Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good fight… and if you’re nice, you get presents from the Big Guy. If you’re naughty, you get justice.
David Harbour reprises his role as Santa Claus in a propulsive new chapter in yuletide mayhem from 87North – the powerhouse producers of Bullet Train, John Wick, The Fall Guy, Atomic Blonde and the Nobody franchise – and returning action director Tommy Wirkola.
Watch the trailer for VIOLENT NIGHT 2 – in theaters December 4.
In 2022’s bare-knuckle holiday sensation, Violent Night, an embittered Santa, armed with lethal combat skills, took out a team of mercenaries to rescue a girl and her family. Now, not-so-jolly Saint Nick suits up again to take on a ruthless gangster (Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Jared Harris) terrorizing the merchants of the Silver Bell Mall.
But when Santa forgets the true meaning of Christmas, he finds himself in the heart of a lively mall community in desperate need of his help. Sapped of his magic, he’ll need another way to take on the goons threatening the mall, and time is running out. Santa has to rediscover his faith in goodness and call in some last-minute reinforcements from the one person no baddie wants to tangle with: Mrs. Claus (Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Kristen Bell).
(From left) Mrs. Claus (Kristen Bell) and Santa Claus (David Harbour) in Violent Night 2, directed by Tommy Wirkola.
Along with David Harbour, Jared Harris and Kristen Bell, the dynamic cast includes Emmy winning screen legend Joe Pantoliano (The Last of Us, The Sopranos), Daniela Melchior (Fast X, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Andrew Bachelor (Greenland, The Walking Dead), and AEW professional wrestler Maxwell Friedman (The Iron Claw, Happy Gilmore 2).
Violent Night 2 is directed by returning filmmaker Tommy Wirkola and produced again by 87North founders Kelly McCormick and David Leitch. The film’s returning screenwriters are Pat Casey and Josh Miller. Violent Night 2 will be released by Universal Pictures.
“Sophie Cross (a/k/a Crossroads): Season Two” is an emotionally intense French procedural that returns with three more two-part, 50-minute episodes . In each pair, there’s a new murder for our crew of protagonists to solve, plus the continuing arc of lead detectives Sophie (Alexia Barlier) and Thomas (Thomas Jouannet) desperately trying to find their son who had been abducted three years earlier at the start of Season One. Although they open this round with a brief recap, it may not be informative enough for returning fans. So, here’s a link to my review of the first year: https://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2026/01/sophie-cross-tv-series-review/
The first crime evokes thoughts of the board game Clue, as someone kills a professor in the library with a ladder. His backstory and the current campus climate of political turmoil provide a cornucopia of suspects and motives. The second pair covers the murder of an Olympic-hopeful track star whose career and romance were decimated by a conviction for doping, despite her claims of innocence. The final one starts with the murder of a woman running a gambling con that proves to be the tip of the iceberg for her complex set of schemes. All are as well-written by Marie-Anne Le Pezennec and Paul Piedfort as what their collaboration produced in the first year. Perhaps even better, in terms of plot complexity and suspense.
Throughout the season, the search for young Arthur starts revealing a much bigger criminal conspiracy than they’d imagined, with more bodies piling up along the way. That arc provides much of the emotional impact and moments of urgency for this set of stories. The least gratifying subplot is the interminably awkward fits and starts between subordinate detectives Fred (Oussama Kheddam) and Amina (Mariama Gueye) at becoming a non-work couple. Some may find their course amusing or endearing; I’ve been around too long to remain patient with that much fumbling.
The good news is that all subplots reach closure. At the very end, the show offers a brief ominous hint of what might come next. But worry not, faithful readers: Season Two aired in 2023, and its final episode turned out to be the series finale. So there’s no frustration over an unresolved cliffhanger—only regrets that we’ve seen the last of this solid, multifaceted drama.
French-language crime drama SOPHIE CROSS Season 2 streams August 4th, 2026 on MHz Choice.
After their ship gets caught in a mysterious storm, the PAW Patrol pups crash land on an uncharted tropical island filled with dinosaurs. They meet Rex, a pup who has been stranded on the island for years and has become an expert in all things dino-related. When the PAW Patrol’s archrival, Mayor Humdinger, begins recklessly mining in hopes of exploiting the island for its natural resources, he inadvertently causes a huge, dormant volcano to erupt. The PAW Patrol pups are thrown into a series of high-stakes, dino-sized rescues bigger than anything they’ve done before, as they must stop Humdinger before everything on the island goes extinct.
Ava Max has released a brand new track and lyric video “Work (from PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie),” out now via Visva Records/Republic Records. Written by Ava Max, Nick Monson, Mareen Mcdonald, Mark Nilan Jr. and Sean Douglas.
See PAW PATROL: THE DINO MOVIE in Theatres August 14, 2026!
What if one messy night turns out to be the best thing that ever happened to you?
This summer, Will Gluck, the filmmaker of Anyone but You and Easy A, celebrates modern romantic comedy on the big screen with a fresh, witty, swoony original film about searching for love on the least romantic night of the year.
Academy Award® nominee Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown, Top Gun: Maverick) and BAFTA nominee Callum Turner (Masters of the Air, Fantastic Beasts franchise) star as Allie and Owen, two love-starved strangers who crash into each other in an ever-so-slightly fictionalized New York City on the one night of the year when single people are allowed to have sex.
Recently dumped Owen and hopeful romantic Allie might be the only two singles in the city looking for more than just a quick encounter. They both feel a spark when they meet, but a series of missteps and side quests complicate their night, keeping them apart. As they each race toward and away from each other across the city, they just might discover that the one thing they want most is closer than they think.
Rated R for sexual material, language and brief nudity.
(From left) Band members (Stephanie Chow, Sabrina Song), Allie (Monica Barbaro), band member (Jaylen Paetinaud) and Blu DeTiger (Blu DeTiger) in One Night Only, directed by Will Gluck.
The film’s electrifying cast includes Maya Hawke (Stranger Things), Julia Fox (Uncut Gems), indie pop sensation King Princess (Nine Perfect Strangers), Ben Marshall (Saturday Night Live), Ziwe (Baited with Ziwe), and screen legends Molly Ringwald and Levar Burton.
One Night Only is co-written, directed and produced by Will Gluck, based on a script from Travis Braun. The film is produced by Will Gluck through his company Olive Bridge Entertainment, and by Olive Bridge VP Jacqueline Monetta (exec producer, Anyone but You).
Callum Turner as Owen in ONE NIGHT ONLY, directed by Will Gluck.
Olivia Colman appears in Wicker by Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Lol Crawley.
Black Bear has unveiled the official trailer for their highly anticipated comedy-drama WICKER.
An audacious comedic fable about sex, marriage, and the absurdities of social convention, WICKER tells the wholly original love story of an ostracised fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) who commissions a husband to be made by the local basketmaker (Peter Dinklage). When her wicker husband (Alexander Skarsgård) proves more spectacular than she ever imagined, his soulful spirit and unique prowess awaken something inside her, setting off a wave of jealousy, fascination, and upheaval that threatens the very fabric of village life.
Directed by Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston, who also adapted the screenplay from Ursula Wills’ acclaimed short story The Wicker Husband, WICKER boasts an outstanding ensemble cast led by Academy Award® winner Olivia Colman, Golden Globe® winner Alexander Skarsgård, Emmy Award® winners Peter Dinklage and Elizabeth Debicki, alongside Richard E. Grant, Nabhaan Rizwan, Marli Siu and Ella Bruccoleri.
The film made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, where it received widespread critical acclaim and was met with two standing ovations. It sits at 91% at Rotten Tomatoes.
From the survival hit that tapped into the fear of heights and left two friends stranded at the top of a tower comes a climb that goes higher, gets deadlier, and hits with next-level adrenaline. In FALL 2: DEADPOINT, two friends take on new heights in Thailand, where unpredictable terrain, extreme exposure, and nowhere to hide push survival further than ever before.
So are you down – then check out the brand-new trailer.
The 2022 vertigo-inducing survival thriller FALL became a massive sleeper hit and cult favorite on Netflix.
FALL 2 is helmed by The Spierig Brothers who directed DAYBREAKERS, PREDESTINATION and WINCHESTER. It is written by Jonathan Frank & Scott Mann, based on the character created by Jonathan Frank & Scott Mann.
See FALL 2: DEADPOINT in theaters September 2, 2026.
PG-13 for strong language, some violent content/bloody images and drug material.
Here’s a first look at the upcoming film HA-CHAN, SHAKE YOUR BOOTY!
Haru and Luis love competing in Tokyo’s ballroom dance scene, but after tragedy strikes, Haru withdraws into isolation. When friends coax her back to the studio, she develops an infatuation with the new instructor. She must face what comes next as sparks fly.
Directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka, watch the terrific new trailer.
The film stars Rinko Kikuchi, Alberto Guerra, Alejandro Edda, YOU, Yoh Yoshida, Damián Alcázar. The score is from composer Nathan Halpern.
Winner of the 2026 Sundance Directing Award (U.S. Dramatic), reviews were fantastic! Glenn Garner of Deadline highlighted a train-set dance sequence using practical effects, and Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post called it a “delirious gem” full of “joyous company numbers. Patrick Gibbs of Slug Magazine suggested Kikuchi could be “a dark horse Oscar contender.”
Sony Pictures Classics will release HA-CHAN, SHAKE YOUR BOOTY! in theaters nationwide September 25, 2026.
Opening in theaters on March 5th, check out the first trailer for THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR.
Academy Award winner Michael B. Jordan directs, produces, and stars in a visually breathtaking, sensual, and unexpectedly moving heist thriller, where the most dangerous man in the room is the one nobody’s watching.
The film also stars Kenneth Branagh, Adria Arjona, Lily Gladstone, Danai Gurria, Pilou Asbæk.
In addition to this latest film, there have been two other movies. The original 1968 romantic heist film directed by Norman Jewison, stars Steve McQueen as the titular billionaire bank robber and Faye Dunaway as the insurance investigator tracking him down. It’s known among film buffs for it’s famous chess scene.
The 1999 remake directed by John McTiernan stars Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo, shifting the core heist plot from a bank robbery to an elegant art theft.
THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR is directed by Michael B. Jordan with a screenplay by Drew Pearce and Jason Hall. Story by Alan R. Trustman and Drew Pearce and Based On A Screenplay by Alan R. Trustman.
As we trudge past the miserable heat of July, many movie fans might think that the Summer season of blockbusters is over with the arrival of August. And they would be wrong. Just as it appeared that TOY STORY 5 would be crowned box office king of 2026, film franchise royalty returns after a five-year hiatus. Ah, but with his comic book roots, will the media pundits crying “superhero fatigue” be proven right, especially after SUPERGIRL failed to take flight? Well, from the internet buzz and the spectacular ticket presales, it looks like this scrappy wallcrawler has many more “webs to spin”. But with a new director guiding that trilogy’s trio, his many fans are bracing for a different era in SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY.
Here’s the cover to a paperback prose story with the then CBS TV stars back in the late 70’s!
Yes, a new, more subdued tone is established in the opening moments of this installment. The spell cast by Dr. Strange in the previous film hasn’t weakened. The world has forgotten Peter Parker (Tom Holland), who is now living on his own. When he’s not working as Spider-Man with his NYPD connection (unofficially), Det. Jean DeWolff (Liza Colon-Zayas), Pete is following the constant online video updates (all through MIT) of former BFF Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon), with cameos from his roommate pal, MJ (Zendaya). And yes, Pete’s still carrying a “torch” for his lost love. Which is why he’s spending so much of his time as the Big Apple’s protector. Naturally, things get very weird when a super-villain he helped put away, Mac Gargan AKA the Scorpion (Michael Mando), is sprung from the fortress run by the feds at the Dept. of Damage Control by a mysterious mind-controlling force that jumps from one person to another, after a janitor commandeers a tank. Complicating things is the unwanted “help” from NYC’s other, less-adored vigilante, Frank Castle AKA the Punisher (Jon Bernthal). After a briefing by DODC chief Bill Metzger (Tramell Tillman), Pete runs into Ned as he grabs some supplies for his big housewarming party. Following him, Pete crashes the party and sees MJ there with her new beau. Later that night at his home, he seems ill and faints. The next morning, Pete wakes up in a web cocoon, outside his window. Something’s happening with his body and mind. Could his spider-enhanced DNA be mutating? A visit with celebrated ESU prof Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) just raises more questions. Can Peter survive this “metamorphosis “, while stopping this new menace that appears to emanate from a shadowy young woman (Sadie Sink)? And will he find a way to reunite with his old friends turned puzzled strangers?
Despite the large, impressive supporting cast, this story belongs to Holland’s maturing Peter Parker and his arachnid alter-ego. Here he expands on his dramatic talents, going even further into pathos from the last entry. Though a lot less awkward (somehow more confident in uniform), Holland leans into the tragic consequences of his fateful, mind- and world-altering, though selfless, decisions. And that’s coupled with his panic over the strange alterations in his mind and body. Certainly, Holland is more than up to the challenge, despite having played the role for ten years over six movies. His “heavy-lifting” emoting is done with his leading lady, now real-life wife Zendaya, whose MJ still has a snarky, dark attitude, but has learned how to let people “in”. Her big “revelation” scene with Holland is a heart-tugging highlight. Their rapport is balanced by the sweet-natured charm of Batalon, who somehow becomes more enduring, even as his Ned becomes “Spidey-obsessed” (love his “tracker”). If there’s a “scene-stealer” in this flick, the title would belong to Bernthal, who brings a lot of heart to the world-weary, cynical Castle, a role he’s honed over several streaming TV shows. This “flip-side” spin on crime-fighters is a welcome addition to the story. And it’s great to see Holland finally sharing some scenes with Ruffalo, whose Banner is an easy-going, affable academic and another mentor ala Tony Stark. Sink is somehow sinister and sympathetic as the villain that’s more than her sometimes “evil deeds”. Speaking of mentors, Colon-Zayas is another nurturing maternal influence on Pete, and a great partner, much like Inspector Henderson on the 50’s Superman TV show. And I don’t want to spoil it, but the film also has great sequences with two wonderful actresses, one that figures in the MCU future, while the other is a sweet return from a past fave.
Here’s the Spidey story that introduced the Punisher!
So who has replaced Jon Watts after his time as director of the previous trilogy? None other than Destin Daniel Cretton. After helming the Shang-Chi feature (which should’ve had a sequel years ago) and the superb streaming show “Wonder Man”, Cretton injects quite a bit of real-world grit and a streetwise style (truly “friendly neighborhood”) into the Spidey saga. Although two of the main series screenwriters, Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, penned this one, it eschews much of their bouncy, whimsical sensibilities. This helps in setting it apart from high school romps and shenanigans, with the main trio mulling over their place as adults in this grounded setting. Aiding in this is the moody camera work from Brett Pawlak, which still meshes with the soaring music score by the returning Michael Giacchino. There’s no rehashing done, although there are some nice nods to MCU history and the memories of Pete and his pals. This helps in getting past a few wonky subplots (without Stark, how is all that tech acquired?). All the effects (love the “zombie pulse waves”) work well, especially with the thrilling action scenes (this Hulk truly smashes). With so much to enjoy, the final act doesn’t wrap things up in a satisfying manner, with no real “sign-off” with a major character. But fans will enjoy seeing Spidey with two other comic stalwarts (three really), and the tykes will get to see their hero in dazzling action with some of the best “city swinging”, though there are some dark, scary moments. It doesn’t quite “stick the landing”, but there’s lots of what makes the “web-head” endure for over 60 years (lots of “mushy stuff” in the Stan Lee-penned tales) in the exciting and often amazing SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY.
3.5 Out of 4
SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY opens in theatres everywhere on Friday, July 31, 2026.
