I’m taking some time off, but I will leave you with a few more small movies to take a look at during this early-summer movie season. The write-ups here include a revenge thriller, an action flick, a concert film, some indie dramas, and a psychological/body-horror film. The following features reviews for Is God Is, Reckless, Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft – The Tour (Live in 3D), Magic Hour, An Autumn Summer, and Affection.
Is God Is: 8 out of 10
The Setup: Two sisters (Kara Young and Mallori Johnson) embark on an epic quest for revenge, confronting a charged family history that pushes them to extraordinary lengths.
Review: There is so much here to champion its ridiculous. Looking at so many films focused on the Black experience that may have specificity on display in terms of the culture, but still feel adjusted to adhere to sympathetic ideals expected for studio projects, here’s a movie that rejects all of that. Based on her own stage play, this is Aleshea Harris’ directorial debut, and it’s a blast of Southern Gothic thrills meshed with a revenge story and a subversion of family drama dynamics. Is God Is is visually striking, well-acted, violent, funny, and a real explosion of thematic intrigue rooted in a form of justice.
From the get-go, we understand our lead characters. Cursed by their father to live a life not only as poor black children living in a world where they are treated differently, but disfigured ones as well, thanks to the purposely inflicted burn scars. What follows is an odyssey of sorts that only allows for so many stops, but each of them is meaningful. We learn more about Racine and Anaia, sisters with clashing personalities who don’t let that stop them from being incredibly close. Meanwhile, the terrific supporting cast includes Vivica A. Fox as their horribly burned mother, Janelle Monáe, Erika Alexander, Mykelti Williamson, and an especially creepy Sterling K. Brown as their father.
Shot to resemble a spaghetti western at times, a horror movie at others, and a 70s pastiche in general, so much fun is had in the aesthetics alone, and yet the film uses its patient state of mind to comment on the characters we meet along the way, and what it is that they consider a proper drive in the eyes of the Lord as they see it—shooting for the stars and landing so much in the way of direction, writing, performance, and more. Harris has constructed a feature that is as exciting as it gets for a debut filmmaker and woman of color, clearly ready to work outside the lines and add something more interesting to the conversation.
Where To Watch: Opening in theaters on May 15, 2026
Reckless: 6 out of 10
The Setup: A former convict (Scott Adkins) on parole must outwit the police to get his share of an old heist.
Review: It’s funny, as I just got done reviewing the classic John Boorman neo-noir, Point Blank, featuring Lee Marvin in a similar spot that Adkins’ Devon finds himself in. Of course, the difference is that there’s no subtlety needed here. Devon isn’t invincible, but he does find himself in fight after fight trying to get back what he feels is earned. Does that amount to a strong feature, though?
Director Elliot Montello is taking on his first full-on action film here, and the results are fine. That largely comes down to the well-choreographed fights on display and the sheer energy Adkins delivers in his quest to right a situation. Not hurting is Vinnie Jones as the oh-so-tough Trent. With these two and a script that is about as sharp as it needs to be, having a quick-witted little action film like this is the sort of thing that action fans will be satisfied with for the time being until The Furious comes out a month from now.
A small additional note: I was quite pleased to get a movie that fully embraces a theme song, with the film’s title prominently featured.
Where To Watch: Available on digital and VOD starting May 22, 2026.
Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft – The Tour (Live in 3D): 7 out of 10
The Setup: An accompanying 3D concert film documenting the Manchester shows of Grammy Award-winning singer Billie Eilish during her sold-out world tour.
Review: To say director James Cameron was able to deliver an immersive experience by way of this concert film should not be surprising. The 71-year-old director may have been brought on to this project only because of his own daughter’s fandom for the superstar singer, but he knows his way around 3D cameras. What we have here is the kind of presentation that can easily win over Eilish fans, but also does plenty to lure in people like me who have remained agnostic. Thanks to Cameron’s know-how with his technology and Eilish’s understanding of her own music and how to stage a concert that reflects the various moods of the tracks she plans to perform.
The resulting feature is a non-linear approach to the concert, where songs play in full, only to be taken back in time, ranging from minutes before that specific performance to hours earlier, revealing different stages of planning and explanation. Cameron, who handled at least some of the cameras himself, gives Eilish plenty of opportunities to share her thoughts on what her music and style mean to the fans who have found someone they can identify with. Seeing all of this through the lens of a 3D camera, I found myself completely taken in by the concert and the various perspectives it would have. That’s enough to have me curious about Eilish’s next musical venture, let alone perhaps catching up on what’s allowed her to achieve such an acclaimed status.
Where To Watch: Now playing in theaters.
Magic Hour: 6 out of 10
The Setup: Charlie (Daveed Diggs) and Erin (Katie Aselton) escape to the desert to navigate an unexpected and challenging new phase of their relationship.
Review: Small-scale relationship dramas are not hard to come by, and even for the Duplass Brothers, who helped pave the way for the super indie version of this sort of thing, there are seemingly only so many layers to delve into to keep this sort of story interesting. Fortunately, while familiar and not quite pronounced enough in its screenplay to make it stronger, Magic Hour does manage to resist some tropes by way of an early twist.
I won’t dive into what that twist is. Still, the cleverness comes from how the film could work without it as well, as the character dynamic would remain interesting to a degree; there’s obviously a key emotional component that would have to be modified. Regardless, I guess I’m getting at the fact that Aselton (who also directs) and Diggs make for an interesting couple, but the way they must navigate a major change in their status quo means they have to figure out how to move forward.
As opposed to the mumblecore approach, while there’s clearly a degree of freedom in the performances, knowing the film has to arrive at certain points ultimately means playing a bit of a waiting game for certain things to dawn on the characters. Still, I liked how this film centered on the key element that creates a separation in this couple, and the actors do fine work. Being a good-looking movie doesn’t hurt either, especially since the scenes are shot near magic hour.
Where To Watch: Now playing in select theaters.
An Autumn Summer: 5 out of 10
The Setup: It’s the Summer of 2010, and Kevin (Mark McKenna) and his girlfriend, Cody (Lukita Maxwell), are two months into his family’s annual trip at their Northern Michigan lake house. This year, one month remains before their lives take them on separate paths to different colleges. Amid peaceful days and adventurous nights, Kevin and Cody awaken to reality: This time together will eventually end, and each moment may become a fleeting memory…
Review: This feels like the sort of coming-of-age story that only has so many places to go and so much of an audience to build trust with. That’s not necessarily to say it’s too limited or won’t appeal to too many, but I do have to wonder if more could have been done to give it a stronger arc. Writer/director Jared Isaac may be coming from a personal place with this story. Still, whether or not he is, most of what is accomplished here is showing that he can get a cast of actors well enough to deliver solid work and film this small lakeside setting in a manner that captures what he must be after.
Make no mistake, all films are difficult to make, but I only found so much to engage me here. It tells a story about a couple of younger people coming to understand that things are going to change for them once college starts, and that’s really it. Tying that to the nature of their surroundings is fine, as it at least gives the film some interesting visual dynamics. However, I just don’t have much else to look at, as far as seeing something truly impactful beyond acceptable competence in the filmmaking and performances.
Where To Watch: Opening in select theaters on May 15, 2026.
Affection: 4 out of 10
The Setup: Afflicted by a mysterious condition that resets her memory, Ellie (Jessica Rothe) becomes trapped in a cyclical nightmare with a man who claims to be her husband (Joseph Cross). She soon must uncover the horrifying truth of her existence—before she forgets it all again.
Review: It’s unfortunate I didn’t come away from this film with more positive thoughts, as I think there’s so much potential for what it was after. While operating in a sci-fi/horror realm, complete with gooey body-horror and several well-handled make-up designs, coupled with strong physical work from Rothe, it only takes these aspects so far. While director/writer BT Meza has great ideas, his presentation of this story really flattens out following its opening act. I was intrigued to a point, but I couldn’t get past a sense of blandness in the direction compared to this story. At the same time, as a metaphor for domestic abuse, sure, it’s all right there in front of me. Still, there’s little to really chew on and appreciate as far as having another story focused on a woman figuring out how to drive herself away from a toxic abuser.
Obviously, those are worthwhile elements to keep track of in a serious story. However, for a movie that has Rothe, a performer who can really extend herself, and enough of a vision to create a cool central visual motif as far as how Ellie “awakens” over time, I wanted to see stronger work emerge, as opposed to feeling like I was watching such a dull affair. As a result, little affection is found here.
Where To Watch: Now playing in select theaters.
