Ad Astra: Cinematic Hypnotism
“Ad Astra” is a film that possesses similar beats to sci-fi classics, falling into the realm of cinematic hypnotism, and pulling us in with its mysteriously intoxicating identity.

Motion picture actress Doria Dane (Edna Goodrich) gives up her career to play muse to sculptor George Steele (Herbert Evans). With Doria's help, Steele overcomes his Bohemian excesses and stays away from the influence of the jealous but wealthy Mrs. Schuyler (Miriam Folger). He finally achieves success, but he also begins to neglect Doria. When she catches him kissing the dreaded Mrs. Schuyler, Doria decides to leave him. But when she goes to his studio to drop off her farewell note, she discovers another sculptor, Harry North, copying one of Steele's masterpieces. Later she comes over to Steele's studio and, in front of a crowd of people, smashes the statue to bits. Then she takes them over to North's studio and explains that she switched the two statues, and reveals North as a fraud. At the base of the real statue she has left a letter of reconciliation to Steele.
“Ad Astra” is a film that possesses similar beats to sci-fi classics, falling into the realm of cinematic hypnotism, and pulling us in with its mysteriously intoxicating identity.
Many have interpreted Maya Deren’s Meshes of the Afternoon as a dream sequence, but what if the repetitive scenes we are given are not dreams but, a time loop.
With The Father, writer-director Florian Zeller- who wrote and developed the play upon which the film is based- pulls no punches as he confidently makes every effort to put the audience in the mind of someone whose grip on reality has all but vanished. It’s a dazzling testament to Zeller’s abilities as a director as he makes his first transition from stage to film appear as if he’s been working behind a camera his entire career. The dialogue he fashions with co-writer Christopher Hampton, along with the work of production designers Peter Francis and Cathy Featherstone, collectively makes the downward spiral of dementia startlingly tangible, doing so in a way that can be comprehended by everyone except the person it directly affects.
The film centers around two young women, Becca and Sam, who were once high school sweethearts until they reconnect in their town.
Armed with a $400M budget and Tom Cruise’s death-defying stunts, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning delivers pulse-pounding action even as its plot falters. From underwater silence to high-altitude madness, it's pure adrenaline powered by old-school movie magic — but is this really Ethan Hunt’s final mission?
Clocking in at about four hours, Stranger Things season 4 volume 2 is the length of a double feature. Despite the length and the hype, the finale still falls short of expectations thanks to poor pacing, poor character choices, and poor diverse storytelling.