Dream Log

THE BRIDE!

2026 | Dir. Maggie Gyllenhaal | 126 Minutes

3 out of 5

Bold, disjointed, raucous, and bizarre, Maggie Gyllenhaal's takes the shotgun approach to reassembling Bride of Frankenstein with mixed results. When it hits, it's a rather brilliant primal scream of uninhibited feminist rage. When it doesn't, it's a fascinatingly muddled rant that struggles for coherence. Christian Bale is perfectly cast as the infamous lonely Creature. Unsurprisingly, Jessie Buckley is phenomenal as the titular Bride and the ghost of Mary Shelley(?!).

GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON'T DIE

2026 | Dir. Gore Verbinski | 134 Minutes

5 out of 5

A bold and wildly entertaining swing-for-the-fences sci-fi satire delivering striking imagery that's as inspired as it is wacky courtesy of Gore Verbinski. It's incredibly broad at points, but in that way it's sadly mostly a spot-on reflection of the collective technological hellscape of contemporary times. Playing a depressed young woman with a peculiar allergy, Haley Lu Richardson stands out among the exceptional ensemble cast led by the reliably funny Sam Rockwell.

SEND HELP

2026 | Dir. Sam Raimi | 113 Minutes

4 out of 5

A hilarious tale of survival in the wilderness as only Sam Raimi could deliver, rife with viscera, wild camerawork, and pitch dark humor. While the narrative's social commentary isn't remarkably deep, the plot isn't afraid to go take a few disturbing and unconventional turns. Dylan O'Brien is simply too convincing as a privileged asshole, while Rachel McAdams absolutely shines as a put-upon woman finding her power and striving to keep it by any means necessary.

28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE

2026 | Dir. Nia DaCosta | 109 Minutes

4 out of 5

Both viscerally and intellectually captivating, Nia DaCosta shepherds the 28 Years Later Trilogy through gut-wrenching brutality into a fascinating future rich with possibility. It further explores the post-rage-virus-apocalypse in some truly interesting ways, and it's a damn good character-driven horror movie in its own right. Though Spike's harrowing odyssey takes a bit of a narrative backseat, young Alfie Williams is immediately sympathetic as is supporting player Erin Kellyman, while the emotional core of this picture is made up of phenomenal performances from a soulful Ralph Fiennes, a terrifying Jack O'Connell, and Chi Lewis-Parry who gives Alpha Infected Samson a remarkable amount of nuance.

AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH
2025 | Dir. James Cameron | 197 Minutes
4 out of 5
For better or worse, Avatar: Fire and Ash is essentially The Way of Water Part 2, not so much a brand new chapter in Cameron's epic sci-fi saga as it is a direct continuation of the previous installment, treading a whole lot of familiar ground. That is not to say the visual splendor and spectacular action set pieces aren't awesome (the final battle set against the backdrop of a treacherous magnetic field is particularly incredible), but the novelty of yet another extended stay on Pandora is somewhat diminished. Devotees will savor the fascinating world-building and game-changing possibilities introduced in this picture, while more discerning audiences may be frustrated with its well-worn plot and how it doesn't utilize these new concepts to their full potential. Playing the dual antagonists, Stephen Lang as the increasingly complex Colonel Quaritch and Oona Chaplin as the totally unhinged leader of the Ash People steal the entire show. 

O Agente Secreto (The Secret Agent)

O AGENTE SECRETO (THE SECRET AGENT)
2025 | Dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho | 161 Minutes

"We need to protect what we still have."

In 1977, a former professor travels to Recife during the carnival holiday. He plans to flee Brazil with his young son, but not before making a desperate attempt to retrieve government files on his late mother to preserve his fleeting memory of her. Meanwhile, a powerful enemy from his past is determined to see him dead.

Authentically staged and filmed to visually resemble a 1970s political thriller, the subject of Kleber Mendonça Filho's The Secret Agent is far from a cunning spy but he must conduct himself like one while under constant threat in a world turned upside down. The picture disturbingly depicts the casual tyranny of the Brazilian military dictatorship active during its period setting through the normalized corrupt behavior of local policemen as well as hired assassins carrying about their business openly. Though it often plays like a romp, with a wealth of snappy dialogue and skewering humor, the palpable paranoia that lingers on nearly every frame exudes an inescapable feeling of stifling unease.

The plot of The Secret Agent is relatively clear cut though the unconventional structure of the picture is anything but, presenting events and ideas through a rather tangled design. Mendonça Filho takes the viewer on several intriguing detours that offer exposition and context in ways that are both enlightening and amusing. Notably, the audience surrogate, a history student in the present day researching the protagonist Armando, isn't revealed until the very end of the first act, and the infrequent cuts back to her at moments of rising tension serve as reminders that while the events of the story already transpired decades ago, they are as vivid and relevant as ever, perennially worthy of reexamination. The feature truly comes alive during its more fantastical interludes, with stand-out sequences that include a dramatization of the absurd "hairy leg" news articles reporting brutal attacks on queer people carried out by a severed appendage and Aramndo's surreal nightmare blending striking imagery from throughout the film at the top of the third act. The stylish camerawork and vibrant color palette of the picture are perfectly complemented by excellent setting-appropriate needle-drops.

Wagner Moura is outstanding as Armando, naturally charming and convincingly embodying a principled man on the crossroads of history, attempting to recover his past and secure his future under the most precarious circumstances. In addition to capably carrying the narrative in the lead role, Moura also plays Armando's son Fernando in the picture's epilogue, delivering a performance that is impressively completely different from his Armando in tone and demeanor. Standing out among the supporting cast are Robério Diógenes as the despicable oafish police chief Euclides, Carlos Francisco as Armando's venerable father-in-law Alexandre, and Tânia Maria as the rather badass former anarcho-communist Dona Sebastiana.

Rather than overtly lecturing viewers on the evils of authoritarianism, The Secret Agent accentuates the strangeness of living in deeply troubling times. Through his protagonist, Mendonça Filho demonstrates that it takes bravery to stand up for what's right in order to pave the way to a future with "less mischief." The tragic truth is that not everyone will make it to that future, and it would behoove those that remain to study their history or risk forgetting it entirely.


FRAGMENTS
- My first exposure to Wagner Moura was his engaging portrayal of Pablo Escobar on Narcos, and while I was already impressed with his performance in that series I've grown to really appreciate his range as an actor in films like Alex Garland's Civil War and this film

- Prolific German character actor Udo Kier, who previously starred as a detestable villain in Mendonça Filho's Bacurau, makes his final screen appearance in this film in one memorable scene playing a Jewish Holocaust survivor who the idiotic police chief mistakes for a Nazi fugitive

- The plot appropriately references Jaws and The Omen, both films from the 1970s that reflected the anxieties of the time through a fantastical lens

One Battle After Another

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
2025 | Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson | 162 Minutes

"You know what freedom is? No fear. Just like Tom fucking Cruise."

The former a bomb-maker for the far-left revolutionary group the French 75, Bob Ferguson lives a seemingly over-cautious life with his teenage daughter Willa. When a formidable enemy from the past discovers their current whereabouts, the ex-rebel finds he is woefully unprepared to protect his girl.

Inspired by Thomas Pynchon's 1990 satirical novel Vineland, Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another depicts a world in which the influence of organized bigotry reaches alarmingly far and the struggling opposition is undermined by pettiness and division. The film's duo protagonists caught in the conflict consist of former revolutionary Bob who is hilariously too drunk and stoned to keep up with the times and headstrong teenager Willa who is suddenly forced to learn hard truths about her place in the context of history. Both characters serve as fitting analogs respectively representing the previous and current generations of those who oppose fascism in a reasonably grounded way, stripped of any glorification or romanticism. The pacing of the picture is relentless, from its extended prologue detailing the radical actions of the far-left revolutionary group and their eventual dissolution to its prolonged epic car chase finale. While the plot tends to meander, the picture is consistently engaging, and every story thread weaves together impeccably by its highly satisfying conclusion.

Shot on 35mm film using VistaVision cameras, cinematographer Michael Bauman's work on One Battle After Another is absolutely stunning. The oner tracking Bob as he makes his way through Sensei Sergio's refuge for undocumented immigrants as they prepare to evacuate the city is impressively complicated but incredibly inventive and executed concisely. The sequence leads to a visually striking evening rooftop flight backlit by city and police lights as protestors and cops clash on the streets below. The chase sequence in the finale is staged elegantly, as Willa is pursued by a cold-blooded killer and Bob struggles to catch up, each shot of desolate highway keeps the viewer at the edge of their seat in anxious anticipation of what awaits down the road.

Amusingly pitiful and pitifully amusing, Leonardo DiCaprio delivers yet another performance worthy of acclaim as burnt-out retired revolutionary Bob. Chase Infiniti is captivating as young Willa, convincingly clever and tough in her film debut. As the hateful colonel, Sean Penn is at his most believably despicable, face locked in a pained snarl while he trots along with a distinct gait as if he literally has a stick deeply lodged up his rectum. Though she only briefly appears is the picture, Teyana Taylor's presence is strong and unforgettable embodying complex force of nature Perfidia Beverly Hills. As his coolest, Benicio del Toro also turns in memorable performance as the calm and collected wise sensei and family friend who always has a contingency plan in his back pocket.

One Battle After Another is a harrowing journey through a deeply troubling vision of America (that might as well be tomorrow if the country stays its baffling course). While there are plenty of genuinely funny moments throughout, nearly all of the levity comes at the expense of the ex-rebel's failure to keep up with increasingly confusing circumstances due to years of constant self-medication. It's grim, but the picture offers hope by demonstrating how those who keep a level head will stick around long enough to see the next battle.


FRAGMENTS
- The idiotic division amongst the revolutionaries as depicted in the film, best exemplified by the fraught communication between Bob and Comrade Josh as they argue over passwords, reminds me of how Jin Yong depicts the rather ineffectual rebellion against the Qing Dynasty in his satirical wuxia novel The Deer and the Cauldron

- It seems absurd but totally believable for the white supremacist secret society to be Christmas-themed

- Kevin Tighe makes a brief appearance as the leader of the white supremacist secret society, but I'll always remember him as John Locke's asshole father on Lost


007 CONNECTIONS
- Benicio del Toro (Dario in Licence to Kill)


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Wood Harris (Officer Gale in Ant-Man)

- Benicio del Toro (Taneleer Tivan in Thor: The Dark World, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Avengers: Infinity War)

Marty Supreme

MARTY SUPREME
2025 | Dir. Josh Safdie | 150 Minutes

"I have a purpose. You don't. And if you think that's some kind of blessing, it's not. It puts me at a huge life disadvantage. It means I have an obligation to see a very specific thing through, and with that obligation comes sacrifice. Okay?"

Marty Mauser dreams of winning the world table tennis championship, and he will allow nothing to get in the way of his dream.

While the basic premise of Marty Supreme fits into the mold of a standard inspirational sports drama, Josh Safdie instead delivers a wild and kinetic character study on an unrelenting narcissist. The film opens by introducing Marty Mouser as a convincingly charming and determined ping-pong savant with a penchant for bending the truth, but the second act of the film is the actual frantic heart of the picture. In a desperate attempt to raise funds for another shot at glory, Marty astoundingly compounds bad decision upon bad decision and brings about a rather shocking amount of indiscriminate mayhem, death, and destruction to everyone in his sphere of influence. That Marty in actuality already ruined his chances of competing again in an official capacity should come as no surprise as it is inevitably revealed in the final third of the picture, his extreme refusal to compromise loops back around as self-sabotage. The narrative reiterates over and over that its protagonist will stop at nothing to pursue his dreams, and ruining the lives of virtually everyone who crosses paths his path is acceptable collateral damage as far as he's concerned, from dangerous criminals to the people who love and support him. Marty Supreme would be a real slog to sit through if its star and the escalation of pure chaos weren't so mesmerizing.

For all of its comical bedlam, Marty Supreme does offer some entertaining table tennis action, particularly in its opening and closing acts. Cinematographer Darius Khondji shoots these sequences with as much dynamic energy as the intense bursts of violence throughout the middle section of the picture. Visually, the entire film looks authentic to its 1950s setting courtesy of excellent work from production designer Jack Fisk, though numerous 1980s pop hit needle-drops gives the general vibe of the feature a fascinating discordant quality, perhaps suggesting Marty's misguided ambition is decades ahead of his time.

As the insanely driven table tennis whiz kid and pathological liar, Timothée Chalamet would be totally insufferable if he weren't so captivatingly committed to the part. Chalamet's charisma is undeniable and he plays the role of Marty to perfection that the viewer may alternately vicariously enjoy his fleeting success or revel in his comeuppance. Playing Marty's hopelessly devoted paramour Rachel, Odessa A'zion is as heartbreaking as she is, perhaps appropriately, aggravating. Tyler Okonma delivers a naturally affable performance as Marty's best friend and fellow table tennis hustler Wally, sharing excellent on-screen chemistry with Chamalet. In the role of washed-up movie star Kay Stone, Gwyneth Paltrow plays a specific aura of graceful jadedness incredibly well. Real-life millionaire blowhard Kevin O'Leary is perfectly cast as Kay's wealthy husband, fitting as Marty's would-be benefactor who doesn't hold back from laying the boy low when presented with the opportunity. The supporting cast also features stand-out work from Luke Manley as Marty's enthusiastic impressionable supporter Dion, Emory Cohen as Rachel's short-tempered husband, Géza Röhrig as Marty's Hungarian table tennis champion colleague Bela, Koto Kawaguchi as deaf Japanese rival Endo, and Abel Ferrara as a lowkey terrifying criminal.

Chaotic, nerve-wracking, and thoroughly engaging, it's an entertaining illustration of the high cost of pursuing dreams for those who refuse to compromise to the ruin of all. The manner in which bad situations exponentially escalate in this narrative is, in a word, bonkers. What represents Marty best is not the gimmicky custom orange ping-pong ball that he so wishes to be his trademark but a relentless destructive wrecking ball. The devastation it leaves behind demands attention.


FRAGMENTS
- Josh Safdie's brother and frequent collaborator Benny Safdie directed The Smashing Machine in 2025, another unconventional sports drama centered on a promising athlete's fall to obscurity, though Marty Supreme is objectively a much, much better picture 

- That poor, poor dog

- I honestly did not recognize Penn Jillette as the antisemitic gun-totaling farmer


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame) 

Hamnet

HAMNET
2025 | Dir. Chloé Zhao | 126 Minutes

"I shall be one of father's players."

 

Free-spirited Agnes Hathaway falls in love with aspiring playwright William Shakespeare, and while their union is met with opposition from their respective families, they happily start a family together. However, Shakespeare's frequent travels to London frustrate Agnes as she is left alone to care for their children. When terrible tragedy strikes, Agnes fails to understand how Shakespeare is able to carry on with his work -- until she attends the premiere of his latest play.

Adapted from Maggie O'Farrell's 2020 novel of the same name by writer/director Chloé Zhao and O'Farrell herself, Hamnet is a beautifully filmed exceptionally moving drama. The narrative takes viewers on a tumultuous soul-stirring journey, chronicling the courtship of William Shakespeare and Agnes Hathaway, the births of their children, the devastating loss of their boy Hamnet, and the first performance of Shakespeare's Hamlet all from Agnes' point of view. Brilliantly directed by Zhao with a powerful performance from lead Jessie Buckley, the film is a remarkably emotionally accessible exploration of the challenges of being in a relationship with an artist and how grief may be channeled into lasting works of art.

Cinematographer Łukasz Żal skillfully captures lush green landscapes in natural lighting that immerse the audience in Agnes' paganistic world, while he delicately illuminates interior night scenes to emulate period-accurate lamplight, dark shadows particularly accentuating the most fraught and tragic moments of film. Production Designer Fiona Crombie delivers fine work, authentically recreating the look and feel of the setting in addition to creating a believably lived-in replica the Globe Theatre. Composer Max Richter's score is fine, but while the use of his famous work "On The Nature Of Daylight" strikes with surgical precision during the finale, it may jolt those who associate the piece with other cinematic works right out of the picture.

As Agnes delivering her finest work yet, Jessie Buckley gives a natural, bold, and versatile performance, seemingly effortless in the way she draws sympathy from the audience. While slightly leaning into tortured artist cliches, Paul Mescal is appropriately convincing as Shakespeare. Emily Watson makes the most out of what amounts to a stock character role as Shakespeare's initially disapproving eventually empathetic mother Mary. Jacobi Jupe nearly stealing the entire production as little Hamnet, utterly lovable playing the sweet and spirited little boy which proportionately makes the eventual passing of the child all the more tragic.

Conveying love, loss, and catharsis with incredible depth and clarity of emotion, Hamnet is a complete showcase of Chloé Zhao's mastery of cinematic craft. Sections of the feature are so affecting that the experience is akin to a full-on assault on the hearts of the audience. Jessie Buckley is undeniably excellent in the lead role and young Jacobi Jupe's heart-rending breakout performance is magnificent.


FRAGMENTS
- 2026 Best Picture Academy Award Nominee Sentimental Value also depicts the pursuit of personal catharsis specifically through theatrical artistic expression

- In a quirky bit of casting, Noah Jupe plays the actor who plays Hamlet, the role that was inspired by Hamnet played by his younger brother Jacobi Jupe

- Paul Mescal's tearful recitation of the beginning the Hamlet soliloquy over the Thames is a bit on-the-nose

- Memorably featured in Denis Villeneuve's Arrival among countless films and television shows, "On The Nature Of Daylight" was originally released on composer Max Richter's second album The Blue Notebooks, a protest album against the 2003 American invasion of Iraq