Cinemalaya 2026: Review of TAYO LANG ANG NAKAKAALAM: Shielding Sensitive Secrets

August 14, 2026

Neil (Martin del Rosario) worked in the HR department of a firm. One of the candidates he interviewed was one Robin "Bong" Macaraeg (Miguel Odron). Fast forward five years later in 2012, Bong was very sick, confined in the hospital with a bad case of amebiasis which the usual antibiotics are failing to control. As Neil's boyfriend now, Neil watched over Bong, along with Bong's parents Gloria (Yayo Aguila) and Benjie (Epy Quizon).

This film opened with Gloria and Neil sitting closely together talking and laughing, with Neil calling Gloria "inay." However, when the patient Bong called for Neil, it turned out that Gloria's son was actually Bong, and Neil was Bong's boyfriend of five years, whom Gloria had accepted as her own over the years. With this simple opening scene, Corpuz made sure we understood right off that Gloria practically considered Neil to be a real son. 

Yayo Aguila had played mom for practically all the millennial and Gen Z actors and actresses in Filipino films, indie or mainstream, in the last ten years or so. Most of the time though, these were forgettable roles with only one or two scenes. As Gloria here, Aguila was finally able to play a fully-fleshed out character, both body and soul. When she learned that her boys had withheld a secret from her, we feel and understand her confusion, disappointment, frustration.  

Now 20 years into his career, Martin del Rosario has proven that he is one of this generation's hardest-working and most versatile actors. Neil was the one who had more to risk, as an HR in a relationship with a junior employee. He had to keep major secrets, not only from his boss sir Deej (Bong Cabrera), but also from Gloria whom he considered his second mother. Del Rosario's Neil kept his conflicts mostly inside, an impressive display of restrained acting. 

I had seen Miguel Odron before in "Some Nights I Feel Like Walking" (2025), where he played a newbie gigolo Zion. Odron's Bong here was a young man stricken with a difficult ailment at the prime of his life. As he felt his life gradually spiral out of his control, he still fought to maintain his dignity and have his say. It was too bad that aside from his interview and a quick montage of happy moments, we did not get to know Bong in the pink of his health.

Epy Quizon's Benjie left his family to work abroad when Bong was only five years old. From then on, he would only see his family for short leaves every two years, unable to form closer bonds with his son. He was only back home in time to take care of Bong because he lost his job. Despite all the years he devoted to being an OFW, the family was still financially strapped with no savings, still living in a cramped apartment in a building without an elevator.  

Madeleine Nicolas only had a few scenes as Neil's mother Lily, but she evoked a clear sense of empathy for the tough situation her son was in. Their closeness as mother and son was felt in their few scenes together, especially in that one scene of humorous relief. Bodjie Pascua even had lesser screen time as Bong's uncle, Benjie's elder brother Fr. Emil, but he still made a marked impression in that scene imparting priestly words of wisdom to Neil. 

"Tayo Lang ang Nakakaalam" was directed and co-written (with Iar Arondaing) by David R. Corpuz. He had only directed three films so far, all of them for Cinemalaya -- Jury Prize-winning short "The Ordinary Things We Do" (2014) and full-length feature "Kusina" (2016). In this latest one, he was able to assemble a powerful ensemble piece about a family in deep turmoil that can emotionally connect with any audience, LGBT or not. 7/10

Cinemalaya 2026: Review of STATUS: REJECTED: Striking Senior Sentiment

 August 13, 2026

Virginia "Biring" Divinagracia (Ruby Ruiz) had tried to apply for a US tourist visa five times, but was always declined. She wanted to go in order to meet up with her son Clark (Karl Medina), had been staying the US illegally for several years already. She now lived with her daughter Anna (Alessandra de Rossi), who had a teenage daughter Sophie (Yani Villaosa). Biring's relationship with Anna was strained by their financial woes. 

Biring liked going out with her friend Tessie (Beverly Salviejo), buying used clothes at the ukay-ukay or hanging out at the red light district. Tessie came up with the idea for Biring to updating her social media profile so she can attract an American boyfriend. One night, Biring accepted a friend request from an American veteran soldier named Steve Johnson. When Steve initiated a chat, Biring replied out of curiosity. Soon, an online romance bloomed. 

Ruby Ruiz has been working in bit roles since 1984, but had her big career breakthrough in "Ekstra" (Cinemalaya 2013) which won her awards. Since then, she has been a very visible staple of several indie films that had a role for a senior actress, big or small. She soon got to play lead roles in films like "Iska" (Cinemalaya 2019), "Tigkiwili" (2025), "First Light" (2026), and even played Nicole Kidman's nanny in the series "Expats" (2024). 

As expected, Ruiz went all in in her quirky yet sensitive portrayal of Biring in this latest lead role of hers. Ruiz's Biring was a lonely old woman desperately looking for love, even if he was just an online presence. We witness her falling head over heels in love with this mysterious sweet-talker, who even managed to arouse her dormant libido. The whole time, she makes us worry about her, caring if she was just the latest victim of an elaborate scammer. 

Alessandra de Rossi's Anna had been angry all her life for being forced to take up a course she didn't like and trapped to do a demeaning job. This caused her to be bitter at her mother, and hard on her daughter. Beverly Salviejo's Tessie was joie de vivre personified in contrast to Biring's misery. They weren't too clear about what happened to Tessie at the end, something I felt lacking in the story. But we get to hear Salviejo's soulful singing here as she unloaded her inner frustrations at a karaoke bar. 

Director and co-writer Vahn Leinard C. Pascual started his filmmaking career with queer short films. His feature directorial debut had a topic outside his usual wheelhouse, but being a self-confessed "lola's boy," his sincerity and love for his lead character was quite palpable.  Along with the work of cinematographer Martika Ramirez Escobar and production designer  Marielle Hizon, Pascual drew us deeper into Biring's loneliness and second coming-of-age. 7/10

Cinemalaya 2026: Review of MAG-IINA: Matriarchal Mania

August 12. 2026

Anj (Janine Gutierrez) had lived in New York City since she was sent over there at age 15. She finally got to fly back home and reunite with her long-estranged family -- her mother Mita (Agot Isidro), her aunt Ysobel (Cherry Pie Picache) and her grandmother (Jackie Lou Blanco) -- for the occasion of the 40th day of her late father Ynigo Abreu Jr. or Ygo (Bart Guingona). Ysobel had adopted a young boy and renamed him Ynigo III (Lucas Andalio).  An all-around housemaid named Katte (Ness Roque) held sway in the kitchen. 

For people who are familiar with his plays, if it is written by Guelan Varela Luarca, you know you are in for a profound emotional roller-coaster. "Mag-iina" is his screen adaptation of his own play "Corridors." This play had won First Prize at the 72nd Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards in 2024, Luarca's fifth, which elevated him to the Palanca Hall of Fame. It just had a staged reading by CAST this January 2026, so I was surprised that it took a big leap into a film version before a fully-staged production was done. 

Janine Gutierrez's Anj was not going to let her family's eccentricities push her down as she finally got to experience them first hand, bringing us all along on her wild outlandish 3-day ride. Agot Isidro had a field day with Mita's neurotic psyche and emotional instability. Cherry Pie Picache's Ysobel seemed so calm outside, but turned out to be a hot slurping mess inside. Ness Roque's santol-squeezing Katte may be of lowest rank, but she proved no easy pushover in the way she marinated chicken or held black candle seances. 

The elegant Jackie Lou Blanco was deglamorized, with her skin looking like melted wax, ultimately even enduring to wear a whole-body prosthetic suit to execute the film's most unsettling body-horror scene. Her high-handed, Spanish- and expletive-riddled monologue at the dinner table was unforgettable.  Child actor Lucas Andalio fell right in step and held his own among the senior actors, having to do some pretty sick, grotesque stuff that require post-shoot debriefings. Those bloody lactation scenes really pushed the envelope. 

This convoluted story was actually quite a big risk to bring to the big screen, as it blurred lines between what was a nightmare and what was real. Furthermore, even if the story's premise starts off as merely odd, weird or creepy, it would later escalate into majorly bizarre and  scandalous mayhem, the likes of which can throw off casual viewers. The visual creativity of director Giancarlo Abrahan was in overdrive to create the veritable Gothic twilight zone in this maze-like house, which in itself was a major character in this film. 8/10 

Cinemalaya 2026: Review of TIRIK: Candles of Conscience and Clarity

August 11, 2026

Paring Bert (Rocco Nacino) was the parish priest of a church in Quezon City. He had been invited to the wake of a young former parishioner of his who had passed away as a casualty from the war on drugs. His taxi driver friend Santos Mira (Floyd Tena) just so happened to be at the church at that time to rest after a long night's drive. He volunteered to drive Paring Bert to his destination in Cavite using his old white taxi, license plate ABS 7029.

Along the way there, they made several stopovers and encountered various people. They brought an injured dog into a veterinarian's clinic and met a nutty family (Jess Mendoza, Chai Fonacier) there. Santos went to join a roadside drinking session to confront a thief. Fr. Bert went to visit his mentor, Fr. Jess (Glenn Sevilla Mas) in his vintage stone church. Santos requested that they make one final stop at a small shack in a remote area. 

This film is the feature directorial debut of May-i Padilla, who also co-wrote the script (with Charlson Ong) and did the editing. It was like they knew the ending they wanted first, and just added the rest of narrative up to build up to that ending. The events in the previous stops along the way seem so random and do not exactly relate to what happens in the ending. However, on hindsight, they all certainly portended to that eventuality. 

The slow pace of the storytelling may actually prove to be difficult to ride with, especially for impatient viewers. Most of the film was just conversations between Paring Bert and Santos, much of them set within the confines of the taxi cab while driving around. The vet clinic scenes were funny, even if it involved euthanasia and grave digging. The atmosphere grew heavier and heavier with every stop, and Padilla made sure we all felt that sense of danger. 

Paring Bert was based on a real-life Jesuit priest, Paring Bert Alejo, an activist for various socio-political issues. Rocco Nacino's Paring Bert was careful and level-headed, but there were issues like their youth council that he was passionate about. Floyd Tena caught director Padilla's attention when he played the hangman in "Gomburza" (2023). His Santos Mira was friendly as taxi drivers usuallywere. However, he also projected a distubing inner turmoil.

This film has a Catholic priest as the lead character, so importants cenes were set in churches. The churches chosen for locations were both historic -- the Basilica Minore de San Pedro Bautista in Quezon City, and Diocesan Shrine and Parish of San Andres in Masinloc, Zambales. The latter had a picturesque little pond where lit candles were floated on, where Bert and Santos' had their most heart-to-heart talk. 6/10

Cinemalaya 2026: Review of HAND OF GOD: The Glorious and the Grim

August 10. 2026

Lt. Edgardo Reyes (Ruru Madrid) and his men were assigned to a small settlement called Pusong-pusong in Basilan, under the leadership of Pah Ismail (Ronnie Lazaro). Their mission was one of community service -- to teach the children there the sport of football. While they were assembling  the goalposts, the residents paid them no mind. The soldiers played ball among themselves. Soon, curious children went to watch and play. 

One of the boys was Khaleel (KD Omalin), who had been taken in as a child warrior by a Muslim rebel group led by Omar (Jhong Hilario). When Omar allowed Khaleel to go visit his mother Farida Kapeng (Iza Calzado), he was convinced to stay and learn how to play football with his friends, specifically as the goalie. One day, Lt. Reyes proposed that the kids be allowed to go with him to Manila to join a football tournament there. 

Ruru Madrid played the ideal idealistic military man Ed, while Sue Ramirez played his ideal supportive wife Fatima -- both looked and felt very good as the kids' surrogate parents going over and beyond the call of their duty.  Iza Calzado had the perfect face for tragedy, Ronnie Lazaro for leadership, and Jhong Hilario for ruthlessness. New child actor KD Omalin held his own in the company of these veteran actors and shone as the heart of the whole film. 

This film is the directorial debut of TV and film writer Mark Duane Angos. The story was based on Angos' personal experience 12 years ago when his Manila-based youth football team were able to play with a team of kids from Mindanao. Angos brought both the glorious and the grim aspects of that memorable intercultural interaction of his to the big screen. Seen in this light, his seeming bias, which can be felt while watching the film, can somehow be rationalized. 

I watched this film right after watching "Ganggang," another film in competition in this Cinemalaya 2026. Both films basically told the same story of children playing in the warzone between the military and rebels.  The major difference was the point of views of the respective filmmakers on which group they portrayed as the good and as the bad. Watching both films would seem to give us a more balanced overview of the tense situation from both sides. 7/10

Cinemalaya 2026: Review of GANGGANG: Spiders on a Stick

August 8, 2026

Mel (Raine dela Cruz) was a new kid in  Brgy. Sidhaya, a remote community in rural Bulacan. He came with his father Sarge Medaro (Brian Arda), an officer who had been assigned to oversee the military checkpoints clamping down on NPA rebels operating in that area. At school, he became friends with Tenten (Don Rishmond Cerbito) and Ilay (Kenneth "Butchoy" Vincent Mendoza), who were frequent victims of class bully, Anton (Prince Espana).

Tenten lived with his farmer father Arman (Anton Nolasco) and his presently pregnant mother Connie (Pau Benitez). Ilay lived with his grandfather Lolo Omeng (Richard Mata) and Lola Rosing (Tabs Sumilang) who raised him after his parents passed away. Anton was the naughty son of their barangay captain Kap (Jers Diwa), himself an uncouth, ill-tempered man who was of a violent nature, and engaged in illicit activities with kickbacks. 

This film was written and directed by JL Burgos, who made waves in Cinemalaya XX with his last film "Alipato at Muog" (2024). In that award-winning documentary film, JL Burgos reflected upon the 2007 abduction and disappearance of his own older brother -- political activist Jonas Burgos, supposedly in the hands of military personnel.  Knowing this personal crusade of this filmmaker would clarify the spirit upon which "Ganggang" was built around. 

The story was told through the eyes of impressionable young boys living in the countryside. Despite the clean fresh air, scenic mountain views and simple rustic lifestyle around them, this was also where the decades-long unfortunate conflict between the military units and Communist rebel factions held sway. As it would happen among the three friends, one of the boys was a son of a military man, and the other was the son of a suspected NPA man. 

The three child actors in the lead roles were charming and believable, with Don Cerbito most outstanding in his more challenging role as Tenten. Burgos and his cinematographer Mac Cosico were able to stage some pretty suspenseful scenes, with the highlight being that climactic secret spider hunt which the boys did before dawn, enhanced by the editing of Mona Nieva, sound design of Drew Millalos and Anna de Dios, and musical score by RJ Mabilin. 

Burgos pushed his nationalist agenda in the lessons of teachers Rebelyn (Elora Espano) and Anding (Hershey Neri). Jose Lacaba's "Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa" set to music by Ding Achacoso and sung by Chikoy Pura was turned into a funeral march song. There were additional scenes which will make you stay behind to watch the closing credits in full, accompanied by "Isang Minutong Katahimikan," composed by Ericson Acosta and Renato Reyes, Jr., and performed by Aldus Santos, RJ Mabilin and Janine Samaniego. 7/10

Cinemalaya 2026: Review of A.NI.MAL: Prurient Politics

August 7, 2026

San Feliciano provincial governor Paul Reyes (Reymund Domingo) thought he was just spending a night alone in their mansion. Unbeknownst to him, an unexpected visitor, his godchild Lily (Maxine Ignacio), was outside his window at that moment. She witnessed her godfather in a compromising situation with his dog Bella (Bini). Lily caught this salacious scene on video on her phone, and immediately left to show the scandalous clip to her incredulous father, town Mayor Dan Peralta (Jojit Lorenzo), and mother Ofel (Frances Makil-Ignacio).  

"A.ni.mal" is the third Cinemalaya film written and directed by Dustin Celestino in the past four years. At first, there was "Duyan ng Magiting" (2023). then "Habang Nilalamon ng Hydra ang Kasaysayan” (2025). Both films garnered critical acclaim and awards for its frankly incisive writing about Philippine politics and the intensely passionate acting by his cast. I personally ranked these two as the top best films of their respective year at Cinemalaya. A Dustin Celestino film or play carried with it a brand of eye-opening, thought-provoking art. 

While his two previous films were two dead serious examinations of the dire situation of national politics, this new one about local politicians is Celestino's funniest one ever. This is a biting satire of skillfully-written, darkly-comic and intellectually-stimulating conversations, from seemingly innocuous flirting and woke advocacies, steadily building up to highly-charged arguments about interpersonal and political relationships. Celestino is proud that this project was shot using an iPhone 17 Pro Max, all within 4 days and a P2.4M budget. 

Neophyte actress Maxine Ignacio is the real-life daughter of veteran Frances Makil-Ignacio, who played the mother of her character here. Her Lily was the quintessential, narcissistic, clout-chasing nepo baby who wanted all the attention on her. She was cluelessly entitled about her privilege, and Maxine was game to play her character's quirk up, not averse to be the butt of the joke.  Her passive-aggressive seduction of Dr. John (Anthony Falcon) at the dog-shelter and in his car was as uncomfortable to watch yet oddly delightful. 

Frances Makil-Ignacio's Ofel parlayed her beauty queen pulchritude to become Dan's trophy wife, not exactly her smarts. That scene when she struggled to sing "Saklolo" at a campaign sortie as conflicting emotions overtook her was definitely a shoo-in for "Scene of the Year" for me. With his mousy personality, bad toupee and lousy shirts, Jojit Lorenzo felt miscast as town mayor. It was only in his tense final scene with Gov Paul was it clear that Dan was meant to be a fool in the political game all along, and Lorenzo played him just as Celestino intended. 

Bituin Escalante appears only in the second half of the film as gubernatorial candidate Dr. Grace Reyes, but her impact was so powerful. The drama at Grace's political rally with Ofel concluded backstage with the vicious bull session right after.  Right after that came a confrontation scene between Grace and her husband Paul in their bedroom, where she lectured him about how rabbits behaved when in pain. This scene was made more remarkable by the fact that Reymund Domingo was Escalante's husband in real-life, and he also cut a formidable figure here. 8/10 

Review of SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY: Delving into Darker Directions

July 28, 2026

At the end of the third film, in order to keep MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) safe, Peter (Tom Holland) had Dr. Strange to erase him from their memory. In the next few years,  Peter kept himself in obscurity, continually fighting crimes and developing more improved tech for his superhero work. Spider-Man has become a recognized hero of New York City, even gaining himself a friend in the NYPD, Jean DeWolff (Liza Colon-Zayas). Meanwhile, Peter only updated himself about MJ and Ned through their social media posts. 

One day, Bill Metzger (Tramell Tillman), head of the Dept. of Damage Control, an agency that kept individuals with special abilities in check, called on Spider-Man to help them with yet another attack on their facilities. The enemy turned out to be an invisible being who can jump around controlling the minds of various unsuspecting individuals to do his bidding. Through all this, Peter was realizing that his extreme loneliness is causing enough stress that was already causing his spider-powers to evolve in a darker direction. 

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" is the fourth Spider-Man film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, following "Homecoming" (2017), "Far From Home" (2019) and "No Way Home" (2021), all starring Tom Holland as our friendly neighborhood web-slinger, with Zendaya as his girlfriend MJ, and Jacob Batalon as his best friend Ned. For this new film, Destin Daniel Cretton, who directed "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" (2021), took over the directorial chores from Jon Watts, director of the first three films.  

Cretton kept the energy of the film high with all the spectacular web-slinging action sequences, featuring Spider-Man and his mysterious unseen enemy. In addition, Jon Bernthal had a lighter take on his role as Frank Castle, the Punisher, who had some shared history with Spider-Man because of a so-called Staten Island incident. It was great to see Mark Ruffalo's Smart Hulk persona, which he kept in check with a device that he developed. Florence Pugh's Black Widow Yelena assisted Peter from her makeshift bath-house "office." The red ninjas of The Hand also get into the action with their elegant brand of martial arts violence. 

However, as it was in all prior Spider-Man films, it was still its sincere emotional connection that we are truly invested in. Holland, Zendaya and Batalon really have us rooting them as we are brought along on Peter's seemingly hopeless quest to reconnect with his two best friends, and we feel his frustrations and his depression along that rough road. In this new adventure, "Stranger Things" breakout star Sadie Sink enters the MCU with another emotionally-powerful character, whose exciting arc we will likely be seeing more of in future films. 

Here is our bird's eye view up from Row M. 

I was able to watch this much-anticipated film in ScreenX at the SM Mall of Asia, which gives audiences a 270-degree panoramic cinema experience. This is the first film ever where the ScreenX team went directly on-set during production to capture raw peripheral footage for select scenes. My initial worry that our seats on the extreme right of Row M might not give us a good view was for naught. ScreenX expanded those exhilarating action scenes so much that we actually feel Spidey's sensory overload first hand, well-worth its extra value. 9/10 

Review of MOANA (2026): Directly Duplicated

July 16, 2026

Legends of the village of Motonui tell of a mother island named Te Fiti that emerged out of the ocean. Her heart was a green stone that possessed the greatest power ever known -- the creation of life. One day,  a demigod of the wind and sea named Maui (Dwayne Johnson), who had a power to shapeshift granted by his magical fishhook, stole her heart. As a result, a volcanic demon arose to attack Maui, causing him to lose the heart and his fishhook to the sea. Since then, a blight began spreading through the islands.

A thousand years later, Tui (John Tui) was the chief of Motonui, whose daughter Moana (Catherine Laga'aia) was already being groomed to take his place someday. Tui wanted everyone in his village to remain within the safety of the reefs that surround their island, but soon the coconut trees were getting sick and the fish was getting scarce. Advised by her Granma Tala (Rena Owen), Moana went forth to search for Maui, make him return the heart that he stole in order to appease Te Fiti to restore their food supply.

"Moana" was first an original Disney animated film released in 2016 that featured a story inspired by Polynesian mythology, with songs were written by Lin Manuel Miranda. It was both a critical success and a box-office hit, and later a streaming juggernaut. A sequel was just released in 2024, and grossed more than a billion dollars despite mixed reviews. Question is, why did Disney think that it was a good idea to create a live-action version just 10 years later, if there was nothing really new it wanted to say, aside from changing its medium?

This live action version was basically a scene-by-scene recreation of the animated original version, with only subtle differences in the blocking of scenes or in the updating of passe pop references in the screenplay. I liked the way Te Fiti and Te Ka were rendered in this remake, their scenes really had solid impact. The giant crab Tamatoa was also very well-rendered performing his solo song "Shiny."  I did not like stupid pet rooster Heihei in the original film and more so this time, as his "more realistic" rendering was even more off-putting. 

Like Auli'i Carvlaho in the first film, the new Moana Catherine Laga'aia is also making a big splash in her feature film debut. She may have some neophyte nerves showing, but did very well in the physical demands of her role, and her singing was likewise very impressive. One major problem with this new version was actually seeing Dwayne Johnson awkwardly playing Maui. Of course, the physical heft required was there, but as obvious in trailers, Johnson looked rather haggard and long in the tooth here. 5/10 

Review of THE ODYSSEY: A Harsh, Harrowing Homecoming

July 15, 2026

It had been 20 years since Odysseus (Matt Damon) left his kingdom of Ithaca --10 years fighting the Trojan War, and 10 more grueling years trying to sail back home.  Meanwhile, a group of rowdy suitors lead by Antinous (Robert Pattinson) have taken up space at his castle waiting to marry Odysseus' wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway), much to the annoyance of his son Telemachus (Tom Holland) and their blind servant Eumaeus (John Leguizamo).

There were two great epic poems of ancient Greece whose authorship was ascribed to Homer. His first epic was "Iliad," set towards the end of the Trojan War, dealing on the conflicts involving Achilles, Agamemnon, Paris and Hector. His second epic was "Odyssey," recounting the adventures of Odysseus and his encounters with various deadly supernatural beings on various islands as he sailed back home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.

Christopher Nolan's film version of the epic began with a scene of a wooden horse stuck on the beach. A lone Greek soldier Sinon (Elliot Page) told Trojans that this horse was a gift to the goddess Athena (Zendaya). It was Odysseus who thought up of the idea to penetrate Troy by hiding Greek soldiers inside this giant statue, so he and Meneleus (Jon Bernthal), husband of abducted Helen (Lupita Nyong'o), can lead their attack from within Troy's walls. 

Nolan then proceeded to tell about Odysseus' harrowing sail back to Ithaca by way of flashbacks and stories, in his non-linear style. Whenever they set foot on an island to gather food, they encountered various supernatural beings whose threat they had to escape. These include the one-eyed Cyclops Polyphemus (Bill Irwin), the Lastrygorian armored giants, the sorceress Circe (Samantha Morton), the Sirens, the six-headed Scylla, the whirlpool Charybdes, and the nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron). 

Nolan showed off a proficiency in staging horror in this one. The cave of Polyphemus was pitch dark, as the giant randomly picked out random guys and chomped them down like pretzels. Similarly horrific was the Circe scene, as a bitter woman who fed ravenous men with her irresistible meat stew that turned them into beasts.  The Underworld scenes were elegant -- realized in brilliant red and black, as darkly radiant as the angry souls in there.

Pacing may be an issue for some impatient viewers in the first two acts. However, that final act was certainly worth the wait.  While the noisy horde of thirsty bachelors abuse the hospitality of their hosts, a hooded old beggar joined them. The tension built up so thickly as the unapologetically oily Antinous shamelessly asserted his lust for power. The much-anticipated, breathtaking climactic confrontation of hero and villain ensued in brutal excitement and chaotic glory. 

As expected of him playing the lead character, Matt Damon gave his all for this physically and emotionally demanding role. Anne Hathaway was a picture of queenly grace and fortitude. Tom Holland had a strong screen presence, but at 30 looked too mature to be a callow 20 year old prince. With that smug look on his oily face as Robert Pattinson was appropriately slimy as Antinous, you'd want to hack his head open with an axe yourself. 

Those actors with smaller roles did not waste their short screen time. John Leguizamo registered dignity as an old loyal servant. Himesh Patel played Odysseus' second-in-command Eurylochus, with whom he constantly clashed. Benny Safdie was King Agamemnon, but most of the time we see only his grand gold-trimmed helmet, not his face. We only notice Logan Marshall-Green in the last act, but his treacherous Melanthio was a most hateful servant. The way Samantha Morton played her Circe, you'd not suspect anything untoward to happen until it is too late. 

As for Nolan's controversial casting, all these pre-screening online critics merely blew them out of proportion. Yes, Lupita Nyong'o played both Helen and Clytemnestra, but her collective screen time was just barely one minute. Trans-man Elliot Page did not play demigod Achilles, but instead he was a foot soldier who bravely faced the Trojans and convinced them to bring the Horse into their city. He had more impact in a later otherworldly scene.

Watching "The Odyssey" brings to mind a previous film also directed and co-written by Nolan -- "Interstellar" (2014). Both stories tackle the challenging trip a father underwent in order to go back to his home and his family after decades of being away. Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) went through black holes and the vastness of space as Odysseus went through man-eating monsters and treacherous oceans. The inspiration was clear.

Before the screening, there was a short documentary about how Nolan shot this whole film entirely using an IMAX 70mm film camera. This made us appreciate the strenuous efforts of Nolan and his cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema exerted to deliver the biggest, most immersive images ever, best seen in IMAX theaters, of course. Nolan dedicated this film to the late IMAX quality officer David Keighley. "The Odyssey" was the last film he worked on. 9/10. 

Review of THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD: Ignoble Idol

July 8, 2026

After suffering a crippling injury, an aging Robin Hood (Hugh Jackman) was convalescing at the Priory of St. Clement, under the care of  Sister Brigid (Jodie Comer). Not proud of his violent past as an outlaw, Robin introduced himself as Randolph. There, Robin befriended a man who was afflicted with leprosy (Murray Bartlet), as well as a young girl named Margaret (Faith Delaney), daughter of Robin's old friend Little John (Bill Skarsgård).

This film was written and directed by Michael Sarnosky, based on a 17th century English ballad known as "Robin Hood's Death," author unknown. This is said to be one of the oldest existing tale about Robin Hood. In the more popular legend adapted for previous films, such as the Disney animated version (1973) or the Kevin Costner version (1991), Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw who "stole from the rich to give to the poor." 

This morose and notorious Robin Hood we see in this film was a total departure from the charismatic and swashbuckling Robin Hood we knew. The Robin and Little John in the first half were unrecognizable. There was no sense of honor or nobility in the way this Robin fought and killed people, without regard for their age nor gender. He was brutality personified when he killed. If your stomach can't handle gore, you will look away.

By the second half, a limping Robin was recovering his health in the peaceful security of Brigid's Priory. At this point, Robin, and the whole film itself, was gradually transitioning from darkness into the light. As Robin learned to connect with other people, the lighting and the music of the film also became brighter and lighter. It was here that we can finally see the face of Hugh Jackman very well as he emerged from the shadows of the first half. 

Many did not like this film because the intense action scenes in the first half were totally abandoned in the contemplative second half. However, this was exactly the reason why I liked the second half more, as the acting of Jackman came to fore interacting with Comer, Delaney, Bartlet and Noah Jupe. Jackman already played a superhero to his death in "Logan" (2017). Here, he played a folk hero to his death, albeit an antihero version of him. 6/10