Disclosure Day - 2 Stars - THEATERS - June 12, 2026

Disclosure Day feels like a Steven Spielberg movie from thirty years ago, in fact, it feels a lot like E.T.  Except this time the action is loud and long beginning with a cage match where we find Josh O'Connor watching while waiting for instructions.  He has something the bad industrial complex guys want.  Soon the chase begins and the movie begins to look like One Battle After Another.  Colin Firth, good old Mr. Darcy, plays the bad guy whose touch of an English accent gives him a proper Snidely Whiplash effect.  Meanwhile, Emily Blunt, finding success as a wacky weather girl in Kansas City switches gears one night and begins forecasting in space talk.  She and O'Connor meet and the chase doubles with a train encounter right out of a dozen other movies, many of them Spielberg's.  Finally, the day arrives and our heroes reveal the secret of aliens among us.  Disclosure Day is very commercial, with lots of big scenes and a ease of a  sci-fi plot.  Because I started watching Spielberg fifty years or more ago, nothing feels new here.  Maybe younger people will disagree.  Knock yourselves out.  

Tuner - 4 Stars - THEATERS - May 29, 2026

Tuner tells the unusual story of Nikki, played by Leo Woodall, a talented piano tuner who flourishes despite sensitivity to loud noises.  A chance encounter with safe crackers uncovers his talent for opening safes.  Nikki falls into a secret life of crime when his mentor, played by Dustin Hoffman, suffers an attack, landing him in a hospital bed with bill mounting daily.  The safe cracking jobs can help pay his mentor's bills.  Along the way, Nikki meets Ruthie, played by Havana Rose Liu, a musical prodigy working toward an apprenticeship with a famous composer.  The tension mounts as the crimes build, threatening Nikki's romance and life.  Tuner throws a plot twist toward the end that to me, turned the movie from pretty good to great.  A second twist and a shocker of an ending made this experience a pleasure.  I found Tuner one of the best movies I've seen this year.  4 Stars.     

Obsession - 3 1/2 Stars - THEATERS - May 15, 2026

In Obsession, socially awkward Bear (Michael Johnson) works in a music store with cute, confident Nikki (Inde Navarrette.)  Trying to find the nerve to ask her out, Bear browses through a new age store and finds "One Wish Willow."  Break the stick and your one wish comes true.  We all know by now to be careful of what we wish for.  Bear wishes for Nikki to love him above all others.  Her love turns to Obsession spinning a psychological murderous thriller.  Johnson's fine as the awkward kid.  Inde Navarrette steals this show as the obsessed lover.  The shocks and twists had me laughing as I squirmed in my seat.  Obsession turns an ordinary story into a creative shocking good time.  This might have been just ok.  Instead, Obsession is pretty great.  

Movie Guide

Tuner - 4 Stars - THEATERS - May 28, 2026 --- A piano tuner turns safe cracker and balances a life of crime and music. Classic thriller with jaw dropping twists toward the end. 

Life is Short - 4 Stars - NETFLIX - May 12, 2026 - A surprisingly inspiring review of actor Martin Short's life, his talent, his joy, and the deep grief of love and loss.  

Song Sung Blue - 4 Stars -- PEACOCK - December 25, 2025 - Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as cover artists chasing a dream.  Grand old school audience pleaser.  

The Pitt - 4 Stars - MAX - January 9, 2025 - Season Two - April 16, 2026  - One of the great medical series, with Noah Wyle as head of emergency medicine in a struggling Pittsburgh hospital.  The Pitt far surpasses Wyle's work in ER.  This one's the real deal. 

Obsession- 3 1/2 Stars - May 15, 2026 - Socially awkward boy gets his wish for cute girl to love him obsessively.  Boy does this turn out bad.  Creative psychological thriller with a great performance from Inde Navarrette. Gets ready for shocks, jolts, and an unnervingly good time.

Remarkably Bright Creatures - 3 1/2 Stars - May 8, 2026 - NETFLIX - An Octopus observes Sally Field's friendship with a young drifter.  Delightful, creative and touching.  

One Battle After Another - 3 1/2 Stars - HBO MAX - Paul Thomas Anderson creates a dazzling chase drama of revolution a generation later.  Outstanding roles for Leo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and Chase Infiniti.   2025 Oscar Best Picture winner.  

Weapons - 3 1/2 ---HBO MAX --- October 23, 2025 - A great horror movie involving missing kids and a very creepy aunt.  Amy Madigan rocks.  This one rates right up there with Psycho.  

The Devil Wears Prada 2 - 3 Stars - May 1, 2026 - THEATERS - Meryl Streep returns for a twenty year update of the iconic comedy.  Nothing new here, but still fun.  

 

Knives Out:  Wake Up Dead Man:  - 3 Stars - NETFLIX - November 26, 2025:  The third in the satisfying detective series starring Daniel Craig as hammy Benoit Blanc.  A priest's death makes the best of the series so far. 

Rental Family - 3 Stars - HULU - November 21, 2025 - Brendan Frasier plays an American actor in Japan, hired to provide emotional stand-in roles for strangers.  The unusual idea bogs down in well intentioned lies.   

Nuremberg - 3 Stars - NETFLIX - November 7, 2025 - Based on the memoir of the Army psychiatrist who interviewed Herman Goering during his rial for WW2 war crimes.  Strong acting from Russell Crowe, Rami Malek and Michael Shannon.  A soapy script detracts. 

Department Q - 3 Stars - NETFLIX - May 29, 2025 - Crackerjack mystery thriller. Hot headed Matthew Goode heads a cold case unit unraveling the mystery of a missing prosecutor.  Great writing and producing keep you guessing.   

The Christophers - 2 1/2 Stars - THEATERS - April 12, 2026 - Ian McKellen's greedy children hire an artist to finish some of his  art work.  The scheme backfires. 

Eleanor the Great - 2 1/2 Stars - PRIME - September 26, 2025 - The wonderful June Squibb wanders into the wrong group meeting and passes herself off as a Holocaust survivor, when actually the strong belongs to her late best friend.  Interesting thoughts on grief and aging but resolves incompletely.  

Hamnet - 2 1/2 Stars - PEACOCK - November 26, 2025 - This year's artistic bid for the Oscar, with an excellence performance from Jesse Buckley, as Will Shakespeare's wife Agnes.  The death of their son creates deep grief and maybe a masterpiece.  A great work, but a chore to watch.       

Jay Kelly - 2 1/2 Stars - NETFLIX - December 5, 2025 - Movie super star George Clooney as an icon toward the end of his career rethinking his life.  Pleasant but nothing new here. 

Disclosure Day - 2 Stars - THEATERS -June 12, 2026 - Steven Spielberg's still chasing space aliens.  This one's long, loud, and loaded with crash scenes.  Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor feel right, even if the project comes off like something from 30 years ago.  Nothing new to see here.   

  

Marty Supreme - 2 Stars - HBO MAX - December 25, 2025 - Timothy Chalamet will probably win the best actor Oscar for this relentless exhausting story of a hustler willing to do anything to succeed or fill his ego. June

Blue Moon - 2 Stars - NETFLIX - October 24, 2025 - Great performance by Ethan Hawke as songwriter Lorenz Hart --- drunk and miserable at the end of his depressing life.  Geez, can we at least have some music? 

The Naked Gun - 2 Stars - PRIME -  August 1, 2025 - Desperately tries to recreate the originals.  i spent more energy trying to laugh instead of the real thing.  

Honey Don't - 1 1/2 Stars - PEACOCK - August 22, 2025 - Uneven Film Noir with Margaret Qualley.  She's great in a confusing script with a lousy ending. 

 

LIFE IS SHORT - 4 STARS - NEFLIX - MAY 12, 2026

Martin Short turns the story of his life over to his friend Director Lawrence Kasdan.  The result celebrates the joy in Short's performances and examines the grief of his great losses along the way.  Home video, behind the scenes footage, and frank comments from Short's friends make this documentary stand out.  I especially enjoyed the stories of Short's SCTV Days and the genuine friendship of the cast. I've watched many celebrity documentaries in recent years.  Life is Short feels more truthful than most.  This is an extraordinary work.  On Netflix - LIFE IS SHORT.

REMARKABLE BRIGHT CREATURES - 3 1/2 STARS - NETFLIX - MAY 8, 2026

Remarkable Bright Creatures serves up a creative mystery comedy starring Sally Field, as an older widow working as the night cleaner of an aquarium.  Her story is narrated by a giant Pacific octopus - voiced by Alfred Molina.  The two form a believable bond adding a charming spark to this story.  Sally befriends a young drifter played by Lewis Pullman as they uncover a life changing mystery.  The result is a delightful family friendly watch.