Quick Hits: July 2026
Despite The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day dominating the local multiplex, I was able to keep up my regular pace, both of catching new releases and of writing. And that's even before you consider the three films for which I caught an early screening, whose reviews will be published in the coming weeks. Part of that is all the rewatching I've done: partially due to new releases clearing the way for the aforementioned blockbusters, six of my theatrical trips this month included a second viewing. So I'm even more confident in both my love and my hatred, despite those films not appearing below.
Let's get to it!
Evil Dead Burn
Evil Dead Rise was my introduction to the Evil Dead series, and a good one at that. Equal parts nasty and fun, creative and audacious, with enough lore to justify itself but little enough to avoid distraction. I've since caught up, and retroactively commend director Lee Cronin for adhering to the orignal's spirit while doing his own thing.
Sébastien Vaniček, on the other hand...
This movie is a slog, a contender for grayest film of the year, and a relentless parade of misery and brutality. It plays out a tired domestic abuse plot that it "reveals" despite telegraphing it from the start. Sure, there are some creative kills, and Souheila Yacoub is an enjoyable "Ash". But save for someone uttering "deadite", and a shot that lingers on a chainsaw, there's nothing to indicate its lineage: the Book of the Dead is a throwaway opening, the attempt at a Ramicam is laughable, and the deadlites are depraved, not scary.
Motor City
Going into this thing knowing little was a bizarre experience. After the high octane, in medias res opening scene gives way to a backwards time jump, the initial setup plays like an extended, stylized montage. At some point, you realize that you've yet to hear anyone's voice. Soon thereafter, two characters stare at each other across a diner booth, and just before they start speaking, the camera moves outside to look at them through the window, muffling their voices.
The movie takes great pains to silence its characters, awkwardly positioning the camera to justify why we can't hear anything. Shailene Woodley gets the most to day (maybe four lines?), and you'd be shocked to learn that John (Alan Ritchson) first speaks the final line of the film. It's distracting and removes the possibility of all nuance from the plot.
That said, it's having a ton of fun with it's over-the-top, not-quite-superhero action set pieces, and its style is strong. So no, it's not very good, but it sure is a fun time.
Maddie's Secret
What a strange little curiosity Maddie's Secret is.
I don't mean that to be condescending. It is a gleefully and unabashedly odd film, like almost nothing else out there. Featuring comedian John Early in a drag performance as the eponymous Maddie, it's an earnest send-up of overwrought message movies à la Lifetime. That it's played so straight results in much of the humor, but also leads to a bunch of heartfelt moments and fundamental truths about the many forms that enablers can take in our lives.
It leads to a tone that can be hard to dial into, as it's often not until a joke passes that you even realize it was a comedy beat. Not to mention the handful of times that a character's response stops your laugh in its tracks. For stretches, the screenplay dances on the edge of a knife, the secret of its title seemingly referring to its emotional intent. There are some clunky character beats and narrative shortcuts to keep the pace up that undermine the cohesion, leaving you even more adrift.
I'm not sure it entirely works, but I appreciate the swing, and I had a good time.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Spider-Man took over the multiplex this weekend, and it's got the insane receipts to show for it. Which is why I ended up catching it in a crowded theater on opening night; little else was playing.
And ya know what? It wasn't bad; it was just very mixed. The opening twenty minutes or so was a special highlight, although that eventually gave way to a fine angle on a coming-of-age story, and a less successful emotional plot. The inclusion of other MCU characters felt clunky (especially Yelena (Florence Pugh)), although I quite enjoyed Jon Bernthal as a cartoonishly gruff but family friendly Punisher. But most egregious are the pointless diversions and conspicuously dropped plot threads that leave their ideas dangling.
I was quite appreciative of the way it ended, even as the sum of it felt like a mashup of The Dark Knight and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and KPop Demon Hunters.