I've Never Been with You: Obsession (2026) Review

Director: Curry Barker

Notable Cast: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, Andy Richter

 

I have to give Curry Barker some very intense respect. Not only has his latest film, Obsession, been one of the biggest horror films of all time at the box office, but he also did it with a film that asks the age-old question, ‘What if a Gen Z romantic comedy was the most terrifying thing to exist?’ The premise of so many romantic comedies, particularly those in the 90s and 00s, prior to the genre being stripped for parts and sold wholesale to streaming and television to be exploited as year-round bubblegum movies, was based on a hook and then mined for comedic value. Barker seemingly saw that and decided to take it in the other direction. The results, box office receipts aside, are rather astoundingly effective. Obsession is pitch-black perfect in its tones, a precise blend of dark humor and crippling horror, and executed to the highest degree to deliver a generationally relevant urban-legend-style morality tale.

There was intense hype for Obsession… and the hype is real. 

 

To be fair, the hook of its premise is a well-trodden trail for horror. Bear, played by Michael Johnston in a performance that one might call ‘a half step away from dying of anxiety at any given moment,’ stumbles across a cheap ‘wish fulfillment’ tchotchke called the One Wish Willow and uses it to wish that the girl he has been pining for at work will love him more than anyone. It’s a monkey’s paw scenario: once he breaks the willow piece for his wish, after absolutely whiffing his chance to confess his feelings for her when she just blatantly asks if he likes her, she becomes obsessed with him, and it gets real fuckin’ scary from there. Not in a Lifetime movie way either. As the tagline states, be careful who you wish for. 

 

The Net Is Vast and Infinite: Ghost in the Shell (1995) Review

Director: Mamoru Oshii

Notable Cast: Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Otsuka, Iemasa Kayumi, Koichi Yamadera, Yutaka Nakano, Tamio Ohki, Tessyo Genda, Masakazu Namaki

 

There are films and stories that are meant to be franchised and serialized, and as the film industry grows and intellectual property expands, it’s always looking to mine material for the next big ‘thing.’ Perhaps one of the most fascinating franchises, though, is Ghost in the Shell. 

 

On paper, it makes sense. Cyberpunk aesthetics, a strong, layered lead character, the possibility of ensemble storytelling, and a world that demands exploration for its themes of cybercops, hackers, and political corruption. Yet, in revisiting Mamoru Oshii’s iconic 1995 anime, the film seems uninterested in using its story and characters to craft ‘episodes’ that adhere to a more mainstream narrative. Instead, he uses the manga launch point to craft a truly existential experience, philosophically analyzing the relationship between organic and inorganic, the soul and programming, and whether humanity has a future in its own destiny. 

 

Gorgeously animated, impressively written, and anxiously crafted to compel its audience to ask questions, Ghost in the Shell is the kind of film that would push its audience intellectually rather than guide them to entertainment. It’s the kind of artistic merit that makes it a science fiction icon, rising above its genre trappings and elevating it to something far more universal. It’s truly next-level filmmaking. 

 

Evil Dead Wrapped: Lee Cronin's The Mummy (2026) Review

Director: Lee Cronin

Notable Cast: Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, May Calamawy, Natalie Grace, Shylo Molina, Billie Roy, Veronica Falcon, Hayat Kamille, May Elghety

 

When it was initially announced that Lee Cronin’s follow-up to Evil Dead Rise would be a new version of The Mummy, I was kind of stoked. His first film, Hole in the Ground, was a fantastic, character-driven, atmospheric horror film about loss, so combining his talents for scares and atmosphere could prove valuable for an update of The Mummy. Of course, if he were the one to be part of Universal’s updates on the classic monster series, then the film would have to be from, you know, Universal, and Lee Cronin's The Mummy was slated by New Line Cinema. 

 

Huh. This would not be an update of that series, I guess.

 

Nonetheless, he’s a talented director; the film still managed to find backing from Jason Blum and James Wan as producers (like Universal’s other reboots of The Invisible Man and Wolf Man), and for that alone, it was worth taking a gander. I’m a sucker for seeing a new adaptation of classic stories and genres. 

 

However, Lee Cronin's The Mummy is not the film one might expect, particularly with its marketing. Instead of going for the traditional Mummy movie narrative where someone fucks with a sarcophagus or tomb and a mummy, in some form, pops up to get revenge for their arrogance - and if we’re lucky there might be a sweet love story somewhere in there inspired by Universal’s 1932 The Mummy plot, this one is definitely going for pure monster mayhem with gore, gross-out-gags, and lots of supernatural lunacy. You know, less of a Mummy movie and definitely more of an Evil Dead knock-off.