Never After Dark, in Cinema Daily US

NEVER AFTER DARK combines creepy old school filmmaking techniques with the elegant simplicity of Japanese artforms, making it the scariest film of the year. CINEMA DAILY US review up here.

The Transformers: The Movie, in Cinema Daily US

THE  TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE is a nostalgic blast to watch on the big-screen with fans. Fathom Events' 40th anniversary presentation adds a brief but classy tribute to Peter Cullen and thee brand new, slightly odd short film epilogue, OPTIMUS PRIME: AWAKENING. The original 1986 film still holds up nicely. CINEMA DAILY US review up here.

Hope, in Cinema Daily US

The Korean creature feature HOPE boasts wildly deranged action sequences and gleefully over-the-top gross-out humor, which more than makes up for the derivative science fiction premise. CINEMA DAILY US review up here.

Suzuki=Bakudan (Japan Cuts '26), in Cinema Daily US

SUZUKI=BAKUDAN could be the next hot property for international remakes following its Japan Cuts '26 premiere. Its a twisty psychological thriller with explosive high stakes. CINEMA DAILY US review up here.

Junk World (Japan Cuts '26), in Cinema Daily US

It feaures an unusually mucky and grimy dystopian setting, but the stopmotion animation and immersive world-buiolding in JUNK WORLD are exponentially more impressive than any big-budget tent-pole released in theaters this year. Japan Cuts review now up at CINEMA DAILY US here.

Cocoon: One Summer of Girlhood (Japan Cuts '26), in Cinema Daily US

Inspired by the Himeyuri Students of Okinawa and animated by several Studio Ghibli veterans, COCOON: ONE SUMMER OF GIRLHOOD is exactly the sort of serious, allegorical film that can only work as animation. CINEMA DAILY US Japan Cuts review up here.

Supergirl, in Cinema Daily US

SUPERGIRL takes such a dark turn (compared to SUPERMAN), parents might want to reconsider taking their younger children. Almost all the fun comes from Jason Momoa's Lobo, but the other alien creatures and worlds lack personality. It simply fails to build on the good vibes of SUPERMAN. CINEMA DAILY US review up here.

The Furious, in Cinema Daily US

THE FURIOUS is the real action deal, featuring dozens of prominent inernational martial artists in a massively gritty, pain-defying old school throw down. CINEMA DAILY US review up here.

Renoir, in Cinema Daily US

Despite its unhurried pace, RENOIR consistently lands as an emotionally complex Japanese 1980s coming-of-age drama that trats its youthful characters with respect and sensitivity. CINEMA DAILY US review up here.

Pressure, in Cinema Daily US

Despite some historical favoritism, PRESSURE keenly portrays the burden of command through Brendan Fraser's standout performance as Eisenhower and fully establishees the weighty implications of hiss go or no-go decisions. CINEMA DAILY US review up here.

Passenger, in Cinema Daily US

PASSENGER is deceptively simple but eerily potent, because its lore involving St. Christopher his demonic nemesis, and Depression-era Hobo culture carries such deep archetypal resonance.CINEMA DAILY US review up here.

Wizard of the Kremlin, in Cinema Daily US

Jude Law is chillingly, image-shattringly good as Putin in WIZARD OF THE KREMLIN, Assayas's big, sprawling, more-truth-than-fiction chronicle of Russia's slide back into totalitarianism, as witnessed first hand, by a key Kremlin power-broker. CINEMA DAILY US review up here.

Silent Friend, in Cinema Daily US

SILENT FRIEND invites viewers to meditate on what it means to be human, through a solitary reesearcher's relationship with plants (perhaps accidentally expressing the post-Covid, post-Hong Kong crackdown zeitgeist). Not all three of its intertwined stories are equally successful, but it still represents assured and refined filmmaking. CINEMA DAILY US review up here.

That Time I Got Reincarrnated as a Slime the Movie: Tears of the Azure Sea, in Cinema Daily US

The new THAT TIME I GOT REINCARNATED AS A SLIME movie, TEARS OF THE AZURE SEA, features the franchise's most cartoony character, but in an appealignly bittersweet underdog story. CINEMA DAILY US review up here.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie: Scarlet Bond, in Cinema Daily US

To build buzz for the new film, Crunchyroll brought THAT TIME I GOT REINCARNATED AS A SLIME THE MOVIE: SCARLET BOND back into theaters. It stands alone fairly easily and features several surprisingly compelling exclusive-to-the-film characters. CINEMA DAILY US review up here.

Lee Cronin's The Mummy, in Cinema Daily US

There are no pyramids or tomb-raiding in LEE CRONIN'S THE MUMMY, but it serves up a lot of seriously demonic scares and some particularly gruesome body-horror. Fans not wedded to Mummy movie traditions should appreciate this radically new take, because it does what horror movies are supposed to do. CINEMA DAILY US review up here.

Brand New Landscape (ND/NF), at Cinema Daily US

BRAND NEW LANDSCAPE is a quiet but potent family chamber drama that also has a good deal of architectural savvy. The minimalist aesthetic is not for everyone, but the performances are impressive. ND/NF review up at CINEMA DAILY US here.

Exit 8, in Cinema Daily US

EXIT 8 is one of the most successful horror movie adaptations to-date, thanks to its creepy images and performances. Yet, itt also reflects a keen awareeness of its absurdist-existential predecessors that could help it crossover beyond category CINEMA DAILY US review up here.

Sins of Kujo, in Cinema Daily US

In Netflix's SINS OF KUJO, the title character represents the worst of the worst. His ethics are unconventional, but he has an economist's understanding of incentives and unintended consequences, which makes the series one of the bet legal dramas in a long time. CINEMA DAILY US review up here.

Project Hail Mary, in Cinema Daily US

PROJECT HAIL MARY successfully marries the hard science fiction of Arthur C. Clarke with an alien buddy movie. It is the kind of original genre filmmaking that can rekindle interest in sf. CINEMA DAILY US review up here.