by Josh Sewell
Godzilla Minus Zero
(Rated R for some violent content/bloody images. Opens in theaters on November 6.)
The premise: Two years have passed since the events of Godzilla Minus One and Japan is finally starting to return to a sense of normalcy. However, a lethal new threat appears that could destroy the fragile peace forever.
The verdict: It’s not fair to complain that Godzilla Minus Zero, the sequel to writer-director Takashi Yamazaki’s dramatic, emotional and hugely successful relaunch of the monster franchise, isn’t as good as its predecessor. That’s because when it comes to Godzilla movies, Minus One was one of the greatest ever made – an impossibly high bar to clear – so the follow up pales in comparison because it’s “merely” pretty good.
The visual effects are still terrific, although there’s a lot more CGI bombast over the human elements this time around. That’s a bummer for me considering the family storyline from the original was so compelling I would’ve watched an entire movie about their post-World War II life even if the giant lizard never showed up.
Those actors, including Minami Hamabe and Ryûnosuke Kamiki, return for Minus Zero, but their subplots are muddled and confusing when they should be the film’s emotional core. Even more bizarre, the title character is inexplicably relegated to an extended cameo rather than the primary threat. Finally, the big creature battle viewers have been waiting two hours for turns out to be disappointing and anticlimactic, with major portions of it taking place offscreen.
Grade: B
Wild Horse Nine
(Rated R for pervasive language, some strong violence, drug use and sexual references. Opens in select theaters on November 6.)
The premise: Shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup, CIA agents Chris (John Malkovich) and Lee (Sam Rockwell) are dispatched from Santiago to Easter Island by their boss (Steve Buscemi). As the longtime partners and pals wrestle with their dark pasts and present missions, Chris’ newfound bond with a pair of students (Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas) threatens everything.
The verdict: After his poignant, melancholy The Banshees of Inisherin, writer-director Martin McDonagh returns to the black comedy and whiplash-inducing tonal shifts that made In Bruges a masterpiece. Although Wild Horse Nine doesn’t quite reach those heights, the razor-sharp dialogue and the incredible actors at the center of the story make it one of 2026’s best films.
Malkovich delivers one of the greatest performances of his career as Chris, which might finally earn him an Oscar after decades in the industry. There’s no question he’s currently at the center of the Best Actor conversation.
Rockwell has already won a Best Supporting Actor statue for his work in a McDonagh movie – the flawed-but-interesting Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. However, he’ll almost certainly be nominated again for portraying Lee, the profane, irascible second banana tasked with fulfilling an awful request for Chris. Buscemi doesn’t have a huge role, but he takes full advantage of his limited screen time to steal practically every scene he’s in.
Perhaps the best compliment I can pay Wild Horse Nine is that it flies by so fast I was genuinely shocked when the end credits started to roll. It’s two hours long, but I could’ve sworn I’d only been watching for half that time.
Grade: A
Possible Love
(Rated R for language, some sexuality and nudity. Now playing in select theaters and available on Netflix starting November 6.)
The premise: In his latest drama, acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong (who co-wrote the screenplay with Oh Jung-mi) follows two married couples facing different personal and economic paths. Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon) lives quietly with her laid-off husband Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu) and their young son Cheol (Jung Seol) until a funeral brings them into the orbit of Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong), a documentary filmmaker chronicling laid-off workers, and her wealthy husband Sang-woo (Zo In-sung).
The verdict: Possible Love is a powerful character study packed with great performances. It’s so subtle and deeply layered that it often feels like reading a complex novel. However, it never quite gels because Chang-dong spends most of the epic running time trying to stuff two or three wildly different movies into a single story.
As such, the film is glacially paced, meandering among the characters and withholding crucial developments and reveals for an excruciating amount of time. It makes the almost three-hour movie feel twice as long.
I understand why art house aficionados have such praise for Chang-dong’s latest and I’m ultimately glad I watched it. Still, I must admit I’m baffled why Netflix chose to scoop up the distribution rights. Possible Love demands viewers’ full attention and lots of patience – neither of which Netflix’s audience is known for.
Grade: B
(Rated R for some violent content/bloody images. Opens in theaters on November 6.)
The premise: Two years have passed since the events of Godzilla Minus One and Japan is finally starting to return to a sense of normalcy. However, a lethal new threat appears that could destroy the fragile peace forever.
The verdict: It’s not fair to complain that Godzilla Minus Zero, the sequel to writer-director Takashi Yamazaki’s dramatic, emotional and hugely successful relaunch of the monster franchise, isn’t as good as its predecessor. That’s because when it comes to Godzilla movies, Minus One was one of the greatest ever made – an impossibly high bar to clear – so the follow up pales in comparison because it’s “merely” pretty good.
The visual effects are still terrific, although there’s a lot more CGI bombast over the human elements this time around. That’s a bummer for me considering the family storyline from the original was so compelling I would’ve watched an entire movie about their post-World War II life even if the giant lizard never showed up.
Those actors, including Minami Hamabe and Ryûnosuke Kamiki, return for Minus Zero, but their subplots are muddled and confusing when they should be the film’s emotional core. Even more bizarre, the title character is inexplicably relegated to an extended cameo rather than the primary threat. Finally, the big creature battle viewers have been waiting two hours for turns out to be disappointing and anticlimactic, with major portions of it taking place offscreen.
Grade: B
(Rated R for pervasive language, some strong violence, drug use and sexual references. Opens in select theaters on November 6.)
The premise: Shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup, CIA agents Chris (John Malkovich) and Lee (Sam Rockwell) are dispatched from Santiago to Easter Island by their boss (Steve Buscemi). As the longtime partners and pals wrestle with their dark pasts and present missions, Chris’ newfound bond with a pair of students (Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas) threatens everything.
The verdict: After his poignant, melancholy The Banshees of Inisherin, writer-director Martin McDonagh returns to the black comedy and whiplash-inducing tonal shifts that made In Bruges a masterpiece. Although Wild Horse Nine doesn’t quite reach those heights, the razor-sharp dialogue and the incredible actors at the center of the story make it one of 2026’s best films.
Malkovich delivers one of the greatest performances of his career as Chris, which might finally earn him an Oscar after decades in the industry. There’s no question he’s currently at the center of the Best Actor conversation.
Rockwell has already won a Best Supporting Actor statue for his work in a McDonagh movie – the flawed-but-interesting Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. However, he’ll almost certainly be nominated again for portraying Lee, the profane, irascible second banana tasked with fulfilling an awful request for Chris. Buscemi doesn’t have a huge role, but he takes full advantage of his limited screen time to steal practically every scene he’s in.
Perhaps the best compliment I can pay Wild Horse Nine is that it flies by so fast I was genuinely shocked when the end credits started to roll. It’s two hours long, but I could’ve sworn I’d only been watching for half that time.
Grade: A
(Rated R for language, some sexuality and nudity. Now playing in select theaters and available on Netflix starting November 6.)
The premise: In his latest drama, acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong (who co-wrote the screenplay with Oh Jung-mi) follows two married couples facing different personal and economic paths. Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon) lives quietly with her laid-off husband Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu) and their young son Cheol (Jung Seol) until a funeral brings them into the orbit of Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong), a documentary filmmaker chronicling laid-off workers, and her wealthy husband Sang-woo (Zo In-sung).
The verdict: Possible Love is a powerful character study packed with great performances. It’s so subtle and deeply layered that it often feels like reading a complex novel. However, it never quite gels because Chang-dong spends most of the epic running time trying to stuff two or three wildly different movies into a single story.
As such, the film is glacially paced, meandering among the characters and withholding crucial developments and reveals for an excruciating amount of time. It makes the almost three-hour movie feel twice as long.
I understand why art house aficionados have such praise for Chang-dong’s latest and I’m ultimately glad I watched it. Still, I must admit I’m baffled why Netflix chose to scoop up the distribution rights. Possible Love demands viewers’ full attention and lots of patience – neither of which Netflix’s audience is known for.
Grade: B
Reach out to Josh Sewell at joshsewell81@gmail.com or on BlueSky @joshsewell.bsky.social
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