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

Netflix: Review of ENOLA HOLMES 3: Mystery and Malice in Malta

July 4, 2026 

Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) had accepted the proposal of Lord Tewkesbury to get married. For sentimental reasons, the Lord's mother (Hattie Morahan) recommended that the wedding ceremony be held in Malta, where she and her husband got married as he was stationed as a military officer there before. Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill) was disappointed that his younger sister was sacrificing her identity and freedom like this. However, cold feet, two kidnappings and a fire happened before the wedding could take place.   

This is the third installment of this franchise about Sherlock Holmes' spirited kid sister who shared his acuity in investigating and solving crime mysteries. The screenplay of all three films were written by Jack Thorne, based on "The Enola Holmes Mysteries" series of books by Nancy Springer. The first film was shown in 2020, with the sequel in 2022, both directed by Harry Bradbeer. For this third film, the directing job had been turned over to Philip Barantini, noted for directing the acclaimed series "Adolescence" (2025). 

Millie Bobby Brown is still as spunky in her portrayal of Enola as ever, with her constant breaking of the fourth wall to keep us in the loop about her thought processes and plans. Her chemistry with Louis Partridge as Enola's husband-to-be Lord Tewkesbury was still as delightful and romantic as ever. Helena Bonham-Carter played Enola's explosive mother Eudoria with her signature delightfully quirky acting style. Henry Cavill's Sherlock Holmes spent this film in a dark mood, and was rather dour and morose for the most part. 

As Sherlock was out of action for most of the film, we get to see more of Dr. Watson (Himesh Patel) as he assists Enola in her investigation, drawing upon his personal experience as an army medic. He also shared his insights as the son of a soldier to advise the young Lord Tewkesbury about his father who was also a soldier. Also back is Sharon Duncan-Brewster, who was already exposed in the second film as Sherlock's nemesis Prof. Moriarty. Here, she plays Adeline Rathe, the mysterious architect of the complex plot. 

This underlying message of this film was very serious, and was delivered in a most pointed manner. The film was essentially a strong condemnation of the British Army's role in the systematic abuse and pillage of the people and riches of various countries around the world that are under the Crown of their royal monarch. The filmmakers did not mince words in addressing unsavory historical issues involving British rule in Malta, Afghanistan and Ashanti (present day Ghana) as they came up in the course of this story.  7/10

Review of MINIONS & MONSTERS: Movie-Making Mayhem

July 4, 2026

Once upon a time, there were several tribes of Minions who roamed the Earth looking for the perfect villain whom they can serve.  However, because of their inherent naughtiness and clumsiness, the Minions would wind up killing the villains they served.  In one such tribe, there was a Minion named James, who was very much inclined to the art of drawing and telling stories. His best friends were the mischievous Henry and the hearing-impaired Ed. 

One day in 1927, the Minions saw a bank robber who was escaping by train and chased him. It turned out that this was a film being shot by a director named Max (Christoff Waltz). The producers, the Bright Brothers (Jeff Bridges) loved the Minions and made them superstars, until they could not do talkies. It was then that James had the idea of making his own film called "Minions and Monsters," even when only Henry and Ed supported him.

This flashback story of how Minions got into vintage Hollywood silent films was done via bookend sequences of a guide Olivia (Allison Janney) touring her guests around an exhibit called "Magic of Hollywood." While I am not a fan of the Minions, their antics and gibberish language, I appreciated all the call outs to the history of cinema in this one. Cinephiles, especially fans of the classic Hollywood films, will enjoy seeing all these delightful Easter eggs, with Minions somehow integrated into them.  

The direct tributes started in the opening credits, with scenes from "Horse in Motion" (1887) to "A Trip to the Moon" (1902). The man hanging from a clock was from "Safety Last" (1923). Asking Sam the pianist to "play it again" was from "Casablanca" (1942). The "rosebud" scene was from "Citizen Kane" (1941). Charlie Chaplin going through the gears of a machine was from "Modern Times" (1936). The robot Dort (Jesse Eisenberg) was likely a reference to the alien robot Gort in the film "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951). 

The sorcerer scenes were likely from "Fantasia" (1940). The train scenes may refer to "The Great Train Robbery" (1903) or "The General" (1927). The noir scene likely referred to "The Maltese Falcon" (1941). The shark scene referred to "Jaws" (1974). In Olivia's exhibit, we see more recent films like "E.T." (1982) and "The Matrix" (1999), movie monsters like "The Mummy" (1932) and "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" (1953), and film directors like Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, and Francis Ford Coppola (in a speaking cameo). 

As for the titular "Monsters," at first there was only one small green spherical creature with the tiny wiggly tentacles above his mouth named Goomi (Trey Parker) whom the Minions conjured out of the spell book. However, he would be joined by his gang of sea monsters Howard (Phil LaMarr) and Phillips (Bobby Moynihan), whose names referred to horror writer H.P. Lovecraft; and their spectacularly destructive orange slimy gelatinous mass with multiple eyes called Irene, that called to mind the classic movie monster "The Blob" (1958). 

I am still not exactly a fan of the Minions and their chaotic brand of foolishness, but I did enjoy this loving tribute to the Golden Age of Hollywood as offered by the Minions creator, director and voice Pierre Coffin. 7/10

Review of THE FURIOUS: Trouncing the Traffickers

July 1, 2026

There was a gang of child traffickers responsible for an unexplained series of kidnappings happening in an unspecified city in Southeast Asia. One day, teenage girl Rainy (Yang Enyou), was grabbed by a group of men led by Ho (Brian Le). They stuffed her into a trash bag and hurled her onto the back of a truck. At that moment, her father, a mute Chinese handyman Wang Wei (Xie Miao), saw this happen, and proceeded to chased the truck on foot. 

Journalist Navin (Joe Taslim) was looking for his wife Matia (Jeeja Yanin), a fellow journalist who had disappeared while investigating a child trafficking ring. Pretending to be a potential customer of children, Navin infiltrated the fight club run by a certain Mr. Song (Sahajak Boonthanakit). At the club, Navin met Wang and they initially thought the other was the enemy. Soon, they realized that they were both after the same bad guys and teamed up. 

This action film produced in Hong Kong is an international affair. The director, stuntman and action choreographer Kenji Tanigaki, is from Japan. Xie Miao and Yang Enyou are from China. Joe Taslim and Yayan Ruhian are from Indonesia. Jeeja Yanin and Sahajak Boonthanakit are Thai. Brian Le and Joey Iwanaga are Asian-Americans. While the main language spoken is English, we hear a slew of other Asian languages, even Tagalog from the goons.

From the opening fight scenes featuring Jeeja Yanin, we already expect that the fights are going to be very brutal and ultra-violent. From there, we see various weapons make the like peen-hammers, sledgehammers, hunting knives, arrows, ice picks, pieces of furniture, and even bicycles to cause more intense pain and gory damage. The worst (and most disgusting) injuries for me were actually those caused by human teeth. 

Stories about a father out to rescue his child, or a husband out to rescue his wife, have been frequently told and retold in action films all over the world. Tanigaki and his cinematographer Meteor Cheung deliver violence in ultra doses that can knock us out of breath just watching. The climactic five-way fight scene with Wang, Navin, human tank Ho, suave sadistic Paklung (Iwanaga), and bloodthirsty freak Tak (Yayan) was savage yet spectacular mayhem. 8/10