Unsung Cinematics

In our first 2026 Off the Record we boldly feature Star Trek Academy the brand new feature from Paramount and Alex Kurtzman.Stewart Rips into the new series starring Holly Hunter as Captain Nahla Ake and Sandro Rosta who becomes the new chancellor to the recently resurrected Star Fleet Academy. Sandro the other main character plays a renegade who was upset with Starfleet’s nefarious ways. As far as flops go this one beams you right into the dead of space, with just 90k views on their free premiere on YouTube.Rasto then reviews his TV series Archive 81 which is a fairly recent 2022 adaptation of various horror like series such as Rosemary’s Baby and other copycats in the last few decades. Cancelled after just 1 season Rasto believes it was wrapped up nicely. Rebecca Sonnenshine developed this series and the main character is played by Mamoudou Athie.Ken leaps into action with his Clean Shaven pick from 1993 written and directed by Lodge Kerrigan and starring Peter Greene. It takes a serious look at mental illness and the consequences of letting people run free with such disabilities. With our lesser picks out of the way we move on to Stewart’s better pick Together from 2025, which is a film based on the Greek Mythology of the better half, where people originally had 2 heads, 4 arms, and four legs. In this horror we see what would happen if two people were split, and were to suddenly start to meld together to become one. Directed by Michael Shanks, and starring Dave Franco with Alison Brie who are a real life couple. This film managed to get itself into a copyright dispute with another production company.Rasto then gives us his take on the 1966 French film Au hasard Balthazar. The film is unique because it follows around a donkey from the perspective of said animal, and how it interacts with the various humans and owners in it’s life. Directed by Robert Bresson and starring Anne Wiazemsky who has a unique acting ability. Ken finally wraps up his 2021 pick Old Henry. This western seems to be unique in a way, and Ken enjoyed it. Directed and written by Potsy Ponciroli and starring Tim Blake Nelson. Stewart also has a quick follow-up on the Toxic Avenger Reboot. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unsungcinematics.substack.com

In this end of Summer Episode of Off the Record we have a big mix of genres to report on.Ken, Stewart and Tyler sit down to watch Exit 8 from 2025. A curiosity by Tyler, the film starts off on a nice foot, but soon becomes repetitive and not too interesting. Exit 8 is a video game puzzle film that is popular among the young and in Japanese culture. Directed by Genki Kawamura and written by himself as well as Kotake Create and Kentaro Hirase. The film pretty much follows the same concept as the popular video game, which is available on steam. Ken and Stewart were not impressed, while Tyler seem more on board with this lost in a train tunnel exit (pun not intended.)Rasto then gives his short review on American Gods the TV series from 2017 and on. Created by Bryan Fuller and Michael Green with Ricky Whittle, Emily Browning and Yetide as starring actors. The series is about a new set of pagan gods who are not too happy that humanity no longer worships them. In their desperation they come up with new titles of modern culture to become the new gods. However the former god of war has other plans for the group. Rasto was somewhat hopeful for the series, despite not getting through the entirety of it and instead focused on the first two seasons.As the episode progresses, Stewart does his comparison of the 2021 film The Trip by Tommy Wirkola which is the original film that Over Your Dead Body is based on (English American Remake.) The film seems to be a bit more savage and serious than the American remake.Ken then burns what is left of the film ‘ASH’ which is a 2025 Sci-Fi horror. Directed by the Flying Lotus and staring Eiza Gonzalez. Unfortunately the film left a burnt taste in both Ken’s and Stewart’s mouth. It seems the plot may of been thrown into the fire. Ken however would still like the praise the Flying Lotus for his attempts at making this film look good and his abilities.Finally Rasto brings us back to a common genre we have covered numerous times with the film Deliver Us from Evil from 2014. According to Rasto this is a somewhat faithful attempt at how an Exorcist clone or style should be, unlike most of the slop out there. Written and Directed by Scott Derrickson starring Eric Bana.Stewart wraps up the episode with a hot take on Star Trek Strange New Worlds, and this indeed is one strange new world we live in with this mess of episodes that range from bad to good and good to bad. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unsungcinematics.substack.com

Rastislav, Stewart and Ken return with a pick that is sure to please. Over Your Dead Body from 2026 was recently released on Amazon Prime as a freebie but was originally released to independent film festivals and 1500 theatres.  This is a 2021 adaptation of the Tommy Wirkola film The Trip. Wanting an English version of this film, he came on to get the production going. By 2024 the film was taken over by Jorma Taccone as director, and Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney as screen writers. The film was then renamed to ‘Over Your Dead Body.’ Like Tommy Wirkola’s other films, this is a gory, violent, over the top horror/thriller with plenty of goofy moments with a pinch of no matter how bad things get, things can be worked out.The film starts with the married couple, who have marital differences, and begin to plot the others murder behind the others’ back. Jason Segal who plays Dan intends to take her to a remote cabin on a lake for a vacation and then have her dumped into the lake after killing her. Unknown to him, his wife Lisa, played by Samara Weaving also has a plan to murder him by telling her friends they are going on a hunting trip, and to plan a ‘hunting accident.’ The two find each other’s plan and begin an all-out war for survival, but their plans become sidetracked when 2 recently escaped convicts and their corrupt corrections officer break into the cabin and hide in the attic. Now the war is not only between husband and wife, but also between husband, wife, and the convicts.The consensus is that this film is worthy of its name. There are plenty of goofy moments, over the top gore, and ketchup to satisfy lovers of this genre. This is not a film for families or those sensitive to violence. But for everyone else, it is an easy to watch film with great actors. If you like our over review of Dead Snow also by Tommy Wirkola, then this film is for you.Directed by Jorma Taccone and originally written by Tommy Wirkola, Nick Ball and John Iven. Major actors are Jason Segal, Samara Weaving, Timothy Olyphant, Keith Jardine, Juliette Lewis and Jake Curran. Rated 18A for violence, gore, some nudity and swearing. It has runtime of 1 hour and 45 minutes. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unsungcinematics.substack.com

Stewart, Rastislav and Ken are back to decipher the conspiracy of Vivarium, a 2019 release from Fantastic Films and Screen Ireland. Stewart and Ken watched it on Shudder, where at the time of review it was the number one film on the service. The screenplay is by Garret Shanley and Lorcan Finnegan, and Finnegan also directed.The story follows young couple Tom and Gemma, a handyman/landscaper and teacher respectively, looking to purchase their first home together in an unnamed town (possibly in Ireland, where filming took place). They meet an eccentric sales agent named Martin who bids them to follow him to the new development called Yonder, where he promises to show them the first and last home they’ll ever own. No sooner has he shown them around, then he vanishes; Tom and Gemma grow frustrated and decide to leave and try again another day. However, what at first seems to be a confusing neighbourhood layout is revealed to be a strange landscape that will not allow them to leave, no matter which way they turn. They eventually run out of gas and decide to stay in the house overnight. Soon, they begin receiving packages of food and other necessities from out of thin air; one package contains an infant boy, who grows at an accelerated pace and gradually takes on the role of their son. Tom literally throws himself into a hole as he tries to dig an escape tunnel in their front yard; he and Gemma grow distant as their new “son” grows into a strange adolescent. More time passes and their son becomes a sinister adult; Tom and Gemma have now realized how trapped they truly are, and receive hints that they aren’t the only couple subjected to this experiment.Stewart, Rastislav and Ken all agree that actors Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots as the couple have good chemistry and do their best with the material. They also liked aspects of the production design, visual effects and music. However, they were underwhelmed with the story, and felt that the passive attitudes of the main characters made it difficult to be invested in their fate. There are only vague hints given as to who is pulling the strings in the vivarium, and what these entities hope to learn in order to possibly conquer humanity.Written by Garret Shanley and Lorcan Finnegan, and directed by Lorcan Finnegan. Starring Jesse Eisenberg as Tom, Imogen Poots as Gemma, Jonathan Aris as Martin, Senan Jennings as Young Boy, and Eanna Hardwicke as Older Boy.  Rated R by the MPA for language and some sexuality/nudity. Runtime is one hour and 37 minutes. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unsungcinematics.substack.com

In this 3rd recording of Off the Record in 2026, Rastislav, Stewart and Ken bring some new films into the picture.In our feature Rastislav compares two films about evil. I Saw the Devil from 2010, and Blue Velvet from 1986 represent stark opposites in how evil can be portrayed. I Saw the Devil being a Korean film directed by Kim Jee-woon and Blue Velvet by David Lynch. Both are well liked and are highly praised. One is more of a dark and psychological evil, while the other is a chaotic type. Stars include Kyle MacLachlan and Isabella Rossellini. The Korean film has Lee Byung-hun and Choi Min-sik as their main characters. Rasto gives us his impression of both films.Stewart’s Greater pick Dangerous animals from 2025 directed by Sean Byrne — starring Hassie Harrison and Jai Courtney. The Dangerous animal in question are blood thirsty sharks off the gold coast, but the antagonist has a dark secret to be revealed to his would be captors. The film takes us slightly into the psyche of a serial killer, but remains true to the genre of a survivalist film.Ken gives us a run-down of his man vs machine pick, Unstoppable from 2010. Directed by Tony Scott and featuring Denzel Washington with Chris Pine. The film is about a run-away train carrying dangerous chemicals and the efforts made to get the train under control. Based on real life events while still filled with action and suspense. This was Tony Scott’s last film unfortunately before he passed on. Ken gave it a fair assessment. The Lesser pick by Stewart had an interesting premise, but fell way short in the delivery department. American Sweatshop from 2025 directed by Uta Briesewitz and starring Lili Reinhart attempts to give us an inside look into the lives of social media content moderators. The film is set in modern day Florida and the main character becomes obsessed with one of the recordings she saw while moderating. She hopes to get justice for the possible victim in the video.And finally Ken recounted his experience with the 2016 sci-fi pick Colossal directed by Nacho Vigalondo and Anne Hathaway as the lead actor. Unfortunately there was a bit of a bait and switch as the film had a darker edge than Ken expected, rather than the whimsical sci-fi comedy he was expecting. And one final note from Stewart is the disappointing 2026 series finale of Good Omens that left a bad taste for Stewart and seemingly the fans. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unsungcinematics.substack.com