T. J. Callahan – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

THE UPRISING – Review by T.J. Callahan

September 9, 2026 T. J. Callahan andrew garfield, historical drama, Jamie Bell, paul greengrass, The Uprising, thomasin mckenzie

Everything old is new again. History continually repeats itself. After watching the grand spectacle of the Peasant Revolt of 1381 in England, humans have not learned a thing from our evil past. Blending real historical events with fictional folklore, The Uprising opens after the Black Plague swept across Europe and killed half the population of England. The Kingdom needs money and the corrupt court that advises the adolescent Richard II decides to levy a tax so brutal on the commoners that all they can do is rebel. Paraphrasing Popeye, it’s all they can stands, they can stands no more.

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THE DOG STARS – Review by T.J. Callahan

August 28, 2026August 28, 2026 T. J. Callahan Jacob Elordi, josh brlin, margaret qualley, peter heller, ridley scott, the dog stars

The dystopian saga features Jacob Elordi as Hig, a widowed mechanic and pilot, who lives with his dog Jasper and a military survivalist named Bangley, played by Josh Brolin. They’ve set up house in an abandoned airplane hangar nestled in a valley between mountains outside of Denver. He spends his days trying to stay one step ahead of the roaming scavengers called Reapers and flying his Cessna into the remains of the city to gather hidden supplies. Until one day, when he hears a distant voice over his cockpit radio. Still believing in humanity over evil, Hig dares to fly past the “safe zone” to see if a better life exists.

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COYOTE VS ACME – Review by T.J. Callahan

August 20, 2026August 23, 2026 T. J. Callahan animation, Dave Green, James Gunn, Jeremy Slater, John Cena, looney tunes, samy burch, Warner Bros., Wile E. Coyote, Will Forte

Wile E. Coyote is tired. Tired of playing the game. Tired of being blown up by explosives. Tired of being hit in the head with anvils. Tired of being demolished by dynamite. Tired of being hurled off cliffs. He’s so tired. But not too tired to fight back. Teaming up with billboard accident lawyer Kevin Avery (Will Forte), the worn out wolf sues Acme for continual product failure and ends up going to battle with the profit-obsessed conglomerate’s bull dog attorney Buddy Crane, over acted by John Cena, uncovering a corporate cover-up in the process. Instead of just wanting to eat the Roadrunner, a whole other side of Mr. Coyote is revealed.

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TONY – Review by T.J. Callahan

August 16, 2026August 16, 2026 T. J. Callahan Anthony Bourdain, antonio banderas, biopic, Dominic Sessa, Emilia Jones, Kitchen Confidential, Leo Woodall, Matt Johnson, Tony

Tony is about chef and author Anthony Bourdain before the restaurants, the books, the television shows and, most importantly, the worldwide fame. The film takes place before Tony became “toney”, if you will. The coming of age docudrama follows the entitled antics of 19 year old Tony while on summer break from college at Vassar in 1975. After being turned down for a writing fellowship, Bourdain heads to Cape Cod to chase a girl, but his misbehavior forces him to work off his debts in a restaurant kitchen where the chef, played charmingly cheeky by Antonio Banderas, and his rag tag cooking crew develop a recipe that changes the main course of Tony’s life.

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THE END OF OAK STREET – Review by T.J.. Callahan

August 13, 2026 T. J. Callahan Anne Hathaway, David Robert Mitchell, Ewan McGregor, J.J. Abrams, The End of Oak Street

The End of Oak Street is Land of the Lost meets Jurassic Park with a premise not unlike an episode of the 1960’s television show Outer Limits. Director David Robert Mitchell, along with producer J.J. Abrams, brings the jump scares and the giggles, an extreme attention to detail, a pounding soundtrack, special effects, a committed cast and dinosaurs galore elevating the film’s retro feel from old school fright to a sci-fi summer scream. Not that there aren’t plot holes in the worm holes that send the Pratts and their neighbors into the middle of an extinct world, but the Twilight Zone type story keeps moving and keeps surprising at only an hour and 40 minutes.

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ONE NIGHT ONLY – Review by T.J. Callahan

August 6, 2026 T. J. Callahan Callum Turner, Monica Barbaro, One Night Only, romantic comedy, Travis Braun, will gluck

One Night Only is to sex as The Purge is to murder. A fictionalized present day New York City is in the throes of passion. It’s been 3 years since the government passed a chastity mandate on the American people, banning pre-marital sex, with the exception of one night a year. Tonight is the night. Academy Award nominee Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner star as Allie and Owen, two sex-starved strangers who keep running into each other on their quest for a meaningful hook up on the most unromantic and chaotic night of the year. After a series of embarrassingly comical missteps, they decide maybe they are worth waiting for.

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SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY – Review by T.J. Callahan

July 29, 2026 T. J. Callahan Destin Daniel Cretton, Jon Bernthal, marvel universe, Sadie Sink, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Tom Holland, zendaya

Fans of the Marvel Universe will be pleasantly surprised by all the comic book nuggets scattered throughout the HULKy 2 ½ hour, PG-13 WEBinar. Stranger Things Sadie Sink’s mysterious character brings more depth to a rather tangled first half helping spin a sinister yet silky second half storyline. Zendaya and Bernthal never disappoint, but it’s Tom Holland who delicately wraps us in his clutches as he has grown more confident, comfortable, and charming as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

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BRUNELLO: THE GRACIOUS VISIONARY – Review by T.J. Callahan

July 22, 2026July 20, 2026 T. J. Callahan Brunello Cucinelli, Brunello: The Gracious Visionary, documentary, Giuseppe Tornatore, King of Cashmere

We need to talk about Brunello. Brunello Cucinelli. The King of Cashmere. Have you heard of him? I hadn’t. I shop at Marshall’s, but I am glad I know him now. Thanks to the creatively inspirational filmmaking of Academy Award-winning writer/director Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso), Brunello: The Gracious Visionary gives us an inside and insightful look at the extraordinary life of the man who rose from poverty in a small Italian village to build a billion dollar luxury fashion empire by breaking all the business rules.

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THE ODYSSEY – Review by T.J. Callahan

July 16, 2026July 16, 2026 T. J. Callahan Anne Hathaway, charlize theron, Christopher Nolan, Homer, John Leguizamo, Lupita Nyong'o, matt damon, Robert Pattinson, The Odyssey, Tom Holland, zendaya

It’s safe to say that in The Odyssey writer/director Christopher Nolan and quite possibly Matt Damon, too, have killed more people than Cecil B. DeMille ever did in all of his epic films. Nolan’s adaptation of the Ancient Greek epic poem by Homer is a masterpiece for the 21st century and years to come. In his quest for the best, Nolan has outdone all the rest reaching the crest of moviemaking with The Odyssey. He not only put his actors, but himself to the absolute test of stamina, agility, and patience. It’s all done with zest and some jest, lest he’d become a pest for perfection.

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THE INVITE – Review by T.J. Callahan

June 29, 2026July 1, 2026 T. J. Callahan a24, Edward Norton, olivia wilde, penelope cruz, Seth Rogen, The Invite

If you like edgy dinner parties that promise the possibility of sex, drugs and a rock n roll of emotions, then make sure you RSVP for The Invite. Olivia Wilde directs herself, Seth Rogen, Edward Norton and Penelope Cruz in this relationship dramady that will leave you evaluating your own partnership. The film takes place in the living room of the San Francisco apartment of Angela (Wilde) and Joe (Rogen). They’ve invited their rather lively upstairs neighbors, Hawk and Pina (Norton and Cruz), over for dinner, but when the party spirals into unexpected places, Angela and Joe don’t know if they’ve reignited the spark in their troubled marriage or lit the flame that burns it down.

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