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Dive into our expert Oscar predictions and analysis, staying ahead of the curve on the films and performers destined for Hollywood glory. Awards Button Button Final 2026 Academy Award Predictions March 12, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen 2026 Oscar Nominations - Winners & Losers January 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen Oscar Nomination Predictions Last Updated: 03/12/2026 Next Update: N/A 1 One Battle After Another 2 Sinners 3 Hamnet 4 Sentimental Value 5 Marty Supreme 6 Frankenstein 7 Bugonia 8 The Secret Agent 9 Train Dreams 10 F1: The Movie Best Picture 1 Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another) 2 Ryan Coogler (Sinners) 3 Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value) 4 Chloé Zhao (Hamnet) 5 Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme) Best Director 1 Sinners 2 Sentimental Value 3 Marty Supreme 4 Blue Moon 5 It Was Just an Accident Best Original Screenplay 1 One Battle After Another 2 Hamnet 3 Train Dreams 4 Bugonia 5 Frankenstein Best Adapted Screenplay 1 Michael B. Jordan (Sinners) 2 Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme) 3 Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent) 4 Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another) 5 Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon) Best Lead Actor 1 Jessie Buckley (Hamnet) 2 Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value) 3 Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I'd Kick You) 4 Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue) 5 Emma Stone (Bugonia) Best Lead Actress 1 Sean Penn (One Battle After Another) 2 Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value) 3 Delroy Lindo (Sinners) 4 Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein) 5 Benicio del Toro (One Battle After Another) Best Supporting Actor 1 Amy Madigan (Weapons) 2 Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another) 3 Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners) 4 Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value) 5 Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value) Best Supporting Actress 1 Sinners 2 One Battle After Another 3 Marty Supreme 4 Hamnet 5 The Secret Agent Best Casting 1 One Battle After Another 2 Train Dreams 3 Sinners 4 Marty Supreme 5 Frankenstein Best Cinematography 1 Sinners 2 One Battle After Another 3 Frankenstein 4 Hamnet 5 Bugonia Best Original Score 1 Golden (KPop Demon Hunters) 2 I Lied to You (Sinners) 3 Train Dreams (Train Dreams) 4 Dear Me (Diane Warren: Relentless) 5 Sweet Dreams of Joy (Viva Verdri!) Best Original Song 1 One Battle After Another 2 F1: The Movie 3 Sinners 4 Marty Supreme 5 Sentimental Value Best Film Editing 1 F1: The Movie 2 Sinners 3 Sirât 4 One Battle After Another 5 Frankenstein Best Sound 1 Frankenstein 2 Sinners 3 Marty Supreme 4 Hamnet 5 One Battle After Another Best Production Design 1 Frankenstein 2 Sinners 3 Hamnet 4 Marty Supreme 5 Avatar: Fire and Ash Best Costume Design 1 Frankenstein 2 Sinners 3 The Smashing Machine 4 Kokuho 5 The Ugly Stepsister Best Makeup & Hairstyling 1 Avatar: Fire and Ash 2 F1: The Movie 3 Sinners 4 The Lost Bus 5 Jurassic World: Rebirth Best Visual Effects 1 KPop Demon Hunters 2 Zootopia 2 3 Arco 4 Little Amélie or the Character of Rain 5 Elio Best Animated Feature 1 Sentimental Value (Norway) 2 The Secret Agent (Brazil) 3 It Was Just an Accident (France) 4 Sirât (Spain) 5 The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia) Best International Feature 1 The Perfect Neighbor 2 Mr. Nobody Against Putin 3 The Alabama Solution 4 Come See Me in the Good Light 5 Cutting Through Rocks Best Documentary Feature

The Cinema Dispatch is your one-stop-shop film review website that also offers lists, awards updates, and essays relating to the world of cinema. Reviews The Odyssey July 15, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Minions & Monsters June 30, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Toy Story 5 June 15, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Invite June 25, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Awards Button Button Final 2026 Academy Award Predictions March 12, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen 2026 Oscar Nominations - Winners & Losers January 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen 1 One Battle After Another 2 Sinners 3 Hamnet 4 Sentimental Value 5 Marty Supreme 6 Frankenstein 7 Bugonia 8 The Secret Agent 9 Train Dreams 10 F1: The Movie Oscar Nomination Predictions - Best Picture Hunter Friesen Lists MSPIFF 2026 Preview April 6, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Top 50 Films of the 2020s February 23, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen

The Odyssey July 15, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen In a cast stacked with as much A-list talent as there are stars in the sky, who would you place a wager on to be the first to appear on screen in The Odyssey ? Would it be Matt Damon, the main character, Odysseus, whose journey spurs this epic tale? No, it takes a little bit of time for him to show up. What about Anne Hathaway, an Oscar winner who plays Penelope, queen to the missing king? No, not her either. What about any of the combinations of big names like Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, or Zendaya? Nope, and now we're getting colder in our search. The answer is actually Travis Scott, the rapper, continuing his odd partnership with writer/director Christopher Nolan after supplying an original song for Tenet . Here, he recites a thunderous poem about Odysseus' bravery at the Battle of Troy, a small moment where this very familiar feeling film zigs instead of zags. Stories like these are the only things the people of Ithaca have to remember their lost king. Some say he's dead, others say he's in prison, and those without hope say the gods have exiled him to wander the earth forever. For the successive prince Telemachus (Tom Holland) and queen Penelope, faith has become too slippery to continue blindly grasping at. A man does what he chooses, which is why Telemachus sets sail on a last-ditch rescue mission. A woman does what she can, with Penelope occupying the empty throne as she's pursued by power-hungry suitors, most notably the sniveling Antinous (Robert Pattinson). Captured in ultra-shallow focus with darkly lit banquet halls, this palace is a snake pit with danger looming in every corner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzw2ttJD2qQ For ten years, Odysseus was on the beaches of Troy fighting Agamemnon's war for Helen and the securitization of trade routes for his vast empire. His idea for the Trojan horse is what breaks the stalemate, soldiers packed like sardines for days as they wait to spring the trap. But like Robert Oppenheimer, Odysseus witnesses the price of his genius not being measured in honor, but in blood. A decade of empty bellies and pent-up rage is unleashed on the city's citizens in a single night, the only sights and sounds being the blaze atop each home and pleading screams just before the fall of a sword. To the gods, there are no victors. Within the four walls of the cinema, Nolan is our god. He can be quite vengeful, striking our senses with blistering fury. Odysseus and his men meet the wrath of Poseidon and Zeus during their arduous journey home. Lightning cracks and waves crash without any regard for audience safety, the volume cranked so loud that even Ludwig Göransson’s booming score is drowned out. Truly, I have never felt a film brute force its way through my entire body, the full effect of the IMAX experience clenching down like a vice grip. Warnings for those with predisposed medical conditions should be printed on each ticket. Despite favor eventually being granted to us, none is allowed for Odysseus. Sightings of land initially promise food and shelter, only to end up being fool’s gold. A cyclops traps the men in a cave and eats them one by one, a magical forest twists the pine trees into an endless maze as they're slaughtered by giant soldiers, and a witch's hospitality turns into a curse. As is new with Nolan, this is all depicted with a surprising amount of horror and fear, the same feeling that creeps down to the bone while also beckoning you to never look away. The answer is never who has the bigger sword, with wit and bravery being the driving force for survival. It's that clinical ingenuity that has made Nolan into the most famous filmmaker of his generation. While praised for his original ideas, many of his films are based on well-known stories with preconceived outcomes. Batman was always going to win in the Dark Knight trilogy, the Allied forces were always going to get off the beach in Dunkirk , and Robert was always going to complete the atomic bomb in Oppenheimer . With Nolan, it's always about the journey as much as the destination. And what better story to apply this logic to than the most epic one of them all? Odysseus is blessed and cursed with the foresight of the gods. He can see the path of downfall for others, yet can't stop them from still willingly going down it. Heavy is this crown of knowledge, unlocking survivor's guilt, exponentially amplified with the weight of responsibility as a leader. Damon is sheerly outstanding, perpetually instilling a layer of intimacy within the unparalleled grandness. There are no weak links within this cast, each member matching the wieldy expectations placed upon them. Standouts also include Himesh Patel as Eurylochus, the second-in-command; John Leguizamo as Eumaeus, the blind pig farmer of Ithaca; and Samantha Morton as the witch. Oppenheimer was Nolan's magnum opus, capturing lightning in a bottle at every level to deliver something that will likely never be replicated, both critically and commercially. Even with its expanded scope and scale, The Odyssey feels like a lateral move rather than the anticipated leveling up. Then again, how much higher can one go once they've already ascended to the top of their craft? Homer's epic has transcended oceans of time to be here today, and I believe this definitive retelling of it will endure for just as long. Universal Pictures will release The Odyssey in theaters nationwide on July 17th. More Reviews The Odyssey July 15, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Minions & Monsters June 30, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Toy Story 5 June 15, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Invite June 25, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Toy Story 5 June 15, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen After an extremely lucrative and universally acclaimed fifteen-year run that fittingly ended the franchise in 2010 with Toy Story 3 , Pixar and Disney decided to resurrect the gang of toys once more nine years later with Toy Story 4 . At the time, it seemed like a decision spurred more by commerce than creativity, with a string of less-than-stellar films raising the need for a guaranteed hit. Nothing could be more guaranteed than Woody and Buzz, even though none of the belated sequels ( Monsters University, Finding Dory, Cars 3 ) to their company-defining originals had lived up to expectations. Luckily, it worked wonderfully, with its story of growing up and finding a new purpose in life aligning perfectly with the audience who have aged with these films. Now, another seven years later, a new sequel emerges in the simply titled Toy Story 5 . A fourth entry was risky, but the bet paid off. Doubling down again just seems foolhardy. And yet, this one works even better than the last one, and could/should be in conversation in terms of quality with the rest of the series. Toy Story 2 is still my undisputed favorite, but you can’t go wrong with any of the initial three. It might not be something that they would like to be reminded of, but the kids who grew up watching the first Toy Story are likely now in their late twenties or early thirties. That means they’ve now reached the point in life where they start having kids of their own. However, kids today aren’t as interested in physical toys as previous generations. “The age of toys is over!” claims an abandoned one to Jessie (Joan Cusack), who’s still holding strong as Bonnie’s preferred method of playtime. Screens, specifically a tablet called Lilypad (Greta Lee), have invaded every home in the neighborhood. Friends are now made online, not on the playground or in someone’s yard like the old days. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c51ND9Hdbw0 Co-writers/directors Andrew Stanton and McKenna Harris (the former having directed or written the company’s biggest hits like Finding Nemo , WALL-E, and all previous entries in the Toy Story franchise) reach all ages within the audience. Taking a page out of Inside Out 2 ’s $1.6 billion box office gross playbook, feelings of anxiety and embarrassment emerge within Bonnie for the first time, unraveling her confidence and growth. Kids should be conflicted about their favorite color or flavor of ice cream, not where they rank on someone’s friend list in a mobile game. A whole generation has grown up too fast, robbed of the innocent pleasures of playing pretend games solely fueled by their imaginations. Supporting that notion is the use of an exaggerated, almost coloring-book art style for the sequences where Bonnie plays with the toys. The voice actors ham up their lines in self-parody, and there’s always a soap opera-level twist around the corner. For the parents in the audience, these sequences, apart from being laugh-out-loud hilarious, offer a reminder about the benefits of indulging your child’s creativity. All those silly, seemingly ludicrous moments where they make up stories should be cherished for their purity. It may just be a material item, most likely stemming from a merchandising line, but a toy can be anything a child wants it to be. Also for the parents is the appearance of Woody (Tom Hanks) sporting a bald spot, a midlife crisis fashion statement in the form of a poncho, and a bit of a gut. He’s been out rescuing toys that face neglect from kids who are gifted tablets. Eventually, Bonnie’s parents succumb to the pressure and buy one for her, which essentially pushes Jessie, Buzz (Tim Allen), and the rest of the cast one step closer to the donation bin. The central focus of this plot thread is Jessie, who went through a similar phase of abandonment decades earlier with her original owner. Once is heartbreaking, twice is enough to destroy one’s confidence in their ability to fulfill their intended purpose. Those voice actors might all be decades older (and a few have passed on), but none of them have lost a step. Aided by the stunning animation, they’re always able to get a laugh or cry out of us. Newly added to this cast is Conan O’Brien as Smarty Pants, a bulky potty training device seemingly from the mid-2000s. With its need for AA batteries and wired connections, his era of technology never posed a threat to physical toys. But for all their differences, both he and Jessie have been passed over by Lilypad. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, so the pair work together to bring Bonnie back to her former, happy self. On its face, Toy Story 5 is another sequel for Pixar, a growing trend where the milking of brands pays for the increasingly infrequent ventures into original storytelling. For as simultaneously cynical and accurate as that statement might be, it doesn’t consider the wealth of talent within the studio, both new and returning, that keep these materials fresh for worldwide audiences. You probably won’t find a better family film all year, or a franchise that consistently exceeds its already mighty expectations. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures will release Toy Story 5 in theaters nationwide on June 19th. More Reviews The Odyssey July 15, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Minions & Monsters June 30, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Toy Story 5 June 15, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Invite June 25, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Minions & Monsters June 30, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen Immediately trying to prove that its setting is its DNA rather than just window dressing, Minions & Monsters turns back the clock, opening with the Universal Studios logo from the silent film era. From there, we watch as the cute and chaotic yellow creatures appear in the earliest moving images: 1878’s Horse in Motion, 1896’s The Arrival of a Train by the Lumière brothers, and 1902’s A Trip to the Moon by Georges Méliès. As if you haven’t noticed across their seven feature films and hundreds of brand deals, the Minions have been, and will always be, around. Their signature brand of chaotic endearment has made them the secret saviors of the world. Throughout history, they’ve perpetually searched for the most evil person to serve under, which, one by one, they accidentally kill. They then move on to the next person, shaping the timeline in ways we could never fully imagine. Minions & Monsters does not continue the story of the trio of Kevin, Stuart, and Bob, who’ve been with the franchise throughout its entire existence. Instead, we’re introduced to a different tribe, specifically James and Henry, who still look the same and speak in their gibberish language, which is linguistically nonsensical yet fully coherent on an emotional level. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSdOwt-G49w After killing one too many bosses, these Minions eventually find themselves on the set of a 1920s silent film directed by one of those hoity-toity European directors (voiced by Christoph Waltz). Blazing their way around town, they bump into some of the era's greatest stars, such as Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Buster Keaton. In an industry that infamously disregarded workers’ safety, their indestructibility makes them the perfect stuntmen for Bright Brothers Pictures. Jeff Bridges voices both the hotheaded Frank and mellow Elwood in a send-up of the early days of Warner Bros. Pictures. While most of the Minions are only good at getting their heads bashed and creating a mess, James displays real filmmaking talent. However, right before he can get his big break and make an Oscar-winning film, the sound era arrives, requiring all performers to put away their slapstick routines and limber up their vocal cords. Not exactly the most eloquent bunch, the Minions quickly find themselves out of a job (although they would still be suitable actors for a Fellini film, as I never know what’s being said, even with subtitles). Knowing that special effects can cut through any language barrier, James and Henry decide that they should make a creature feature filled to the brim with monsters they can do battle with. As always, things don’t exactly go as planned, resulting in the pair summoning monsters who would rather destroy the world than star in a film. Admittedly, this is my first venture into the Despicable Me franchise since I saw the very first film as a kid back in 2010. The immense hyperactivity of this film had the kids in the audience bouncing off the walls after the screening, something a childless person like me isn’t overly ready to experience. But, as a film buff, the prospect of the Minions crashing Old Hollywood piqued my interest, and there were enough cameos, sight gags, and loving tributes to classic moviemaking that consistently had me grinning. As with any heavy dose of sugar, the crash eventually hits. Once the movies are replaced with monsters in the middle act, things get way too hectic, way too quickly. Knowing that they can only hold the attention of their young audience for about thirty more minutes, directors Pierre Coffin and Patrick Delage (the former also provides the voice for all the Minions) throw everything into the blender. That also includes a side plot about a Dort (Jesse Eisenberg), a humanoid robot who looks eerily similar to the one from The Day the Earth Stood Still , and Debbie (Zooey Duetch), an initially strong-willed suffragette who immediately bends over backward in love. A lot of butts are poked in this section where toilet humor reigns supreme. It’s that juvenility that often separates Illumination from the greater houses like Pixar and Studio Ghibli. But they know their audience and have no shame in playing down to them. And based on this mildly positive review and the enthusiastic reception the film got from everyone walking out under the age of twelve, I’d say this might be the strongest entry in this unstoppable franchise. Universal Pictures will release Minions & Monsters in theaters nationwide on July 01st. More Reviews The Odyssey July 15, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Minions & Monsters June 30, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Toy Story 5 June 15, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Invite June 25, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Disclosure Day June 9, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen "If you found out we weren't alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you?" That's the simple question that spurred Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day into existence. It's the famed filmmaker's newest foray into extraterrestrial life, a subject he's explored from countless angles throughout his filmography, including E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial , Close Encounters of the Third Kind , and War of the Worlds . What separates and binds these films is the reflection of their time periods, be it the sense of American optimism as Elliott flies across the sky on his bike, or the post-9/11 fear of invasion as Tom Cruise protects his family from H.G. Wells' tripod monsters. With Disclosure Day , Spielberg inverts the battle, probing the possibility of cohabitation in a world so steeped in division. Dr. Daniel Kellner (Josh O'Connor) believes that all eight billion people on the planet deserve to know the truth about our place in the universe. It's why he's stolen eighty years' worth of secrets as part of a coordinated whistleblowing mission on his employer Wardex. This shadowy private military group works outside the government to maintain the greatest cover-up story in human history. Opening at a WWE match with the sound cranked to eleven, Kellner's cover has been blown, and Wardex head Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth) is on his tail. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCYT8vb2siQ Over in Kansas City, local meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) begins her day by witnessing a cardinal fly into her apartment. Her and the bird's eyes meet, which seemingly unlocks something within her. She now knows everything , such as languages she's never spoken and facts about people she couldn't possibly know. The sudden interest of government agents in her condition plunges her deep into this conspiracy, with mysterious premonitions guiding her towards Daniel. The chase is on for both sides, with Spielberg and his longtime crew capturing the results with an electrifying rhythm. Janusz Kaminski's camera swirls from one expertly blocked frame to the next, many stealthily combined in a single take. It simultaneously looks simple and complicated; the mark of a maestro who can compress and translate his genius for the audience. There are never too many notes, and they're always hit right on cue (well, except for a few instances of weird CGI animals). Every window is bursting with pools of light, as if God is continually making his presence known. Except that an almighty being is no longer up in the heavens, (s)he is down on Earth with us. Mirrors and reflections are repeatedly used for Margaret and Daniel, yet the pair never seems to be sure who's staring back at them. These seemingly ordinary people are learning that they are extraordinary, like a superhero discovering their abilities for the first time. The nimble production requires the leads to constantly be on the ball, with Blunt and O'Connor turning in tremendous performances on both an emotional and physical level. A former novitiate, Daniel's girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson) fears the consequences of what unequivocal proof of extraterrestrial life will do to people's faith. All of religious history dictates that God created us and the universe in his image. What happens once we realize we're not the whole puzzle, but just a tiny piece of it? Added on top of this dilemma is a modern Cuban Missile Crisis between North Korea and Russia. Or, at least it seems like them, as they're given as much specificity as the enemies in Top Gun: Maverick . A summer blockbuster to be wrestling with ideas this profound is nothing new for Spielberg, who has consistently merged intelligence with popcorn entertainment. You'll also be asking some literal questions afterwards, with the slightly goofy plotting and convenient reveals showing their true face once the movie magic is behind you. But great magicians always know how to keep the audience believing while performing their tricks, and Spielberg has done it again on an enormous scale. Summer movie season is upon us, and it feels great to be in such safe hands. Universal Pictures will release Disclosure Day in theaters nationwide on June 12th. More Reviews The Odyssey July 15, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Minions & Monsters June 30, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Toy Story 5 June 15, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Invite June 25, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

The Invite June 25, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen Across the entire timeline of cinematic history, has there ever been one instance where a dinner party has gone exactly as planned? Along with the guests, the hosts always seem to also invite trouble, with unexpected consequences often being served just before dessert. Murder became the guest of honor in Gosford Park , the titular "bio-exorcist" possesses everyone and forces them to dance to "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" in Beetlejuice , and two friends hide a dead body in a trunk in the middle of the room as part of a sadistic game in Alfred Hitchcock's Rope . At the end of the night, no one is going home talking about how great the food and wine were. That theme of misfortune continues in 2026 with The Invite . The strained hosts are Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde), a couple who seem to have been unhappily married for far more years than they were happily married. He's a languishing band teacher at a not-so-nice academy he has to ride his bike to, and she's always between jobs, filling her days constantly redecorating their San Francisco home, which they can only afford because they inherited it from Joe's parents. Their daughter is the only thing that's keeping them together, with unhappiness and resentment permeating the air at all times. Living right above them are Piña (Penélope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton), a couple of perpetual annoyances due to the rather loud way they express their love for each other every night. But they seem cool, and Angela is desperate to make some friends, so she invites them downstairs for a dinner party, which more or less acts as a test to see if her and Joe's relationship is so strained that they can't even pretend to be a couple anymore. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ19I9q_hOQ Adapted from the 2020 Spanish film The People Upstairs by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, The Invite is pitched through a prism of manic anxiety, with rapid-fire dialogue often overlapping with the heavy strings provided by composer Devonté Hynes. The initial bickering between Joe and Angela increases in tempo as they race against the clock to get ready. While still being hilarious on its own terms, it's a relatable window into a decaying relationship verging on incurable. Between this film, his compelling dramatic turn in Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans , and his multi-hyphenate work on his television show The Studio , Rogen has reached a peak in his career. Playing the miserable straight man, he's the Richard Burton to Wilde's Elizabeth Taylor in this inspired take on Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? . But Burton was never allowed to be this funny, with Rogen delivering so many side-splitting one-liners that comment on the avalanche of bad circumstances throughout the night. Considering the minuscule cast and setting, one could play armchair therapist and analyze this as a sort of tactical retreat for Wilde as a filmmaker after her sophomore effort, Don't Worry Darling , where the tabloid antics garnered infinitely more attention than the middling film did by itself. Thankfully, this is just a step in a different direction rather than going backwards. Her skills both in front and behind the camera are still solidly illustrated. Her character twists herself into mental pretzels the whole night, all of it captured on 35mm, reminiscent of a home movie. Cruz and Norton get to have a ball of a time watching as their hosts drag themselves into hell. Digging through their stuff and waxing poetic about his career as a firefighter, Norton is fully loosened up, almost parodying his frequent high-strung roles. Cruz's alluring openness, as well as her occupation as a psychotherapist, is what drives the film's third-act pivot. An ulterior motive is revealed by the guests as to why they accepted the invitation, a revelation that provides a whole new level of context for the cover image of this review. It's that reveal that opens the human elements within this tragicomedy of manners. In all of us is a desire to be desired, a yearning that proves our self-worth. Validation is a potent drug, one that can't be administered by yourself. Wilde doesn't handle these later dramatic scenes with as much skill as the earlier comedic ones, but the hard work she and the writers put into these characters still makes it land with a bit of a punch. In a summer blockbuster season ruled by giant tenpoles overfilled with noise and visual effects, this is a smart and funny party you'll want to attend. A24 will release The Invite in select theaters on June 26th, followed by a nationwide expansion on July 10th. More Reviews The Odyssey July 15, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Minions & Monsters June 30, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Toy Story 5 June 15, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Invite June 25, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

The Death of Robin Hood June 17, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen An unfortunate part of growing up is uncovering the truth that the adventures of many of your childhood heroes did not lead them to living out the rest of their days under sunshine and rainbows. No, they almost all exclusively became sad and embittered, with years of fighting corrupting their once optimistic morals. Luke Skywalker exiled himself and believed that the Jedi Order should end with him in The Last Jedi , Daniel Craig’s later James Bond films reckoned with his mortality in a modern world, and Rocky Balboa lived alone in the Creed films. No actor has capitalized on this trend better than Hugh Jackman. At the time, his seemingly final performance as The Wolverine in Logan was a fitting conclusion to the character. Blending both the history of the character with that of a Western, director James Mangold and Jackman examined the shattering consequences of what it means to be a hero. Visceral action and a touching story made it not just one of the best comic-book films of all time, but an altogether poignant human drama. Jackman’s scars may have healed while playing the adamantium-infused Logan throughout the years, but they do not in The Death of Robin Hood . Looking as grizzled as the famed comic book character, the body of the Prince of Outlaws tells a life full of violence without mercy, serving as the only way to separate fact from fiction. Like Batman, everyone in 1281 has a story about Robin Hood. Some say he killed hundreds for the fun of it, the charity work being an unintended benefit that covered for his many sins. Others say he died years ago, a victim of revenge from one of the many who would seek it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlSDDuWxO_0 In the frozen, windswept steppes of England, a death for his crimes would be the preferred choice by Robin. Instead, his superior fighting skills against his mostly peasant opponents force him to endure living with his regrets and increasingly decaying body. Eventually, he nearly meets his maker, becoming mortally wounded when he becomes embroiled in a revenge plot along with his longtime sidekick, Little John (Bill Skarsgård), who murdered a man and stole his identity to have a family. The first act of The Death of Robin Hood is as brutal and violent as a movie can be. Slashed throats spew with blood, heads are smashed in with rocks, arrows pierce flesh, and bones are bludgeoned. Reminiscent of Justin Kurzel’s 2015 adaptation of Macbeth , writer/director Michael Sarnoski paints everything with fire and brimstone, letting the blood flow heavily on already-soaked fields. PTSD is heavily implied for Robin, with his sunken eyes, scraggly beard, and weathered face constantly being captured in close-ups. Unluckily for Robin, he is saved from death by the prioress Sister Brigid (Jodie Comer). On her island, she runs an orphanage (not for gifted mutants, like Charles Xavier), taking in the young and decrepit. Robin fits closer to the latter, although the adoptive daughter of Little John is also on the island. Although feral to everyone else, she takes a liking to Robin, and he finds a comforting innocence in her. Sarnoski made his feature debut in 2021 with Pig, a brilliant subversion of revenge actioners that featured a mesmerizing performance from Nicolas Cage. Next came A Quiet Place: Day One , a director-for-hire job that netted him some nice box office points. As much as A24 sunk into this production, they’re unlikely to see much of it back. Once on the orphanage island, this story slows to a crawl. Conversations about the nature of legacy and the cycle of violence make up most of the runtime, each of them placed and delivered in an increasingly predictable manner. Thanks to its top-notch technical merits, such as Pat Scola’s 35mm cinematography or the period-accurate hair and makeup, the whole endeavor never fully becomes boring (although it does threaten that on multiple occasions). Jackman is obviously game for the part, but that also means there’s hardly anything surprising about his performance. Comer is compelling in a limited role, as is Murray Bartlett as a leper who opens his heart as he must constantly be bandaged up. Robin Hood has been many things over the years. For as much as this tries to recontextualize his legend, I don’t think it’s successful enough as a piece of entertainment to make a real difference. A24 will release The Death of Robin Hood in theaters nationwide on June 19th. More Reviews Toy Story 5 June 15, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Invite June 25, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Double click the dataset icon to add your own content. 1/1/2035 By: Author Name Disclosure Day June 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Obsession May 13, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen It’s an age-old adage that you should always be careful what you wish for, because you never know exactly what you’re going to get. It’s something Minnesotans have to deal with every year with the weather, as the person who simply wishes for warmer or colder temperatures hardly takes into account the extreme ends of that spectrum. Wishing for a white Christmas will often be met with upwards of a foot of snow, the potential hazards now outweighing the beauty. In writer/director Curry Barker’s debut feature, Obsession , now landing in theaters after successfully taking over the town as part of the Midnight Madness lineup at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, that warning has been taken to its most extreme literalization. As is often the case with desperate thinking, it starts with someone scrolling on social media in the dark. A lonely young man named Bear (Michael Johnston) sits in his room, looking at Nikki's Instagram page, his childhood friend and long-held crush. Mostly due to fear, he’s never told her how he feels, and that door is about to be fully closed as she tells him she’s moving away to pursue other interests. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaaDkbG3I7g After struggling to pick out a gift for her, Bear ironically buys the "One Wish Willow" candy stick, which allegedly promises to grant one wish to whoever breaks it. Bear wishes that Nikki would love him more than anyone in the entire world. Immediately, Nikki takes a much greater interest in Bear, constantly inviting him over and expressing her adoration. It all seems a little too good to be true for Bear, but he definitely doesn’t want this to stop, so it’s best not to question it. Produced for just under $1 million, Barker’s film looks and feels much wealthier. The cinematography by Taylor Clemons is both shrouded in darkness and yet lit well enough that we never struggle to see what we need to. I realize that sounds like faint praise, but the bar has been set so low over these past few years with features that make it nearly impossible to see what’s going on. Some of us have bad eyes, you know! Occupying those increasingly sleepless nights are two excellent performers in Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette as Bear and Nikki, respectively. The former is a ball of jittery nerves, his eyes darting and voice rising a few octaves as he’s never sure of his current situation. Does Nikki actually love him? If not naturally, is it wrong for them to enjoy themselves under this spell? The latter actor essentially has to play a split personality, with the real Nikki buried underneath a creepy, obsessive demeanor. She screams, pleads, and commits increasingly unhinged acts to stay as close to Bear as possible. There’s always a smile on her face when she gets what she wants, but it’s always laced with pain. Logically, this kind of fable makes no sense. If the One Wish Willow actually does work, then why hasn’t it been reported on? Certainly, other people have wished for stuff a lot grander than Bear. Everyone will know that my wish came true once a professional Minnesota sports team finally wins a championship. Nevertheless, the atmosphere and performances paper over that pretty glaring crack. You’ll be gritting your teeth as you wish for this film to go down a happier path (hint: it doesn’t). This review was originally published from a screening at the 2026 Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival. Focus Features will release Obsession in theaters nationwide on May 15th. More Reviews Toy Story 5 June 15, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Invite June 25, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Death of Robin Hood June 17, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Disclosure Day June 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Masters of the Universe June 2, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen Is there anything more quintessentially representative of the 1980s than He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ? The hand-drawn animated show came during a resurgence of sci-fi and fantasy storytelling, especially stories that primarily featured characters and props that could be easily converted to toys and other merchandise. He-Man and his famous catchphrase were plastered on lunchboxes, posters, and other knick-knacks alongside Optimus Prime and the G.I. Joes. But while those latter franchises were brought to the silver screen on multiple occasions during the wave of 1980s nostalgia in the 2000s/2010s, the inherent silliness of He-Man forced him to stay dormant. It’s unlikely to be a coincidence that franchise owners Mattel have recruited director Travis Knight, who took over from Michael Bay and briefly pivoted the Transformers movie franchise towards a boldly more mentally and emotionally intelligent direction with Bumblebee , to kickstart this property. Knight also brings his immense animated talent as president and CEO of Laika, the stop-motion studio behind Coraline , Kubo and the Two String s, and Missing Link . Later this year, they’ll release Wildwood , which recently dropped a dazzling trailer. After seeing Masters of the Universe , I can already guarantee that Wildwood will be the far superior film that Knight will release this year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X21JsHLHnY8 Much of the problem with this film is that it falls in a long line of nostalgic reboots, remakes, and sequels that believe that being ironic automatically makes them cool again. Unfortunately for all the imitators, Greta Gerwig made it look too easy with Barbie . Now Mattel sees dollar signs everywhere along their toy lines, with movies for Matchbox, Barney, Bob the Builder, Hot Wheels, Magic 8 Ball, and Polly Pocket all somewhere in development. These are all absurd and uncool products to revolve a feature film around. But as long as the films themselves point out that fact, then the company is one step ahead of us. Except that strategy has been done to death so many times that I can’t care anymore. Star Nicholas Galitzine gives off a joke-y, “can you believe the words that are coming out of my mouth!?!” kind of energy when giving the opening prologue. As the main character, Prince Adam / He-Man, he explains that Eternia is a beautiful planet full of life, all of it sustained by the power of Grayskull. That power can be transferred to Adam when holding the Sword of Power and proclaiming, "By the Power of Grayskull! I have the power!" But after the evil forces of Skeletor attack his world, Adam is transported to Earth, specifically Oklahoma City, and separated from the sword. Thankfully, this fish-out-of-water storyline doesn’t last long. All respect to Oklahoma City, but Eternia is a much more interesting place, even if Skeletor’s conquest essentially burned and salted the earth. I guess his victory shouldn’t come as a surprise since his army has guns, and the good guys almost exclusively have swords. The action set pieces are nothing special, with lots of circular camerawork and editing that cuts away from the blows to maintain the PG-13 rating. This is also a surprisingly pro-violence movie, with lots of painfully unfunny moments dedicated to the absurdity of Adam trying to proclaim the benefits of talking about our feelings instead of using our fists. He’s ridiculed each time, eventually just punching and slashing the bad guys who can’t be reasoned with. There are even entire scenes centered around the absurdity of the human resources department, all of them so excruciatingly tiresome. At least Jared Leto gleefully cackles his way through his role as Skeletor, his voice and appearance fully transformed by fairly impressive visual effects. Certainly, much of the nearly $200 million budget went there, as other shots look quite inferior. The whole thing feels extremely market-tested from the get-go, even down to Galitzine’s charmingly goofy performance. It’s not his fault that he’s appearing in a 132-minute film that never knows when to speed things up or trim out the fat. There isn’t an ounce of fat on his body, which bulges with muscles and abs the moment he grabs the sword. At the very least, he provides some inspiration for the men in the audience as summer starts to get into full swing. Amazon MGM Studios will release Masters of the Universe in theaters nationwide on June 05th. More Reviews Toy Story 5 June 15, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Double click the dataset icon to add your own content. 1/1/2035 By: Author Name Disclosure Day June 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Obsession May 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Power Ballad May 27, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen Martin Scorsese has his gangsters, Steven Spielberg has his aliens, Guillermo del Toro has his monsters, Paul Schrader has his lonely men, Woody Allen has his neurotics, and Michael Mann has his criminals. They say to write what you know, a piece of instruction that many filmmakers have taken to heart throughout their careers. Of course, detours can always occur, but the road always leads back home sooner or later. And as much as we might decry their unoriginality, we wouldn’t have it any other way. Who else to tell these stories than those who know them best? Added to that list is Irish writer/director John Carney, the filmmaker who holds the title of being the world’s biggest folk music lover. He entered the scene with Once in 2007, a love story about two struggling musicians in Dublin. While a tiny production, the film won the Oscar for Best Original Song for “Falling Slowly.” 2013’s Begin Again shifted that story to America, with Keira Knightley playing a singer and Mark Ruffalo as a down-on-his-luck record executive. Another Oscar nomination would be earned for the song “Lost Stars.” He moved back to Dublin for Sing Street in 2016, which rode the indie circuit to enthusiastic reviews for its youthful exuberance. The two lands finally came together in 2023 with Flora and Son , starring American Joseph Gordon-Levitt alongside Eve Hewson in a Dublin-set story about a mother and musician coming together through song. His latest film, Power Ballad , more or less repeats that formula with a heavy “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” sort of attitude. American transplant Rick (Paul Rudd) earns his keep as a wedding singer for a cover band in Dublin (the boxes are already being checked). He came to the island over a decade ago as part of an up-and-coming band. Then he met Rachel, fell in love, and has remained across the pond ever since. For as much as the wedding guests love his renditions of the classics, Rick always feels like he’s going through the motions, never fully expressing himself as an artist. Every time he sneaks an original song into the playlist, the audience flatlines. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um_WWbB8Tm0 During one of his performances, the bride and groom turn out to be best friends with the former boy band star Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas). Per their request, he performs alongside Rick, the pair instantly hitting it off to classic songs that inspired them to grab the microphone. Over some beers, Rick shares with Danny his song titled “How to Write a Song (Without You)," the titular ballad he wrote for his daughter years back and is most proud of. In this initial act, Carney displays his affection for the creative process, as well as the dogged pursuit it requires. When Rick is performing one of his songs for the wedding guests, the dozens of tuxedos and dresses quickly become tens of thousands of screaming fans packing a stadium. The camera swirls around him as he belts his heart out. It doesn’t matter that Rudd isn’t a particularly gifted singer; the emotional high he displays tells us all we need to know. As with all things, money eventually gets in the way. Stuck in a creative rut that hasn’t allowed his solo career to flourish, Danny decides to pass off Rick’s song as his own. It soon becomes a chart-topping hit, with Rick eventually hearing it over the loudspeaker in a store. His contentment with being a perpetually struggling musician is quickly replaced with anger and jealousy. Deep down, he always knew that his song was worth something. And now he’s hearing it, yet the credit is nowhere to be found. For as much as his act is clearly portrayed as wrong, Danny isn’t some malicious figure trying to scheme his way to the top. He respects the legends and puts pressure on himself to branch out creatively. But with money and large record labels behind him comes expectations, and the fact that any slip up could spell the end of his career. He needs to produce certified hits and be on magazine covers. Similar to Rudd’s singing ability, Jonas isn’t the strongest actor. But through smart casting and Carney’s direction, he fulfills the presence required of his character. There’s a tiny bit of tedium as the debate over the authorship of the song consumes the entire second half. Rick wrote the song, but Danny is the one who turned it into a hit. None of this is new ground for Carney, and there’s nothing too special about the filmmaking. It’s a lot of heart-to-heart conversations about the power of music, everything wrapped in a feel-good coating that will likely have you driving with the windows down on these nice summer nights. Lionsgate will release Power Ballad in select theaters on May 29th, followed by a nationwide expansion on June 05th. More Reviews Disclosure Day June 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Masters of the Universe June 2, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Power Ballad May 27, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Obsession May 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Pressure May 29, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen At this point in cinematic history, making a film about D-Day should be considered a fool’s errand. As everyone knows, the opening combat sequence of the invasion of Omaha Beach within Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan established a landmark for depicting war on screen. The Golden Age spectacle is replaced with grim carnage, with faceless soldiers falling by the hundreds as body parts mix with the water and waves of the beach. Almost twenty minutes later, we’re finally allowed to breathe again, and our fists begin to unclench. No one has and likely never will try to reproduce that moment on that scale ever again, as Spielberg and his crew set the bar at an unassailable height. This is all to say that it was extremely smart of director/co-writer Anthony Maras to set his D-Day film, Pressure , away from the beaches and into the sky. The film still starts with its own view of carnage, this time a bird’s-eye view of Exercise Tiger in April 1944, one of the Allied rehearsals for the eventual invasion of Normandy. “It was a catastrophe,” reads the opening titles, with the result being the death of nearly a thousand troops, plummeting Allied morale as to whether they would be able to establish a foothold on the Northern European front. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdM4tdLQBg0 Only a few weeks removed from that embarrassment, the Allied forces are already pushing headstrong into their planned invasion. Monday, June 5th, is the penciled-in date, with nearly 5,000 ships and 200,000 troops set to descend upon the Nazi war machine. All that's needed now to turn that pencil into a pen is a forecast, which has been personally tasked to the Scottish meteorologist James Stagg (Andrew Scott) by General Dwight Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser). The readings Stagg produces will directly influence Eisenhower’s decision to order the invasion, essentially placing the fate of the free world in his hands (and maps). That last sentence about the weight that the 72 hours before the fateful day will carry throughout history is heavily bolded, underlined, and repeated throughout Maras and co-writer David Haig’s screenplay. Several speeches are given about how history will remember this moment, and that millions of lives hang in the balance. It’s all true, but it’s also a lot of preaching to the choir, just as the first opening title states that “this is a true story.” Duh. Fraser isn’t always the best actor to deliver these lines; his sensitive voice and big eyes oversell everything into schmaltz. Those same features prevent him from carrying the gruffness required of a military authority, which he sometimes has to do as he wrestles with Stagg’s inability to agree with his meteorological coworker, Irving Krick (Chris Messina). A symptom of this film being based on Haig’s 2014 play of the same name is that a lot of it takes place in a central location as army men argue about the weather. Jet streams, upper atmosphere pressure, surface air temperature, cloud shapes, and wave depths are just a few of the terms thrown around as Krick maintains his position that June 5th will be calm and sunny, and Stagg adamantly believes that the day will be ruled by heavy storms that will guarantee an Allied defeat. Messina’s cavalier Americanism butts against Scott’s stiffness. Stagg prefers facts over feelings; the latter he quashes repeatedly as he orders his staff to collect mountains of data from all over the world. Krick’s use of past precedent to predict future results is labeled moronic by Stagg in a scene that would normally burn much hotter if we didn’t already know who the right side of this argument was. For as much as this inherently nerdy scenario punches way above its weight class in terms of dramatic tension, there is always the hanging feeling of knowing how this all turns out. Luckily, Maras’ placement of the Omaha Beach landings at the end of the film offers a new layer of context. Our eyes are no longer solely fixated on the ground as men lay dying; they also look to the sky in gratitude for the tolerable weather that was afforded to them. Produced by Working Title Films and distributed by Focus Features, the makers of such prestige fare like Darkest Hour , The Danish Girl , and Mary Queen of Scots , Pressure looks and sounds just as commanding as its subject. Volker Bertelmann’s charging score is mightily similar to Conclave , which is almost exactly what I said about A House of Dyanmite just last fall. Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Focus Features will release Pressure in theaters nationwide on May 29th. More Reviews Disclosure Day June 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Masters of the Universe June 2, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Power Ballad May 27, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Obsession May 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen