Toy Story 5

When "Toy Story" was released back in 1995, being Pixar Animation Studios' first feature film and the first animated film computer generated, who knew it would become the franchise it has become? For years, Pixar's record for making well written and produced films was unprecedented financially and for quality until a few years ago when they started going woke and was evident in their films. So, because of the public out cry, they soon realized that to continue with profiting, they dropped the wokism and we now have "Toy Story 5".

The toys are back in Disney and Pixar's "Toy Story 5", and this time it's Toy meets Tech. Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack) and rest of the gang's jobs are challenged when they come face-to-face with Lilipad (Greta Lee), a brand new tablet device that arrives with her own disruptive ideas about what is best for their kid, Bonnie (Scarlett Spears). Will playtime ever be the same? The gang needs help, so with the assistance of Smarty Pants (Conan O'Brien), Snappy (Shelby Rabara), and others, it's a calculated adventure to sway Bonnie back to playing with toys as opposed to staring at a computer screen. 

Others to round out the cast are Mykal-Michelle Harris as Blaze, Lori Alan as Bonnie's mom, Jay Hernandez as Bonnie's dad, Bonnie Hunt as Dolly, Tony Hale as Forky, Wallace Shawn as Rex, John Ratzenberger as Hamm, Ernie Hudson as Combat Carl, Craig Robinson as Atlas, Jeff Bergman as Mr. Potato Head, Blake Clark as Slinky Dog, Annie Potts as Bo Peep and Keanu Reeves as Duke Caboom. 

This was brilliantly directed with heart and grit by veteran to Pixar Andrew Stanton ("A Bug's Life" (co-director) '98, "Finding Nemo" '03, "WALL-E" '08, "John Carter" '12, "Finding Dory" '16, "In the Blink of an Eye" '26) plus TV and shorts. During the short time that Pixar lost its bearings during their woke period, Pixar attempted to have different directors and writers for their projects, with Pete Docter, Stanton, Lee Ulnkrich and others to produce , but that obviously failed. These guys aren't producers, they're artists, So, here we are with Stanton back and also co-wrote this as well. The public knows what they like, and with this, it will surely profit. The sequencing, pacing and staging were consummate.It was also co-directed by McKenna Harris who has done some other work of Pixar's, and definitely had pivotal input for this. It was equally written well by Andrew Stanton ("Toy Story" '95, "A Bug's Life" '98, "Toy Story 2" '99, "Monsters, Inc." '01, "Finding Nemo" '03, "WALL-E" '08, "Toy Story 3" '10, "John Carter" '12, "Finding Dory" '16, "Toy Story 4" '19) plus TV, shorts, videos and video games, and McKenna Harris (2 shorts), based on a story by Andrew Stanton. This was an ingenious progression in that one of the issues kids are having today is their addiction to technology at an even earlier age than even five years ago. So, it's a battle between the toys and computers to fight for kids' attention. Brilliant! And Stanton pulls it off effortlessly as with his other scripts. Certainly Harris has pivotal input here, by it's undoubtedly Stanton, having the lion's share of the experience here, who's showcasing what he does best at Pixar. The continuity and cohesiveness were remarkable, and he definitely knows what people like, and he also carries a great message with his stories--not only can kids go back to their toys, but in the process, toys and tech can actually work together. 

If you like the other 'Toy Story' flicks, you'll love this! It has warmth, heart, adventure, humor, and grit all rolled up in a well delineated story that will have you cheering by film's end. If you like a different version than standard, it's also presented in a 3D and IMAX format as well. I've said it before and I'll say it again: how do those guys at Pixar do it?

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                                 Rated: PG                                          102mins.

The Breadwinner

When I was viewing my first trailer of "The Breadwinner", after about 20 seconds, I was thinking of the film, "Mr. Mom" 1983 with Michel Keaton and Teri Garr. Now, while the reason of mom going back into the workforce differs, the fact that the dad is totally incompetent is both films rings true. Certainly if you liked "Mr. Mom", you'll like this.

Starring comedian Nate Bargatze as salesman Nate Wilcox and Mandy Moore as his wife, Katie. To Nate and their three children, Gracie (Stella Grace Fitzgerald), Hadley (Birdie Borria) and  Sam (Charlotte Ann Tucker), Katie is the ultimate mom--she manages their comically chaotic household with equal parts efficiency and love, and everything runs perfectly. But when Katie's household invention leads to a once-in-a-lifetime deal on Shark Tank and takes her on a prolonged business trip, Nate has to figure out how to keep the house from (literally) falling apart. He and his kids soon learn that while he may not do it like mom, he can figure out how to do it his way. Welcome to the dad era. 

Others to round out the cast are Colin Jost as Conor Ashford, Zach Cherry as Dan, Nate's boss, Martin Herlihy as Peter, Kumail Nanjiani as Peyton, Will Forte as Keegan, Brett Cullen as Walter Wilcox, Nate's dad, Kate Berlant as Angela Ashford and Lori Grenier as herself from Shark Tank.

This was effectively directed with humor and compassion by Eric Appel ("Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" '22, "Die Hart" '23) plus TV, TV movies, shorts and videos. This fillmmaker may not have an extensive array of feature films to his credits, but his extensive list of TV, shorts and videos has certainly served him well. His ability to stage and pace is amazing and the sequencing in this is dissected well. It is penned well by Nate Bargatze (TV) and Dan Lagana ("Right Hand Guy" (TV movie) '16, "The Babysitter: Killer Queen" '20, "Christmas with the Campbells" '22, "Musica" '24) plus TV. While "Mr. Mom" was written in a way that the jokes were funny and heartfelt, this film seemed to convey the jokes in a somewhat forced way, along with the fact that some of these jokes were as humorous as with "Mr.Mom". Even though Bargatze has a fair amount of TV experience, being a standup comic isn't quite the same as leading the cast in a film. Was it a wash? Of course not. It had a number of funny moments, especially when they were on the show Shark Tank. Obviously these sharks were given lines so as to basically play themselves, so it was like a parody of themselves and that was quite funny. I'm not sure if John Hughes, writer of "Mr. Mon" would've approved of this film, but this was a nice attempt of a classic film. 

As aforementioned, if you like "Mr.Mom", you will certainly find this appealing. It would've been more effective to have someone similar to Michael Keaton in it, but Nate Bargatze definitely gave it the best he could. All in all, it was a nice way to spend an hour and three-quarters just to have a funny laugh, and we could all use that right about now. 

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                           Rated: PG                                       109mins.

Disclosure Day

Through the decades, director Steven Spielberg Has had a fascination with aliens or those from other worlds, i.e. "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" 1977, "E.T. The Extra Terrestrial" 1982, even producing "War of the Worlds" 2005, so it should be no surprise that he would tackle this same subject matter with "Disclosure Day"

This science-fiction film about a whistle blower, Dr. Daniel Kellner (Josh O'Connor) and a meteorologist, Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) who become entangled in a conspiracy involving government cover-ups of alien contact headed up by Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth). The film is a return to the UFO genre for Spielberg , blending a chase thriller with themes of government secrecy and societal reaction to extraterrestrial life. If you found out we weren't alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? With this film, the truth belongs to eight billion people. Today is...Disclosure Day.

Others to round out the cast are Colman Domingo as Hugo Wakefield, Eve Hewson as Jane Blankenship, Wyatt Russell as Jackson, Henry Lloyd-Hughes as Casper Boyd, Elizabeth Marvel as Sister Maura, Hettienne Park as Serena, Tommy Martinez as Santiago, Gabby Beans as Angela Childs and Jeremy Shamos as Claypool. 

This was brilliantly directed with suspense and grit by the incomparable Steven Spielberg ("Duel" (TV movie) '71, "Jaws" '75, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" '81, "The Color Purple" '85, "Hook" '91, "Jurassic Park" '93, "Schindler's List" '93, "Saving Private Ryan" '98, "Minority Report" '02, "The Terminal" '04, "Munich" '05, "War Horse" '11, "Lincoln" '12, "The BFG" '16, "Ready Player One" '18, "The Fabelmans" '22) plus many other films,  TV movies, TV, shorts,and  videos. This, as with all of Spielberg's past projects, is directed with conciseness and precision one feels as though they are simply watching people live their lives--it's that realistic. His staging and pacing are spot on. It was cleverly written by seasoned writer, David Koepp ("Apartment Zero" '88, "Death Becomes Her"'92, "Jurassic Park" '93, "The Paper" '94, "Mission: Impossible" '96, "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" '97, "Panic Room"'02, "Spider-Man" '02, "War of the Worlds" '05, "Zathura" '05, "Premium Rush" '12, "Inferno" '16, "Presence" '24, "Jurassic World: Rebirth" '25) plus many other films, TV, video games and a short. Obviously Koepp has proved himself as the writer he is, and the fact that he has collaborated with Spielberg several times before, certainly showcases his credibility. The cohesiveness and delineation of one scene to the next was compelling. There were a couple of places of continuity issues (can't mention them lest there be a spoiler alert), but all in all the script was spot on. And the cinematography by Janusz Kaminski, basically Spielberg's cinematographer, was stunning. Incredible that John Williams has created yet another score for a film considering he's 94 years old, and working yet again with Spielberg. 

Interesting that the aliens in this were not aggressive as with other films of the same genre, but it is interesting that the bible does say, "Satan is the ruler and power of this earth", and since Satan is the epitome of evil, then one could conclude that beyond the earth places wouldn't be tainted by evil. Of course, Satan only has the power he does by God's permission--it's called free will in who we will follow., but outside this planet, if aliens exist, they should be docile. Anyway, enough said. If you like that up close and personal feel, it is presented in an IMAX format as well. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                           Rated: PG-13                                   146mins.

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Masters of the Universe

Well,you know we're now into the summer film season what with "Masters of the Universe" in our midst. Summer is typically fraught with big-budget and animated films to woo those kids and teenagers, fresh out of school, into the multiplex. And what a better way to spend part of the summer than with a comic book film. 

In "Masters of the Universe", this franchise is brought back to the big screen in this epic live-action adventure. After being separated for 15 years, the Sword of Power leads Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) back to Eternia where he discovers his home shattered under the fiendish rule of Skeletor (Jared Leto). To save his family and his world, Adam must join forces with his closest allies, Teela (Camila Mendes) and Duncan/Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), and embrace his true identity as He-Man--the most powerful man in the universe. 

Others to round out the cast are Johannes Haukur Johannesson as Fisto, Jon Xue Zhang as Ram Man, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Sam C. Wilson as Trap Jaw, Charlotte Riley as Queen Marlena, James Purefoy as King Randor, Morena Baccarin as the Sorceress, Kristen Wiig as voice of Roboto and Christiaan Bettridge as Dian.

This was directed with grit and explosiveness by Travis Knight ("Kubo and the Two Strings" '16, "Bumblebee" '18). This filmmaker doesn't have an extensive resume, however he has proven himself with just the two films. Certainly, helming a multi-faceted big-budget film isn't an easy task, but Knight carries it off with relative ease. His staging and pacing is amazing. He does have three films coming down the road, and if you like his style, his "Six Billion Dollar Man", although has no known production slated, should be awesome, and his "Wildwood" is in post production. This was interestingly written by Chris Butler, Aaron Nee and Adam Nee and Dave Callaham, based on a story by Aaron Nee & Adam Nee and Alex Litvak and Michael Finch, which is based on "Masters of the Universe" by Mattel. It's interesting that David Callaham received the least billing of the writing credits considering he has the lion's share of the screenplay. But, Butler and Aaron Nee and Adam Nee are more connected with the director, Knight, so that must've had something to do with it, and certainly, Callaham might have given these other writers center stage since he already has considerable experience. Over all, this was better than I ever thought it would be--the trailer really didn't sell me, and I thought it was a bit cheesy, but, since I have no experience with knowledge of this franchise, it was made to be a bit cheesy I was told. And it was a bit long-in-the-tooth, and it could've been edited about 10 minutes from the final cut. But otherwise, this script was impactful and kept you moving through a vast amount of this. And the visual effects predominantly designed by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic) and Double Negative, were incredible and were in your face, but considering this was meant to be a bit cheesy, this would be permissible. 

Certainly, if you like comic book films, or more to the point, the Masters of the Universe franchise, you'll love this. And, as long as it makes a ton of money, wait through the end credits, because there will be a sequel. I know, what a shock! But, it's an entertaining way to spend a couple hours  for a summer afternoon.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                                Rated: PG-13                                               140mins.

Power Ballad

Usually films about srongwriters are typically based on a true story about real writers or performers, however "Power Ballad" is created out of pure fiction which makes it truly intriguing. Certainly when it comes to songwriters and performers, many aspects of what occurred in this has happened in true life, so it did come across of a film based on real life. 

When Rick Power (Paul Rudd), a past-his-prime wedding singer, meets fading boy-band star Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas) during a gig, the two bond over music and a late-night jam session. But when Danny turns one of Rick's songs into the hit that reignites his career, Rick sets out to reclaim the recognition he believes he deserves--even if it means risking everything he cares about. "Power Ballad" is a feel good story about music, self-respect, friendship, and the price of ambition. 

Others to round out the cast are Peter McDonald as Sandy, Rory Keenan as Binzer, Paul Reid as Bernie, Keith McErlean as Kyle, Emma Rose Creaner as Claire, Rick's wife, Beth Fallon as Aja, Jack Reynor as Mac, Havana Rose Lui as Marcia and Robert Mitchell as George.

This was directed with grit, sequencing and an impressive amount of harmony when it came to the chemistry between Rudd and Jonas by John Carney ("November Afternoon" '96, "Park" '99, "On the Edge" '01, "Once" '06, "Zonad" '09, "The Rafters" '12, "Begin Again" '13, "Sing Street" '16, "Flora and Son" '23) plus TV, a TV movie and a short. Clearly this filmmaker has an impressive resume of work, so obviously he was able to put this film together with quality all the while being able to induce an interesting yet compelling story. Carney is from Ireland, so it's no surprise that this was shot in that country. It was equally well penned by writers John Carney (See above resume). and Peter McDonald ("The Bachelor Weekend" '13) plus TV and shorts. Certainly Carney has the lion's share of the experience here, however McDonald definitely had clever input, especially him playing one of Rick's friends and pulled it off well. These filmmakers, being from Ireland are truly talented in their respective positions and would be interested in seeing more work from them. The only aspect I can see that maybe was touted to high was that this actually ends bitter-sweetly, instead of being a film that will cause all to stand up and cheer. Actually, its ending turned out more poignant than otherwise, but when you're expecting a certain ending and it doesn't happen, it seems, at first, somewhat of a letdown. 

As aforementioned, this film's ending was not only poignant, but it was actually realistic which made it a film that will continue to make you think well after the end credits roll. I'm actually glad it didn't end with a nice bow at the end. And the chemistry between Rudd and Jonas was incredible, and a film performance I've not seen from Rudd that was Oscar worthy.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                     Rated: R                                       108mins.

Tuner

When one thinks of a safecracking or heist type film, they often think of "Ocean's Eleven" 2001 or maybe "The Italian Job" 2003. These were high-end heist type films, so when a small gang of robbers decide to break into a safe and can't, who do they contact? Safecrackers are us?

Niki White (Leo Woodall), who is a gifted young piano tuner, who happens to suffer from hyperacusis, a heightened sense of hearing which makes hearing too loud of noises causes a detrimental backlash, draws the attention of criminals, who see his talents as useful for opening safes as well as for tuning Steinways. With his once promising musical career over, he works across New York with his mentor Harry Horowitz (Dustin Hoffman), encountering an array of characters , including composition student Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu), with whom he forges an unexpected connection. Niki's safecracking work threatens his budding romance with Ruthie and pulls him into increasingly dangerous territory.

Others to round out the cast are Lior Raz as Uri, Tovah Feldshuh as Marla Horowitz, Harry's wife, Gil Cohen as Yoni, Nissan Sakira as Benny, Jean Reno as Maestro Marius Maissner, Jean Yoon as Dr. Madeline Richard and David Reale as Travis Conway.

This was brilliantly sequenced, staged and paced incredibly by director Daniel Roher ("Ghosts of Our Forest" '17, "Once Were Brothers" '19, "Navalny" '22, "Blink" '24, "The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist" '26) plus TV and shorts. The cohesiveness, fluidity and sequencing of this filmmaker is stunning and with every film he directs, he only gets more accomplished. If you like his style, his "Positano" is being filmed as of present. It was equally delineated well by writers Daniel Roher ("Once Were Brothers" '19) plus shorts and Robert Ramsey ("Destiny Turns on the Radio" '95, "Life" '99, "Big Trouble" '02, "Intolerable Cruelty" '03, "Man of the House" '05, "Soul Men" '08) plus TV and a video. Even though Roher has only one other feature film credit, Ramsey certainly made up the difference. These two writers are truly consummate and am curious to see any film by either of them. And, of course, the acting by Leo Woodall was incredible and has quite a future in film. His performance in "Nuremberg" in 2025 was riveting. And supporting actors, Hoffman, Feldshuh and Raz were strong and credible. 

This film has it all, adventure, drama, humor and redemption all rolled up in a slickly done film to please all. The writing, directing, acting and cinematography by Lowell A. Meyer was enthralling as it was captivating.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                         Rated: R                                        108mins.

Pressure

We've all seen different strategies in which to plan an attack for a war, but how about a general in WWII hinging his attack prior to D-Day on a meteorologist report? Well, in "Pressure" this is what exactly happened to ensure the US attack toward the Germans at Normandy was successful.

In the seventy-two hours leading up to D-Day, all the pieces are in place except for one key element--the British weather. Britain's chief meteorologist officer Captain James Stagg (Andrew Scott) is called upon to deliver the most consequential forecast in history, locking him into a tense standoff with the entire Allied leadership. The wrong conditions could devastate the largest ever seaborne invasion, while any delay risks German intelligence catching on. With his only trusted aide Lieutenant Kay Summersby (Kerry Condon) to confide in, and haunted by a catastrophic D-Day rehearsal, the final decision rests with Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser). With only hours to go, the fate of the war and the lives of millions hang in the balance. 

Others to round out the cast are Chris Messina as Captain Irving Krick, Damian Lewis as Bernard 'Monty' Montgomery, Tamsin Topolski as Liz Stagg, James' wife, Con O'Neill as Air Marshal Leigh Mallory, Alexander Hanson as General Omar Bradley, Jojo Macari as Andrew Carter, Robert Portal as Admiral Bertram Ramsay, Joshua Hill as Casey and Toby Williams as Bryant. 

This film was brilliantly sequenced well by director Anthony Maras ("Hotel Mumbai" '18) plus shorts. Even though this filmmaker has limited feature film experience, his shorts has certainly served him well. It was concise, paced and staged well. Undoubtedly this director will assuredly receive more work. It was cleverly written by David Haig ("My Boy Jack" (TV movie) '07) and Anthony Maras ("Hotel Mumbai" '18) plus shorts, based on a play by David Haig. First of all, I had no idea that the attack on the Germans on D-Day hung on weather and if the weather was willing to work with the US or not, and secondly, this certainly made a unique and original premise on the entire war genre. The meteorologists were in a differing position of what kind of weather was to occur on June 6, 1944. It's no wonder that Haig was brought in to assist with the creation of the script since the film was based on his play and the tenseness and gut-wrenching emotions kept the audience on the edge of their seats. Really, other than a couple of small places of choppiness in script, this story was spot on. 

If you like the genre of war, you will love this, especially since the premise of this film is like nothing you've seen. The directing, acting, especially by Fraser and cinematography by Jamie Ramsay bsc/sacg was exquisite. It's like going back in time to a time that was fraught with uncertainty, but in other ways, was a much simpler time compared to our world today.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                       Rated:PG-13                                   100mins.