Disclosure Day Spielberg is arguably one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time. Be it shark-infested waters, a T-Rex terrorizing an amusement park or a Reese’s Pieces-eating alien, he knows how to capture paralyzing terror and the magic and awe of discovery in a cinem atic fashion. His intellectual curiosity and childlike sense of wonder have manifested some of the most indelible images ever captured on film. As of 2026, Spielberg has 35 feature films under his directorial belt, and no subject has occupied his narratives more than that of extraterrestrial life. Cue his latest film, Disclosure Day. The story centers around a TV meteorologist, Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt), and a cybersecurity whistleblower, Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor), who join forces to “disclose” evidence of alien life on Earth to the general public. They share a unique, inexplicable ability to interpret cryptic languages and access people’s innermost thoughts. Their determination to expose the truth threatens to upend the way society views the world. And by extension, their purpose in it. Some have declared this Spielberg’s best work in years, while others have decried it as his single worst film. I fall somewhere in between. It is by turns exhilarating, frustrating, emotional and bloated. Despite pacing and logic issues throughout, I found myself engaged by the central mystery. I enjoyed the discourse about the intersectionality of faith and science and the terrific performances from O’Connor and (especially) Emily Blunt. It manages to feel profound and didactic in equal measure. The incredible John Williams score is the real MVP. Leviticus Thanks to the critical and box office success of recent hits Obsession and Backrooms—directed by YouTubers-turned-indie darlings Curry Baker and Kane Parsons—the horror genre is enjoying a moment in the spotlight. Made on shoestring budgets and selling out cinemas nationwide, both films provide further evidence that talent, passion and a strong concept are the only essential ingredients necessary to produce a great product. While I enjoyed them both, neither was as haunting or emotionally gripping as Adrian Chiarella’s Sundance hit Leviticus. Set in a small Australian mill town, two teenage boys, Naim (Talk to Me’s Joe Bird) and Ryan (Stacy Clausen), share an intimate and forbidden bond. When their affections become known to the town’s religious community, they are subjected to a traumatic ritual aimed at ridding them of their sexual desires. Only instead of relieving them of their natural instincts, they become haunted by a malevolent spirit which takes the form of the person they desire. This is an effective, low-fi indie horror film that repurposes the It Follows conceit with queer desire as the entity you cannot escape. I admired the minimalist approach; the oppressive, eerie sense of place; and the naturalistic performances from Bird and Clausen. The film’s only ambition is to tell a straightforward, grounded story about how sustained hate and prejudice can erode one’s self-worth. Toy Story 5 It took seven years for Disney/Pixar to find a sufficient reason to revisit the beloved ragtag gang of children’s toys that populate the Toy Story franchise. After multiple adventures, near incineration and new ownership, there was still one topic the series had yet to tackle: The advent of technology. That’s right, Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack) and company have entered their “existential crisis” era, competing for attention against the addictive high of digital games, tablets and screen time. Their worst fears materialize in the form of a frog-shaped smart tablet named Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee) who serves as the film’s primary antagonist. Can the toys win back the heart of their bashful, ever-evolving kid owner Bonnie, or is the shiny new tech too powerful a drug to resist? Toy Story 5 lassoes this prescient quandary with surprising depth, maturity and heart. It acknowledges the uncomfortable truth about the inescapable effect and influence technology has on society, and provides some well-earned discourse, character arcs and pathos. Like nearly all longstanding franchises, each subsequent entry has some diminishing returns. This entry never quite reaches the profundity or emotional heights of its predecessors—still, it remains a heartwarming, thoughtful and timely exploration of the challenges of adolescence; finding a sense of belonging; and the pain and wisdom that come from getting older. The animation is top-tier and the characters (old and new) remind us why this is still one of the best animated series Disney/Pixar has ever created. The post Screen Time appeared first on Oklahoma Gazette. ...read more read less