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Film reviews

Tenzing Review

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Written by Luke Davies and directed by Jennifer Peedom, this is a film where the summit of Mount Everest has a surreal presence. Genden Phuntsok plays Tenzing Norgay, Willem Dafoe plays Colonel Hunt, and Tom Hiddleston plays Edmund Hillary in this adventure tale of those who want to climb Mount Everest come to life. Tenzing showcases the world’s most breathtaking cinematography and mountain views I have ever seen. The concept of accomplishments flow with many spellbinding effects. A portrayal of an era where the precautions are limited creates an atmosphere that reminds its audience to never give up. 

 

Tenzing has earned a lot of praise and rewarding achievements in many film festivals this year. It was featured in the 53rdTelluride Film Festival, the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), The 22nd Zurich Film Festival, and is coming up in the 2026 Nashville Film Festival. With its many festival appearances in the month of September, Tenzing is bound to find its spot in award season categories. The era of sacrifice and accomplishments has a heartfelt meaning. It dazzles with mountain scenery and wonderous shots of Mt. Everest. There is also the depictions of courage with others. Deep down though, Tenzing just reminds its audience that anything is possible when one puts their minds to a task. 

 

Tenzing is the hero of the film with the plot revolving mainly around him. The story of the 1953 mission to embark on the British Everest Expedition shines. Tenzing teams up with Colonel Hunt and Edmund Hillary. There are others as well, but all three of them are the heroes behind the mountain expedition.Their dynamic trio is where Tenzing is a masterpiece on a surreal level. Climbing mountains is not easy—but Tenzing is the one that delivers much of the hope for the world around him.

 

What I admire most about Tenzing is how it captures his younger days in the village and then jumps back to his Everest adventure. The reminder that he started in this one place brings a lot of positive emotions and the thought that every hero has a story. Tenzing’s is brutal and persistent one. The smile on his face is his trademark for the world. The accomplishments of his life and mountain expeditions will live for generations. Tenzing is also an influence—he encourages his teammates to not quit abandonplans as the continuation of the climb gets steeper. There are moments where parts of the mountain can break—the message to keep going continues to glow in Tenzing.

 

The most essential aspect though, is how it brings in the moments of global warming impacting the climb. There are moments where the team finds themselves trying to think of new plans, move things around, or even give up. Tenzing is not about giving up, but he is also about safety. The writing of the film is created to have a literal landscape containing paths with thoughts of quitting, but also ones leading to encouragement to climb to the top. Once they accomplish that, they will remember their achievement forever.

 

Astonishing in the storyline, the photography, and the continuity. This is an experience that feels like a National Geographic sensation. One of the best films from the mind of Jennifer Peedom. Her epic filmmaking here will captivate audiences around the world with Tenzing. Four out of four stars for Tenzing.

 

Film reviews

Highest 2 Lowest Review

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This film directed by Spike Lee with Denzel Washington in the lead is one that makes for a masterclass in filmmaking success. Highest 2 Lowest is what I consider to be one of the best films of 2025. It has a dramatic sense of power and irony that moves in a direction that creating its own force of nature. Lee’s directing is like the setup of a play of power and triumph–one where millionaires and the music industry find themselves in a battle of ransom to the highest peaks. Instead of suspenseful tones of action, it follows more along the lines of politics weaving back and forth with egos fighting to come to an agreement. With Lee, fans know that he is one to paint the portrait with the writing on the wall. It is fresh “writing on the wall” all over in Highest 2 Lowest.

The film centers on a music mogul named David King (Washington). He is all about money and thriving on the power of creativity via words and wisdom. His wife is Pam King (played by Illfenesh Hadera) and his family friend is Paul Christopher (played by Jeffrey Wright). The life of New York is golden and glamorous with King fully living the high life of the music industry. All that changes in a heartbeat when his son Trey (played Aubrey Joseph) is kidnapped. It is a ransom situation that gets political and ethical. A moral dilemma is presented with much authority associated.

The film is mesmerizing because of its set-up. It feels like a Shakespeare production. That is because the many moments of suspense will have Washington pontificating on authority and business while also dealing with finding the means to get around a ransom. Not only that, but also assuring that his life continues to be glamorous and successful with his family. Lee brings in that brotherhood and fatherhood vibe with many lines of wisdom throughout the hard and aching moments of the powerful crime. The New York streets boil down the mood of anxiousness with an artistic form of continuity that is one-of-a-kind in Highest 2 Lowest.

The dynamic between Washington and Wright is also the major component of staying connected in Highest 2 Lowest. There is a background of writing that establishes what a close relationship looks like while dealing with a hard situation. But also, the ransom scenario has its moments where it competes—because money is the key to getting out of the conflict. Ultimately resolution is all in the hands of the business perspective of Highest 2 Lowest and Lee’s directing creates a road that presents this vividly in Highest 2 Lowest.

To retrace my words of why I love this movie, it is because I love how Washington can play a man of success and a man dealing with a complicated situation.  At the same time, he presents a serious side but is also mentally prepared to go down with the irreparable consequences. Music, money, family, hardship—greed and success does not bring good people with it sometimes. The portrait of jealousy lies within, but the voice of fighting to keep going strong via politics is where Highest 2 Lowest shines. Four out of four stars for Highest 2 Lowest.

 

Film reviews

Echo Valley Review

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When it comes to relationships between parents and their children there is a sense of comfort and empathy surrounding that bond. There is also that time when a parent chooses to push themselves to the limit to protect their children. Directed by Michael Pearce, Echo Valley is a film with a rough dynamic that feels real and vigorously carries the weaving component of detrimental stress. It takes place in a vast landscape that is on a farm setting. Livelihood is a bucolic aspect of this scene, but then that gets interrupted by turmoil between a mother and a daughter. Kate (Julianne Moore) is the mother and Claire (Sydney Sweeney) is the daughter. A dynamic of hardship that rattles love to a level that is one of a heartache. 

Kate lives her life on a farm where she trains horses. Her daughter Claire is coming back for a visit and she is notorious for drugs and lots of other mischievous behavior. Kate has always bailed Claire out of her problems, but this one gets very out of hand. There is a life-threatening accident involving drugs, betrayal and debt which puts Claire in trouble and Kate along with her.  Kate does not have to involve herself, but she chooses to protect her daughter.

The writing and continuity of lies creates an unsettling atmosphere. Claire’s error is one that boils the screen with the anxiety it provokes. This is because one dangerous man comes around to settle for Claire’s mistakes. His name is Jackson, played by Domhnall Gleeson. He is a manipulator and not a good person—a dealer that lies and tries to turn the table by putting Claire’s mess onto Kate to clean up. Despite it all being Claire’s bad choices, Kate chooses to take much of it into her own hands. Motherly dedication is one that is brutally portrayed and captivating. Moore digs deep here to play a mother that will not be messed with.

Echo Valley carries uniqueness that displays how a trail of lies can also have its gains for good and bad intentions. Kate uses it for “good” and Jackie uses it for “bad.” However, it all comes down to the choices of Kate as well. The farm setting poses the threat of their livelihood being at risk and the chance of Claire falling into despair. The screenplay is written with depth that keeps mingling the anxiety to the core of Echo Valley. I keptdesperately wanting Kate to be the good mother and Claire to find a way to get her act together. The directing of Pearce creates these two sides to make its audience feel the hardship of their relationship carried to immersive heights in Echo Valley.

Moore and Sweeney bring the mother and daughter duo of love and sacrifice to an artistic level of achievement. The film has its moments of trying too hard to become dramatic with an abusive context. I will say some of it kept its pacing, but at the same time, the light can come sooner in many incidents.  I told myself in these moments that it always gets worse before it gets better. Regardless, there is light, but there is also patience and repetition to be cultivated before “light” can shine brighter for resolution in Echo Valley. Three out of four stars.