One of the big tentpole movies of the 2026 summer has arrived! Brace yourself for a loooong write-up… I’m going to keep my initial review free of spoilers, but I’ll talk about specific plot points towards the end. Don’t worry, I’ll give you adequate warning. As an 80s kid, I grew up on Steven Spielberg’s …
Guest Review: Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War (2026) – Boring and lackluster, this spy franchise should be put to rest
After 4 successful seasons, Amazon decided to expand the Jack Ryan TV series into a movie. With all its cast and creative talents returning, one would expect that a movie version would be something more cinematic and thrilling. Sadly, this version of a Jack Ryan movie sits near the bottom of my ranking when comparing …
FlixChatter Review: Power Ballad (2026)–Paul Rudd strikes a chord in John Carney’s funny, bittersweet tale of fame vs. family
I’m a big fan of Irish writer/director John Carney; I’ve seen most of his films apart from a couple from early in his career. Having the eternally-likable Paul Rudd as a washed-up wedding singer is brilliant casting. Like most of Carney’s films, Power Ballad blends comedy and drama, using music and relationships as the heart …
FlixChatter Review: Masters of the Universe (2026) – This toy-based fantasy movie embraces its silly nature and delivers a goofy good time
Three years after the huge hit that was the Barbie Movie, another blond Mattel toy is getting its turn on the big screen. Similar to Barbie, the path to bringing Masters of the Universe (or MOTU for short) to life has been quite the adventure. The movie rights have been bouncing around from Warner Bros …
FlixChatter Review: TUNER (2026) – Leo Woodall hits all the right notes in this music-themed heist thriller
I love it when I discover a movie I didn't see coming, and it's better than I expected. As summer movie season is just heating up, let me, um, tune you to a film by Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Daniel Roher in his terrific narrative feature debut, TUNER. The story revolves around a skilled piano tuner …
FlixChatter’s MAY 2026 Viewing Recap, Mini Review of Spider-Noir TV Series starring Nicolas Cage, and Movie(s) of the Month
Hello Summer!! 🌞 Glad the summer season is here, and it's getting quite hot here in Minnesota. I came back from Japan on Memorial Day weekend, and it's already sweltering hot there even in mid-May. My hubby and I went to Tokyo and Kyoto, and we absolutely loved our Japan trip, perhaps one of the …
FlixChatter Review: RENOIR (2025) – 1980s Tokyo seen through the eyes of a precocious, imaginative young girl
This review focuses on the Japanese film that came out this year, not to be confused with the 2012 French movie sharing the same title about the famous painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The story and the filmmaking approach definitely pay homage to Renoir, as writer/director Chie Hayakawa uses an "impressionistic" style, weaving together small, seemingly unrelated …
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