David R. Walker

Archive for January, 2026

Hamnet

Director: Chloe Zhao

Cast: Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Joe Alwyn, Emily Watson, David Wilmot, Jacobi Jupe, Noah Jupe, Olivia Lynes, Bodhi Rae Breathnach

Running Time: 2 hours and 5 minutes

Film Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Oscar winning director Chloe Zhao weaves her cinematic magic in a beautiful yet gut wrenching masterpiece of a film, Hamnet based upon the acclaimed novel by Maggie O’Farrell and produced by Steven Spielberg, Pippa Harris and Sam Mendes amongst others.

Set in Stratford upon Avon and London, Hamnet traces the early life of William Shakespeare, his courting of the headstrong and pastoral Agnes through their wedding and subsequent birth of their three children. While Will is away in London quietly becoming one of England’s greatest playwrights that ever lived, Agnes is dealing with her three children – Susanna played by Bodhi Rae Breathnach and twins Hamnet, the only boy played by Jacobi Jupe and his sister Judith played by Olivia Lynes.

With an absent father, Agnes in a breath taking performance by Jessie Buckley who deserves every acting accolade under the sun, discovers that Judith the weaker of the twins contracts the pestilence brought to England from Europe in 1596. Her twin brother Hamnet is distraught that his sister is sick but also that his mysteriously brooding and famous father is continually absent. But Shakespeare told Hamnet to be brave.

In an effort to cure his sister of her devastating illness, Hamnet shares a bed with his sick sister.  

There is no greater strain on a marriage than the loss of a child and director Chloe Zhao paints a beautiful portrait of a young couple trying to survive a terrible tragedy. When Agnes is paralyzed by grief, her brother Bartholomew played by Joe Alwyn (The Brutalist) urges his sister to go to London to see what accomplishments young Shakespeare has created. Agnes’s stepmother tells her that Shakespeare has written a new play and it’s not a comedy but a tragedy, a monumental meditation on mortality, betrayal and grief. Hamlet, one of the greatest and most complex plays ever written.

Oscar nominee Paul Mescal (Aftersun) is brilliant as the ambitious and frustrated playwright William Shakespeare who has to sacrifice being with his family in order to achieve literary fame. At the emotional centre of Hamnet is Agnes, a heart wrenching performance by Oscar nominee Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter) who is so angry at what the fates have given her, even though her destiny of only having two surviving children is chillingly fulfilled.

On every level Hamnet is a masterpiece from superb performances by the two main leads, to the remarkable young actors including brothers Jacobi Jupe playing young Hamnet and Noah Jupe playing the fictional character of Hamlet to the recreation of the Globe Theatre.

A masterful adaptation of a beautiful novel, Hamnet is an authentic and classic film portraying how grief can tear families apart but how literary success and fame can serve as a method of dealing with such untimely tragedy.

The last half of Hamnet is captivating, from its production design by Fiona Crombie who also did The Favourite to the musical score by Max Richter to the excellent Elizabethan costumes by Malgosia Turzanska.

Hamnet will appeal to lovers of Shakespeare and literary films which are skilfully told. In this case it is the sacrifice of a child that is the origin of a famous tragedy. Hamnet is immersive viewing, extremely sad but absolutely brilliant. Director Chloe Zhao is a master of her craft.

Hamnet gets a film rating of 9.5 out of 10 and is highly recommended for anyone that loves film and theatre. A masterpiece that Shakespeare would be proud of.

Song Sung Blue

Director: Craig Brewer

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Ella Anderson, Hudson Henley, Michael Imperioli, Fisher Stevens, Jim Belushi, Mustafa Shakir

Running Time: 2 hours and 12 minutes

Film Rating: 7 out of 10

Twenty six years after her first Oscar nomination for Almost Famous back in 2000 for director Cameron Crowe’s musical drama, Oscar nominee Kate Hudson, daughter of Oscar winner and Hollywood veteran Goldie Hawn, stars in a new musical drama Song Sung Blue directed by Craig Brewer for which Hudson has just been nominated again for Best Actress in the 2026 Oscars.

Kate Hudson is extraordinary as a divorcee Claire in 1990’s Minnesota who teams up with a fellow singer impersonator the troubled Mike well played with gusto by Oscar nominee Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables) in Song Sung Blue, not the catchiest title for a film.

However despite the extraordinarily long running time, Song Sung Blue is an enjoyable musical drama about average Americans trying to survive by doing Neil Diamond and Patsy Cline impersonations on stage.

Claire and Mike form the Lightning and Thunder duo as they tour around the mid-West with the help of their hilarious manager Tony D’Amato superbly played by Jim Belushi (Wonder Wheel, The Whole Truth) and supported by Mike’s friends Dr Dave Watson played by Fisher Stevens recently seen in Ripley and Succession TV series and Mike Shurilla played by Michael Imperioli (Goodfellas).  

Complications arise in Claire and Mike’s marriage and performing partnership as Claire is hit by a car in a bad accident outside their house and she has rehabilitate herself and emotionally train herself to appear back on stage.

The rest of the supporting cast include Claire’s children Rachel played by Ella Anderson who is excellent and her son Dana played by Hudson Henley.

Despite the setbacks Claire and Mike have as a performing duo, Song Sung Blue as a film was not edited properly and is saved by an extraordinarily vulnerable performance by Kate Hudson who carries the entire film.

While Song Sung Blue has great commercial appeal and there is an undeniable spark between Hudson and Jackman, the film itself meandered from one family drama to another while touching on issues of addiction, survival and ambition. A musical story about a couple that are almost famous but whose love triumphs through tenacity and tragedy.

See Song Sung Blue for the Neil Diamond music and the great family story, however as film it doesn’t stand as a monumental piece of cinema and is saved only by a brilliant performance by Kate Hudson. Director Craig Brewer who delivered the hilarious comedy Coming 2 America needs to employ a better editor.

This film has done extremely well at the box office which and has a warm compassionate appeal, however it pales in comparison to films like Marty Supreme and One Battle After Another.

Song Sung Blue gets a film rating of 7 out of 10 and is worth seeing purely for Kate Hudson’s competent performance. Recommended viewing for an enjoyable family drama.

The 83rd Golden Globe Awards took place on Sunday 11th January 2026 in Los Angeles and hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at the Beverly Hilton Hotel – Here are the 2026 Golden Globe Winners in the Film Categories:

Best motion picture – Drama:

Hamnet

Best motion picture – Musical or Comedy:

One Battle After Another

Best actress in a motion picture – Drama:

Jessie Buckley – Hamnet

Best actor in a motion picture – Drama:

Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent

Best actress in a motion picture – Musical or Comedy:

Rose Byrne – If I had legs I would kick you

Best actor in a motion picture – Musical or Comedy:

Timothee Chalamet – Marty Supreme

Best supporting actress in any motion picture:

Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

Best supporting actor in any motion picture:

Stellan Skarsgard – Sentimental Value

Best Director – motion picture:

Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another

Best Original Screenplay – Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another

Best motion picture – non-English language: The Secret Agent directed by Kleber Mendonca Filho

Rental Family

Director: Hikari

Cast: Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Mahina Gorman

Running Time: 1 hour and 50 minutes

Language: Japanese with English subtitles

Film Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Please note this film is mostly in Japanese with English Subtitles

Ever since Brendan Fraser won the Best Actor Oscar for Darren Aronofsky’s brilliant film The Whale, he has experienced a career resurgence after his millennial high with the Mummy franchise opposite Oscar winner Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener).

After brief appearance in director Martin Scorsese’s Killer of the Flower Moon, it is refreshing to see Brendan Fraser take on a lead role in a fascinating Japanese drama called Rental Family shot entirely in Tokyo.

Fraser plays the cumbersome but lovable American actor Philip Vanderploeg from Minnesota who is literally trying to make it big in Japan. Japanese director Hikari who also directed the brilliant Netflix series Beef about two Korean Americans in Los Angeles who have a road rage fight. Hikari presents an elegant feminine touch in directing Rental Family about some of the bizarre practices of Japanese culture.

Vanderploeg plays a rent an hour actor for the happiness agency headed by Shinja Tada played by Takehiro Hira (Captain America: Brave New World, Gran Turismo) with the help of his able assistant and fixer Akiro Nakajima superbly played by Mari Yamamoto who as an actor also produced the excellent series Tokyo Vice.

As a noticeable American, Vanderploeg is hired out to be a make believe husband for a fake wedding so that the bride can hide her sexuality from her parents. He is also hired to play a fake reporter for an ageing Japanese film star with dementia. Most significantly he is hired to play an American fake father to a young Eurasian girl Mia expertly played by Shannon Mahina Gorman.

Vanderploeg becomes emotionally attached to his make believe clients. He becomes fond of the ageing Japanese film star who is keen to escape from his over protective daughter. He loves playing a fake father to Mia as a means for the young girl to gain admittance into a posh Tokyo school.

Soon, Vanderploeg’s cover is blown, while he is attempting to navigate an unsual Japanese culture in which payment for make believe emotions is a common social practice.

Hikari as a director captures the mysterious allure of Japan as well as the densely populated bustle of metropolitan Tokyo with beautiful cinematography by Takuro Ishizaka and production design by Norhiro Isoda and Masako Takayama.

Brendan Fraser is excellent as the actor playing a version of himself in a foreign exotic country with unbelievable customs. Rental Family is a fascinating drama about fake relations and real emotions and is highly recommended viewing for those that love Japanese culture and films.

Rental Family gets a film rating of 7.5 out of 10 and is worth seeing for those that enjoyed films like Babel and Lost in Translation.

The 31st Critics’ Choice Awards were presented on Sunday January 4, 2026, at the Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Airport in Santa Monica, California, honouring the finest achievements of filmmaking and television programming in 2025.

These are the winners in the film category:

Best Picture: One Battle After Another

Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another

Best Actor: Timothee Chalamet – Marty Supreme

Best Actress: Jessie Buckley – Hamnet

Best Supporting Actor: Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein

Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan – Weapons

Best Original Screenplay: Ryan Coogler – Sinners

Best Adapted Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another

Best Cinematography: Alphonso Veloso – Train Dreams

Best Production Design: Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau – Frankenstein

Best Costume Design: Kate Hawley – Frankenstein

Best Visual Effects: Avatar: Fire and Ash

Marty Supreme

Director: Josh Safdie

Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Fran Drescher, Sandra Bernhard, Emory Cohen, Kevin O’Leary, Abel Ferrara

Running time: 2 hours and 29 minutes

Film Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Director Josh Safdie found the right actor with Oscar nominee 30 year stratospheric star Timothee Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name, A Complete Unknown) to take on the main role of the obnoxious and cheeky yet determined table tennis player Marty Mauser in his new brilliant original film Marty Supreme set in New York in 1952, just seven years after the end of World War II.

Co-written with Ronald Bronstein, Marty Supreme features a tour-de-force performance by Timothee Chalamet as a determined and broke young shoe salesman who plans on following his dream by representing America in table tennis at the international table tennis championships first in London and then eventually in Tokyo.

Except that Marty is trapped in a family business working for his uncle who is financially supporting his mother Rebecca Mauser played by Fran Drescher.

Marty has big dreams, lots of energy and confidence and is ready to do literally anything to escape the claustrophobic setting of his New York neighbourhood, however he accidentally complicates his life when he sleeps with the young and audacious Rachel Mizler wonderfully played by Odessa A’zion.

Marty flies to London where while at the Ritz during a crazy interview with reporters he spots the beautiful and regal 1930’s screen actress Kay Stone superbly played by Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love) who is absolutely brilliant as a fading film star trapped in a lavish but loveless marriage to the ink billionaire Milton Rockwell, sadistically played to perfection by Kevin O’Leary. In Kay Stone and Milton Rockwell, Marty discovers affluent people with the means to do anything, a far cry from the hustlers and con artists that populate his world. Marty is mesmerized by the alluring Kay Stone and embarks on a passionate but bizarre maternal affair with his financier’s wife.

Gwyneth Paltrow after a long screen hiatus is back in an emotional nuanced performance beautifully based on annoyance and lust whereby she holds Marty in contempt for being not only her younger male lover but also because socially he is well below her social status even though she is just an actress.

Broke and desperate to raise money to get to the table tennis champions in Tokyo, a dream which seems impossible to everyone, Marty is determined to hustle and woo Milton Rockwell while also trying to steal money from an old gangster Ezra Mishkin played by film director Abel Ferrara who will pay a reward fee to find his lost dog.

With a colourful script by Bronstein and Safdie, Marty Supreme is an amazing life affirming, frenetic picaresque tale of one man who is determined to make his dreams come true despite his social, financial and romantic challenges.

At the centre of Marty Supreme is a brilliant Oscar worthy performance by Timothee Chalamet who inhabits every moment of the Neo-realist narrative filling the screen with crazy antics, snappy dialogue and an immeasurable screen confidence which overflows in a story about determination, success and the ability to believe in yourself.

Set between New York, London and Tokyo, Marty Supreme is an electrifying film anchored by two amazing performances by Timothee Chalamet and Gwyneth Paltrow who counterbalance a story about chaos, blind ambition and responsibility.

Marty Supreme is an inventive original film which deserves recognition and gets a film rating of 8.5 out of 10.

It’s a crazy film but audiences will not be disappointed. Chalamet deserves all the acting accolades coming his way. Highly recommended viewing.