Movie Review - Remarkably Bright Creatures

Director: Olivia Newman
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 111 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Sally Field, Lewis Pullman, Alfred Molina, Colm Meany, Kathy Baker, Beth Grant, Joan Chen, Sofia Black-D’Elia
 
Description: Through unlikely bonds formed during night shifts at a local aquarium, Tova (Sally Field), an elderly widow, learns of a life-changing discovery that may bring her joy and wonder once again.  
 
Review: There are movies you watch, and movies you experience. “Remarkably Bright Creatures” undoubtedly belongs to the latter category. Director Olivia Newman has succeeded in translating the complex emotions from Shelby Van Pelt’s bestsellers into a visually stunning and deeply moving drama that lingers in your mind for days. The beating heart of the film is the extraordinary bond between 70-year-old Tova Sullivan and Marcellus, a giant octopus at the Sowell Bay Aquarium.

Sally Field plays Tova with a fragile strength that immediately touches you; her loneliness following the loss of her husband and the disappearance of her son thirty years ago is palpable in every scene where she silently scrubs the floors of the aquarium. When she and Marcellus (with the masterful, gruff voice of Alfred Molina) find each other, a chemistry emerges that is almost magical. Marcellus is not a pet, but a highly intelligent being who observes humanity with a cynical eye. Except for Tova. Their silent understanding and the way Marcellus helps her unravel the truth about her past form one of the most original and moving friendships I’ve ever seen.

In addition to the connection with Marcellus, the arrival of Cameron (an excellent Lewis Pullman) drives the story forward. Cameron is a man in his thirties who cant seem to get his life together and ends up in Sowell Bay in search of answers about his origins. The dynamic between the dutiful, reserved Tova and the chaotic, searching Cameron is beautifully crafted. What begins as an awkward working relationship grows into a deep human connection. Tova sees in Cameron the potential he himself does not yet see, while Cameron unconsciously fills the void left by the disappearance of Tova’s son. The film sublimely demonstrates how two strangers can heal each other, simply by appearing in each other’s lives at the right moment.

Visually and emotionally balanced, the cinematography perfectly captures the misty, melancholic atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest, which forms a beautiful contrast with Marcellus’s colorful and almost otherworldly appearance.

“Remarkably Bright Creatures” is a rare film that both breaks your heart and mends it. It is an ode to the power of friendship, in whatever form it takes, and a reminder that it is never too late to find the truth to start over. With top-notch performances and a script that never misses a beat, this is an absolute 5-star must-see. Don’t you just love it when they get the book to movie adaptation right?

Rating: 5/ 5

90s Movie Review - Mrs. Doubtfire

Director: Chris Columbus
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 125 minutes
Year: 1993
Starring: Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, Harvey Fierstein, Lisa Jakub, Matthew Lawrence, Mara Wilson, Robert Prosky, Anne Haney, Polly Holliday

Description: After a bitter divorce, an actor (Robin Williams) disguises himself as a female housekeeper to spend time with his children held in custody by his former wife (Sally Field).

Review: “Mrs. Doubtfire” is universally acclaimed as a heartwarming family classic, carried by and iconic and award-winning performance by Robin Williams. A favorite for my family when I was a kid. Although the film is known for its slapstick humor, I always appreciated the serious undertones regarding divorce and parenthood.

Robin Williams plays Daniel Hillard, a divorces father who disguises himself as the British nanny Mrs. Doubtfire to be with his children. He is the heart of the film. The film dares to present an honest portrayal of the impact of divorce on children and fatherhood, without resorting to a standard “happy ending” where the parents get back together.

This film brings back so many memories and as an adult I can still appreciate this film.

Rating: 4 / 5

90s Movie Review - Forrest Gump

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 142 minutes
Year: 1994
Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, Sally Field

Description: Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks), while not intelligent, has accidentally been present at many historic moments, but his true love, Jenny Curran (Robin Wright), eludes him.

Review: “My momma always said, life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get”. Forrest Gump isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but his mother was such a smart woman. With these words Forrest starts telling us his life story, to perfect strangers who sit next to him at a bus stop. The result: a extraordinary story, mesmerizing from beginning till end, about a simple man with a pure heart and the will to make the impossible possible. Very American, but so beautiful. 
Forrest Gump is honest and open, with all the best intentions. His naïve view on the world makes sure you feel for him right away. From him as a successful American football player to the captain of a shrimping boat and from a Vietnam war veteran to a pingpong champion. He has done it all. The film is filled with romance, tension, drama and humor.
Tom Hanks is simply brilliant as Forrest. This is still his best performance and I doubt if he can ever top that. We don’t see Hanks in this movie, we the simple and naïve Forrest Gump. Robin Wright also does an excellent job as Jenny. Gary Sinise as Forrest’s army friend lieutenant Dan and Sally Field as momma Gump both perform very decently.
“Forrest Gump” is my second favorite movie of all time and it won the Academy Award for best movie (where it beat my number on favorite movie “The Shawshank Redemption”). “The world will never seem the same, once you’ve seen it through the eyes of Forrest Gump”. A movie that will never leave you.

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 106: Little Evil

Director: Eli Craig
Genre: Comedy/ Horror
Runtime: 95 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Adam Scott, Evangeline Lilly, Clancy Brown, Sally Field, Donald Faison

Description: Gary (Adam Scott), who has just married Samantha (Evangeline Lilly), the woman of his dreams, discovers that her six-year-old son may be the Antichrist.

Review: “Little Evil” follows Gary, who just married the woman of his dreams Samantha. She has a son, who Gary never really bonded with. Because he thinks Lucas is the antichrist.
“Little Evil” is a mix of comedy and horror, but it’s more comedy than it is horror. A movie like “This is the End” had the same set up, but is a lot more clever and sharp then this movie. The first half of the film is funny, I really liked that part. But towards the end I didn’t enjoy it as much.
Adam Scott is really fun, I always enjoy watching him in movies. In “Krampus”, which was also a horror and comedy mix, I liked him a bit more.
“Little Evil” is still fun to watch, but don’t expect too much.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 1: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Director: Marc Webb

Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Fantasy

Runtime: 142 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Campbell Scott, Colm Feore, Embeth Davidtz, Sally Field, Paul Giamatti, Denis Leary, Felicity Jones

Description: When New York is put under siege by Oscorp, it is up to Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield) to save the city he swore to protect as well as his loved ones.

Review: After Spider-Man took on The Lizard in “The Amazing Spider-Man”, he has become a hero and peace has come to New York. Off course not for long. The powerful Oscorp has a lot of secrets. When boss Norman Osborn dies, he hands it over to his son Harry. When in the meantime Oscorp employee Max Dillon gets into an accident, he loses his humanity and mental health. Spider-Man has no time to sit back and relax.

This pretty much sums up the story of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”. In the two and a half hour runtime it’s mostly rough love scenes and action sequences full off special effects. The quality of the CGI is variable. It’s strange that they choose Electro as the main villain and not Spider-Man’s number one rival Norman Osborn. Electro doesn’t really contribute much. And not even to mention Rhino, whom I found ridiculous and he was only it for a few minutes.

It’s very obvious the actors enjoyed working on this project, which makes it a joy for the viewers too. But because the earlier series, with Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, isn’t that long ago, it makes this newer series repetitive.

It’s the little details though that make “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” interesting. The secrets of Peter’s parents are revealed. It gives the man behind Spider-Man a history. And the film has some great action scenes. It also has catchy humor, human superheroes an very bad guys.

“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” never goes above average, though it’s entertainment level is pretty high. The movie is a bit too long, because it misses pace. Not Marvel’s best.

Rating: 2/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 32: Lincoln

Director: Steven Spielberg
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 151 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, David Strathairns, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, John Hawkes, Jackie Earle Haley, Tim Blake Nelson, Bruce McGill, Lee Pace, Jared Harris

Description: In 1865, as the American Civil War winds inexorably toward conclusion, U.S. president Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) endeavors to achieve passage of the landmark constitutional amendment which will forever ban slavery from the United States. However, his task is a race against time, for peace may come at any time, and if it comes before the amendment is passed, the returning southern states will stop it before it can become law.

Review: 1865, the United States of America has been tortured with a Civil War for already four years. President Lincoln wants to end it, but first he wants his 13th amendment to be approved by the congress. When it is approved it means that slavery will end. Steven Spielberg’s task was to bring the story of this beloved man to the big screen. Lincoln’s most important deed was ending slavery and that’s what this movie focusses on. No long introduction of the president’s life, we go directly to one of the most important moments of his career.
“Lincoln” is for a huge part about political developments, which can be confusing for the average viewer. Some difficult terms are used, together with a lot of characters. What Spielberg does best is building up the tension even though you already know how the story is going to end. With that you don’t even notice the two and a half hour duration of the film.
For the role of president Lincoln, Spielberg choose one of the best actors in Hollywood: Daniel Day-Lewis. He’s known for getting lost in his roles and he does that again with “Lincoln”. His performance is so intense that you forget that you’re watching an actor. Sally Field, who had to persuade Spielberg to give her the role, plays Lincoln’s wife. Her most impressive moment is when she is in an argument with Lincoln. Tommy Lee Jones steals the show with his supporting role as Thaddeus Stevens, whom I found the most likeable character of the film.
The movie looks fantastic, it’s been perfected with a great eye for detail. Lincolns office was an exact replica, including all the books that he had.
“Lincoln” is a beautiful historical drama, that focusses on one of the most important events in history. That Daniel Day-Lewis won an Academy Award for his role is more than deserved.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

In the Picture: The Characters from "Forrest Gump"

My second favorite movie off all-time is "Forrest Gump". I already shared my favorite scenes from the movie and now I'm going to take a closer look at the characters from the film.

Forrest Gump
Played by: Tom Hanks
At a young age the school principal determines that Forrest has an IQ of 75. Although he's not very intelligent, he has endearing character and shows devotion to his loved ones and duties. This brings him into many life-changing situations.

Jenny Curran
Played by: Robin Wright
Jenny is Forrest's childhood friend and the only one that really understands him. Although her life hasn't been perfect, because she was abused as a kid, to Forrest she's the love of his life. Their ways seperate and come together many times and they eventually have a kid and get married.

Lt. Dan Taylor
Played by: Gary Sinise
Forrest meets Lt. Dan Taylor during the Vietnam war, where he is Forrest's commanding officer. After losing his legs in an ambush and being rescued against his will by Forrest, he falls into a deep depression. He does promise Forrest that, if he would ever own a shrimp boat like he said, he will help him.

Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue
Played by: Mykelti Williamson
Bubba is Forrest's friend whom he meets while serving in the army. It's Bubba's dream to have a shrimp boat someday, because he knows everything there is to know about shrimp. When Bubba dies, Forrest buys a boat and starts the Bubba-Gump shrimp company in his honor.

Mrs. Gump
Played by: Sally Field
Forrest was abandoned by his father, so Mrs. Gump raised Forrest all by herself. She loves her son unconditionally and she has a special way of explaining things to Forrest.

Favorite Character: Forrest Gump