FILM REVIEWS:
APEX (USA/UK/Ireland 2026) ***
Directed by Baltasar Kormákur
(to be posted)
Apex is a 2026 survival action thriller film directed by Baltasar Kormákur, written by Jeremy Robbins, and starring Charlize Theron, Taron Egerton, and Eric Bana. It tells the story of a rock climber in the wild who finds herself being hunted by a hunter as she works to survive.
If for nothing else, the film would be watched for its most suspenseful and exciting first 15 minutes, with the mountain climbers facing the Troll Wall in Norway. (The wall is now banned from climbing.
From all the menace that the Charlize Theron character faces, the film feels very much like the 1971 Sam Peckinpah film THE STRAW DOGS.
Baltasar Kormákur is an Icelandic director famous for his 2000 film 101 101 Reykjavík and the 2006 JAR CITY, an apt filmmaker again showing his prowess in his ninth film.
APEX is a Netflix original action thriller, and a decent one, open for teaming on April 24th.
Trailer:
BLUE ROAD: THE EDNA O’BRIEN STORY (Ireland/UK 2024) ****
Directed by Sinead O’Shea
In 1960, a young Irish woman named Edna O’Brien wrote a sexually frank debut novel, The Country Girls. She became a literary sensation, writing for The New Yorker, delivering provocative interviews, and authoring screenplays.
Her success enraged her writer husband and made her a pariah in her native Ireland, where herbooks were banned. She would make her home in London, where she conducted numerous love affairs, hosted star-studded parties, and made and lost a fortune.
In July 2024, Edna passed away, and this film provides a final testimony from her, aged 93, as she reflects upon her extraordinary life for filmmaker Sinéad O’Shea’s camera.
Granting the director access to her personal journals — read aloud in the film by the Oscar-winning Irish actress Jessie Buckley (HAMNET) — and offering additional perspectives from Gabriel Byrne, Walter Mosley, and an array of renowned writers, Edna does not shy away from any subject.
Blue Road is as candid, dark, and enchanting as O’Brien’s wonderful novels.
One of the best biopics to be seen, BLUE ROAD: THE EDNA O’BRIEN STORY, tells the story from childhood to death of Irish writer Edna O’Brien with candid interviews right up to her death at the age of 94 in 2024. Filmmaker Sinéad O’Shea taps into a wealth of material, including unpublished diaries, decades of television appearances, and new interviews with O’Brien, in her 90s and as incisive as ever. There are interviews with her sons, Carlo and Sasha, about their unconventional upbringing with a divorced mother whose house guests included Marlon Brando, Judy Garland, and Paul McCartney. The Irish actor Gabriel Byrne explains how O’Brien broke taboos, while writer Walter Mosely describes how she changed his life as his teacher. Her reflections on her life and what she has learned are most moving. She says in her final interview that she wishes to be buried when she dies. A remarkable, candid and riveting portrait of the life of the Irish writer given the highest honour of ‘wise one’ in Irish Literature.
BLUE ROAD: THE EDNA O’BRIEN STORY premiered at TIFF in September 2024 and finally opens in theatres on April 20th.
Trailer:
I SWEAR (UK 2025) ***
Directed by Kirk Jones
I Swear is a 2025 British biographical drama film directed, written, and produced by Kirk Jones. It is based on the true life story of John Davidson, a Scottish man with severe Tourette's syndrome who was the subject of the 1989 television documentary John's Not Mad
The film focuses on Tourette's syndrome, an ailment that the protagonist of the film, John Davidson sufferers from.
Tourette's Syndrome (TS) is a neurological disorder that causes involuntary movements and sounds called tics. It usually begins in childhood (around ages 5–10). This part i true in the film as John’s disease manifests itself at an early age.
Types of tics:
Tics fall into two main categories:
1. Motor tics (movement)
Eye blinking
Facial grimacing
Shoulder shrugging
Head jerking
2. Vocal tics (sounds)
Throat clearing
Grunting or sniffing
Repeating words or phrases
All the above categories are observed in John, and also swearing (hence the title I SWEAR)
Even though it is only a small percentage of people who may have involuntary swearing (coprolalia), but this is rare—despite being the most widely known stereotype, as in director Kirk Jone’ film.
The film is divided into two parts: when John is a kid in school, and later as a teen
In 1983, 12-year-old John Davidson lived with his working-class family in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders. Aspiring to become a football player, he begins high school at Galashiels Academy. John begins to inexplicably experience episodes of tics and uncontrollable swearing just before a scout is meant to assess his goalie skills.
In 1996, John, now 25, is still living with Heather and has been diagnosed with the incurable Tourette syndrome. He is medicated with haloperidol, but his tics and swearing outbursts remain an embarrassment. John's school friend Murray returns from Australia after his mother Dottie, is diagnosed with liver cancer. John turns down Murray's invitation to join the family for dinner, but Dottie, a mental health nurse, insists he come in and senses John's discomfort.
How the film fares otherwise:
Tics can come and go and often change over time; they may worsen with stress, fatigue, or excitement and many people can briefly suppress tics, but it’s uncomfortable and temporary. The film demonstrates these.
Symptoms often improve in adulthood for Tourette Syndrome patients, which is not the case for John.
In the film, John and his mentor strive to learn more about Tourette's Syndrome, just as the audience learns more about it. But the film does not really paint a true picture of it, but it highlights the intensity and severity of it.
Still I SWEAR is a brave film, promoting awareness with strong performances from the actors playing both John (young and older) and the mentor. Robert Aramayo plays John Davidson and Scott Ellis Watson as a young John, while Maxine Peake plays John’s mentor Dottie Achenbach. Aramayo won the BAFTA for Bet Actor for hi performance in the film. Filmmaker Peter Mullan has a pivotal role as John’s boss in the film.
As in Kirk Jones other film WAKING NED DEVINE, I WEAR strives to be a feel-good film, rather than a dramatic tragedy.
I SWEAR premiered last year at the Toronto Interaction Film Festival and opens in theatres on April 24th.
Trailer:
KONTINENTAL ’25 (Romania/Brazil/Switzerland/UK/Luxembourg 2025) ****
Directed by Radu Jude
You would consider yourself a decent or even better, a more do-gooder person, helping any person less fortunate than yourself. Then, the inevitable happens. Your world is turned upside down. The good deed that you did catapulted you in the opposite direction. This is what the new film KONTINENTAL ’25 examines. And really interestingly!
KONTINENTAL ’25 is the new film directed by Radu Jude. Radu Jude is a Romanian film director and screenwriter. He is most known for his Golden Bear-winning film Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn.
Fortunately, this film is a more manageable, disciplined work. His last films were close to 3 hours long - DO NOT EXPECT MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD (2023) and DRACULA (2025). But most of Radu Jude’s humour is still found in this film, as can be observed at the beginning of the film, as the old guy goes around the city asking for or asking to borrow 5 to 10 lei because no one wants to hire him. It is then comical to see him sitting in the park eating and then drinking vodka in the open, while coughing. True, there are many people like him, but still, this is a funny and keen observation.
The premise is set in Cluj-Napoca. Bailiff Orsolya evicts a homeless man living in the basement of a building, leading to his suicide. Consumed by guilt, Orsolya begins a desperate search for understanding.
The film, like Jude’s other films, is not without his sense of humour. In one scene, Orsolya’s son, consoling her, tells her that she should have left the man alone. He would have killed himself later anyway, and she would not have seen it. Jude throws in another joke at a man also consoling Orsolya by telling her a joke about a young Korean man crushed by a food processing robot because it thought that the man was a can of food. “I am telling you this story to cheer you up,” the man says. More honour? The homeless man committed suicide, she tells people, by hanging himself on a radiator. How is this possible? That is the joke. Orsolya explains how this was done many times in the film when people ask her the same question.
There is also a very funny segment in which shit is being discussed. The homeless man is described as leaving watery shit around, the shit the size of China. And then a reference is made to the recent Japanese film PERFECT DAYS about the man cleaning Tokyo toilets.
Jude’s film also feels Kafkaesque, as Orsolya goes around and around with her daily routine filled with guilt repetitively, in an absurd way. And with more repetition, as in a Kafka story, Jude’s film gets funnier as the identical dialogue is heard. And as in any Kafka tale, it is the government that is to blame.
The film is set in Cluj. Cluj-Napoca or simply Cluj is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County, a contradictory-looking city, looking Hungarian though it is Romanian.
The film opens at the TIFF Lightbox on Thursday, 23rd April.
Trailer:
MICHAEL (USA 2026) ***
Directed by Antoine Fuqua
MICHAEL is a 2026 American musical biographical drama film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan. It follows the life of American singer Michael Jackson, covering the period from his involvement in the Jackson 5 in the 60s to his early solo career.
MICHAEL is unmistakably one-sided in not showing Michael’s flaws. In the film, Michael Jackson is a top-talented superstar who can do no wrong. His real-life drug addiction is omitted. The only drug use mentioned is the use that was necessary to overcome the pain from the injuries of his burn while performing on stage. In the second half of 1993, Jackson faced significant controversy following allegations that he had sexually abused 13‑year‑old Jordan Chandler, whom he met that year. This incident was totally ignored in the film. This incident is not to be included according to the legal rights of Michele’s estate. The film only goes halfway, and nothing is mentioned again about his death.
The villain of the piece is Jordan, Michael’s father, who used to beat him to discipline as well as control his life. But the film just cannot get into the issue, with the feeling that the filmmaker does not want to deal with it.
The film is definitely a feel-good piece, especially when there are three Jackson spirited performances of “Beat It”, Thriller”, and “Billie Jean” all back-to-back in the middle of the film. But this cannot hide what is eventually a basically hollow piece that dodges the real story behind Michael Jackson. The film can basically be described as performances interspersed with family drama between Michael and his father, Jordan.
Michael, the film ends with the word. “The story continues…” There were over 4 hours of footage shot during the making of Michael, which means that the second film is almost already made. It would be great to see the other side, the drug abuse, Michael’s death, and the examination of his paedophile allegations, though this means a more serious, less feel-good film. Nevertheless, one can never debate that Michael Jackson is one of the top performers, if not the top performer, of his time.
The director of the film is Antoine Fuqua, known for TRAINING DAY and THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN remake. His films, this one included, all benefit from Fuqua’s signature ability to elicit good performances (TRAINING DAY won Denzel Washington an Oscar) and exciting set-pieces. His films were never strong narrative-wise.
Jaafar Jackson plays Michael Jackson with verve and conviction. His dance performances help make the movie. Juliano Krue Valdi also surprisingly impresses as young Michael. The best performance belongs to Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson, Michael's father
while Nia Long as Katherine Jackson as Michael's mother is not,
Miles Teller has a smaller role as John Branca, an entertainment lawyer and manager.
MICHAEL had a $20 million reshoot in order to meet legal obligations, but apparently, the bill is reported to have been covered by Michael’s estate. Still, the film is reported to have a budget cit of between $150-$200 million. Box-office predictions are expected to be good. Lionsgate is desperately in need of a hit. Hopefully, this is it!
Trailer:
LAINEY WILSON: KEEPIN’COUNTRY COOL (USA 2026) ***
Directed by Amy Scott
The documentary opens with Lainey Wilson at the height of her success. She claims that it is not an overnight success, as she has been in it for 14 years. One might call it a 14-year overnight success, he quips.
Lass a biopic of Lainey Wilson, the doc follows country music superstar Lainey Wilson as she redefines what it means to be a modern country star, exploring her personal journey and struggles while captivating fans on stage across the country.
LAINEY WILSON: KEEPIN’COUNTRY COOL is so called a that is the name of her tour that the doc focuses on. Unlike the also recent and opening PRETTY UGLY: THE STORY OF THE LUNACHICKS, Lainey Wilson is the complete opposite of the Lunachick. Lainey is pretty, decent, though he drinks a lot and is an angel compared to the bad-ass Lunachicks.
Lainey Denay Wilson is an American country singer-songwriter and actress. She performed at an early age, before going to Nashville to pursue a career as a pop music performer. In 2014, she released her first album on Cupit, followed by a second on Lone Chief in 2016. Wilson secured a publishing deal and later released an extended play (EP) in 2019, which included the song "Things a Man Oughta Know". In 2020, it was issued as a single through the BBR Music Group and eventually reached number one on the American country songs chart.
Wilson has received nine Country Music Association Awards, including winning the top honor, Entertainer of the Year, in 2023 and 2025. She has also received a Grammy Award and sixteen Academy of Country Music Awards.
At best, the doc shows how much hard work goes into becoming well-known as well as a country star. Lainey sacrificed and moved to Nashville, living in a trailer with a mentor, Jerry, who, with Lainey, wrote many of her songs. Jerry passed away, sadly, from cancer. Lainey’s had a tough part of her life, but she stuck it out, owing it to both Jerry and to herself to keep moving on.
LAINEY WILSON: KEEPIN’ COUNTRY COOL, a Netflix original documentary, opens for streaming on Netflix on April 22nd, 2026.
Trailer:
PRETTY UGLY: THE STORY OF THE LUNACHICKS (USA 2025) ***
Directed by Ilya Chaiken
The title of the doc was what the doc is all about.
The Lunachicks are an American punk rock band from New York City. The band formed in 1987, went on hiatus in 2001, and reunited in 2019. The band cited influences including the Ramones, Kiss, and the MC5. The doc is partly about this reunion.
Punk music icons, Lunachicks, reunite after 20 years in an unfiltered, hilarious, and electric documentary. Packed with rare archival footage, the film traces their rise from gritty NYC teens to feminist trailblazers of the 90s grunge era.
The band GWAR gets it right. When on LSD, one member of GWAR says Lunachicks look great as a bunch of gorgeous chicks, but when they get onstage, they look like a bunch of old ladies.
The lunachicks weren’t good girls. They did drugs. Becky had a 10-bag-a-day habit. And also heroin. And she was not afraid to say it on camera. And Syd became a heroin addict. She kept it secret till she could no longer, “If you mess with them, they will fuck you up.” This is their mentality. Once, one threw her tampon at the audience.
The Lunachicks were pro-choice and still fighting for the choice today.
Also shown in the doc are Joan Jett, with whom they performed, and Jon Stewart, who interviewed one of them.
The doc features the band members who are/were:
Current members
Theo Kogan – vocals (1987–2000, 2002, 2004, 2019–present)
Gina Volpe – guitars (1987–2000, 2002, 2004, 2019–p
resent)
Sydney "Squid" Silver – bass (1987–2000, 2002, 2004, 2019–present)
Chip English – drums (1994–2000, 2002, 2004, 2019–present)
Former members
Sindi Benezra – guitars (1987–1997)
Becky Wreck – drums (1989–1994)
Kate Schellenbach – drums (1994)
Gus Morgan (formerly Helen Destroy) – drums (1999–2000)
Others featured include Kate Schellenbach, Donita Sparks, Dexter Holland, Noodles, Gina Schock, Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, Jeanne Fury, Howie Pyro, Jennifer Finch, Mike Bishop, and Guy Furrow
Featured too were the points.
Lunachicks were signed to New York-based label Go Kart Records, on which they released 1995's Jerk of All Trades. The follow-up, 1997's Pretty Ugly, produced by Ryan Greene and Fat Mike of NOFX, features their most well-known song "Don't Want You", which was promoted with a video. Guitarist Sindi then left the band, after which it remained a four-piece. They released their first live album, Drop Dead Live, in 1998, and then their final album to date, Luxury Problem.
The Lunachicks were unique. The band did not make much money, but nobody could be them. They carved a name or themselves as a female group that takes no hits. The doc, at its best, achieves the notion. The Lunachicks were not super intelligent or super intriguing, but they managed to create a bond for their followers, often gay, feminine boys or butch girls.
PRETTY UGLY: THE STORY OF THE LUNACHICKS gets a nationwide Canadian digital release on Friday, April 24.
Trailer:
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