This week: how Steven Spielberg surprises us, the holiday weekend’s Top 10 movies, upcoming movies coming our way, and a few quick-hit reviews.
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
WHAT’S INSIDE:
- Steven Spielberg’s sneaky approach to scary movies
- Weekend Top 10 movies
- The Paul Rudd and Nick Jonus pair up
- Ricky Bobby is coming back to town
- Quick reviews
Will Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day Be the Summer’s Most Mysterious Blockbuster?
Compared to his other movies, there hasn’t been a lot of fanfare for Steven Spielberg’s upcoming Disclosure Day. It just sort of snuck up on us. Even with the trailers, not a whole lot of information about the movie has been given. The only real clue about what this movie is about is that it is “a UFO film”. And I’m pretty sure that just the way that he wants it.
Spielberg is a beloved filmmaker. He has made movies based on just about every genre from children’s tales to historical docudramas. However, I think it can be argued that he excels in area of thrillers and adventure films. But he hasn’t scared the pants off of us since 2005’s War of the Worlds, so it’s high time for a new thrill, don’t you think?
One of Spielberg’s best techniques in filmmaking is not letting the cat out of the bag too soon. And it was pretty much by mistake. When making 1975’s Jaws, the film went over budget and the star of the show – Bruce the shark – was not cooperating. This forced Steven to create scary scenes without actually showing the beast. Bruce didn’t show up until about halfway through the picture. It worked perfectly. Sometimes what your mind imagines can be more scary than what is on the screen.
Spielberg used the same technique when promoting 1993’s Jurassic Park. The first movie trailers showed only a few glimpses of the dinosaurs. Maybe a tail, a foot or a large eyeball, but that was about it. We didn’t really know what to expect when we walked into the theater.
Disclosure Day is being promoted in the same way. The trailers for the thriller show a lot and they are unsettling and yet, very little information has been spoiled for us. Press releases don’t tell us a lot either. For example…
“If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? This summer, the truth belongs to eight billion people. We are coming close to … Disclosure Day”.
This movie is based on a story by Spielberg with a screenplay written by David Koepp. This is already a good sign. Koepp has written scripts for Jurassic Park and Jurassic World Rebirth. For Disclosure Day, Koepp wrote 42 drafts for the film, the most of his career.
This thriller stars Emily Blunt as a meteorologist and former journalist and Josh O’Connor as a cybersecurity expert. The cast also includes Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo, Wyatt Russell and Elizabeth Marvel who plays a nun. And if there is a nun in a Spielberg movie, it will be scary.
Disclosure Day opens June 12, 2026.
WEEKEND TOP 10 MOVIES
For the Weekend of May 22-26, 2026*.
- Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu / $100,000,000
- Obsession / $30,350,000
- Michael / $26,900,000
- The Devil Wears Prada 2 / $16,500,000
- The Sheep Detectives / $12,837,000
- Passenger / $10,500,000
- Mortal Kombat II / $7,720,000
- I Love Boosters / $4,670,700
- The Super Mario Galaxy Movie / $4,100,000
- Project Hail Mary / $3,455,000
*According to Comscore.
OPENING THIS WEEKEND
- Backrooms
- Star City (Apple TV)
- Propeller One-Way Night Coach (Apple TV)
MOVIE NEWS
Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas Bond Over Music in ‘Power Ballad’
The new musical/comedy/drama, Power Ballad with Paul Rudd and Nick Jonus is getting a lot of good buzz, but it’s also a movie that many people don’t know about. Paul Rudd plays Rick, a past-his-prime wedding singer (Lionsgate’s words, not mine) who meets Danny (Jonas) a fading boy-band star and the two bond over a late-night jam session.
Tension begins after Danny turns one of Rick’s songs into a hit and his music career is saved. But Rick sets out reclaim the recognition for writing the song in the first place.
Lionsgate says, “From writer-director John Carney (Sing Street, Once), Power Ballad is a feel-good story about music, self-respect, friendship, and the price of ambition.”
Power Ballad opens June 5, 2026.
‘Talladega Nights’ Roars Back into Theaters for 20th Anniversary
Columbia Pictures is celebrating the 20th anniversary of one of Will Ferrell more off-the-wall comedies, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Described by the studio as “one of the most quotable comedies of the 2000s”, Talladega Nights is coming back to theaters for three days only this June and July
The action comedy based in the world of NASCAR stock car racing, Talladega Nights tells the fictional story of stock car racing champ Ricky Bobby (Ferrell). He’s a legend because of his “win at all costs” approach to racing.
John C. Reilly plays Cal Naughton Jr., Ricky’s racing partner. Together, they are known as “Thunder” and “Lightning” to their fans. They are also called that because they typically finish in the #1 and #2 positions. But they are threatened when flamboyant French Formula One driver Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen) challenges them for the supremacy of NASCAR, Ricky Bobby must face his own demons and fight Girard for the right to be known as racing’s top driver.
In addition to Ferrell, Reilly and Cohen, Talladega Nights also stars Gary Cole, Michael Clark Duncan, Leslie Bibb, Jane Lynch, Amy Adams, Andy Richter, Molly Shannon, and Jack McBrayer.
Talladega Nights plays in theaters on June 28, 30 and July 1.
Robert Pattinson Channels TV Journalist Chris Hansen in ‘Primetime’
A24 has released a teaser trailer for Primetime, a biopic about Chris Hansen and his To Catch a Predator series on NBC. The film by Lance Oppenheim tells a behind-the-scenes look as Hansen sets out to make television history exposing abusers of children. Robert Pattinson plays Hansen. The rest of the cast includes Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Matthew Maher, Phoebe Bridgers, Bokeem Woodbine.
No date has been set for the release of Primetime as of yet.
RECENT MOVIE REVIEWS
I Swear
Unlike some biopics, I Swear presents a realistic portrayal of John Davidson’s frustrations, setback and ultimately, celebrations. It could be a depressing film, but it’s not.
Michael
If I had to come up with only one word to describe this biopic it would be “sad”. The story isn’t all bleak, but Michael Jackson spent his whole life looking for happiness and I doubt that he ever found it.
The Sheep Detectives
This is an adult story that children are welcomed to join in. Much like a classic animated Disney tale, The Sheep Detectives is truly a story that all ages will enjoy.
UPCOMING RELEASES
- June 5: Masters of the Universe; Scary Movie; Trainspotting
- June 12: Disclosure Day; The Furious
- June 19: Toy Story 5; The Death of Robin Hood; Unidentified
- June 26: Supergirl; Jackass: Best and Last
- July 1: Minions & Monsters
- July 10: Moana
- July 17: The Odyssey
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