Disclosure Day (2026) | REVIEW

Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor look into each other’s eyes in Steven Spielberg’s DISCLOSURE DAY — PHOTO: Universal Pictures (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Steven Spielberg (Raiders of the Lost Ark; Schindler’s List) — Screenplay by David Koepp (Black Bag).

No one does major motion picture pop blockbusters quite like Steven Spielberg. The septuagenarian (soon-to-be octogenarian) star filmmaker is one of cinema history’s greatest science-fiction storytellers, having made science-fiction greats such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, Minority Report, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, and War of the Worlds. So, when it was announced that he would be returning to a cinematic genre, our understanding of which he has helped to sculpt, the ears of cinephiles around the world pricked up, their appetites were whetted, and their excitement built up. That new feature is Disclosure Day, a film that aims to grapple with the question of how we would all react to finding out that we are not alone in the universe. For the legendary director, it is thus a return to concepts that are definitely not alien to his oeuvre. While the new film is not without blemishes, it is nonetheless a strong genre effort that speaks to our current moment with a humanist spirit and plea. It also shows, for all to see, that Steven Spielberg still has what it takes to tap into the incredible sense of wonder with which he has become synonymous.

Continue reading “Disclosure Day (2026) | REVIEW”

The Fall Guy (2024) | REVIEW

L to R: Ryan Gosling is Colt Seavers and Emily Blunt is Judy Moreno in THE FALL GUY, directed by David Leitch — PHOTO: UNIVERSAL PICTURES.

Directed by David Leitch — Screenplay by Drew Pearce.

Apparently relatively loosely based on an ‘80s action-adventure TV series of the same name starring Lee Majors, David Leitch’s The Fall Guy follows a Hollywood stunt performer named Colt Seavers (played by Ryan Gosling), who, after suffering an injury during a high-profile stunt, has left the industry, as well as his camerawoman girlfriend Jody Moreno (played by Emily Blunt), behind. However, when a film producer from his past, Gail (played by Hannah Waddingham), contacts him and tells him that Jody needs him on her feature directorial debut, he rushes back to a movie set in the hopes of rekindling his romance with Jody. When he arrives in Sydney, Australia for production, he finds out that Jody didn’t actually ask for him, but he also learns that Gail needs him to find actor Tom Ryder (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) — i.e. a movie star that Colt is a stunt double for — who has gone missing and whose absence may cause Jody’s first film as a director to be canceled, thus harming Jody’s chances of having a career as a director in the industry. To investigate things and ensure Jody’s film remains in production, Colt will have to put his skills as a stunt performer to good use.

Continue reading “The Fall Guy (2024) | REVIEW”

Oppenheimer (2023) | REVIEW

Cillian Murphy is outstanding as the titular theoretical physicist in Christopher Nolan’s OPPENHEIMER — PHOTO: Universal Pictures.

Directed by Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk; Tenet) — Screenplay by Christopher Nolan.

In 1965, famed physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer appeared on a television broadcast, and, on said broadcast, he gave an account of how people reacted and what went through his head during the so-called ‘Trinity Test’ in 1945, when Oppenheimer and a group of physicists had successfully created and detonated the first nuclear weapon. Oppenheimer claimed that a specific line from the Hindu scripture the Bhagavad Gita popped into his head: “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” It is a chilling quote that has echoed through generations and had a life of its own. For the twelfth feature film in his oeuvre, the immensely popular auteur filmmaker Christopher Nolan opted to tell J. Robert Oppenheimer’s story. It’s a film about a man full of paradoxes, such as how he became a political figure with strong left-wing disarmament views but was also the man who is known for having willfully created a weapon that once dwarfed all others and forever changed warfare and foreign policy. But it is also a film that gets to the heart of the rot of the American soul in the 20th Century. It is an intimate account of the complicated headspace of a historically significant genius, but it is also a haunting and damning cautionary tale about learning the wrong lessons, naivete, guilt, covetousness, and ripple effects. It is an astoundingly brilliant achievement and much more than your average biopic.

Continue reading “Oppenheimer (2023) | REVIEW”

Additional Bite-Sized Reviews, Nov. 2021, pt. II: ‘The Morning Show,’ ‘A Quiet Place Part II,’ and More

Valeria Golino and Billy Crudup in “The Morning Show,” now streaming on Apple TV+ — Photo: Apple TV+.

In this edition of my monthly movie and television catch-up article series titled ‘Additional Bite-Sized Reviews,’ I give my thoughts on the second season of the major Apple TV+ series The Morning Show, but I have also taken a look back at Steven Soderbergh’s latest film. And then, at the end of the article, I will finally reveal what my thoughts are on the sequel to A Quiet Place.

Continue reading “Additional Bite-Sized Reviews, Nov. 2021, pt. II: ‘The Morning Show,’ ‘A Quiet Place Part II,’ and More”

REVIEW: Jungle Cruise (2021)

Emily Blunt as Lily Houghton, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as Frank, and Jack Whitehalll as MacGregor Houghton in Disney’s JUNGLE Cruise — Available now in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access — Photo: Disney / Disney+.

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra — Screenplay by Michael Green, Glenn Ficarra, and John Requa.

There are many films that have been turned into theme park attractions as a direct result of their popularity. However, the reverse doesn’t happen successfully as frequently. We rarely see great films that are instead based on popular attractions. Disney did find that kind of success, when Gore Verbinski turned the Pirates of the Caribbean-attraction into a beloved film franchise. It wasn’t Disney first or last attempt at making a successful film out of one of their many theme park attractions, but they have all mostly failed to garner the same success that Verbinski’s beloved films did.

Some of the not-so-successful attempts include the Eddie Murphy-led The Haunted Mansion and Brad Bird’s Tomorrowland. Jaume Collet-Serra’s Jungle Cruise is based on the Disney attraction of the same name, and, even though it is not a true home run for Disney, I think it’s definitely the best of its kind since Verbinski’s swashbuckling action-adventure trilogy set sail.

Continue reading “REVIEW: Jungle Cruise (2021)”

REVIEW: Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster – Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The following is a review of Mary Poppins Returns — Directed by Rob Marshall.

Whether P. L. Travers liked it or not, Robert Stevenson’s Mary Poppins is a recognized children’s’ musical classic. Though not exactly timeless, I think it is remarkable that both my mother and my sister and I all grew up watching Stevenson’s film. When I rewatched Mary Poppins recently, I must admit that I did not love it like I’ve been told I did when I was a child. Continue reading “REVIEW: Mary Poppins Returns (2018)”

Golden Globes Predictions: Winners – Special Features #41

It’s time to get ready for the first major awards show of 2019 — The Golden Globe Awards. Though not at all as prestigious as the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes ceremony is known all around the globe as the major American precursor to the Oscars. Today, I’ll give out my own predictions for the ceremony which is being held this weekend. Continue reading “Golden Globes Predictions: Winners – Special Features #41”

Golden Globes Predictions: Film Nominations – Special Features #35

It’s beginning to look a lot like, well, awards season. Some critics groups have already announced their winners, while other groups are still waiting for their brief moment in the spotlight. As the wait for the BAFTAs and Oscars goes on, the first major televised awards show is about to announce the films, shows, and performers who they have nominated for their coveted awards. So, today, I am going to try to predict the nominees for each and every film category for the upcoming Golden Globe Awards. Continue reading “Golden Globes Predictions: Film Nominations – Special Features #35”

REVIEW: A Quiet Place (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster – Paramount Pictures

The following is a review of A Quiet Place — Directed by John Krasinski.

Actor-turned-director John Krasinski’s third feature film as a director is the horror-thriller film A Quiet Place, which follows the Abbott family in the dystopian near-future wherein the entire world seems abandoned and empty due to the existence of blind, mysterious, and violent creatures that hide and wait for something as harmless as the sound of a pin drop to pounce on any pray alive to be taken. Continue reading “REVIEW: A Quiet Place (2018)”