Shadows on the Wall

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Shadows reviews Trailers and other previews... ALL COMMENTS BY RICH CLINE
C O M I N G S O O N to the UK & US...	O N T H E H O R I Z O N can’t hardly wait...
12 Jun: DISCLOSURE DAY STOP! THAT! TRAIN! I AM FRANKELDA (Mex) RED LIGHT BLUE FILM KRAKEN (Nor) PINK NARCISSUS 19 Jun: TOY STORY 5 ROSE OF NEVADA A MURDER BETWEEN FRIENDS VIRGINIA WOOLF'S NIGHT AND DAY CACTUS PEARS NINO (Fr) LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS 26 Jun: SUPERGIRL THE INVITE A PRIVATE LIFE (Fr) DRUNKEN NOODLES THIRST THE LAST VIKING (Den) 3 Jul: MINIONS & MONSTERS THE INVITE 10 Jul: MOANA EVIL DEAD BURN ROSEBUSH PRUNING THE LAST ONE FOR THE ROAD (It) 28 Aug: BITTER CHRISTMAS (Sp) BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL 2 Oct: CALIFORNIA SCHEMIN' RELEASE DATE TBC . . . 213 BONES CIELO (Bol) COPPER (Mex) CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS DISREMEMBER KILL THE JOCKEY (Arg) MAGELLAN (Ph) MASPALOMAS (Sp) ON THE SEA PHANTOMS OF JULY (Ger) THE PLEASURE IS MINE (Arg) SOMEWHERE IN LOVE (Fr) * films I've seen, reviews under embargo C O M I N G U P . . . • BLUE FILM. TOY STORY 5. ISH. SUPER NATURE. THINK OF ENGLAND. A MURDER BETWEEN FRIENDS. VIRGINIA WOOLF'S NIGHT AND DAY. SUPERGIRL. THIRST. • ACOSTA DANZA YUNIOR: NEXT GENERATION. INTERPLAY. -320F. BLUE MIST. ALI IN WONDER(ENG)LAND. • THE ODYSSEY. MOANA. SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY. UNRELEASED FESTIVAL FILMS . . . • Flare: 10s ACROSS THE BORDERS. BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY. BLACK BURNS FAST. THE BROKEN R. CAN'T GO OVER IT. HUNKY JESUS. I AM GOING TO MISS YOU. JARIPEO. KEEP COMING BACK. THE LAST GUEST OF THE HOLLOWAY MOTEL. LOW RIDER. LUNAR SWAY. OUT LAWS. SATISFACTION. STRANGE RIVER. TO DANCE IS TO RESIST. UCHRONIA. WHAT WILL I BECOME? • Cinema Made in Italy: A BRIEF AFFAIR. FUORI. LA GIOIA. THREE GOODBYES. • LFF: THE VILE • FrightFest: THE DEGENERATE. DON'T LET THE CAT OUT. NIGHT OF VIOLENCE. WHERE IS JUAN MOCTEZUMA? • Raindance: BEAM ME UP SULU. BREAKWATER. A CELL PHONE MOVIE. FLAMINGO CAMP. IF YOU SHOULD LEAVE BEFORE ME. • SXSW London: TORO. See also: SHADOWS FILM FEST	TOY STORY 5 dir Andrew Stanton; with Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Keanu Reeves, Annie Potts, Greta Lee, Bonnie Hunt, Wallace Shawn, Joan Cusack 26/US release US/UK 19.Jun.26 It's the franchise that won't die! Indeed, every film has felt like the concluding chapter in the saga of these loveable toys, and yet those bright sparks at Pixar continually find ways to breathe new life into their adventures. Andrew Stanton has been involved in all of the previous films as a writer, and this is his first as director (he also directed Finding Nemo and Wall-E), so the film is definitely in very good hands. And this voice cast has already created such indelible characters that we'd happily follow them anywhere. THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD dir-scr Michael Sarnoski; with Hugh Jackman, Jodie Comer, Noah Jupe, Bill Skarsgard, Murray Bartlett, Clive Russell, Alfie Lawless, Jade Croot 26/UK release US 19.Jun.26, UK 4.Sep.26 After making Pig and A Quiet Place: Day One, filmmaker Michael Sarnoski is very much on the radar for his ability to tell complex stories that remain intensely grounded. And this looks like it will be an unusually original take on the Robin Hood legend, giving Hugh Jackman a chance to play up his age as the grizzled folk hero facing up to his criminal life. Jackman is terrific at tapping into these kinds of redemptive arcs, and both he and Sarnoski are able to deploy sentimentality without getting sappy. But why the delayed digital release in the UK? SUPERGIRL dir Craig Gillespie; with Milly Alcock, David Corenswet, Jason Momoa, Matthias Schoenaerts, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, Ferdinand Kingsley, Eve Ridley 26/US release US/UK 26.Jun.26 Frankly, there isn't a superhero movie coming down the pipeline that I'm truly looking forward to, but this one might be a bit more enjoyable than most, largely because Milly Alcock's chaotic moment in last year's Superman was the best scene in that film. And the ad campaign is playing up her messy approach to the character. So even if most of these bloated super-blockbusters are incapable of surprising us anymore, at least this one looks like it might contain a bit of offhanded fun here and there. MOANA dir Thomas Kail; with Catherine Laga'aia, Dwayne Johnson, John Tui, Frankie Adams, Rena Owen 26/US release US/UK 10.Jul.26 Disney continues to produce live-action remakes of its animated classics, and it begins to get a bit confusing when they follow up the 2024 sequel Moana 2 with this revamp of the 2016 original. It also seems rather odd to have Dwayne Johnson reprising his role, since the character seemed to be an energetic teen rather than an energetic middle-aged man. But never mind, Johnson is always a lot of fun on-screen, and there's no reason to worry about him here. The question marks are gifted but first-time feature director Thomas Kail and relative unknown star Catherine Laga'aia. And that far too animated chicken. THE ODYSSEY dir-scr Christopher Nolan; with Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, Mia Goth 26/UK release US/UK 17.Jul.26 Any film by Christopher Nolan is an unmissable event, but this passion project looks especially epic, both due to its retelling of Homer's mythology and the outrageously stacked cast. There have been a lot of complaints about historical accuracy surrounding this film, as if most audiences care about that. What we want is a gripping story, characters we can identify with and some big-screen spectacle. And Nolan is unusually adept at all three of these things. The actors are too, so if the stars align, this could be a stunner. SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY dir Destin Daniel Cretton; with Tom Holland, Zendaya, Mark Ruffalo, Jon Bernthal, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando 26/US release US/UK 31.Jul.26 This fourth adventure starring Tom Holland has a new director in Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi), so it's bound to have a different tone, even if the Marvel machinery keeps pushing the usual mix of action and comedy. The premise of this one is both annoying and intriguing: it's set in an altered reality in which Peter Parker has lost his entire support network, so needs to face a new villain on his own. Let's hope the script takes some original directions, avoiding the same old save-the-planet structure (and multiverse nonsense) for something fresh. TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA dir-scr Jane Schoenbrun; with Hannah Einbinder, Gillian Anderson, Patrick Fischler, Jack Haven, Sarah Sherman, Zach Cherry, Dylan Baker, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Eva Victor 26/Can release US/UK 7.Aug.26 Gathering big buzz out of Cannes, this looks like another fiendishly clever film from the talented Jane Schoenbrun, after her breakout hit I Saw the TV Glow. This one is about a filmmaker (Hacks' Hannah Einbinder) who is making a stalker slasher thriller when her reality begins blurring with her fiction. Schoenbrun has proven her skill at playing with surreal storytelling, and her distinctive visual sensibilities are perfect for a film-within-a-film premise. Best of all is how she refuses to get locked into the usual genre structures. THE DOG STARS dir Ridley Scott; with Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, Allison Janney, Josh Brolin, Guy Pearce, Benedict Wong, Alara-Star Khan Alara-Star Khan, Sebastian Rokison-Woodall 26/UK release US/UK 28.Aug.26 Ridley Scott continues to quickly crank out big-screen extravaganzas, and this one looks like another large-scale thriller, set around survivors in a post-apocalyptic world that was ravaged by a virus. So it's bound to feature some exciting set-pieces and beefy characters in conflict with each other. The cast makes this especially intriguing, with the sizzling hot Elordi and Qualley, plus ace veterans Janney, Brolin, Pearce and Wong. Scott has been a bit hit and miss lately, but when he gets it right, he's unmissable. Also on my want-to-see list... Summer: JACKASS: BEST AND LAST EVIL DEAD RISE MINIONS & MONSTERS MOTOR CITY YOUNG WASHINGTON BRINK OF WAR THE END OF OAK STREET ONE NIGHT ONLY THE RIVALS OF THE AMZIAH KING Autumn: BY ANY MEANS FALL 2: DEADPOINT FORGOTTEN ISLAND SHAUN THE SHEEP: THE BEAST OF MOSSY BOTTOM I LOVE BOOSTERS RUNNER VERITY WILDWOOD SUNRISE ON THE REAPING WILD HORSE NINE Winter: AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY DUNE: PART THREE 2027: VARANASI
Release dates: British film release schedules are even more fluid than American ones, so please be patient as I try to keep up with distributors. I'm working to keep this list up-to-date as they keep trying to outfox me. I'm sure it's personal. Embargoes: Britain's Film Distributors Association asks us to hold reviews until the week of release, and distributors are increasingly restrictive (and proscriptive) about when reviews can run. Normally, once the film is shown to a paying audience, even at a festival, the full review can be posted. © 2026 by Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall HOME \| REVIEWS \| NEWS \| FESTIVAL \| AWARDS \| Q&A \| ABOUT \| TALKBACK