Hale and Harding have known each other for almost 20 years, and they are once again reunited for The 12 Dates of Christmas, a holiday romcom that premiered today on Hulu. To mark the release of the film, Nerd Reactor had the duo draw the ultimate Christmas date.

The two talk about holiday mishaps, spending time in a family’s cabin, and their characters’ love language. They discuss the date while trying to draw in just 5 minutes. No pressure!

You can now stream The 12 Dates of Christmas on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

About The 12 Dates of Christmas

Synopsis: Christina Walker, a successful shop owner who has devoted her energy to her career at the expense of her dating life, goes on 12 dates in the 12 weeks leading up to Christmas hoping to find Mr. Right.

The film is directed by David Lipper and written by Seth Howard and David Lipper.

It stars Lucy Hale, Ian Harding, Greer Grammer, Paul Ben Victor, with Kahyun Kim, and Penelope Ann Miller.

The post Lucy Hale and Ian Harding Draw the Ultimate Christmas Date for The 12 Dates of Christmas appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The film stars Teo Yoo (Past Lives) as a mysterious outsider navigating a near-future Manhattan where corporate loyalty and cultural tradition collide. An employee’s death leads the protagonist to reveal the brutal nature of the company’s secrets. 

Today, the trailer for Karōshi has arrived, teasing the setting and the characters. You can check out the trailer below.

Karōshi slashes into theaters on February 5, 2027.

About Karōshi

Synopsis: Produced by Chad Stahelski (John Wick franchise) and written and directed by Takashi Doscher, KARŌSHI is an action-thriller set in a near-future Manhattan, where corporate loyalty and cultural tradition have reshaped everyday life. When a mysterious outsider infiltrates a powerful company after a worker’s death, he exposes the violent system hidden beneath its polished surface.

The film stars Teo Yoo (Past Lives), Isabel May (Scream 7), Takehiro Hira (“Shōgun”), Bill Camp (“Presumed Innocent”), Show Kasamatsu (“Tokyo Vice”), with Giancarlo Esposito (“Breaking Bad”), and Cynthia Erivo (Wicked).

The film’s runtime is 88 minutes.

The post Karōshi Trailer Features Teo Yoo in Chad Stahelski-Produced Action Thriller appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Littermates is directed by Scott Tinkham and Michael Woloson, and it releases exclusively in Alamo Drafthouse theaters starting on November 6, 2026.

Check out the full interview below with the directors, along with executive producer Haley Nicole Johnson.

With a crew of just 12, the production was very lean, but the team made the most of it, filming in an English countryside house over two weeks.

“And it’s a very low-budget movie, so finding the money was fairly simple,” Tinkham tells Nerd Reactor. “So we went out there, we did it, we assembled an English crew, and it was like a crew of 12 people, and we all stayed at this house for two weeks straight and made a feature film together. It’s awesome.”

Tinkham and Woloson have been working together for nearly a decade, and this marks the duo’s first foray into feature films as directors.

“Well, Scott and I have worked together for almost 10 years now,” Woloson says. “We met in school in 2017. So we’ve become a hive mind in a lot of ways, and we just understand the same methodology when it comes to directing and making stuff. So we speak the same language, and then where we differ, we complement each other. So it just enhances the entire process when you have somebody to bounce off of, but also understands you on that level.”

At the core of the film are two survivors, learning to live with one another and the choices they make that separates themselves.

“Siblinghood and growing up with an older brother and having this weird back and forth sibling rivalry happening between me and my brother, and the essence of that feeling,” Tinkham says about the film’s inspiration. “Like Michael, the co-director, is also a product of siblinghood. He has a younger sister and a few other sisters. He always has felt the sibling rivalry in his life as well. As we were writing it, it formed around this theme of siblinghood.”

Joining as the executive producer of Littermates is Haley Nicole Johnson, who is a producer on the wildly popular indie movie, Obsession.

“I think I’m just so grateful to be a part of independent cinema in any way that I can,” Johnson explains. “I think the thing that is most important to me is just supporting people telling the stories that are in their hearts. And I think Michael and Scott are two of my absolute favorite directors. I’ve been working with them for about nine years now, and getting to see what they did with truly no resources is a testament to how brilliant both of them are.”

The post Littermates Directors and Obsession Producer Haley Nicole Johnson on Siblinghood and Making a Feature With No Resources appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The story takes place in 1949, two years after Minus One. Japan is slowly recovering from the destruction of war and Godzilla’s attack, and Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) and Noriko (Minami Hamabe) are raising Akiko (Sae Nagatani), doing their best to keep the peaceful family life they worked so hard to build. But a new disaster threatens their fragile peace, forcing them and others into another fight for survival.

Yamazaki knows that destruction is more than just something to look at. In many Hollywood monster movies, ruined buildings are merely used for visual entertainment. In this film, the mayhem has consequences. Hospitals are full of injured people, and families desperately search for loved ones in the wreckage. These scenes are powerful but never feel like they’re just for shock value. They show us that a monster’s attack leaves more than just carnage, and Yamazaki’s focus on the human side of the equation makes his vision memorable. The story’s themes of war’s lasting pain, revenge, and forgiveness add real depth to the action.

The returning cast shines again. Kamiki and Hamabe build on Koichi and Noriko’s relationship, and their love for Akiko is the heart of the film. Nagatani brings a sweet innocence that makes the family easy to cheer for. Hidetaka Yoshioka is memorable as Kenji Noda, and Min Tanaka adds real depth to Kanji Murakami. Together, the cast makes sure the characters are just as interesting as the action.

Godzilla Minus Zero joins the rare ranks of sequels that equal their predecessors, delivering breathtaking spectacle without sacrificing emotional depth.

Yet this is still a Godzilla movie, and Yamazaki knows just when to bring out the big moments. Instead of showing Godzilla all the time, he generates suspense and then delivers huge, unforgettable scenes. The Oscar-winning visual effects are clear throughout, with amazing scale and visuals that really deserve to be seen on a big screen. Watching it in an IMAX theater is a whole different experience.

The sound is just as impressive. Naoki Sato’s music blends the personal drama with the epic monster moments perfectly. The loud sound effects make every crash and explosion feel like it’s shaking the whole theater.

Not everything works perfectly. One science-fiction twist feels a bit out of place compared to the more realistic style of Minus One, and a revenge subplot makes the ending a little more complicated than it needs to be. Still, these issues don’t take away much from the movie, especially since the 135 minutes go by quickly.

Overall, Godzilla Minus Zero is one of those rare sequels, like The Godfather Part II or The Empire Strikes Back, that lives up to the first film. It’s exciting, scary, and has a lot of heart. Yamazaki proves again that the series can balance spectacle and feeling without losing either. Whether you’re a longtime Godzilla fan or just love good movies, try to see it on the biggest screen you can.

Rating: 5/5 atoms

Godzilla Minus Zero hits theaters on November 6th.

The post Godzilla Minus Zero Review – The King Still Reigns Supreme appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

I’ve always had a tremendous appreciation for stop-motion animation. There’s something special about knowing that every movement, every expression, and every seemingly insignificant detail required an actual human being to painstakingly manipulate something tangible, one frame at a time. It’s an art form that demands a level of patience and dedication that most of us probably couldn’t begin to comprehend. Yet somehow, director Travis Knight and the ridiculously talented artists at LAIKA have taken that already impressive craftsmanship and elevated it to heights I genuinely didn’t think were possible.

And the craziest part? The animation isn’t even the only reason this movie is so damn good.

Wildwood is a remarkable achievement in filmmaking, a sprawling fantasy adventure filled with imagination, heartbreak, danger, and some of the most stunning stop-motion animation I’ve ever witnessed. It’s easily one of the best films of the year so far, and quite possibly the most ambitious animated feature I’ve seen in a very long time.

A Journey Into the Unknown

Based on the novel by Colin Meloy, Wildwood follows 12-year-old Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee), a young girl living in Portland, Oregon, whose relatively ordinary life takes an extraordinary turn when a murder of crows kidnaps her baby brother. Yes, you read that correctly. Crows.

Determined to bring him home, Prue ventures into a mysterious and supposedly impassable forest alongside her reluctant friend Curtis (Jacob Tremblay). What begins as a desperate rescue mission quickly becomes something much larger as the two discover a hidden world populated by talking animals, warring factions, magical creatures, and a growing conflict threatening to consume everything around them.

At the center of that conflict is Alexandra, the Dowager Governess (Carey Mulligan), a grieving mother whose inability to accept the loss of her son has transformed her sorrow into something far more dangerous. Her obsession with bringing him back threatens not only the inhabitants of Wildwood but the delicate balance holding their entire world together.

It’s a fascinating premise that introduces some surprisingly mature ideas about grief, obsession, and the emotional consequences of refusing to let go. We’ve heard the familiar sentiment that grief is simply love persevering (ahem, Marvel). But what happens when that love becomes something destructive? When the pain of losing someone consumes every other part of who you are, until there’s nothing left but desperation?

Wildwood isn’t afraid to explore those uncomfortable questions, and the results are considerably darker and more emotionally affecting than you might expect.

Stop-Motion Animation Has Never Looked This Good

I genuinely cannot overstate just how beautiful this movie is.

Since Coraline first introduced audiences to LAIKA’s wonderfully strange imagination back in 2009, the studio has consistently demonstrated an extraordinary understanding of what makes stop-motion animation so special. Films like ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Missing Link have each pushed the medium forward in their own ways. However, Wildwood feels like the culmination of everything the studio has learned over the last seventeen years.

The sheer scale of this production is almost impossible to comprehend. We’re talking enormous forests filled with individually crafted foliage, sprawling landscapes that stretch beyond what should reasonably be possible with physical sets, and intricate character designs that somehow maintain an incredible amount of personality through the smallest movements.

The animation of the armatures is absolutely mesmerizing. From the subtle shifts in a character’s facial expression to the way a creature moves through its environment, everything feels remarkably fluid and alive. There’s a tremendous amount of personality in the smallest gestures, and the animators deserve an unbelievable amount of recognition for making these characters feel like living, breathing individuals. At times, I genuinely forgot I was watching stop-motion animation. Then I’d remember what I was looking at and somehow become even more impressed.

There’s a sequence involving a massive eagle that perfectly demonstrates the level of ambition we’re dealing with here. Knowing that animator Dobin Yanez reportedly spent more than four years bringing that creature to life makes the finished result even more astonishing. Four years! On one creature! That’s the kind of dedication that separates a technically impressive animated film from something that deserves to be studied and celebrated for generations.

The environments deserve just as much recognition. The forests themselves feel like characters, filled with personality, history, and a remarkable sense of scale. Every leaf, branch, and patch of moss contributes to a world that feels simultaneously enormous and intimately familiar. LAIKA also manages to incorporate its affection for Portland throughout the film, with delightful nods to local landmarks and culture that give the adventure an unmistakable sense of place.

As someone who loves the artistry behind filmmaking just as much as the finished product, I found myself constantly distracted by how incredible everything looked. There were moments when I wanted to pause the movie just to appreciate the craftsmanship, which is a pretty remarkable accomplishment considering how invested I was in the story itself.

A Voice Cast Worth Getting Lost in the Woods For

Of course, even the most beautiful animation in the world can only take a film so far without characters worth investing in. Thankfully, Wildwood has an exceptional voice cast that brings an enormous amount of personality and emotional depth to its fantastical world.

Peyton Elizabeth Lee is fantastic as Prue, delivering a performance that perfectly captures the stubborn determination of a young girl who refuses to accept that something is impossible simply because the adults around her say so. There’s a confidence to Prue that makes her immediately endearing, but Lee also allows us to recognize the vulnerability beneath that determination. After all, she’s still a 12-year-old girl who has suddenly found herself responsible for saving her brother while navigating a world she barely understands. That combination of courage and uncertainty gives Prue an emotional authenticity that makes her journey incredibly easy to invest in.

Jacob Tremblay provides an excellent counterpart as Curtis, whose enthusiasm for imaginary adventures doesn’t necessarily translate into confidence when confronted with actual danger. Curtis is the kind of kid who dreams about being a legendary warrior until someone hands him a weapon and expects him to use it. Tremblay finds plenty of humor in that contradiction, but he also gives Curtis a genuinely satisfying journey as the character begins discovering what courage actually means.

Carey Mulligan, however, might just deliver the film’s most impressive vocal performance. Her portrayal of Alexandra is easily one of the film’s greatest strengths, and I would argue she’s responsible for creating one of the most emotionally devastating animated villains in recent memory.

What makes Alexandra so compelling isn’t simply her willingness to commit terrible acts. It’s that Mulligan allows us to hear the broken mother beneath the monster. There are moments when her voice becomes almost soothing, filled with a tenderness that suggests the person she once was. Then, without warning, that warmth gives way to a chilling determination that makes it painfully clear just how far she’s willing to go.

It’s an incredible performance that makes Alexandra simultaneously terrifying and heartbreaking. You understand why she’s suffering and might even sympathize with the pain driving her actions. But understanding someone’s grief doesn’t mean excusing the destruction they leave behind. That distinction becomes one of the film’s most powerful emotional threads.

The supporting cast is equally impressive, particularly Mahershala Ali as Brendan, the Bandit King, who brings a commanding presence to a character I desperately wanted to spend more time with. There’s so much personality throughout this ensemble that even characters with relatively limited screen time manage to leave an impression. It’s one of those casts where you can tell everyone understood exactly what kind of movie they were making, and their performances are all the better for it.

This Isn’t Your Typical Family Adventure

Something else I absolutely loved about Wildwood is its willingness to get a little nasty. By a little, I mean quite a bit. This is LAIKA’s first PG-13 feature, and the filmmakers clearly weren’t interested in earning that rating simply for the novelty of it. The world of Wildwood can be genuinely brutal, which makes its more whimsical moments all the more interesting.

There are vicious confrontations between animals, disturbing imagery, bloody battlefields, and moments of violence that caught me completely off guard. One particularly memorable exchange involving a foul-mouthed coyote quickly escalates into a confrontation that makes it abundantly clear this isn’t the kind of animated adventure where every character walks away from danger with nothing more than a few scratches.

I found myself audibly reacting to several sequences, sometimes because the animation was incredible and other times because I couldn’t believe what I had just witnessed. It’s certainly not what most audiences are probably expecting from a studio known for creating beautifully strange family films, but I appreciated the filmmakers’ willingness to embrace the harsher realities of the world they’ve created.

What I appreciate most is that the darker material doesn’t feel unnecessary or included simply to shock audiences. It serves the story and reinforces the reality that the inhabitants of Wildwood are fighting for their homes, their families, and their survival. There are actual consequences to the decisions these characters make, and the film doesn’t shy away from showing them.

Wildwood also understands that animation doesn’t need to soften difficult subjects simply because younger audiences might be watching. Loss, violence, sacrifice, and moral uncertainty are all explored with a surprising amount of sincerity. I think the movie is considerably stronger because of it, especially when so many animated films are hesitant to venture into uncomfortable territory.

An Epic That Occasionally Has Too Much to Say

As much as I absolutely adored Wildwood, I do think its greatest strength occasionally becomes its biggest obstacle. There’s just so much happening.

At 132 minutes, this is LAIKA’s longest feature to date, and even with that generous runtime, the filmmakers are attempting to juggle an enormous amount of narrative material. Prue’s desperate search for her brother, Curtis finding his place in an unfamiliar world, Alexandra’s increasingly dangerous obsession, the political divisions between Wildwood’s inhabitants, and the mysterious magic holding everything together are all competing for our attention.

That’s before considering the various factions and supporting characters who deserve considerably more exploration than the film can realistically provide.

I particularly wanted more time with the Principality of the Birds and Brendan’s bandits. Both groups introduce fascinating elements to the world, and their relatively brief appearances left me wondering how much more there was to discover. It’s one of those rare situations where I wasn’t necessarily frustrated by the amount of story being told. I was frustrated that I couldn’t spend another hour exploring it.

There are certainly moments when the narrative feels stretched across too many ideas, and a few character relationships could have benefited from additional development. Still, even when the storytelling becomes a little crowded, the film never loses the emotional foundation holding everything together.

At its heart, Wildwood is about the people we love, the lengths we’re willing to go to protect them, and the painful realization that sometimes loving someone means accepting what we cannot change. That’s a surprisingly powerful message for a film that also features talking animals going to war, but somehow LAIKA makes it all work.

LAIKA Has Created Its Magnum Opus

I think what ultimately makes Wildwood such an extraordinary experience is that you can practically feel the love poured into every single frame. It’s a love for animation, storytelling, fantasy, and the strange and wonderful possibilities of cinema. More importantly, it’s a love for an art form that continues to survive because talented people refuse to accept that there’s an easier way to accomplish something remarkable.

Stop-motion animation has never been particularly convenient. It’s expensive, time-consuming, and requires an almost unreasonable amount of patience. In an industry increasingly concerned with producing more content in less time, the very existence of a film like Wildwood feels worth celebrating. What makes this achievement so special, though, is that LAIKA hasn’t simply created something technically impressive. They’ve created something genuinely moving.

There’s a beautiful contradiction running throughout the film’s exploration of grief and perseverance. Alexandra’s inability to let go becomes her undoing, while Prue’s refusal to surrender becomes the very thing that gives her journey meaning. The difference lies in understanding when determination is an act of love and when it has become something destructive.

That idea is beautifully captured in a conversation between Prue and her father near the film’s conclusion, when he reminds her that sometimes we need to recognize when it’s time to let go. Her response is simple: she’s glad she didn’t.

After spending more than two hours witnessing the extraordinary work that Travis Knight and the artists at LAIKA have accomplished, I couldn’t help but feel the same way about the studio itself. Somewhere along the way, a group of incredibly talented people decided that creating an enormous fantasy epic through stop-motion animation was not only possible but worth the years of painstaking work required to make it happen. I’m certainly glad they never gave up on that ambition.

Wildwood is a breathtaking accomplishment that soars beyond nearly every expectation I could have imagined for the medium. Its remarkable animation, exceptional voice performances, emotional storytelling, and unapologetic ambition make it one of the most impressive cinematic experiences of the year. For all the technical wizardry on display, what makes the film truly special is how much humanity exists within something created entirely by hand.

I’ve seen plenty of animated films that made me laugh, cry, or appreciate the artistry involved in bringing their stories to life. Very few have made me sit there in genuine disbelief at what human beings are capable of creating. Wildwood did exactly that, reminding me why I’ve always been so fascinated by the people who dedicate their lives to making movies.

LAIKA didn’t just raise the bar for stop-motion animation. They reminded us why that bar is worth raising in the first place.

Rating: 5/5 atoms

Wildwood is playing in a theater near you.

The post Wildwood Review – LAIKA’s Love Letter to Animation appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Director Jordan Downey embraces practical effects, and audiences can see a lot of it with the creatures featured in The Cycle.

“There’s been a shift, rightfully, to CG and VFX for certain things,” Downey told Nerd Reactor. “That has a place, and there are certain things you just can’t do without it. I always wondered, and I don’t know if other audiences do, ‘Well, how did we lose sight of practical effects because they don’t look good on modern cameras anymore?’

“That’s not true. I even had some doubts coming into The Cycle of whether or not 4K cameras in 2025, with modern lenses and color correction and editing and all of the modern tech wizardry that we have, is that going to make this stuff look fake. And it makes it look better, I think. So it’s really cool to honor the craft and the old traditions, but with modern technology and contemporary trickery.”

One of the themes in The Cycle is redemption. This is true for Meg’s relationship with her father.

“I think for me, it’s never too late,” Woll said. “You can open your heart to people, ideas, stories at any point and learn from them. I do think for Meg, if [her father] had come to her alive, if he’d come to her any earlier, she might not have been at a place where she could handle it or wanted to. Whereas coming to her dead at this point in her life was kind of the only way they were going to have a relationship after what happened. Even after death, it is not too late to reconnect with your family.”

Donovan said that his character, Marks, is someone who recognizes Meg’s expertise, and it shows his willingness to be a team player.

“When Meg first comes in, with all of his experience, he can immediately ascertain that she is the smartest person in the room, and I should just shut up,” Donovan said. “That’s where we started. But then as the movie unfolds, especially in the rainy parking lot scene in the cruiser where they bond, they really are going through a similar emotional landscape of ‘How am I dealing with this grief?’ Hers is old, but that’s been brought to the surface fresh, and his is brand new.”

About The Cycle

Synopsis: When the body of a man missing for thirty-six years is discovered at the scene of a horrific crime, it’s up to his estranged daughter to unravel his dark past.

Director: Jordan Downey

Written By: Jordan Downey, Kevin Stewart

Cast: Deborah Ann Woll, Jeffrey Donovan, Will Hochman, Jack Doolan, Carl W. Crudup, Jeb Berrier, Gretchen Corbett, David Myers Gregory

The Cycle was released on Shudder on October 23, 2026.

The post The Cycle Interview: Deborah Ann Woll and Jeffrey Donovan on Grief and a Father Who Returns Dead appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Peyton Elizabeth Lee on Voicing Prue McKeel

Lee is known for portraying the titular character in Andi Mack. In Wildwood, she is an impulsive kid who disobeyed her parents by taking her little baby brother, Mac, out on a trip. As a result, a murder of crows kidnaps him. Now it’s up to Prue and Curtis to venture into the Impassable Wilderness and bring back her baby brother.

“I think it’s really exciting getting to play characters that have a big moment in their lives that kind of throws everything around and mixes everything up and turns their lives upside down,” Lee tells Nerd Reactor. “Because I think you learn the most about a person in those moments of uncertainty, in exploring something new. I think that’s where one’s humanity is really tested and one really has the ability to grow. And so getting to portray a character sort of at that landmark moment, and how they come out of that and the person they become because of that, I think is such a beautiful thing to see that change and that transformation.”

Jacob Tremblay on Voice Acting

Jacob Tremblay voices Curtis, a boy who loves to geek out and is excited to hang out with Prue. In Wildwood, he had to rely on his imagination and director Travis Knight (Bumblebee, Kubo and the Two Strings) to bring Curtis to life.

“It requires a lot more imagination because with live action, you’re able to be there on set with other actors,” Tremblay explained. “You’re there in your wardrobe, so there’s a lot of different things that you can draw on to work towards your performance. And with animation, every time you’re on your own, usually the director’s on Zoom, and you’re in this booth, so it’s a very unnatural kind of environment.”

Wildwood Creators on Portland and Forest Park

The book’s creators, Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis, worked together on the Wildwood book, and one of the most pivotal things they wanted to showcase was Portland’s Forest Park.

“It’s a 5,000 acre wooded park,” Meloy said. “It’s like right up against the city. And walking into it, you will have been on like a neighborhood street, and then suddenly you’re just in the middle of the woods, it has this sort of transportative effect. And it always feels sort of magical stepping into Forest Park, and that was really the conceit of the whole thing.”

Illustrator Carson Ellis, Meloy’s wife, was the artist for the book, and she admits that it was tough trying to bring to life Portland in her art.

“So I didn’t have the best time because I love the place so much,” Ellis said. “It was always really hard for me to feel like I had captured it. And so I kind of stylized it so that it was something that I could draw and paint. I think Laika did a better job. I think that they really recognize Forest Park in the movie in a way that I think is very cool.”

Writing and reading is usually a solo experience, and Meloy enjoyed the communal experience when he saw the film at a London screening.

“We saw it in a big theater in London last week, and that’s the first time I’d seen the finished thing,” Meloy explained. “It was really extraordinary and I didn’t expect to see it in a room with 2,000 plus people. All communally sharing the story was kind of an extraordinary experience when you think about novel writing and novel reading as being very solitary singular activity. So that was kind of wild to me to think about this story. But now we’re all sharing it together, which is one of the profound things about cinema and that’s why watching movies in theaters I think is so important.”

About Wildwood

Synopsis: After her baby brother is abducted by a murder of crows, headstrong teenager Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) launches a desperate rescue mission into the Impassable Wilderness—an enchanted forest hidden just beyond Portland, Oregon. Joined by her hapless but loyal classmate Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay), Prue navigates a world of talking animals, bandits, and powerful figures driven by grief and ambition. As the pair is drawn into a conflict threatening the balance of the forest itself, Prue must discover the strength and belief she never knew she possessed. If she hopes to save her brother and protect Wildwood’s fragile future, she will have to risk everything.

The film is directed by Travis Knight and written by Chris Butler.

The voice cast includes Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, Awkwafina, Maya Erskine, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Tom Waits, Richard E. Grant, Amandla Stenberg, Tantoo Cardinal, Len Cariou, and Marc Evan Jackson.

Wildwood released in theaters on Friday, October 23, 2026.

The post Wildwood: Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Colin Meloy & Carson Ellis on Bringing Book to Life appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Clayface is directed by James Watkins (Speak No Evil) and stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, an actor rising to the top. His life turns upside down when the local Gotham mob boss leaves his face disfigured. Desperate to get his future back, he participates in an experience that will transform his body forever.

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With Harries as Matt Hagen, the aim is to have audiences feel for his tragic story. The director knew Harries was the one during auditions.

“I thought, ‘Oh this guy’s got something,'” Watkins tells nerd Reactor during the film’s red carpet premiere. “I remember when we’re on set, it was great.”

The body horror film has plenty of gruesome scenes as we see Matt shocked by the experiment gone wrong. Even with these scenes, Watkins still has limits in place.

“There’s always a limit, but you want to kind of be just on the right side of it,” Watkins said.

The practical effects on Matt’s body and face help to instill a sense of uneasiness.

“I like to do things practically,” Watkins explained. “I like to see it for real on the actors’ faces. I like them to have something to respond to. So yeah, that was probably my starting point always.”

DC Studios’ Peter Safran and James Gunn and the team were really supportive of the director, which made his job easier.

“Peter and James and Matt Reeves, they’ve been fantastic,” Watkins said. “They’ve been really real allies, really supportive. Gave me a lot of freedom and support to just push the envelope.”

About Clayface

Synopsis: Matt Hagen’s meteoric rise from Gotham street kid to Hollywood leading man is tragically cut short when a local crime boss’s actions leave him horribly disfigured. Abandoned by his team and with nothing left, Matt seeks out a cutting edge treatment that miraculously returns him to his former self… but also unexpectedly affects his grip on reality, spiraling him down a destructive path of all-consuming revenge.

The film also stars Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan, as well as Nancy Carroll and Joshua James.

James Watkins directs from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, story by Flanagan, based on characters from DC. The film is produced by Matt Reeves, Lynn Harris, James Gunn and Peter Safran, with Michael E. Uslan, Chantal Nong Vo, Lars P. Winther, Rafi Crohn and Paul Ritchie executive producing.

Watkins’ creative team includes director of photography Rob Hardy, production designer James Price, editor Jon Harris and costume designer Keith Madden. Music is by Volker Bertelmann.

Clayface releases in North America on October 23, 2026, and internationally beginning 21 October 2026.

The post How Far Does Clayface Go? Director James Watkins on Practical Body Horror appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Clayface tells the story of Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), a charming actor whose career is taking off. Just as he’s about to make it big, one mistake ruins everything. After he’s left badly disfigured and desperate to get his life back, Matt tries an experimental treatment that changes him in surprising ways. From there, what starts as a chance to fix his old life slowly turns into a journey through obsession, madness, and revenge.

What makes Clayface interesting is that Matt doesn’t come across as your typical comic book villain. He’s likable enough that you actually want him to succeed, even when his actions get more violent. The people who ruin his life are so awful that it’s hard not to hope he gets his revenge. Because of that, the film strikes a fine balance, showing that the best villains aren’t always born evil. Sometimes, the world around them turns them into what they become.

Watkins does a great job with Matt’s transformation. Instead of quickly turning Matt into the monster fans know, the movie lets his desperation take over little by little. As Matt figures out how to use his powers, his changes from one form to another are smooth and often surprising. Watkins also has a good sense of when to show something scary and when to let the suspense build. Even before the most shocking scenes, the tension is enough to make you squirm.

Clayface delivers disturbing DC body horror, with Tom Rhys Harries bringing tragedy and terror to Batman’s shapeshifting villain.

Harries does a fantastic job as Matt, showing both charm and vulnerability as his character loses his humanity. His performance makes Matt’s turn to villainy hit harder because you’ve spent so much time hoping he’ll choose a different path. Naomi Ackie is just as strong as the doctor who gets caught up in Matt’s transformation. Together, their relationship gives the story an emotional center as things become more unsettling.

The movie’s visual effects and makeup are another standout. The body horror looks so real that every change to Matt’s appearance is hard to watch, but in a good way. These scenes still feel true to the comics. As a result, the horror adds to the tragedy at the heart of the story, giving this well-known villain a scary new side.

Not every villain in the film gets the same focus. David Dencik’s Marko Szabo is supposed to be scary, but we don’t see enough of his viciousness to understand why people are afraid of him. With more time on screen, Dencik could have made the character much more intimidating.

Overall, Clayface succeeds because it combines gritty horror with a strong comic book origin story. It proves that even well-known villains can still surprise us. The new origin story retains the spirit of “Feat of Clay,” and Watkins and Harries create a villain story that’s disturbing, emotional, and surprisingly easy to cheer for.

Rating: 4/5 atoms

Clayface hits theaters on October 23rd.

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Street Fighter focuses on the second World Warrior Tournament, following Ryu and Ken’s personal journeys and M. Bison’s plans. Ryu’s story is the highlight, especially in the animated flashbacks about Gouken, Akuma, Ryu, and Ken, which add real drama. By contrast, Bison’s plot is so exaggerated that it doesn’t feel like it’s part of the same movie. The movie also has awkward dialogue, a few bad jokes, and sudden edits that make it jump between characters and stories without a steady flow.

The main cast stands out. Andrew Koji captures Ryu’s calm intensity, Noah Centineo is convincing as the hot-headed Ken, and Callina Liang brings confidence to Chun-Li. Roman Reigns is a strong Akuma, with the right presence and voice, and Andrew Schulz plays Dan with just the right amount of silliness. David Dastmalchian’s M. Bison doesn’t quite work, caught between a new version and trying to match Julia’s classic role. Meanwhile, Cody Rhodes as Guile and Vidyut Jammwal as Dhalsim show promise, but they and other supporting characters don’t get much screen time. Jason Momoa’s Blanka adds some quirky fun. Zangief, E. Honda, Balrog, and Vega look the part, but they feel more like quick cameos than full characters.

Street Fighter embraces campy fan service and faithful characters, but uneven pacing, cheesy dialogue, and too few fights weaken its knockout.

For a movie called Street Fighter, there’s less fighting than you’d expect. Some tournament matches happen offscreen, so you only hear about the results instead of seeing the action. The fights that are shown are well choreographed and match each character’s style. Still, the action doesn’t have the speed or energy of Mortal Kombat II. As a result, seeing only a few signature moves makes the missing fights feel even more disappointing.

The costumes and character designs look great and stay true to the games. Composers Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson deliver a strong version of Guile’s Theme, but it’s disappointing that other classic Capcom songs don’t get the same treatment. Easter eggs throughout the movie give fans plenty to enjoy, but all the fan service might make newcomers feel left out.

Overall, Street Fighter is made for its fans, and that is its biggest strength. Its focus on the series’ history and lore makes it especially enjoyable for longtime followers. However, casual viewers might find the pacing, cheesy dialogue, and lack of fights to be drawbacks. It is not perfect, but for devoted fans, there is enough here to keep playing.

Rating: 3/5 atoms

Street Fighter hits theaters on October 16th.

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