Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of Movie Reviews 2026 – your spectacular guide to movies.
Coming up this week there’s singing shenanigans in Italian comedy-drama, Feel My Voice; sporting shenanigans in Balls Up; and stoner shenanigans in Pizza Movie. Plus, after years in development the Michael Jackson bio-pic is finally here courtesy of Michael.
Antoine Fuqua directs, John Logan writes, and Jaafar Jackson stars. Expect moonwalking, a sparkly glove, and Bubbles the chimp.
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Now streaming…
Feel My Voice (2026)
First up this week is the Italian comedy-drama, Feel My Voice (aka Non Abbiam Bisogno di Parole). Directed by Luca Ribuoli, and starring Sarah Toscano, Serena Rossi, and Alessandro Parigi, the movie follows the story of a teen who is the only hearing member of her family, as she develops an interest in signing.
In the movie, Eletta Musso lives with her parents and brother. With the exception of Eletta, everyone in the family is deaf, meaning she is often called upon as an interpreter, and has had to grow up faster than many of her peers.
One day while at school, Eletta joins her friend as she takes part in a signing audition. Despite Eletta having no desire to audition, she proves to have a good voice, which catches the attention of the music teacher.
Before long, Eletta is teamed up with fellow student, Marco, and the pair are tasked with working together on their vocals. Meanwhile, Eletta’s parents are more concerned with entering politics than to pay attention to Eletta’s voice which they cannot hear.
Hmm…
Feel My Voice is a movie which falls into two camps. In the one camp, there is a delightful story about Eletta finding her voice; while in the other camp is a plot line about Eletta’s ‘comedic’ family doing whacky things.
The former proves to be a truly enjoyable watch. The latter is quite annoying, and revolves around jokes involving breeding donkeys, going into politics, and applying vaginal cream.
If Feel My Voice focused almost entirely on Eletta becoming a superstar singer, this movie could easily be a slam dunk. Unfortunately, because it goes off on tangents revolving around her annoying and frankly juvenile parents, the movie constantly stop-starts, losing momentum in the process.
It’s a shame. It’s a real shame, because the better material is enjoyable to watch.
So, without going any further, it’s pretty clear Feel My Voice isn’t getting a five star review. However, the film isn’t getting written off either.
The singing sequences are enjoyable, there are a couple of very touching and/or interesting moments regarding Eletta’s ability to hear, and the whole thing is beautifully shot. Sarah Toscano is also excellent in the lead role, which really helps to sell Eletta’s journey, and the finale is powerful and emotive.
With enough positives to outweigh the negatives, Feel My Voice is worth spending time with. Sure, it’s not as strong as it could or should be, and a much better film is operating on the outskirts, but when it lands right it lands well.
If you can ignore the parts that don’t work, and focus on the parts that do, you’ll find it rather charming. Plus, the Italian vocals are lovely.
Should you wish to take a look, Feel My Voice is now streaming on Netflix.
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Now streaming…
Balls Up (2026)
Next up is the comedy, Balls Up. Directed by Peter Farrelly and starring Mark Wahlberg, Paul Walter Hauser, and Sacha Baron Cohen, the movie focuses on two salesmen who lead a disastrous campaign to market an official condom for the World Cup.
In the movie, Brad and Elijah are on the cusp of glory after they manage to convince the officials of the football World Cup to advertise their condom at the games. However, things go disastrously wrong during a booze-filled night, and their contract is withdrawn.
For reasons only known to the scriptwriters, the pair then travel to the World Cup final, where more chaos ensues. From here there’s some nonsense with a drug baron and… well… very little football.
Released in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup, which this year is being held in the US, Mexico, and Canada, Balls Up is presumably hoping to ride on a wave of excitement, interest, and general goodwill towards the event. Unfortunately, hope is all it’s got, because Balls Up is not only painfully unfunny, it makes very little sense, is a chore to watch, and has almost nothing to do with football.
The World Cup angle feels like it was hastily pencilled into the script in order to get this thing made and it’s pretty clear no one involved with this picture gives a damn about the game itself. This could easily be a film about anything else entirely, so don’t rush to it if you are hoping for the next Bend It Like Beckham.
And if all the above wasn’t bad enough, Wahlberg and Hauser are completely out of their depth, struggling to serve up anything remotely appealing, while Sacha Baron Cohen is dire playing a Brazilian baddie. Oh, and all the stuff about condoms at the beginning of the movie just feels naff.
When all is said and done, being kicked in the balls repeatedly while watching your home country lose the World Cup final would be preferable to this turgid dross. The film’s attempt to piggyback off of an international event is arguably the only funny thing about the movie, and if you can make it to the end you deserve a gold cup in recognition.
It’s utter shite. Not even a gag about a fish swimming up Mark Wahlberg’s knob will muster a titter.
Anyway, should you wish to avoid it, Balls Up is now streaming on Amazon.
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Now streaming…
Pizza Movie (2026)
Sticking with streaming for movie number three, which is the teen stoner comedy, Pizza Movie. Written and directed by Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney, the film stars Gaten Matarazzo and Sean Giambrone as two college students who stumble upon a mind-altering drug.
In the film, Jack and Montgomery are nice guys who continually get picked on despite their best efforts to fit in. One night, after being farted on by the college bullies, they find a small tin in their room which contains pills.
After taking some of the pills the pair watch an old YouTube video about the mysterious drug, which advises not to take too many or a crazy trip will take place. In the event of this happening, the best thing to do is to consume pizza.
From here, Jack and Montgomery embark on a quest to secure a pizza, to bring the wacky times to an end. But on the way, they have to contend with the effects of various hallucinations.
Now, keeping in mind this is a stoner comedy, it’s fair to say the best way to approach Pizza Movie is to a.) not take it too seriously, and b.) be off your box when watching. It’s a film where the humour is fairly funny, and the vibe isn’t too bad, it’s just not something to get too excited about unless you are in a place where this kind of thing is all you crave.
So, if you’re a student, still in bed on a Monday afternoon, trying to work your way through a monumental hangover, following an immense three-night weekend bender, you’ll probably lap this thing up. However, if you are currently firing on all cylinders and are looking for something a bit more high brow, this may not be for you.
That said, it’s fun in places and certainly very creative. Despite the limited premise, the film constantly throws new ideas at the screen, ensuring the visual flourishes are all in place, along with some welcome absurdist moments.
The key thing with Pizza Movie is that filmmakers Kocher and McElhaney have a quirky vision and deliver this rather well. It may not tickle everyone’s pickle, but those who gel with it will have a good time.
Should you wish to take a look, Pizza Movie is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.
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In cinemas…
Michael (2026)
And finally, over to the cinema for the release of music bio-pic, Michael. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, and starring Jaafar Jackson, Colman Domingo, Nia Long, and Miles Teller, the movie follows the life of US singer and former global sensation, Michael Jackson.
Covering his early years, including the formation of the Jackson 5, through to his time as a solo performer, Michael offers up an account of Michael Jackson’s rise to super stardom. Along the way, the film covers various touchstones and talking points from Jackson’s career, including the disastrous Pepsi commercial incident which left him with severe burns and the creation of the brilliant Thriller video.
But with so much material to draw from, including countless songs and decades worth of highlights and lowlights, how does this film shape up? Erm… not as good as it should.
OK, let’s cut to the chase with this one. Michael has been in development for a few years, has Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) in the director’s chair, and John Logan (Gladiator) on script duties. So it has had plenty of time to be whipped into shape, and it certainly has some top creative talent driving it forward.
Michael is also a movie which is going to attract a lot of attention purely because of the subject matter. Irrespective of your personal feelings on Michael Jackson, at one point in time he was the biggest singer on the planet, and he still has legions of fans all over the world.
The fans alone will make this movie a box office success. Of this I am in no doubt.
It’s just a shame then that Michael isn’t better than it is. It’s fine in places, and it’s not as awful as some critics will have you believe, but it’s nothing amazing, and certainly not as befitting of a pop star of this ilk.
There’s a sense we are seeing a sanitised account of Michael Jackson’s life, rather than the full warts and all story, so if you want the full details you’ll have to look elsewhere. You’ll also need to go elsewhere to get all of Michael’s life journey, as this picture only runs up to 1988.
The ‘90s and ‘00s don’t get a look-in, and the film ends rather abruptly too. For all intents and purposes, the conclusion of the movie feels very much like that episode of The Simpsons where Poochie is just written out and life goes on.
It’s an odd full stop – a very odd one indeed! But then, should we really expect anything less?
After all, Michael’s nephew Jaafar Jackson is playing the lead role, which suggests the Jackson estate is keeping a watchful eye over proceedings. It’s doubtful they were keen on showcasing any of the controversies of later years.
So, there is no Martin Bashir documentary, no accusations, no purchasing the Beatles back catalogue, and no death. Oddly there’s also no Earth Song, no Black or White, and not even a mere mention of Macaulay Culkin.
Some of Michael’s story is given room to breathe, while other parts are rushed. Ben and Bubbles are mere footnotes, the press intrusion barely registers, and the Jackson siblings get little screen time (someone send out a search party for Janet).
The biggest issue with the film is that it misses so much out and doesn’t feel like it really gives a true account of who Michael Jackson truly was. It simply doesn’t have enough time or scope to feature everything that is needed and that’s the biggest misstep.
On reflection, the film would probably work far better as an eight or ten-part TV series, where each episode could zero in on key periods. But alas, that’s not what this is, so it’s more of a slim, whistle-stop tour and not much more.
On the more positive side, Jaafar Jackson is truly excellent as Michael, nailing the moves, the mannerisms, and the voice. Likewise, Colman Domingo excels as Joe Jackson, and while it feels like some of the relationship troubles between father and son are left on the cutting room floor, none of this is Domingo’s fault.
The film also benefits from having access to Michael’s portfolio of songs. If you’re making a Michael Jackson movie you need the music to back it up, and it’s great to hear the likes of Bad and Thriller on the big screen.
The likelihood is that without the Jackson family’s involvement, Michael might not have had access to the songs it needs, so this could be a sort of trade off for what we get. Either way, Michael Jackson had some fantastic hits and it’s at least wonderful to hear them.
Ultimately this isn’t the definitive Michael Jackson story. It is a Michael Jackson story, but one where the edges have been rounded off and an extensive Google search is required to fill in the many blanks.
But is it still entertaining? Yes, at times. It moves along very swiftly, without getting dull, and keeps the interest levels up throughout, even if it does end abruptly.
I expect there will be a clear division between the fan response and the critical response to this film, but this is something that is always going to be a possibility. Either way, if you want to see Michael you will, and if you have no interest there are probably more informative documentaries you could check out instead.
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Recent Releases
Not quite done yet? Want more movies? The above suggestions aren’t enough?! Well, here’s what’s also doing the rounds:
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy (2026)
“This is a compelling and unsettling picture which really gets under the skin. It’s grubby, it’s gruesome, and it’s shocking, and at times it is horror at its most horrific.”
Undertone (2025)
“With a minimal cast, a fixed setting, and some creepy sound work, Undertone is a fairly effective little horror.”
Outcome (2026)
“(Outcome is) a movie about an actor who has done some questionable stuff in his past, but is very keen for his loyal fans to think he’s squeaky clean. Only in Hollywood would anyone think this is the sort of story us regular folk would have any time for.”
Thrash (2026)
“It feels like this movie belongs in the ‘90s, nestled alongside the likes of Dante’s Peak or Hard Rain, but it’s entertaining and that’s all that matters.”
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Movie of the Week
Onto Movie of the Week and this week it’s going to Pizza Movie. None of this week’s movies quite hit the highest heights, but this one is inventive.
And if you like Pizza Movie, you may also like:
- Dude, Where’s My Car (2000) – Bonkers stoner comedy about two friends who are unable to find their car.
- Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (2004) – Daft comedy about two friends as they set out to reach a restaurant after smoking marijuana.
- Ted (2012) – Seth MacFarlane directs this buddy comedy about a 35-year-old man and his talking teddy bear who live together.
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Forthcoming attractions
And that’s it for this week, but next week the summer blockbuster season begins! Hurrah!
Expect The Devil Wears Prada 2, Deep Water, The Sheep Detectives, Mortal Kombat II, The Mandalorian and Grogu, Masters of the Universe, Scary Movie, Disclosure Day, Toy Story 5, Supergirl, Jackass: Best and Last, Moana, The Odyssey, Evil Dead Burn, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Fall 2, Ice Cream Man, The End of Oak Street, Insidious: Out of the Further, Coyote vs. Acme, and much, much more! Lots more in fact.
If you haven’t already stocked up on popcorn, now is the time to do so. A whole summer of movie madness is here.
Alex
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Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this edition of Movie Reviews 2026. For more posts be sure to check out the recommended reads below.
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