Movies I’ve Seen Recently: A Totally Unbiased Review
Over the summer holidays and throughout these first few weeks of university, I’ve gone to see a lot of movies, some old favourites and some new ones. As such, I’ve naturally thought about which ones I’ve liked and which ones I haven’t and honestly, I figured I’d share my thoughts somewhere. Since you’re reading this, you’ll be subjected to my very random list of movies, and some commentary on them. I shall aim for a relatively spoiler-free review but I make no promises. Oh and I’d advise you to remember, dear reader, that this review is totally and utterly unbiased and has not even a hint of the personal preferences or interpretations of the author. And no humour. None whatsoever. This is a completely serious review.
So, without further ado, here is the list:
Obsession (2025, dir. Curry Barker)
A certified nice guy™ has a hard time dealing with the fact that his crush isn’t dating him and now that’s everyone else’s problem. Like seriously. I felt terrible for both Nikki and Sarah, from the jump I was like ok Bear can f right off and Ian needs to grow a backbone or two. It was a lot.
Haven’t felt that spooked by a horror movie in ages. I love horror and movies that analyse interpersonal relationships in such a fascinating way but good god man I needed a breather after that. Still thinking about it but I refuse to rewatch it this soon. It’s been well over a month but I absolutely will not be rewatching until maybe next year. Maybe.
Bad. Awful. I still feel disgust when I think about Bear and his dumbass face.
10/10
Backrooms (2026, dir. Kane Parsons)
Men will literally do anything but go to therapy. Or then they’ll go to therapy and weaponize that against everything else in their lives. Magnificent performance from Chiwetel Ejiofor (who you might know as Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave), made me truly repulsed at times. Krista Kosonen is also in this movie and I love that for her.
Cool effects, nice suspense, great performances and all that but the ending felt… flat. Also the only really scary thing about the monster in this movie is not seeing it. The second I saw it I almost burst out laughing in the theatre. Glad I didn’t, but it was close.
7/10
Project Hail Mary (2026, dir. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller)
Ryan Gosling wakes up in space, gets white girl wasted and goes through all the stages of grief within a few days. Oh and then he meets an alien and they become besties. Shenanigans ensue.
I love getting reminded of the fact that Gosling is a great actor and not just funny. Gosling’s portrayal of Dr. Ryland Grace’s awkwardness and his interactions with his alien friend are wonderful to watch. But this movie is also painful. In the best possible way, of course, but so damn painful. Well executed in terms of timing, temporality, suspense, etc. and overall just a great time until you find yourself bawling your eyes out. Love this movie and I love it even more with every re-watch.
Normally I would deduct points for using one of the most overplayed Harry Styles songs in the movie but because the rest of the movie was such a blast I have elected to ignore that. You’re welcome, Harry fans.
10/10
The Odyssey (2026, dir. Christopher Nolan)
Supposedly an adaptation of Homer’s epic tale. But like… Odysseus who? Odysseus where? That guy was not Odysseus I don’t care what you tell me. No such man in sight, no sir. Also imagine getting mogged by some dude’s helmet. And by some dude I mean Agamemnon because f*ck that guy. He sucks in every version of the myth and I’m a Clytemnestra apologist until I die, sue me. Anyway can you tell I was not a fan?
Like ughhhhhh. Why is Nolan allergic to colour? There were cool elements sure but it was so grey and dark and dull. And again, Odysseus was nowhere to be seen, his most interesting features as a character were just utterly erased. The dialogue felt almost parodical at times and dramatic moments fell all kinds of flat more than once.
That being said, some scenes were gorgeous and the story was cohesive. As a stand-alone movie? Great. As an adaptation of The Odyssey? Not so much. Changes are understandable, but only to a point.
5/10
ATEEZ: Light The Way (2026, dir. Ji-ae Kim)
A VR concert experience straight from my nightmares. There’s only so much I’m willing to see of my favourite performers and they do not need to be that close to me. Ever. Thank you.
Was the music good? Yes, obviously. Are they all great performers? Yea. (Unless we’re talking about their acting between songs… love them but they could not convince me they were in actual danger even once.) Was the concert itself way too short? Yes. Quite a huge chunk of the movie was made up of an interview and a whole lot of behind-the-scenes footage of the group filming the actual concert. And as much as I hated the fact that the camera was far too close for comfort, I’d rather watch the making of material at home as a YouTube video or something.
It was definitely an experience. Could not recommend. Yes it’s cheaper than an actual concert but I’d much rather be broke and happy than save money and have the members of Ateez stare into my soul on a giant screen.
4/10
The Drama (2026, dir. Kristoffer Borglin)
A couple is about to get married but then some horrible shit comes to light and drama ensues. Roll credits. Rachel really pissed me off though like good lord woman.
It was certainly a rough watch for someone who feels second-hand embarrassment literally in their bones. Forced myself to watch but also could not look away. That being said, I do love to see actors who clearly love their craft and do it well! There is discussion on some hefty issues and the characters feel so real from the leading cast to each side character and their reactions to the transpiring events. A banger of a movie, but I do have to deduct points for just how deeply I wanted to bury myself underground while watching.
9/10
Deep Water (2026, dir. Renny Harlin)
A flight crashes into the sea and oh no there are sharks! That’s it.
Predictable plot, silly characters that were more just archetypes or caricatures than believable human beings. Bad karaoke, siblings finding their love for each other through tragedy, sports vs. e-sports, forbidden love and a bunch of sharks. Perfect movie.
And by perfect I mean it’s perfect for someone like me who loves predictability. I fully called the reason for the initial crash (by this I mean the character and his antics), the deaths of so many passengers and almost choked on my popcorn when the movie repeated a dramatic pan from the deck of a boat to a close up of the main character’s face. No notes, incredible predictability. Bad movie though.
5/10
Insidious: Out of the Further (2026, dir. Jacob Chase)
Could not explain the details of the lore to you even if I tried.
But moral of the story: going to the dentist is utterly horrifying. Also I didn’t know you could turn a sofa into a liminal space but here we are. Magnificently horrible and disgusting mouth shots and some creepy old people. Oh and I always love a good badass granny pulling insane stunts -subplot. Great stuff. Generational drama, hot policeman, lots of dead people and puppet theatre with oranges. What’s not to love?
Horror franchises tend to kind of lose focus and get a little sloppy over time but this was a pretty solid movie. Not like super great either but I’ve seen much worse. Nothing utterly terrible, although some very weird insinuations about mental health… But there’s a cute dog so that’s nice.
6/10
