Reviews for February 13th, 2026
A mysterious man (Sam Rockwell) from the future recruits a group of patrons from a diner to help him save the world from Artificial Intelligence in Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die. The team he assembles includes Ingrid (Haley Lu Richardson), Mark (Michael Peña), Janet (Zazie Beetz), Scott (Asim Chaudhry), Marie (Georgia Goodman), and Susan (Juno Temple). Director Gore Verbinski and screenwriter Matthew Robinson have made a wildly entertaining sci-fi action comedy that's funny, thrilling, campy and delightfully bonkers. The concept of time traveller going back in time over and over again to try to save the world from AI sounds intriguing and timely. Fortunately, it works without getting stretched too thinly because the filmmakers take the time to expand the backstories of each of the patrons before they embark on their mission. Susan has the most interesting and profound backstory because she communicates with her dead son through AI. The man from the future also gets his own backstory eventually, so it's great how the exposition is peppered throughout the film without the filmmakers bombarding the audience with it all at once.
Besides the blend of outrageously funny comedy and thrills sans tonal unevenness or clunkiness, the other strengths include a few memorable surprises and very stylish visual effects as well as production design. Moreover, each member of the ensemble cast has their moment to shine and is well-cast, especially Sam Rockwell who has a lot of fun with his role. Be prepared for a wild, crowd-pleasing ride that's best experienced while high. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die deserves to be a cult classic like Donnie Darko and 12 Monkeys. At a running time of 2 hours and 14 minutes, it opens nationwide via Briarcliff Entertainment.
Number of times I checked my watch: 1
In By Design, Camille (Juliette Lewis) turns into a chair and everyone around her including her friends, Lisa (Samantha Mathis) and Irene (Robin Tunney) like her more that way instead of as a human. Writer/director Amanda Kramer has made a provocative, absurdist experimental film with shades of Buñuel and Charlie Kaufman that's dull and stretches its bold premise too thinly. Melanie Griffith serves as the voice of the narrator. Although initially refreshing, By Design becomes repetitive around the 45-minute mark while running out of new things to say. There's not enough comedy to engage the audience and very little depth despite brief attempts to comment on superficiality and shallowness. The Substance tackles those topics more insightfully while remaining entertaining. It's ultimately less than the sum of its parts and leaves the audience underwhelmed as its dramatic momentum fizzles out without recovering. While it's great to see un-Hollywood and unconventional concepts, they don't always work, which is the case with By Design as well as last year's The Fantastic Golem Affairs. Perhaps this would've worked better as a short, but as a feature length film, it overstays its welcome. At a running time of 1 hours and 32 minutes, By Design opens at Quad Cinema via Music Box Films.
Number of times I checked my watch: 4
Travis (Joe Keery) and Naomi (Georgina Campbell), employees at a self-storage company at a US military base, find their lives at stake when a deadly fungus escapes a storage room in Cold Storage. Director Jonny Campbell and screenwriter David Koepp have made a horror comedy that doesn't take enough risks with its B-movie plot and suffers from an uneven tone that blends dark humor, action, horror and a little drama. There are clunky backstories and subplots like Naomi's ex-boyfriend and how Travis ended up with the nickname Teacake. Audiences looking for a palpably scary horror film will be disappointed because the filmmakers don't offer many scares. There's some violence and grotesque sights, though, but, for the most part, the plot meanders after the strong opening scene that introduces the main conflict and the basic exposition. Once the film flashes forward twenty years later to Travis and Naomi, the film's intensity wanes and it takes too long before the inevitable mayhem occurs.
Unfortunately, Liam Neeson and Leslie Manville are wasted in supporting roles as members of the U.S. military experts in bioterrorism who are tasked with storing the deadly fungus at the storage facility. They deserve a better screenplay and more scenes together. Ultimately, Cold Storage is a mildly engaging horror comedy that fails to deliver enough laughs, imagination, and scares. If it were campy and much more bonkers, it would've been a mindlessly entertaining guilty pleasure. At a running time of 1 hours and 39 minutes, it opens nationwide via Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Number of times I checked my watch: 3
Will (voice of Caleb McLaughlin) follows his dreams by joining a team of roarball players, Archie (voice of David Harbour), Olivia (voice of Nicola Coughlin), Lenny (voice of Steph Curry), Modo (voice of Nick Kroll), and Jett (voice Gabrielle Union) in GOAT. Director Tyree Dillihay and screenwriters
Aaron Buchsbaum and Teddy Riley have made an underdog sports story that's mildly engaging and harmless, but forgettable and often dull without enough laughs or wit to entertain adults. The plot doesn't have any surprises or anything that makes it feel fresh which would've been fine if there were other elements to engage the audience, like memorable characters. Some of the roarball players on Will's team are zany and over-the-top, but also somewhat annoying. The pace moves quickly---too fast, at times---and the music isn't anything exceptional. On a positive note, the animation does look impressive and similar to the visual style of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Kids will find GOAT to be amusing, but without entertaining adults and children simultaneously, it's not even close to reaching the heights of animated classics; its quality is more like the mediocre Viva Kids movie Grand Prix of Europe. At a running time of 1 hour and 40 minutes, GOAT opens nationwide via Columbia Pictures.
Number of times I checked my watch: 3
Sam (Kristoffer Polaha), an impressionist who has been having a hard time finding success, signs a deal with an agent to use a ventriloquist dummy for his shows which would bring him success and fame in Mimics. Soon enough, the dummy takes control of him. Director Kristoffer Polaha and screenwriter Marc Oakley have made a wickedly funny, wildly entertaining and effectively creepy horror comedy. Sam's thirst for quick fame and fortune comes at a cost to his sanity and, potentially, to his own life, so he's cut from the same cloth as Faust. His contract with the agent is essentially a Faustian bargain. The plot gets pretty dark and twisted as it progresses and there are more than a few scenes that will make you feel uneasy. Polaha and Oakley opt for more psychological horror, though, rather than merely trying to scare the audience with blood and guts. They also avoid relying on shaky cam to add tension. To be fair, Mimics doesn't quite push the envelope of horror comedy, but it's nonetheless a solid B-movie with impressive production design and visual effects. It would be an interesting double feature with Magic, a 70's cult classic starring Anthony Hopkins. At a running time of 1 hour and 30 minutes, Mimics opens in select theaters nationwide via Panoramic Pictures.
Number of times I checked my watch: 1
Rebecca (Willa Holland) starts a new job working the night shift at a mortuary where she encounters demonic possession in The Mortuary Assistant. Raymond (Paul Sparks), the owner of the mortuary, helps her through her ordeal. Director Jeremiah Kipp and his co-writers, Tracee Beebe and Brian Clarkey, have made a horror film that's uninspired and tedious, but does manage to be atmospheric and mildly creepy thanks to the production design and cinematography. The screenplay, based on the video game, has a simple plot that doesn't leave much room for interpretation, especially during thr third act when a lot gets over-explained. There's not much of a mystery because it's obvious from the beginning that the corpses at the mortuary are possessed by a demon which could end up possessing Rebecca. Audiences looking for a terrifying and consistently gripping supernatural horror film like The Autopsy of Jane Doe or, the cream of the crop, The Exorcist, will be disappointed. It's not clunky and bland like The Ritual or The Containment, though, but it could've been more than just a by-the-numbers and mediocre B-movie with a more bold and psychologically intriguing plot. At a running time of 1 hour and 31 minutes, The Mortuary Assistant opens in select theaters via Epic Pictures, Dread and Shudder.
Number of times I checked my watch: 3
Matt (Matt Johnson) and Jay (Jay McCarrol), best friends and bandmates, desperately want play a gig at a Toronto venue called Rivoli and come up with schemes that backfire before they end up travelling back in time to 2008 in Nirvanna: The Band - the Show - the Movie. Writer/director Matt Johnson and screenwriter Jay McCarrol have made an outrageously funny and surprisingly heartfelt satire of Back to the Future. It's shot as a mockumentary, so there's some shaky cam which might make some audience a little nauseous. Johnson and McCarrol have a great command of tone which mostly remains light with offbeat humor. If you're old enough to have lived through 2008 (which was two decades ago), you'll enjoy some of the jokes like when Matt and Jay bump into goths on the sidewalk. The plot does get a little dark as it veers into thriller territory, but it never takes itself too seriously, so don't expect any suspense from that subplot. Of course, there's a MacGuffin: special water that they use to fuel their time machine, an RV, when it runs out.
What happens when their future selves meet their past selves? You'll have to watch the film to find out because that won't be spoiled here. However, it's worth mentioning that the filmmakers anchor the film in humanity by exploring the topics of friendship and fame which adds some depth. Although it's not a complete laugh riot and some of the jokes fall flat it does manage to offer some surprises and thrills with a warm, beating heart beneath the surface. At a running time of 1 hour and 40 minutes, Nirvanna: The Band - the Show - the Movie opens in select theaters via NEON.
Number of times I checked my watch: 2
In The Observance, Madison (Kate Dailey), has a car accident and goes into a coma. When she wakes up five years later, she learns that her husband, Gabriel (Patrick Harney), and daughter, Nia (Darby Cappillino) have joined a mysterious religious cult called The Observance led by Jonah (Alec Jones) and that he gave away her home to the cult. She hires Writer/director Robert Hollocks and co-writer Amy Rhinehart Bailey, have made a by-the-numbers, overwrought and undercooked horror thriller with stilted dialogue and mediocre performances. The few twists can be easily predicted as Madison investigates the cult's links to a series of murders in the small town. Moreover, the third act feels rushed and lazy. The film's strength is Ted Raimi who brings charisma and authenticity to his supporting role as Richard, Madison's lawyer. He gives the most convincing performance among the entire ensemble. At a running time of 1 hours and 42 minutes, The Observance opens in select theaters nationwide via Beyond Casual Media. It's just as unscary, clunky and dull as The Strangers: Chapter 3 and, another horror thriller about a cult, Dirty Boy.
Number of times I checked my watch: 3
In "Wuthering Heights", Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) has fallen in love with Catherine (Margot Robbie), whom he has known ever since they were children when her father, Mr. Earnshaw (Martin Clunes), adopted him off the streets. When her father struggles financially after gambling his money away, Catherine marries Edgar (Shazar Latif), who comes from a wealthy family. Heathcliff, now jealous and heartbroken, marries Edgar's sister, Isabella (Alison Oliver), out of spite.
Writer/director Emerald Fennell has made a sexy, exhilarating and visually stunning adaptation of the classic novel by Emily Brontë. She does a great job of introducing the characters and developing the bond between Heathcliff and Catherine in the first act during their childhood, so the beats land when Catherine eventually marries the wealthier Edgar and when Heathcliff gets his revenge by becoming wealthy himself and marrying Edgar's sister. They're both emotionally immature and somewhat deranged yet currently madly in love with each other. It's exciting and a guilty pleasure to watch just how far each of them will go to make them other one jealous or to express their vindictiveness through pranks and mind games---putting raw eggs, shell-on under Healthcliff's bed sheets, for instance, happens to be among those pranks. So, "Wuthering Heights" feels thoroughly captivating without any dull moments.
The other major strengths of "Wuthering Heights" include the breathtaking cinematography, use of color, costume design and production design which become part of the film's substance. Nearly every shot looks like a painting. The entire ensemble cast is superb, even those in supporting role like Martin Clunes, Alison Oliver and Hong Chau who plays Nelly, another orphan that Mr. Earnshaw takes in and puts her to work as his housekeeper. Most importantly, though, Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie are well-cast and have palpable chemistry together. They help to make "Wuthering Heights" engrossing from start to finish. At a running time of 2 hour and 16 minutes, Wuthering Heights opens nationwide via Warner Bros. Pictures. Don't be surprised if it gets nominated for awards during the next awards season.
Number of times I checked my watch: 1
