From left: Joshua Odjick, Jordan Gonzalez, David Jonsson, Cooper Hoffman and Charlie Plummer in The Long Walk. (Murray Close/Lionsgate/Courtesy of the Everett Collection)Hello, Yahoo readers! My name is Brett Arnold, film critic and longtime Yahoo editor, and I'm back with another edition of Trust Me, I Watch Everything.
This week, a pair of exciting new releases hit theaters: The Long Walk, the latest Stephen King book-to-film adaptation, and Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, the long-awaited sequel to the influential mockumentary comedy classic.
Weapons, one of the biggest horror hits of the year, is newly available to rent or buy at home, as is the latest feature from one-half of the Coen Brothers, Ethan Coen's Honey Don't! And on streaming services you're likely already paying for, a jaw-dropping Charlie Sheen documentary hits Netflix, and the edge-of-your-seat war movie Warfare makes its way to HBO Max.
AdvertisementAdvertisementRead on, because that's not all, and there's always something here for everyone.
What to watch in theatersMovies newly available to rent or buyMovies newly available on streaming services you may already have🎥 What to watch in theatersMy recommendation: The Long WalkWhy you should watch it: The third big screen Stephen King adaptation of the year is an impressive imagining of an incredibly bleak book that's long been considered unfilmable due to its brutality, simplicity and the more internal nature of its prose. It's more heavy-handed and thought-provoking than a purely fun time at the movies - so be warned! - but if you can stomach it, it's worth your while.
The novel was the first King ever wrote, back in 1967 when he was 19 years old. It wasn't published until 1979, when it debuted under his short-lived pseudonym Richard Bachman. Set in a dystopian U.S. ruled by a totalitarian regime, a group of young men enter an annual walking contest in which they must maintain a speed of at least three miles per hour or risk execution. The contest ends when only one walker remains alive. The winner receives a huge cash prize and a single wish.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe original novel was a pointed metaphor about the Vietnam War, and the 2025 film version updates the text for modern times while retaining its messaging about the erosion of the American dream. It's set in a world where the economy and financial pressures have left citizens no choice but to see this televised reality snuff film as their only way to support their families and put food on the table, all but guaranteeing their own deaths in the process.
It's deeply upsetting stuff, and the performances by the entire cast but especially the two leads, Cooper Hoffman, son of Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and David Jonsson of Alien: Romulus fame, make you invested in their tragic situation. The movie doesn't shy away from showing kids getting killed throughout, and that investment in getting to know these characters renders it all the more horrifying and heartbreaking.
The ending, an area King readers sometimes quite famously, have issues with, is the one thing that changes from the book, and it's a smart and impactful one. A Stephen King film hasn't been this much of a downer since 2007's The Mist and its famously shocking denouement, but that's what makes it stick with you more than your average horror flick.
What other critics are saying: It's getting very good reviews! The AV Club's Jacob Oller calls it "relatable viewing for an entire country afflicted by economic insecurity, unchecked gun violence and the invasion of a militarized Gestapo." Frank Scheck at the Hollywood Reporter writes, "while The Long Walk doesn't entirely escape its narrative limitations, it features generous amounts of the sort of emotion and heart that have marked the best King adaptations. Of course, that doesn't make it any less grueling."AdvertisementAdvertisementHow to watch: The Long Walk is now in theaters nationwide.
Get ticketsBonus not-quite-a-recommendation: Spinal Tap II: The End ContinuesWhy you should skip it: As far as movies are concerned, Spinal Tap II may seem short at 80ish minutes, but it's actually the longest Super Bowl commercial ever made. The cast and crew behind This Is Spinal Tap may be present, but it lacks the heart and soul and, most importantly, the laughs that made that film still worthy of being discussed all these years later.
In the sequel, the now-estranged bandmates of Spinal Tap are forced to reunite for one final concert, hoping it will solidify their place in the pantheon of rock 'n' roll. The film should simply be an excuse to spend more time with these hilarious characters, but instead, it's a depressing exercise in nostalgia that completely wastes the incredible potential of a Spinal Tap legacy sequel, opting to go the lazy route of inserting celebrity cameos in lieu of jokes and relying on callbacks to the original movie instead of writing new gags.
AdvertisementAdvertisementIt's not particularly amusing or fun to treat Spi