Author: Mark A. Lester

Wildwood (2026)

Hopefully you won’t find this too vulgar of me, but when I think of the Laika film studios, the word that keeps coming to mind is “ballsy”.

With five feature films already under their belt (two of which, The Boxtrolls and Missing Link, I still need to see), they have been walking to the beat of their own drum since Coraline came out in 2009. I was a little late to the party, having only discovered them a decade ago with Kubo & the Two Strings (which I called the best film of 2016); it did not take long to realize they make films that are a darker alternative to the films of Disney, Pixar, Illumination, and the other studios around.

Tags 2026, Amandla Stenberg, Angela Bassett, Awkwafina, Carey Mulligan, Charlie Day, Jacob Tremblay, Kubo, Kubo and the Two Strings, Laika, Mahershala Ali, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Richard E. Grant, Tom Waits, Travis Knight, Wildwood

4 1/2 Stars

You Can See Everything (2026)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date October 21, 2026
No Comments on You Can See Everything (2026)

At the strong recommendation of my good friend Myles, the only prior knowledge I had of Nathan Fielder was of his TV series The Rehearsal.

It did take a few episodes to realize the fact that Nathan Fielder was diving more into just what the premise of the show promised (a chance for people to live out scenarios they were, for one reason or another, unable/unwilling to do in real life). This at least gave me some prep for what Fielder (and co-director Lance Oppenheim) might have in store with You Can See Everything, the latest documentary on Elizabeth Holmes (someone I knew very little to nothing about).

Tags 2026, Documentary, Elizabeth Holmes, Nathan Fielder, You Can See Everything

3 Stars

The Social Reckoning (2026)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date October 9, 2026
No Comments on The Social Reckoning (2026)

When discussing the best films of the 21st century, there seems to be a near-universal consensus that 2010’s The Social Network must always be in the conversation.

While certainly a great movie (and comparatively better than The King’s Speech, which it lost Best Picture to), there is still this small voice in my brain thinking that it may be just a tad over hyped at times. When I did my list of the 100 best films of the 2010s, I had it at number 67 (6 7?! That was not planned). That placement is one of many of the absurdities of the list when I look back, but I still feel there are, simply put, better films that came out this century.

Tags Aaron Sorkin, Bill Burr, Billy Magnussen, Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, Mikey Madison, Rated R, The Social Network, The Social Reckoning,, Wunmi Mossaku

2 Stars

Digger (2026)

Digger is another one of those films that is impossible to …well, dig into without spoilers.

Consider this your warning.

Tags Digger, Inarritu, Jesse Plemmons, John Goodman, R, Rated R, Riz Ahmed, Sandra Huller, Tom Cruise

4 Stars

Resident Evil (2026)

Looking back, the OG Resident Evil game had a lot of firsts for me when I was at the tender age of 9 or 10.

The first true horror video game I played. The first time I was introduced to what a zombie is. The first time I realized dogs could be terrifying (the real ones remember that part when you are going down the hallway and a dog comes through the window). The first time I learned that there is no such thing as unlimited ammo. The first time I learned of cringy cut scenes. The first time I learned a video game-to-filmadaptation may not be a good idea (I only saw the first Milla Jovovich film and parts of the second. I did not need to continue after that). So, yes, the game was formative to my younger years.

Tags Austin Abrams, Paul Walter Hauser, R, Rated R, Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2026, Video Game Movies, Zach Cregger, Zombies

1 Star

The Runner (2026)

Unless you are an aficionado of music history, the following names may not ring a bell:

Redbone, The Buggles, The Vapors, Deep Blue Something, Daniel Powter, a-ha, Soft Cell, Dexys Midnight Runners, Los Del Rio.

Tags Amazon Prime, Damian Lewis, Gal Gadot, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Rory Wilmot, Streaming, The Runner

3 1/2 Stars

Coyote vs. Acme (2026)

Is there a more resolute, fictional lovable loser than Wile E. Coyote? Because I can’t think of one.

For over ¾ of a century, his quest to capture the Road Runner has been more memorable than any cartoon short of Tom and Jerry. His 0 percent success rate is one of the truly rare things that can make me laugh with the same delight I had as a kid watching reruns on Cartoon Network. Still, all this time I thought Wile was the bad guy (being a carnivore and all), but now, having seen Coyote vs. Acme, I’m not so sure.

Tags 2026, Animation, Coyote vs. Acme, looney-tunes, Movie Review, Movies, PG, Rated PG, reviews, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote

3 1/2 Stars

The End of Oak Street (2026)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date August 15, 2026
1 Comment on The End of Oak Street (2026)

Since I never got around to seeing the TV series Lost and only a few years ago finally got caught up with all the Mission: Impossible films, the first time I remember seeing J.J. Abrams was for the 2011, now nearly forgotten gem Super 8.

That film (starring upcoming future star Elle Fanning) was an original nostalgia trip into late 1970s sci-fi (a true precursor to Stranger Things). It was no surprise to me, then, when I found out Abrams was one of the main producers of The End of Oak Street (granted, it is in the early 80s, but that is not far off).

Tags Anne Hathaway, Christian Convery, Dinosaurs, Ewan McGregor, film, J.J. Abrams, Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, Movies, PG-13, Rated PG-13, The End of Oak Street

3 1/2 Stars

Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date August 4, 2026
No Comments on Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)

It’s nigh impossible to talk about any MCU film without talking about how they are marketing their material.

(Come to think of it, it is also impossible to review Spider-Man: Brand New Day without spoilers: here is your warning.)

Tags Brand New Day, Jon Bernthal, Marisa Tomei, Mark Ruffalo, Marvel, MCU, Michael Mando, Movies, Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Tom Holland, Zendaya

4 1/2 Stars

The Odyssey (2026)

There is an unwritten rule in movie-going lore that I am still in pursuit of: seeing Lawrence of Arabia on the big screen (specifically in 70mm). While I have seen the film, I know experiencing it on the big screen is what makes it arguably the greatest of all film epics. While I have seen some epics in my life on the big screen (the LOTR trilogy, a re-release of Gone with the Wind), it is not often that I get to see a film that truly defines the term “epic”.

Well, after predominantly sweeping the 96th Academy Awards with Oppenheimer, who better to satisfy that epic itch than Christopher Nolan?