Aarcflick

Screenwriter and director Aaron Fisher brought almost the entire cast to the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF) for the world premiere of *Corporate Retreat*. Is this a project so prestigious and glorious that red carpets should be rolled out everywhere? Or is the opposite actually true? Perhaps the young cast simply has nothing better to do and is trying to divert attention from the fact that *Corporate Retreat* is, in reality, a rather silly movie? It is undoubtedly the latter—though I don't want to sound too negative, since, all things considered, I did have fun with *Corporate Retreat*. Furthermore, it is undeniably a film that fits perfectly into a festival like BIFFF, as it features an extreme amount of gratuitous gore, absurd dark humor, some repulsive moments that make you squirm in your seat, young and attractive faces (both male and female), a catchy soundtrack, and... Did I mention there’s a lot of gore? Director: Aaron Fisher Writers: Aaron Fisher, K...

 How far would you go just to finally feel at ease within your own body? That is exactly where *Saccharine* begins for me, and it is also where the film demonstrates its greatest strength—not merely as a work of body horror, but as a piece that transforms shame, self-image, and that urge to remake oneself into something far more repulsive. What I appreciated about it is that the film doesn't simply present diet culture and the obsession with beauty as mere themes for the viewer to observe; it truly renders them physical. It turns them into something that takes root inside you, that gets under your skin, and that—at a certain point—ceases to feel like a matter of control, becoming instead something that has completely spiraled out of it. It is precisely for this reason that the similarities to *The Substance* struck me as so effective: that sensation that your own body is no longer the vessel you inhabit, but rather something against which you must wage a ceaseless battle. Director:...

 I went to a screening with a Q&A session at the IFC; it was my first time there. In fact, I stumbled upon it by chance while taking a aimless stroll; there are a great many movie theaters in the Union Square and Washington Square Park area. It is one of the few theaters I’ve visited where the internet actually works inside the auditorium. Furthermore, compared to AMC or Regal, I found them to be much more organized when it came to lining up for special screenings. As for the film itself, I didn't care for it much. I didn't like any of the characters—which is a problem when the entire premise revolves around a marriage and you are supposed to empathize with that relationship. Because of this, all the emotional moments or scenes of high dramatic intensity fell quite flat. Director: Katie Aselton Writers: Katie Aselton, Mark Duplass Stars: Katie Aselton, Daveed Diggs, Brad Garrett Nor do I think the opening scene did enough to build chemistry or a connection between the prota...

Then the new film *Passenger* might be perfect for you. The new release from Paramount Pictures, *Passenger*, is directed by André Øvredal and is scheduled to premiere on May 22, 2026. The film is being produced in collaboration with Domain Entertainment and is produced by Walter Hamada and Gary Dauberman. The trailer opens with an unsettling statistic: "130 million people took road trips last year," yet nearly 15,000 of them were never seen again.  As described on the official *Passenger* website, the film depicts a young couple who witness a disastrous highway accident while traveling; "they soon realize they didn't leave the crash site alone, as a demonic presence known as 'The Passenger'—which won't stop until it claims them both—turns their van-life adventure into a nightmare." Director: André Øvredal Writers: Zachary Donohue, T.W. Burgess Stars: Jacob Scipio, Lou Llobell, Melissa Leo This film caught my attention—one might say—much in the way i...

 *Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu* is a largely entertaining *Star Wars* film that, at the very least, offers some kind of "new hope" for the franchise. For me, *Star Wars* has always revolved around the films. I have seen all eleven—the three trilogies, plus *Rogue One* and *Solo*—yet I am no expert on the animated material and have watched very little of the *Star Wars* series available on Disney+, including the highly acclaimed *Andor*. Director: Jon Favreau Writers: Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Noah Kloor Stars: Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, Martin Scorsese Even so, I looked forward to the 133 minutes of *The Mandalorian and Grogu* with great enthusiasm, especially since I understood that one need not be up to date on the storyline to enjoy the film as a standalone work. Well, naturally, that old *Star Wars* habit persists: explaining to the uninitiated exactly what the movie is about right at the very beginning. Directed by Jon Favreau—from a screenplay he co-wrote...

When describing his proposal for the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow—later known as EPCOT, one of Walt Disney World’s few unique theme parks—Walt Disney stated that he envisioned it as "always in a state of constant evolution." It is surprising, therefore, to learn that while outwardly Disney parks adhere to this concept of perpetual evolution—adding, removing, and modifying attractions in step with the times and technological progress—internally, disused areas are left abandoned to their fate, not only occupying valuable real estate but also serving as unsettling reminders of the past.  This was the case with EPCOT’s Wonders of Life pavilion, which housed educational exhibits on health and the human body, theatrical shows such as *Cranium Command*, and the *Body Wars* simulation ride. It opened its doors in 1989 and, following a gradual decline over several years, closed permanently in 2007. Yet, rather than being demolished and rebuilt, the attraction was left ...

 Kara Young and Mallori Johnson star as twin sisters on a mission to murder their abusive father. One of the most revealing things about any filmmaker is the amount of darkness they allow to enter the worlds they create. An act of divinity in itself, film direction entails determining practically every rule of a given reality—setting the stage not only for the film’s characters but also for the actual audience who will bear witness to their ordeal. The magnitude of suffering, the limits of mercy itself, whether all the pain we see on screen holds any meaning... or if it holds none at all? Cinema, by its very nature, leaves that decision largely in the hands of the director. Director: Aleshea Harris Writer: Aleshea Harris Stars: Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, Vivica A. Fox Playwright-turned-filmmaker Aleshea Harris confronts viewers with truly harrowing material in her feature film debut, *Is God Is*—a dazzling revenge epic and road movie that is as stomach-churning as it is spiritual...

 Written and directed by Guy Ritchie, *In The Grey* is a stylish—albeit somewhat derivative—action thriller starring regulars from Ritchie’s filmography: Jake Gyllenhaal, Henry Cavill, and Eiza González. In its opening stretch, the film suffers from an excess of planning and setup; however, *In The Grey* benefits from a much stronger second half and, fortunately, saves its best for last. *In The Grey* kicks off *in media res*, with Sophia (González) seeking cover in a car caught in the middle of intense crossfire. Through voiceover, she explains that she is the kind of lawyer who operates in that "grey zone" situated between the moral and the immoral; and very soon—once the action returns to the present—we discover exactly what she means. Sophia leads a team of undercover operatives—including, though not exclusively, Bronco (Gyllenhaal) and Sid (Cavill)—who are hired by major corporations (or, perhaps, by anyone with a sufficiently deep checkbook) to recover stolen funds in e...

 A simple "be careful what you wish for" premise transcends the sum of its parts by making us fear being the perpetrator even more than being the victim. We are fast approaching the point where the surest path to becoming a horror film director is to start a career in short-form comedy. Jordan Peele shocked the world with *Get Out*; Zach Cregger turned this into a trend with *Barbarian* and *Weapons*; and Danny and Michael Philippou jumped on the bandwagon with *Talk to Me* and *Bring Her Back*. Now, YouTube prankster Curry Barker has released one of the best horror films of 2025. Director: Curry Barker Writer: Curry Barker Stars: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson *Obsession* kicks off with the simplest of horror premises: Bear (Michael Johnston) is a shy, sensitive music store employee who can’t seem to muster the courage to ask out his coworker and childhood friend, Nikki (Inde Navarrette). Instead of being honest with her and confessing his true feelings,...

 The primary pleasure of *Apex* lies in watching Theron push herself physically in the wilderness. While reviewing Baltasar Kormákur’s filmography, I discovered that he made his directorial debut with *Go LazyTown!* in 1996. That musical comedy centers on an athletic elf who inspires some indolent children to adopt healthier lifestyles and compete in a sports contest (I read the synopsis on IMDb). While watching Kormákur’s survival thriller, *Apex*, I realized that this new film, in a way, also revolves around being healthy and physically fit.  Director: Baltasar Kormákur Writer: Jeremy Robbins Stars: Charlize Theron, Taron Egerton, Eric Bana If the main character, Sasha—played by Charlize Theron—manages to defeat the psychopathic Ben—portrayed by Taron Egerton—it is because this adrenaline junkie possesses the physical conditioning necessary to endure the rugged terrain of the wilderness. She is capable of scaling rocky mountains, fending for herself in turbulent waters, and ...