Category Reviews

Jun 14 2026

The Truth Is Revealed With Disclosure Day

Auteur director Steven Spielberg returns the UFO/UAP genre that he helped revolutionized with Disclosure Day. It serves as the conclusion to his loose trilogy of extra-terrestrial contact films that started with Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. War of the Worlds does not really count because it was a remake of the 1950s classic and was more simplistic with its portrayal of extra-terrestrials. In other words, Aliens bad, humanity mostly good. With Disclosure Day, Spielberg once again proves that he is the master of his craft with this tense and thought-provoking film.

Disclosure Day stars Josh O’Connor as Daniel Kellner, a hacker on the run with his girlfriend Jane Blankenship (Eve Hewson) from a nefarious government-associated organization called Wardex run by Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth) because Kellner stole film evience that the U.S. government had recovered alien technology and beings from crash sites throughout the past 79 years, and imprisoned and tortured the recovered alien beings. He also stole a piece of alien technology that has to be handled delicately because of its unimaginable capabilities. Scanlon will stop at nothiing to capture Kellner because Kellner’s ally, Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo), is preparing to reveal the truth about extra-terrestrials to the public in a desperate attempt to bring the world back from the point of no return since it is on the edge of World War III.

Kellner is challenged not only by Scanlon but Jane herself, who questions the consequences of revealing the truth to a human populace that may not be ready to learn the truth about their place in the universe.

The film also follows the story of Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt), a restless weather meterologist in Kansas City, who begins to display psychic powers after encountering a cardinal in her apartment. These powers manifest in her ability to speak languages she never knew including an unearthly garble of clicks, and with the capability of understanding the emotions and thoughts of others. She too, goes on the run after being hospitalized after Wardex goons pretending to be FBI agents show up at her hospital room.

The paths of Fairchild and Kellner eventually cross paths as she is psychically drawn to seek him out and help him in his quest to disclose the truth to the world.

Unlike his previous films about extra-terrestrials, Disclosure Day is more mature, grittier and a fitting conlcusion to what Spielberg is trying to convey about contact with extra-terrestrial intelligence. While Close Encounters of the Third Kind focused on making contact and E.T. was about buidling relationships, Disclosure Day tackles the consequences of contact and how we react to that. The film tackles many important questions such as where do we go from here? What would happen if humanity learned it was not alone? What impact would such a disclosure have on societal institutions like religion? The end of the film may frustrate some but it is quite appropriate to leave its conclusion up to audiences since it respects them enough to let audiences come to their own conclusions.

Do not think the film is some kind of dry treatise about alien life. Disclosure Day moves briskly and is unbelievably riveting at times with the intense and creative action scenes that made Spielberg so renowned. Such moments include a thrilling pursuit that takes place in an abandoned farmhouse and an edge-of-your-seat sequence involving cars and trains. The moments when Scanlon uses an alien artifact to mentally hunt down and enslave his victims was downright disturbing and added to the film’s paranoia. Wardex is symptomatic of the runaway military-industrial complex that is plaguing this world supposedly for the good of all of us. It is quite easy for audiences to despise Scanlon and the corporate stooges that work for this malignant corporation and to root for the underdog heroes.

Fairchild’s use of her empathic powers was both eerie and captivating and shows how one can accomplish wonders without resorting to violence. Speaking of empathy, although the film is more adult and darker than Spielberg’s other alien films it still holds on to the loose trilogy’s message of hope and empathy being what wins out despite the obstacles the films’ heroes face. Unlike previous efforts where the idea of love and empathy being the greatest tool we need to get along, this film does not get lost in syrupy and over the top scenes to tug at our heartstrings. It lets the actions of the characters and events to convey that something more is needed for us to get by in this downtrodden world that is on the brink of a nuclear nightmare. To its credit, the film does not go overboard with its presentation of the eve of a world war, then again it disturbingly echoes what goes on with the real world, as people try to go about their normal lives with the backdrop of the global nightmare awaiting them. The film’s message about humanity having to be more empathic and trusting feels more relevant and resonant with us given our current circumstances.

The famous Spielberg tropes and camera work are present in the film and they still work. The film has a few flaws such as some of the special effects could have been better, although the found footage of the U.S. military recovering the alien crash sites are topnotch. The film also features many terrific performances especially by Emily Blunt who is at her best portraying someone who has been touched by something extraordinary and is understandably confused by her situation. Yet despite her situation, Fairchild is quite determined to find out what is going on with what is happenging to her and we can’t help root for her and Kellner as they stay one step ahead of Wardex.

For fans of his alien films, Disclosure Day is a logical conclusion to the theme of humanity and its place in the universe as we are given the chance to think outside the box for something better. One concept the film explores fittingly is that the aliens are not important but instead it is how we react to them. This was why Spielberg in his original cut of Close Encounters of the Third Kind never showed us any details about the alien spaceships, nor why we never learned about the aliens in his films or their motives, except in E.T.’s case that the aliens are explorers. This film comes closer to giving us the answer in that the extra-terrestrials are probably here to help us frrom ourselves, though that is up to any person watching the film. For anyone captivated by the recent renewed interest in the UFO/UAP phenomenon and is displeased by the lack of true disclosure, despite promises from government officials, the film feels very cathartic in its final moments.

The most important question for fans is how does Disclousre Day measure up to Spielberg’s other films, many of which are classics. Well, it is his best genre effort since his work in the early 2000s and a return to form for the master director. Disclosure Day shows that Spielberg is still in top form and the film itself has to be seen and treasured.

José Soto

Jun 6 2026

Spider-Noir Shows How To Do The Multiverse

Spider-Noir is the latest superhero TV show now streaming on Prime Video and stars Nicolas Cage as a variant of Spider-Man set in New York City during the 1930s. This time, for legal reasons, his name is Ben Reilly and he is called The Spider instead. Noticeably older and gruffer than the traditional Spider-Man/Peter Parker, Reilly operates as a classic gumshoe private detective in a gritty New York oozing with corruption, crime and notorious gangsters. In other words, this is not your typical Spider-Man story and this is how the Multiverse should have been done by the studios.

When Spider-Noir begins, Ben Reilly operates out of his tiny office in Manhattan as a gumshoe for hire and still grieving over the death of his girlfriend Ruby five years ago, Ever since her death, Reilly retired from being the masked vigilante, The Spider, but all that changed when he is hired to track down a criminal named Addison, who turns out to have pyrokinetic powers. After Addison is killed, circumstances drag Reilly and his associates down a nefarious rabbit hole involving the city’s corrupt mayor (Michael Kostroff), the notorious mob boss, Silvermane (Brendan Gleeson), who runs the city’s underworld with a savage fist, and Cat Hardy (Li Jun Li), a conflicted nightclub singer he is hired to track but falls in love with. Silvermane has superpowered henchman in his employ, such as Flint Marko (Jack Huston), a Sandman variant, Lonnie Lincoln (Abraham Popoola), a more sympathetic version of Tombstone, and Dirk Leyden (Andrew Lewis Caldwell), a version of the obscure Spider-Man villain Megawatt, who all come into conflict with the Spider.

During his investigations, Reilly finds out that the villains are connected to his World War I past and how he got his spider powers. More importantly, Reilly is forced to come out of retirement as The Spider, which brings him to the attention of Silvermane, who wants to consolidate his grip of power in New York City.

As one can tell by the premise and seeing the show itself, Spider-Noir is an inspired homage to the classic 1930s crime films that were once so popular during the Golden Age of Film. The show can be watched either in garish color with popping bright hues or in noirish black and white, which feels more appropriate. The TV show captures many of the elements that made crime noir films so popular: the jaded detective; a dazzling but conflicted femme fatale; struggling people who talk with exaggerated New York accents and read script lines that would make Humphrey Bogart feel right at home; numerous Dutch angles; split focus shots, and scintillating photography that evokes stark existentialist German cinematography. There are so many ways this approach could have approached a satire, but thanks to the skills from everyone involved, Spider-Noir is a respectful tribute to those types of crime noir films. The actors have to be singled out for their innovative performances, especially Cage, who evokes a combination of Bogart and Jimmy Cagney while infusing his performance with the bouts of unpredictable insanity that made him so famous. The other actors turn in commendable work here as well, such as Li whose near-tragic Hardy captivates every scene she’s in and Gleeson, who projects a chilling presence.

The Multiverse is a great concept that allows for the exploration of many famous characters in different settings which provide captivating insights into what makes them work. The comic books from DC and Marvel have produced many memorable works based on variants of their renowned characters, but live-action attempts at exploring the Multiverse have had mixed results. For Marvel’s part, it seemed as if the studios were too afraid to go all out and give us wildly different versions of their characters. Why is that? Perhaps the studio heads fear that doing so will confuse audiences. But they underestimate them all the time. Other times, the efforts were laughably bad, such as Sony’s misguided films starring Spider-Man villains that were dead on arrival. We could have had more inspired Multiverse films and TV shows in the run up to Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars and even the beloved Spider-Verse films that took greater advantage of the Multiverse concept like Spider-Noir has done. The executive producers of Spider-Noir are Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who also guided the Spider-Verse films and they should be the go-to guys for more Multiverse works if they ever happen.

Spider-Noir is more than an homage to crime noir films, it is also one of the best superhero TV shows ever done that focuses on character and exciting superheroics. Underneath his cynical exterior, Ben Reilly still has a good heart because he knows that having great power has great responsibility. Even though this setting is unbelievably different than the traditional one seen with Spider-Man lore, it still is a Spider-Man story and one that hints at how the character would be like if he were middle aged. This approach allows the character to be shown in a unique way while sticking to what makes Spider-Man so popular. By going all in with the Multiverse concept, this TV show is able to present a novel approach to the Spider-Man character and see how he would have turned out under a different setting. Spider-Noir, simply put, takes full advantage of the Multiverse concept and how it should be done.

May 9 2026

Daredevil: Born Again Rises Again To Greatness

While many fans of the original Netflix TV show, Daredevil, were elated when the program was revived for Disney+ as Daredevil: Born Again, quite a few had complaints about the new TV show. Originally, the revival was supposed to be a soft reboot of the original Netflix show, but Marvel Studios was not happy with the episodes filmed and retooled it with new footage. The result was a strange hybrid that at times matched the greatness of the original show and other times it fell short. Still, Daredevil: Born Again was a fine TV show with its faults, it just was that it could not compare to the greatness of the Netflix show. That changed, however, with Daredevil: Born Again’s second season.

The second season of Daredevil: Born Again just concluded its eight-episode run and it was very evident from the first episode to the last that it reached the heights of the intense drama and gritty superhero fights that made the Netflix TV show so renowned.

When the first episode “The Northern Star” begins, blind lawyer Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), who is actually the costumed viglante Daredevil with superhuman senses, operates in the shadows with a dedicated group to undermine the criminal mayor of New York City, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), who is nicknamed the Kingpin. In the first episode, Daredevil raids a cargo ship approaching Brooklyn that is smuggling weapons and is willfully sunk by its captain during the raid to scrub any evidence linking the shipment to Fisk. As Murdock and his allies try to expose Fisk’s crimes and Fisk uses every means possible to cover up his link to the shipment, a series of events pits Murdock and Fisk into a forceful confrontation that will determine the fate of the city and its citizens.

The overrall storyline of Fisk’s iron grip on the city and the reign of terror caused by his Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF), who are made up of corrupt and violent cops, was much more compelling and distressingly relevant to our times. We are shown how oppressive the AVTF are on the locals, and how they begin to fight back after being cowed for so long. We also witness how Fisk’s rule negatively impacts everyone, including the main characters who either suffer from internal ethical struggles or just do their best to survive and heroically try to expose Fisk.

While the first season struggled with its new supporting characters that really did not engage audiences, here in the second season, they came into their own and added their mark to the series. Take for example, Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini), the young deputy mayor of communications. When first introduced last season, Blake came off as naive, easily enthralled by Mayor Fisk, and eager to win Fisk’s approval. But in the second season, Blake comes to fear the tyrannical Fisk and questions his own loyalty especially when it comes to dealing with BB Urich (Geneya Walton), a journalist who is out to expose Fisk. Then there is Heather Glenn (Margatita Levieva), a therapist and former girlfriend of Murdock. She also gets enthralled by Fisk after working for him and later begins to lose her sanity after her ordeal of being kidnapped in the first season by the masked serial killer known as the Muse. How they and other characters wind up by the end of the season felt organic and rounded out the characters so that we understood them better.

Of course, the main characters like Murdock, Fisk, and Murdock’s girlfriend Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), were well developed with captivating arcs that explored their inner emotional turmoils. Fisk certainly belongs in the conversation as one of the best live-action villains ever presented on film or TV thanks to how he is written and D’Onofrio’s intense performance. The man is a terrifying mountain of barely controlled rage and sensitivity who more and more becomes unhinged. Meanwhile, Murdock struggles to defend a broken justice system by taking extra-judicial measures to preserve it and barely does so. Yet, thanks to his skill as a lawyer, in one of the most riveting scenes in the series takes place in the final episode “The Southern Cross” Murdock redeems the law when he confronts Fisk in a courtroom. Unlike their previous encounters that ended with bloody fistfights, this confrontation was one of pure will and words, but it was still intensely compelling. How the confrontation ended was one of the most memorable moments in the TV show.

One of the MVPs of the season was hands down the insane assassin Bullseye (Wilson Bethel). Once a disgraced FBI agent manipulated by Fisk in the original series down a path of crime, Bullseye, otherwise known as Benjamin Poindexter, sets off on personal quest of redemption. In the first season of Daredevil: Born Again, Bullseye murdered Murdock’s best friend Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), and ever since then he wants to amend for his sin. This sets him off an a murderous rampage that culminated in the episode “Gloves Off” where he skillfully takes out an entire team of AVTF agents in a diner. That was one of the most inventively filmed action sequences in the TV show and demonstated how deadly Bullseye is. Thankfully, the series did not salvage him or try to re-invent him to be some kind of anti-hero, but his actions helped significantly propel the show’s narrative.

Another pleasing aspect of Daredevil: Born Again, which fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) should enjoy is its connection to the MCU. It’s not over the top with pointless cameos by established MCU characters but the subtle connections are visible, such as an establishing cityscape shot that features the Avengers Tower or a name drop. More impressive is that this TV show is clearly a continuation of the original Netflix Daredevil with flashback scenes, references and even character appearances. The most joyful returns were characters from other Netflix Marvel TV shows like Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) and even Luke Cage (Mike Colter). Their appearances reinforce a sense of continuity and herald an eagerly awaited Defenders reunion that will take place in the third season of Daredevil: Born Again. This is much appreciated and helps cement the relevance of both Daredevil TV shows.

The future is unknown for Daredevil: Born Again after its upcoming third season. The ratings for the second season were not the greatest, which is a shame since it rises to the level of greatness from the Netflix era. Hopefully word of mouth will increase attention to this TV show. Perhaps an appearance by Cox in the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day (which is not a guarantee and do not expect his character to don the Daredevil outfit) or any other MCU film will steer more fans to give Daredevil: Born Again a deserved chance.

José Soto

Mar 22 2026

The Emotional Journey Of Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary is the big-screen adaptation of Andy Weir’s book of the same name and stars Ryan Gosling as Dr. Ryland Grace, a science teacher and former molecular biologist recruited by an international space agency to journey to the star system of Tau Ceti to investigate a strange phenomena. What he finds at his destination or rather who he encounters forms the emotional core of this uplifting sci-fi film.

Grace’s story on Earth is told through flashbacks where we learn that the sun is slowly starting to dim because of these interstellar microorganisms called astrophage. They form a line to the planet Venus because the planet’s atmosphere of dense carbon dioxide allows them to breed, but they are slowly consuming the sun’s energy and in 30 years, the Earth will suffer a catastrophic global cooling that threatens life. Grace, who discovers that the astrophage are alive, learns that all the nearby stars are undergoing the same situation except for Tau Ceti and he is recruited to join the crew of the spaceship, Hail Mary, on a one-way voyage to investigate why the star is still intact.

After he arrives and is awoken from cryosleep, Grace finds out his crewmates died during the voyage and that an alien spaceship is approaching the Hail Mary. The spacecraft is piloted by a non-humanoid, possibly silicate-based, being that Grace nicknames Rocky (voiced and animated by James Ortiz) because of his rock-like appearance. After some back and forth in learning to communicate with each other, Rocky informs Grace that he is also the sole survivor of a mission from his world 40 Eridani, which is also infested with the astrophage. Together, the two beings work to find out why Tau Ceti is not dimming, how they could save their worlds, and along the way, the two also form a close friendship.

Putting aside the stunning special effects and that Project Hail Mary is unafraid to dwell on actual science, the most engaging aspect of the film is the relationship between the two beings. It is inspiring to see these two go through herculean efforts to learn to communicate, learn about their cultures, and form an unlikely friendship. The two were lonely in their quests and had to find some kind of emotional connection to help drive their efforts to save their worlds.

Of course, what sells this friendship is Ryan Gosling’s emotional performance and his interactions with Rocky. Gosling should be applauded in one of his strongest performances for engaging audiences as a flawed but likeable and lonely man who is able to connect with the strange alien. What’s amazing is that Rocky was largely brought to life with a puppet instead of CG, and this is why we are able to emotionally connect with him. For a strange, five-legged rock creature, Rocky feels not just alive but as a genuine sentient being that we come to care about. This was best seen at certain points in the film when the two made personal sacrifices to save each other.

One thing to note is that though Project Hail Mary is very emotionally intense at times, it is still very uplifting and showcases the best of humanity. Sure, Grace has his doubts and fears like the rest of us, but he is able to convey a sense of goodness that wins out in the end. In addition to the heartwarming relationship, the film is a visual wonder that explores the beauty of space, and the wonder of Earth. It’s just a bit regrettable that we did not get to see much of Rocky’s world or his spaceship, but that would have probably made this long film even longer!

Project Hail Mary is an emotional triumph that puts the heart into space exploration and first contact. Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and screenwriter Drew Goddard have put together an engaging sci-fi wonder that must be celebrated for engaging audiences and instilling a sense of awe, warmth, and friendship across the stars.

Feb 1 2026

The Unexpected Surprise Of Wonder Man

Wonder Man is the latest Disney+ Tv show based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and it is so unlike the typical MCU project, which can be either a pleasant surprise for some or disappointing for fans expecting your typical superhero fare. No matter how a viewer may judge the show, it has to be admitted that it is different.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as Simon Williams a down-on-his-luck actor in Hollywood looking for his big break and learns that an ‘80s sci-fi action film, Wonder Man, is being remade by the renowned eccentric director Von Kovak (Zlatko Burić). Simon is eager to be cast in the title role because it was a favorite film of his when he was young. What needs to be mentioned is that he learned about the role from Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), the disgraced actor who was jailed for portraying the terrorist, the Mandarin, in Iron Man 3.

The two actors form an unlikely bromance as the elder actor mentors the younger one about being a true thespian and how to navigate the Hollywood filmmaking landscape. Unfortunately, Trevor was forced to initiate the friendship with Simon because he was arrested by the Department of Damage Control (DODC) for escaping jail and was promised his freedom if he entrapped Simon. The DODC suspects Simon of harboring superpowers and wants to jail him for being dangerous and to meet quotas. Meanwhile, Simon, who actually has superpowers, is desperate to keep his powers a secret from everyone because superpowered people are banned from acting in Hollywood and obviously his acting career would be over if the world learned his secret.

That is basically it about Wonder Man. Anyone expecting superhero escapades and world-ending threats will be sorely disappointed. There are not even any pesky villains or any deep connections to the MCU aside from Trevor and the DODC. So, the TV show can be enjoyed and understood by non-MCU fans. Anyone with an open mind will find out that Wonder Man is an enjoyable and slightly humorous look at the plight of modern actors. In many ways, the TV show is Marvel Studios’ version of Entourage or The Studio but not as comedic, but that’s fine. The emotions are in the right place and anyone can’t help but feel for Simon as he navigates his life and the quirky people he meets. We get enough details about Simon to relate to him, which was best seen in the episode “Pacoima” where Simon visited his mother (Shola Adewusi) for her birthday and had to defend his acting career, especially with his older brother Eric (Demetrus Grosse). Highlighting that episode was the classic sitcom trope of the main character’s buddy, in this case Trevor, tagging along for the family gathering.

What helps Wonder Man tremendously is the terrific and genuine chemistry between Abdul-Mateen II and Kingsley. The two have great rapport with each other and the friendship between them feels very authentic and natural. Kudos, of course, go to both actors, and Kingsley turns in one of his best performances and this MCU vehicle is the best one to showcase Trevor. It would be a crime if we never saw the duo again since they light up every scene they are in.

The future for Wonder Man is unknown at this time, since Marvel Studios has reduced their offerings in light of recent disappointments. Unlike other MCU TV shows, this one was released with all eight episodes simultaneously, which implied that Disney did not have confidence in the TV show. But anyone dismissing it for that reason would be mistaken since it is one of the better MCU TV shows that tried something different that worked thanks to the talent in front and behind the cameras. This is a case where being different worked for Marvel Studios. As long as the talent is there, they should do more of this.

Wonder Man is under the Marvel Spotlight label, which implies it was just a limted series. But even if a second limited series never comes to fruition, Simon and Trevor deserve to be seen again whether dealing with Hollywood politics or L.A. living or just shooting the breeze in a movie theater as they discuss film and TV shows. Besides, without giving anything away about the final episode, anyone who enjoyed Wonder Man should know what else happened to Simon and Trevor.

José Soto