Movie Review - Disclosure Day

Director: Steven Spielberg
Genre: Science Fiction/ Thriller/ Mystery
Runtime: 145 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Colman Domingo, Eve Hewson, Wyatt Russell
 
Description: If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you?
 
Review: Expectations were high with the release of “Disclosure Day”. After all, an ambitious thriller that promises to explore the line between truth and conspiracy always grabs my attention. Unfortunately, the film fails to fully capitalize on the potential of its rock-solid premise.

The film follows a whistleblower and a team of investigative journalists who uncover a global conspiracy. On the day the government is forced to release shocking, top-secret documents, the so-called Disclosure Day, chaos erupts behind the scenes. As the clock ticks and shadowy forces try to destroy the evidence, the team must pull out all the stops to bring the truth to light before it’s too late.

The biggest strength of “Disclosure Day” is undoubtedly its central mystery. The premise is intriguing from the very first minute, and the film initially succeeds in creating a constant atmosphere of paranoia. In addition, the film is carried by an outstanding lead performance; Emily Blunt is excellent and, with her strong, nuanced acting, manages to anchor the film’s emotional core, even when the script lets her down. However, the film stumbles over its own ambitions. The plot is unnecessarily complicated, with countless side plot, plot twists, and characters who ultimately add little to the story. As a result, the whole thing feels very messy. Instead of a tight, suspenseful build-up, you lose track of the story halfway through due to the overload of information and the rushed editing.

“Disclosure Day” definitely has its strong moments, but it vacillates too much between an intellectually thriller and a chaotic science fiction movie to be truly convincing.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

Book Review - The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington

Title: The Blonde Dies First
Author: Joelle Wellington
Genre: Horror/ Young Adult
Published: 2024
 
Description: Devon is always being left behind by her genius twin sister, Drew. At this point, it’s a fact of life. But Devon has one last plan before Drew leaves for college a whole year early: The best summer ever. After committing to the bit a little too much, the twins and their chaotic circle of friends learn why you don’t mess with a Ouija board if you want to actually survive the best summer ever, and soon find themselves being hunted down by… a demon?
 
But while there’s no mistaking the creeping, venomous figure is not from around here, their method doesn’t feel very demonic at all. In fact, it’s downright human. Going after them in typical slasher movie kill order. And that means Devon, the blonde, is up first and her decade-long crush Yaya, is the Final Girl who must kill or be killed to end the cycle.
 
Devon has never liked playing by anyone else’s rules though, not even a demon’s, and the longer this goes on, the more she feels Drew and Yaya slipping away from her even as she tries to help them all survive. Can they use their horror movie knowledge to flip the script and become the hunters instead of the hunted? Or will their best summer ever be their last?
 
Review: With “The Blonde Dies First” author Joelle Wellington attempts to capture the essence of a nostalgic, self-assured horror movie in book form. Although the concept is full of potential and the nods to classic slasher films like “Scream’ are entertaining in theory, the execution unfortunately falls short. The results is a predictable story that fails to sustain the suspense.
 
Seventeen-year-old Devon Harris is blonde, outgoing, and terrified of losing her brilliant twin sister Drew, who is leaving college a year earlier than planned. To make their last few months unforgettable, Devon creates a list called ‘the best summer ever’ for their close-knit group of friends from Brooklyn. The plan goes completely off the rails when they play with a Ouija board at a party. They accidentally unleash a malevolent demon that begins hunting down the friends one by one. Strangely enough, the demon follows the strict rules of a cliché horror movie. Since Devon is the blonde girl of the group, she knows one thing for sure; according to the laws of the slasher genre, she’s next in line. The friends must all use their knowledge of horror movies to turn the script around and survive.
 
Devon is the protagonist and I found it hard to root for her. She is constantly jealous of her sister Drew and she was very self-centered. The group of friends is diverse, which is very positive. But due to the large number of characters, most of them remain stuck in one-dimensional archetypes. As a result, their interactions quickly become repetitive.
 
For a book that relies on parodying horror tropes, it lacks any real suspense. The murders and the character’s actions are painfully predictable. Moreover, the chapters are very long, and the plot becomes highly repetitive halfway through.
Wellington attempts to tackle serious contemporary issues, such as gentrification in Brooklyn and racial tension with the police. Great addition, giving the story a bit more depth. But they are not further explored and stay on the surface.
 
I think this is one of those books that will be enjoyed more by a younger audience, since it is a young adult book. It was not scary and although I liked the book poking fun at the slasher genre, I found the book cliché, slow and lacking tension.
 
Rating: 2/ 5