October is behind us, and now it’s time for more prestige efforts, including a handful of genre movies. This roundup includes a couple of family dramas, a darkly comedic thriller, a fantastical comedy, and a Liam Neeson action flick. The following features reviews for Club Kid, Mouse, The Last Temptation of Becky, Wicker, Ghost in the Cell, and The Mongoose.
Club Kid: 8 out of 10
The Setup: Underground party promoter/part-time drug dealer Peter (Jordan Firstman) has his life upended when he is forced to care for Arlo (Reggie Absolom), a 10-year-old son he never knew he had.
Review: One thing that works so well about Club Kid is how watchable an environment writer/director Firstman delivers even before the plot kicks in. This sort of nightlife society populated by various members of the LGBTQIA+ community provides an atmosphere that features all of the things that make it so alluring, but not without providing a look at some of the consequences that come from choices made surrounding drugs and alcohol. On top of that, the film works as a sort of “what if Big Daddy but actually really good” story, which only adds to what it offers.
Firstman, who I know from a handful of shows devoted to millennial/Gen Z lifestyles, is terrific here. He operates in a manner that suggests someone with potential were he to gain focus, which is exactly what’s dropped on him. With that in mind, the film resists hitting too many clichés about a guy who’s never been a father before, preferring a more natural take on such an event. It’s effective enough, as is young Absolom, that the film is able to land its emotional ending without feeling trite. Solid writing does that for you, and the work here shows a sharp eye for bringing specific worlds together.
Where To Watch: Opening in select theaters on November 6, 2026. Expands wide on November 20.
Mouse: 8 out of 10
The Setup: When Callie (Chloe Coleman) and Minnie (Katherine Mallen Kupferer) have their relationship upended on the eve of their senior year, Minnie forms a complicated friendship with Callie’s mother (Sophie Okonedo).
Review: It’s great to have wonderful, human-focused storytellers to root for, and directors Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson have become some of my favorites. Following Saint Frances and Ghostlight, these two are in a great position to keep delivering low-key indie dramas with a dose of humor, grounded interactions that demand great performances to sell it all, and none of it feels forced. Even the basic idea here, which involves complicated friendships and grief, is familiar enough, but this is the sort of film that can breathe a lot of life into what it has to offer. A real winner.
Where To Watch: Opening in select theaters on November 6, 2026.
The Last Temptation of Becky: 6 out of 10
The Setup: Now a CIA field agent, Becky (Lulu Wilson) goes undercover in Poland to infiltrate a family running an inn at The Wolf’s Lair, one of Hitler’s WWII bunkers. When she learns the father, Wilhelm Reuss (Neil Patrick Harris), plans to spark the Fourth Reich, Becky must stop him.
Review: It’s amusing how this series not only keeps working but actually keeps getting better. That feels like an unlikely prospect, given how the novelty of the first film revolved around Wilson’s Becky being a 13-year-old girl taking on a neo-Nazi gang headed by a villainous Kevin James. And yet, at the time, I felt that film didn’t fully capitalize on what it had. The Wrath of Becky proved to be a stronger effort with better direction, and now we have the hilariously titled Last Temptation of Becky. With that said, I honestly hope they find ways to keep this bizarre action-thriller-comedy series going.
The stunt-casting of Harris as a dangerous Nazi is a lot of fun, and Wilson clearly relishes the chance to play this titular character, who has since become an anger-challenged CIA field agent. This leads to a variety of over-the-top action sequences that continue the series’ penchant for bloody results. And yet, there’s just enough going on in the storytelling and with these characters that the inherent silliness isn’t the only thing offered up as a positive. So here’s hoping that Becky’s story isn’t over yet.
Where To Watch: Opening in theaters on November 4, 2026.
Wicker: 7 out of 10
The Setup: An ostracized fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) commissions the local Basketmaker (Peter Dinklage) to weave her a husband, but when her wicker creation proves unexpectedly extraordinary, his presence ignites jealousy and upheaval that threatens their quiet village.
Review: Expectations certainly had me expecting something a bit naughtier. With so many jokes about a strong wooden man played by Alexander Skarsgård, let alone the incredible use of wicker sounds in many of the ads, I was really expecting some 18th-century sex comedy. That is still basically true, but this is still a film focused heavily on separation of class, the treatment of women, and how change to a society can affect their status for better and for worse. Were this to have been a lower-rated feature with an actress less willing to lean into the supposed ugliness, I’d imagine we’d see a lovely fantasy story showing how this wicker man brings about the good in all.
Clearly, writers/directors Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson had their eyes on how things are today, and headed in a more cynical direction. Having Colman, along with actors like Elizabeth Debicki and Richard E. Grant, really dive into the nastiness that comes with how people can view those who are different shines a light in a relevant way, if a bit oppressive were the film not to balance it out with a good amount of humor (let alone some spectacular visual effects for a movie of this size). I only wish the story had somewhere to actually go. As it stands, while it’s not short on imagination, the scope isn’t exactly in mind when you consider how far this film actually goes.
Where To Watch: Now playing in theaters.
Ghost in the Cell: 7 out of 10
The Setup: Set in a high-security prison ruled by feuding gangs and a tyrannical warden, the arrival of a new inmate kicks off a series of mysterious, gruesome murders that leave its victims on morbid display. The hapless inmates trapped in the prison must overcome their rivalries to unmask an invisible, otherworldly enemy. No one is safe as the cells cage in the horrors and a ghost roams the prison with murderous intent.
Review: There’s a lot of fun to be had with this bloody prison flick, but not in the way I expected. The insane trailer made me think I was getting something along the lines of Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky, but it is actually more of a supernatural comedy rooted in understanding what a ghost wants. Rather than fill this effort with action sequences, director/writer Joko Anwar pushes his characters towards madness as they deal with horrendous deaths around them, elaborately representing the bad auras of these imprisoned individuals. It makes for a fun film that takes plenty of swerves, has lots of humor, and doesn’t shy away from the gore.
Where To Watch: Now available on digital and VOD.
The Mongoose: 4 out of 10
The Setup: Accused of a crime he didn’t commit, and with nothing to lose, a war hero (Liam Neeson) leads law enforcement on a cross-country car chase with the help of his brothers in arms and a sympathetic public rooting for his getaway.
Review: It would be hilarious to learn that Neeson can barely drive in reality, despite what we see here. This is a movie about a war hero who is so incredible at using his modern Shelby Mustang to outrun and outmaneuver cops that, at one point, he can turn the car a whole new color and elude them even longer. I know we’re well past the peak of Neeson’s older action hero days, but give him a good script, and he can still act the hell out of some of these, such as The Land of Saints and Sinners. Otherwise, these random action efforts with surprisingly stacked casts (Ving Rhames, Marisa Tomei, Michael Chiklis) make you long for when this felt new and exciting. As it stands, it’s a pretty one-note action movie, made worse by obvious car choreography, poor dialogue, and a nonsense story. For a man with a particular set of skills, I hope he can find a better outlet for them next time around.
Where To Watch: Now playing in theaters.
