arrives for a short stint to work at the farm, something shifts, and the newcomer's presence begins to melt Johnny’s hardened aggression. A sweet gentleness blossoms, along with one of the hottest (and muddiest) sex scenes in recent memory. If sexy emotional gay farmcore was a movie, this would be it. — O.W.

How to watch: God’s Own Country is streaming on Kanopy and Tubi, and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

21. Shinjuku Boys (1995)

It’s the mid-'90s in Tokyo, and you walk into the New Marilyn nightclub. You're suddenly charmed by a flock of dapper studs in flashy suits with cool-as-ever haircuts. It's a paradise of transmasc cuties.

In Shinjuku Boys, a short documentary from Kim Longinotto and Jano Williams, we meet three transmasculine folks who work at a nightclub that caters to doting female customers. Tatsu, Gaish, and Kazuki, who all use he/him pronouns, describe themselves as "onabe," a broad Japanese term that's been used to describe a variety of identities from trans man to butch lesbian. The doc captures a rarely seen slice of transmasc life (including some not-so-great toxic masc behavior), and offers a series of incredibly raw interviews that speak to things not often shown in film. From personal disclosures about sex and dysphoria to a T4T couple lovingly gushing over how seen they feel by one another, Shinjuku Boys is a snapshot of a unique and little-known piece of Japanese trans history. — O.W.

How to watch: Shinjuku Boys is streaming on Kanopy.

22. Sylvia Scarlett (1935)

Credit: Rko / Kobal / Shutterstock

It's Katharine Hepburn in masc drag, what more could you need? How about her looking as dashing as ever in a fedora and popped collar, flirting with Cary Grant and Brian Aherne and confusing the hell out of them both? In this 1935 film that marks the first collaboration between Hollywood gay icons Hepburn, Grant, and director George Cukor, Hepburn plays Sylvia, the meek daughter of a bookkeeper who disguises herself as a boy to help her father flee gambling debts. Now going by the name Sylvester, Hepburn's character finds a swaggering confidence around other men while passing as one. Released during the start of the Hays Code, Sylvia Scarlett was a daring risk, and today remains a fascinating exploration of gender play, queer desire, and the inner empowerment one can discover in distorting gender expectations. — O.W.

How to watch: Sylvia Scarlett is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV, Prime Video, and VUDU.

23. Changing the Game (2021)

When Changing the Game was released in 2021, it felt like a dire time for trans athletes in America — at the time, 17 anti-LGBTQ+ bills had been passed. As of 2026, of the current proposed 793 anti-trans bills, 55 were passed. A large chunk of these bills have specifically targeted trans kids who just want to play sports, and more than ever, Changing the Game remains a crucial film that highlights the experiences of young trans athletes. 

The documentary from Michael Barnett follows Mack, a trans boy who's the Texas state wrestling champion...of girls' wrestling; Andraya, a Connecticut track star who, though able to compete on her school's girls team, is met with harassment from parents; and Sarah, an alpine skier who splits her free time between activism and a makeup vlog. While circumstances have only gotten horrifically worse for trans youth, Changing the Game is a reminder that the resilience and diehard activism of younger trans generations won't be dying down anytime soon. — O.W.

How to watch: Changing the Game is streaming on Hulu.

24. Desert Hearts (1985)

Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock

Set in 1959, Donna Deitch's indie classic Desert Hearts finds Vivian Bell (Helen Shaver), a straight-laced English professor dressed in pearls and a skirt suit, arriving in dusty Reno to file for a quick divorce. The first time she meets Cay (Patricia Charbonneau), an openly queer, free-wheeling local, Cay's riotously racing down the highway backwards, like a lesbian James Dean straight out of Rebel Without a Cause. It's a classic story of opposites attracting as Cay begins to pursue the hesitant and old-fashioned Vivian. Brimming with quiet passion and yearning, and lit stunningly by master cinematographer Robert Elswit, Desert Hearts is a must-watch for any lover of queer cinema. — O.W.

How to watch: Desert Hearts is streaming on The Criterion Channel and HBO Max.

25. Adam (2019)

Filmmaker Rhys Ernst's directorial debut does something unexpected and controversial: It portrays an authentic transmasculine experience, but without a trans character as the lead. In Adam, Nicholas Alexander (a cis male actor) plays Adam, a cis male character who, after stumbling into New York City's queer scene, winds up pretending to be a trans guy. It sounds terrible, I know! But hear me out — Adam uses this scenario to flip expectations and, in the process, center transness while putting cis perspectives on the sidelines. Ernst (a trans man) does this through the friendship between Adam and trans man Ethan (The L Word: Gen Q's Leo Sheng). Their relationship proposes an alternative to a world where trans men grow up learning about masculinity (very often toxic) and sexuality (also often toxic) from a cis-centric perspective. Here, Adam comes of age through the wisdom of a man who has deeply investigated his relationship to conventional masculinity. Though a divisive film, Adam's worth seeing for the complex conversations it'll give way to. — O.W.

How to watch: Adam is streaming on Kanopy, and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

26. Colette (2018)

Credit: Bleeker Street Media / Moviestore / Shutterstock

The only thing better than a Keira Knightley period piece? An unabashedly queer one. In Colette, Knightley portrays the titular famous French novelist best known for her 1944 work, Gigi, who for years was the ghostwriter of novels her husband took credit for. Wash Westmoreland's film isn't most interesting as a literary biopic, though, but for the way it spotlights how Colette was openly and radically queer, especially for the early 20th century. Knightley's Colette has affairs with women, including a long relationship with Mathilde De Morny, a French trans man and aristocrat referred to as Max and Missy throughout history (though played here by cis actress Denise Gough). Their onstage kiss at the Moulin Rouge in 1907 famously sparked a riot. — O.W.

How to watch: Colette is streaming on Kanopy and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

27. The Aggressives (2005)

In Daniel Peddle's documentary, there's one thing that each of his five subjects has in common: They all identify as "Aggressives," or "AG." That term can mean vastly different things from one person to the next. For Octavia, they're just a person who dresses like a dude with dude ways, while to Tiffany, it means carrying a femme-aggressive attitude and acting more like a gay guy. Rjai, on the other hand, is a ballroom champ with rows of trophies for walking in both masc and butch categories. And then there's Marquise Vilson, who binds his chest and describes himself as a trans lesbian; he's gone on to become a notable trans actor. Peddle's film is a rare document of Black and brown butch, transmasc, and gender nonconforming folks in early aughts New York City that remains a beautiful showcase of the expansiveness of gender identity and expression outside the binary. — O.W.

How to watch: The Aggressives is streaming on Kanopy and Tubi, and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV.

28. Caravaggio (1986)

If you like your historical dramas ripe with unabashed queerness, look no further than the work of master British filmmaker Derek Jarman. In Caravaggio, Jarman queers the history of the Italian Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio by taking the highly homoerotic subtext of his work (along with age-old suspicions about his sexuality) and injecting it right into the text, reimagining the artist in openly gay affairs. This dazzling and layered meditation, with a mise-en-scène that evokes the compositions of a Caravaggio painting, finds the artist (played by Nigel Terry) engaged in romances with a street fighter (Sean Bean) and his girlfriend (Tilda Swinton). Even with no knowledge of Caravaggio or art history, Jarman's film is quite a trip, and one bubbling with queer desire. — O.W.

How to watch: Caravaggio is streaming on Kanopy.

29. Anything's Possible (2022)

A sweet coming-of-age romantic comedy where a young trans girl gets to be charmed and loved and swept off her feet like every other woman of rom-coms' past? Yes, please! Anything's Possible is the directorial debut from Billy Porter, with a script by trans screenwriter Ximena García Lecuona. Eva Reign stars as Kelsa, a high school senior who starts crushing on Khal (Abubakr Ali). The two flirt, go on a cute first date, and romance begins to brew. But jealousy and backlash from Kelsa's friend group gets ignited, and for the first time, Kelsa's transness becomes a topic of fiery attention at her school — and in her relationship. Anything's Possible has all the charm of a teen rom-com like To All the Boys I've Loved Before, but centers the story on a trans girl without making her identity the sole focus of her character. — O.W.

How to watch: Anything's Possible is streaming on Prime Video.

30. Dicks: The Musical (2023)

Credit: A24

Imagine The Parent Trap as a scorching satire of queer culture and homophobic fears, and you'll get some idea of what's in store with writers/stars Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson's outrageous musical comedy. But nothing can prepare you for Megan Thee Stallion's ode to putting alpha males in their place, or the madcap chaos of Megan Mullally's ad-libbing, or even national treasure Nathan Lane spitting ham at his beloved Sewer Boys. It's also got Bowen Yang as God, and a finale number that is as joyous as it is absolutely iconoclastic. Seeking something unapologetically outrageous? Nothing made us laugh as hard or loud or long as Dicks: The Musical.* — K.P.

How to watch: Dicks: The Musical is streaming on Pluto TV and available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

31. Disclosure (2020)

Ask anyone over 20 to name the first time they saw a trans character portrayed on screen, and it'll likely fall into one of the following categories: a villainous monster, a mocked disgrace, or a sad tragedy ending in death. Sam Feder's documentary Disclosure charts the history of transness depicted across film and TV, showing that from cinema's silent origins to the modern series of today, trans people have always been present, but largely only to be derided, misrepresented, and gawked at. With a mix of archival footage and talking head interviews with dozens of trans actors, directors, and authors, Disclosure offers a rare glimpse of a trans perspective on the painful history of representation in media. It's vital educational viewing for cis audiences. For trans folks, it provides a cathartic look back on an ugly history, but with a hopeful promise of what visibility can look like. — O.W.

How to watch: Disclosure is streaming on Netflix.

32. The Matrix (1999)

Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock

What better way to celebrate Pride than by watching the most famous trans movie of all time, The Matrix? (It's canon, deal with it.) The sci-fi action epic may not be explicitly trans on the surface, but as trans critics and audiences over the years have observed, Neo's tale down the rabbit hole is littered with subtextual allusions to trans identity. There's the red/blue pill "splinter in your mind" metaphor for hormone therapy, the "waking up" and "unplugging" from the Matrix as a realization of one's gender when the egg shell cracks, the fact that Neo keeps getting deadnamed by Agent Smith, the whole essence of Trinity — you can go on and on. Read this sci-fi classic how you will, but once you start spotting all the trans symbolism, in the words of Morpheus, "There's no turning back." — O.W.

How to watch: The Matrix is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

33. Swan Song (2021)

Credit: Chris Stephens / Magnolia Pictures

Inspired by the real-life "Liberace of Sandusky, [Ohio]," Swan Song stars heralded character actor Udo Kier as a Mr. Pat, a retired and unapologetically flamboyant hairdresser out to secure his legacy with one last hurrah of a hairdo. Striding back into his old haunts to reconcile with his past, this wickedly funny hero finds new friends, old foes, and the glory of a mint-green vintage suit. With a fine wit, bold style, and a big heart, writer/director Todd Stephens' film pays dazzling tribute to a generation of gay men who were decimated by AIDS and societal indifference. Swirling together rage and gratitude into an intoxicating cocktail, Kier gives the best performance of his long and storied career.* — K.P.

How to watch: Swan Song is streaming on Kanopy and available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

34. Moonlight (2016)

Credit: David Bornfriend / A24 / Kobal / Shutterstock

Director Barry Jenkins' Academy Award-winning Best Picture may use some of the formulaic components seen in other coming-of-age stories, but it imbues them with such immense inventiveness and originality that to compare Moonlight to anything else feels like an insult. This film has rightly been called some of the most impactful filmmaking in history, a perennial meditation on abuse, regret, pain, and acceptance. — Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: Moonlight is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

35. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

Hedwig and the Angry Inch is always best enjoyed on the stage. But when a visit to the theater isn't an option, director and star John Cameron Mitchell's screen adaptation more than does the trick. In this musical dramedy, Stephen Trask's spectacular songs once again come to life as the titular and iconic East German rock singer explores revenge, betrayal, and acceptance. — A.F.

How to watch: Hedwig and the Angry Inch is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

36-38. The Fear Street Trilogy (2021)

Credit: Netflix

A stellar example of queer horror hit in three parts in 2021, when R.L. Stine's beloved YA book series inspired a slasher trilogy centered on a lesbian couple. Kiana Madeira and Olivia Scott Welch are suffering the standard torments of teendom when the local legend of a vicious witch upends their lives — and may end them! Director Leigh Janiak ushers audiences through three eras of terror, chasing her heroes through shopping malls, summer camps, and colonial forests to unearth the dark truth of Shadyside. — K.P.

How to watch: Fear Street: Part One: 1994 is streaming on Netflix.

How to watch: Fear Street: Part Two: 1978 is streaming on Netflix.

How to watch: Fear Street: Part Three: 1666 is streaming on Netflix.

39. The Watermelon Woman (1996)

Credit: Dancing Girl / Kobal / Shutterstock

Director Cheryl Dunye's cinematic debut brings utter fearlessness to righting wrongs. In this romantic comedy, Dunye plays a pseudo-autobiographical version of herself intent on giving credit to the Black actors and filmmakers that came before her but were too often left unnamed. Widely regarded as the first feature-length film directed by an openly lesbian Black woman, The Watermelon Woman remains a triumph almost 30 years later. — A.F.

How to watch: The Watermelon Woman is streaming on Kanopy and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV.

40. My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)

In this charming, sexy, and silly comedy from Stephen Frears, Gordon Warnecke and Daniel Day-Lewis play childhood friends-turned-lovers struggling to make the most of their meager means. When the pair take over a laundromat together, they must face the normal pitfalls of operating a business as well as battle the political climate surrounding immigrants in '80s Great Britain. — A.F.

How to watch: My Beautiful Laundrette is available to rent or purchase on Apple TV and Fandango at Home.

41. Rift (2017)

Want something uniquely chilling? Then check out this 2017 Icelandic thriller set in a frigid and frightful landscape. Written and directed by Erlingur Thoroddsen, Rift follows a man (Björn Stefánsson) to a remote cabin, where he hopes to help his distraught ex-boyfriend (Sigurður Þór Óskarsson) and maybe find some closure over their breakup. However, their reunion is rattled by a series of strange events that suggest they aren't alone. Something is in the darkness, watching and waiting. This fantastic film lures you in with beautiful vistas and a slow-burn pace, then spirals into scares sure to linger like a cold shiver down your spine.* — K.P.

How to watch: Rift is streaming on Kanopy and is available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

42. Carol (2016)

Based on Patricia Highsmith's groundbreaking 1952 novel, Todd Haynes' Carol brings the lives of Carol Aird and Therese Belivet to the screen through actors Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. This masterful rendition of a Christmas-set romance will pull at your heartstrings in all of the right ways, permanently nestling into a corner of your soul. — A.F.

How to watch: Carol is streaming on Hulu and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV.

43. Benedetta (2021)

Credit: IFC Films

When you hear that the director of Showgirls made a movie about lesbian nuns, you might suspect Benedetta to be outlandishly raunchy and ferociously campy, reveling in the trashy tropes. However, Paul Verhoeven brings exquisite artistry to this stranger-than-fiction tale, delivering a biopic full of outrageous moments with a sophisticated yet wicked wit. Virginie Efira stars as 17th-century Italian nun Benedetta Carlini, who drew raised eyebrows in her convent not only because of the miracles she seemed to perform but also because of her romance with a fellow sister (Daphne Patakia). — K.P.

How to watch: Benedetta is streaming on AMC+, and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

44. Weekend (2011)

Tom Cullen and Chris New redefine the chance encounter in director Andrew Haigh's Weekend. Told over the course of a 48-hour period, this stirring, passionate romance considers the impacts strangers can have on one another — even when their time together is cut all too short. — A.F.

How to watch: Weekend is streaming on The Criterion Channel and Kanopy, and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

45. Tongues Untied (1989)

Artist Marlon Riggs' experimental film Tongues Untied addresses the onslaught of racist and homophobic prejudices Black gay men have been forced to endure and navigate for decades. Combining documentary footage with scripted personal accounts, this 55-minute film remains an impactful and relevant point of reference in intersectional LGBTQ+ activism. — A.F.

How to watch: Tongues Untied is streaming on Kanopy.

46. Love, Simon (2018)

Folks looking for a heartwarming, sweet, and goofy romp to accompany the perfect at-home Pride celebration can stop their search. Love, Simon, starring the always charming Nick Robinson, broke ground as the first major studio film to focus on a gay teen romance. Delightful as it is important, this movie combines the best of rom-coms and coming out stories to check every box on a movie lover's list. — A.F.

How to watch: Love, Simon is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV, Prime Video, YouTube, and Google Play.

47. Shiva Baby (2021)

Credit: Utopia

Here's a nightmare scenario: You're a young, bi Jewish woman (Rachel Sennott) who just finished hooking up with one of your sex-work clients — he's rich and cute and, hey, maybe you kinda like him. You show up at the shiva your parents dragged you to, and oh fuck, Sugar Daddy walks in…with a hot wife…holding a newborn baby. And he knows your parents. Oh, and your ex-girlfriend, who's been a total flake lately, is there too. Emma Seligman's debut feature is like the Jewish comedic version of Trey Edward Schults' Krisha, only it finds the humor (and the suffocating anxiety) in the chaos. And it does it all in only an hour and 17 minutes.* — O.W.

How to watch: Shiva Baby is streaming on Kanopy and Netflix, and is available to rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

48. Happy Together (1997)

Credit: Block 2 Pics / Kobal / Shutterstock

Directed by Wong Kar-wai, this nail-biting romantic saga depicts a tumultuous relationship on the brink of collapse. The film's leads, Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-wai, explore passion and its limitations as Happy Together provides a unique, if not jarring, glimpse into affairs of the heart. — A.F.

How to watch: Happy Together is streaming on HBO Max.

49. But I'm a Cheerleader (2000)

Natasha Lyonne stars as a cheerleader forced to attend a conversion therapy camp in what may very well be the greatest lesbian fairytale of all time. Directed by Jamie Babbit, But I'm a Cheerleader was met with lukewarm reviews in 2000 but has since garnered a well-deserved cult following. Come for the promise of RuPaul trying to pretend he's straight; stay for a first kiss scene featuring Clea DuVall that will knock your pom-poms off. — A.F.

How to watch: But I'm a Cheerleader is streaming on Tubi and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

50. Wig (2019)

One of the most iconic events of New York City Pride, Wigstock has taken many forms over the years. Watch as director Chris Moukarbel follows present-day queens as they attempt to revitalize the festival made popular by legends, like Lady Bunny, in 2018. — A.F.

How to watch: Wig is available to stream on HBO Max.

51. Velvet Goldmine (1998)

Credit: Peter Mountain / Zenith / Killer / Kobal / Shutterstock

Another glittering gift from Todd Haynes, this '70s-set drama plays like fan fiction, penned about queer icons like David Bowie, Lou Reed, and Oscar Wilde. Jonathan Rhys Meyers stars as a glam rock star who wins the heart of a headstrong American punk (Ewan McGregor), a glitzy party girl (Toni Collette), and the devotion of a young teen coming into his own (Christian Bale). Stuffed with incredible music, scintillating spectacle, and unapologetically queer lust, Velvet Goldmine is beautiful and bold even before you realize Haynes mopped its narrative structure from Citizen Kane. — K.P.

How to watch: Velvet Goldmine is now available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

52. Paris Is Burning (1990)

It's the film you knew had to be on this list. Director Jennie Livingston's unparalleled documentary Paris Is Burning captures the New York City drag ball culture of the late '80s with style, grace, and intelligence. It's a powerful reflection on wealth disparity, race discrimination, and stigma surrounding the LGBTQ+ community — a must-see if there's ever been one. — A.F.

How to watch: Paris Is Burning is streaming on The Criterion Channel and HBO Max, and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV.

53. Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Jake Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger shepherd a nuanced narrative of passion, fear, romance, and shame in director Ang Lee's tale of star-crossed lovers in rural Wyoming and Texas. A timeless reflection on what it takes to unite who you are expected to be with who you really are, Brokeback Mountain can be a little sappy — but its faultless message always lands. — A.F.

How to watch: Brokeback Mountain is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

54. How to Survive a Plague (2012)

Reporter David France looks back on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in this riveting, comprehensive documentary. Weaving hundreds of hours of archival footage into a cohesive narrative on the LGBTQ+ community's fight against biased healthcare practices, How to Survive a Plague bottles what it means to make societal change happen before it's too late. — A.F.

How to watch: How to Survive a Plague is streaming on Pluto TV, and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

55. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

Credit: Neon

Writer-director Céline Sciamma will blow you away with this historical French drama. Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel lead as a painter and her unwilling subject whose intimate time together begins a secret romance that threatens to unravel them both. Painful and poetic, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is the under-appreciated watch you need to make time for. — A.F.

How to watch: Portrait of a Lady on Fire is streaming on HBO Max and Kanopy, and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

56. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)

Terence Stamp, Hugo Weaving, and Guy Pearce star as drag performers traveling the Australian outback in this heartfelt comedy packed with iconic one-liners and costume changes. (It should be noted that this film contains some outdated, racist portrayals of non-white characters. Many argue the film remains a historic text for the changes it brought about in mainstream acceptance of LGBTQ+ art.) — A.F.

How to watch: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is streaming on Tubi and available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

57. Upstairs Inferno (2015)

Documentarian Robert L. Camina remembers the catastrophic fire that took the lives of 32 people at New Orleans gay bar UpStairs Lounge on June 24, 1973. Witnesses to the tragedy reflect on the lives lost, the expected arsonist behind the attack, and the city's lacking response to community devastation. This is a heartbreaking but essential chapter in any LGBTQ+ history book. — A.F.

How to watch: Upstairs Inferno is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

58. Kiki (2016)

There has never been a better time to revisit Sara Jordenö's breathtaking Kiki. Centered on the drag and ballroom scene of New York City and those communities' roles in rebuffing systemic intersectional bias, this documentary is an inspiring reminder that joy and love can bring about lasting change — but not without profound struggle. — A.F.

How to watch: Kiki is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

59. Pariah (2011)

Credit: Chicken and Egg / MBK / Northstar / Kobal / Shutterstock

Adepero Oduye devastates in this coming-of-age story. A cinematic journey that leaps from the screen straight to your soul, Pariah follows a 17-year-old Black girl as she fights to accept her lesbian identity and reconcile her sexual orientation with her family's vision of the future. — A.F.

How to watch: Pariah is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

60. Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street (2019)

Queer horror is a genre full of cringeworthy moves. But fans of the much-maligned A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge came to embrace its quirky dance number and its groundbreaking scream queen, Mark Patton. Teaming with documentarians Tyler Jensen and Roman Chimienti, this fascinating leading man steps back into the spotlight to share his story as a closeted gay actor who survived public mockery and the AIDS crisis to find a love and community that takes pride in him. — K.P.

How to watch: Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street is streaming on Tubi, and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV.

61. The Favourite (2018)

Only star Olivia Colman walked away with an Oscar for her work on The Favourite, but the 2018 historical black comedy more than earned its fair share of praise. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, this Best Picture nominee tells the story of two courtiers, played by Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone, vying for the favor of Queen Anne (Colman). An excellent argument against aristocracies — and owning too many rabbits — this darkly hilarious and queer romp is well worth a watch. — A.F.

How to watch: The Favourite is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV, Prime Video, YouTube, and Google Play.

62. We Were Here (2011)

Director David Weissman's documentary We Were Here transports viewers back to the San Francisco LGBTQ+ scene of the '80s and '90s as interview subjects relive their struggle to contend with the unfathomable HIV/AIDS crisis. A testament to the strength of the human spirit and the power of community, this is a history lesson worth paying attention to. — A.F.

How to watch: We Were Here is streaming on Kanopy and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

63. Call Me by Your Name (2017)

Timothée Chalamet leads in director Luca Guadagnino's stunning coming-of-age romance. Winner of Best Adapted Screenplay at the 90th Academy Awards, Call Me by Your Name approaches its starring couple with tenderness, understanding, and unshakable warmth. This is the perfect pick for a cozy-yet-ethereal night in. — A.F.

How to watch: Call Me by Your Name is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

64. Tomboy (2011)

Another installment from writer-director Céline Sciamma. Tomboy paints a staggering portrait of a gender non-conforming child grappling with societal expectations in a new environment. Full of hope but grounded in its true-to-life performances, this film exists as a testament to becoming who you really are at any age. Then-10-year-old Zoé Héran positively dazzles with her lead role. — A.F.

How to watch: Tomboy is streaming on The Criterion Channel.

65. A Fantastic Woman (2017)

Credit: Sony Classics / TIFF

Winner of Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, director Sebastián Lelio's A Fantastic Woman is a tragedy and triumph for the ages. Daniela Vega plays a woman who loses her partner unexpectedly. Amidst her grief, she must contend with her late partner's family and their transphobia. This film offers exquisite cognizance of the pain prejudice can add to existing loss. — A.F.

How to watch: A Fantastic Woman is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

66. My Own Private Idaho (1991)

Keanu Reeves and the late River Phoenix star in this 20th-century retelling of Shakespeare's Henry IV and Henry V. Director Gus Van Sant guides his leads through a tense, melancholy exploration of intimacy, power, and uncertainty that never fails to deliver poignant reflection despite its adventure-fueled storyline. Oh, and the pair's chemistry is...searing. — A.F.

How to watch: My Own Private Idaho is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV, Prime Video, and Google Play.

67. The Half of It (2020)

Credit: KC Bailey / Netflix

Since arriving on Netflix last year, The Half of It has quietly built a following of young queer people enchanted by its presentation of coming out. Starring Leah Lewis as Ellie Chu, an introverted Chinese-American high schooler, this romantic comedy is yet another retelling of the 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac, but with an intense honesty to its subject that makes it stand out. — A.F.

How to watch: The Half of It is streaming on Netflix.

68. Milk (2008)

In director Gus Van Sant's astounding biopic, Sean Penn stars as activist and politician Harvey Milk. The first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, Milk progressed the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans by unprecedented leaps and bounds. Milk honors that legacy with its heartfelt imagining of an icon. Penn won Best Actor for his portrayal of Milk at the 81st Academy Awards. — A.F.

How to watch: Milk is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

69. Tangerine (2015)

Credit: Augustas Quirk / Magnolia / Duplass Brothers Prods / Kobal / Shutterstock

Director Sean Baker's low-budget tour de force follows transgender sex worker Sin-Dee Rella (played by the effervescent Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) as she seeks to enact revenge on the man who cheated on her and the cisgender woman he cheated with. Bittersweet and hysterical, Tangerine is a one-of-a-kind viewing experience you'll cherish forever. — A.F.

How to watch: Tangerine is streaming on Kanopy and Hulu, and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

70. The Birdcage (1996)

Credit: Lorey Sebastian / United Artists / Kobal / Shutterstock

In the wake of an unexpected wedding, The Birdcage chronicles the chaotic blending of two very different families. Along the way, Nathan Lane dons full drag, Robin Williams dances his pleated pants off, and Gene Hackman brings remarkable depth to his straight-man role. This is the perfect pick if you want something light and fun to watch with your chosen family. — A.F.

How to watch: The Birdcage is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

71. Rafiki (2018)

Starring Samantha Mugatsia and Sheila Munyiva as burgeoning lovers, Rafiki was banned in Kenya "due to its homosexual theme and clear intent to promote lesbianism in Kenya contrary to the law." As a result, of course, much of the rest of the queer world embraced it as a symbol against censorship. Director Wanuri Kahiu treats those viewers to a positively enchanting romance, one that only emphasizes the need for LGBTQ+ equality everywhere. — A.F.

How to watch: Rafiki is streaming on Kanopy, and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

72. Welcome to Chechnya (2020)

The third film from Academy Award-nominated documentarian David France, Welcome to Chechnya takes viewers on a guerilla-style investigation into the anti-gay purges that still plague the constituent republic of Russia. 

Not only does the explosive project detail the abhorrent policies created by Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov to criminalize homosexuality, it also delves into the insidious culture the government has instilled in its citizens to encourage hate crimes. It’s a painful watch that demands attention from viewers, focusing in large part on the courageous efforts of underground networks working to help LGBTQ+ people escape the region.*  — A.F.

How to watch: Welcome to Chechnya is streaming on HBO Max and is available to purchase on Apple TV.

73. The Living End (1992)

Credit: Strand / Desperate / Kobal / Shutterstock

Often dubbed the gay Thelma & Louise, Gregg Araki's The Living End follows the reckless road trip of two HIV-positive, anti-establishment gay men who go on the run after killing a homophobic cop. There's Jon (Craig Gilmore), a slender, downbeat film critic who just found out his HIV status, and Luke (Mike Dytri), a hustler hunk who looks like he walked right out of Kenneth Anger's Scorpio Rising. The two become lovers and quickly set out on a fuck-everything crime spree across California. A fixture of New Queer Cinema that put Araki on the map, this low-budget punk queer road movie is sizzling with radical rage, and feels as fresh as ever today. — O.W.

How to watch: The Living End is streaming on Kanopy and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

74. Imagine Me and You (2005)

There are two types of queers: those who saw beloved lesbian rom-com Imagine Me & You early in their queerness and were forever changed, and those who've never heard of the undersung British movie. If you're in the latter camp, I’m so thrilled to finally introduce you to this silly, charming romance. Rachel (Piper Perabo donning a British accent) is about to marry her best friend, Heck (Matthew Goode), but as she's walking down the aisle, her eyes catch a woman named Luce (Lena Headey), and something indescribable happens. It's love at first sight, as they say, and thus begins a sweet love story between Rachel, who's only ever dated men, and Luce, an openly gay florist in the most '00s lesbian wardrobe you've ever seen. It's delightfully cheery and has an ending that will, shockingly, leave you teary-eyed with joy. A queer rom-com classic through and through. — O.W.

How to watch: Imagine Me & You is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV, Prime Video, and YouTube.

75. Before Stonewall (1984)

Filmmakers Greta Schiller and Robert Rosenberg did a public service in their creation of the seminal documentary Before Stonewall. An educational yet humorous work that provides essential context to the LGBTQ+ community's long-fought campaign for civil rights, this is a great starting place for anyone eager to better appreciate just how far acceptance has come and how far it still has to go. — A.F.

How to watch: Before Stonewall is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.

Asterisks (*) indicate the write-up comes from a previous Mashable list.

UPDATE: Jun. 3, 2026, 2:57 p.m. EDT This list has been updated with active links and additional movie recommendations.

2026 is full of scary times. But if you like your horror confined to the screen, we've got you covered with a selection of the best that this year has had to offer so far.

Mashable's entertainment team has an insatiable thirst for all things horror. As such, we've not only seen the big flashy releases like Lee Cronin's The Mummy, Kevin Williamson's Scream 7, Nia Dacosta's 28 Year Later: Bone Temple, Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride!, and Sam Raimi's Send Help, but also indie offerings like Backrooms, Obsession, Iron Lung, and Hokum.

Whether you like to shiver for zombies, cackle for horror comedy, gleefully gag over gross-out scares, get goosebumps over serial-killer thrillers, or dream of surreal twists that'll ensure nightmares, we've got you covered.

Here are the best horror movies of 2026 so far.

15. Iron Lung

Horror has a rich tradition of trapping characters in claustrophobic spaces and making them suffer, and Iron Lung cranks that premise up to 11. The film follows Simon (Mark Fischbach, aka YouTuber Markiplier), a convict in a post-apocalyptic future forced to trade prison for an exploratory mission down to the bottom of a blood ocean on an alien moon. The stuff of nightmares? Yes! And Markiplier (who also directs) amps up the tension with juddering submarine noises and occasional creepy X-ray photos taken by the submarine of its unpleasant surroundings.

This movie isn't perfect — at over two hours, it feels longer than it needs to be, and the characters aren't particularly fleshed out — but it's worth watching for one sequence near the end alone, which is cosmic horror at its most terrifying and blood-spattered. — Sam Haysom, General Assignment Editor, UK

Starring: Mark Fischbach, Caroline Kaplan, Troy Baker, Elsie Lovelock, Elle LaMont, Mick Lauer, Seán McLoughlin, and Isaac McKee

How to watch: Iron Lung is available to rent or buy on YouTube.

14. Cold Storage

Fungal horror gets the chills in Cold Storage, an infectious film that knows its lineage. Directed by Jonny Campbell (Am I Being Unreasonable?), and written by Jurassic Park co-scribe David Koepp based on his 2019 novel, Cold Storage takes a real event (NASA's Skylab falling out of orbit in 1979) and makes it the catalyst for gruesome events within a U.S. storage facility. Stranger Things' Joe Keery and Barbarian's Georgina Campbell as chatty employees investigating strange noises are a delight. And thanks to the genius of special makeup effects designers Lou and Dave Elsey (the team who brought you the corpiscle of True Detective: Night Country), Cold Storage is full of grisly, festering gore. As I wrote in my review, "Unlike its hazardous fungus (or Koepp's original book), Cold Storage isn't that deep. Instead, the film is a fun body horror comedy that grows on you — or might result in projectile vomiting?" — S.C.

Starring: Georgina Campbell, Joe Keery, Sosie Bacon, Vanessa Redgrave, Lesley Manville, and Liam Neeson

How to watch: Cold Storage is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

13. Primate

From Johannes Roberts, helmer of the uniquely scary shark thriller 47 Meters Down, comes a creature feature that should have you thinking twice about treating a wild animal as a pet.

Set in a remote mansion in Hawaii, Primate begins with college student Lucy Pinborough (Johnny Sequoyah) coming home to her younger sister (Gia Hunter), her hard-of-hearing dad (Troy Kotsur), and their pet chimpanzee, Ben. For added fun (and a higher body count), Roberts and co-writer Ernest Riera loop in some college friends and a couple of hot guys looking to party. What could have been a night of booze and sex becomes one of blood and death because Ben has contracted rabies, and so goes from pet to predator.

It's not deep or remotely sophisticated. But if you seeking something gnarly, Primate has got bite. — K.P.

Starring: Johnny Sequoyah, Jessica Alexander, Gia Hunter, and Troy Kotsur

How to watch: Primate is now streaming on Paramount+.

12. Obsession

Audiences went feral for writer/director Curry Barker's ultra-creepy Obsession. The film turns rom-com expectations on its head by presenting a lovelorn protagonist named Bear (Michael Johnston), who might seem like a nice guy but is actually the movie's villain.

Obsessed with his friend Nikki (a riveting Inde Navarrette), he makes a wish that she'll not only notice him, but will love him more than anyone else. In the way of the mythic monkey's paw, this wish goes horribly wrong, transforming Bear's dream girl into a nightmare. Obsession is thoroughly chilling, especially thanks to Navarrette's harrowing performance. But Barker's exploration of sexual politics ultimately feels juvenile because of a flubbed final act. As I explained more in-depth in my review, "This makes the finale of Obsession unnerving — not so much for what it shows, but for the empathy it ultimately lacks." — K.P.

Starring: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, and Andy Richter

How to watch: Obsession is now in theaters.

11. Undertone

This slow-burn horror story is about the things that go bump in the night. Written and directed by Ian Tuason, Undertone centers on an isolated podcaster named Evy (Nina Kiri), who becomes fixated on a series of mysterious audio clips. As she goes down the metaphorical rabbit's hole on what they could mean, the world around her seems to shift, forcing her to face a horrid reality.*

Trapping audiences in a deteriorating house where Evy is caring for her dying mother, Undertone offers a claustrophobic atmosphere that is enhanced by a spooky soundscape of strange noises and stranger children's songs. It's a terrific concept, and Tuason puts a lot of care into each detail. However, as spooky as this one gets, it never had me full-on scared. — K.P.

Starring: Nina Kiri and Adam DiMarco

How to watch: Undertone is now available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

10. Thrash

I don't want to hear it. Nope. Not a bad word will be said here about Thrash, one of the most rudely welcomed movies on Netflix. Writer/director Tommy Wirkola (Violent Night, Dead Snow) delivers a proper nail-biter of a shark survival movie here, the 24-hour tale of a hurricane that becomes a tsunami that becomes a bona fide shark invasion of a South Carolina small town. It's glorious! We've got nightmarish cinematography; increasingly flooded sets; strong performances from Djimon Hounsou, Whitney Peak, and Phoebe Dynevor; and one wildly foreshadowed shark-infested water birth. The simple task of getting from A to B in this film? Good luck.

The Thrash production team, led by production designer David Ingram, built an entire town and utterly destroyed it with flash flooding, savage marine predators, and director of photography Matthew Weston's unrelentingly stressful camera work, and that's not enough for you? Did you see that bull shark kitchen scene? Well, you have your right to an opinion. This is mine: "If you like shark movies, Thrash is a solid survival thriller with a talented cast and visuals that had me locked in. Wirkola's ability to balance horror, action, and comedy remains a praise-worthy feat. Dive into it." — S.C.

Starring: Phoebe Dynevor, Whitney Peak, and Djimon Hounsou

How to watch: Thrash is now streaming on Netflix.

9. The Bride!

As writer and director, Maggie Gyllenhaal took a big swing with The Bride!, a dizzying reimagining of the Universal monster from Bride of Frankenstein. Critics were mixed on it, and despite starring Academy Award winners Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale as the Bride and her monster mate, this epic horror offering tanked at the box office.

But the world is wrong. Set in 1936 Chicago, The Bride! offers up a gangster's moll (Buckley) who is fatefully possessed by Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, who's long dead but still has things to say. So begins a Bonnie-and-Clyde-style crime spree with a besotted creature who loves movie musicals. The result is fitful, deranged, and uniquely beautiful.

Apparently, The Bride! is not for everyone. But to me, it was sensational. As I wrote in my review, "Gyllenhaal and her cast don't just dust off a classic tale for a safe money grab. (Looking at you, Disney live-action remakes!) They tear various Frankenstein iterations to bits, then create an exquisite corpse of the pieces, festooning it with elements from other films about violence, revolt, and violation. The result is a film that is utterly electrifying, sure to spark something in hearts young and old." — K.P.

Starring: Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Penélope Cruz

How to watch: The Bride! is now streaming on HBO Max.

8. Backrooms

The concept of the Backrooms began with a 4chan post, which then-teenager Kane Parsons masterfully expanded into a series of extremely viral short horror films. Backrooms is his full-length feature adaptation, and it's about a bitter furniture shop owner (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who discovers the doorway to another world in the basement of his store. So, does Parsons manage to land the jump to feature? For the most part, yes. Backrooms uses uncanny spaces and an ominous soundscape to chilling effect, dragging us into a world that's as unsettling as it is endless. The movie's only real issue is its third act, which loses some tension after we see the face of the thing that's been chasing the characters through this hellish labyrinth.

"Despite this, Backrooms is still well worth a watch. The ending isn't enough to spoil what came before," I wrote in my Mashable review. "If anything, Parsons has managed to prove himself as an incredibly talented emerging filmmaker while also establishing the first chapter in what will surely end up becoming a brand-new horror franchise." — S.H.

Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, and Lukita Maxwell

How to watch: Backrooms is now in theaters.

7. Exit 8

Months after escaping from Exit 8, I remain ensnared in it. Genki Kawamura's haunting adaptation is more than an ode to Kotake Create's acclaimed 2023 game; it's an impeccable thriller that will have you actively participating in its labyrinthine puzzle. You'll genuinely root for Kazunari Ninomiya as a frantic man trapped in a nightmarish looping subway hallway beneath Tokyo, his only chance of escape being his ability to identify "anomalies" within this wretched corridor. A rare triumph among video game adaptations, Exit 8 is a masterpiece of production, from the meticulous sets to the dynamic cinematography and nerve-racking sound design.

As I wrote in my review, "While video game adaptations come in a range of sublime to mediocre, Exit 8 is a triumphant realisation and expansion of the original concept. Kawamura's punctilious direction and his incredibly talented cast and crew amplify this contained hallway in satisfying, chilling ways. You'll remain in this hallway long after you've left the cinema — we're all still staring blankly at that Exit 0 sign." — S.C.

Starring: Kazunari Ninomiya, Yamato Kochi, Naru Asanuma, Kotone Hanase, and Nana Komatsu

How to watch: Exit 8 is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

6. Scream 7

Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, and Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson reunited for Scream 7, marking the highest-grossing sequel this franchise has seen.

With Williamson at the helm and co-writing with Guy Busick (Scream V & VI), this sequel dove into nostalgia. Ghostface is back in action, killing at Stu Macher's house and chasing Sidney around a charming suburb. For good measure, he's also threatening to kill Sidney's eldest kid, who was named after her high school best friend, Tatum!

Critics largely panned this one. But we found it fun. In my review, I cheered, "As someone who has long counted Scream as the best of the batch, I yearned for a sequel that recaptured that feeling of discovery but also shared in my affection for the first film. Scream 7 does that, paying homage without being beholden to audience expectation or constrictive lore. Incredibly, Williams gives us a hearty dose of nostalgia and Easter eggs while providing new ideas, weird reveals, and fresh chills." — K.P.

Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Anna Camp, Joel McHale, Mckenna Grace, Michelle Randolph, Asa Germann, Celeste O'Connor, Sam Rechner, Ethan Embry, Timothy Simons, and Mark Consuelos

How to watch: Scream 7 is now streaming on Paramount+.

5. Ready or Not 2: Here I Come

Samara Weaving reteams with Ready or Not filmmakers Radio Silence for a star-studded sequel to their 2019 hit.

Recently widowed by some devilish intervention, newlywed Grace (Weaving) wants nothing more than to light a cigarette and walk away from the bloody mess of the late Le Domas family. But it's time to level up her hide-and-seek skills, as a cabal of the evil and affluent join forces to hunt her down for round two. This time, however, she'll have her estranged sister (Kathryn Newton) at her side, for better or worse.

Ready or Not 2 had a tough act to follow, but Radio Silence satisfies by offering comically quirky caricatures of privilege, eye-popping slaughter scenes, and a pair of vicious twins played by '90s icons Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shawn Hatosy. As I wrote in my review, "Not all of these gambles pay off. Yet Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is a winner when it comes to being a totally batshit good time." — K.P.

Starring: Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, Néstor Carbonell, Kevin Durand, Olivia Cheng, David Cronenberg, and Elijah Wood

How to watch: Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is available for purchase at Prime Video.

4. Send Help

Some movies are just so weird that it feels like a miracle they exist at all. Send Help is such a wonder, as it pairs A-list actress Rachel McAdams with much, much, much, much glop.

Directed by Sam Raimi, Send Help is a genre mash-up that combines tropes from adventure and romance, horror comedies, and survival thrillers with an eat-the-rich edge. McAdams stars as a mousy office worker whose hotshot boss (Dylan O'Brien) treats like a pimple that needs to be popped. But when they end up stranded on a desert island, the power dynamics are dramatically flipped. There will be blood. And vomit, and muck, and more blood. And it will be hilarious.

As I declared in my review, "It's also a rip-roaring, no-fucks-to-give good time." — K.P.

Starring: Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien

How to watch: Send Help is now on Hulu.

3. Apex

Kayaking solo in the Australian outback already sounds scary enough, but when you throw a sociopathic serial killer into the mix, it reaches a different level entirely. This is the situation that rock climber Sasha (Charlize Theron) finds herself in in Baltasar Kormákur's Apex when she encounters an initially quite charming ranger named Ben (Taron Egerton). The result is a cat-and-mouse survival thriller that's equal parts violent and tense.

"Apex is a relentless, exciting, and nerve-rattlingly scary thriller, wherein Theron and Egerton bring their very best to a brutal face-off," wrote Mashable's Kristy Puchko in her review. "It'll be a fun watch at home, hooking audiences on its gnarly twists and gore. But I pity those who won't get to see the vistas and violence Kormákur has captured on a big screen, where their wonders and horrors can truly overwhelm you." — S.H.

Starring: Charlize Theron, Taron Egerton, and Eric Bana

How to watch: Apex is now streaming on Netflix.

2. Hokum

To date, the scariest movie of the year is Hokum. The latest from Irish filmmaker Damian McCarthy (Caveat and Oddity) stars Adam Scott as a misanthropic American novelist who falls down a rabbit hole of folklore and horror.

You see, Ohm Bauman (Scott) has traveled to a remote hotel in Ireland for some grim business, including scattering the ashes of his deceased parents. But when a bartender who was kind to him goes missing, Ohm can't resist the urge to find her, even if he thinks the talk of a witch plaguing the hotel's honeymoon suite is "hokum."

In my review, I called Hokum "a seriously scary masterpiece," explaining, "It's a nerve-shredding, bone-rattling, scream-pulling good time, and an absolute blast to see in a theater." And in case you're on the fence, know this: This movie made me scream myself hoarse while watching it. — K.P.

Starring: Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh, Michael Patric, Will O'Connell, Brendan Conroy, and Austin Amelio

How to watch: Hokum is now playing in theaters.

1. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

One of the great crimes against cinema of 2026 is that 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple flopped at the box office.

Critics went wild for Hedda director Nia DaCosta's bold and brilliant sequel to Danny Boyle's resurrected zombie thriller. But audiences didn't turn out in the droves this heady blend of horror, heart, and heavy metal deserved.

Picking up the story of runaway Spike (Alfie Williams), The Bone Temple plunged us deep into the cult of Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell), whose bizarre introduction at the end of the last film had fans freaking out with theories. A self-styled Satanist with a fixation on torture, Jimmy Savile, and the Teletubbies, Jimmy was an instant icon in horror. But even he was awed by the uncanny stage presence of Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes). The gentle doctor spent most of the movie getting stoned with the Alpha undead Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), in sequences that were tender and funny. But the climax of this movie had theaters cheering, as Kelson embraced his inner demons with a fiery performance of Iron Maiden's "The Number of the Beast." And it was one of the most riveting and surprising things I've seen in a movie, ever. It was magical, chaotic, and unforgettable.

As I cheered in my review, "This horror offering — like its prequel and also like 2025's other smash horror hit, Sinners — transcends the grimier aspects of the genre to unearth something gnarly and sublime." — K.P.

Starring: Alfie Williams, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, Alfie Williams, Erin Kellyman, and Chi Lewis-Parry

How to watch: 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is now streaming on Netflix.

The Lost Boys: A New Musical is soaring on Broadway. As we head into the 79th annual Tony Awards, the show boasts 12 nominations, including Best Musical. But the journey to critical acclaim and packed houses roaring with excitement was far from guaranteed when director and co-lighting designer Michael Arden, who is nominated in both Tony categories, got involved. 

In an interview with Mashable, the two-time Tony Award–winning director (Maybe Happy Ending, Parade) recalled how his involvement with The Lost Boys began. He was approached by producers James Carpinello, Marcus Chait, and Patrick Wilson, when the proposed musical had no script and no songs — just the idea that Joel Schumacher's 1987 cult classic about leather-bound teen vampires could be a thrilling theatrical production. 

"It was just, 'We want to do this on stage," Arden recalled,  "That was literally all we knew when we started."

They started in 2021, a time when theaters across the country were shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the future of theater was uncertain, Arden and his collaborators dared to dream of what it could be. "I was like, 'Well, what else am I doing?' But it felt like a real opportunity to have fun — sure, let's make a vampire musical."

How The Lost Boys went from screen to stage

Ali Louis Bourzgui hovers over LJ Benet in "The Lost Boys: A New Musical." Credit: Matthew Murphy

Though a millennial, Arden hadn't grown up with The Lost Boys. But when he watched the movie after being offered the opportunity to adapt it for the stage, he immediately saw its potential.

"I knew that there were these certain moments that were iconic tentpole things we needed to deliver on," he said, adding, "We have a responsibility, when we go to create a piece of theater, to do something a bit more elevated. And so we were chasing themes that were in the movie and expanding [on them], making them more operatic. It was great, because we had these tentpoles to play with, but we really got to build in a more complex story." 

As noted in my review of The Lost Boys, among those changes to flesh out the story was an abusive father for the Emerson family — this unseen force prompted their recent move to Santa Clara, home of the vampire David (Tony nominee Ali Louis Bourzgui) and his blood-sucking lost boys. Speaking of mother Lucy (Shoshana Bean) and her teen sons Michael and Sam, Arden said, "It's a mom and her two kids, and they don't talk about Dad. So we were like, well, that's clearly something. Maybe when we go to the theater, we want to know about Dad." 

Building in this domestic violence element not only gives a sharper understanding of why the Emersons are moving to Lucy's hometown, but also why she and her eldest son are so at odds. Michael (LJ Benet) harbors anger about her failure to protect him from his abusive father. This disconnect urges him to find a new family with David and the beguiling Star (Maria Wirries). Plus, David's fear of his own potential for violence is given a deeper root, as he hallucinates his abusive father beckoning him. 

Exploring the women of The Lost Boys 

Shoshana Bean is Lucy Emerson in "The Lost Boys: A New Musical." Credit: Matthew Murphy

The book — by David Hornsby and Chris Hoch — also added depth to the female characters, such as Star and Lucy. "All hail Dianne Wiest," Arden said of the rightly acclaimed actress's performance in the movie The Lost Boys, before noting that her character was "not on the page; it's definitely in the performance." 

"Watching the movie, I was like, 'Oh, these ladies are, like, glorified costumes,' you know what I mean?" In his production, "Lucy is certainly at the center of our story. We knew that family had to be the key there." 

First suggested by Arden, the L.A. rock band The Rescues wrote The Lost Boys' original music and lyrics, including songs focused on the perspectives of Lucy and Star. Within their Tony–nominated score, "Wild" allows Lucy to sing about her youth and being a hippie, and how she wishes to embraces that free side of herself outside of her role as mother. Sung by Star, "War" offers her a space to express how it feels to have your life's path determined by power-hungry men. Arden called this "one of my favorite songs in the show," adding, "It's not lost on me that if you just look at those lyrics outside of the context of Lost Boys, it is about the moment we are living in right now."

Maria Wirries and LJ Benet play Star and Michael in "The Lost Boys: A New Musical." Credit: Matthew Murphy

The director continued, "We are in a never-ending war, and she has this unbelievable lyric that [The Rescues] wrote: 'Again, the violence of men is what rules us in the end, because in the end, you're either predator or prey.' This idea that these men are deciding things for us all, who lives and who dies, and without a thought of the humanity. Star gets to voice that as a character who is at the mercy of these men. We really wanted to highlight that."

Recalling what he requested from The Rescues, he said, "When we were looking for a song for Star in Act Two, I remember saying to The Rescues, 'If you could say anything, get up in front of a crowd [in] this country, and talk about what it feels like to be an American right now, what would you say?' And they delivered that unbelievable banger, which I think will probably... I hope enters the canon of, like, great songs. What the best musical theater songs can do is they can exist on two planes — one for the story and one for, like, the time we're in."

Expanding the LGBTQ+ representation in The Lost Boys

Benjamin Pajak, Jennifer Duka, and Miguel Gil as Sam Emerson, Alan Frog, and Edgar Frog in "The Lost Boys: A New Musical." Credit: Matthew Murphy

Before there was Challengers and the three-way kiss, there was The Lost Boys. Coming out during the AIDS crisis, Schumacher's movie dealt with a hot teenage vampire love triangle and repressed desires being deadly. So, fans of the film didn't have to work hard to see queer undertones. Arden and his team expanded on this in their musical, making subtext text. 

Sam Emerson, who had a Rob Lowe poster on his wall in the movie, is more directly identified as queer in this musical, culminating in the song "Superpower." In this number, he is flanked by superheroes in spandex costumes that collectively form a rainbow, as he sings about recognizing that what makes him "queer" makes him great. Arden noted the double meaning of "queer" to mean "different" or "gay," depending on its context. Then, he said of Sam's arc, "This isn't about Sam realizing his homosexuality. That might be part of it, but it's not all of it. 'Superpower' is actually an anthem for anyone who has felt like they didn't belong. That is a mirror to Michael's experience. They both [feel like] outsiders... They have that to bond over, that they both have felt like they couldn't quite be themselves. And what's interesting about those characters, it isn't because the world is telling them they're wrong. It's because they themselves think they don't belong. It's actually [a] self-obstacle, which I love... It's a pretty fun journey to go on with those brothers."

Beyond the Emerson brothers, there's also the Frog Brothers. In the movie, both Alan and Edgar Frog were male-presenting boys. In The Lost Boys: A New Musical, Alan Frog is played by Jennifer Duka. Arden spoke on this casting choice, saying, "Well, why do the Frog Brothers both need to be dudes?"

In development, the team discussed what it meant for Alan to be played by a woman. For instance, "How do we deal with the name the Frog Brothers?" He shared, "And I was like, 'Well, why doesn't she just want to be a brother with somebody, because that would allow her to do things that girls [in 1987] don't get to do, and be involved in situations that girls don't get to be involved in?"

He noted the language on gender identity wasn't as developed in the '80s as it is now. So, while he declined to outright describe Alan as a trans or non-binary character, he noted that in the '80s setting, she'd be considered "a tomboy," adding, "She likes to be a Frog Brother, and in the army, you go by your last name. And her last name is Alan."

So, in the play, Alan introduces herself as Alan Frog, and when Sam questions it, she says, "Jessica Alan. But I go by Alan." This change might seem small, but it underscores the aforementioned themes of understanding yourself and found family. As Sam declares in the climax, they are all family. ("Did I stutter?") 

How The Lost Boys took flight

LJ Benet, Ali Louis Bourzgui, Brian Flores, Dean Maupin, and Sean Grandillo fly in "The Lost Boys: A New Musical." Credit: Matthew Murphy

Last but not least, Arden and I talked about the mesmerizing flying sequences in The Lost Boys: A New Musical.

In translating Schumacher's vision from screen to stage, Arden was sure to include such iconic elements as the oiled-up, muscle-bound saxophone player, the '80s rock attitude — complete with David's signature bleach blonde mullet — and the train track sequence, where the lost boys fly. Flight becomes a major element of the spectacle of The Lost Boys as Bourzgui and his fellow vampires (Brian Flores, Sean Grandillo, and Dean Maupin) ascend to menace or awe their prey. Arden explained how he wanted to make The Lost Boys' flight style specific to their story and distinctive from the many Peter Pans who've whimsically flown through theater history. 

When I mentioned my own childlike wonder at the near-invisible wirework, he said, "That's awesome. That's what we want. We want to go to the theater to be fully with the imagination and belief system of a child. In fact, it's called The Lost Boys. We want to stay kids, because we don't want to lose our ability to believe in things that are seemingly impossible."

Arden knew it was crucial that the flight be astounding to the audience. But how to suspend disbelief if the audience can see the wires from which the actors hang? After all, theater doesn't have a visual effects team that can paint out the wires in post-production, as there is no post-production. "How are we gonna make this seem like they are really flying?" He recalled, "We talked about, like, 'Oh, should they  always fly on chains so that we see them? Because it's really going to be impossible to hide the wires.'" However, Arden, who has a background in lighting, decided, "We just gotta fucking figure it out."

This process meant creating a flying rig that Arden told Deadline was tested in Las Vegas a year before the show opened. From there, the custom rig was sent to SUNY Purchase, where the cast would rehearse before moving into the Palace Theatre. But before they even got to that point, the auditions for The Lost Boys demanded performers for certain roles not only be able to sing and dance, but also prove they could learn to fly. The training required the actors discover how to hold their bodies, move around the wires smoothly, and fly not just convincingly but with an awe-striking grace. 

"We did have one flight [in the show] that was kind of funny," Arden recalls of the development, "But we ended up cutting very early on, because it wasn't right. [Flight] needed to be emotional. We did tell the cast, 'This is spiritual.' This is the grandest, most beautiful thing a vampire can do." 

Arden explained how the flight was a necessary foil to the killing the vampires do. "They are the darkness and the light, if you will, of their power," He explained. "It's like flight, because it is the thing that is venerable for everyone. So, it needed to be beautiful enough that you would really consider killing someone to get that power."

Of this masterfully choreographed collision of performance, lighting, and staging, he said, "To be able to achieve that was really difficult, and really has been really rewarding, because people are just — there's something about it. It ignites your inner child, and that's why we knew that the flying needed to be beautiful and needed to represent joy." 

The Lost Boys: A New Musical is now on Broadway. 

Summer movies are back! Audiences are turning out in droves to see Obsession and Backrooms. But if your cinematic tastes favor action over terror, you may well relish director Travis Knight's playful He-Man movie, Masters of the Universe.

Nicholas Galitzine stars as Adam Glenn, who comes from the sword-and-sandals land of Eternia, where he was once a prince. But after the villainous Skeletor (Jared Leto) invades Earth, Adam is sent to help out, and while there, he grows big, strong, and empathetic, thanks in part to working in human resources. However, rediscovering the Sword of Power leads him back to his homeland and enables him to become a brawnier, bolder hero known as He-Man.

In my review of the film, I cheered, "Masters of the Universe is a wonderfully entertaining adventure that dodges the pitfalls that makes so much IP adaptations tedious. Knight delivers a colorful film with a point of view, not just a sales pitch."

Nicholas Galitzine in "Masters of the Universe." Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

But as you're ready to see Masters of the Universe in theaters, you might be wondering if this souped-up action movie will take a cue from Marvel films, offering mid-credits scenes or post-credits scenes that might enhance the theatergoing experience. So let's get into it, one at a time.

Does Masters of the Universe have a mid-credits scene?

Yes. Two, in fact. So, hold off the rush to the restroom, lest you miss out on more from the He-Man universe.

Does Masters of the Universe have a post-credits scene?

Yes! So, stay through the credits unless you are fine missing out on the most Masters of the Universe can give you. And hey, bonus — sitting through the credits is a great way to take in the vast amount of human effort that goes into making movies as big and wild as this.

Masters of the Universe opens in theaters on June 5.

Queer horror fans have a complicated relationship to the genre. Horror cinema is a place where we have seen ourselves reflected, but often as villains.

From the flamboyant mad scientists of James Whale's Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein to the sapphic vampires of Dracula's Daughter, to the trans-coded killers of Sleepaway Camp and The Silence of the Lambs, LGBTQ+ characters shimmer throughout the fabric of the horror canon. While such problematic portrayals might feel like antiques, they've nonetheless shaped the genre and generations of queer horror fans. And for these folks, American filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun has made Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.

Written and directed by Schoenbrun, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma celebrates the slashers and, through that, explores the complicated feelings of loving a genre that doesn't reliably love you back. But that's not all. They also offer a radical tonal shift from their moody films We're All Going to the World's Fair and I Saw the TV Glow, delivering a comedy that is part horny psychosexual thriller and part campy parody. The result is a film that is rollicking in queer joy, blood spray, and irreverent humor.

Yes, it's meta, smart, and challenging genre norms. But calling Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma "elevated horror" is to miss its point.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is a story of love, sex, and perversion.

Credit: MUBI

Hacks' Hannah Einbinder stars as Kris, a 29-year-old queer filmmaker whose Sundance success has earned her a shot at relaunching the long-dead Camp Miasma slasher franchise. Like with I Saw The TV Glow, Schoenbrun creates a deep wealth of lore and fandom merch to flesh out the fictional IP within this story. Where I Saw The TV Glow's central show had shades of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Camp Miasma seems a mix of Sleepaway Camp, Friday the 13th, and Twin Peaks.

The first film was a grimy, ultra-bloody slasher flick that centered on a wide-eyed Final Girl named Billy Preston, who was stalked by a harpoon-carrying killer called Little Death (I Saw the TV Glow's Jack Haven). For Kris, Billy is the key to understanding how to revive Camp Miasma, and so she travels to meet the aging scream queen (Gillian Anderson), who lives at the "haunted summer camp" where the first film was shot.

Red flags like this don't deter Kris, who is eager to walk in the footsteps of Little Death and his victims. But before long, Kris starts to realize that Billy isn't interested in making another movie. She's interested in Kris. Desire blooms between the two women, but inelegantly. And that's the point.

Schoenbrun recognizes how horror can be ludicrous, with kills that turn severed human necks into fountains that shoot blood 30 feet in the sky, as if we are meat sacks full of cherry soda just waiting to explode. Sex they treat as similarly silly from the moment we meet the siren that is Billy Preston.

Anderson plays the reclusive actress as Norma Desmond by way of Dolly Parton in a David Lynch movie. She slinks around the cabins with perfectly manicured, bright red nails, her hair in big, tumbling blonde curls, and her wardrobe silky robes that beg to be stroked. But then, she'll offer Kris a preposterously abundant plate of fried chicken, treating the accompanying dipping sauces as if they were oysters, ripe for vaginal allegory and campy foreplay.

While many might write Billy off as odd and flee this camp of red flags, Kris is drawn in because Billy is fearless, even in her strangeness. Through her influence, Kris not only reconsiders her Camp Miasma movie, but also her understanding of herself. Where Billy is a carnal creature who licks her fingers and speaks candidly of sex to a near stranger, Kris is shy and cerebral, far more capable of talking about "elevated horror" and transphobia in film than she is her own desires.

However, through her relationship with Billy, Kris learns to understand horror not just as her personal obsession, but also as a path to self-acceptance. How does a harpoon-wielding slasher, an avalanche of candy wrappers, and a Southern-fried recluse factor into that? Well, Camp Miasma's killer's name being "Little Death" is a pretty big clue.

We're talking orgasms.

Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder are a perfect match in Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.

Credit: MUBI

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is gloriously irreverent in its approach to its influences. Schoenbrun name-drops or alludes to Sunset Boulevard, Psycho, Mulholland Drive, Bound, Friday the 13th, Sleepaway Camp, and more. But they do so with a rebellious joy that turns a transgressive backstory into a gorgeous portrait of nonbinary beauty, and an iconic final shot into a rebellious echo of pride.

The cinematography of Eric K. Yue manages to weave together tones that go from earnestly amorous to unapologetically loony. A production design that blends a realistic camp setting with forest backdrops that are clearly painted challenges the audience to consider what is real and whether or not that matters. The music offers Psycho-reminiscent stings of strings, sultry synth keyboard, and a chaotic soundtrack that ranges from Counting Crows' "A Long December" to Sade's "No Ordinary Love" and Donna Lewis' "I Love You Always Forever."

It's a bold blend of dark inspirations and cheerful pop. Anderson and Einbinder are entrusted to make it work, and they do. Einbinder steps out of the chaotic bisexual bravado of her Hacks heroine, embracing the timid sapphic who's technically poly but low-key resents her partner's (Jasmin Savoy Brown) boyfriend Thor (Aren Buchholz). Her intellectualizing and her filmmaking are where she feels comfortable, while Anderson's Billy is bored by all that blather. Billy relishes flesh and touch, and so becomes a carnal mentor.

Together, their quirks make sense, building a world that others might see as bizarre, but which the queer (like a gas station attendant with a septum ring) will clock as wondrous. Like Lynch's leading ladies in Mulholland Drive or Todd Haynes' in Carol, these two actresses tug on each other, giving the film a sexual tension and emotional pull that is exhilarating. And then on top of that, they embrace the absurdity Schoenbrun has baked in, which reminds the audience earnestly that sex need not be taken so seriously. It can be silly, messy, sweet, and bloody, and it can shine a light on the most fucked-up desires of our queer little minds. And all of that can be celebrated instead of shame, with the help of a Little Death.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma explores where queerness, self-acceptance, and horror collide. But it's also a hell of a good time. Schoenbrun and their cast embrace the ghoulish delights of slasher slaughters, the titillating fun of their teen sex and death, and the radiant joy of finding pleasure in your own body. All this makes Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma a knockout, from its first kill to its final thrill.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma was reviewed out of its North American premiere at Newfest. The film will open in theaters on Aug. 7.

Looking for something great to watch at home? Streaming subscribers are spoiled for choice between Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV, Prime Video, Shudder, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. And that's before you even look at the vast libraries of movies and television programs within each streamer!

Don't be overwhelmed or waste an hour scrolling through your services to determine what to watch. We've got your back, whatever your mood. Mashable offers watch guides for all of the above, broken down by genre: comedy, thriller, horror, documentary, and animation, among others. But if you're seeking something brand new (or just new to streaming), we've got you covered there, too.

15. Michael Jackson: The Verdict

Antoine Fuqua's Michael was criticized for moonwalking away from the criminal allegations and scandal that touched the singer's later life. Now Netflix delves into the 2005 criminal trial with a three-part documentary series from David Herman, who previously produced the streamer's true-crime doc series Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story.

At the time of his arrest, Jackson was the globally acclaimed King of Pop. Then came the allegations of child molestation, which challenged the image of the Neverland Ranch owner. According to the L.A. Times, Michael Jackson: The Verdict will look into the case through interviews with defense attorneys, prosecutors, and journalists who covered the trial at the time. Was Jackson a serial sexual predator? Was he falsely accused for a payout? It's a question fans still face. Will this doc change your mind? — K.P.

How to watch: Michael Jackson: The Verdict is now streaming on Netflix.

14. Office Romance

Jennifer Lopez and Ted Lasso's Brett Goldstein team up for a workplace rom-com with a raunchy edge. She's a non-nonsense airline CEO who's being threatened by a rival company. He's the English lawyer, who might be socially awkward in the office but is a shark in the deposition room. Of course, an "office romance" between the two could threaten both of their reputations, and even their careers. But is their blossoming attraction one they can resist?

Written by Goldstein and Joe Kelly, this rom-com plays with a culture clash between the U.S. and UK, as well as dabbling in some bawdy jokes. While Lopez and Goldstein are glossy love interests, they have little chemistry. However, the supporting cast, which includes Betty Gilpin, Amy Sedaris, and Tony Hale, brings in some levity through kooky characters. — K.P.

Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Brett Goldstein, Betty Gilpin, Amy Sedaris, Tony Hale, and Bradley Whitford

How to watch: Office Romance debuts on Netflix on June 5.

13. Earth, Wind & Fire (To be Celestial vs. That's the Weight of the World)

Do you re-mem-bah ... that Earth, Wind & Fire has a story much bigger than their enduring '70s disco floor-filler "September"? Questlove's new HBO documentary journeys through the evolution of one of the best damn bands on the planet — and if you're not turning up "In the Stone" right now, hard recommend.

The film heads back to Earth, Wind & Fire's early days in Chicago, when the late and legendary Maurice White put the band together, then runs through a glittering career of Grammy wins, 90 million albums sold, a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and live performances that blew audiences away. However, Questlove also promises to delve further into White's need to fuse spirituality and philosophy with the band's particular brand of disco, funk, jazz, soul, and R&B, and his strained relationship with the band. Expect interviews with Earth, Wind & Fire bassist Verdine White, singer Philip Bailey, and percussionist Ralph Johnson, as well as former band members, managers, family, music historians, authors, and musicians including Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, H.E.R., and Flea. — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor

How to watch: Earth, Wind & Fire (To be Celestial vs. That's the Weight of the World) debuts on HBO on June 7.

12. Keeper

Osgood Perkins delivered a double whammy to horror fans this year, offering not only his wild adaptation of Stephen King's The Monkey, but also the original horror film Keeper.

Tatiana Maslany stars in this trippy thriller as a painter who reluctantly agrees to go on a weekend getaway to the family cabin of her boyfriend, Malcolm (Rossif Sutherland). But shortly after they arrive, she senses something is just off. Maybe it's the creepy cousin (Birkett Turton) who drops by with a bored party girl (Eden Weiss). Perhaps it's the strange chocolate cake that just appears on a table, inviting yet off-putting. Where this story — from Dangerous Animals screenwriter Nick Lepard — will go is impossible to predict. But that's part of the fun.* — K.P.

Starring: Tatiana Maslany, Rossif Sutherland, Birkett Turton, and Eden Weiss

How to watch: Keeper comes to Hulu on June 5.

11. Kneecap

Capturing the rebelliousness of the Irish hip-hop group for which it's named, Kneecap is a raucous and hilarious origin story starring Móglaí Bap, Mo Chara, and DJ Próvaí themselves. It's a bold move from director/writer Richard Peppiatt, but one that pays off big as the band's charisma translates to the big screen.

Forget those doggedly dramatic, respectful movies about a musician's life and times. Kneecap's tale is one of sex, hard drugs, boneheaded decisions, and bangin' tracks that sparked a cultural resurrection — specifically, helping to preserve the Irish language. As I cheered in my review, "Peppiatt has done a superb job of not only shaking off the oh-so-serious shackles that are musician biopic conventions but also enthusiastically embracing the hip-hop energy of his subjects, allowing them to be both the stars and fuel of their story, propelling them to a climax that deserves its rowdy encore across the credits. 

"Simply put, Kneecap is sensational, silly, sharp, and ultimately sublime."* — K.P.

Starring: Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí

How to watch: Kneecap is now streaming on Hulu.

10. Poor Things

Our favorite film of 2023, Poor Things offered a Frankenstein makeover full of whimsy, wonder, weirdness, and unapologetic horniness. Based on Alasdair Gray's 1992 novel of the same name, Poor Things' resurrected corpse is the beguiling Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), who has a grown woman's body, a child's mind, and a ravenous desire to know the world. This makes her more than her mad scientist/father figure (Willem Dafoe) can handle. So, off she goes on a globe-trekking fling with a devil-may-care — but hot-as-hell — rogue, played by Mark Ruffalo with a winsome gusto. 

Created by The Favourite's writer (Tony McNamara) and director (Yorgos Lanthimos), Poor Things is mercilessly witty while unfurling a tale of human discovery and inhumane realities. A behind-the-scenes team of remarkable artists fills every frame with something beautiful and repulsive, be it costumes whose colors refer to gross anatomy or set designs that are comically phallic. As I wrote in our full review, "Poor Things is an awe-striking visual feast that satisfies the eyes, tantalizes the loins, and feeds the soul."* — K.P.

Starring: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, and Jerrod Carmichael

How to watch: Poor Things comes to Netflix on June 7.

9. Not Suitable for Work

With Never Have I Ever, Mindy Kaling portrayed the perils of high school. With The Sex Lives of College Girls, she dove into the chaos of finding yourself in college. Her new project, Not Suitable for Work, examines yet another defining life stage: your early twenties. Co-created with showrunner Charlie Grandy, Not Suitable for Work follows five work-obsessed twentysomethings as they hunt for professional success — and a personal life, if time allows — in Manhattan's Murray Hill neighborhood.* — B.E.

Starring: Ella Hunt, Avantika, Will Angus, Jack Martin, Nicholas Duvernay, and Jay Ellis

How to watch: Not Suitable for Work is now streaming on Hulu.

8. Legend of Vox Machina, Season 4

Season 3 of The Legend of Vox Machina ended with the titular crew scattering to the winds in search of their own individual goals. But a year later, in Season 4, the call of adventure (and the threat of a growing death cult) will bring them back together. 

Every season of The Legend of Vox Machina has grown darker and stronger, and Season 4 looks to be no exception. This time around, Critical Role's bawdy bands of heroes will come face to face with their most dangerous foe yet: the Whispered One, also known as Vecna in Dungeons & Dragons. (And yes, he's very different from Stranger Things' version.) Don't expect Season 4 to be all doom and gloom, though. It will also feature Critical Role fan-favorites like Taryon Darrington (voiced by Wayne Brady) and his mechanical servant Doty, who are bound to bring some laughs to the fight for Exandria.* — B.E.

Starring: Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Matthew Mercer, Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, Travis Willingham, Wayne Brady, Kevin Michael Richardson, Debra Wilson, and Tom Cardy

How to watch: Legend of Vox Machina, Season 4 is now streaming on Prime Video.

7. Cape Fear

Who's ready for a remake? Apple TV reimagines Martin Scorsese's 1991 film Cape Fear, itself a remake of the 1962 film of the same name. The series centers on married attorney couple Anna and Tom Bowden (Amy Adams and Patrick Wilson), who are about to face a vengeful reckoning from Max Cady (Javier Bardem), the killer they put behind bars. Will the series live up to its source material? Or, at the very least, The Simpsons' "Cape Feare" episode?* — B.E.

Starring: Amy Adams, Patrick Wilson, Javier Bardem, Joe Anders, Lily Collias, Malia Pyles, and Anna Baryshnikov

How to watch: Cape Fear premieres on Apple TV on June 5.

6. Pillion

This week, treat yourself to "dom-com" Pillion, the tremendous debut feature from director Harry Lighton. Harry Melling stars as meek parking attendant Colin, who embarks on a BDSM relationship with domineering bike gang leader Ray (Alexander Skarsgård). While their dynamic is unconventional to onlookers, it offers up heaps of self-discovery and enjoyment for Colin as he dips his toes into this world.

In his review out of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Mashable contributor Siddhant Adlakha praised the film, saying, "Lighton's electric, modern-day British drama explores a master-slave relationship that's as upsetting as it is invigorating. Led by a pair of fine-tuned performances from Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling, the movie walks a fragile tonal tightrope with remarkable flair, resulting in one of the finest (and most crowd-pleasing) experiences at this year's Cannes Film Festival."* — B.E.

Starring: Harry Melling, Alexander Skarsgård, Douglas Hodge, and Lesley Sharp

How to watch: Pillion comes to HBO Max on June 5.

5. Hoppers

Pixar's Hoppers is an uproarious riff on Avatar, only instead of humans zapping their consciousness into nine-foot-tall blue alien bodies, they're zapping their consciousness into robot animal bodies to get closer to wildlife. When animal lover Mabel Tanaka (voiced by Piper Curda) gets her hands on this technology, she uses it to try to save a local glade from her town's greedy mayor (voiced by Jon Hamm). Along the way, she'll befriend a beaver king (voiced by Bobby Moynihan), start an animal rebellion, and cause more chaos than she could have ever bargained for.

Bursting with charming animation and sweet friendships, Hoppers is Pixar's strongest original film in years. What really takes it over the edge is its astounding third act, which goes to some wonderfully weird (and sometimes even downright frightening) places. In my review, I called it Pixar's "most unhinged film yet," and I mean that as the highest of compliments.* — B.E.

Starring: Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy, Dave Franco, Eduardo Franco, Aparna Nancherla, Sam Richardson, Ego Nwodim, and Meryl Streep

How to watch: Hoppers debuts on Disney+ on June 3.

4. The 79th Tony Awards

It's the most exciting time of year for Broadway fans, as The American Theater Wing presents the Tony Awards, celebrating the best plays and musicals of the year.

Among the nominated productions are Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Titanique, Schmigadoon, Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York, The Lost Boys, Every Brilliant Thing, Giant, and Dog Day Afternoon. This means the show, hosted by P!nk, will be stuffed with stars and teary-eyed speeches. Plus, all the nominated musicals will be offering a nationally televised taste of what they're doing on the Great White Way, as each of these shows will perform one of their numbers live. Jellicle Cats, Celine Dion, and vampires — oh my! — K.P.

How to watch: The Tony Awards will air live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, June 7, 2026 (8-11 p.m. ET/5-8 p.m. PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S., preceded by Act One on Pluto TV.

3. Hokum

Irish filmmaker Damian McCarthy previously bestowed upon horror fans the folk-flavored terror of Caveat and Oddity. Now he's teamed with Adam Scott for Hokum, which was so scary that I screamed myself hoarse at its SXSW premiere.

Scott stars as a misanthropic novelist named Ohm Bauman, who's flown to a remote Irish hotel to spread the ashes of his parents, who'd honeymooned there decades before. But amid this grim task, he stumbles upon a local legend about a vicious witch who's still said to haunt the hotel. In my review, I called Hokum "a seriously scary masterpiece," explaining, "It's a nerve-shredding, bone-rattling, scream-pulling good time, and an absolute blast to see in a theater. Don't miss it."* — K.P.

Starring: Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh, Michael Patric, Will O'Connell, Brendan Conroy, and Austin Amelio

How to watch: Hokum is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

2. Is God Is

Playwright Aleshea Harris adapts her award-winning play Is God Is into a scorching directorial debut. Twin sisters (Kara Young and Mallori Johnson) go on a twisted road trip in search of the father that left them for dead when they were children. Along the way, they'll be forced to reckon with their family's secrets, their parents' complexities, and their own deep differences.

As you can see from the trailer, Harris' translation of her play is visually dynamic and studded with stars. Trust us. You'll want to see this on the big screen.* — K.P.

Starring: Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, Janelle Monáe, Erika Alexander, Mykelti Williamson, Josiah Cross, Vivica A. Fox, and Sterling K. Brown

How to watch: Is God Is is now available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

Best of streaming this week: The Vampire Lestat

AMC+'s killer Interview With the Vampire series returns this Sunday with Season 3, titled The Vampire Lestat.

Showrunner Rolin Jones tackles the setup of Anne Rice's second novel in her Vampire Chronicles, wherein the Brat Prince becomes a rock star. What does this mean for Louis, Daniel, and Armand? Well, Lestat uses his songs to spill the secrets of vampirism and spill the tea on his side of what went down with all of the above. Without spoilers, I can tell you this season is absolutely outrageous and way off-book. So, my dear readers, prepare to be shocked, as Lestat's relationship with Gabrielle is just the beginning. — K.P.

Starring: Sam Reid, Jennifer Ehle, Jacob Anderson, Eric Bogosian, Assad Zaman, and Delainey Hayles

How to watch: The Vampire Lestat premieres on AMC and AMC+ on June 7, with new episodes each Sunday.

(*) denotes a blurb came from a prior list.

TL;DR: Amazon Prime members can buy tickets to see Spider-Man: Brand New Day, two days before its official theatrical release.

Opens in a new window

Credit: Sony Pictures

See 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' two days early

 

Learn More

There are so many perks included in an Amazon Prime Membership, like cheaper gas, prescription discounts, and free shipping, but did you know that as a Prime member, you can also get early access to see select movies in theaters before they even come out?

Earlier this week, Amazon announced that all Prime members in the United States will get the chance to see Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man: Brand New Day in select theaters on July 29 — two days before the general public release on July 31.

All you have to do to secure your spot is visit Amazon's Spider-Man: Brand New Day landing page and sign up for alerts to get updates on when tickets will go on sale via Fandango.

If you don't have a Prime Membership, you can sign up for a 30-day trial for free (though if you're doing that to get the tickets, you may want to hold off until they're actually available to purchase). Also, Amazon Prime Day is right around the corner from June 23 to June 26, so you'll get the best deals then, too! A standard Prime Membership is $14.99 per month or $139 per year, and you can cancel anytime.

The company hasn't mentioned whether or not those tickets will be discounted, but it definitely pays to sign up just to see it early and avoid a weekend full of internet spoilers.

My expectations for Masters of the Universe were low for several reasons. Chief among them, 2026 has been absolutely bleak in terms of movies based on intellectual property geared toward male audiences. The Super Mario Brothers Galaxy Movie was so soulless that it left me considering my own mortality, while Mortal Kombat II made me realize the bar for nostalgia-bait is in hell. 

Besides that, it’s not like He-Man and his friends have made for good movies before. 1987's Masters of the Universe — starring with Dolph Lundgren — was considered a flop with critics and audiences. Then the first trailer for this relaunch dropped in January, and while it looked fun, it sparked fury from conservative He-Man fans because of a shot that revealed He-Man has pronouns. I'm going to write that again: Some men were furious on X that He-Man has pronouns. (If you somehow missed that particular internet outrage, I envy you.) 

Basically, I assumed Masters of the Universe would be catering to the same audience that yells about pronouns and cheers lifeless video game movies. And then on top of all that assumption, I knew Jared Leto is playing Skeletor. 

Leto is a notoriously an actor who gives his audience nothing (Tron: Ares, Morbius) or way too much (Suicide Squad, Dallas Buyers Club, The Little Things). Him playing Skeletor seemed guaranteed to be much too much. 

So it is with no small amount of shock that I confess, I really enjoyed Travis Knight’s Masters of the Universe.

Maybe the lesson here is to look past the optics and look to the filmmaker. As a producer at Laika Studios, Knight has overseen the creation of jaw-droppingly gorgeous and deeply entertaining animated adventures like ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, and Missing Link. As a director, he's helmed Kubo and the Two Strings and the Transformers spinoff Bumblebee, both full of adventure, fun, and heart. Masters of the Universe has much more in common with these movies than the ones catching strays in the previous paragraphs. 

Masters of the Universe refuses to take its IP seriously. And thank the gods for that. 

Kristen Wiig, Idris Elba, Nicholas Galitzine, and Camila Mendes in "Masters of the Universe." Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

Written by Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee, and David Callaham, Masters of the Universe imagines a scenario in which a young Prince Adam of Eternia is jettisoned from his kingdom after the villainous Skeletor invades. As he grows up on Earth, he speaks endlessly of noble heroes like Ram Man (Jon Xue Zhang), Mekaneck (James Wilkinson), and Fisto (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson) — much to the bewilderment of the humans around him. 

Cut 15 years later, a grown-up Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) believes he is destined to return to Eternia to save his family and friends from the tyrant Skeletor. But for now, he works in human resources, where he has learned how to communicate his feelings and empathize with others. And yes, there’s a sign on his desk that shows his name, Adam Glenn, and his preference for he/him pronouns. 

However, once Adam rediscovers the Sword of Power, he finds his way back to Eternia, where the heroes are all baffled by this young man and his foggy memory of a childhood here. It turns out these soldiers were not known as Ram Man and Fisto. But rather that that was how he thought of them, and they are not thrilled when Adam offers the logic for the nicknames, like "because you fist people." 

This silly subversion allows Masters of the Universe to embrace the nostalgia of the toys, the cartoon series, the movies, and the memes that followed, while also recognizing some of them are got pretty ridiculous. By refusing to treat this IP as sacred, the filmmakers open the door for characters to be lively and funny, and not just a stiff recreation of plastic action figures. 

Masters of the Universe embraces '80s nostalgia. 

Nicholas Galitzine in "Masters of the Universe." Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

Knight and production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas celebrate the cartoon show and its merch line by painting Eternia in a vivid color palette of reds, greens, oranges, purples, and pinks. Richard Sale's costume designs are reminiscent of the characters' signature looks, including colorful body armor and dramatic silhouettes. Yet even before the movie returns to Eternia, cinematographer Fabian Wagner injects verve into Adam's earthly routine with whip-pans and zooms, enhanced by a "swishing" sound effect to give an echo of cartooniness. 

The soundscape is fleshed out with a soundtrack that pulls from the '80s (Queen's "Princes of the Universe") or evocative of it (The Darkness's "Master of the Universe"). Composer Daniel Pemberton's score likewise screams with synthesizers, electric guitars, and hammering drums, calling back to an era of hair metal and stadium rock n' roll. Even Adam outside his He-Man persona has an '80s theme. Reflecting his softer side, The Cure's "Boys Don't Cry" plays over a montage of him failing to fit in on Earth.

Props to Galitzine, who has thrilled critics with funny turns in three very different comedies: Bottoms, The Idea of You, and The Sheep Detectives. He is a perfectly lovable clown as non-superpowered Adam Glenn. Then, bulked up and loin-clothed is a convincing He-Man, delivering might blows with fist and sword in imaginative battle scenes. Yet, he never loses his wide-eyed sense of wonder or earnest vulnerability. 

Why will the Manosphere be mad at Masters of the Universe? 

Nicholas Galitzine in "Masters of the Universe." Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

Perhaps unsurprisingly, manhood is a big theme in He-Man's story. As a boy in Eternia, he is introduced as being a head shorter than all the other children training to be warriors (boys and girls alike). He is reluctant to go to weapons training, then"disarms" his opponent by capering and cracking jokes instead of mastering the staff. His father sneers at his lack of fighting prowess, so once they're separated, Adam is fixated on becoming a man his dad would be proud of.

Once he's grown, Adam seeks to bulk up at the gym, asking a familiar face for advice. And instead of tips on how to bench, a certain Swedish action star gives Adam a lesson in building self-assurance rather than seeking outside validation. Still, being his own man is a challenge. Along the way, Adam will flub flirtations, resulting in getting "friend zoned" by his childhood bestie Teela (Camila Mendes), and confound the macho men — including a punchy Idris Elba as a drunkard Man-At-Arms — who don't know what to make of his attempt to host a teamwork seminar instead of a war room speech. 

Essentially, Masters of the Universe suggests that real men are not just those who can build muscle or achieve a macho facade, but those who can recognize their own feelings and self-worth, and find victory not through brute strength but team-building. 

And then there's Leto's take on Skeletor, which was also my favorite bit. 

Jared Leto is absolutely magnificent as Skeletor. 

Jared Leto is Skeletor. Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

The cartoon villain who has a skull for a face and a body made muscle-bound blue skin is manifested into visual effects marvel in Masters of the Universe. Watching Skeletor strut, snark, and fight, I couldn't be sure what was practical costuming effects and what was computer-generated imagery. And I don't care, because Leto and the VFX team have built an epic villain, who's sure to be a campy icon. 

I surprise myself by admitting Leto is a perfect choice for a cartoon villain with no face. Little red lights in the ocular cavities serve as his eyes. And while his skinless visage cannot smile or frown, Skeletor's jaw makes a lot of dynamic movements to convey attitude. You're never unsure what he's feeling, partially because of Leto's florid physicality, but most because of his truly wild vocalizations. 

This is more Leto in Haunted Mansion mode, where he played the menacing Hatbox Ghost. Far from the nasal Skeletor voice from the cartoon show, Leto has embraced a villain tact that feels inspired by '80s action movies, where the bad guys were often loquacious, erudite, queer-coded, and British. This makes Skeletor not just menacing but also mad fun. Like Tim Curry in practically every villain role he's played from Rocky Horror Picture Show to Home Alone 2: Lost In New York, Leto relishes being the baddie here.

His Skeletor practically purrs when threatening minions with violence and growls salaciously when demanding answers from his second-in-command, the sorceress Evil-lyn (Alison Brie in a cunty blonde bob that feels like an intensional White Lotus nod). But this devil is most fun when he's heckling He-Man. There's a campy villainy to the way Skeletor gleefully mocks the hero while unapologetically noting Adam's big sword and thick thighs. But my favorite bit comes when Adam demands a fair fight, "face-to-face" and Skeletor scoffs in response, saying "1) I don't have a face, and 2) I don't want to." 

Mark my words: Drag queens will be lip-syncing to this version of Skeletor before Pride month has ended. And I suspect Knight and Leto expect no less. 

In the end, Masters of the Universe is a wonderfully entertaining adventure that dodges the pitfalls that makes so much IP adaptations tedious. Knight delivers a colorful film with a point of view, not just a sales pitch. The nostalgia delivers thrills without treating its source material as a sacred text above critique or silliness. The cast is terrifically game to embrace Knight's playfulness, especially Elba in bumbling rogue mode. Galitzine shoulders the fight scenes and humor with aplomb, while Leto channels his over-the-top tendencies into a gloriously outrageous villain. 

Essentially, Masters of the Universe is a terrifically good time, and hopefully a sign of where movie adaptations of nostalgia-driven IP could be headed.

Masters of the Universe opens in theaters on June 5.

Nothing feels as good as a deep, genuine laugh. It's an expression of joy! It's a workout. It's a sign that you're having a good time.

Netflix has a dazzling selection of comedy movies that give you that good-time feeling on demand. Whether you're craving action-spiked shenanigans, quirky coming-of-age adventures, awkward humor, stranger-than-fiction silliness, madcap musical numbers, or crime with a spree of laughs, there's a perfect pick for you. And we've made singling it out all the easier by highlighting the most hilarious below.

Here are the funniest movies now streaming on Netflix.

30. Borat

You might be tempted to check out Sacha Baron Cohen's latest comedy, Ladies First, which is new to Netflix. Trust us, and don't. That is a wildly unfunny misfire with jokes that feel 30 years old. Instead, you should revisit Cohen's very funny 20-year-old comedy, Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.

In this gleefully politically incorrect mockumentary, Sacha Baron Cohen stars as Borat Sagdiyev, a fictional Kazakh journalist who interacts with very real Americans as he road-trips across the U.S. The results are chaotic and often joltingly comical, sometimes because of Cohen and sometimes because of the ugly truths of American culture that he exposed. — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

How to watch: Borat is now streaming on Netflix.

29. Deadstream

Wanting some horror with your comedy? Then you'll appreciate this oddball indie. Joseph Winter stars as a YouTuber who's desperate to redeem himself after a scandal that hurt his subscriber base. What better way to get uncancelled than to livestream the investigation of an alleged haunted house? As you might suspect, things get goofy and gory.

I cheered in my review, "Full of sick thrills and dark humor, it feels like a real find. It doesn't need a big budget, an established horror franchise, or big names to stand out. Briskly paced, wildly fun, and surprisingly smart, Deadstream is a bloody terrific good time." — K.P.

How to watch: Deadstream is now streaming on Netflix.

28. Colossal

We love when Anne Hathaway gets weird with it. And there's perhaps no better way to describe writer/director Nacho Vigalondo's 2016 monster movie. Here, Hathaway stars as a train wreck of a woman who, after tanking her career and her romantic relationship with a hot metro man (Dan Stevens), ends up sleeping in a cot in her parents' old house in her hometown. Over many beers, she reconnects with a former classmate (Jason Sudeikis), and then a towering kaiju attacks Seoul, South Korea. What does this have to do with anything? That's the mystery in this darkly comic movie, which veers into a mind-bending climax that had tongues wagging. Funny, strange, and smart, Colossal is not to be overlooked. — K.P.

How to watch: Colossal is now streaming on Netflix.

27. Cora Bora

Megan Stalter stars in "Cora Bora." Credit: Brainstorm Media

If Too Much has you craving more Megan Stalter, you'll want to catch up with this underseen gem. Directed by Hannah Pearl Utt, Cora Bora centers on the titular musician (played by Stalter), who has left Portland and her girlfriend (Jojo T. Gibbs) behind to pursue her dreams in L.A. The couple's open relationship allows each to explore other connections — or, in Cora’s case, endure an awkward one-night stand with a sexy Flat Earther (Thomas Mann). But when Cora begins to fear that her girlfriend is catching feelings for someone else, it prompts the chaotic bisexual into a hasty homecoming.

In my review out of the film's SXSW premiere in 2023, I declared, "Cora Bora proves a sensational cringe comedy, spiked with wicked humor, skin-crawling awkward scenarios, and an ardent — if wounded — heart. Deftly dancing from brash jokes to tender dialogue, Stalter reveals a riveting range and stirring screen presence. Simply put, it’s easy to fall for Cora Bora." — K.P.

How to watch: Cora Bora is now streaming on Netflix.

26. Paddington in Peru

We could all use some Paddington in our lives, so why not kick back and enjoy Paddington in Peru? Sure, it's not the masterpiece that is Paddington 2, but director Dougal Wilson still crafts a charming adventure in its own right in his directorial debut.

This time around, Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw) is headed back to his homeland of deepest, darkest Peru, with the Brown family in tow. In his quest to find his missing Aunt Lucy, he'll cross paths with a high-energy, guitar-playing nun (Olivia Colman) and a cartoonish, disguise-loving boat captain (Antonio Banderas). Colman and Banderas elevate Paddington's journey from funny to downright outrageous, proving that there are few things more fun than watching seasoned performers let their freak flags fly. Check out their work and the rest of Paddington in Peru, and see why Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko called it "the movie we need right now." — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: Paddington in Peru is now streaming on Netflix.

25. Saturday Night

Credit: Hopper Stone / Sony Pictures Entertainment

Unjustly overlooked at release in the fall of 2024, this frantically funny romp from Juno and Young Adult director Jason Reitman details the 90-minute lead-up to the very first episode of Saturday Night Live in October of 1975. The ensemble cast is packed, with Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase, Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner, Dylan O'Brien as Dan Aykroyd, Emily Fairn as Laraine Newman, Matt Wood as John Belushi, Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris, and Kim Matula as Jane Curtin. 

Add Gabriel Labelle as Lorne Michaels, the man with the wild and crazy plan himself, and the fact that this movie managed to only be 90 minutes long with all of these characters (plus a dozen more I don't even have room to list) is a real miracle in itself. Plenty of people do get shafted time-wise — notably, most of the women, which is pretty crappy given the show's own track record shafting women back in the day — but Saturday Night definitely captures the chaos and hilarious mayhem that Michaels managed to funnel into a comedy revolution. — Jason Adams, Contributing Writer

How to watch: Saturday Night is now streaming on Netflix.

24. Nonnas

Speaking of delicious, this comedy written by Liz Maccie and directed by her husband Stephen Chbosky will have you craving a home-cooked Italian meal.

Inspired by the true story of the restaurant Enoteca Maria, Nonnas stars Vince Vaughn as an average Joe who channels his grief over losing his mother and grandmother into a tantalizing new venture. He uses his inheritance to build a new restaurant in Staten Island, and hires Italian grandmothers (or nonnas) to become the chefs using their family recipes. Personalities clash, but ultimately these strong-willed women come together to create something stupendous.

It's a feel-good comedy full of love, joy, and laughs.* — K.P.

How to watch: Nonnas is now streaming on Netflix.

23. Heart Eyes

Credit: Christopher Moss

Valentine's Day gets a horror-comedy makeover in Heart Eyes, from director Josh Ruben (Werewolves Within). The titular slasher only kills on Feb. 14, when they target happy couples in love. This year, the Heart Eyes killer has marketers Ally (Olivia Holt) and Jay (Mason Gooding) in their sights. There's just one problem: Ally and Jay aren't a couple, even though a coffee shop meet-cute and undeniable chemistry seem to suggest otherwise. Can these star-crossed acquaintances and definitely not lovers survive the night and convince the Heart Eyes Killer they're totally platonic?

What follows is a cross between gory slasher and romantic comedy, and if you're a fan of both genres, chances are you'll be charmed by Heart Eyes. As Mashable contributor Kimber Myers wrote in her review, "Heart Eyes is a gory good time for those who are likely to swipe right on an off-kilter love story and a horror comedy." — B.E.

How to watch: Heart Eyes is now streaming on Netflix.

22. Cunk on Life

Comedian Diane Morgan has been gifting the world with her character of Philomena Cunk for a glorious decade and a half now. A dim-witted investigative journalist who butts heads with the real-world leading minds on each subject, Cunk proved to be a one-woman feast of absolute nonsense. The character Cunk started getting her own specials in 2016 with Cunk on Christmas, followed by Cunk on Britain and the epic globe-trotting mockumentary series Cunk on Earth (also streaming on Netflix).

Morgan's expanded her reach all the way to Cunk on Life, her latest side-splitter that tries to uncover the very meaning of existence itself across its humble 71-minute runtime. Does Cunk succeed? Well, Cunk definitely thinks she does, every damn time. But if not, at least we'll get to hear some Technotronic in the process, dammit! — J.A.   

How to watch: Cunk on Life is now streaming on Netflix.

21. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

Credit: Netflix

Eddie Murphy returns as wise-cracking Detroit police officer Axel Foley. 30 years after Beverly Hills Cop III, this sensational sequel sees Foley returning to Los Angeles to fight a new foe, reunite with old friends, and reconnect with his estranged daughter.

Reprising their supporting roles are Beverly Hills Cop co-stars John Ashton, Judge Reinhold, Paul Reiser, and Bronson Pinchot. New to the crew is Taylour Paige as Axel's hard-headed daughter, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a local ally, Nasim Pedrad as a flustered real estate agent, and Kevin Bacon as a smirking antagonist. The sparks will fly. The punchlines hit powerfully. The soundtrack is fire. And just like that, the heat is back on! — K.P.

How to watch: Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is now streaming on Netflix.

20. Between Two Ferns: The Movie

Credit: Adam Rose / Netflix

Zach Galifianakis' awkward celebrity interview web series Between Two Ferns might not seem like fodder for a full-length movie, but Between Two Ferns: The Movie goes double meta by presenting his success on Funny or Die as an insult to the actor's intention to host a "serious" interview show. Galifianakis the character sets off to correct the assumption that his original show is a joke by interviewing even more celebrities, like John Cho, Keanu Reeves, Tiffany Haddish, and more. — Alexis Nedd, Senior Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: Between Two Ferns: The Movie is now streaming on Netflix.

19. Do Revenge

Credit: Netflix

Looking for a revenge flick that pays tribute to teen classics like Mean Girls, Heathers, Cruel Intentions, and more? Then check out Do Revenge, a dark comedy sure to join the canon of iconic high school movies. Students Drea (Camila Mendes) and Eleanor (Maya Hawke) couldn't be more different... apart from the fact that both have major bones to pick with people who ruined their reputations. They decide to team up and execute one another's revenge plans, which leads down a winding road of morally dubious choices, snappy one-liners, and excellent outfits.

Mendes and Hawke have great chemistry, but it's Sophie Turner who damn near steals the show in a bit part that simply must be seen to be believed.* — B.E.

How to watch: Do Revenge is now streaming on Netflix.

18. Always Be My Maybe

Credit: Netflix

What if the one who got away got a second chance? Back in the day, Sasha and Marcus were tight as a slap bracelet. But one fumbled night in a sweaty backseat seemed to shatter their future together.

Fifteen years later, she's a world-renowned chef and he's — well — he's working for his dad's HVAC business and playing with his band on the side. Still, fate arranges for them to reconnect, which could mean Marcus (Randall Park) has a shot to show Sasha (Ali Wong) how he feels. Comedy ensues as the stakes get high when Keanu Reeves crashes the party, being all weird and hot and having the audacity to be Keanu Reeves! This Nahnatchka Khan-helmed laffer also boasts appearances by James Saito, Charlyne Yi, Karan Soni, Daniel Dae Kim, and Michelle Buteau.* — K.P.

How to watch: Always Be My Maybe is now streaming on Netflix.

17. Dolemite Is My Name

Credit: François Duhamel / Netflix

Chronicling the true story of late comedian Rudy Ray Moore — also known as Dolemite — this Eddie Murphy vehicle is worth every minute of viewing.

An outrageous showbiz comedy, Dolemite Is My Name is at once a poignant look at the life of an underdog and an unbelievably good time. With supporting performances by Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Wesley Snipes, Craig Robinson, and more, this biopic offers more beat-for-beat joy than many of its fictional counterparts. Sensational, aspirational, and electric: You'll love it. — Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: Dolemite Is My Name is now streaming on Netflix.

16. The Polka King

Credit: Netflix

Sometimes true crime can lead to some pitch-perfect dark comedy. This is the case for this outrageous offering, which stars Jack Black as infamous scammer/local celebrity Jan Lewan. Black brings all the rock star panache you need to understand how Lewan could be so beguiling to the Pennsylvanian retirees who surrendered their savings to the self-proclaimed Polka King.

Screenwriters Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky gave this story of fraud and showmanship shape. But they wisely trusted in the local flair of the terrific 2009 documentary The Man Who Would Be Polka King to provide some of the wildest lines of dialogue. Plucking directly from interviews with the friends, family, and victims of Jan Lewan, this comedy feels stranger than fiction but is jaw-droppingly real. Salty supporting turns from Jenny Slate, Jacki Weaver, and Jason Schwartzman bring added fun.* — K.P.

How to watch: The Polka King is now streaming on Netflix.

15. The Mitchells vs. The Machines

Credit: Netflix

Sony Pictures Animation has given audiences such daring and dynamic animated movies as Surf's Up, Hotel Transylvania, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. This zany 2021 release centers on a family who's battling back the robo-apocalypse with togetherness, internet savviness, and a wall-eyed pug named Monchi (voiced by social media icon Doug the Pug).

The Mitchells' adventure into chaos begins when daughter Katie (Abbi Jacobson) is poised to go off to college. Desperate for one last family-unifying road trip, her dad (Danny McBride) piles the whole family into his beater of a vehicle, unknowingly charting a fateful route into heroics. Co-directors Mike Rianda and Jeff Rowe infuse Katie's excitable perspective throughout the film by working in internet memes, social media-style reactions, and blitz of bonkers visuals. It’s a bold move that might alienate some viewers but has largely won the acclaim of critics and kiddos.* — K.P.

How to watch: The Mitchells vs. The Machines is now streaming on Netflix.

14. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Credit: Netflix

Writer/director Rian Johnson follows up his critically heralded whodunnit with a sequel that's even more explosive than Knives Out. Southern gentleman/detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is back, drawling deductions and whipping out witticisms, much to the chagrin of a group of wealthy and conniving friends.

It was supposed to be a murder mystery weekend where homicide was just a game. But when tech scion Miles Bron (Edward Norton) brings together his closest friends and worst enemy, real blood will be spilled, and the game is afoot! Joining in on the comically chaotic fun are Kate Hudson, Janelle Monáe, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., and Jessica Henwick. — K.P.

How to watch: Glass Onion is now streaming on Netflix.

13. The Forty-Year-Old Version

Credit: Jeong Park / Netflix © 2020

The Forty-Year-Old Version isn’t just any film about a struggling New York artist, but one about a Black female playwright who’s continually held back from creating something authentic to her perspective. Radha Blank's autobiographical directorial debut, which she also wrote, produced, and stars in, is a searing, funny, and unabashedly honest look at the compromises Black creatives are pushed to make in a world dominated by whiteness.

A teacher approaching her 40th birthday, Radha (Blank) gets the chance to produce one of her plays — only after she refuses to write a slave musical. But forced to change her vision to appease white audiences, Radha considers a totally different medium to express herself: becoming a rapper. The Forty-Year-Old Version may be one of the most slept-on Netflix originals, and it’s a shame we've yet to see another film from Blank since, itself an indictment of an industry that fails to continually platform raw and honest Black storytelling.* — Oliver Whitney, Contributing Writer

How to watch: The Forty-Year-Old Version is now streaming on Netflix.

12. Vampires vs. the Bronx

Credit: Netflix

Want a movie that's got excitement, comedy, a scorching message about the evils of gentrification, and is a kid-friendly romp? Then take a bite out of Vampires vs. the Bronx.

Oz Rodriguez's PG-13 horror-comedy centers on Afro-Latino teens who recognize that a flurry of missing person posters and an influx of rich white folks with tote bags means bad news for the neighborhood. Together, they team up Monster Squad-style to take down the bloodsuckers and save their community. With a sharp wit, a warm heart, a rich sense of atmosphere, and an equal appreciation for the Blade movies and '80s Amblin, Vampires vs. the Bronx is an easy watch full of rewards.* — K.P.

How to watch: Vampires vs. the Bronx is now streaming on Netflix.

11. The Breaker Upperers

This hidden gem comes from New Zealand, the fertile comedy ground that gave us Taika Waititi, Flight of the Conchords, and What We Do in the Shadows. Waititi collaborators Jackie van Beek, James Rolleston, and Jemaine Clement team up for a deeply quirky buddy comedy about two long-time besties with a bonkers — but brilliant — business model.

Need someone to dump your partner so you can avoid a messy confrontation? Call on Jen and Mel (co-writers/co-directors/co-leads van Beek and Madeleine Sami). For a reasonable fee, these fearless Breaker Upperers will impersonate police officers, play pregnant, or even fake your death to help you ghost an ex. Whatever the shenanigans, van Beek and Sami sparkle. Booming with wild humor and big heart, this comedy is guaranteed to leave you cackling.* — K.P.

Where to watch: The Breaker Upperers is now streaming on Netflix.

10. Ghostbusters

Who you gonna call? Ahead of a string of sequels, this 1984 comedy classic was the first to pose the question. And the answer was a quartet of ghostbusters, dedicated to ridding New York City from paranormal pests.

Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson star as the eponymous band of heroes who get up to all kinds of comical chaos. Whether they're arguing with the EPA, battling a poltergeist, or trying to win over beguiling cellist, they're hilarious in every step. Cue up the theme song, and kick off movie night right. — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

How to watch: Ghostbusters is now streaming on Netflix.

9. The Thursday Murder Club

Celia Imrie, Helen Mirren, Naomi Ackie, Pierce Brosnan, and Sir Ben Kingsley in "The Thursday Murder Club." Credit: Giles Keyte / Netflix

Sir Ben Kingsley, Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, and Celia Imrie bring to life the brilliant pensioners at the heart of Richard Osman's best-selling novel The Thursday Murder Club.

In the charming retirement village of Cooper's Chase, a club made up of a former M16 agent, a once-feared union activist, a wise therapist, and a cheerful retired nurse use their lifetimes of skills to crack cold cases. But when fresh blood is spilled in their social circle, the Thursday Murder Club hunts for clues, leading them to spooky settings and dangerous people.

Director Chris Columbus offers a cozy crime thriller that's sure to delight fans of the book series. And we suspect it'll hook newcomers too, as his cast dazzles with every quip and daring deduction. — K.P.

How to watch: Thursday Murder Club is now streaming on Netflix.

8. Hit Man

Richard Linklater and Glen Powell reunite for Hit Man, a rom-com that is killer in all sense of the word.

Powell plays Gary Johnson, a college professor whose side gig as an undercover hit man leads to an unexpected meet-cute with would-be client Madison (Andor's Adria Arjona). The pair's connection (and electrifying chemistry) sparks a delightful game of false identities, reinvention, and twisted love that toggles between hilarious, thrilling, and sexy at a moment's notice. Oh, who am I kidding; sometimes it's all three at once!* — B.E.

How to watch: Hit Man is now streaming on Netflix.

7. One of Them Days

Credit: Anne Marie Fox / Sony Pictures

Produced by Issa Rae, One of Them Days stars Keke Palmer and SZA as best friends scraping by in Los Angeles — and rent is due! Unfortunately, a shady boyfriend seems to have made off with their payment. If they don't scramble together enough cash to appease their crooked landlord, aspiring painter Alyssa (SZA) and waitress Dreux (Palmer) will be out on the curb. These inventive girlfriends go through a wild array of hijinks along the way, crossing paths with a vicious romantic rival, a big-mouthed busybody, a ruthless gangster, and Dreux's muscle-bound crush whose nickname is "Maniac." As the ticking clock comes closer and closer to climax, you'll be worn out from cackling.

The script by Syreeta Singleton is crackling with jokes, and director Lawrence Lamont pitches his cast into some grade-A slapstick. While this comedy's dynamic leading ladies are reason enough to give One of Them Days a watch, they're bolstered by a supporting cast that includes Katt Williams, Maude Apatow, Janelle James, Gabrielle Dennis, and Dewayne Perkins. — K.P.

How to watch: One of Them Days is now streaming on Netflix.

6. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Credit: Netflix

Our pals Wallace the inventor and his loyal pup Gromit have been running around for nearly four cracking decades now, but their latest adventure (and only their second feature-length film, after 2005's The Curse of the Were-Rabbit) proves they've lost not a whit of their vim and verve. Nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl happily proves to be yet another gut-busting bit of British whimsy from Aardman Animation head Nick Park and his team of clay-playing creatives.

Vengeance Most Fowl sees our cheese-loving duo facing down a familiar foe — the diabolical penguin mastermind Feathers McGraw, who was last seen being sent off to imprisonment in the City Zoo in the classic 1993 short The Wrong Trousers. Hacking into Wallace's latest invention, a garden gnome robot named Norbot that he's created to do all of the yard work, Feathers builds himself an army of killer gnomes all programmed to do his bidding. And he wants nothing more than to bid adieu to his nemesis Wallace! — J.A.

How to watch: Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is now streaming on Netflix.

5. Oh, Hi!

This underseen 2025 sex comedy stars The Bear's Molly Gordon as a girl in a tough spot. While on a weekend getaway with her boyfriend Isaac (Logan Lerman), Iris (Gordon) realizes he doesn't think they're exclusive. Turns out, telling your girlfriend that post-coital, while handcuffed to a bed, isn't a great move!

Leaving him shackled, Iris decides she just needs time and a little help from her friends (Drive-Away Dolls' Geraldine Viswanathan and Search Party's John Reynolds) to get Isaac to change his mind. In my review, I wrote, "They've crafted a comedy as current and enthralling as it is outrageous. And by rights, it should prove Gordon is a star." — K.P.

How to watch: Oh, Hi! is now streaming on Netflix.

4. KPop Demon Hunters

Credit: Netflix

Officially the most popular Netflix original movie of all time, KPop Demon Hunters delivers a little bit of everything: romance, action, comedy, and a totally addictive soundtrack.

The story stars with K-pop trio HUNTR/X, who, when they aren't making bops like "Golden," are battling demons to protect the very souls of their fans. But just as they think they're on the verge of building an impenetrable barrier with their songs, the demons fight back with a boy band of their own. The Saja Boys are comically hot, delivering smooth moves, devious plans, and plenty of slapstick. Plus, they've got a tiger, who is cute, creepy, and silly to boot! Whether it's the martial arts action sequences, the swoon-worthy song-and-dance numbers, or the cheeky sense of humor that's grabbed fans of all ages, KPop Demon Hunters is sure to thrill. And hey, there's a sing-along version now too. — K.P.

How to watch: KPop Demon Hunters is now streaming on Netflix.

3. Tootsie

Directed by Sydney Pollack, Tootsie is a comedy classic acclaimed since its 1982 release for its sharp writing and Dustin Hoffman's compelling lead performance as an arrogant actor who gets a better understanding of women by masquerading as one.

Michael Dorsey (Hoffman) had hit a wall in his career. But as Dorothy Michaels, he is swiftly cast on the soap opera Southwest General. There's just a couple of problems (aside from all the lying). First off, he's falling in love with his co-star, Julie (Jessica Lange, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance here). And secondly, Julie's dad (Charles Durning) is falling fast for Dorothy! Silliness and romance ensues in this terrific comedy about gender and love. — K.P.

How to watch: Tootsie is now streaming on Netflix.

2. Triangle of Sadness

Ruben Östlund's Palme d’Or winner and Oscar nominee takes on class, power, and social hierarchy — one of several outstanding eat-the-rich films of 2022. Fueled by projectile vomiting, the film sends you off on a luxurious, highly Instagrammable cruise with influencer/model couple Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean), helmed by a drunken boat captain (Woody Harrelson), alongside a deckhand (Timoleon Gketsos) and cruise manager (Vicki Berlin). The destination, however, is ruin. — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor

How to watch: Triangle of Sadness is now streaming on Netflix.

1. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

Credit: John Wilson / Netflix

With its reputation for wacky musical numbers, the Eurovision Song Contest is ripe for parody. Luckily for Eurovision lovers, the contest gets the send-up it deserves in this gloriously goofy flick starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams. They play the Icelandic musical duo Fire Saga, who find themselves in the Eurovision spotlight. There, they discover that the famed competition is a world of cutthroat competitors, glitzy costumes, and many, many bops.

Eurovision Song Contest is full of larger-than-life characters and ridiculous humor, but it's also teeming with Eurovision references that will have fans laughing and cheering. For every "Jaja Ding Dong," there's a joyful Song-A-Long — and both are great! Pair all that with pitch-perfect comedic performances from Ferrell and McAdams, and you have a comedy that will both have you in stitches and win your heart. (Best of all, if you weren't a Eurovision fanatic before seeing this movie, you'll definitely be one by the time it ends.)* — B.E.

How to watch: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is now streaming on Netflix.

Opens in a new window

Credit: Netflix

Netflix

 

Get Deal

* denotes that this blurb appeared in a previous Mashable list. 

UPDATE: May. 28, 2026, 2:21 p.m. EDT This list was originally published on March 26, 2020. It has been updated to reflect the current selection on Netflix.

Looking to fuel up your Netflix queue with some high-octane action?

Whether you're a fan of wild Westerns, cunning detectives, high-swinging superheroes, ravenous zombies, rowdy thieves, or hard-hitting heroines, Netflix has a movie pitch-perfect for every kind of adrenaline seeker.

We know scrolling through the streaming app can be a chore when all you want to do is Netflix and chill. So, we've taken out the hard step by highlighting the most stunt-stuffed, battle-powered, high-speed films the streamer has to offer.

Here are the best action movies on Netflix, streaming right now.

25. The Lost City

Does it ever feel like nothing will fix your problems but a Sandra Bullock romantic comedy? Enter 2022’s The Lost City. Is it a perfect movie? No. Is it a ridiculously fun adventure chock-full of charismatic actors and one iconic sequin jumpsuit? Heck yes, it is!

Bullock is Loretta Sage, a reclusive romance novelist who has given up on love in her own life after the death of her husband. Channing Tatum is simply perfect as the himbo cover model for her books, who is secretly in love with her. When an unhinged billionaire kidnaps Loretta because her latest book recalls similar details to a lost treasure he’s hunting, Tatum takes it upon himself, and his zero useful skills, to rescue her. — Kristina Grosspietsch, Freelance Contributor

How to watch: The Lost City is now streaming on Netflix.

24. Karate Kid: Legends

It's easy to be cynical about sequels when Hollywood's cinematic landscape is littered with bad examples. But then a sequel comes along that's so good, it'll knock you out. Karate Kid: Legends is a sensational sequel, building on the classic underdog framework of the original 1984 Karate Kid movie while working in fresh fun, familiar faces, and a dazzling new talent. 

Directed by Jonathan Entwistle, Karate Kid: Legends unites the original trilogy's Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) with the 2010 Karate Kid's martial arts master Mr. Han (Jackie Chan). Together, they train a new "karate kid" to best a ruthless bully. But the best bits of this high-kicking sequel are actually when this new kid, Li Fong (played by the dynamic Ben Wang), is carving out his own story in New York City.* — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

How to watch: Karate Kid: Legends is now streaming on Netflix.

23. Starship Troopers

Loosely adapted from Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 novel, this bonkers flick directed by Paul Verhoeven focuses on young, hotshot soldiers as they battle towering extraterrestrials known as Arachnids on a foreign planet. Sure, critics chided this film for totally missing the point of Heinlein's anti-fascist novel. But if you're looking for exciting action, Starship Troopers delivers with big bug battles galore.

Casper Van Dien stars as Johnny Rico, a high school jock who hopes to impress his girlfriend (Denise Richards), an aspiring starship pilot, by becoming a war hero. With the help of his brainy bestie (Neil Patrick Harris), he might have an edge over the bugs. But along the way, Johnny learns the hard truth of war, losing friends and family in the conflict. — K.P.

How to watch: Starship Troopers is now streaming on Netflix.

22. Back in Action

Credit: John Wilson / Netflix

Aptly titled, Back in Action not only refers to the plotline of this charming espionage comedy but also the return of its stars to the spotlight.

Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz co-star as a couple of spies who fake their deaths to flee their dangerous jobs once they learn they've got a baby on the way. Cut to 15 years later, when they're middle-aged with a cozy suburban life that's interrupted by an unexpected visit from some former colleagues. To keep their kids safe, they'll need to go on one more mission. And things get pretty zany — and yeah, corny too. But there's an undeniable pleasure in watching Diaz and Foxx bounce off each other's energy.

In my review for Mashable, I wrote, "Don't overthink it. Turn on Back in Action, and allow the star power and nostalgia for the heyday of '90s rom-coms, the peak of Cameron Diaz fame, and the fun of all that wash over you."* — K.P.

How to watch: Back in Action is now streaming on Netflix.

21. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

This 2018 electrifying adventure won Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards for its dynamic style and compelling coming-of-age story. Forget what you thought you knew about the high-swinging superhero. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse focuses on Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore), an Afro-Latino teen, whose radioactive spider-bite gives him superpowers. But to learn how to be a hero, he'll have to take lessons from some friends from alternate realities, like Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) and Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson).

On top of the kinetic animation style that pulls inspiration from comic books and graffiti, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse also offers side-splitting comedy and eye-popping action. And it's family-friendly to boot. — K.P.

How to watch: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is now streaming on Netflix.

20. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

This sequel to the Robin Williams–fronted Jumanji reconceives the cursed board game as a video game that will literally suck you in. Four teens are transformed into avatars that give them special powers, plus some new perspectives on how they see themselves and one another.

As this quirky group strives to win the game to escape its dangerous realm, there's plenty of action involving the treacherous jungle terrain and its untamed inhabitants. Yet the best bit of this action-comedy is definitely Jack Black, who plays a teen girl with hilarity and empathy. — K.P.

How to watch: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is now streaming on Netflix.

19. Upgrade

The always-welcome Logan Marshall-Green stars here as Grey, an auto mechanic who gets sucked into a nefarious world of cyber-horror when a car crash leaves him paralyzed and his wife dead. Implanted with an untested computer chip that can control his limbs and "fix" his paralysis, Grey's mind starts communicating with the technology, which in turns starts egging him on. After all, why just walk when you can be a kick-ass super-soldier? Needless to say, as in any good RoboCop spin, the corporations are not to be trusted when it comes to our best interests. — Jason Adams, Contributing Writer

How to watch: Upgrade is now streaming on Netflix.

18. Land of Bad

Land of Bad seems fairly generic at first glance. A ragtag group of soldiers (portrayed by both Liam Hemsworth and Luke Hemsworth, American Gods star Ricky Whittle, and former Gilmore guy Milo Ventimiglia) find themselves stranded behind enemy territory in the Philippines and they must, you know, get the heck out of there. Russell Crowe plays "Reaper," a drone pilot who provides air support to the group on the ground by yelling into a telephone a lot. This is nothing we've not seen before!

And yet the movie's actually a solid B-movie slice of old-fashioned action movie entertainment. The film is directed and co-written by William Eubank, whose previous credits include one of the most underrated action-thrillers of recent times, 2020's Underwater with Kristen Stewart. Like that film, Land of Bad doesn't rewrite its genre, but it does bring the action and thrills efficiently and well. — J.A.

How to watch: Land of Bad is now streaming on Netflix.

17. Kraven the Hunter

Credit: Sony Pictures

OK. So you're probably thinking, "Why is a movie with a 15% on Rotten Tomatoes on a best-of list? Is Netflix really so thin on good action?!" I hear you. But look, while Kraven the Hunter is not a great film, or even a good one, it is wildly fun. And the action is a major part of that! 

This Spider-Man spinoff centers on the comic book villain Kraven the Hunter (Aaron Johnson), but makes him less a poacher and more a bad-guy hunting vigilante. And along the way, there's other Spidey characters haphazardly looped in, like Aleksei "The Rhino" Sytsevich (Alessandro Nivola), Calypso (Ariana DeBose), and The Foreigner (Christopher Abbott). But the real fun comes in some fight scenes so violent that Sony's sheer reckless rebellion in the face of MCU PG-13 standards is worth the watch. Like, Kraven bites off a dude's nose. And that's not the climax of a fight. Come on. You want to watch that. — K.P.

How to watch: Kraven the Hunter is now streaming on Netflix.

16. The Union

Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry team up for an action-comedy that is surprisingly charming! He's a Boston everyman who works construction by day and by night hooks up with local hotties (including his former seventh-grade English teacher). She's a globe-trekking secret agent — and his high school girlfriend — who shows up at their old dive bar out of the blue to invite him in on a secret mission. Together, they're working for The Union.

Explosive espionage action blends with rom-com chemistry as Wahlberg and Berry delve into car chases, gun fights, and plenty of bouncy banter. J.K. Simmons brings gruff bravado, while Evil's Mike Colter delivers breathtaking swagger. Full of thrills, fun, and verve, The Union is a great pick for movie night at home.* — K.P.

How to watch: The Union is now streaming on Netflix.

15. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

Coming back onto the scene 30 years after Beverly Hills Cop III flopped, this fourth installment of the comedic crime-solving adventures of Detroit police officer Axel Foley has no right to be as good as it is. Not only did screenwriters Will Beall, Tom Gormican, and Kevin Etten have to manage how public opinion has shifted when it comes to cops who play by their own rules, but also how to approach Axel's wise-cracking sense of humor that traditionally put just about everyone in its crosshairs. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F manages both in a way that gives fresh life to the character without casting aside the fans who loved his wild ways.

As I wrote in my rave review, "Eddie Murphy is as good as ever as Axel Foley." Plus, he's got his old friends, like John Ashton, Judge Reinhold, Paul Reiser, and Bronson Pinchot back and in action. It's an absolute blast to see all these energies colliding, and yet there's room for newcomers, like the dynamic Taylour Paige and the always solid Joseph Gordon-Levitt, both of whom prove to be compelling foils to the ever-quipping Murphy. "In the end, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F isn't just a great sequel, or an awesome action-comedy; it might just be the most entertaining movie of [2024]."* — K.P.

How to watch: Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is now streaming on Netflix.

14. Apex

From Baltasar Kormákur comes a horror thriller that should scare the adrenaline junkie right out of you. Charlize Theron stars as a rock climber determined to take on the white water rapids in Australia solo. But out here in the wilderness, she soon realizes the forces of nature aren't what she should fear. It's a hunter who has his sights set on her.

A truly gnarly action movie, Apex pits a steely Theron against an unhinged Taron Egerton. And sure, the script by Jeremy Robbins sets up some early hints that this is going into sicko territory, but I'd wager you won't predict just how wild this cat-and-mouse game gets. Silence your cell phone. Turn the lights down, and give yourself over to this frightening, fucked-up ride.* — K.P.

How to watch: Apex is now streaming on Netflix.

13. Damsel

Credit: John Wilson / Netflix

Netflix has invested big in Millie Bobby Brown. Not only has the English ingenue led Stranger Things for years, but also she's become an outright action star through movies she has headlined and produced for the streamer, including a pair of Enola Holmes adventures and the fearsome fairy tale Damsel. Here, Brown stars as Elodie, a dutiful damsel destined to wed a handsome prince (Nick Robinson)! But rather than happily ever after, her deceitful groom pitches her into a dragon's pit. However, that's far from the end of her story. She'll fight her way to salvation and vengeance, one fiery sequence at a time.

In her review, Mashable's Belen Edwards wrote, "Boasting some inventive twists and a heartfelt lead performance from Brown, Damsel may not be groundbreaking fantasy, but it is a thrilling ride." — K.P.

How to watch: Damsel is now streaming on Netflix.

12. KPop Demon Hunters

Credit: Netflix

Officially the most popular Netflix original movie of all time, KPop Demon Hunters delivers a little bit of everything: romance, action, comedy, and a totally addictive soundtrack.

The story stars with K-pop trio HUNTR/X, who, when they aren't making bops like "Golden," are battling demons to protect the very souls of their fans. But just as they think they're on the verge of building an impenetrable barrier with their songs, the demons fight back with a boy band of their own. The Saja Boys are comically hot, delivering smooth moves, devious plans, and plenty of slapstick. Plus, they've got a tiger, who is cute, creepy, and silly to boot! Whether it's the martial arts action sequences, the swoon-worthy song-and-dance numbers, or the cheeky sense of humor that's grabbed fans of all ages, KPop Demon Hunters is sure to thrill. And hey, now there's a sing-along version too. — K.P.

How to watch: KPop Demon Hunters is now streaming on Netflix.

11. The Harder They Fall

Credit: David Lee / Netflix

Put 'em up, as this is hands-down one of the best action movies in the Wild West.

Directed by Jeymes Samuel, The Harder They Fall defiantly redefines the predominantly white Western, boasting an incredible cast of Black stars: Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Regina King, Zazie Beetz, LaKeith Stanfield, and Delroy Lindo. A tale of heroes and villains, the film follows Nat Love (Majors) on his quest for revenge against the formidable Rufus Buck (Elba). But he'll have to make his gunslinging way through "Treacherous" Trudy Smith (Regina King) and Cherokee Bill (Stanfield) first. Even before the opening credits roll, you'll fall hard for this one. — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor

How to watch: The Harder They Fall is now streaming on Netflix.

10. Enola Holmes

Credit: Netflix

Sherlock Holmes's much cooler little sister is an overlooked young action hero in Enola Holmes. Based on author Nancy Springer's popular book series The Enola Holmes Mysteries, the film puts the great detective's savvy 16-year-old sibling on the case, played with energetic spoonfuls of gumption by Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown. She's set to solve the greatest mystery of her young life: to find her missing mother (Helena Bonham Carter) through a series of deliberately cryptic clues — all while breaking the fourth wall and confiding in the audience, thanks to Fleabag director Harry Bradbeer and His Dark Materials' Jack Thorne's sharp screenplay.

Stepping into the footsteps of her famous brother Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and avoiding those of her stuffier misogynist brother Mycroft (Sam Claflin), Enola's case leads her on a wild ride through Victorian-era England, with more than a few fistfights and butts to kick along the way. And lucky for you, the sequel is even better. — S.C.

How to watch: Enola Holmes is now streaming on Netflix.

9. They Cloned Tyrone

Credit: Netflix

With this 2023 release, co-writer/director Juel Taylor pulls plenty of inspiration from Blaxploitation. John Boyega, Jamie Foxx, and Teyonah Parris star as a drug dealer, a pimp, and a sex worker who undercover a nefarious conspiracy that's happening underneath their neighborhood. Taylor and fellow screenwriter Tony Rettenmaier weave in wild twists, fly fight scenes, irreverent humor, and swaggering style for what our critic called "a propulsive comedy-thriller with weight." As bold as it is star-studded, you won't want to miss They Cloned Tyrone. And stay for the credits, trust us. — K.P.

How to watch: They Cloned Tyrone is now streaming on Netflix.

8. Kill Boksoon

Credit: No Ju-han / Netflix

Gil Bok-Soon (Jeon Do-yeon) is a single mother who often finds herself at odds with her teenage daughter. She's also a highly skilled and successful assassin. Kill Boksoon is a fantastic action film that sees its main character head straight from a brutal killing to the grocery store so she can get dinner on the table. It's one hell of a hook that sucks you in immediately. The fight scenes are hypnotic and the cinematography ambitious and exciting. It's a gripping thriller that makes plenty of space for the complex emotional reality of its characters.* — K.G.

How to watch: Kill Boksoon is now streaming on Netflix.

7. Triple Frontier

Credit: Netflix

This Netflix adventure has Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal coming together as a group of former Special Forces who plan an elaborate heist in South America. But after things get out of hand, their survival skills are put to the ultimate test.

Putting a talented cast in a tension-filled scenario, Triple Frontier is the type of gritty thriller that's hard to turn away from. — Brooke Bajgrowicz, Entertainment Fellow

How to watch: Triple Frontier is now streaming on Netflix.

6. Okja

Credit: Netflix

Blending drama with fantasy/adventure and weaving in a very real message about the horrors of the meat industry, Bong Joon Ho's Okja is a beautifully unique creature feature, striped with action.

The film follows Mina (Ahn Seo-hyun), the granddaughter of a farmer in South Korea who has spent the last 10 years rearing a genetically modified super-pig called Okja as part of a breeding project spearheaded by a grim U.S. corporation. This movie is dark in places, magical in others, and poignant overall, asking us to stop and reflect on the dark side of an industry the majority of us are complicit in. Tilda Swinton and Jake Gyllenhaal make for an entertaining pair of villains, too.* — Sam Haysom, Deputy UK Editor