They Will Kill You (2026)

An ex-convict poses as a maid to infiltrate a lavish hotel, searching for her sister who has gone missing, but finding much more than she bargained for. The trailers play it coy and don't reveal its hand, but it's a bonkers, ultra gory, hyper-stylistic cross between Tarantino and Raimi. It plays out a little like Ready or Not: The Lost Levels, and Zazie Beetz's barefoot warrior is highly formidable. Russian director Kirill Sokolov is someone to keep an eye out for.

3 fuck floors out of 5

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (2026)

A man comes ranting and raving into a diner, attempting to recruit a group of saviors to help prevent an upcoming apocalypse. Turns out he's done this 117 times before, but has yet to select the right combination of patrons. It's a plan enshrouded in mystery and flashbacks, so just go with it. Sam Rockwell heads this loopy high concept sci-fi comedy by Gore Verbinski, which blends a Terry Gilliam aesthetic with Black Mirror dystopian vibes. This film is unhinged in the best way possible and I loved it. Go into it blind for the best possible results.

4 countdown clocks out of 5

The Bad Guys 2 (2025)

After turning over a new leaf and retiring from their old ways, the former Bad Guys struggle to reintegrate with society and are inevitably lured back into the fold by the Bad Girls. It's more of the same, which unfortunately means it's not for me. While the first film was very much inspired by the Ocean's Eleven-style heist genre, this one channels more of a Mission: Impossible spy feeling. I honestly don't understand why these movies are so popular because they feel visually bland and painfully uninspired, and I was bored out of my gourd.

And yes, there will be a third one.

1½ MacGuffinites out of 5

The Bad Guys (2022)

The Big Bad Wolf (of Riding Hood fame) teams up with a snake, a tarantula, a piranha and a shark in order to commit larceny and other crimes. They're the Bad Guys; villains of every story, viewed as monsters by society and taking advantage of their lot in life. As you might guess, since this is a kids' movie, it deals with issues of prejudice and stereotypes, and these guys are far from irredeemable. It's basically a low-stakes heist movie for kids, and if there's one less thing I need in my life, it's yet another heist movie. The voice cast has tremendous chemistry, but this is purely fodder for the little ones. As far as animation goes, I found it basic and generic. This is pretty low-hanging fruit.

2 full Clooneys out of 5

Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)

Well, they just couldn't leave well enough alone. Picking up two years after the events of the 2019 film, Arthur Fleck is waiting to stand trial for his crimes. He meets a fellow Arkham inmate named Lee (this movie's Harley Quinn), who stokes a part of himself that's long remained dormant. This highly stylized sequel is basically Joker meets La La Land. It's dark as all fuck, and the only light comes through those extended musical sequences which convey the characters' rich inner lives. Due to the success of the original, the filmmakers are able to take much more creative and experimental risks, which work to varying effect. But make no mistake, this is harrowing stuff. I for one am glad it tried something different. It could have easily gone a more conventional route, but it manages to stay true to the spirit of the original. 

The people who criticize this film apparently didn't understand the message of the first one. There's a meta-commentary going on where a lot of fans are attacking it for not being what they wanted it to be, which fits in well with the themes of the film. I do find it ironic that everyone is treating this film the same way the characters treat Arthur. It's a criticism of society itself, but most people won't have the self-awareness to see it.

3½ tears in the rain out of 5

Joker (2019)

"I just hope my death makes more cents [sic] than my life."

In an original origin story for the character, Arthur Fleck is a lonely, disturbed, misunderstood, put-upon man with a laughing disorder who is given to flights of fancy and bouts of anger and depression. Did they accidentally make a documentary of my life? Joaquin Phoenix turns in an award-winning performance as the struggling clown-for-hire/aspiring stand-up comedian who dreams about a better life; of being loved and respected by his peers. He cares for his ailing mother and becomes infatuated with his kindly neighbor. He tries to be a decent person and follow all of society's rules in spite of life's many injustices, until that tack just doesn't work anymore.

This standalone film in the DC universe owes its gritty roots to the filmography of Martin Scorsese; in particular, Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, but it stands on its own as a work of vigilante fiction. It's one of the best comic book adaptations ever made, precisely because it doesn't feel like one. They took all the wrong lessons from this when they attempted to replicate the formula for The Batman, and completely missed the mark of what makes this film feel so refreshing and brilliant.

5 tears of a clown out of 5

Deadpool 2 (2018)

The Merc with the Mouth returns in this demented step-brother to the X-Men franchise. What happens when someone who can't die loses the will to live? This installment introduces the time-traveling Cable who arrives from the future in order to murder a kid who will eventually grow up to be a villain. Can he be redeemed? Also in tow is the entire X-Force team, including Domino (whose superpower is "luck") and Peter. Yep. Just Peter.

This sequel is not quite as iconic as the original, but still above-average comic book fare that is better than it has any right to be. I like to think of these movies more as parodies of the genre because they're chock full of hilarious sight-gags and subversive meta humor. It also manages to pull off that rare balancing act of being side-splittingly funny while tugging at the heartstrings in unexpected ways. Watch it all the way through for some very satisfying credit scenes that are essential to the plot (and the future of the franchise).

3½ grotesque baby legs out of 5

Note: A (bleeped) PG-13 version of this movie was released called Once Upon a Deadpool, which features a brand new wraparound story with Fred Savage, spoofing his role in The Princess Bride, that's well worth your time. An extended unrated cut was also released, with 15 additional minutes, which is the preferred edition to seek out—although all three versions contain alternate takes/jokes, so you can roll the dice.