Here's what I watched and read this past week...
MOVIES
Disclosure Day (2026), directed by Steven Spielberg, is classic Spielberg with outstanding performances by Colin Firth, Josh O’Connor, Emily Blunt, and Colman Domingo. The score by John Williams is also amazing. There is a lot of great action, especially the train sequence. It is refreshing to see a new film that has a realist look. With that being said, the CGI effects sometimes didn’t blend well with the live action. I do miss the puppeteer days. Disclosure Day is not as great as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but the movie is definitely worth seeing, especially for its theme of empathy and its big action sequences.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), directed by Steven Spielberg, is one of my top films of all time, and one I watch ever year. I also teach it for sound studies in my intro to film course. I could write a whole post about the film’s sound and cinematography . The first time the aliens visit Barry’s house is a great example of the creative use of off-screen sound. Roy building Devil’s Tower in his living room while the television plays in the foreground is a great of example of how the long take can create an active spectatorship. Lastly, the special effects are amazing. It is a must-see film.
Di’Anno: Iron Maiden’s Lost Singer (2026), directed by Wes Orshosk, is a tough documentary to watch on Iron Maiden’s legendary singer from the first two albums. Yet, I found it to be very engaging. Although, the surgery scene was a little tough to watch.
200 Cigarettes (1999), directed by Risa Bramon Garcia. I always enjoy web of life narratives. It had been a while since I’ve seen the film, and I think it still holds up as a fun 1990s film, with a great soundtrack. The ending is too neatly tied up for me. Val and Stephie’s New York accents also didn’t ring true (I say this as someone who has a New York accent). But overall, I enjoyed watching the film again.
Tokyo Story (1953), directed by Yasujirō Ozu, is his masterpiece and a great film of world cinema. Ozu has a very distinct style of filmmaking. His films are paced leisurely, emphasizing dailiness. Today, this would be referred to as slow cinema. Ozu is also known for his depiction of 360-degree space. A great classic Japanese film.
TV
We finished watching Legends, which is a fantastic miniseries. The acting and writing are outstanding. The first episode starts off slow, but afterwards, you will be hooked. The fact that this is based on a true story is unbelievable.
I started watching The Wonder Years again. This was a popular series when I was in high school. A little over ten years ago, I binged-watched the entire series. It is one of those older television shows that did a great job of balancing serialization and episodic storytelling. I love the episode when Kevin goes to work with his father in the first season. A great nostalgia show, with a good soundtrack. It is streaming on Hulu.
I just discovered there are new Regular Show episodes on Hulu. It’s always fun to watch Mordecai and Rigby.
BOOKS
I am currently finishing Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. I’ve seen the movie before, so I am familiar with the story. So far, this is an amazing book, with six nested narratives.
