Happy Days (2026) Rome 2026

Claudia is a young woman who is trying to find her place in the world. She is hampered by her turning into a shaggy winged creature when she gets out of sorts.

Stay with me because I have a great deal to say about HAPPY DAYS. I say that because there is a lot to unpack concerning this film.  I also want to say that I absolutely love moments in this film and there are some things I question, however, over all I do like the film.

At the risk of scaring some people away the title of the film is a direct reference to the Samuel Becket play Happy Days about a woman who is buried in sand  and unable to move. She remains happy because she choose to be. Claudia is seen in portions of the film in situations that mirror the play. This is because she is learning part of the play as her entry audition into a theatrical academy. While you don't need to know the play, it helps if you have some familiarity with it.

I absolutely loved the first third of this film.  The set up of Claudia and her life was spectacular. There are some great performances and some fantastic needle drops that drive the film forward at pace. It's a wonderful look at a woman who is trying to find her place in the world.

The problem with the film comes in the second half of the film. Much of the shading of the first half disappears and the story is reduced to Claudia wandering around in her shaggy skin, trying to get along, worrying that everyone is looking at her (They are not they just take her as she is or ignore her as people in crowds do.) Indeed the film essentially stops some where in the final third where not much happens and it feels like they were just waiting for 90 minutes to run so they could end the film. It's not bad, but it doesn't live up to the first part of the film.

Okay, yes, the film ends on one of the best needle drops of the year, but I wish there had been a tad more in the final bit so that I cried rather than just got misty.

While HAPPY DAYS is imperfect it has these wonderful moments and killer ending which make it worth trying when you get the chance.

The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony (2023) Opens Friday

This was one of the hidden gems of Tribeca.

This is a small film about young women in Pakistan who decided to buck tradition and do gymnastics. It a look at sport, the women and the society they live in. It's a film that isn't what you think it is. Its a film that is juggling a good number of balls in such a perfect way that you will not be aware of wehat the film is doing until you get to the end. It a magic trick that is going to make you want to see the film a second time so you can see how things play out. And if you do see it a second time you are going to be richly rewarded.

The need to see the film a second time is something I know first hand. I had watched a chunk of the film at the Tribeca P&I screening before ducking out because there was something about the audio and my lack of sleep for the days before that was lulling me to sleep. The rhythms of the score was something similar to something I use to fall asleep to. Running into someone connected to the film outside the screening I asked for screener that I could watch at a later time. They obliged me and in my not so free time, I watched the film again. The film grew in my heart.

This is a special film. What I liked about the film the second time was that know where it's going and the arc of the young ladies involved you realize what a journey, they are making. There is a great deal more weight to the tale then you realize the first time through. You realize the odds that they are fighting. They aren't just young girls but things to be married off to young men. That they are allowed to compete is kind of a miracle. I was moved.

Finding films like this is why I wade heavily into Tribeca. It's a film that doesn't, on the face of it scream excitement, but ends up being way more moving and exciting then the big and loud films.

Highly recommended. See this film when you can.

SYDNEY CASH MAKES TOO MUCH ART (2026) Newport FIlm Festival

Sydney Cash Makes Too Much Art is a portrait of the artist by his son. The young Cash, a filmmaker who is struggling to make enough money to support his family doing commercial jobs is desperate to know how his father has been able to make art as his full-time gig for over 50 years.

This is a loving portrait of a father by his son. It’s a film that seeks to not only explore the work of artist who can’t stop creating but also looks to explore the changing face of art and what it takes to follow the creative life and still be able to afford groceries.

This is a solid little film. Despite following a more or less expected course the film engages us because the Cashs are compelling pair. Because they are so close the details of what we see are broader than if an outside had put the film together.

I liked the film and I found myself thinking about it during the films that I watched it afterward (That’s a rave folks)

A gem of a film Sydney Cash Makes Too Much Art is recommended.

Ariela Rubin on Wicker (2026) which opens Friday

Wicker takes place in a village during medieval times. Olivia Coleman plays a single fisherwoman who’s made fun of by the townspeople.

One day at a wedding, instead of a bouquet being thrown, an egg filled with dye is passed around. It accidentally falls at her feet, releasing purple smoke and implying she will be the next person in town to get married. Everyone snickers at the idea.

She decides to take matters into her own hands and asks the basket maker, played by Peter Dinklage, to make her a husband, and so he does. 

This begins an unconventional love story. I went into this knowing nothing about it, and I think that’s the best way to experience it. I will say the movie is very bizarre, but you just have to go with it. It’s a story about love, loneliness, town gossip, and jealousy.

One unique aspect is that no character has a name, they’re only referred to by their job, or by their spouse’s job. Olivia Colman is “the fisherwoman.”  She has no other name. The same goes for all the other characters.

I laughed outloud so much, and I really loved this film. This was my 6th film of the Sundance Film Festival, and so far by far my favorite.

Revisiting the “Wes Craven Presents” Movies

There was a brief period from the mid-’90s to the early 2000s where it seemed like on any given trip to the local video store you might stumble across a horror movie sporting the words “Wes Craven Presents” across the cover. It was a smart business move. Craven was already one of the genre’s most recognizable and respected figures. You know the titles: The Last House on the Left, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and, of course, Vampire in Brooklyn. Um, okay, maybe let’s scratch the last one. Everything changed in 1996 with the release of Scream, whose massive success transformed Wes Craven from acclaimed filmmaker into a marketable brand—and the subject of this article.

Now, that’s not to say his name didn’t already carry weight. The man created one of horror’s most iconic villains in Freddy Krueger and launched one of the genre’s biggest franchises. But films like The People Under the Stairs and Shocker weren’t exactly household names. Post-Scream was a different animal. Suddenly, Craven was “relevant” again—either rediscovered by audiences who had drifted away from his later work or embraced by an entirely new generation of fans. Honestly, both can be true.

Let’s dive into it, and we have to start with the precursor to all of this.

Mind Ripper (1995)

Technically, Wes Craven Presents Mind Ripper. Or, if you prefer, Wes Craven Presents The Hills Have Eyes III: Mind Ripper. Hell, it’s even called The Outpost in some markets. Yeah, it’s one of those. 

Originally, this was conceived as another sequel to The Hills Have Eyes. One of Craven’s earliest films—and one of his best. He also directed the follow-up, though it’s probably best remembered for featuring a flashback sequence from the first film’s dog. The dog. Anyway, what makes this one different is that it was produced and co-written by Wes’s son, Jonathan Craven. Certainly no one can blame you for having your dad’s name as an executive producer credit to help generate interest.

Unlike the films that would follow, Mind Ripper debuted on HBO. As for the plot, it follows a group of medical researchers whose experiment creates a mutated killer that begins stalking everyone inside a remote underground laboratory. In other words, not exactly The Hills Have Eyes. It stars Lance Henriksen and marks the film debut of Giovanni Ribisi, which might be the most interesting thing about all this. As for the mutant, well, take one look and you can determine if you ever want to watch this. My guess is no. 

See, it has to be pointed out that Craven didn’t direct Mind Ripper—or any of the films we’re about to get into. In that case, he was helping out his son, which makes perfect sense. The rest was more along the lines of, “Oh, you want to use my name to help sell this? Okay, sure. Just add another zero to that check!”

Wishmaster (1997)

An evil Djinn is unleashed after a priceless gemstone is discovered, granting wishes in the worst ways imaginable.

First off, Wishmaster never felt like it was part of this group. And maybe that’s speaking in hindsight. Yes, it was marketed as Wes Craven Presents Wishmaster, and this was the first theatrical film to earn that after the release of Scream. But it was—and still is—considered an entertaining and fun horror flick. It caught on with fans right from the jump, even spawning its own franchise. That was enough for it to distance itself from the pack. I can only speak for myself, but when I saw this in ‘97, after already watching Mind Ripper, I thought, “Woah, that’s infinitely better.” Then you witness what came after this, and it’s really like, “Okay, yeah. You don’t need to sit at the table with those other people.”

Another film we’re about to get to also had its own series, though the reception was considerably colder.

Carnival of Souls (1998)

Craven was initially approached to direct the film, but passed while developing Scream. Nice move. Instead, he remained on as executive producer, with Trimark Pictures paying to put “Wes Craven Presents” in the title. As for the movie itself, it follows a woman plagued by strange visions after surviving a car accident. Despite the name, don’t expect a faithful remake of the original.

It never captures what made the 1962 film so memorable. Instead of the eerie, dreamlike atmosphere that made that a cult classic, this newer version feels like a standard late-’90s supernatural thriller. It’s poorly directed. It looks amateurish and lacks any style at all. No, you know what. I feel like that’s putting it too lightly, so let’s just say this movie is downright terrible and move on. Toss it.

Don’t Look Down (1998)

Later on in ’98 came a made-for-television movie that centered around a woman overcoming her fear of heights while mysterious deaths begin piling up around her. More importantly, it was meant to launch an annual “Wes Craven Presents” Halloween movie series on ABC. It failed to attract much interest, and that was the beginning—and the end—of that idea. And if you ever watch it, you’ll know why. Utterly forgettable. But it did get a DVD release in the early 2000’s. 

Dracula 2000 (2000)… no shit

When we reached the new millennium, the “Wes Craven Presents” banner finally made its way back to theaters. Dracula 2000 is basically, “What if we took Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire and gave him a Matrix makeover?” This time around, a group of thieves accidentally unleash Dracula while robbing what they think is just another high-security vault. As expected, vampires start multiplying, and the whole thing eventually builds toward one of the strangest twists ever attached to the Count.

Well, it’s very much of its time. It’s overly stylish with a nu-metal soundtrack. It does have the best cast, by far. Christopher Plummer, Gerard Butler… I mean, it’s certainly respectable. As expected, there’s outdated CGI, but to its credit, it also uses some practical effects. It’s all just very silly in a way that will either work for you, or it won’t. I remember the reception upon its release being fairly negative. Maybe it still is, but I think it’s found its audience over the years. Personally, not a fan, but yeah, sure, it’s more memorable than the last two movies I referenced. It even spawned a pair of direct-to-video sequels. So, suck on that, Carnival of Souls.

They (2002)

They was the next and last of the theatrical releases. And I can attest that it was released in theaters, cause that’s where I saw it. Me and a whole empty room. What a way to go out. This one follows a group of friends haunted by shadowy creatures they encountered as children, only to discover those nightmares were real all along.

I really don’t mind the premise here. But it never lives up to its full potential. The fear of the dark is something just about everyone can relate to, and the creatures themselves…well, you never really see them. They’re constantly obscured by the shadows, which is the whole point. I get that. It’s just kinda average, though. That said, I’ll still take it any day over several that were mentioned.

About those aforementioned vampire sequels. 2003 saw the release of Dracula II: Ascension. And in 2005 is where this decade-long “Presents” run ended its reign of, well, whatever it was, with Dracula III: Legacy. Good call dropping the “2000” title, because, yeah, that would’ve been pretty stupid. Btw, I’ve never seen either of those, so whether they’re good or bad, I don’t know. But apparently Rutger Hauer plays Dracula in the latter. Which seems incredibly fitting eight films into this.

By 2005, Craven had spent years dealing with the production nightmare that became his werewolf feature, Cursed. Much like the later "Presents" movies, it was released through Dimension Films/Miramax. Meaning, he had to work with the worst person you know, and human waste, Harvey Weinstein. Whether that had anything to do with the branding disappearing or it had simply run its course, this experiment quietly faded away.

And speaking of fading away, and Harvey Weinstein… well, that joke just writes itself. 

Steel: The Blood of Us (2026)

Portrait of the English city of Port Talbot in their final year of making steel in the traditional way. The film is a chronicle of the people and places in the city.

This is a solid little documentary. This will be best viewed on the big screen where the images will pop and where you will truly get a sense of place as the images fill your sight lines. Watching the film on a small screen I constantly wished I was sitting in one of the bigger theaters here in New York.

One part elegy for a changing way of life and one part celebration for a town and people that is still standing, STEEL:THE BLOOD OF US is a film that is full of life and nostalgia. The past is not as far away as we might think.

I was moved.

Recommended.

One Last Order (2026)Woodstock 2026

Portrait of a woman Sighle, on her last day working at Florida drive thru restaurant. She had worked there for 37 years and over all those years she knew the names and orders of everyone who came to eat... and everyone of them decides to show up and say good bye.

This is a lovely film. Its beautiful portrait of a woman who touched the lives of all of everyone she met for the better. Its a film made with the love that Sighle created - which apparently is infinite.

I loved this film. When It was done I was emailing my friends who are willing to cover shorts and told them to see it.

What a joy.

Highly recommended.

THE ROSES OF MARRAKECH (2026) Rome

In Marrakech, Leila, the house keeper and friend of the the dying Madame Isabelle, keeps her house running. She flirts with with the gardner and generally just gets along. When her sister arrives to ask for money her life is upended.

This film absolutely delighted me. An absolute unexpected joy, I went into the film knowing nothing about it other than the title. It became one of the few films of the fall festival season where I fell under its power and never looked at my watch, and was saddened when it ended.

That the film works is due to the cast, headed by Nisrin Erradi and Fanny Ardant. There is an ease and a love between the women that makes you feel that there is a long history between them. You understand how they can lean into each other, Leila about the son she was force to give up and Isabelle about her illness and the daughter with whom she  can't commincate.  There are oceans of feelings between them and its all on the screen pulling us deeper into the story.

For me the film is nearly perfect. I took almost no notes while watching it. My only quibble is that Leila's sister shows up about five minutes into the film to ask for money. There is nothing wrong with it as such, but it is much too early in the film since we don't really know the characters yet so we have no idea how or why its up setting. While we get up to speed later in the film, it would have has a bigger impact if it happened  a few minutes later.

But that is a quibble, since this film is joyous and lovely and one of the most wonderful cinematic experiences I've had this year.

Highly recommended, this small cinematic gem will live in your heart.

What Lives in Room 214? (2026)

 

An actor trending upward finds himself stuck in a motel with some odd people, unable to leave.

This short feature film is going to leave you pondering what the hell this is all about. Thats both a good thing and a bad thing. 

The bad thing is that as a straight on thriller the film doesn't completely hold together. The problem is the film wants to be obtuse at times and perhaps mine the off kilter territory of David Lynch. However where lynch had a knack for making us by the weirdness by bending reality, writer director Brandon Rice makes a misstep by keeping the film a bit too close to reality. 

This not to imply that the film is bad, more that it plays better as an allegory. If you step away from what is actually happening on screen as literal fact, the film suddenly pops into docus. We no longer need every thing to line up. Rice actually makes a better allegory than Lynch because the over lay of reality to what he is saying results in a connection to reality Lynch doesn't always have. Rice's effort ponder how we end up being trapped by success or fame or something else in our lives hits home. We understand how sometimes we can't leave.

The cast headed by Adam Joseph Turner and almost unrecognizable Timothy Cox is first rate, with the exchanges between the two men being wonders to be hold.

While probably not for all audiences, I think it may frustrate some people, those willing to work with and take the ride it wants to give will come away delighted

Heat of Madness(2026) Stiges 2026

A crook with a tentative hold on reality is hoping to for one big score. However, his plans go horribly wrong endangering not only his life but the life of his wife and unborn child.

Karim Ouelhaj returns with mean and nasty film that is like an unending march into hell on the road to redemption where no one and nothing is safe. While not as bleak as his previous film, MEGALOMANIAC which was about the children of a serial killer, HEAT OF MADNESS is almost as trying a visual experience. Karim Ouelhaj seems to want to punish his audience just as much as his characters and I suspect that he will soon have people not  wanting to see his films because they are so deeply affecting.

While I liked Ouelhaj‘s previous film it didn’t quite work for me as a whole. It seemed to be more about effect than narrative. With this film however Ouelhaj is still going for the jugular but he has a tighter grasp on the narrative and focus. It isn’t all about great shots, but about one man unraveling. What I loved about this film is that Ouelhaj amps up his visual style, the opening sequence is ethereal and dream like in some ways with images I wish I had seen on a truly huge screen.

Not for the weak of heart HEAT OF MADNESS is a killer film. It’s a kind merging of noir and horror into something truly uncomfortable.

Recommended.

Natural State (2026) Woodstock 2026

This is a look at the time Julie Thayer spent with"anti"guru U.G. Krishnamurti. Krishnamurti said their was no such thing as enlightenment. That he wasn't to be followed. He challeneged everything you were and thought. He either broke people or sent them away enlightened.

 Full disclosure, because of my late friend Lou I had run across UG  many years ago. We had long discussions about the man and his thoughts. Lou was facinated. I knew that his way wasn't my way and I was cerain he was someone taking money  from people who didn't realize that they could chart their own lives. This would lead into days or weeks long discussions of philosophy and religon which largely ended up with the end point that the number of the paths to god is as many as their are living beings. There is no great truth just an observation that so two people go the same way even if they walk side by side.

But I digress.

The film is made from hundreds of hours shot by Thayer who documented everything about master, from roundtable discussions to trips to K Mart. Its a warts and all look at a man, his followers and his vidographer. I say that because the film is very much about Thayer as anyone else. Its a trip into her life with the man who would shape who she became.

And at this point I leave you to decide if you want to see the film or not. I say that because twenty years of discussion about the man and his philosophy most certainly plays into how I feel about the film. I can not in good graces begin to know what you will think of the film or the people at the center. For me it was an interesting ride that kicked up a lot of the past for me.

Is it worth trying? Yes, especially if you are interesting in atypical ways of seeing life.

Lanterns Season One

 

LATERNS is really good.

A revision of the relationship between Hal Jordan and John Stewart, as well as the Green Lantern mythos, It’s a wonderful rethink of the characters but in a real world situation.

A dual story of now and the investigation of Hal’s death and then, the events that brought that to fruition, the film is the story of two guys trying to do what’s right in a messy world.

For me the first six episodes are perfect.  They are a slowly building tale that ends at the perfect place to pause. Where episode 6 ends should have been the end because that’s where you want to stop and reflect.

Episode seven flounders. Stuff happens but it feels like all exposition to get to the next chapter.

Episode eight flounders and then nailed it in the final minutes with an exchange that left me sobbing.  I honestly don’t know if this will work for a second season, but I want to find out.

I know DCU and Green Lantern purists have been having a cow over the changes. My attitude is to hell with them (I mean people are upset they killed Hal and he’s been dead in the comics for decades). The old versions of the characters are still there, but like every other change or version that has come down the pike in the last 60 plus years it’s simply a temporary rethink. Like the Elseworlds line that brought some classic stories these tales are perfectly fine on their own. Ultimately there have been too many versions over the years so there is no point in getting upset as to what is the right version- every one is.

Is the show worth seeing? If you want a story about people and not super heroics, absolutely. This is a story of flawed and broken people that is largely extremely well told.

Brief thoughts on Midnight Dreamers (2026) IFFSA Toronto

In a dystopian future where people are reduced to numbers, two brothers are hunted by an unnamed killer.

If you are a fan of thrillers MIDNIGHT DREAMER is one to watch. While the dystopian world doesn't always make a great deal of sense, but the plight of two brother on the run thrills. 

There is a reason I love looking at smaller films and smaller festivals, which is simply you get to see films that open up your world view. The films you find are not like the mass produced product from Hollywood. The films  have a point of view that we haven't seen before and introduce you to new directors. Watching this film from the International Film Festival of South Asia Toronto I was introduced to Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker Khizer Khani who gives us a thriller that is colored by his South Asian upbringing. It's his perspective that brings life to what should have been a by the numbers film. Instead of a film that is hurt by any short comings, we get a film that itrigues us with choices and voices that we don't see.

This is an unexpected treasure. When MIDNIGHT DREAMER gets near you, give it a try. 

Brief thoughts on THE BOYS AND THE BEES (2026) Woodstock 2026

This is a portrait of the Ray family, a Black family earning a living on a small farm in Georgia. Over the course of the film we see the life they live and watch as their sons learn to tend the bees in their hives.

This is a small lyric little film that reveals the beauty of family and the way we grow over the course of our life.  It is a small jewel of film that reached out and touches your heart in the best sort of way.

Highly recommended

we're nothing at all (2026)

Herman Yau makes his best film and his most frustrating film at the same time.

The film is the based on true story about a bus explosion on a city street. The police investigate and try to piece together what happened and who was responsible.

To be perfectly honest the police procedural portion of this film is as good a film as I’ve seen this year. It’s frank discussion of the bombing and its nuts and bolts look at how the police investigate some thing as terrible as this is fantastic. This seemed to be as close to a police investigation as I’ve ever seen put on film. Its meaty and honest and truly great.

The problem is the material is the soap opera tales of all the people on the bus. By the numbers doesn’t do it justice. The people stuff is wildly over the top. More so the tale of doomed gay romance. It never felt real and felt like it was being used simply to pull at the heart strings of the audience. I wasn’t so much engaged but strapped to a chair and forced to watch.

I was frustrated because it was too much of a slog to get through the drama to really enjoy the police procedural.

If you can put up with the soap opera, the police stuff is worth a look

clean hands (2026)

True life story about a narcotics cop dealing with the fact his daughter is an addict. The film follows the pair's journey to the founding of a place to help people get clean.

Zach Braff's on target performance as a cop is the best thing in this wildly uneven even film. Swinging from bad cliche to deeply moving, often from moment to moment, this film is the ver definition of all over the place. Braff's sterling performance often has to interact with actors who seem to have wandered in from another film. The script mixes real moments with WTF ones as if the writer was working on a solid scsene but suddenly had to rush and cribbed dialog and plotting from a bad TV series from the 70's.

Its facinating to watch but at the same time it isn't very good. 

I heard a couple of people say Braff was so good they thought he could end up in the Oscar mix, to which they added that it would never happen because the rest of the film will weigh him down.

While I am super critical, a number of people at the P&I screening were less so and thought it was okay on it's own terms.

The choice to see it is yours.

Brief thoughts on Vintage Violence (2026) Sitges 2026

A live streamer investigating an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere finds a bunch of vintage blue jeans. Its a haul that is worth a lot of money. One of his followers convinced him that if he flies to Japan he will be able to make even more money.  The guy jumps on a plane, unaware that his follower is planning on scamming him and taking the jeans to pay off a debt to the yakuza....but the yakuza finds out and descides to take the jeans for themselves.

While the humor and the horror don't always mix, this is for the most part a wicked little thrill machine. This is a film of escalating insanity that keeps you watching because you will want to see how this plays out. Odds are you will be like me and have a blast seeing this and waiting for the next turn.

A kind of word of warning, this film has a very busy style. Split screens, multiple angles and images mix with computer and phone screens to make a film with a lot of information both visual and aural being thrown at you. Normally I would tend to shy away with a film that has such a busy form, but here it all works.

I don't know what else to say other than - What a wonderful blood soaked delight. Get some popcorn and enjoy.

Recommeneded.

FREE JOAN LITTLE (2026) Woodstock 2026

Portrait of Joan Little, who was sexually assaulted while in prison and killed her attacker, a prison guard. She was aquitted of the killing

Let  me cut to the chase, this is one of the best films you'll see this year. 

It is a film that will shake you ton your core and piss you off. Just because some one is in prison it doesn't mean that they should be sexually brualized, which is something the film makes clear that most prisoners experience. 

I was moved.

I have no notes because this film is as perfect a film as you can see.

In an age when sexual violence against women is on the rise, FREE JOAN LITTLE makes clear that it is never okay, regardless of their status because their simply being a human being and deserving of respect trumps all other reasoning.

See this movie and be moved.

Ranting on Street Fighter (2026)

 

Latest attempt to make a live action film based on the Capcom game is like watching four versions of one story thrown in a blender and then having pieces randomly pulled out and assembled until the two-hour mark was reached at which time the end credits rolled before the story was done.

The plot, such as it is, has Lord Bison staging a martial arts competition so he can steal some sort of energy from a powerful fighter named Ryu. I won't go into details because the rest of the narrative so frayed that plot points go nowhere. Characters show up and do nothing. Things happen and then are ignored. This is so badly put together that this is a film about a fighting contest where the fights are weak and the actual competition happens off screen and involves lots of walk overs.

While the anime sequences promise a better much more serious film that would be worth paying money to see, the rest of it seems to have been written and made by horny 12 years old who don't know how to talk dirty or tell a joke. Everything seems to be stupidly smutty. Many of the jokes involve guys getting hit in the balls by fists or feet or sexualized women abusing men. The rest of the jokes are about guys almost being gay. There are more sexual references in this film than most adult films.

The one thing in this film that works is the cast. Everyone sells it to the point that you wish the film was better. I mean that across the board, this cast deserved so much better. Their performances are wasted (particularly Orville Peck who plays Vega, the gut with a mask but is given next to nothing to do other than stand there. It could have been anybody)

Who thought this was a good idea?

Yes, I will concede that some of this works, but at the same time the editing is so awful that we just bounce from thing to thing randomly....

...and it doesn't end- it just stops...clearly the filmmakers and the studio are optimists because they are hoping for a sequel that is never going to happen. (I keep thinking there is a five-hour version somewhere that makes actual sense and covers all ten thousand plot points they skipped.)

While the animation keeps it from being a total waste, this is a film that is going to play best when you can get drunk and riff it with friends.

Case 137 (2026)

An internal affairs officer investigates an incident during the yellow jacket riots in 2018 France where a young man was hit in the face by a police projectile which stattered his skull.

This is a very good look at how the police are viewed and how they investigate their own. We are hooked early and are dragged along with the investigation. Its a mystery of sort that plays bettwer than many actual cinematic mysteries of recent vintage.

The film is absolutely compelling from start to almost finish. What I mean by that while the film lays out the investigation and the characters beautifuly, the film shifts in the final minutes to become a polemic about the police and society. The wind up becomes a less a conclusion than a lecture. While it isn't bad it takes the edge off the satisfaction.

Wobble at the end aside, this is a solid film and worth your time and money.