Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell
Director: Kane Parsons
Running Time: 110 Minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: May 29, 2026 (Theaters)
I’d be happy to live in the Backrooms, if you’re asking me. Honestly! Maybe I’m being a little foolhardy, but I’m pretty confident I generally do a better job of keeping my anger in check than Chiwetel Ejiofor’s character, and that seems like an important quality for survival. Although, hang on, wait a minute.
I just remembered something crucial.
I didn’t see a single goshdarn window anywhere in the Backrooms! That’s a huge no-no. I can’t settle in a permanent residence without any windows. But I still believe that it would be nice enough for regular check-ins. After all, when I saw Mark Duplass staring intently at a monitor, I was like, “I could do that!”
Oh by the way, which one’s Pat? (CREDIT: Tribeca/Giant Pictures/Screenshot)
Starring: Various Trans/Nonbinary/Queer Comedians, Julia Sweeney
Director: Rowan Haber
Running Time: 92 Minutes
Rating: Unrated
Is it still time for androgyny? Was it ever? That’s an especially tricky matter when considering Pat O’Neal Riley, Julia Sweeney’s signature SNL character of indeterminate gender. Pat has left quite the (mostly positive) impression on filmmaker Rowan Haber, but they’ve recognized that the character’s legacy is at best complicated for people who are nonbinary and/or trans or otherwise not fitting easily within a gender binary.
So now Haber’s documentary We Are Pat assembles a group of queer comedians (along with Sweeney herself) to try to figure out if Pat can have a worthwhile place in the comedy world in the 2020s. Is that question satisfactorily answered in the doc? Not exactly, but that ambiguity is probably the best we could have hoped for. If Pat means anything to you in any sort of way, then We Are Pat almost certainly has a message you’ll appreciate hearing.
Scooping up that Bread (CREDIT: Jennifer Clasen/Sony Pictures)
Starring: Nate Bargatze, Mandy Moore, Stella Grace Fitzgerald, Birdie Borria, Charlotte Ann Tucker, Will Forte, Colin Jost, Kumail Nanjiani, Zach Cherry, Kate Berlant, Martin Herlihy, Maddox Batson, Brett Cullen
Director: Eric Appel
Running Time: 99 Minutes
Rating: PG
Release Date: May 29, 2026 (Theaters)
There’s a scene in The Breadwinner (featured prominently in the trailer) in which Nate Bargatze (playing the similarly named Nate Wilcox) is caught in the middle of eating a donut while his wife makes her pitch to the sharks on Shark Tank. And then the sharks just roast him mercilessly. (Mr. Wonderful is arguably even more villainous here than he was in Marty Supreme.) To which I say: let the man eat his donut in peace! There was a time when I could down eight donuts in one sitting and still have plenty of energy for the rest of the day. Nowadays, though, just one is plenty filling. So any time that those rings of dough can be fully enjoyed should be treated like a blessing.
Grade: Will Forte and Martin Herlihy Were the Best Parts (Colin Jost Was Pretty Good Too)
TFW you hear about all the great movies coming out in June 2026 (CREDIT: Paramount Pictures)
They keep making new movies, and some of them are even worth watching. Here’s what’s at the top of the slate for June 2026:
Scary Movie (aka Scary Movie 6): My viewership of the previous entries in this lowest-common-denominator horror parody series is spotty at best. But the trailers this time are genuinely making me laugh. Plus, Anna Faris and Regina Hall are back!
Scary Movie (6) will waltz right into movie theaters on June 5.
TV
–Rafa Limited Series (May 29 on Netflix) – One of the greats, with the cameras following him.
-AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Eddie Murphy (May 31 on Netflix) – Laughter and such.
–Password Season Premiere (June 2 on NBC) – I appreciate Keke Palmer’s colorful glasses.
Music
-Violet Grohl, Be Sweet to Me
-Guided by Voices, Crawlspace of the Pantheon
-Paul McCartney, The Boys of Dungeon Lane
-Kurt Vile, philadelphia’s been good to me
Sports
-NBA Finals (Begins June 3 on ABC) – I’m rooting for the Knickerbockers.
-U.S. Women’s Open (June 4-7 on USA, Peacock, and NBC)
M & G & Friends (CREDIT: Lucasfilm/Disney/Screenshot)
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Lateef Crowder, Jeremy Allen White, Sigourney Weaver, Steve Blum, Jonny Coyne, Dave Filoni, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Martin Scorsese, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Matthew Willig
Director: Jon Favreau
Running Time: 132 Minutes
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: May 22, 2026 (Theaters)
I had been hearing that The Mandalorian and Grogu felt like a few different episodes of the TV show strung together to make something feature-length. Then when I went ahead and saw this feature film, I found myself agreeing with that assessment! But I was nevertheless perfectly pleased with my decision to see this adventure on the big screen. For one thing, it was such a delight to hear Ludwig Göransson’s theme in surround sound. And the other music he composed was also banging! Plus, I could watch Grogu scamper and float about all day, particularly when he’s accompanied by those Babu Frik-species critters. All of those elements were in plentiful supply, and they all felt like home. And y’all know I love feeling like home when I’m at the multiplex.
Does Spider-Noir fight any bees? (CREDIT: Prime Video/Screenshot)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–I Love Boosters (Theaters)
–Ladies First (May 22 on Netflix) – Starring Sacha Baron Cohen in something silly.
–The Mandalorian & Grogu (Theaters)
–Passenger (Theaters)
–Tuner (Theaters)
TV
–Mating Season Season 1 (May 22 on Netflix) – Like Big Mouth, but animals?
–Rick and Morty Season 9 Premiere (May 24 on Adult Swim)
–Spider-Noir Season 1 (May 25 on MGM+, May 27 on Amazon Prime) – Get in the cage!
–Um, Actually Tournament of Champions (May 26 on Dropout)
Music
-Bleachers, everyone for ten minutes
-Future Islands, From A Hole In The Floor To A Fountain Of Youth
Sports
-French Open (May 24-June 7 on TNT, TruTV, and HBO Max) – Oh’clay!
La la la la la la la la (CREDIT: Paramount Pictures)
Starring: Jacob Scipio, Lou Llobell, Melissa Leo, Joseph Lopez
Director: André Øvredal
Running Time: 97 Minutes
Rating: R for Some Fascinatingly Hardcore Gore
Release Date: May 22, 2026 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: Tyler (Jacob Scipio) and his girlfriend Maddie (Lou Llobell) are living that van life, baby! But evil forces are lurking along the darkest roads. That’s a huge bummer, especially because their road tripping starts off really promising with Tyler asking Maddie to marry him. But after they pull over to help another driver in a bizarre accident, they start to become haunted by a spectral figure (Joseph Lopez) who looks like a greasy-haired preacher. His modus operandi involves hitching a ride onto their journey and then torturing them until he finally feels like gruesomely killing them. If they have any chance of surviving, they must turn to the ancient wisdom from the early days of the American roadways.
What Made an Impression?: Love/Hate Relationship: If there’s anything that Passenger gets unequivocally right, it’s the stark difference between driving at day and driving at night. The latter features wonderful vistas captured by cinematographer Federico Verardi that had me going, “I can’t wait to get back out on the open road.” Whereas the latter had me bemoaning, “I never went to get behind the wheel of an automobile ever again.” He Is the Passenger: What’s the deal with the villain at the center of this movie, anyway? It seems like he can kill as soon as he becomes attached himself to his victims, but he really draws things out with Tyler and Maddie. Maybe he’s like a cat toying with a mouse? There are some strong indicators that arming oneself with the iconography of St. Christopher (the patron saint of travelers) can offer protection from him. But that’s sporadic at best in practice. Regardless of all the questions the The Passenger raises, it’s no question that Lopez pulls off the quiet menace with aplomb. They Don’t Deserve to Die: Tyler and Maddie aren’t the most unforgettable horror protagonists ever, but they’re also far from the stupidest. They make reasonable enough decisions given the information that they have, and they’re generally supportive of each other despite a few conflicts along the way. Accordingly, Scipio and Llobell’s performances are sufficient for making us hope that they don’t die. And sometimes, that is adequate for delivering a satisfying tale of terror.
Passenger is Recommended If You: Believe hitchhikers are evil
Starring: Leo Woodall, Havana Rose Liu, Dustin Hoffman, Tovah Feldshuh, Lior Raz, Nissan Sakira, Gil Cohen, Jean Reno
Director: Daniel Roher
Running Time: 107 Minutes
Rating: R for Language, Criminals Pushed Over the Edge, and Some Hard Drugs
Release Date: May 22, 2026 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: Niki White (Leo Woodall) once had a promising future as a virtuoso pianist, but then he developed a terrible case of hyperacusis, which basically means he’s allergic to excessive noise. He’s managed to remain in the business of those 88 keys as an apprentice to legendary New York City piano tuner Harry Horowitz (Dustin Hoffman), who’s basically an uncle to him. When Harry ends up in the hospital, Niki resorts to not-exactly-legal means to keep the tuning business afloat and cover Harry’s medical bills, as his preternatural pitch detection skills allow him to become an ace safecracker for a smooth-talking professional thief named Uri (Lior Raz). Niki eventually tries to back out when Uri and his crew cross too many lines, but he’s already in too deep, which isn’t exactly good news when it comes to his budding romance with fellow piano powerhouse Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu) or his own personal safety.
What Made an Impression?: The Leo-ding Man: Woodall has what I would complimentarily refer to as Resting Compelling Sadboy Face. You can read so much into what’s underneath those pores while he’s brooding out a window, and that disposition also means that his different-flavored co-stars in Tuner have plenty to bounce off. So if you want Dustin Hoffman to be charming while also a little too forward, or to feel the heat with Havana Rose Liu, or for Lior Raz to play the dangerous friend, or for Tovah Feldshuh to just deliver some necessary wisdom, well, that’s all going to land comfortably in the space that Woodall provides. It Really Does Sound Like That Sometimes, Doesn’t It?: While the cast is solid across the board, the creative contributor who leaves the biggest impression besides Woodall is actually composer Will Bates. His propulsive jazz-inflected score captures the rush of what must be going through Niki’s head as he does his best to make it through this bumpy stage in his life. It might be a case of the music telling you exactly how you’re supposed to feel, but I endorse that decision. Certainly in this particular genre. I Can’t Get Enough: Whenever I think about this movie’s title, I can’t help but say “Too Much Tuner” a la Nick Kroll and John Mulaney’s “Oh, Hello” routine. And the movie itself actually plays into that! Specifically, Harry discusses his affinity for tuna sandwiches, and it’s even revealed that he’s known as the “Tuner Fish.” I don’t know if this allusive ichthyology was intentional on director Daniel Roher and his co-screenwriter Robert Ramsey’s part, but in any case, it absolutely satisfied what I was looking for.
Tuner is Recommended If You Like: The kind of movie that makes you lean forward and politely asks you not to blink
Starring: Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza González, LaKeith Stanfield, Will Poulter, Demi Moore, Don Cheadle, Jason Ritter, Kara Young, Jermaine Fowler
Director: Boots Riley
Running Time: 113 Minutes
Rating: R for Creative Nudity and Language
Release Date: May 22, 2026 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: Corvette (Keke Palmer), Sade (Naomi Ackie), and Mariah (Taylour Paige) are making ends meet in the San Francisco area by shoplifting (aka “boosting”) clothes and reselling them at a discount. But they’re aspiring to quite a bit more than that. Trouble is, though, it’s pretty much impossible to get ahead in fashion when an influential billionaire like Christie Smith (Demi Moore) steals your designs. So the boosters have revenge on their mind, and their tenacity leads them to uncover a patronizing conspiracy and some reality-altering technology. Meanwhile, Corvette might have some romance brewing with a mysterious individual played by LaKeith Stanfield, but that could be much more bizarrely troublesome than it’s worth.
What Made an Impression?: It’s a Surprise: I don’t want to spoil I Love Boosters, but even if I told you everything that happens in precisely minute detail, you still wouldn’t know anything. You must actually witness it to believe it. That’s how Boots Riley lures us in: grounding us in what initially appears to be a fairly accurate recreation of the real world, only to overturn it all with a reveal that makes you cry out, “How did I get here?!” After all, his unapologetic message of expansive workers’ rights goes down easier that way. There’s a Lot Going On: If my previous paragraph makes it sound like Riley is employing a similar strategy as he did in his directorial debut Sorry to Bother You, that’s because he certainly is. But the key difference is that whereas StBY hinged on one major twist, I Love Boosters offers up a handful of them. The chaotically overwhelming approach of the latter is not quite as successful as the easier-to-map former. But even though the whole of ILB is tricky to handle, pretty much every individual piece sparkles, and I’m glad that it didn’t hold back any of its big swings, despite the messiness. I’m Warped: If this all sounds way too dizzying, well, rest assured that I actually found I Love Boosters to be kind of gentle. Although maybe that’s just because I enjoy watching reality get bent more than the average comrade. I wouldn’t recommend this freakishly fascinating flick to everybody, but I would absolutely approve of its consumption for anyone with an amicably deranged sensibility. If that doesn’t describe you, it might still be worth the risk, though. After all, it’s splattered with a whole lot more primary colors than eat-the-rich fairy tales typically are.
I Love Boosters is Recommended If You Like:They Live, Skittles, Dialectics
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