Movie Reviews from Chris

★★ ★ ☆ Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) Runtime: 145 minutes MPAA: Rated PG-13 for sequences of action/violence and some language. What if everyone forgot who you are? Picking up from where Spider-Man: No Way Home left, Destin Daniel Cretton's Spider-Man: Brand New Day finds Peter Parker (Tom Holland) living from the consequences of Far From Home and its immediate predecessor, where a chain of events ripple through what he has to deal with and accept. The revelation of his identity by Mysterio caused mass speculation, and a botched (and arguably contrived setup) spell by Dr. Strange caused things to turn chaotic, eventually forcing Peter to make Strange cast a spell that erased him from everyone's memories. He visits a coffee shop, where MJ (Zendaya) doesn't recognise him. As the years pass by, he lives alone and anonymously protects New York City as the friendly neighbourhood Spiderman, all while constantly watching Ned Leeds' (Jacob Batalon) livestream as he and MJ go...

★ ⯪ ☆ ☆ Supergirl (2026) Runtime: 110 minutes MPAA: Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, action, language, and smoking. The best part about Craig Gillespie's Supergirl is that it suggests how grief can consume us, removing all sense of rationality, filling us with denial, anger and the desire for revenge, something that Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) warns Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley) not to pursue, warning her that she'll be corrupted with guilt by her actions. Other than that, there isn't anything particularly novel about this low-stakes venture, a structural and visual mess that's noisy, from the overloaded chaos of fights to the incessant soundtrack that permeates the proceedings. It uses a dying dog and a quest for revenge, but the worldbuilding, character progression and other subtle thematic hints of oppression and bride slavery on page can't match what's shown on the screen. There's committed performances from Alcock and Jason Momoa as Lobo, ...

★★ ★ ☆ The Odyssey (2026) Runtime: 172 minutes MPAA: Rated R for violence and some language. Let's get back to the assigned star rating later. When the trailer for Christopher Nolan's newest film The Odyssey was released, it was savagely condemned for controversial casting choices and lacking Greek representation. Yet, the outcry was almost instantly silenced the moment the film hit theatres, with the majority deeming it a masterpiece. Again, perplexing online discourse and the insistence to use superlatives or derogatory statements. Can we have an era of thoughtful conversations instead of instant verdicts? Back to the topic. It's a bit of a surprise that Nolan has pivoted from intellectual logic mazes to a complex biography in Oppenheimer and now Greek mythology in The Odyssey. Based on Homer's poem, he injects the ancient epic with his signature nested and non-linear storytelling, ear-splitting action sequences, Shepard tone, paired with Ludwig Göransson's overla...

★★⯪☆ ( 👍 ) Deep Water (2026) Runtime: 109 minutes MPAA: Rated R for violent content/bloody images and some language. I legitimately cannot believe that I'm saying this, but Deep Water should have removed the shark elements entirely, and with some narrative tightening, it would have made for a more engaging and affecting tale of human survival. As it stands, we have a decent diversion that works, strangely and ironically when it focuses on the people affected by the tragedy rather than the cheap shark thrills it's after. Directed by Renny Harlin and written by a team consisting of Pete Bridges, Shayne Armstrong, S.P. Krause and Damien Power, Deep Water is what you'd expect to get after infusing Gerard Butler's Plane with sharks. Pilot Ben (Aaron Eckhart) and Captain Rich (Ben Kingsley) embark on an international flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai, and we get a decent setup that's a bit scattered in establishing passengers and subplots, but establishes a low-key rh...

★★ ★ ☆ The Sheep Detectives (2026) Runtime: 109 minutes MPAA: Rated PG for thematic material, some violent content and brief language. Sometimes, never underestimate a film geared for younger audiences or have preconceived opinions about their limitations, nature and intent. The Sheep Detectives is one of those films. The high-concept premise might sound ridiculous at first. Sheep talk! And their shepherd George Hardy (Hugh Jackman), who takes care of them and reads murder mystery stories to them every night, is mysteriously found dead one morning. After some deliberation and adventuring, the sheep eventually learn that George left a will with a huge fortune, where suspects are eventually narrowed down. As read out by George's lawyer Lydia Harbottle (Emma Thompson), the suspects include a shepherd Caleb Merrow (Tosin Cole), butcher Ham Gilyard (Conleth Hill), innkeeper Beth Pennock (Hong Chau), clumsy police officer Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun), George's daughter Rebecca Hampstea...

★★⯪☆ The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) Runtime: 98 minutes MPAA: Rated PG for action, mild violence and rude humour. Ok, hear me out on this one. I was actively fighting against the first half of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Somehow, the second half almost won me over, reaching a point where I was alright with forgetting any problems I had with it, slowly working its way to a borderline recommendation. And then it fumbles the bag. Again, I'm not thoroughly familiar with the lore, so this might be the movie expanding to include more people in, but The Super Mario Galaxy Movie somewhat pivots from its predecessor where Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) are peacefully co-existing with Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) in Mushroom Kingdom. A shrunken Bowser (Jack Black) lives in a miniature castle and picks up many hobbies, including painting and even book-reading with Luigi. I did mention how Bowser is unstable and in need of anger management therapy, and the absurdity of ...

★★ ☆ ☆ The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) Runtime: 92 minutes MPAA: Rated PG for action and mild violence. Early on in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, we get a glimpse into the commercial that Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) have spent their entire life savings on. "That is not a commercial. That is cinema," Luigi claims, which naturally reflects what the film itself aspires to be. It succeeds more in the former than the latter. It's easier to get cynical at the movies these days than one would like to admit. Regardless, I always approach projects, franchises and experimental films with an optimistic mind, which explains why a significantly tinier portion of movies land below the halfway mark than most profiles of professional critics or analytical moviegoers would. Movies like these have, time and again, split audiences and critics into two different worlds, with audiences finding the thrill of the spectacle when the film leans into nostalgia and references enou...

★★ ☆ ☆ Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026) Runtime: 132 minutes MPAA: Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action. I might be narrowing myself into this point of view, but I've seen film discourse online that has condemned The Mandalorian and Grogu as "death to creativity and death to cinema!", while simultaneously praising other flicks like The Super Mario Galaxy Movie or Michael as the greatest, most entertaining and blazingly spectacular film since the invention of it. The current cinematic landscape is absurdly funny; we're living in an era that selectively prioritises originality, experimental projects and nostalgia that specifically resonates with audiences. If you're going to persecute one film for being something you dislike, why let your guard down, furiously defend another and even worse, attack those who don't share your level of enthusiasm just because the subject matter happens to be something or someone you worship? I'm not trying to p...

★ ★★⯪ Disclosure Day (2026) Runtime: 145 minutes MPAA: Rated PG-13 for action/violence, some bloody images and strong language. In Disclosure Day, eyes become the subject of focus. Irises change in colour to signify when someone becomes telepathically controlled to act against their impulses. Peeking into the figurative interior of one's eyes is another frequent composition, where they tell entire stories, grief and memories of someone we've known or just met. Director Steven Spielberg, with a script by David Koepp, returns to the idea of extraterrestrial life which he covered in films several decades ago, from Close Encounters of the Third Kind to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. There's a lingering sense of familiarity upon hearing its premise which may drive some viewers away. But airtight narrative mechanics and worldbuilding logic are secondary in a film raises thoughtful questions of truth, faith, political and personal beliefs, while grounding them in empathy, becoming a ...

★★ ★ ☆ Rental Family (2025) Runtime: 109 minutes MPAA: Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some strong language, and suggestive material. There's an extremely interesting phenomenon in Japan where rental family services are offered, providing clients with actors who portray friends, family members, coworkers for social events and companions for individuals. Mental health issues have always been stigmatised there, perceived as a lack of willpower, resilience and self-control. Due to deep-rooted cultural beliefs, there has been widespread underreporting of mental health struggles and low rates of people seeking professional help. What if they're instead messing with people's lives, making the situation even more volatile and worse? How do we blur the line between what's real and fake? Hikari's (real name Mitsuyo Miyazaki) film, Rental Family, centers on a struggling American actor in Tokyo Phillip Vanderploeg (Brendan Fraser). Once recognised for a toothpaste commercia...