Given the profits on them, I suspect what we’ll see is a lot of money being thrown at all sorts of YouTubers to develop all sorts of YouTube content into feature films. Not all of them will be as talented as the ones who made the above movies, and not all the material will be as solid. Which means stay tuned for a certain amount of crap to follow.
Its only release in 2025 was for the Toronto international film festival, and most eligibility rules including the Oscars don’t include that. Theatrical release is what triggers eligibility.
No, US theatrical release dates are what counts for awards and for when a film is from, not film festivals. Obsession is a 2026 film.
Yes that is what Maserschmidt indicated above:
I did not know it was only released at the Toronto festival, nor the rules for oscar contention. It already won some awards so I thought maybe it was no longer eligible. Ignorance fought!
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As another example, consider the film I Swear. It was released in the UK in 2025 and thus was up for (and won) awards at the BAFTAs for 2025, but its 2026 release in the US means it wouldn’t be eligible for an Oscar until the Academy Awards in early 2027.
Well, I swear these rules are complicated! 
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More about the rules: To be eligible for an Oscar as a feature film, a movie must be shown in an American movie theater with at least three screenings per day for at least seven consecutive days with at least one screening per day beginning between 6 PM and 10 PM. It must be over 40 minutes long. Those seven consecutive days must be at a movie theater in one of the six metropolitan areas of Los Angeles County; the City of New York; the Bay Area; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; and Atlanta, Georgia. The screenings must be paid screenings, not ones for free. The showing of a film at a film festival doesn’t count. Following the initial qualifying run, the film must secure an expanded theatrical run of seven days (consecutive or non-consecutive) in 10 of the top 50 U.S. markets, no later than 45 days after the initial release. It must be exhibited on 35mm or 70mm film or else must be presented in a 24- or 48-frame progressive scan Digital Cinema Package (DCP) format conforming to industry standards with a minimum projector resolution of 2048 by 1080 pixels. More information can be found here:
And press hard: you’re making three copies.
I just watched In Cold Light. Not a fan. The acting was pretty good but the story was hard as hell to follow. The main character made some truly perplexing choices and a lot of the movie just plain didn’t make sense. I don’t need to be spoon-fed the plot but I need some information to make things make sense.
Waste of my time. Too bad to, I love that actress.
She’s great in Longlegs.
Agreed. We liked her in It Follows, too.
Masters of the Universe
A whiplash of a movie that thinks it is Guardians of the Galaxy or Thor: Ragnarok. There’s a lot to like but it felt like it was trying to do everything. It was giving me tonal whiplash. IF you can turn your brain off, it’s a lot of fun. I wasn’t able to do that.
For example, the king’s death scene includes a couple minute conversation with He-Man while Skeletor and Evil-Lyn are right there. All they need to do is pick up the sword. Closure (both narrative and personal) is good and all but you’re in a life and death situation. Resolve the conflict before talking to your dying parent.
On the other hand, I did enjoy TV specific formats making their way into the movie. The really bad joke at the end of the movie where everyone puts their hands on their hips and over exaggerates their laugh is straight from every episode ever. Orco makes an appearance to give the “moral” of the story during the credits.
No way to know how to recommend this one. For me, it fell into the bad with some redeeming qualities but generally stay away. But I can see how this can swing into bad but a lot of fun, bad and will be a blast to make fun of, or even good depending on the person, the company they’re with, and the day of the week.
Is there any compelling reason to watch it in the theater, as opposed to streaming to a TV? Based on the trailers, and now your review, I’m thinking watching it on TV to get the best experience.
It does have very good desktop visuals. They make Eternia weird and colorful. The visuals definitely pop off the screen when going for broad backgrounds. If you like slow mo fights/punches, it’s worth seeing on big screen as well (I didn’t care for it personally). Everything else is worth waiting for.
Help! (1965) on YouTube
For some reason, this film has always been difficult to find on streaming services and I stumbled upon it (the 2009 restored version) entirely by chance. God, I love the color films from 1965-1967! Just beautiful. Reminds me of watching Batman or The Monkees as a kid.
Anyway, first viewing in decades. It’s incredible that this was filmed only a year after A Hard Day’s Night. It’s not just the color, but everything is more modern, hip, and swinging. Somewhere in those twelve months, the 1960s began. Really good production values, locations, and supporting character actors. It doesn’t feel as rushed as the previous film, even though the Beatles were still on a break-neck schedule. That said, it’s not as unique as AHDN. This one is mostly a 007 parody starring the Beatles, rather than a film about the Beatles.
Years ago I watched Cinema Sins’ Everything Wrong With Wonder Woman 1984 in 20 Minutes or Less and decided that I never need to watch this film. It looks absolutely terrible.
So she literally puts her boyfriend from the first movie into a body of some random guy, stealing his body for the duration of the movie. This random guy’s entire body and life are taken over by her boyfriend from movie #1. They are intimate, which suggests sexual assault to this stranger.
It’s insane what they did.
Naked Gun (2025) (Prime)
I’m very split on this. There are some funny parts, Liam Neeson is no Leslie Neilson but he’s serviceable as a gruffer successor to the Frank Drebin role. Akiva Schaffer is a decent director and the idea of throwing everything at the wall mostly works here. There’s a certain something that the ZAZ team brought to theirs that isn’t quite replicated though, so it’s a mild recommendation from me.
Roofman (Prime)
Based on a true story, Channing Tatum plays Jeffery Manchester, a former soldier and criminal who escapes from prison and hides in a Toy R Us store. Kirsten Dunst is Leigh, a single mother working at the store who he takes a liking to. Peter Dinklage, Uzo Aduba, and LaKeith Stanfield are part of the supporting cast. I thought Tatum showed some depth here as his character and it’s an interesting story turned into a decent movie. I do recommend it though it is a bit long at 126 minutes. The end credits include photos of the real people portrayed in the movie as well as news footage and clips of interviews.
Does this have a different title in various countries? In North America it is called The Naked Gun. My kid was confused when Zootopia showed up as Zootropolis on a recent trip to the UK.
Whoops. It was The Naked Gun, I updated the title.