Movie Review Roundup: August 2026

Slashers, celibacy, and spas, oh my! Come with me as I revisit another summer month filled with delightful surprises and surprisingly dreadful dreck.

ICE CREAM MAN ⭐️⭐️

This R-rated Goosebumps episode wishes it had the budget (and talent) of a Goosebumps episode. Despite the AI usage, this almost-fun scoop of slasher trash isn’t what we deserve while waiting to feast on Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving 2.

MISS YOU, LOVE YOU ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

One of those rare movies that comes along and wrecks you in the most beautiful of ways, with characters and themes that resonate with you at your core. Jim Rash’s impeccably original script and direction—yup, I’ll say it—hugged my soul. (Streaming on HBO Max)

TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

A dreamily detailed post-meta meta piece that uses the slasher genre to deconstruct sexual shame (and some Hollywood politics). Yes, it’s cerebral, but the needle drops are pretty funny, and it’s Schoenbrun’s most accessible work to date. Gillian Anderson is giving 21st-century Lynchian Gloria Swanson.

ONE NIGHT ONLY ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Can a dystopian movie be…delightful? This alternate-universe rom-com is too scared to slide into biting satire and too crowded with cameos to be anything other than a vehicle to show off Monica Barbaro’s charm and Callum Turner’s ears (and abs). An innovative attempt to marry a high concept with the genre that could’ve worked better as a limited series.

BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

David Kittredge’s documentary is so much more than a behind-the-scenes look at one of Hollywood’s biggest flops (Exorcist II: The Heretic). It’s a wonderfully observed autopsy on the film industry during the 1970s, which parallel the changing tides of our current climate, as well as a tender and moving tribute to the lost art of risk-taking and bold storytelling.

THE END OF OAK STREET ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A thrillingly immersive adventure soaked in ‘80s nostalgia, hitting all the right notes. Despite logic ultimately getting sucked into its own wormhole, this is the best summer blockbuster of 2026 that isn’t a Marvel entry, sequel, or IP cash grab.

SPA WEEKEND ⭐️⭐️1/2

Nothing says broad comedy about female friendship like a fairly enjoyable laugher…written and directed by straight men.

BUDDY ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Imagine Barney the Dinosaur violently punishing kids on the set of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, and you’ll get this delightfully demented cult-flick-in-the-making.

ACME VS. COYOTE ⭐️⭐️⭐️

An adorable anti-corporation tale. #TeamCoyote