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They Weren’t Supposed to Be the Heroes

Sneakers (4KUHD)

Imagine carrying a secret for over two decades, only for it to resurface through a piece of tech and a government job. That’s the hook that sets SNEAKERS in motion—a clever, offbeat thriller that never tries to outmuscle the genre but outthinks it. Part spy story, part hacker adventure, and part character study, this is a film that trades flashy theatrics for smarter subversions and leans into its ensemble with refreshing confidence, even if not every idea gets the same follow-through.

The Silent Suffering of Forgotten Communities

Trinity

TRINITY doesn't rely on spectacle or shock value. Instead, it turns its lens on voices long ignored—those quietly living with the consequences of a test that changed the world without their consent. This isn’t a project trying to retell history with rage. It’s trying to fill in the gaping silences. With a focus on lived experiences rather than dramatized recreations, the film unearths a complicated chapter of American history that is as under-discussed as it is hauntingly relevant.

The Forgotten Force Behind Modern Music

Lead Belly: The Man Who Invented Rock & Roll (Lead Belly: Life, Legend, Legacy)

In the golden age of music, there was a man who needed only a 12-string guitar and his voice to turn the world’s ear. LEAD BELLY: THE MAN WHO INVENTED ROCK & ROLL revisits a name history hasn’t entirely forgotten but certainly hasn’t celebrated loudly enough. This documentary isn’t interested in nostalgia for its own sake. Instead, it’s about setting the record straight, digging into a life that shaped modern music more than most charts will ever acknowledge.

One Woman, MultipleLives, Zero Guarantees

Zoe

What do you get when a film leans into chaos just enough to mirror what it feels like to exist in the middle of a personal identity crisis? ZOE doesn’t aim to tidy up that storm—it dances in its insanity, winks at it, and sometimes stumbles through it. This film is about being lost, not in the conventional sense, but emotionally disoriented in a world where everything appears just fine from the outside. Under the guidance of Emanuela Galliussi, who wears many hats as writer, co-director, producer, and lead, ZOE explores the question so many narratives try to avoid: what happens when “having it all” still feels like not enough?

This Isn’t Just About Going Viral

Namas Dei: The Tucker J. James Story

It’s oddly intriguing watching someone spiral in real-time, especially when the spiral is staged, polished, and presented for our consumption. NAMAS DEI: THE TUCKER J. JAMES STORY takes that premise and crafts a story that feels both of-the-moment and deeply rooted in the timeless human urge to be seen. What starts like another influencer comedy gradually reveals a story about identity, aspiration, and the self-destruction that comes from trying too hard to be the person everyone wants you to be. For a film built around digital facades, it manages to sneak up with moments of surprising honesty.

Everything Feels Off—and That’s the Point

Foul Play (4KUHD)

What happens when a suspense thriller takes a sharp left turn into farce but still tries to keep its footing in romance and mystery? You get a movie that dares to misbehave within its own genre rules. FOUL PLAY doesn’t just transition between tones—it runs them down, laughs in the confusion, and somehow turns the chaos into its greatest strength. The result is a film that’s rarely predictable but always in motion, switching moods mid-scene and embracing its oddball energy without hesitation.

A City’s Shadows Shape Choices

Die Like A Man

When a story pulls from personal memory rather than genre formula, there's a striking tension between truth and fiction. This one doesn’t just suggest authenticity—it breathes it. Built from the ground up with grit and experience, it is less a studio creation and more a raw confession, shaped by the streets that raised it. We do not get a polished spectacle, but something rough-edged and intentionally human.

Elvira's Pursuit of Perfection

The Ugly Stepsister (Den stygge stesøsteren)

THE UGLY STEPSISTER doesn’t tiptoe around its message. It kicks in the door, tears down the fairy tale curtains, and asks what happens when the desire to be seen becomes a compulsion to be reshaped. This is not your storybook Cinderella (although closer in tone to the original, darker version of the story). Instead, Emilie Blichfeldt’s body horror debut reframes the narrative, taking a character long treated as an obstacle and putting her at the center of a brutal, satirical, and deeply human tale about beauty, identity, and the cost of fitting in. What emerges isn’t just a horror movie with a twisted take on a classic—it’s a character study that flays its protagonist in more ways than one.

Detectives Confront Past in Crime Drama

The 4 Points

What starts as a gritty throwback to street-level crime dramas quickly reveals itself as a film stuck between intention and execution. THE 4 POINTS combines a bold concept, a visually grounded approach, and two strong central performances, but it never quite nails the rhythm needed to connect fully. There's an unmistakable passion behind the camera, and you can feel the effort to honor a legacy of L.A.-set crime stories.

When Small Towns Hide the Darkest Things

Dead Mail

Something is fascinating about watching a film that feels like it was unearthed from another time but with just enough weirdness to make it stick in your brain. That’s the strange magic: nostalgia meets innovation, and everything is filtered through the grainy, analog lens of a dreamlike version of Peoria, Illinois. Even though it wasn’t shot there, it’s rooted in the city’s energy, which made it hit even closer to home for me—seeing Peoria get this kind of spotlight. I’ll take it.

The Moment a Parent Starts to See

Such A Pretty Girl

Now and then, a short film lands not with spectacle but with clarity—a quiet moment that unfolds with purpose, capturing a shift in perspective as it’s happening. SUCH A PRETTY GIRL takes that challenge head-on and succeeds by focusing less on loud revelations and more on what lingers in glances, gestures, and the quiet spaces between words. It delivers a moment of personal reckoning without pushing for tidy answers or emotional shortcuts, all in just six minutes.

Satire Sharp Enough to Make You Flinch

Heavens Above! (Blu-ray)

Mistaken identity starts a chain reaction in one of post-war British cinema's most unusual satirical works. At first glance, it might seem like another light-hearted jab at the quirks of British society. However, what unfolds is an unnerving commentary on how communities react when someone truly decides to practice what institutions merely preach. The comedy is sharp, the discomfort even sharper, resulting in a social critique that remains disturbingly relevant.

Funny, Uncomfortable, and Worth It

#1 Happy Family USA (Season 1)

There’s something uniquely satisfying about a show willing to take a flamethrower to expected norms and roast them with a straight face. That’s the type of chaotic satire powering #1 HAPPY FAMILY USA. Instead of following a predictable path, it carves its own strange, sharply angled lane here. Equal parts absurd comedy and cultural critique, the series swings for the fences by embracing exaggerated characterizations, stylized animation, and biting commentary on post-9/11 America—all while packing each episode with enough visual flair and comedic edge to keep viewers off balance in the best way possible.