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Verity review

VERITY: 

ANNE HATHAWAY AND DAKOTA JOHNSON ARE A GLAMOROUS TEAM-UP IN FRUSTRATING EROTIC-ISH THRILLER! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** out of 4

MGM

Anne Hathaway, Josh Hartnett, and Dakota Johnson in Verity

 

            You ever have one of those movies where the trailer does a phenomenal job getting you interested in the film only for it to be a big letdown? Yeah, that’s what I just went through when I saw Verity, an erotic psychological thriller from director Michael Showalter (Wet Hot American Summer, The Big Sick, The Eyes of Tammy Faye) based on the novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover of It Ends with Us fame.

            The trailer got my attention when I first saw it in front of, coincidentally, another 2026 Anne Hathaway movie, The Devil Wears Prada 2, and it looked like absolute madness. It didn’t say what the movie was about or who the characters are; all it showed was a steamy kiss between Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, with the latter suddenly becoming Anne Hathaway,y and all sorts of frightening things start to happen. 

            I had to know what this fucking movie was about after such an impactful trailer, and now that I’ve seen the film…I regret my life choices because it’s a major disappointment,t sadly. This is pretty low on my worst films of the year;r, it’s not Psycho Killer or Return to Silent Hill bad, and the movie starts off promising in the first half, but then it gets more and more stupid with an absolutely insulting twist ending. 

            The film follows author Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson-Fifty Shades trilogy, Black Mass, Materialists) living in New York City, struggling to find a wider audience for her work. When she’s approached by a publisher to finish a novel series from bestselling author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway-The Devil Wears Prada 1 and 2, The Dark Knight Rises, The Odyssey), who has become paralyzed and unable to move or speak after an accident, Lowen visits Verity’s home to finish the book, only to discover something terrifying is lurking in the house, and nobody believes her. 

            The film also stars Josh Hartnett (The Faculty, Sin City, The Bear) as Verity’s husband Jeremy Crawford, Ismael Cruz Córdova (The Good Wife, Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) as Corey, and Irina Dvorovenko (Flesh and Bone, The Blacklist, Power) as Anna. 

            Overall, Verity has a fascinating premise, and Hathaway and Johnson work well together; unfortunately, the film completely wastes their talents and its story on tired, erotic thriller beats and one of the most insane final notes I’ve ever seen in a movie, and not in a good way. I was with the movie enough in the beginning and found a lot of it pretty gripping, but as it kept going, it started losing its momentum and became a generic erotic thriller that hits all the notes you’d expect, even right down to lame twists: one predictable and the other completely stupid and confusing.

            The biggest problem with the movie was that it was set up like it was going to be the Black Swan of writing, with Johnson slowly going insane the more she sees Hathaway,y and that’s not what it is. Most of this movie is Johnson’s character reading about Verity via an unpublished autobiography manuscript, and the majority of those chilling scenes shown in the trailer are just dream sequences or short bursts during random scenes.

            Had the film actually gone that route throughout and not get lost halfway through, I think Verity could have been great. As is, it’s one of my biggest disappointments of the year and a complete waste of the talents both in front of and behind the camera. 

            I’ll give the movie credit that, for as much as it gets wrong, Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson are good here and give strong performances. Johnson is kind of playing the everyday woman who gets roped into all this madness, a performance she has done many times before, but it works fine enough, and Hathaway is fantastic as 2 versions of Verity, the paralyzed Verity and the Verity shown in flashbacks as Johnson reads her manuscript. Hathaway perfectly captures the steaminess and mystique of a character like this. 

            Michael Showalter is a great director and has made films and shows I enjoyed immensely, but it seemed like he was out of his zone while making this, and either he or the writer didn’t fully understand what makes a steamy thriller engaging. A Simple Favor and The Housemaid are very sexy movies, but they also had brilliant storylines, compelling characters, and twists that don’t cheat the audience and feel earned. 

            This has a good setup, but no payoff, and halfway through it just becomes another one of these movies. I don’t know if the book is like this, but it clearly did not translate well to the big screen. 

            Alright, let’s talk about what I consider the worst aspect of this film: the ending, and for the sake of those curious to see the movie for themselves, I won’t spoil it. I saw one of the twists coming as I was watching it, but there is another twist that’s tacked on at the very end of the movie that makes absolutely no sense and raises so many unwanted questions about the film. 

            It’s such an insane and frustrating final note that it makes the absolute worst Shyamalan twists seem brilliant by comparison, and it’s not one of those shocking twist endings that get your blood pumping and make you  talk to your friends like, “Oh my God, what could this mean?” It’s more like the kind you give an awkward shrug to and say, “What?” I was trying to piece the ending together on my way home from the movie, and it kept falling apart the more I thought about it. 

            Verity may not be among the absolute worst movies I saw this year (The film itself is around where Digger and Practical Magic 2 are), but it certainly has the worst ending I saw this year. What starts off as a gripping and exhilarating thriller devolves into a tired, repetitive film with a tacked-on ending that feels unfulfilling, sexy, or thrilling;g this movie is not. 

Digger review

DIGGER: 

TOM CRUISE SHINES IN MESSY COLD WAR SATIRE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Tom Cruise in Digger

 

            Tom Cruise (Top Gun 1 and 2, Mission: Impossible franchise, Edge of Tomorrow) does a Les Grossman-style transformation into an oil tycoon in Digger, the new film from director Alejandro G. Iñárritu (21 Grams, Birdman, The Revenant) and his first theatrical directing effort since 2015’s The Revenant. The movie certainly looked interesting when I first saw the trailer in front of Avatar: Fire and Ash last year. I think Iñárritu is a very ambitious and exciting filmmaker, with Birdman and The Revenant being among the best films I saw in 2014 and 2015, and Tom Cruise kinda doing what he did in Tropic Thunder and completely transforming himself into a character,r which got me intrigued. 

            Well, I can gladly say that Digger definitely gets a lot of points for ambition, but wow, what a spectacular trainwreck of a film this is. People have been comparing this to Francis Ford Coppola’s incredibly divisive Megalopolis, which came out a couple of years ago, and I can see where they’re coming from,m except this movie didn’t break me. 

            The film is set in the future and follows aging oil tycoon, Digger Rockwell (Cruise), who colludes with U.S. President Compson (John Goodman-The Big Lebowski, Argo, 10 Cloverfield Lane) to allow Rockwell United to extract oil in Greenland and Alaska. However, when his company accidentally causes a potential world-ending disaster, the world turns to Digger as humanity’s last hope to save the planet. 

            The film also stars Riz Ahmed (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Venom, Sound of Metal) as Dr. Nirav Ganesh, Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall, The Zone of Interest, Project Hail Mary) as Digger’s sister Emma Rockwell, Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man, Lincoln, The Shape of Water) as Vice President Eddie, Jesse Plemmons (Black Mass, Killers of the Flower Moon, Bugonia) as Digger’s nephew Kenny Rockwell, Robert John Burke (Tombstone, Rescue Me, The Last of Us) as Fitzgerald, and Emma D’Arcy (Truth Seekers, House of the Dragon, Mothering Sunday) as Lina. 

            Overall, Digger has a lot going for it, and whether you like or dislike it in the end, it’s worth seeking out on the big screen, but man, I found this movie so enjoyably bad through its misdirection, hammy writing, and cartoony performances. This is like the corny war satire of Dr. Strangelove mixed with the pretentiousness of Megalopoli,s and I just had a ball. 

            I will give this movie credit for being a well-made production with dazzling cinematography and set design; it’s a massive-looking film, and I appreciated it on that level. That is one of the things I praised about Megalopolis; for as much as that movie failed, it was an impressive achievement, and this film is the same way. 

            The performances are strong,g particularly from Tom Cruise, John Goodman, and Riz Ahmed; everyone is bringing their A-game and chewing the scenery. This is a very cartoony movie, like Dr. Strangelove, and it seems Iñárritu and the cast are trying to channel that film’s over-the-top zaniness with their performances, and it certainly makes it entertaining to watch and listen to; I was never bored during this. 

            I’ll also give the movie more credit for going in a completely different direction regarding how this story is told. I won’t say what it is, though it is very similar to another one of Iñárritu’s films; if I say the title, it’ll give it away, but it was an interesting curveball the film threw. 

            Alright, let’s talk about what really sinks this film: the script and the dialogue. The performances are good, but these actors are saying some of the dumbest shit ever written,n to the point where it became hilarious. Talking about being in a green dildo of a pickle and John Goodman saying he has cancer in his asshole repeatedly, I was flabbergasted and could not believe this was from the same person who brought the exceptionally brilliant Birdman. 

            The movie also doesn’t do a great job of getting people emotionally invested in any of the characters despite the actors giving their all. Nobody is particularly likable in this film, and it is possible to do a movie with unlikable characters, but still keep the audience invested in what’s happening; Digger doesn’t do that, and you’re just left with a bunch of dipshits yelling at each other comically for over two hours. 

            I don’t think Digger is a very good movie, but it will certainly lead to some fascinating conversations amongst those who see it. I appreciate the ambition and creativity that went into the production, and the topics the film explores are important, but through hammy dialogue, unfocused direction, and a narrative that ranges from confusing to absurd, it gets more and more stupid to the point where Warner Bros.’ final film as an independent studio becomes “So Bad It’s Good”. 

Heart of the Beast review

HEART OF THE BEAST: 

BRAD PITT TEAMS UP WITH A DOG IN RIVETING SURVIVAL ADVENTURE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Brad Pitt and Odin in Heart of the Beast

 

            A retired veteran and his combat German Shepherd must navigate the Alaskan wilderness after a plane crash in Heart of the Beast, the new film from director David Ayer (Fury, Suicide Squad, The Beekeeper) that reunites him with Brad Pitt (Fight Club, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Inglourious Basterds), who have worked together on the war movie Fury in 2014. The movie looked promising when I first saw the trailer, though I almost got it mixed up with the latest Ridley Scott movie, The Dog Stars, which was also a survival film about a man and his dog,g though radically different in terms of story. 

            David Ayer’s filmography is pretty hit-or-miss.s, I thought End of Watch and Fury were fantastic and gripping movies; The Beekeeper was enjoyably stupid; and Suicide Squad, despite some solid performances from Will Smith and Margot Robbie, was sadly a huge disappointment and a desperate attempt at copying Guardians of the Galaxy and Deadpool. Well, after various ups and downs, Ayer rejoins Pitt to bring this canine-themed adventure to the screen, and I gotta say, Heart of the Beast is easily his best film since Fury. 

            This is a riveting and compelling story of survival with an endearing Brad Pitt performance and an equally captivating dog with a lot of tension and heart throughout. It’s not really trying to do anything groundbreaking; it’s just an exciting and emotionally rich adventure that had me invested and engaged. 

            The film follows retired Special Forces veteran James Belmont (Pitt) and his dog Odin,n who are both suffering from PTSD and find themselves stranded in the Alaskan wilderness after a harrowing plane crash. Together, they are forced into an intense fight for survival against the elements. 

            The film also stars J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man trilogy, Juno, Whiplash) as Watkins. 

            Overall, Heart of the Beast is an epic and touching adventure that effectively blends suspense and sweetness. Sure, this movie isn’t giving The Revenant a run for its money, but I was engrossed in Pitt and Odin’s journey and found it very captivating. 

            The movie looks fantastic, ic especially on the big screen, with absolutely breathtaking shots of Alaska. Every time the film cut to a shot of the mountains or an overhead drone shot of the forests or rapids, I was marveling at what I was looking at on the screen and could easily see this getting at least a Best Cinematography Oscar nomination. 

            The plot is a pretty standard survival story and hits the beats you’d expect from a film like this, but it’s Brad Pitt and the dog’s charm that carries the entire movie. Brad Pitt gives probably the most heartfelt performance I’ve ever seen from him; he is fabulous in this movie and gets you emotionally wrapped up in what he and his dog are going through. 

            The dog actor playing Odin, Uber, is also great,t and I’m so freaking grateful that the film has an actual dog on set instead of using CGI (The Call of the Wild movie from 2020 is a prime example of how not to do that). He is expressive, captivating, phenomenally trained, and commands the screen to the point where Uber kind of upstages Brad Pitt during the film. 

            J.K. Simmons is only in the movie for a short period of time, but he makes do with the time given to him as a semi-comic relief and leaves an impact, though nowhere near to the extent of Pitt and the dog. 

            Given that this is a survival movie, the film is very suspenseful, from the intense plane crash that leads into the plot to an incredibly tense sequence where Pitt and Uber are climbing a wooden bridge with rapids down below. It is rated PG-13, so there isn’t any super graphic imagery, but there are a fair amount of scenes where Pitt is severely injured that made me wince in my seat. 

            Not sure what else to say, Heart of the Beast is a thrilling and heartwarming adventure about a man and his dog braving the odds and fighting for survival. It’s gripping, well-acted and directed, and has plenty of emotional depth. This movie just blows Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars out of the water because, unlike that film, there’s actually a good movie on top of the pretty cinematography,s and it's worth seeking out on the big screen. 

Forgotten Island review

FORGOTTEN ISLAND: 

LATEST DREAMWORKS FILM WON’T BE FORGOTTEN ANYTIME SOON! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND DREAMWORKS ANIMATION

Jo, Raww, and Raissa in Forgotten Island

 

            Two best friends enter a portal to a magical island in Forgotten Island, the latest film from DreamWorks Animation and writer-directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado (The Croods: A New Age, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish). Aside from the occasional Boss Baby and Trolls movie, I’ve been very impressed with DreamWorks’ releases in recent years. The Bad Guys and its sequel were entertaining nods to heist movies; Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is spectacular and revitalized the Shrek franchise…only for them to get hideous redesigns in the upcoming fifth movie, and The Wild Robot is hands down one of my new favorite DreamWorks movies that cranks up the emotion almost to Pixar level. 

            This movie looked interesting when I first saw the trailer and definitely seemed like it was going to have that zany, fast-paced animation style that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse made popular. Well, the same people already dabbled in this animation and art style before with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, so I had much confidence that they would once again put out a high-quality and enjoyable product…they did! 

            Forgotten Island is fantastic and stands among the best DreamWorks films; yes, this is How to Train Your Dragon 1 and 2, Shrek 1 and 2, The Wild Robot, Kung Fu Panda 2, and Puss in Boots 2 good. I found this movie very engaging, with charming characters and a witty and incredibly touching story within the vibrant, stylized animation. 

            The film follows best friends from the Philippines, Jo (voiced by H.E.R.-Yes Day, The Color Purple (2023), Earth, Wind, & Fire (To Be Celestial VS That’s the Weight of the World)) and Raissa (voiced by Liza Soberano-Got to Believe, Forevermore, Lisa Frankenstein,) who have grown up hearing stories about a magic island known as Nakali from Jo’s grandmother. When Raissa prepares to leave for America to attend Caltech, she and Jo hang out at the beach and discover a magic sand dollar that’s actually a portal to Nakali. 

            They enter and find themselves in the fantasy world of the forgotten island where they befriend a were-dog named Raww (voiced by Dave Franco-Neighbors 1 and 2, The Disaster Artist, Together), a giant baby demon known as Bungi (voiced by Manny Jacinto-The Good Place, Top Gun: Maverick, The Acolyte), and a merman named…Mermahn (voiced by Kevin McCann) on their quest to get back home while outsmarting the most feared creature in Nakali, Manang (voiced by Lea Salonga-Aladdin, Mula, Mulan), and a tree-dwelling demon that specializes in memories known as Batiba (voiced by Jen Slate-Bob’s Burgers, Zootopia, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On). 

            The film also features the voices of Dolly de Leon (Triangle of Sadness) as Lola Fatima Yunson, Jo Koy (Easter Sunday, Leo, The Tiger’s Apprentice) as Datu, and Ronny Chieng (Crazy Rich Asians, Wish Dragon, M3GAN) as Truffle Wuffle. 

            Overall, Forgotten Island is a gorgeously animated, funny, and emotionally powerful DreamWorks movie with a captivating story and solid cultural representation to go along with its imagination. The animation is breathtaking and captures the feel of Spider-Verse, KPop Demon Hunters,d and Puss in Boots 2 with a ton of different art styles and fast-paced editing. 

            Sometimes it’s like a computer-animated anime, other times it’s like a graphic novel or comic book, or it’s like a wacky, slapstick cartoon; you never know what the animation is going to do as you’re watching it, and I love it. While the Spider-Verse movies will always be the gold standard for this style of animation, it’s very energized, kinetic, and looks incredible on the big screen. 

            The creatures Jo and Raissa encounter on their adventure are very imaginative,e like a tribe of cute little Duwende warriors, rs but don’t let their cuteness fool you: a Batibat that collects memories, who reminded me a lot of the old witch from Spirited Away, and one of the most terrifying DreamWorks villains since Death from Puss in Boots 2. I’m serious, Manang is a genuinely scary villain, especially for an animated movie for children made in the 2020s,s with a creepy appearance, an eerie voice done by the singing voice for Princess Jasmine and Mulan, and the ability to disembowel herself (There’s no blood, but still); she was pretty unsettling at times. 

            But what really brings the movie home are its leads, Jo and Raissa, who are the emotional core of the film; everything going on revolves around their friendship, and there are some truly heavy and heartfelt scenes that I found very effective,e particularly during the climax. I bought them as best friends and was invested in both their literal and intellectual journeys; I even came close to shedding a couple of tears during some scenes, which doesn’t happen often when I’m watching a movie. 

            I think Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has a tighter narrative, but Forgotten Island is a fun and moving adventure for the entire family and my favorite “Fully” animated film of the year. It blends its wildly creative ideas with endearing characters and a sweet, emotion-heavy story at its core; this is certainly an animated feature I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. The fact that it’s a completely original idea is an added perk. 

Primetime review

PRIMETIME: 

ROBERT PATTINSON TAKES A SEAT AS CHRIS HANSEN! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

A24

Television history is about to be made in Primetime.

 

            Robert Pattinson (The Batman, The Drama, The Odyssey) transforms himself from teenage heartthrob and bloodthirsty predator to…Chris Hansen, the host of To Catch a Predator in Primetime, the new film from A24 and director Lance Oppenheim in his narrative feature directorial debut. I should make this clear before I get started: my knowledge of Chris Hansen is paper-thin. I never watched To Catch a Predator, and most of my awareness of him came from parodies, specifically the South Park episode, Le Petite Tourette, where Eric Cartman pretends to have Tourette syndrome so he can say whatever he wants without consequences, which culminates in him being scheduled for an interview with Hansen on Dateline. 

            I understand what Hansen and the show are like: his crew lures pedophiles into a home, Hansen catches and publicly embarrasses them on television, and they get arrested by police. It was definitely a huge risk, especially for a network like NBC, but clearly it was successful, and people still remember and reference the show and Hansen today. 

            Which brings us to this film that chronicles the production of To Catch a Predator,r and the trailers certainly got my attention, especially when it was revealed that Pattinson was going to play Chris Hansen. I think Robert Pattinson is one of the most prolific and exciting actors working today, and this year alone really highlights that. Between this, The Drama, The Odyssey, and the upcoming Dune: Part Three, the Edward from Twilight days are long gone. 

            So, I was more than ready to see him portray Chris Hansen, and I gotta say, I found this film very fascinating and terrifying. I was on the edge of my seat with my skin crawling but also captivated by the story and people involved. 

            The film is set in 2006 and follows journalist Chris Hansen (Pattinson), who hosts the show To Catch a Predator on NBC and conducts sting operations to lure would-be predators into a house where they expect to engage in sex with a minor but are ultimately confronted by Hansen and exposed. NBC head Jeff Zucker (Played by himself) acknowledges the show’s success and moves it to primetime, putting it up against ABC’s Lost, which fuels Hansen’s determination to make To Catch a Predator the biggest television show,n whatever it takes. 

            The film also stars Merritt Wever (Nurse Jackie, Marriage Story, The Gilded Age) as Chris’ producer Andie Bender, Skyler Gisondo (Booksmart, Licorice Pizza, Superman (2025)) as aspiring actor Dan Plum, Matthew Maher (Dogma, Captain Marvel, Our Flag Means Death) as Perverted-Justice founder Xavier Von Erck, Anna Faris (Scary Movie franchise, The Dictator, Mom) as Chris’ wife Mary Joan Hansen, Bokeem Woodbine (Ray, Fargo, Spider-Man: Homecoming) as Cortland Gunn, Alex Winter (The Lost Boys, Bill & Ted trilogy, Freaked) as Rockwall County district attorney Bill Conradt, and Phoebe Bridgers (Between Two Ferns: The Movie, I Saw the TV Glow) as decoy actor Del Harvey. 

            Overall, Primetime is an exhilarating and unsettling look at the world of late-night television and how far people will go to achieve success. I found the movie very fascinating, not just as a dramatization of how Hansen and his crew caught these predators, but as a film that shows people doing the right thing for the wrong reason and, in this case, ratings. 

            That’s not to say Hansen doesn’t care about what he’s doing; he agrees that these pedophiles are horrible people and need to be stopped, but because of his ego and determination to be the best, he’s doing it for the ratings. The movie also explores Hansen’s psyche and how he became the man he is and decided to do what he does, and in true A24fashion, it’s never fully made clear (As if one of their horror movie scripts somehow ended up in this).  

            Robert Pattinson is magnificent as Chris Hansen and really captures his mannerisms, speech, and appearance. Again, most of my Chris Hansen knowledge came from his South Park depiction,n and I very much saw and heard Pattinson recapturing that whether it was intentional or not. 

            I also found Skyler Gisondo very endearing as the aspiring actor who’s hired to play a decoy on the show, with Pattinson’s Hansen trying his damnedest to keep him on the show because of how good he is,s even though he wants to branch out and do other things. I like how he’s essentially someone who had absolutely zero idea what he signed up for initially, gets thrown into an awkward situation with a pedophile, and has no time to properly prepare for what the crew told him to do. 

            The movie looks fantastic but not in a pleasant way; the film is shot like it’s a grainy, overexposed exploitation movie with video cameras and bright lights attached to the camera, where everything’s all washed out and gives this unpleasant look to the movie, which is entirely intentional. The low-quality VHS-style filmmaking is cleverly utilized here to really sell the unnerving feeling of what’s happening onscreen; this, and the horror-comedy Buddy, which I saw recently,y understood the importance of old-school VHS filmmaking without making it seem like a gimmick. 

            Yeah, Primetime is a solid movie with gripping, spine-tingling scenes and amazing performances, especially from Pattinson. It’s a compelling and disturbing look at the production of To Catch a Predator and explores very heavy and relevant subject matter in an effective way; certainly not a crowd-pleaser, but if you know what you’re getting into, it’s quite a ride.