Review of THE DRAMA: Unexpectedly Unpleasant

 April 14, 2026

Museum curator Charlie Thompson (Robert Pattinson) approached bookstore clerk Emma Harwood (Zendaya) when he saw her reading a book in a New England cafe, and tried to engage her in a conversation. Emma totally paid him no attention which made him retreat, only to try again. It turned out that Emma was deaf in her right ear which caused her to ignore him the first time. When they got to talking, the two of them got along very, very well.

This was the flow of the story in the first few minutes of the film. By the time we reach the opening credits, they were already engaged and practicing their wedding dance with their instructor. After the credits, they had dinner with best man Mike (Mamoudou Athie) and maid of honor Rachel (Alana Haim), who were to married to each other. When the topic turned to the worst thing they've ever done, their conversation became very, very awkward.

This could be the most sneaky curve ball ever thrown by a movie. Nothing in the meet-cute of the opening sequence could prepare you for where the film will take you for the next hour and half. What you thought would be a pleasant romantic comedy film turned out to be a most unpleasant psychological horror film. The virtual whiplash caught us unaware, it took time for me to get my bearings back, but it just remained very uncomfortable all the way through. 

Much of the discomfort we feel stemmed from the very emotionally-naked performances of Zendaya and Robert Pattinson. One of them was forced to confront an ugly truth about the other, a mere four days to go before their wedding day. Both of them clearly showed the depth of their love for each other, while deep in shock and dismay over the revelation. Charlie's speech was as rock bottom as it gets -- this was Pattinson at his most vulnerable, so good.

How bad was that "worse thing" in the confession, really? Writer-director Kristoffer Borgli made sure it was drilled into our heads that this thing was truly horrendous. I thought Rachel's outrage was over-the-top excessive. Charlie's friend Misha (Hailey Gates) saying she will report that person to the police was illogical. I feel our lead couple was unjustly tormented over something that had already long been suppressed in the subconscious. 7/10

Netflix: Review of 18TH ROSE: A Determined Debutante's Dream

April 11, 2026

This story is set in Romblon, in the early 2000s. Rose (Xyriel Manabat) is about to turn 18 years old, and she wanted a grand debutante's party to rival that of her favorite actress Mara (Kira Ballinger). To spare her parents (Cris Villanueva and Yayo Aguila) the extra expense, she was saving up her own money earned by working as the manager of their town's only internet cafe with her gang (VJ Mendoza, Timothy Castillo and Kenken Nuyad). 

One day, there was a new boy in school Jordan (Kyle Echarri), son of Tess (Nikki Valdez), whose American father had been ghosting him for the past 10 years. He did not want to be in that small town, and was being angry and petty about it. His first meeting with Rose was an unpleasant accident that got the two off on the wrong foot. However, Jordan still needed to use the computer at Rose's internet shop to check if his father responds to his emails.

Xyriel Manabat was the most popular child actress in the 2010s after her iconic turns in TV drama series "Agua Bendita" (2010) and especially "100 Days to Heaven" (2011). This is her first lead film role after a series of ensemble roles in 2025. As Rose, she was funny, gutsy and lovable, and her flair for restrained drama was very well-showcased here. She can effortlessly make us teary-eyed as well she did before as Young Anna Manalastas in "100 Days."

Kyle Echarri entered showbiz via "The Voice Kids" in 2015. After a series of TV work, he made the transition to headlining films in 2025 in films like "100 Awit Para Kay Stella" and "The Ride." As Jordan, he was able to show off more of his dramatic acting range -- from abandoned kid angst to supportive boyfriend sincerity. The one-foot plus height difference between him and Manabat was distracting at first, but they managed to make it work.

This Dolly Dulu film followed a very familiar rom-com formula, from "stinky" meet-cute in the school garden to eventually falling in love with each other. Of course, there would be a wrench thrown in to complicate matters, and admittedly, this was just that type of melodramatic subject matter that I do not particularly like. Anyhow, the two lead actors and their unexpected chemistry carried the bittersweet story well to its teary resolution. 7/10

Review of WONDERFUL NIGHTMARE (2026): Humbled as a Housewife

April 10, 2026

Atty. Maria Luisa Manuel (Kim Molina) was an arrogant hotshot lawyer, still confidently single at age 39. One night, Lui figured in a bad car accident when a cat ran across the road in front of her car. She woke up the Afterlife Relay Center, but cannot accept that she was already dead. The Boss there (Al Tantay) told her that he could give her old life back, on the condition that she spent one month in the body of another woman who had died prematurely. 

That new body turned out to be Jane, a plain housewife married to City Hall employee Julian Alcantara (Jerald Napoles) since she was 19 years old. They had two children -- teenage drama queen Jaja (Althea Rueda) and delightful 6 year old cutie Justin (Achilles Wenceslao). They just so happened to live in the same Bliss community that Lui had been all-business in evacuating the residents to make way for the construction of a new condo complex. 

The original "Wonderful Nightmare" (2015) was a family tearjerker-comedy film written by Kim Je-yeong and directed by Kang Hyo-jin. Starring  Uhm Jung-hwa and Song Seung-heon, it did solid business during its theatrical release. This year, it joins the list of Korean blockbuster dramedies that had been adapted into Filipino, like "My Sassy Girl" (2001), "Miracle in Cell No. 7" (2013) and "Miss Granny" (2014). 

"Wonderful Nightmare" is the first film that real and reel partners Kim Molina and Jerald Napoles released after they got married on March 1, 2026. The two of them complement each other very well in all of their past projects, from "Jowable" (2019) to "Un-Ex You" (2025). Molina had contrasting dual roles with their own quirks nuances, excelling in one of her most challenging roles. Jerald Napoles underplayed his Julian in perfect support for his wife.

You really have to give it to these South Korean films where the story seemed simple and even predictable, yet they were so rich in touching little plot details that gave it so much heart. This film adaptation was actually quite good and engaging, with director RC delos Reyes giving it so much uniquely Filipino character. However, it was just too bad that this had to be an adaptation from a foreign again, and not a Filipino original idea. 7/10

Mini-Reviews of READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME and THEY WILL KILL YOU: Sisters vs Satanists

April 1, 2026

In the final two Wednesdays prior to Holy Week 2026, two films were released with very similar scenarios. Both were comedy-horror films that featured graphically-violent kills scenes with effusive blood and gore. Both told a story of two sisters caught in a luxurious location run by wealthy Satanic cultists. They only had each other to rely on to survive the night and escape with their lives. If they fail the challenge, they will both be dead. 

The first film was READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME, the sequel of 'Ready or Not" (2019), directed by the same team Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. The first film was about Grace (Samara Weaving), who had to participate in her husband's family's tradition of playing a game on her wedding night. She picked out "Hide and Seek," which meant that she has to hide, while the other family members had to hunt her down to kill her before dawn breaks.

In this sequel, Grace survived her game and was reunited with her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) while she was recovering at the hospital. Both of them were abducted and brought to the mansion of the Danforth twins (Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shawn Hatosy), where the "Lawyer" (Elijah Wood) declared that the sisters needed to survive as the senior members of the other four families of the Council hunt them down to kill them before dawn. 

Being a sequel, there is no more sense of surprise anymore as to how the plot will go this time around. Compared to the original film, this sequel had a lousier, less memorable, more annoying roster of supporting characters, not as fun, and not particularly funny as well. The kill scenes were expected to be over-the-top and they were, but they were not that impressive. I gave the first film an 8/10 even if I am not into gore in films. But this was merely okay for me, average. 5/10

The second film was THEY WILL KILL YOU, directed and co-written by Kiril Sokolov. This was about Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz) who went to work as a maid at a century-old New York City high-rise called The Virgil which exclusively housed wealthy residents. She had learned that her long-lost younger sister Maria (Myha'la), with whom Asia had been estranged since 10 years ago when she went to prison for shooting their abusive father. 

The building manager was Lilith Woodhouse (Patricia Arquette), who oriented Asia about the building and her work. Asia met residents like Kevin (Tom Felton) and Sharon (Heather Graham) in the wildest way ever, when they broke into her room and attacked her. With the extreme fighting skills she learned in prison, Asia was able to fight them off. However, much later, Asia would realize that everyone she killed would come back to life.                  

Even with all the blood spraying around when body parts were slashed off, this film was actually very entertaining. The violence was so extreme, relentless, and over-the-top, you actually get numbed to all of these gory things. Yet Sokolov still manages to slip in endless ways to kill, aiming to outdo the Sam Raimi and Quentin Tarantino films that inspired him. Bloody bad-ass action becomes Zazie Beetz and her big wild hair so well, she makes us root her on to get her and Maria out of there. 7/10. 

Sinag Maynila 2026: Review of ANG BANGKAY: Morbid Monstrosity

March 30, 2026

Señor Segismundo Corintho (Vince Tanada) ran the funeral parlor in a small town in Pangasinan in 1900. After he embalmed and buried his own wife Milagros (Sarah Javier), Señor ordered his only daughter Isabel (Vean Olmedo), to take over her mother's duties in the business. His two servants, fiercely loyal Meding (Mercedes Cabral) and lusty flirt Oryang (Lily Montelibano), were ordered to keep Isabel in check. However, all Isabel wanted to do was to get married, hopefully with his father's apprentice Lemuel (Johnrey Rivas). 

"Ang Bangkay" was first a play written by writer-director Vince Tanada which won first prize in the full-length play category at the Carlos Palanca Awards for Literature back in 2012. That same year, I was able to watch this performed live by Tanada's theater company, the PhilStagers, with Tanada himself playing the Señor, Monique Azerreda as Isabel, Glory Ann Nacional as Miding, Cindy Liper as Oryang and Jordan Labra as Lemuel. I felt that having watched this play before was able to give me a better perspective on viewing this film.

The play was indeed very appalling in the perversity it portrayed onstage. In my review of the play (LINK), I called it "a most scandalous and diabolical series of shocking events ever portrayed in Philippine theater" that I had seen at that point. The intimacy of the venue where the actors were literally at arm's length of the audience, made the tension more palpable. Director Tanada was actually able to adapt this dark disturbing story from the stage onto film with such skill such that the climactic reveal still possessed the same shock value. 

The theatrical roots of the film are very evident in the exaggerated acting of the actors, especially Tanada and Rivas, familiar with those who have seen them act on stage in various Stagers plays. The acting was over-the-top, like that of a silent film, only this one also had over-the-top spoken lines. To complement the florid acting style, we also see silk blouses with those outrageous huge ruffles worn and eerie life-like religious icons in almost every room -- everything overdone to absurd levels to emphasize the gothic craziness of the sick story. 

Hands down, the best actress of the whole ensemble was Mercedes Cabral. Her standout portrayal Miding was able to balance the insanity she had to project like everyone else, with incredible sense of restraint. She was operating at a different level from the younger female actors here, her expertise in acting honed over the years under internationally-acclaimed directors was very evident. Her Miding was the personification of a woman scorned whose fury was worse than hell. Her Best Supporting Actress award was well-deserved. 

The film dared to tackle a controversial topic that is sure to disgust everyone watching. Even just the title, we go in clearly not expecting a feel-good film, hence the surprise of it winning Audience Choice award. One could point out that there were scenes of gratuitous nudity that could have been edited out or done with more finesse (and I would agree), but clearly, being subtle was not Tanada's intention. The main purpose of the film was to shock the audience with brazenly depraved taboo, and definitely Tanada delivered in that aspect. 7/10

Sinag Maynila 2026: Review of ALL ABOUT HER: Poisonous Pageantry

March 27, 2026

Isabel Fuentes (Yuki Sonoda) won the Miss Global Beauty pageant, while her best friend Olivia Rose (Kelley Day) won first runner-up. One day, Isabel went missing.  Investigating detectives Suarez (Angelica Cervantes) and Lontoc (Marco Gomez) first went to question Olivia about what she thought could have happened to Isa. The prime suspect was Isa's overly-jealous boyfriend PO1 William de la Cruz (Tony Labrusca), who was also missing.

The detectives also interviewed Isa's couturier and manager was Angel Alcantara (Jim Pebanco) who raised her when her parents passed away. They were also able to locate and interview photographer James Garcia (Itan Rosales), Olivia's ex-boyfriend whom she introduced to Isa and William. From every witness were revealed secrets and controversies about the pageant, as well as the manipulative relations between the lovers.

This is the latest film of prolific director Joel Lamangan, from a screenplay by Quinn Carillo. Carrillo began her career on Vivamax, as an actress first, later branching out to screenwriting. This is third writing project outside Vivamax since MMFF entry "My Father, Myself" (2022), also directed by Lamangan. Her very first screenplay was "Biyak" (2022), with a crime-adjacent story, and likewise directed by Lamangan.

The Philippines is crazy about beauty queens. However, there hasn't been too many films about them, mostly campy comedies, from "Temptation Island" (1980) to "Die Beautiful" (2016). This new film tells a crime-drama story that involves two beauty queens, mostly told as flashbacks according to the varying versions as told by persons of interest to the detectives investigating the case. Lamangan's style of camp and melodrama are in full show here. 

Kelley Day finally emerges as a lead actress, giving a winsome performance as Olivia Rose, especially during that first interview. She got us to trust her story first, which was essential to the eventual unfolding of the plot. Day's Rose was the only character that had any development, as Yuki Sonoda was limited to being a flirtatious bimbo, while Tony Labrusca only had a frozen angry face as the intensely jealous boyfriend. 

Jim Pebanco is a staple of all Joel Lamangan films, playing wide range of supporting roles. Here he plays Angel a curly-haired gay couturier who was strangely un-colorful, always wearing all black and a scowl. Angelica Cervantes, Marco Gomez and Itan Rosales come from the Vivamax school of acting. Their acting limitations are still evident, but it was good to see them venture into more mainstream roles outside the steamy streaming app. 

SPOILER ALERT: When Suarez noticed the necklace at the wake, it was already quite clear what really happened, and it would have been quite a satisfyingly clever resolution right there. However, Lamangan still chose to show us all the details of the crime, and that was where the plot holes emerged. No way would a murder-suicide be a logical conclusion the way it was done. We also got treated to a scene where a dead body helped himself up into a car. 5/10

Sinag Maynila 2026: Review of DESPERADA: Hope in a Halfway Home

March 26, 2026

One rainy night, a completely naked Brenda (Robb Guinto) was walking in the cemetery until she sat down in exhaustion among the graves. The next morning, Brenda was found by Miriam (Sue Pardo) who took pity on her. Miriam helped her up and brought her home. It turned out that Mother Miriam and her partner Sister Carol (Mercedes Cabral) ran a place offering food and shelter to various vagrants that they rescue off the streets. 

Among the mentally-disturbed residents (or "angels" as they called them) in their home were shy simpleton Hesus (Mhack Morales), lusty prostitute Gigi (Julliane Richards), traumatized teacher Mila (Marife Necesito), cheerful mother Melody (Adda Musni) and her young son, and silent old guy Romy (Maestro Po). Later on, the group would be joined by Brenda's old friend, drug addict Lucio (Yasser Mata), then the pretty boy Paolo (Jorge Guda).

This film was directed by Louie Ignacio, from a story and screenplay by Dennis Evangelista. Ignacio is known for several indie films that dealt with issues of the urban poor, notably "Area" (2016), "School Service" (2018), "Broken Blooms" (2022), and "AbeNida" (2023). This new one of his is along the same lines -- people living on hemlines of society, abandoned by their kin because of their problematic mental health. 

Evangelista's idea of Mother Miriam's halfway house to gather these various characters together is a good one. However, aside from Brenda and probably Teacher Mila, we never really got to hear the stories of the other "angels" at all, which may have been edited out because the film was getting too long. I thought it was even more unfortunate was that we never got to know Mother Miriam's past life in more detail. Why she took it upon herself to foster such an unselfish advocacy? Did she have a medical training to administer sedatives? 

I wish Ignacio would have told those dramatically-impactful stories, instead of inserting random sex scenes. I know Robb Guinto came from Vivamax, but was it really necessary for her Brenda to be totally naked in her first scene, or have a threesome with two guys named Lucio and Hesus? I am sure Guinto would rather prove her improving mettle as an actress, which she did in Brenda's reunion scene with her mother Anita (Tabs Sumulong), or her confrontation scene with her abusive father Dado (Rayjune Pana Bunggo). 5/10 

Sinag Maynila 2026: Review of LANAYA: A Willful Widow

March 25, 2026

Aurora Ramirez (Madeleine Nicolas) was a widow who disappeared from public when her high-profile husband Dante was murdered. With the promise of a promotion, Jerry (Jun Nayra), a police detective in San Pablo, Laguna, was sought out by his colleague Maya (Gigi Hernandez) with a mission to prove Aurora was hiding in his town, and get her to confess if she was the one who had her husband killed. 

Jerry recruited a nursing student Kaloy (Shaun Salvador) to go undercover to investigate in her house as a private nurse. Kaloy did not want to, but he was desperate for cash because his mother just got killed by a stray bullet and he had gone into debt to arrange the funeral. Despite the suspicions of her houseboy Garret (Rolando Innocencio), Aurora and Kaloy got along well while playing chess together. 

This is a truly indie production, there are no stars in the cast, all veteran character actors. Madeleine Nicolas's role as Aurora in this film is one of the most daring (and likely, the bloodiest) that she's ever done. As the oddly-named Garret, Rolando Innocencio adds another weirdo to his rogues gallery. Jun Nayra, Gigi Hernandez and Marlon Mance (as Kaloy's uncle Emilio) all probably have their longest screen times of their career here. 

TV actor Shaun Salvador gets to play Kaloy for his first feature film lead role. His story was mostly downbeat, dealing with the death of his mother, the failure of their art business, and the financial constraints. Ironically, it was with Aurora that he seemed to find his moments of calm. One wishes their relationship could have been developed more fully, as Aurora's long English lines tended to dampen any genuine emotional connection.

This is the first full-length film written and directed by Clyde Capistrano, who had a good idea to lace a murder investigation with political intrigue. He tried to mix in interesting subplots, like that Chinese painting angle with James (Allan Yu), but, too bad, went nowhere. The production design was rather crude, particularly the interior of Aurora's "mansion." The vision was there, but unfortunately, Capistrano's budget was limited. 6/10

Sinag Maynila 2026: Review of PINIKAS: Halved Hopes

March 24, 2026

Mayanmar Piit (Angela Villarin) and her two younger siblings Rona (Ella Mae Cuaton) and Luis (Arvin Cabajes) lived in the seaside village of Pintuyan, Southern Leyte. Their drunkard father Mario (Michael Bacalso) did nothing all day but tend to his precious rooster Pacman, so Maya had to be the one who earned a living. One day, she met a newcomer long-haired fisherman Nilo (Jade Makawili), and became his business partner, selling the squid he caught. 

The ultimate dream of the young ladies on their island was to be able to meet a foreigner who can rescue them from miserable poverty. A "celebrity" of their village was Michelle (Jolaica Amiana), a girl who left their island years ago to marry a German guy. So when Nilo began to court Maya after he broke up with his girlfriend, Maya was not sure if she should accept Nilo as a future husband, especially after she met Canadian guy Luke (Kevin Reams) online.   

The title "Pinikas" referred to the "dried butterflied squid" which was the way Maya prepared the squid, a metaphor for a whole being halved.  This term is in the language of Southern Leyte which is Cebuano, the main language of the whole film. This film premiered at the Oroquieta Film Fest in Misamis Occidental, and was the closing film of the 15th Binisaya International Film Fest in Cebu, held last year August 23 and 24, 2025.

The story was set in 2006, so the concept of the internet was still new in remote islands like that where Maya lived. The island ladies, and even Maya's gay make-up artist friend Briana (Randolph Valmoria), were all frequenting the new internet cafe (smartly called Hope) in order to meet and hook a potential foreigner husband. The script can be quite frank when it came to sexual matters because of this prevailing activity. 

This may be Angela Villarin's first leading role in a feature film, but she definitely carried the film squarely on her slim shoulders. Even if she lived in a remote village, Villarin's Maya is a symbol of a modern young woman. She is smart, resilient, resourceful, unafraid to speak her mind to the men around her, even her father. That scene where she confronts her father after she was able to bail him out is just one of her best scenes in the whole film. 

Jade Makawili only has "Pinikas" in his IMDB resume, but with the natural, confident way he portrayed Nilo, you'd never think this was his first ever film. Because of their easygoing chemistry together, every scene with Nilo and Maya was a joy to watch -- from the awkward start of their courtship to their philosophical conversations reflecting their opposing points of view. Also, "Plano," that song playing over the closing credits, was written and sung by him.

Despite being a drunk and a gambler, Michael Bacalso played the father to be a patient guy. He never seemed to get angry even when Maya spoke very frankly about her frustrations with him. He was very much a comic relief in several scenes, especially those when Luke arrived in the Piit's humble abode. His efforts to speak to Luke with his broken-style English was hilarious, becoming uncomfortably raunchy when their conversation was about Pacman.

This film is written and directed by Cris Fuego, himself a native of Pintuyan, who has now migrated to Canada. DP Neil Angelo Briones captured the scenic beauty of the island, including those haunting scenes of the gigantic whale shark with the smaller fish swimming around it. Music is very much an integral part of this film -- with three original songs by Winset Jacot and a musical score composed by Marie-Luise Calveros. 9/10

Sinag Maynila 2026: Review of SWEET ESCAPE: Chocolate-Coated Complexities

March 24, 2026

Candy (Arci Munoz) was a Manila-based doctor who was involved in a case that led to a career-ending legalities and getting pregnant by guilt. Dave (Kang Dong-gun) was to be the heir to a leading chocolate factory in Korea, but his foolishness led to his being disowned by his CEO father.  One day, the paths of Candy and Dave met in Bohol when they joined the same snorkeling tour. By coincidence, they were both renting rooms in the same rest house. 

Dalareich was a chocolate shop near the house that Candy and Dave rented. It was owned and run by Fred (William Lorenzo), his daughter Bel (Matet de Leon) and her single but pregnant daughter Nat (Ayeesha Carandang). Business was not doing very well, but Candy and Dave expressed interest to learn about their business and help anyway they can. Candy and Dave began to develop feelings for each other, but their pasts were getting in the way.

This is not the first film directed by Rommel Ricafort that had a Fil-Korean connection. His second feature film "You With Me" (2020) had a Filipina leading lady (Devon Seron), two Korean leading men (Hyun Woo and Jin Ju-hyeong) and was actually shot in Seoul. Both screenplays were written by the director's wife Shine D. Ricafort, about lead characters trying to escape from stressful circumstances that limited their freedom.

The film uses the picturesque scenery of Bohol -- mostly the beaches and the Chocolate Hills -- as the backdrop of this story. I have to commend the house they have chosen as the AirBnb Candy and Dave shared. It had an open railing-less terrace with a floor made of bamboo that looked out into the ocean. Those romantic scenes of Candy and Dave lying down looking up the starry sky shot by drones above looked great on the big screen. 

Arci Munoz was an in-demand leading lady since 10 years ago when she starred in "Always Be My Maybe" (2016). However, during the pandemic after news of her plastic surgery surfaced (which she did not deny), her career had been lower key. As Candy, she did have light moments of cute rom-com, as well as heavy moments of dark drama. I believe Munoz deserves a comeback vehicle soon as leading lady, and this may be the first step.

Not much information is available online about the career of Kang Dong-gun as an actor, but if this was indeed his first feature film, he was actually quite good as Dave, despite some awkwardness in English. As exemplified by that sunset scene by the beach, he had romantic leading man charisma. As exemplified by that tense confrontation scene between Dave and his father in Korean, he can definitely deliver in the dramatic scenes as well. 

This film tackles some pretty heavy themes of medical malpractice and abusive parenting -- things people would keep as skeletons in their closets. Nevertheless, the overall mood is light and engaging, with some commentary about the difficulties of local businesses and the gossip culture in small towns. With all the coincidences in the story, the romance angle can be rather predictable, but the final resolution still manages to spring a surprise. 7/10

Review of PROJECT HAIL MARY: Gosling's Gravity

March 18, 2026

 

One day, Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) woke up from a medically-induced coma on board a space ship, totally disoriented. When he got his bearings straight, he realized that he was the sole survivor of their three-man crew. Based on his calculations, it would take more than 100 years to get back to Earth. Grace soon recalled that their mission was a veritable suicide mission to go a planet called Tau Ceti to gather specimens for a crisis back on Earth.

Ever since he gained notoriety because of a controversial paper he published, molecular biologist Grace taught science at a local middle school. One day, Grace was invited by a government official Eva Stratt (Sandra Huller) to join a team of scientists studying an infrared line from the Sun to Venus, apparently caused by alien microorganism called "astrophage" which was eating up the Sun. Tau Ceti was the only star spared by these organisms.

This is the latest film produced and directed by the team of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, noted for "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," "The Lego Movie" and "Spider-Verse" movie franchises. Their work is marked by a humorous approach to various nerdy sci-fi subject matter, which make them ideal storytellers for outer space adventures like this. This is their return to directorial work after "22 Jump Street" 12 years ago.

Like the 2015 Ridley Scott film "The Martian," the story of "Project Hail Mary" was based on a novel by Andy Weir, and adapted for the screen by Drew Goddard. The basic plots of the two films are practically similar -- about the extreme challenges faced by one scientist to survive in outer space after being left behind by his teammates. Goddard's script also had the same style of telling the backstory in flashbacks, with a mix of humor and sentimentality.

Unlike "The Martian" where botanist Mark Watney had only himself to rely on, Grace met an unexpected alien friend along the way, his own "E.T." This new friend, whom he called Rocky because of its bodily form, proved to be a vital partner in Grace's sanity, health, as well as his mission. Of course, Grace was able to develop a program to turn Rocky's echolocation signals into English, with the calming voice of its lead puppeteer James Ortiz. 

Ryan Gosling's likeable, charming personality made the 156 minutes of the film fly by in a most entertaining manner. We rooted for him to accomplish his difficult mission even if Gosling's Grace did not exactly project the gravitas of a serious scientist like Damon's Watney convincingly did before. However, Grace was presented here as an unwilling member of the team, which gave his dedication to the accomplishment of his mission more substance.

Acclaimed German actress Sandra Huller is back after her major international breakthrough in 2023 for her two Oscar-cited films "Anatomy of a Fall" and "The Zone of Interest." As her Stratt was the team leader of a mission to save the Earth from another Ice Age, Huller had to play it cold and distant most of the time. However, she also revealed her humanity in conversations with Grace, and that surprising karaoke scene with Harry Styles" "Sign of the Times."

Aside from that song, there were more popular songs in the soundtrack, like "Champagne Supernova" by Oasis, "Winds of Change" by Scorpions, and "Two of Us" by the Beatles among others, also not unlike "The Martian." The visual effects, sound, film editing, and musical score all seem to be bound for awards consideration next year, with Ryan Gosling's winsome performance not a long shot for Best Actor. 9/10.