Cannes 2026: 'Minotaur' is a Brilliant Look at Modern World Moral Rot

Whether you like it or not, we live in perilous times. But it still seems hard to talk about this, to talk about what's broken, what's happening to humanity, what's going on all over the world, how rotten it has become. The easiest way to exist peacefully is to shut up, conform to the new rules, do what you're told, don't cause any trouble, and just stay in line. And this is what leads us even deeper into the depths of Hell. One of the best films at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival dares to tell an unflinching story about this pervasive moral rot and challenges us to observe how easy it is to lose all your humanity in order to hold on to money & power. Minotaur is the sixth feature film by acclaimed Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev and it might be his best yet. This hit me hard and I haven't stop analyzing it, making sense of it, processing its immensity in the hours since emerging from my screening. Extraordinarily powerful, stomach churning, of-the-moment cinema featuring Tarkovsky-inspired visual intricacy in every shot. Minotaur is a brilliant film about what's happening Russia – while also a story of what's happening everywhere around the world if you look closely. // Continue Reading ›

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Official Trailer for 'The Match' Doc About '86 Football World Cup Game

"When does a match start? When does it end?" ⚽ Disney has revealed the official trailer for a documentary film titled The Match, an emotional look back at the iconic 1986 World Cup game. This just premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival this month playing in the Cannes Premiere section - it's rare they ever show docs at this fest meaning this is definitely worth a look. Beyond the Hand of God lies a deeper story... About the 1986 Argentina-England World Cup quarter final, exploring how it became a culmination of tensions between the two nations following the 1982 Falklands War. From directors Juan Cabral & Santiago Franco, narrated by Gary Lineker & Jorge Valdano, The Match tells the story of the iconic 1986 Football World Cup clash between Argentina & England at the Azteca Stadium. Using rare archival footage, including Maradona's controversial "Hand of God", the doc film reconstructs the match as a living memory, after more than 200 years of tension, encounters, and conflict between the two nations. Reviews say, "this entertaining exercise in deluxe nostalgia is peppered with enough quirky folklore and offbeat background detail to keep even sports-allergic viewers [...] engaged." This looks super fascinating for sports fans & history nerds alike. // Continue Reading ›

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Teaser #2 for DC's 'Lanterns' Series with Aaron Pierre & Kyle Chandler

"It's only one question: are you afraid?" Ready for more? DC + HBO have revealed a second teaser trailer for their new Green Lanterns spin-off series called simply Lanterns - set for a streaming debut coming up this August. Will this actually turn out any good? Take a closer look. Lanterns follows new recruit John Stewart & Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, Earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland. Featuring Kyle Chandler playing Hal Jordan, the fan fave Green Lantern, along with Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, the newcomer in the Lantern Corps. The cast includes Kelly Macdonald, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner (from Superman), Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Ulrich Thomsen, Nicole Ari Parker, Jason Ritter, Sherman Augustus, and Paul Ben-Victor as villain Antaan. Green Lanterns are intergalactic peacekeepers with rings that give them powers. The series ends up in Nebraska, leading them to darker mysteries & reckonings. This new teaser features more actual Green Lantern footage and some other planets and more VFX, but it still looks a bit muted & unexciting overall. I just hope this concept works. We'll find out in a just few months from now. // Continue Reading ›

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Cannes 2026: Superb Adèle Exarchopoulos in Alcoholism Film 'Garance'

There's nothing wrong a good film offering an uncomplicated narrative look at how someone can get better from being unhealthy or being addicted to something harmful. Not every film needs to be overly complex and nuanced, sometimes a good story with some cliche scenes can actually have an impact. Some viewers need this. Maybe not you or I, but that doesn't matter, because I can appreciate the film and how it works as a beneficial story anyway. That's the case with this Cannes Competition premiere titled Garance, a French drama from filmmaker Jeanne Herry following the story of an alcoholic woman living in Paris who refuses to accept that she must stop drinking. The English title for it is Another Day – a more thematic reference. Whereas the original French title Garance is also the name of the main character so it doesn't even need to be translated anyway. What I enjoy the most about Garance is the upbeat, energetic flow to the film, zipping from scene to scene like a dancer full of energy giving her most passionate performance. There's some great music and an electro score to it that also keep it moving at a fast pace, which is important because it covers years of time in Garance's life as she finally comes to understand her love of alcohol is a dangerous problem. // Continue Reading ›

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Cannes 2026: 'La Perra' is a Chilean Dog Movie Distracted by Grief

I'm always on the lookout for dog movies. I will watch each and every one of them. But that also means they better not do anything off-putting or annoying or upsetting. If a dog character is important to the plot in a film, the filmmakers better handle this story (and the dog/all the dogs) with care and concern. Or it will ruin the film. On one hand, this Chilean film is quite beautiful and entrancing. On the other, it's bogged down by an annoying subplot about grief that overwhelms the film and sends it to a frustrating finale. La Perra is the latest feature from Chilean filmmaker Dominga Sotomayor – it's premiering at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival in the Directors' Fortnight sidebar at the fest. It's a ravishing cinematic experience – the powerful sound design and astonishing cinematography make it worthwhile to watch on the big screen, which is the proper way to view it. However, the narrative gets bogged down by choices related to this grief theme in the story, and it waters down the otherwise beautiful tale of a woman bonding with a dog on an island. I enjoyed most of, but not the ending... Though I still think it's worth recommending to other adventurous cinephiles. // Continue Reading ›

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Sophie Thatcher in Refn's New Neon Thriller 'Her Private Hell' Teaser

"I am made of stardust... The moment you forget that, is the moment you disappear..." Um sure, okay? Neon has revealed the first look teaser trailer for the brand new neon-drench Nicolas Winding Refn film titled Her Private Hell – his first feature film in 10 years since he last made The Neon Demon. This just premiered today at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival in France, playing in the Midnight section, and not in the main competition which might be a sign this isn't going to be anything truly great (early reviews are pretty harsh). Set in a a multi-realm, neon-drenched metropolis, Her Private Hell is a pulsating dreamscape that feels torn from science fiction yet suspended between seduction & violence. When a mysterious mist engulfs a futuristic metropolis, unleashing a deadly and elusive entity, a troubled young woman searches for her father. The film stars Sophie Thatcher, Charles Melton, Kristine Froseth, Havana Rose Liu, and Diego Calva and evokes Refn's unmistakable aesthetic. Not a ton of footage to see yet in this teaser, but it defintiely does give you a taste of all the young girls and the return of Refn's neon style all over again. Enjoy. // Continue Reading ›

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Teaser for 'Shoot the People' Doc About Photographer Misan Harriman

"That's the power of art – to say another world is possible, and we have the power to change things." 📸 Watermelon Pics has unveiled a first look teaser trailer for a powerful new documentary film titled Shoot the People, a profile of an academical photographer named Misan Harriman. This premiered last year at SXSW London (because he's a British photographer and the filmmaker is British, too) with a major stop at DOC NYC in the fall as its second premiere. Shoot the People follows renowned photographer and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Misan Harriman as he documents global protest movements driving social change, from the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests to the Palestinian liberation movement. Through his lens, this captures the urgency, power, and humanity behind these movements. Gain insights into challenges and strategies for change through interviews and frontline photography. This is getting a small theatrical release in art house cinemas in the US and UK starting this summer - check your local listings to catch it on the big screen. I'm always intrigued by docs on photographers & their perspectives on the world / what's going on. // Continue Reading ›

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