‘Spider-Man Brand New Day’ (2026) Review

'Spider-Man Brand New Day' (2026) Review: Arachnid Adulthood Since 2007, I’ve been waiting on Spider-Man 4. Since then, I’ve seen a third Spider-Man 1, a third Spider-Man 2, and a second Spider-Man 3. Safe to say, there’s been a lot of Spider-Man to keep me occupied, but largely retelling the same story. A young boy, growing to learn the cost of great power, in a neat 2-3 movie package. I always wanted to know, what if the story kept going? Spider-Man Brand New Day charts that very course, delivering on 19 years of build-up. Here, Peter Parker speaks with confidence, assured in his abilities and his instincts, sticking to where he feels he belongs. No longer does he plead subservient to men of iron and strange doctors, but speaks with authority with the regular man and woman on the street, most notably with Liza Colón-Zayas’ Detective DeWolff, who we can only assume is one of the good cops in New York.  Spidey is stern and has a no-nonsense approach. At one point, a rescued citizen proclaims their love for him, only to receive “uh-huh that’s nice” in return from the friendly neighbourhood superhero. That’s not to say he isn’t still loving. While he may apologise fewer times than ever, he’s still unshaken in his desire to help as many people as he can, and still manages to quip, albeit with a bit more edge.  It’s a distinctly different character that Tom Holland…

Continue Reading

‘The Odyssey’ (2026) Review

'The Odyssey' (2026) Review: What's A King To A God? Right off the bat, I want to confess: I desperately wanted this movie to fail. I wanted the great Christopher Nolan to meet his match and buckle under the weight of his own ambition. Not because I wanted to see a bad movie, life is too short to do so, but because I couldn’t imagine a funnier scenario than the best director and best picture winner falling on his face with his immediate follow-up. Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for the movie-going populace, this man, does not, miss. Then again, he is working with stacked deck. An elite cast, a God-like cinematographer, a generational composer. They’ve put their faith in Nolan as the captain of this vessel to see them home, no matter what challenges they face. Matt Damon takes on that role on screen as a true movie star does. His performance is convincingly confident, with his ego and hubris leading him to dare defy the Gods and suffer a legendary humbling.The movie opens in one of the strangest ways it possibly could: Travis Scott banging a staff on a wooden table as he throws out ad libs for his latest track. It’s a dizzying thing to see, setting the stage for a story of hubris, told initially with copious amounts of exposition. The first few scenes of the film are oddly paced, with pointed dialogue, said with a whimper from Tom Holland…

Continue Reading

‘Stew Peas’ (2026) Review

'Stew Peas' (2026) Review: Deliciously Thrilling. Every family has its secrets. Pretending like they don’t has heartwarmingly held households together since the beginning of time. Parents hide from their children, and vice versa, and spouses say nothing in their vows about speaking the truth. In Stew Peas, one family has their bonds tested when their new helper starts to expose the cracks in their family’s foundation.Written and directed by Sossiessia Nixon-Kelly, Stew Peas is the latest addition to the library of Jamaican cinema. The family of main characters is played by several first-time actors, including social media influencer Kerry-Ann “Chiney K” Collins, playing the matriarch Tessa, who doubles as the lead detective in the film’s murder conspiracy. Tessa’s character in the film examines the role of a mother and wife who dares to have a career of her own. Her devotion to her work is met with disdain by her family, who would rather she learn to cook a decent meal, even as she works through the trauma of losing her closest friend. It’s a role with many dimensions, and Collins plays it with class. Father to the family of three is Tarique Barrett as Neil, the husband/entrepreneur who yearns for the slightest crumb of affection from his wife, all the while undercutting her parenting of their daughter Nira, played by Shernet Swearine. For a performer so young, Swearine plays her role with nuance, displaying a firm grasp on her character, jumping from…

Continue Reading

‘Obsession’ (2026) Review

'Obsession' (2026) Review: A Twisted Toxic Love Story (Not A Romance) I consider myself a hopeless romantic. I’m a serial monogamist, but I also identify heavily with the lyrics of Hozier when he sings, “I fall in love just a little more little bit everyday with someone new”. The all-consuming feeling of intense infatuation with another is intoxicating and is only made worse when kept a secret. That feeling is the foundation of a fantasy that the main character of Obsession gets to explore, to disastrous results.Michael Johnston plays Bear. A hopeless romantic who thinks himself worthy of love, but without the courage to go after it. The film begins with Bear in a period of mourning, and relying on his friends to get him through the loss of his cat. Bear’s friends include his coworkers, Ian, Sarah, and Nikki Freeman, the girl he’s head over heels for, but he just can’t bring himself to say how he feels.Thankfully for Bear, he’s a character in a movie, so there’s no need to develop communication skills, or develop a sense of responsibility for his own feelings. Instead, he comes across a One Wish Willow. A seemingly novelty item that when broken, will grant the user one wish. Bear could wish for the ability to fly, world peace, or any number of things, but instead, he wishes that Nikki Freeman loved him more than anyone else in the world. At first, Bear is the perfect…

Continue Reading

‘Michael’ (2026) Review

'Michael' (2026) Review: Setting The Record Straight? Out of nowhere, the world seemed to come to a stop. Check your phone. Breaking news. The King of Pop was no longer among us. It was far from the only time I remember Jackson being in the news, but swiftly the narrative shifted. There was no more talk of allegations or wrongdoing. At the end of it all, the only thing people talked about was the music, his presence on stage, and the fact that the world was a poorer place without him in it. I have no doubt that the new film Michael seeks to establish that final narrative as the one and only.  The film starts at the beginning, with a young Michael Jackson played phenomenally by Juliano Valdi. Valdi commands the stage in one frame, and then cowers in fear of his abusive father, while at the same time maintaining a quiet defiance. The child actor’s performance sets the stage for Jafaar Jackson, who catches the baton seamlessly. The journey from boy to billboard record breaker is impressively handled, immersing the audience through the years of ups and downs. The anchor to everything is Colman Domingo as Joseph Jackson, who is as dastardly as you might expect. Yet even as the villain of the piece, Domingo can’t help but evoke a modicum of sympathy. Joseph seems a man hell-bent on a particular delusion, regardless of the reality of his situation. As…

Continue Reading

End of content

No more pages to load

Close Menu