The Shark is Still Working

“The shark is not working. I repeat: the shark is not working.”

After an early Memorial Day and a late Labor Day, we have finally reached the end of 2026’s Summer Shark Festival Extravaganza. And as always, we close the summer with a documentary.

Water Park Shark

“Looks like we got ourselves a water park shark. Hey, that rhymes!”

I thought that I knew what I was getting into. This was directed by Anthony C. Ferrante, after all. I know Sharknado. I know the vibe. I know what movies of that particular strain of inspiration are like. I did not expect a good movie.

I was still unprepared.

Voicemails for Isabelle

“You’re proof that sometimes life rigs things in our favor.”

The first part of Voicemails for Isabelle is so amazing that it would be incredible if the rest could live up to it. It doesn’t, not quite, but it makes a good effort.

Trailer Park Shark

“Never doubt your uncle or question good old redneck ingenuity.”

Well, this certainly was not the movie that I expected it to be. Although, I do have to give it credit. It is exactly what its title implies. Both titles.

Minority Report (2003)

“The Precogs are never wrong. But, occasionally... they do disagree.”

The year is 2054 and murder has been eliminated in the District of Columbia thanks to PreCrime, a special police taskforce, led by Chief John Anderton (Tom Cruise), that uses a trio of precognitives to predict murders and prevent them. When the Precogs predict that Anderton himself will soon kill a man, someone he has never even met, he is forced to go on the run so he can clear his name by solving a murder that hasn't happened yet.

The Mummy's Hand

“For who shall defile the temples of the ancient gods, a cruel and violent death shall be his fate, and never shall his soul find rest unto eternity. Such is the curse of Amon-Ra, king of all the gods."

After reviewing the wondrous Discworld books, it’s time to get back to the Universal classic horror movies again with The Mummy’s Hand, a 1940 sequel to the original film from 1932.

Atomic Shark

“The beach is public domain!”
“I don’t think the law works that way…”

With a title like that, you basically already know what you’re in for: a radioactive shark. And let me tell you, they certainly delivered when it came to that.

Nightmare Shark

"If it can hurt us in our dreams, we should be able to hurt it back."

Nightmare on Elm Street but with a shark that occasionally takes the form of an insect swarm instead. I don’t know why the alternative form is an insect swarm. It just is.

The Devil's Mouth

“Okay, but how did it get into a goddamn cave? Did it call an Uber?”

This week, we have a brand new movie that was just released on Amazon Prime that features caves, Claire Novak, and a potentially teleporting shark.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

"Are you Peter Parker, or are you Spider-Man?"

Last time we saw Spider-Man, with the help of Doctor Strange, he had successfully separated his secret identity from his superhero identity in the world's consciousness. Brand New Day is a movie dedicated to how a teenage decision manifests in young adulthood. This movie paces as moody, frenetic, introspective, funny, and touching. And it's a very fun time at the movie theater.

Bull Shark

“Nolan, why is there a shark in the back of your truck?”

So, no water parks this week. Sorry. Instead, we go to the great state of Texas and a small town that has a pretty big problem: there’s a bull shark in the lake.

The Odyssey

"Step up and show me who you are."

How can one review a thousands-of-years-old poem, given the movie treatment by one of the biggest movie directors working today, who, himself, is a myth in his own right? Let’s find out together!

Into the Deep

“You can’t lose. You’re a goddamn predator. And they’re going to know it today.”

This week, we have a movie about a group of divers who are repeatedly forced into shark infested waters by criminals in order to retrieve sunken precious cargo. What? I already reviewed that?

The Transformers: The Movie (1986)

“One shall stand, one shall fall.”

Imagine being a kid in 1986 going to see this movie expecting a fun adventure featuring all your favourite cartoon heroes only to end up having a front row seat for the animated version of the Red Wedding.

Dunkirk

"...This is a pleasure yacht. You're weekend sailors, not the bloody navy!"

Dunkirk isn't your average World War II movie. It may not even be a war movie, at all. It is a big spectacle (with cross-cutting galore), and all of the crafts firing on all cylinders but instead of big battle scenes and 'men in rooms' strategizing, it pinpoints a specific window of time in the early days of the war, one whose outcome would have had a staggering effect on England's psychology.

Inception

"A man possessed of some radical notions..."

Have you ever seen the logo for Christopher Nolan’s production company, SYNCOPY?

Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966)

“We'll have to bypass Watford. The place is full of Daleks!”

Peter Cushing's second (and final) adventure as Dr. Who is a bigger and more cinematic outing than its predecessor, escaping the confines of the studio for a hectic runaround the backlot.

Thrash

“Mommy’s here. Mommy just got to fight some sharks.”

Did you like Crawl? Do you want to watch Crawl but with bull sharks, directed by the same man who brought us Dead Snow and Violent Night, instead? Well, then Netflix has a movie for you.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

"Who are those guys?"

What is it about this movie? Why, nearly sixty years after its release, is it still so beloved, so often cited, and watched and rewatched by generations of filmgoers? Of course it’s because it’s a wonderful story brought to life by two iconic actors, but it is more than that. It is a story that resonates, that speaks to people on a level that touches their heart.

Insomnia

“You’re my job. You’re what I am paid to do.”

Halfway though Insomnia, I was wondering: Could Detective Will Dormer (played by Al Pacino) sleep better during the Alaskan midnight sun if he hadn’t been plagued by guilt, or could the darkness of nightfall have provided adequate passage to sleep, even with his guilt? It’s hard to say. This upside down kind of question is not only the sort of thing that Christopher Nolan likes to toil with in fiction, in the real-life lead up to being hired to direct Insomnia also lay an upside down question.