Tag: movie review

MOVIE REVIEW: What We Will (and Must) Remember: A Review of ‘Edjop’

The key to grasping Katski Flores’ Edjop, I believe, lies in the phrase that closes the film’s opening sequence: “Inspired by memories of real events.” Edjop is not a straightforward biopic of Edgar Jopson, the legendary student activist and rebel leader of the Martial Law era. Nor is it docufiction; the film takes deliberate creative liberties to embody authentic emotional truths rather than rigid historical accuracy. As Flores noted of her collaboration in the writing of the screenplay with Jade Castro, they both worked on the recollections of Jopson’s family and friends, and the film retells events from their perspectives.

Edjop is a non-linear tale told in two timelines. The first anchors us in the present with his daughter, Joyette Jopson (Jodie Sta. Maria), a triathlete competing in an Arctic marathon.

Courtesy of EdjopTheMovie

She is constantly asked to join memorials and events recalling the horrors of Martial Law, a period in which her father is a key figure of, but Joyette actively resists. Her athleticism, her running, is a metaphorical running away from his legacy.

Courtesy of EdjopTheMovie

Yet she is haunted by the stories of him and these form the second timeline of the film, as it recounts her father, Edgar Jopson (Elijah Canlas) as he becomes a student activist during the First Quarter Storm of the early 1970s into a full-blown underground communist rebel, on the run from the Marcos regime. Through this converging tracks, Joyette embarks on a journey to reconcile her father’s disappearance and come to terms with myth of a man she never truly knew.

Courtesy of EdjopTheMovie

The film is not just marked by its two converging timelines, and I say converging because Flores and Castro write this film as if the past and present are entangled with each other; no easy feat. The two halves of Edjop could not be more different. The present-day scenes are shot on a mounted camera, mostly static, with Joyette framed in large, wide-open spaces. She is a woman burdened by the weight of the past.

Courtesy of EdjopTheMovie

The flashbacks, the scenes set in the past detailing her father’s activist life are shot handheld, packed with extreme close-ups. The pacing is fast-paced and thrilling. The charge of revolution vibrates through every scene, causing the two worlds to collide at every cut. Editor Benjamin Tolentino does an excellent job pacing the film, making its two-hour runtime fly by. So much is happens as we are pounded by historical events, yet it never feels aimless or drawn out.

Courtesy of EdjopTheMovie

Sta. Maria and Canlas serve as excellent foils for the audience, standing as polar opposites of each other. Sta. Maria’s Joyette is dealing with an internal struggle, her conflict simmers just underneath her facial expressions, in her posture and gait, and in the quiet nuance delivery of her lines. On the other hand, Canlas is vibrant and larger-than-life.

Courtesy of EdjopTheMovie

His Edjop, the nickname of Edgar Jopson, is a character told from the collective memories of the people, friends, and family, demands a much larger canvas, and Canlas paints on it brilliantly. We also watch him evolve from an idealistic student activist into a full-blown underground rebel balancing family life, with his portrayal of the man shifts as the film leaps across timelines. It is exquisite work, really.

Courtesy of EdjopTheMovie

Edjop feels big; it feels epic. Flores and cinematographer Neil Daza deliver excellent visual coverage, allowing the camera full freedom to capture the vast breadth of each scene. And we leap seamlessly from past to present, sweeping across Luzon, Mindanao, and Norway, moving from street rallies to a quiet town fiestas, and into the brutal chaos of a demolition job. This is a big movie that fully realises the ambitious scope of what it is trying to say.

Courtesy of EdjopTheMovie

There are a few too many moments where the script takes a heavy-handed approach to Edjop’s dialogue. It gets a little too preachy at times, constantly dropping nuggets of wisdom clearly designed to encapsulate the things we need to take away from the film. Then again, this is all based on the memories of the people who remembered him. Ultimately, Edjop is meant for a specific audience: those who have forgotten, or perhaps never truly knew about the specifics of what really happened during the Martial Law era and the Marcos dictatorship.

Courtesy of EdjopTheMovie

This is a big movie making big swings at any form of historical revisionism. It speaks about our history, reminding us of our heritage of fighting back whenever the system is turned against us. We all know about the EDSA Revolution, but films like Edjop exist to remind us that countless battles were fought long before the people finally surged onto EDSA. The film shows us precisely how we got there and also what sacrifices were made along the way. This is part of our history, and this movie asks us to never forget.

My Rating: 4 Stars

Anchored by magnificent performances from Elijah Canlas and Jodie Sta. Maria, Edjop is an essential big-screen experience. It is a technical triumph and an urgent piece of Philippine cinema that refuses to let history fade. Check out the latest showtimes here and catch it in theaters nationwide.

September 18, 2026
MOVIE REVIEW: The Story He Wanted to Tell: Na Hong-jin’s South Korean Sci-Fi Action Thriller Hope

Action-packed and relentless, Na Hong-jin’s Hope is a tireless sci-fi action thriller whose story unfolds over a single day during an alien attack. It’s a long film, running at approximately 156 minutes, but you don’t feel it. Every scene is loaded with information, steadily building the tension before erupting into a hair-raising battle across a tiny, quaint seaside town in northern South Korea and simultaneously the surrounding woods. Surprisingly, there’s not a lot of stories here, yet the film keeps you rooted by giving us characters to root for and energetic action sequences that send the adrenaline pumping.

Hope follows Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min), the police chief of a quiet coastal town called Hope Harbor. He begins by investigating what initially appears to be a violent animal attack on a large cow, except the deep wounds are larger than any local animal in the area and the cow’s bloody carcass is left uneaten. While hunters, led by Sung-ki (Zo In-sung), rally into the surrounding woods to investigate, Bum-seok returns to town only to discover that whatever creature had attacked the cow has already reached Hope Harbor.

For a good 50 minutes, Na withheld the monster entirely. Instead, we are shown the massive carnage the creature has wrought upon the town. Whatever this thing is, it operates with destructive, massive, and terrifying efficiency. Through it, we come to understand Bum-seok and Sung-ki as characters as the tension over the creature builds. We get to know the town too and see how quickly the whole community spring into action.

Hope | Photo courtesy of Pioneer Films

The setup reminds us that South Korea has one of the most well-trained populace where nearly every adult male has undergone military service. Everyone knows how to handle a firearm and very surprisingly, in this little town of Hope Harbor reveals an access to military-grade weaponry that appears out of nowhere. When Bum-seok asks the townsfolk on where they got the arsenal, their response is “Don’t ask.” Later, when his rookie officer, Sung-ae (Hoyeon), rescues him, she answers the exact same line.

Clearly, there is more to this town than meets the eye. By the time Na finally reveals the monster, which we later learn are aliens, we already know these characters well, we know the ins-and-outs of the town and the surrounding woods, and we can see how powerful the aliens are. These extraterrestrials possesses immense power and it’s going to take far more than a handful of firearms to bring one down, let alone four.

Hope | Photo courtesy of Pioneer Films

Once the action starts, it never lets up. Director Na, who is also the screenwriter, along with cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo do a marvelous job of keeping the energy running. It’s fast-paced, with dynamic coverage. Because these creatures are fast and strong and so there’s a lot of running, high-speed car chases, and endless gunfire, so its soundscape is loud and heart-racing. It really gets you into the moment and it does the trick in immersing you in the immediate danger.

Hope | Photo courtesy of Pioneer Films

It slows down again in the middle to explain things just a little bit before ramping up the danger and bringing us back into the action again so that we can see Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell, and Cameron Britton as the faces of these aliens. Interestingly enough, every alien is rendered through motion-captured performance CGI, and Na has cast western actors in that role. Does this have an anti-colonial message behind it?

Hope | Photo courtesy of Pioneer Films

I’m not sure, really. As noted earlier, there’s not much of a story. There’s no character that truly grows out of an internal conflict. Hope operates as a pure, adrenaline-inducing ride, and that’s fine. I got what I needed from this film, and it doesn’t have to have some profound thematic message, though it does reserve something interesting, unexpected turn at the very end of the film.

Hope | Photo courtesy of Pioneer Films

With a big, epic imagery that amps up the destruction to its peak, the aliens finally get to speak in the film’s climax. And from their brief dialogue, we are giving hints of a story that the audience isn’t privy to because we’ve been following the humans in the film. These aliens have their own backstory. There’s a larger story here at play; but it’s none of our concern. Na Hong-jin, as a filmmaker, is only interested in the South Koreans in the story and I love that about the film.

My Rating: 4 Stars

Experience the heart-pounding action and high-octane thrill of Hope on the big screen. Form your own verdict on Na Hong-jin’s sci-fi spectacle: now showing in cinemas nationwide. Get showtimes here.

September 3, 2026
MOVIE REVIEW: Exquisitely Shot, ‘Filipiñana’ Trades Local Aesthetics for European Arthouse Style

Director and screenwriter Rafael Manuel definitely knows how to compose a shot. His debut feature film, Filipiñana is gorgeous to look at. It creates striking images that highlight the social inequality in our country through the symbolic film’s setting of an elite, members-only country club and golf course while simultaneously displaying a keen sense of the absurd. Shot alongside cinematographer Xenia Patricia, the film takes us on a journey into the ins-and-outs of the country club: which is no doubt an unmistakable metaphor for our nation’s struggle with class division and exploitation.

But other than its visual flair, Filipiñana seems to lack urgency as its narrative meanders through its bare plot, building up toward a climax that leaves the audience with no real catharsis or release.

Photo courtesy of Epicmedia Productions Inc. | Credit: Xenia Patricia

Its 100-minute running time is surprising because experiencing this movie feels as long as a Lav Diaz film with its static camera and penchant for silences. Yet when Diaz does this slow-burn approach, he infuses these long drawn-out shots with so much palpable pathos, anger, and rage. Whereas Manuel feels content with giving us just snapshots but keeping us at a distance.

Photo courtesy of Epicmedia Productions Inc. | Credit: Xenia Patricia

Filipiñana follows Isabel (Jorrybell Agoto), a newly hired caddie at an exclusive country club and golf course. As she learns the ropes of the job – hunting down lost golf balls, teeing them up for the club’s wealthy clientele, and performing other odd jobs – the film lays bare the stark disparity between her and the other tee girls and the elite patrons they serve.

Photo courtesy of Epicmedia Productions Inc. | Credit: Xenia Patricia

For added contrast, the film also takes a moment to follow Clara (Carmen Castellanos), as she accompanies her uncle, Renato (Carlos Siguion-Reyna) around the course as he tries to convince her to come home from America and work in the country club with him. Yet while Isabel slowly wakes up to the harsh reality of the world, Clara shows no appetite for it, her eyes already opened from the privilege of having left the country and seeing it with new eyes.

Photo courtesy of Epicmedia Productions Inc. | Credit: Xenia Patricia

Manuel takes his time to build his world, to establish the workings of his metaphor. It’s scene after scene that creates a rich tapestry of images that shows the exploitation at work and the stark realities of class divide in full display. The film unfolds almost like a slice of life, except each successive scene exposes fresh cracks in the shiny, manicured veneer of this world breaking.

Photo courtesy of Epicmedia Productions Inc. | Credit: Xenia Patricia

By all intents and purposes, I should love this movie, for what it says about our social structures and for its exercise of restraint. Yet the film embraces its arthouse aesthetic that the very world that I’m living in, a reality I am deeply cognizant of, feels strange and distant to me. Manuel takes his cues from that global indie playbook where the camera remains static and when people speak, they deliver their dialogue with deliberate slowness, as if every single word is precious, which makes it feel scripted, unnatural.

Photo courtesy of Epicmedia Productions Inc. | Credit: Xenia Patricia

Take the scenes where the tee girls take their breaks, lying in clumps to escape the oppressive heat. Not a singled person gossips, complains, or speaks about the world. Manuel’s world leans so heavily into formalism that while I can see the visual markers of my country and its current socio-political state, I don’t see its soul playing out in the movie.

Photo courtesy of Epicmedia Productions Inc. | Credit: Xenia Patricia

It’s very well-executed but it feels like a foreign approach telling a local story. That raw energy, that visceral struggle that I relate to with the Filipino experience has been smoothened over by a European arthouse tempo that feels out of touch with its subject matter. Seeing the reviews of Wester critics tells me that it worked, they love it. High marks and praise from critics on both sides of the Atlantic. Yet with a story so in touch with the issues of the country, I was hoping to see that Filipino fire inside these characters, in the unfolding of the narrative.

My Rating: 2.5 Stars

Experience the striking visuals and quiet tension of Filipiñana on the big screen. A visually stunning debut that sparks necessary debate, form your own verdict on Filipiñana: now showing in cinemas nationwide. Get showtimes here.

September 1, 2026
CINEMALAYA 22 FESTIVAL REVIEW: ‘2 Valid IDs’ Is a Wrecking Ball to the Bureaucratic Hell of the Country

There is a raw confidence and a purposeful approach behind 2 Valid IDs that makes it impossible to look away, no matter how painful the film becomes. Director Ma-an Asuncion-Dagnalan’s second Cinemalaya entry following explosive, politically charged Blue Room finds her returning to social issues alongside screenwriter Abet Pagdagdagan Raz. This time, however, they deploy a quiet restraints that steadily mounts, perfectly mirroring what it feels like when one is caught in the bureaucratic hell that is the labyrinthine systems of this country. By placing the sheer inanity of filing for many government forms front-and-center in this film, and we can only watch this with grim familiarity but not with the same sense of urgency that it has for its characters.

We follow Sylvia (Marietta “Pokwang” Subong), an Ilocano farmer, who has brought her husband Ramon (Joey Marquez) to a public hospital in Manila to treat his worsening respiratory illness. With their provincial hospital ill-equipped to handle with his condition, medical expenses quickly mount, even at a public hospital, driving the couple into quiet desperation.

2 Valid IDs | Image Source: Cinemalaya.org

A family relative working abroad has sent money through a remittance center, only for Sylvia to hit an immediate wall at the remittance center: they won’t accept her PhilHealth ID, and as a first-time customer, she is required to produce the eponymous two valid IDs. Forced to navigate the maze of government agencies to secure them, Sylvia must now apply for two valid IDs but the system, as we are all aware, is not an easy one to take or follow.

2 Valid IDs | Image Source: Cinemalaya.org

The premise is elegant in its simplicity because Asuncion-Dagnalan and Raz make full use of the film’s setting and milieu to show us the horrific state of healthcare in our country. How much it is lacking for those who cannot afford even the basic necessities, capturing the indignities we rarely consider, like patient guardians have to stay in what looks like a parking lot turned dorm during the evening – things we take for granted when we go and visit the hospital. As Sylvia goes from one bureaucratic window to the next, clearing one absurd hurdle only to run straight into another, the camera patiently documents the excruciating waste of time and human energy, the inaccessibility of things we need to survive.

2 Valid IDs | Image Source: Cinemalaya.org

2 Valid IDs is so unapologetically upfront about its social commentary that it commands your complete attention. The lens zero in on all the cracks in the system and how it fails people like Sylvia and all the other patients and the countless families crammed into that hospital. Ultimately, this is a film about how our systems have failed to meet the needs of its most vulnerable citizens and, through its shocking finale, it highlights how the citizenry chooses to react.

2 Valid IDs | Image Source: Cinemalaya.org

Heavy as the film is, its weight is tempered by a deep, compassionate understanding of the Filipino’s sense of family. Beneath the bleakness, there is still warmth and tenderness here. Asuncion-Dagnalan and Raz purposefully carve out room to celebrate what can be celebrated and can find some measure of humor despite the burden these characters carry. 2 Valid IDs is as cynical as it is furious, yet it never reduces its characters to mere mouthpieces or tragic caricatures.

2 Valid IDs | Image Source: Cinemalaya.org

Subong is a powerhouse, carrying the full emotional and thematic weight of the film’s message on her shoulders. She makes Sylvia intensely relatable. She’s fierce but also out of her depth. Subong’s performance is rooted in such great humanity that she juggles the character as both a fully formed person but also a stark symbol of those left behind by this country’s inability to get its act together. Marquez is always a solid performer, giving Subong so much to work with and to ensure that her mission is evident. While dependable Meryl Soriano shines as the Manila-based relative guiding Sylvia through the city’s ins-and-outs, it is Zaijian Jaranilla who truly stands out. Playing Denver, a young guardian tending to his grandfather in the same ward as Ramon, Jaranilla injects a hopeful warm energy into the film. A kind heart, Denver is a breath of fresh air and a sign that the Filipino resilience has pervaded among the youth. The way he navigates his scenes, especially in one dramatic moment near the end, creates such a profound effect that helps underscore the film’s message even further.

2 Valid IDs | Image Source: Cinemalaya.org

2 Valid IDs is as unapologetic as it is bold. There are so many ways for it to shift to satire but this one holds its ground to say its point loud and clear. And it demands that we should not just watch. but listen and demand the change we deserve.

My Rating: 5 Stars

A searing look at bureaucratic hell you cannot afford to miss, 2 Valid IDs is now showing on the big screen. Check showtimes and grab your tickets today.

Don’t miss Cinemalaya 22: Reel Reflections, running August 6 to 18 at Red Carpet Cinemas (Shangri-La Plaza), Gateway Cineplex 18, and Ayala Malls Cinemas. Witness a stellar lineup of stories that will move you and showcase the brilliance of local filmmaking. Follow the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Cinemalaya for official updates.

August 12, 2026
CINEMALAYA 22 FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW: Dustin Celestino’s ‘A.ni.mal’ Is a Comedic Departure From His Previous Cinemalaya Work

If, like me, you are only familiar with Dustin Celestino’s work through his last two Cinemalaya films, Duyan ng Magiting and Habang Nilalamon ng Hydra ang Kasaysayan, then you’d think that his third entry to beanother serious, politically charged drama. But A.ni.mal is nothing like Celestino’s first two critically acclaimed Cinemalaya films. ‘A.ni.mal’ is a funny, dark comedy; a satire that explores one of the many faces of evil; breaking it down to its most mundane form in an almost farcical tragic comedy that strips away the pristine facades of people in the public eye.

The film centers on a leaked stolen cellphone recording of a Governor (Reymund Domingo) being intimate with his dog. The recording was captured by his goddaughter, Lily (Maxine Ignacio), who is the daughter of the mayor (Jojit Lorenzo). Lily, who imagines herself a young progressive, wants to protect the dog. After all, she volunteers at a pet shelter to prove she’s not just another nepo baby. But the video becomes a contentious topic. The Mayor wants it deleted but his wife, Ofel (Frances Makil-Ignacio), sees an opportunity to weaponize the secret and curry favour with the Governor’s wife, Grace (Bituin Escalante). The video’s mere existence and the subject matter of its content thrusts all the characters into a moral dilemma that becomes an exhibition of the worst of human nature.

Cinemalaya 22 A.ni.mal | Photo courtesy of Sine Metu Media Productions

From the onset, A.ni.mal is hilarious, often-times absurd, and a clever and biting in its social commentary. The characters’ political nature and their desperate need to maintain the importance of their public image and branding becomes the focal point of many of the comedic elements. How these characters present themselves to the public are very much the opposite of what lingers in their minds. Shot entirely on iPhone 17 Pro Max, Celestino and Director of Photography Kara Moreno are not afraid to get really up close into the actor’s faces, capturing the nuances of their expressions. A lot about who we are is hidden but when the camera gets that close, everything is revealed.

Cinemalaya 22 A.ni.mal | Photo courtesy of Sine Metu Media Productions

The film’s cinematography generated an almost raw, documentary-like effect. Through handheld camera work, natural lighting, and an intense proximity to the subjects, Celestino and Moreno layer the film with added meaning. The imagery evokes the language of mobile screens, cellphone recordings, dramas, memes, and other viral videos we watch on our mobile phones. It adds a texture of engagement with the material, meant to create a relationship with the audience. What they are seeing onscreen is akin to what they watch all day on their phones.

Cinemalaya 22 A.ni.mal | Photo courtesy of Sine Metu Media Productions

Witty and clever, A.ni.mal is propelled by spectacular performances, most notably from Maxine Ignacio, Bituin Escalante (whose terrifying third-act monologue is absolutely electrifying), and Anthony Falcon, who plays a veterinarian at the pet shelter, who serves as the film’s moral core, to a certain point. All the performances are solid here; another perfectly synergized ensemble in a Dustin Celestino film but certain characters do stand out.

Cinemalaya 22 A.ni.mal | Photo courtesy of Sine Metu Media Productions

At the very center of this is Ignacio’s Lily, who carries most of the outrage at the film’s beginning that pushes this narrative forward and when her character is later fully revealed, do we see the brilliance of Ignacio’s approach. Each of the actors understand the dramatic frequency needed to fully embody this hilarious satire, and they use it for full effect.

Photo courtesy of Sine Metu Media Productions

It is easily the most visually fluid work in Celestino’s filmography. The precise camerawork, thoughtful mise-en-scene, and the framing constantly amplifies and highlights the film’s themes. While just as politically charge as Duyan ng Magiting and Habang Nilalamon ng Hydra ang Kasaysayan, this entry feels far more accessible.

My Rating: 5 Stars

A.ni.mal is now showing on the big screen. Check cinema showtimes near you and grab your tickets today.

This year, don’t miss Cinemalaya 22: Reel Reflections runs this August 6 to 18 at Red Carpet Cinemas (Shangri-La Plaza), Gateway Cineplex 18, and Ayala Malls Cinemas. Witness another stellar lineup of stories that will move you and showcase the brilliance of Philippine cinema. Follow the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Cinemalaya for updates.

August 9, 2026
MOVIE REVIEW: On the Right Note: A Review of ‘Tuner’

There is something simple and elegant about director Daniel Roher’s crime thriller Tuner that calls back to mid-to-low-budget crime thrillers of the past. Written by Roher and Robert Ramsey, the film ably balances its independent film tone and aesthetic while still delivering mainstream satisfaction by taking the time to focus on the love story that completes the main character’s arc. The film’s duality (one part crime thriller and one part character study) works very well for the first two-thirds of the film, though its rather clean, neat ending feels more suited to a fully mainstream picture. It’s a satisfying ending, for sure, but it goes against the film’s overall tone, which may not be a bad thing; it just didn’t work for me. I liked it better when the film was messy.

Tuner centers on Niki White (Leo Woodall), a piano tuner with a rare condition that makes him allergic to loud noises. Hyper-sensitive to sound, he is constantly wearing earphones or headphones to drown out the sounds of the city. When his mentor, Harry (Dustin Hoffman), is hospitalized, Niki feels compelled to ally himself with Uri (Lior Raz), a security agency owner who robs from the wealthy, stealing just enough to fly under the radar. Niki’s sensitivity to sound makes him an ideal safecracker and Uri quickly puts his talents to work. As Niki take on jobs to cover for Harry’s hospital bills, he also finds himself forging a relationship with a music composition major, Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu).

Roher stays light on the crime aspect of the film, for the most part, using it as a means to an end for Niki. The illegal work allows him to take care of Harry, who has become his only family in the city. While his condition has kept him from forming real relationships and from having a real life, the money he earns from cracking safes for Uri allows him to finally reach for what he’s always wanted. It builds his confidence, giving him means to provide for Harry and his wife, Marla (Torvah Feldshuh), the only family he’s got. He can take Ruthie on dates and get her expensive gifts. The way the film tracks the apparent changes in Niki from before he started working Uri and after, allows us to see a more nuanced conversation about struggling for survival and having the money one needs to really have a life.

There is even a Robin Hood allegory that Uri makes that creates a justification for what it is that they do. We don’t know what Uri does with his money but we do know what Niki does with his money. It’s an interesting dramatic situation that fully forms the character arc of Niki.

But the film is also very much ready to complicate things. At the end of the day, theft is theft, and stolen money always comes with consequences. By this time, we have gotten to see Niki at his highest, watching him fall to his lowest and it makes for an interesting film. It’s really a character study, especially as the film breaks down Niki’s own past and we see the full extent of what it is he has really lost because of his condition.

The sound design is impeccable and a compelling reason to watch the film in theaters, where the volume itself plays an important aspect in telling the story.

I’ve seen Woodall before in the second season of The White Lotus and the AppleTV series Prime Target, but he never truly owned the screen. But in this film, he manages to mine all of Niki’s pathos to build a deeply engaging character that is so interesting to watch. Havana Rose Liu and Tovah Feldshuh are equally excellent, allowing their characters’ vibrancy to contrast with Niki’s dour view of the world. While the performances are good across the board, these three are the ones that I must discuss.

My Rating: 3 Stars

While you won’t get to experience its sound design in theaters anymore, Tuner is still well worth seeking out when it hits streaming platforms.

July 31, 2026
MOVIE REVIEW: A Hero’s Burden: A Review of ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’

Taking off right after the events of the previous film, Spider-Man: No Way Home, the latest installment, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, follows Peter Parker (Tom Holland) in a world that has forgotten him. Spider-Man is now a tortured hero, who spends all of his time fighting crime as his masked vigilante. He’s no longer juggling school or work. In his spare time, he watches the posts, videos, and live feeds of his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) and the love of his life, MJ (Zendaya), who are living their college life at MIT without him. Free from the burden of putting anyone in danger for knowing his secret identity, he is better equipped to fight crime, yet deeply trapped by the choices of his own heroism.

Holland was born to play Peter Parker, it seems. He manages to capture the innocence, the pathos, and the vibrancy of the character, as well as the sheer physicality required for the role. In the past Spider-Man films, there were so many scenes where he was forced to take off his mask, mostly because producers and whatnot worried that audiences couldn’t connect with a masked hero. But not this film. In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, a huge chunk of the story has Spider-Man completely masked. Whether or not it’s really Tom Holland underneath the suit at all times is up for grabs, but his unmistakable voice and body language create that connection. It is such a vital part of the story: he is living behind the mask because it’s the only way he knows how to exist in this chapter of his life. The pain and loss of the previous film carry right over into this one.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Photo: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

The film, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, has an amazing sense of pacing and narrative flow. They quickly speed through time, yet we never feel lost. We see his life in large fragments, coming to understand just how lonely Peter Parker’s world has become by choosing to cut himself off. And all this ties wonderfully to the main villain propelling the story forward: a powerful telepath that can jump into other minds and possess their bodies. Only Spider-Man’s enhanced awareness and senses can detect when the villain jumps from one host to the next, giving him a natural immunity to having his mind controlled.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Photo/Image: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

How does Spider-Man fight someone he cannot see and cannot touch?

As I said before, the pacing is so good because this isn’t just a character study of Peter Parker living with his choices, it’s also a full-scale superhero movie with a whole roster of heroes and villains turning up to complete the story.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures

There are the ones from the trailers, like The Punisher (Jon Bernthal), Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Scorpion (Michael Mando), and The Hand; and then there are the surprise cameos that hadthe audience clapping and screaming when they showed up.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures

It’s packed with a lot of action and superheroics to ensure it never gets boring. But in a way, it’s also a coming-of-age story. Peter Parker must grow up all over again because the weight of his choices are bearing down on him. And as the trailer suggests, he is entering a whole new stage in his life; and a new stage in his mutation.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures

In a way, this is a story about evolution and adaptation. One needs to change to survive, and while the choices Peter has made make him feel safe, they are also destroying him in the process. This is mirrored and contrasted by the choices of Bruce Banner and, in a beautiful and very enjoyable way, by The Punisher. And it is also reflected upon that of the villain.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Holland has this character down to a tee. He makes no false moves as Peter Parker. Zendaya and Jacob Batalon keep the film grounded in its emotional core, giving Peter something to miss. Bernthal is also such a joy to watch. This is still the Frank Castle we know, but he somehow manages to still fit into a PG film without breaking character. There’s a lightness to him that fits the movie’s tone while still retaining all the darkness of The Punisher.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures

And Sadie Sink? I’m not saying a word. But I thought she portrayed her character in the most effective way possible. She appears one hour into the film and completely shifts its course with her arrival and character reveal. She can express so much while staying completely still, letting her eyes do all the heavy lifting. It’s a wonderful performance that will be talked about for days to come.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures

I have yet to see a Tom Holland Spider-Man movie that I didn’t like. I hope he’ll want to play this character until he physically can’t do so anymore. I’m no longer a big fan of comic book movies, but this one I’ll still be showing up for an opening day.

My Rating: 5 Stars

Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters TODAY! Anchored by Tom Holland’s finest performance yet, incredible action, and game-changing character reveals, this is a top-tier Spidey entry that demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible. Check showtimes and grab your tickets now before they sell out!

July 29, 2026
MOVIE REVIEW: The Live-Action Remake of ‘Moana’ Doesn’t Live up to the Original

Moana is one of my favourite Disney cartoons. I have a personal relationship with this movie because I saw it at a time in my life when I needed to get that push to heed the “call of the sea,” so to speak. In my eyes, this is really a perfect film. So it’s hard to imagine why they would want to do a live-action remake of an already perfect animated film, especially when that animated film is only ten years old and all the images you see from the trailer tell you that so much of what you are going to see is made from CGI. What’s live action about that?

Moana shares a lot of the same beats as the original film. Moana (Catherine Laga’aia) is the future chief of her village on the island of Motonui. Because of the antics of the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson), who took the heart of the island goddess Te Fiti to give to the people, a darkness has set forth on the land. And despite the order of the chief, Moana’s father, that no one sail into the ocean, Moana has learned of her people’s origins and heeds the call of adventure to find Maui, convince him to return the heart of Te Fiti, and banish the demon Te Ka, who has caused the darkness after Te Fiti went into hiding.

Moana in Disney’s live-action MOANA. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2025 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

I found myself having a difficult time entering into this world because of how heavily animated the visuals are. The lighting is overdone, giving the film a very saturated color aesthetic, and many of the backdrops look like they were generated by CGI. It opens with a story of Maui taking the heart of Te Fiti and then shifts into the village of Motonui. We see a young Moana playing with the sea, but the sea plays back, and it’s obviously special effects; the disconnect between the two images seems to clash. Maybe due to the fact that the CGI effects aren’t as clean and seamless as we would want them to be, it means editor Melanie Ann Oliver is constantly cutting away, creating a frenetic energy that can often break a moment from its full effect. It does manage to hide the CGI from being so blatantly disturbing to see against the real people playing in a scene, but it never allows the scenes to linger and be fully absorbed.

Dwayne Johnson as Maui in Disney’s live-action MOANA. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2026 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This is an issue that sits with me throughout this film. When Moana finally goes on her journey, there are scenes where Laga’aia is on a boat and it looks like her whole backdrop is one green screen of an empty ocean. There’s a halo effect that usually happens when a bad green screen execution is mounted, and that’s what it looks like. If it’s not green screen, then the lighting and saturated colors make it look like it, so the film never feels grounded or real. Later on, when Moana and Maui finally meet, their bickering doesn’t translate well when played by actual people. Maui throws her off the boat several times and she’s rescued by the ocean, who has chosen her specifically for this mission. In the cartoon, it’s funny, because they are cartoon characters. When The Rock does it to Laga’aia, it looks misogynistic and cruel and mean.

Catherine Laga’aia as Moana in Disney’s MOANA. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2026 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Strangely enough, as I’m watching this film and really resisting it because of the way it looks, there is one song number that still manages to get me teary-eyed, and that’s ‘I Am Moana,’ which really resonates with me. Laga’aia is a great singer and sings the hell out of the song (though I am really partial to Auli’i Cravalho’s more full-toned voice), and the context of that song in the story still hits me hard. I cried at this point in the animated film, and I cried again at this part. Later, during the climax as Moana goes toe-to-toe with Te Ka – the only extensively CGI-heavy sequence in the film that I enjoyed watching – I once again found myself in tears when Moana restores the heart of Te Fits. Again, I am a sucker for stories about healing, and Te Fiti’s story always gets me in tears.

Catherine Laga’aia as Moana in Disney’s live-action MOANA. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2026 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

So, while I’m not a big fan of the entire movie, the story of Moana still holds in whatever format it is delivered in. But this movie just makes me want to watch the original cartoon all over again. I really question the need for these live-action remakes when the original cartoons are already perfect as they are.

My Rating: 2.5 Stars

Ready to experience Motonui on the big screen? Find local showtimes and get your tickets to see Moana in theaters now!

July 22, 2026
MOVIE REVIEW: A Magnificent, Epic Rebuke of War, Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Is Undeniably a Masterpiece

There’s no question that Christopher Nolan is a filmmaker who makes movies for the cinema. His stories are always larger-than-life, even his earlier work before his name became a box office draw – films like ‘Memento’ and ‘Insomnia’ – were best suited on the big screen where the visual breadth of his stories amplified his message when projected at that scale. Success only allowed Nolan to work on even larger-scale movies, and with the dramatic success of ‘Oppenheimer,’ he has now been given full reign to make one of his dreams come true: to film an entire movie completely on IMAX film cameras. He takes Homer’s The Odyssey and uses translations by Emily Wilson, E. V. Rieu, and Robert Fagles as the basis of his screenplay.

With a star-studded cast that includes Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, and Robert Pattinson in lead roles with a stellar supporting cast that includes Charlize Theron, Zendaya, Samantha Morton, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, Himesh Patel, and Lupita Nyong’o, ‘The Odyssey’ primarily uses practical effects with as little CGI as possible to create a very tactile, tangible fantastical world where myths, mythology, and legends co-exist and fill up each frame with the themes that Nolan is set to deliver to his audience.

Told from two points of view, ‘The Odyssey’ takes place after the Trojan War. In Ithaca, Penelope (Hathaway) awaits the return of her husband and king, Odysseus (Damon) but his 8-year absence since the fall of Troy has everyone assuming that she is now a widow. Suitors have come to marry her to take Ithaca as their own, among them is Antinous (Pattinson). The suitors grow in number, and Zeus’s law bids that all strangers must be welcomed. Telemachus (Holland), son of Odysseus and Penelope, laments that the suitors have feasted away Ithaca’s resources. Still too young to become king, Ithaca’s future is tenuous and Penelope is losing hope. While far away from Ithaca, Odysseus is on an island with the nymph Calypso (Theron), who is fed lotus flowers, which takes away his memory. Calypso wants Odysseus for herself but there’s a longing in him that the flowers can’t take away. To find his way home, he must recall who he is and how he got to that island, and from this retelling, we discover the adventures Odysseus has taken to return home, which includes battling a cyclops, facing the goddess and witch Circe (Morton), and flashbacks of what happened in the battle of Troy.

Interestingly enough, Nolan employs the use of storytelling to frame his narrative. In Ithaca, we learn about Penelope and Telemachus and of Odysseus through recollections of their time together, and of stories told during the feasts. For the Odysseus portion, it is through remembering his journey that we see his adventures. Almost like a recited epic poem back in the era of Homer and the Greeks, the story is told in story-form, enforcing the myth and myth-making nature of film and this particular approach to the telling of this story.

Nolan, alongside director of photography Hoyte van Hoytema, fully utilizes the IMAX format to create a film of epic proportions. The long shots puts these characters and situates them in these vast expanse of space, visualizing Odysseus’ journey as a challenge of not just physical distance but an emotional one as well (for the film puts into question an existential force that keeps him from getting home quickly) whereas Penelope and Telemachus are constrained and imprisoned by the burden of the castle, of the kingdom, and of its laws. Even in the close-ups, the emotions at the scale are heightened and Nolan is unafraid to point his camera away from the heroics and put into center frame the characters who are suffering from the effects of this war. Slaves, soldiers, and women, amongst others are brought into the composition so that we understand that Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ is not just an adaptation of the Greek myth that we were taught in elementary but a searing rebuke of war and the human cost of it and of Odysseus’ part in the fall of civilization.

What begins as a fantastical journey and a suspenseful political battle at the homefront seamlessly turns into a dissection and cross-examination of where and when and how humanity began to break down and it all returns to the fall of Troy. Taking his cues from the Wilson translation, the usage of contemporary language and straying from the usual portrayals of formal British accents for these ancient Greek mythological characters, the way the film manages to find its connections with current-day issues and discussions about war, destruction, corruption, misogyny, and the loss of human kindness and decency.

I cannot stress how seamlessly and quietly Nolan infuses modern day political discourse in a film that is so visually arresting and so entertaining that when the film’s finale takes place and you realise what this movie is really about; you cannot escape it and it is something you will bring with you as you leave that theater.

This is an incredible piece of work and it is a highlight of an already remarkable filmography by Christopher Nolan, his cast, and his team. A must-watch on IMAX.

My Rating: 5 Stars

Ready for an unforgettable cinematic journey? Experience Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey on the biggest screen possible. Get showtimes here.

July 16, 2026
MOVIE REVIEW: Lacking in Active Conflict, ‘First Light’ Is a Reflective Movie About a Crisis of Faith

Beautifully shot, director James J. Robinson’s debut feature film, First Light, is a slow-paced, meditative examination of corruption within idealized institutions. Collaborating with cinematographer Amy Dellar, Robinson presents a world that feels lost in time and space. The narrative unfolds in an unnamed village in the Philippines, near a decaying convent built during the Spanish occupation, a world seemingly unbothered by the modern intrusion of mobile phones or television. Its atmospheric opening, featuring the convent covered in darkness as nuns glide past with candles, initially made me believe that the film might be a period piece. It is toward the end of the first act, when a motorcycle appears on screen, that we realize we are actually grounded in the modern world.

First Light follows Sister Yolanda, played by Ruby Ruiz, whose faith is profoundly shaken following a tragic accident that results in the death of a young man. Driven by her moral compass to find some semblance of peace for the young man’s surviving family, she begins to unearth the complex power dynamics at play between a wealthy local clan, the government, and the church and how it ties to the suppression of the truth regarding the boy’s passing. Consequently, Sister Yolanda’s faith falters, igniting a journey to discovery begins.

First Light | Image Source: Clou Media Productions FB Page

First Light adopts a languid pace, slowly unfolding its world piece by piece with no rush or urgency. The film follows the daily life of Sister Yolanda, illustrating the extraordinary lengths she goes to for the parish, the people in it, her fellow sisters of the habit, and the church she so deeply believes in. Yet, while Dellar’s cinematography remains exquisite, the narrative pacing never truly picks up, even after the tragic death of the young man and her growing realisation about the world around her. This relentless slow-burn makes the film lack the energy it needs to fully delve into the raw emotion of Sister Yolanda’s own crisis of faith.

This slowness also takes the form through the line delivery, where characters take prolonged pauses between lines that has a tendency to kill the organic energy of a scene. This rhythmic hesitation makes the conversations sound noticeably scripted rather than natural, as if the actors are visibly waiting for a cue or a calculated emotional beat. Ultimately, a more naturalistic, free-flowing delivery of the dialogue would have greatly helped the film achieve the grounded mood.

At a certain point, things become a bit too easy; major discoveries are made with very little fanfare. Sister Yolanda’s own dealings, whether with the priest (Soliman Cruz), a fellow sister contemplating leaving the convent (Kare Adea), or Linda (Maricel Soriano), a wealthy matron whose mother is on life support and who Sister Yolanda visits to pray over, usually ends with a discussion but no real argument or debate. While the film constantly searches for an active conflict, it settles instead for a passive one: one of reflection.

Thankfully, Ruiz is exceptional at conveying these abstract thoughts and complex emotions within such a dormant narrative. There’s a lot of nuanced work here that fills in the storytelling gaps, and manages to create a version of Sister Yolanda that is remains consistently fascinating to watch. It’s in the lens of the mundane and the ordinary that we are watching all this unfold and Ruby Ruiz harnesses that effectively.

Ultimately, there are many interesting things that First Light does and tries to tackle. It juxtaposes images of our Spanish colonial history as an opposing, oppressive force over its less fortunate characters, creating links to the corruption upon many hallowed institutions, most especially the church. These are the interrogations I admire but I ultimately wish the film had approached this with a little bit more narrative energy.

My Rating: 2.5 Stars

Keep an eye out for First Light on the film festival circuit or look out for its upcoming digital and streaming release. It is a slow-burn narrative worth tracking down just to witness Ruby Ruiz’s powerhouse, quietly powerful performance!

July 6, 2026