Gran Turismo (2023)

Gran Turismo is a film based on a video game based on the sport of racing. This had everything going against it since sports movies especially car movies can bomb, and it's a video game movie.

Only a handful of directors, Neill Blomkamp including, could pull this movie off. You might know him from District 9, Elysium, and Chappie. There are some transitions to remind you that everything is based on the video game and that it's also based on a true story. Who knows how much is actually true as I'm not that deep into Formula 1 and other major racing.

David Harbour of Stranger Things fame plays the coach for Orlando Bloom's test program where they take video gamers and try to see if their skill translates to the real world. Turns out it does when the simulation is pristine like Gran Turismo or Microsoft Flight Simulator. Not all simulations have real-world applications, for instance, The Sims doesn't make me a better human.

Archie Madekwe plays Jann Mardenborough the main character. You tend to want him to succeed and since there is a movie based on him you might think that he'll win in the end but perhaps not the way you might think for a typical sports movie. Madekwe has been in a movie you might not remember he was in, Midsommar.

This movie had no business being as good as it was. It could have passed by just being mediocre but I left thoroughly entertained and I really enjoyed the movie. A-

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Colony (2026)

Colony is written and directed by Yeon Sang-ho , the director behind the cult classic Train to Busan . While Train to Busan has become the more celebrated film, Colony shows how much Yeon has improved as both a writer and a director. The story is stronger, the filmmaking feels more confident, and the way he builds the world gives the movie more substance than I expected going in. Jun Ji-hyun is the clear standout of the cast. She does a fantastic job conveying emotion through subtle movements and expressions rather than relying on exaggerated acting. That is not surprising considering she is one of South Korea's best actresses, but she still manages to make the character feel grounded and believable. She carries much of the emotional weight of the film. I did not recognize many of the other actors, and unfortunately, none of them really stood out enough to make much of an impression. That is not necessarily a knock against the cast as much as it is a testament to how much Jun ...

Verity (2026)

Verity was a surprise for me. Normally, the authors who turn their books into movies that I actually enjoy are Stephen King or Michael Crichton , but Colleen Hoover has been doing surprisingly well with the last four movies adaptations from her work. One thing I appreciate about her writing is that she knows how to write male characters who aren't weak or simply there to be punching bags for feminist talking points. That alone makes the characters feel more believable and gives the story a better balance. Dakota Johnson plays an up and coming writer who is brought in to ghostwrite for Anne Hathaway's character. This is easily Johnson's best performance yet. She does a good job carrying the movie and making the character's uncertainty and curiosity believable as the mystery around the house starts to unfold. Anne Hathaway does not have a huge amount to do because of her character's condition, but whenever she is actually on screen, she brings the energy you wo...

Digger (2026)

Digger is directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and stars Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell. Much like his name, there is a lot of symbolism and meaning packed into the film, along with plenty of references that brought a smile to my face. I went into this expecting it to be pretentious or outright bad because that was the prevailing opinion online before general audiences had even had a chance to see it. Anyone calling this movie pretentious clearly has not seen The Death of Robin Hood or Die My Love . Die My Love was so pretentious that my wife actually begged me to leave the theater, and I had to finish it another day. Digger , on the other hand, actually understands the difference between being ambitious and simply being self-important. Tom Cruise is great as Digger Rockwell, giving the character exactly the kind of larger-than-life personality the movie needs. There is so much going on beneath the surface that I found myself constantly looking for the symbolism and references hidden...

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