 Warner Bros. Pictures, 2026. Three new movies - ranging all across genres - see theatrical release this weekend. First, there's "Digger," starring a nearly unrecognizable Tom Cruise, is a satirical black comedy from Oscar-winning director, Alejandro Inarritu ("The Revenant," "Biutiful," "Birdman," "Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths"). "Heart of the Beast" is a heartfelt action-thriller starring Brad Pitt and his on-screen canine companion, Odin. And "Forgotten Island," the family-friendly DreamWorks Animation adventure, based on Philippine mythology, with the voice-talent of H.E.R., Dave Franco and Jenny Slate. Read on for my thoughts on these three new films! "Digger"Grade: A- Woah baby. There is no middle-ground when it comes to "Digger." It is the definition of a movie destined to split audiences, generating extreme reactions as either the worst - or one of the best - films of the year. I have always been a sucker for on-screen ambition ("Cloud Atlas" is one of my top films of the past 20 years), and nobody is taking bigger swings right now than Oscar-winning director, Alejandro Inarritu ("The Revenant," "Birdman," "Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths). Count me in as on the side of "Digger" as a messy, near-disastrous work of art. I can without a doubt in my mind proclaim that NOBODY is prepared for "Digger," and I wouldn't dare reveal why. Tom Cruise is lost under layers of makeup and costume, as Digger Rockwell, a megalomaniacal oil tycoon whose unbridled greed literally leads to an existential threat to all humanity. Like any talented oligarch, he tries to position himself as the world's only solution to the problem that he himself created. There's a great cast, featuring Riz Ahmed as a climate scientist, John Goodman as the President of the United States, while also featuring the likes of Sandra Huller, Jesse Plemons, Michael Stuhlbarg and Emma D'Arcy. To say "Digger" is over-the-top is an understatement. The performances don't just chew the scenery, they devour the entire set. But all by design. Inarritu has something to say, and does not give a damn as to who cares how he says it. He asks more of his audience than most movie-goers have patience for. Absurd satire is a tricky thing. When a movie is this exaggerated, this ridiculous and this intentionally bonkers, there is a natural tendency to dismiss it simply as absurd, when the absurdity itself is the point. That doesn't mean everyone who dislikes "Digger" simply didn't understand it, nor does understanding what it's doing automatically make it good. But there is an important distinction between something being ridiculous because it doesn't work and something being ridiculous by design. "Digger" is absolutely the latter. Its performances, situations and entire reality are pushed to extremes because that's where its satire lives. You don't have to like the approach, but writing off its excesses as flaws is to overlook just how deliberate those excesses actually are. The plane is going down, everyone is on fire and Iñárritu is asking you to trust that he knows exactly what he's doing. Somehow, against all odds, he lands the damn thing. The absurdity of "Digger" ends on a final lingering shot that says more than most other directors ever say with their entire filmographies. I'm not guaranteeing you will like "Digger." In fact, I suspect most will not. But let's start the serious awards conversation for Cruise and Goodman right now. As for the film itself, there are large portions that simply don't work, at times nearly to the point where you'll want to look away, or even walk out. But the fact that Iñárritu had me feeling all of this, and just about everything else, over the course of two hours, only to leave me walking out of the theater feeling as if I'd just witnessed something vital and important to cinema, is a rare achievement. "Digger" is a lot of things. Forgettable is not one of them. Starring: Tom Cruise, Riz Ahmed, Sandra Huller, John Goodman, Jesse Plemons, Michael Stuhlbarg. Directed by Alejandro Inarritu ("The Revenant," "Biutiful," "Birdman," "Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths"). "Heart of the Beast"Grade: C There's nothing particularly wrong with "Heart of the Beast," but there isn't anything new either. Brad Pitt and his dog are both war veterans who have been bonded through their past trauma and shared wounds. They complete each other. A plane crash finds them alone, together, in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness where they are forced to survive the harshness of Mother Nature. They get by the only way they know how, through loyalty and faith in one another. The dog, Odin, is of course wonderfully commanded by off-screen trainers, and Brad Pitt does what he can with what he's given. We've seen this all before though, and repetitive flashbacks don't help create depth. "Heart of the Beast" definitely has a lot of heart, but beneath the surface, there's just not much to sink your teeth into. Starring: Brad Pitt, JK Simmons. Directed by David Ayer ("A Working Man," "The Beekeeper," "Suicide Squad (2016)," "Fury," "End of Watch"). "Forgotten Island"Grade: B
The kinetic, non-stop, in-your-face visual style of "Forgotten Island" borrows heavily from classic anime as well as the recent Sony "Spider-Verse" films. And as an original IP (remember those?) with a very strong message (about the power and importance of making memories), it would be a shame if "Forgotten Island" was forgotten at the box office. Sadly, the overly-energetic animation can be a bit hard to follow, and it makes the lightning-quick pace of the plot that much more difficult to understand. "Forgotten Island" comes across as trying a bit too hard. But it's never uninteresting, and beneath all the noise is a really touching and even courageous family film, that deserves a spot in your memory bank. Starring (voices of): H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Jenny Slate, Dave Franco, Lea Salonga. Written & Directed by Joel Crawford & Janual P. Mercado ("Puss in Boots: The Last Wish," "The Croods: A New Age"). Comments are closed.
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