A Reel Preview: The Year in Film 2026 - Episode V

The wretched Spring weather may still be hanging around, but May is the official start of the Summer Movie Season; a time to start having fun again. This month sees re-releases for SHREK (25 years), and TOP GUN (40 years)…with the latter being paired in a double-feature with TOP GUN: MAVERICK. This month also sees the return to the big screen for the biggest franchise in motion picture history. This is where the fun begins…

 

ANIMAL FARM – Andy Serkis (THE LORD OF THE RINGS), directs this new animated adaptation of the classic George Orwell novella. The voice cast includes Seth Rogan, Kieran Culkin, Glenn Close, Steve Buscemi, Woody Harrelson, and Kathleen Turner. 

 

DEEP WATER – In this survival film, an international flight crash-lands in shark-infested waters. Aaron Eckhart and Ben Kingsley star. It is directed by Renny Harlin (DIE HARD 2, CLIFFHANGER). 

 

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2 – Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci reprise their roles in this sequel to the 2006 smash-hit. David Frankel also returns to direct. 

 

HOKUM – Adam Scott stars in this horror flick about an author who travels to Ireland to spread his parents’ ashes, and finds his rented house to be haunted. 

 

MORTAL KOMBAT II – Karl Urban (STAR TREK, THE LORD OF THE RINGS), plays Johnny Cage in this sequel to the 2021 flop, based on the popular fighting video game. 

 

THE SHEEP DETECTIVES – Hugh Jackman starts in this mystery-comedy where a flock of sheep set out to discover who murdered their favorite shepherd. 

 

IN THE GREY – Stylistic action director Guy Ritchie (THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.), helms this thriller where an elite team of agents are tasked with reclaiming a stolen fortune. The cast includes Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Rosamund Pike. 

 

 

STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU – The famed far, far away galaxy returns to the big screen for the first time since 2019. Jon Favreau (IRON MAN) directs, and the cast includes Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, and Sigourney Weaver. 

 

 

PRESSURE – Brendan Fraser (THE MUMMY, THE WHALE), plays General Eisenhower in this drama leading up to the D-Day invasion. He is joined by Kerry Condon, Damian Lewis, and Andrew Scott. 

 

 

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Next month, Reel Speak previews the month of June. 

A Reel Legend: John Cazale

A Reel Legend tells the stories of cinematic icons who are no longer with us. The actors, actresses, and directors who have shaped the silver screen as we know it today. 

 

This month’s Reel Legend is John Cazale. 

 

Born in Massachusetts in 1935, John Holland Cazale started as a theater actor in Boston, ranging from local, to off-Broadway, to Broadway…acting alongside Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, and Sam Waterston. In 1968, he had his only television role, appearing in an episode of N.Y.P.D. 

 

In 1972 he would land the role of a lifetime, when Francis Ford Coppola cast him as the gentle, yet weak Fredo Corleone in THE GODFATHER. His role was expanded in THE GODFATHER PART II in 1974. Both films would win Best Picture and are regarded as two of the greatest ever made. Also in 1974, Coppola would cast him in his acclaimed mystery thriller THE CONVERSATION, alongside the late Gene Hackman. And in 1975, he would appear in the heralded crime drama DOG DAY AFTERNOON with Al Pacino. 

 

He returned to the theatre in 1975, and in 1977 was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Despite the diagnosis, he continued to work and would appear in the towering Vietnam drama, THE DEER HUNTER; joining a stacked cast that included Robert DeNiro, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep, and John Savage. THE DEER HUNTER would win Best Picture in 1978. 

 

Cazale would pass away in March of 1978. His filmography would finish with five feature films, three of which were Best Picture winners. 

 

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The greatness of John Cazale came from his bravery. This was an era that produced tough-guy characters such as Dirty Harry, Rocky Balboa, and Han Solo. Cazale went the opposite way and played guys who were weak, fragile, and confused. His role as Fredo broke hearts in the 70’s and still does today. He opened the door for actors to play men who were vulnerable. 

 

He did five films. Five perfect films. That is the outstanding legacy of John Cazale. Today, there is a lot of talk and debate over actors and directors who have a perfect track record. There are not many who can make that claim; even Spielberg and Daniel Day-Lewis have made a few clunkers. Cazale, even though he has a small sample size, had the talent to land in five films that defined an era…and all five are regarded as some of the best ever. It is a tragedy that he didn’t have the chance to do more, but his small filmography is one of the biggest. 

 

A Reel 50: ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN

“Follow the money…”

 

This month marks the 50^th anniversary of ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN. 

 

Directed by Alan J. Pakula, and based on the book of the same name by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN was a biographical political thriller about the famed Watergate scandal that ended the presidency of Richard Nixon. 

 

The scandal was brought to light by the reporting of Woodward and Bernstein during their tenure at The Washington Post, and in 1974, the same year their book was published, producer and actor Robert Redford would purchase the rights. Redford would bring on screenwriter William Goldman, who had just won an Oscar with Redford on BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID. Redford would settle into the role of Bob Woodward, while Dustin Hoffman would play Carl Bernstein. The rest of the cast would include Jason Robards, Hal Holbrook, Ned Beatty, Stephen Collins, Martin Balsam, Meredith Baxter, Jack Warden, Polly Holiday, and F. Murray Abraham. Redford and Hoffman visited The Washington Post to research their roles, but the paper refused filming to take place inside of their newsroom. The production team built an exact replica of the newsroom. The set was built in Hollywood, while Redford and Hoffman filmed exterior scenes around Washington, D.C. 

 

Upon release, ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN received universal acclaim. It would finish as the fifth-highest grossing film of the year. At the 48^th Academy Awards, it would be nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture. It would win four; Best Supporting Actor for Robards, along with Best Screenplay (adapted), Art Direction, and Sound. In 2010, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

 

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Every now and then, there comes a film that inspires a generation or two to aspire to do more. JAWS and STAR WARS inspired more than one generation of filmmakers. TOP GUN inspired legions of fighter jet pilots. And ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN is credited with causing a surge in journalism schools. It’s subtle, slow-burning style showed how facts are put together piece-by-piece, and shaped public perception of journalists as not only watchdogs but truth-tellers. 

 

ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN was a story about good journalism, and its influence would be seen in the Oscar-winning SPOTLIGHT in 2015. The film highlights persistence of reporters, source protection, and the importance of free press in a democracy. Fifty years on, it is a strong reminder that truth can challenge power…and change it. 

 

“If you’re gonna do it, do it right. If you’re gonna hype it, hype it with the facts.”

 

 

A Reel 75: THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD

“No pleasure, no pain, no emotion, no heart. Our superior in every way.”

This month marks the 75^th anniversary of THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD. 

 

Directed by Christian Nyby, produced by Howard Hawks, and based on the 1938 novella Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell, THING told the tale of a U.S. Air Force crew who discovers a flying saucer in the Arctic ice and a lone, frozen occupant…which eventually thaws and terrorizes the residents of a scientific research station. 

 

Considered to be one of the best sci-fi films of the 1950’s, THING was adapted from the novella by Charles Lederer, with rewrites from Howard Hawks. The film was partly shot in Glacier National Park in Montana, with interior sets built in a Los Angeles ice storage plant. Leading the Air Force crew was veteran actor Kenneth Tobey, and he was joined by Margaret Sheridan, Robert Cornthwaite, Douglas Spencer, James Young, Dewey Martin, and Robert Nichols. Appearing in a small role as a scientist was George Fenneman, who was Groucho Marx’s announcer on the popular quiz show You Bet Your Life. James Arness would play THE THING.

 

On release, THING was a solid earner, out-gaining fellow sci-fi classic THE DAY EARTH STOOD STILL. In 2001, the film was selected for preservation in the United States Film Registry.  In 1982, James Carpenter would direct a remake which became another classic. 

 

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This Blogger’s introduction to THE THING came by way of the old WPIX Sunday Afternoon Matinee movie, where it was run with other classics such as KING KONG and THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD. It was a clever, scary, and exciting creature-feature that went up against the good ol’ boys of the American military. It clicked well back then, and it does now. 

 

Beyond the creature-feature, THE THING was very much a product of its time. As with most good sci-fi, the film was a reflection of the times. This was a post-WWII world where everyone had seen the horrors of an atomic bomb, and scientists were held responsible for creating such an abomination. This is a heavy theme in THE THING, as the Air Force crew are often at odds with the scientists. Still, the film shows a connection between the two; the lead scientist and the Air Force General both quip lines such as “close the door”, showing their secretive ways which have deadly consequences. 

 

After 75 years, THE THING still holds influence over cinema. It’s isolated setting and closed-quarters paranoia has inspired other landmark films such as ALIEN (1979), ALIENS (1986), and HALLOWEEN (1978), and James Arness’ hulking figure is impressive. The simple premise and execution really works, and Howard Hawks’ fondness for American bravery and ingenuity give the film a beating heart. And for 1951, the film is progressive; Margaret Sheridan’s character is the one who comes up with the final solution to defeat THE THING. Today, many fans flock towards the 1982 remake, but this Blogger will always fly to the original. 

 

“Watch the skies!”