THIS WEEK IN MOVIES: Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass

Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass (USA, 2026. Dir: David Wain): Thanks to the success of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s The Studio, the Hollywood satire is having a bit of a moment. But it’s an unearned one.

The dirty little secret about the Apple TV+ series that ransacked the Emmys last year is that it's more self-congratulatory than self-effacing. Beyond outlandish gags like portraying the widely beloved Ron Howard as an egomaniacal monster, The Studio is blander than boiled cabbage. You won't see the sitcom lampooning Howard for glorifying JD Vance's upbringing in Hillbilly Elegy, or tackling hot-button issues such as big-budget productions fleeing Hollywood or the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles, fueled in no small part by the steady influx of aspiring actors chasing stardom. Would you like to know more?

THIS WEEK IN MOVIES: Tuner

Tuner (Dir: Daniel Roher. Canada/USA, 2025): If someone were to create a mock Canadian film based on the stereotype, the script would be painfully earnest and straightforward, likely trading on stock characters, and set in cottage country.

The local industry is changing for the better (2026 is shaping up to be a banner year) and even traditional genre flicks are showing more colors. Take Tuner. If made in the aughts it would probably star Ryan Reynolds, be filled to the brim with bad one-liners, and the caper elements would take precedence over character development. Would you like to know more?

DON'T SLEEP ON... I Swear

I Swear (Dir: Kirk Jones. UK, 2025). This is exactly the kind of film our “Don’t Sleep On…” section was created for. I Swear is a poignant, deeply affecting drama that never slips into cheap sentimentality and leaves you wiser than when you walked in.

It can also make you livid when you consider the shameful treatment of the man who inspired the film, courtesy of the American press covering the BAFTAs last February. Would you like to know more?

DOCUMENTARY CORNER: Agatha's Almanac

Agatha’s Almanac (Canada, 2025. Dir: Amalie Atkins): In spite of the Saskatchewan provincial government’s best efforts (or lack thereof), the Saskatchewan film industry refuses to die.

Perhaps “industry” is too strong a word, particularly when discussing a documentary as proudly analog as Agatha’s Almanac, but there is local talent willing to face the challenges of working in the province with defiance and ingenuity. Would you like to know more?

THIS WEEK IN MOVIES: Ready or Not 2: Here I Come

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (USA, 2026. Dir: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett): You know the drill: Sequels are expected to open up the world of the original, to up the ante. If Spider-Man was initially saving the city, by the next movie he was saving the world..

The Ready or Not sequel takes that principle and blows it up. If the original was about a bride realizing she was marrying into a family of murderous maniacs, this one pits said bride against even more skilled psychopaths with the fate of mankind at stake. Kind of like John Wick. Would you like to know more?

THIS WEEK IN MOVIES: Jimpa

Jimpa (Australia/UK, 2025. Dir: Sophie Hyde): Following his casting as Albus Dumbledore in the upcoming TV adaptation of the “Harry Potter” books, John Lithgow caught some flak from the transgender community for aligning himself with frequent antagonist J.K. Rowling.

Alas, if there’s someone who deserves special consideration in this scenario, it’s Lithgow. Not only has he been an LGBTQ+ ally, his role as Roberta Muldoon in The World According to Garp (1982) marked a cultural Rubicon for the genderqueer community. By embodying a three-dimensional, fully fleshed-out character, John Lithgow changed social preconceptions and moved the acceptance needle. Would you like to know more?

DON'T SLEEP ON... Cold Storage

The comedy-horror subgenre comes with a considerable degree of difficulty: both genres tend to undercut each other. Even the single masterpiece to emerge from this unholy union —Gremlins, of course— is more likely to make you laugh than shriek.

Cold Storage gives it the old college try and, at times, pulls it off. Based on the pulpy bestseller by David Koepp (who also wrote the script), the film makes the gore register by going extra gnarly and pads the cast with three highly respected British thespians slumming it with gusto. Would you like to know more?

THIS WEEK IN MOVIES: Dust Bunny

Dust Bunny (USA, 2025. Dir: Bryan Fuller): Most people are familiar with Bryan Fuller’s masterful TV adaptation of Thomas Harris’ “Hannibal” and, to a lesser extent, Neil Gaiman’s “American Gods” (all three of you). Fewer may remember that Fuller got started as the creator and showrunner of the whimsical dramedies Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies.

Never mind having the actor who portrayed Lecter as the lead, Dust Bunny is more like the latter. Would you like to know more?

THIS WEEK IN MOVIES: Nuremberg

Nuremberg (USA, 2025. Dir: James Vanderbilt): Films tackling sprawling historical narratives fill me with dread. Because of their massive scope, this kind of movie tends to oversimplify complex matters and stuff dialogue with “important” facts like a turkey on Thanksgiving Eve.

Nuremberg avoids these pitfalls. It has other problems, but not the obvious ones. Would you like to know more?

DON'T SLEEP ON: Kiss of the Spider Woman

Kiss of the Spider Woman (USA, 2025. Dir: Bill Condon): A sturdy original source can make even a bad movie tolerable (The Dark Tower comes to mind). True artists, however, aim higher and try to build something fresh on top of a strong foundation.

While not the first film adaptation of Manuel Puig’s novel of the same name, Bill Condon’s Kiss of the Spider Woman is set to introduce at least two generations to this seminal tale of freedom and dignity through imagination. Would you like to know more?