Pasckie Pascua's Nerdy Squirrel Reviews: Movies.

“Palmer” (2021, Apple TV+) drama film . Plot: Eddie Palmer is a former high school football star and ex-felon who has been released from prison after serving 12 years for attempted murder and armed robbery. He moves in with his grandmother Vivian, who occasionally watches over a young feminine boy named Sam, the son of her neighbor Shelly, a drug addict. When Vivian died as Shelly stayed a mess, Palmer and Sam got closer.          This exemplary movie by full-time actor Fisher Stevens tackles several issues that warrant a sensitively critical understanding. Reinforced by an award-deserving performance by Justin Timberlake as Eddie Palmer, this feature could squeeze your heart to tears. Not moralizing or castigating yet “Palmer” coaxes us to look within. Never mind that the theme or plot is familiar; the urgency of the message should not stray away from public attention.        And look out for child actor Ryder A...

“A House of Dynamite” (2025, Netflix) apocalyptic political thriller film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Noah Oppenheim .         Story; The U.S. government navigates an official response to a single nuclear missile launched by an unidentified enemy.        The unfailing, masterfully-crafted suspense and overlying anti-nuke message is clear but the storyline is a bit implausible or unrealistic to me. I won't give away the end game though since you may already have imbibed the moral of the story.        And you have reliable performers here, such as Idris Elba , Rebecca Ferguson , Jared Harris, Jason Clarke, Tracy Letts + brief appearances by Greta Lee and Kaitlyn Dever. Per Ms Bigelow's filmography, I rate this B+. 🎥💻📽 “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” (2022, Hulu) action-thriller , relies on ideas advanced in Andreas Malm 's 2021 book of the same name . Examines t...

“The Monk and the Gun” (2023, Hulu) a drama co-production between Bhutan, Taiwan, France, the U.S., and Hong Kong. The story follows a young monk in Bhutan in 2006 who is tasked by his master to find two guns to prepare for the country's transition to democracy.         How the guns are used to articulate wisdom is sublime and enlightening--that goes beyond weaponry but to our attachments to material acquisitions that we don't really need.         Directed, written and co-produced by Pawo Choyning Dor ji, this little movie seemed cast by non-actors and ordinary villagers. The script is quite simple and subtle but the universal impact is huge. Definitely a crowd-pleaser. 🎥💻📽 “The Sower” (2017, Plex) France-Belgium historical drama. Set in 1851, this movie takes place in a village where the women have been left on their own after all the men were rounded up in order to prevent an uprising. Based on the shor...

“Night of the Tommyknockers” (2022, Sling) horror drama. When miners blast for gold in the 1870's, they accidentally release ancient creatures known as Tommyknockers, or a sort of another version of zombies.        A band of outlaws, the Dirk gang, launched a bank heist that descended into a siege when all the survivors became trapped in the local saloon . Because the damn starving tommyknockers came knockin’ rudely and violently.         Meanwhile, the Dirk gang is led by Richard Grieco. Remember him in the original “21 Jump Street,” uh huh? The 1980s? Yes, he is still alive--fighting tommyknockers.        This silly movie is neither scary nor funny. Just a little distraction while you (at the same time) attend to 5 other house chores. Honestly, I lost track of what actually happened to Mr Grieco's character. But I didn't bother to rewind. Folding the laundry, fresh off the dry...

“The Lost Bus” (2025, Apple TV+) survival drama film directed by Paul Greengrass , who co-wrote the screenplay with Brad Ingelsby .         This movie is based on a rescue detailed in a section of Lizzie Johnson's book “Paradise: One Town's Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire” about the 2018 Camp Fire , one of the most destructive wildfires in California history, which claimed 85 lives.        Mr Greengrass’ recreation of the disaster is terrifyingly authentic. It'd seem like the film's audience is actually there with the schoolchildren and their teachers and driver, inside the bus. You can almost feel the blazing fire and the searing heat.        Plus an outstanding performance by Matthew McConaughey as the driver Kevin McKee and America Ferrera as the teacher Mary Ludwig.        Recommended weekend family viewing. 🎥💻📽 “The Stanford ...