JEREMY THE CRITIC

The Pitt (Season 2)

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:47:00 +0000

Creator: R. Scott Gemmill
Starring: Noah Wyle, Patrick Ball, Katherine LaNasa, Supriya Ganesh, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Isa Briones, Gerran Howell, Shabana Azeez, Sepideh Moafi, Shawn Hatosy, Laëtitia Hollard, Alexandra Metz, Ayesha Harris, Tal Anderson
Original Airdate: 2026

**This Review Contains Plot Spoilers**

★★★★ (out of ★★★★)

In its sophomore season, the creator and writers of HBO Max's The Pitt provide an answer as to whether it's possible to improve on perfection. And still with just thirty episodes in the can, it feels as if we've past the point of calling it TV's best ever medical drama, easily clearing the bar set by its own executive producer John Wells' pioneering E.R. Instead, this occupies an entirely different realm reserved for only the upper echelon, putting to bed whatever lingering genre bias still remained.

What sets this apart isn't just the pressure cooker format of each episode being set in real time, covering the entirety of an emergency trauma center shift. Or even the onslaught of patients hovering between life and death as doctors attempt to treat them in the face of insurmountable overcrowdedness and staff shortages.

While it all contributes, what stands out most is the show's commitment to letting these cases do the talking, each new catastrophe revealing more about these characters than any manufactured storyline could. But that isn't to say this lacks heightened drama, as the show's frenetic pacing and non-stop action makes it impossible to turn away.

With its shaky-cam documentary style immersing us in the chaos, this season's tension is hammered home by a ten-month time jump, distinguishing it from shows that force viewers to wait three year for the next chapter. And since there's bound to be high turnover in a teaching hospital where new faces come and go, we get our first glimpse at how showrunner R. Scott Gemmill handles it, with one major departure and an influx of med students coming in to replace those moving up. But if frequent staff changes are business as usual in this kind of setting, it's still a scripted series where even the slightest shake-ups can upset the balance. The writers use this to prove that no character is bigger than the hospital or series itself, save for maybe just one. But now, even that's in doubt.

It's July 4th weekend and Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) is starting his last shift before a planned three-month sabbatical when he'll embark on a cross country motorcycle trip. Taking his place as senior attending in the interim is Dr. Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi), a VA physician and supporter of using AI technology to treat patients. Working alongside Robby, the two clash over their differing methods as he becomes increasingly skeptical of her ability to run things while he's gone. Meanwhile, Langdon (Patrick Ball) makes his long waited return from rehab, discovering certain colleagues aren't thrilled that he's working in this hospital again. Topping this list is feisty second-year resident Dr. Trinity Santos (Isa Briones), who notably turned him in for stealing drugs, leading to his suspension.

Farm boy Dr. Whitaker (Gerran Howell) comes into his own as a more confident, capable intern, emerging as a protege and potential successor to Robby as a new crop of students arrive, including overconfident know-it-all James Ogilvie (Lucas Iverson) and sarcastic but highly intelligent Joy Quan (Irene Choi). And still carrying the trauma from last year's assault, charge nurse Dana Evans (Katherine LaNasa) is shows trainee Emma (Laëtitia Hollard) the ropes on a first day she definitely won't forget.

As a stressed out Dr. Samira Mohan (Supriya Ganesh) and overwhelmed fourth-year med student Victoria Javadi (Shabana Azeez) are distracted by their overbearing mothers, Dr. Cassie McKay (Fiona Dourif) treats a woman dying from cancer while Dr. Mel King (Taylor Dearden) panics over her malpractice deposition and autistic sister Becca's (Tal Anderson) burgeoning independence. But when a technological catastrophe forces the entire staff to improvise, it's all hands on deck when Robby's frustrations simmer, his planned road trip looking unlikelier by the minute. And if he does go, there's no telling whether he'll come back.

If an emergency department is comparable to a revolving door, Dr. Al-Hashimi could either be viewed as the temporary replacement for Robby while he's away or an attempt to fill a crucial gap left by the departure of Tracy Ifeachor's senior resident Dr. Heather Collins. Or maybe a bit of both. Either way, she and Robby have a very different dynamic from the start, with him immediately questioning her expertise, judgment and ability to lead.

Aside from Al-Hashimi's controversial AI fixation, she's a controlled, unshakeable and observant physician with flexibility Robby often lacks, especially during this shift. But if any mutual respect develops between them, it's mostly one-sided since the prideful, stubborn Robby would likely find fault in anyone temporarily chosen to take his spot, regardless of their skills or qualifications.

As Robby's attitude worsens, we're introduced to the idea he's a martyr, intolerant of watching anyone fail at reaching the impossible standards he sets for himself. There were signs of this last season, but now the job's eaten away at his psyche, partially because he has no existence or purpose outside of it, making the decision to leave for a few months that much more agonizing. And while his instincts about Al-Hashimi are correct, it's not for the reasons he assumes, but rather a secret she's holding that becomes increasingly impossible to suppress.

The returning Langford is also waging an inner battle as the former cocky hotshot comes back significantly humbled and apologetic, fearing he'll no longer be the doctor he once was. But if the rehab stint changed him, Santos doesn't want to hear it, far preferring he be dismissed than get help or a second chance. And that few know the full extent of his actions is only more infuriating, as she's again forced to work alongside a doctor who treated her like dirt on day one.

With the show's accuracy continuing to earn high marks from those in the medical community, it again shows how massive cracks in the healthcare system affect doctors and patients alike. That's especially true for the mental well being of providers driven to burnout, addiction and far worse over the course of the season. There's also an emphasis on the violence many endure from disgruntled patients due to a lack of security and other protective safeguards.

If there are any quibbles about what happens over these fifteen hours, it's the sheer volume of bizarre, once-in-a-career cases that take place consecutively within a single shift. But it's not as if any viewer could complain given the tension it generates, hardly allowing the characters to come up for air before another crisis hits, each more challenging than the last.

Though the show's whole rhythm and structure is built around the idea we never see or find out what happens to these patients once they're discharged (or flat out leave), some reappear. Whether it's last season's beloved regular Louie Cloverfield (Ernest Harden Jr.) continuing to drink himself to death or construction worker Orlando Diaz's (William Guirola) inability to afford coverage, we're reminded just how much is out of the physicians' hands. That reality is further reinforced when a few month old baby is found abandoned, becoming a representation of the hope and helplessness that defines their jobs.

There's no better example of that than in the pivotal "1:00 PM" hour, when Dana and her trainee Emma collect evidence for a rape kit from victim Ilana Miller (an outstanding Tina Ivlev). Difficult to watch and feeling almost tortuously long, there's never been such a sensitive and precisely detailed depiction of this examination on television before. The silences are deafening as we watch a calm, understanding Dana walk this rape survivor through the most emotionally grueling process of her life.

While Dana was already established as the glue that holds this trauma center together, the material LaNasa gets to work with is even better this time around, with her character desperately trying to provide compassionate care, even as the memory of her own attack remains, along with everyone else's safety. This is especially true when masked ICE agents arrive with an injured detainee, causing immediate hysteria throughout the hospital.

Dana's mentorship of Emma is the season's most rewarding storyline, with actress Laëtitia Hollard bringing this sweetness and vulnerability to her character that nicely contrasts with Dana's no-nonsense, "tough love" approach. It's fascinating to watch the young nurse gradually win over her boss simply by listening, following instructions, doing the best she can and simply persevering.

Though Emma's green and understandably intimidated, you can tell Dana's proud of this girl for powering through, already displaying many of the traits that should make her a skilled nurse. And in Dana, Emma gets a glimpse into her possible future once the naivete fades and she's hardened by the profession's cruelty, as scary as that seems.

Whenever Shawn Hatosy's attending physician Dr. Jack Abbott appears, it's a safe bet business is about to pick up. After scrubbing in early last season for the PittFest shooting, he makes an even more impactful entry alongside an injured member of his SWAT team when a regional cyberattack forces the hospital to go offline.

With everyone suddenly transported back to the stone ages with written charts and dry erase boards, Hatosy again makes a huge impression in short bursts, his character the only one capable of getting through to Robby at his worst. Abbott doesn't want him going on this trip, but not because he thinks his friend doesn't need a break. He's more worried what he'll do once he gets there, noting how therapy is preferable to him being left alone in his own thoughts.

Robby proves Abbott right during this whole shift, as nearly every interaction he has is punctuated by either anger, sarcasm, harsh judgment or some combination of all three. Half a step away from blowing a fuse for hours on end, his lowest moment comes when he mocks Samira's "mommy issues" following a panic attack, yelling about how her personal issues are interfering with the patients' treatment.

As usual, Robby's right, but his clumsy handling of the situation is an embarrassment that the more level headed, empathetic Al-Hashimi rightly calls him out on. Even his later apology to Samira is accompanied by a backhanded insult about her being better suited to the slower pace of elder care.

While she's she's strong enough to put up with Robby, Samira becomes his proverbial punching bag this season, a development that'll leave her with one foot out the door by the finale. Of course, we know now this fan favorite isn't returning, becoming the second in what's sure to be a longer list of departures that test our appreciation of sacrificing cast members for realism. As one of the show's standouts, Ganish goes out at the top of her game, while unfortunately leaving viewers with a sense there was more Samira story left to tell.

None of Robby's behavior suggests he doesn't still have his favorites, like Victoria, who's just as distracted as Samira by her attending surgeon mom's expectations, but hardly faces any of the same criticism. This despite Victoria still buckling under pressure, making nervous errors that expose the hypocrisy of Robby's glowing endorsement. His respect for Whitaker's work is more understandable, with "Huckleberry" providing valuable guidance to the med students, most notably a shell shocked Ogilvie, whose hubris eventually results in a crucial mistake.

If the fates are conspiring to prevent Robby from departing on his road trip, he still has selfless moments, like his insistence on treating ornery biker buddy Duke Ekins (Jeff Kober) before leaving. Though this, Wyle adds new dimensions to a character more broken by life and his own perceived shortcomings than anyone suspected. He doesn't resent Langford for stealing drugs, but how he fears it reflects on him. When the two finally do have that long delayed "talk," the remorseful Langford correctly assesses that Robby's in as much need of counseling as he is, before it's too late.

You can't help but wonder what Al-Hashimi expects to hear from Robby when she reveals her medical condition. Surely it can't be reassurance or an encouraging pep talk to get back to work as he leaves his department in the hands of an attending who could have another seizure at any minute. Still, he manages to extend his streak of being totally right while still managing to sound incredibly wrong, throwing another fit during the most sensitive of circumstances.

Confiding in the only person she can, it briefly seems as if Al-Hashimi connects with Robby on the human level she intends, at least until he reminds her how she's jeopardizing the safety of patients and staff. But unless Robby clears his head and deals with his issues, he could find himself in a similar boat, unable to effectively perform his duties. With both their futures in doubt, a small glimmer of hope comes in the final scene when Robby finds comfort from an unlikely source, hinting at the possibility he could be going away for a bit after all, whatever form that takes.

Throughout this season, the show's damaged hero slides down a slippery slope, revealing himself to be more fallible and self destructive than he'd ever admit. The series also takes a big swing by presenting him as a ticking time bomb who affects every member of a staff already stretched far past their limits. But even as each shift feels like an endless loop in hell for these physicians, all that really matters is the next life that needs saving.

Sentimental Value

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 19:17:00 +0000

Director: Joachim Trier
Starring: Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Elle Fanning, Anders Danielsen Lie, Jesper Chistiansen, Lena Endre, Cory Michael Smith, Catherine Cohen, Andreas Stoltenberg Granerud, Øyvind Hesjedal Loven, Lars Väringer, Ida Marianne Vassbotn Klasson
Running Time: 133 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Early in Joachim Trier's Norwegian Oscar winner Sentimental Value, the main character suffers a debilitating bout of stage fright, and judging from the reactions of those closest to her, they've seen this before. Eventually, she'll power through, but with barely a second to spare as the cast and crew anxiously wait on pins and needles. Of course, such panic ridden episodes often have nothing to do with how well an actor knows their lines or skill level, but whatever else is going through their mind at the moment, which usually includes a few nightmarish scenarios related to failure and insecurity.

While those intrusive thoughts may be fleeting, they're no less paralyzing, and from what we can tell from the protagonist's unusual coping mechanisms, there's a lot more happening underneath. Trier and co-writer Eskil Vogt reveal what as the narrative zigs and zags, hitting occasional lulls before arriving at its inevitable, but still moving conclusion. As a small scale relationship drama about intergenerational trauma, it doesn't exactly break new ground, but the performances and pangs of missed opportunities and regret strongly resonate, echoing through the walls of this family's home.

Respected film director Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgård) is in a slump, struggling to get his latest projects financed when he completes a script inspired by his mother Karin, who was tortured by Nazis before eventually committing suicide in their Oslo home when he was a child. It's also the same house his two daughters Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) were raised in by their therapist mom after he left Norway following their divorce. Now as adults, Nora is a successful stage actress having an affair with a colleague while sister Agnes is a married historian raising young son Erik (Øyvind Hesjedal Loven) with her husband.

When Nora and Agnes's mother dies, Gustav unexpectedly returns to Norway to reclaim the house despite the lingering resentment from his daughters. That's especially true for Nora, who refuses to read Gustav's new script, rejecting the idea of her playing his mother. Disappointed, Gustav instead casts popular American actress Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning) whose star power helps secure the film a Netflix deal. While seemingly up for this challenge, the role proves more difficult than Rachel envisioned, with Gustav clumsily using the movie as a vehicle to compensate for his own shortcomings as a father. But when actually faced with taking responsibility and connecting with both his daughters, he risks losing them for good.

Jumping back and forth through time between the sisters' childhood, Gustav's and the present day, the house takes on a life of its own, becoming as much a character as its occupants, mainly due to all the memories forged inside. This isn't lost on Gustav, whose big plans involve filming there with Nora as his lead. But we can tell the very thought of working alongside him disgusts her, as she doubts he'll be able to effectively communicate any better on set than in real life.

Nora sees right through Gustav's intentions, which involve casting her to make up for years of abandonment, alcohol abuse and emotional inaccessibility. And if even her mother's recent death can't bring them any closer, nothing will, much less a vanity project at the end of a career he prioritized over them.

While Nora's understandably hard headed about reaching a compromise, Agnes implores her to at least keep an open mind, even if Gustav does himself a disservice by bombarding Nora with backhanded compliments about how her talent's wasted on the stage. Having starred in her father's most acclaimed film as a young girl, Agnes can relate, despite seemingly emerging from their tumultuous past better adjusted than her sister, though not without some lingering scars.

Gutav's determination to get his film made with or without Nora leads him to cast Rachel, the young ingenue impressed by his work and looking to prove herself. But she's also all wrong for a role written for someone else and one of the plot's best aspects is how Gustav refuses to see that, supporting and nurturing Rachel in a way he never did his daughters. Unfortunately, he won't be able to repair the real relationship with someone else playing pretend for him, no matter how good an actress she is or isn't.

Fanning has a tricky job in that she's called upon to have Rachel recognize the misguided futility of Gustav's experiment. It's also very meta in the sense that she's heavily pulling from experiences performers have when stuck in parts they feel ill suited for, digging deep and pulling at every thread to make it work. She's scared to death of screwing up, which could be viewed as mirroring Nora's stage fright, though in a slightly different context.

Thes rehearsal scenes are among the film's best as we watch Gustav guide Rachel through a process that just isn't clicking, but not from a lack of effort. Whether Rachel's even talented is irrelevant since the film's more interested in giving her credit for recognizing what Gustav can't, or doesn't want to. She knows who should really be playing this part.

Skarsgård and Reinsve hold this together as we wait to see if the internally troubled Gustav has an epiphany or Nora lets her guard down long enough to realize his movie's an apology, if not also a cry for help. And while the remarkable Reinsve unquestionably carries this, Lilleas's slowly evolving turn as Agnes gradually sneaks up on you, with Skarsgård delivering subtle, understated work as his character struggles to make headway with his daughters.

Both sisters carry decades worth of familial dysfunction, but one clearly feels the brunt, especially when her father's recent return reinforces just how raw a deal she got. But at the story's crux are complicated emotions and a shared history that somberly bubbles to the surface in its closing minutes, quietly subverting expectations right up until the final reveal.

Five Nights at Freddy's 2

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:04:00 +0000

Director: Emma Tammi
Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Freddy Carter, Theodus Crane, Wayne Knight, Mckenna Grace, Teo Briones, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, Miriam Spumpkin, Audrey Lynn Marie, Megan Fox, Kellen Goff, Matthew Patrick, David Andrew Calvillo, Grant Feely
Running Time: 104 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

When the heavily anticipated adaptation of Scott Cawthon's popular video game series, Five Nights at Freddy's hit theaters in 2023, critics and audiences were noticeably split. While the former group seemed appalled they had to sit through PG-13 horror centered around killer animatronic animals, the franchise's fans responded far more favorably, aware of what they'd be getting. If anything, director Emma Tammi incorporated enough elements from the game to please hardcores without alienating mainstream audiences completely unfamiliar with the property, but hooked by its strange premise.

If the first film was enjoyably flawed and crazy, it shouldn't have come as a total surprise given the nature of this material. But aside from the robotic creatures and an inspired setting, one of its better qualities came in knowing that an 'R' rating wouldn't have necessarily made a difference. Nothing felt cut or excised for commercial-friendly concerns as Tammi delivered an engaging adventure just gory enough to match the story. So you could say it's good news she's back to helm this inevitable sequel, which delivers much of the same, only bigger and messier.

It's 2002 and two years since Mike (Josh Hutcherson), his little sister Abby (Piper Rubio) and police officer Vanessa Shelly (Elizabeth Lail) survived their showdown with Vanessa's dad and child murderer William Afton (Matthew Lillard) at the abandoned Freddy Fazbear's Pizza restaurant. Since being killed by the spirits of his victims, the legend of Afton's murders has only grown, drawing greater attention to the case and spawning a town horror festival called "Fazfest." But as a now 11-year-old Abby experiences newfound popularity at school, she still mourns the loss of her electronic animal pals Freddy, Chica and Bonnie.

Giving Abby false hope he'll eventually repair the robots, Mike urges everyone to put what happened behind them, including Vanessa, who continues to emotionally struggle from the impact of her father's crimes. But while Abby secretly returns to the restaurant despite her brother's warnings, a group of ghost hunters arrive at a different nearby Fazbear's location where a little girl named Charlotte Emily (Audrey Lynn Marie) was shockingly murdered in 1982. And when the crew's presence awakens her spirit, the truth about how she's connected to Vanessa comes to light, putting her and Mike in a race against time to save a manipulated Abby, whose resurrected robot friends are ready for another rampage.

The film's opening sequence might be its best, flashing back to a packed, fully operational Freddy Fazbear's during a birthday party decades earlier, revealing what the franchise restaurant looked and felt like in its heyday. After initially assuming this is the now abandoned building Mike worked in as a security guard, we soon realize it's a different location, with atmosphere and attractions unique to that flagship eatery, like the Marionette, a terrifying animatronic conducting the robot animals on stage.

Baring more than a passing resemblance to Saw's Billy the Puppet, the Marionette is a major presence when young Charlotte is slain despite all her warnings to the restaurant's oblivious, self-absorbed parents. And Vanessa's childhood friendship with this ostracized girl ends up being one of many important details she neglects mentioning to a frustrated Mike as the pair reluctantly start dating.

Vanessa's selective secrecy, Abby's desire to reunite with Freddy and the gang despite previous events and the use of wireless technology in '82 are hurdles Cawthorne's script must clear, but instead conveniently glazes over at times. Thankfully the ghost hunting "Spectral Scoopers" (played by Mckenna Grace, Teo Briones and David Andrew Calvillo ) do serve a larger purpose while Freddy Carver's brief but creepy turn as a Norman Bates-like security guard proves a highlight.

Seinfeld and Jurassic Park star Wayne Knight gives the film's most wildly entertaining performance as Abby's condescendingly cruel science teacher Mr. Berg. And the ubiquitous character actor hasn't lost a step, chewing scenery as a jerk authority figure that could have stepped out of an 80's comedy. More than anyone, Knight knows exactly what kind of movie he's in as we wait anxiously to see this sniveling coward get his when Abby proudly unveils her unusual robotics project.

It's no surprise when Freddy and his friends are again on the loose, but with a soul possessing component that changes the game, giving Elizabeth Lail more interesting places to go with Vanessa. But while she still reels from PTSD stemming from her psychopathic dad, Hutcherson's Mike is fed up, burying the pain and wanting everyone to follow suit, even if he's just barely holding on. And Rubio continues to shine as the precocious Abby, whose loyalty to Chica leads to trouble.

Playing on a similar technical and visual playing ground as its predecessor, the secondary Fazbear's location actually surpasses that with its hidden passages, trap doors and waterways. Those who hated the first film will probably still despise this, but for everyone else, it's equally fun, giving us an expanded look at the nostalgically cursed Chuck E. Cheese inspired restaurant of the film's title. With allusions to ME3GAN, The Exorcist and Saw, it may incorporate a few more influences, but remains heavily indebted to the video games that spawned it, ensuring more sequels where this came from.

Rental Family

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 18:41:00 +0000

Director: Hikari
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Mahina Gorman, Akira Emoto, Kimura Bun, Sei Matobu, Misato Morita, Tamae Ando
Running Time: 110 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

Rental Family features a fascinating premise that takes a bit to come completely into view, but once it does, the film starts asking the same questions we do, with surprising answers. It also provides further proof that the Brendan Fraser comeback is still in full effect, with the actor tackling exactly the type of role we hoped he would post-Oscar win. His likability and charisma makes him the ideal foil for an unusual concept that's even easier to envision as a series with a creative lifespan longer than this picture's designated run time.

If there's a complaint you could level, it's that there's no way to explore every moral and philosophical consequence of the title service, which does actually exist. But director/co-writer Hikari nearly covers all those bases with characters aren't who they say or think they are, creating their own distorted realities in a misguided attempt to protect those closest to them. And by facilitating lies that cause more harm than the truth ever could, the profiting company proves how the road to hell can really be paved with good intentions. We cringe as manipulative machinations meant to provide comfort cross a line our good natured protagonist grows increasingly uncomfortable with.

Struggling American actor Phillip Vanderploeg (Fraser) is looking for work while living in Tokyo, where he's resided since starring in a popular toothpaste commercial seven years earlier. Taking thankless roles as he waits for a bigger break, he's approached by Shinji (Takehiro Hira), who owns "Rental Family," a company that hires actors to play stand-in family members and friends for prospective clients. In Phillip, Shinji sees a white American capable of filling a specific niche, and however uneasy the unsuspecting applicant feels about the gig, it's still money.

After a rough first assignment, Phillip's next hired to act as the estranged father of young, half-Japanese girl Mia (Shannon Mahina Gorman), whose single mother Hitomi (Shino Shinozaki) needs him to get her enrolled in a prestigious private school. He'll also split his time as a journalist profiling Kikuo Hasegawa (Akira Emoto), a retired actor with dementia whose daughter Masami (Sei Matobu) wants him interviewed before he completely loses his memory. As Philip forges a bond with each, he realizes how a thin a line he's walking with their emotions, while also recognizing there's a lot left to understand about a culture he already assumed to know. But ultimately, they'll have just as much to learn from him.

Just the thought of a film centered around an American actor doing commercials in Japan immediately invokes comparisons to Bill Murray's character in 2003's Lost in Translation. But the difference is that starring in these ads isn't quite the punchline it was then, with many respected, big name actors now taking these jobs as a side hustle to bank supplemental earnings. Only Phillip isn't one of them, as we quickly get the impression that's his primary source of income and opportunities are drying up, causing shame and frustration.

Similar to Murray, but less cranky, Fraser excels at conveying that sense of depressive dislocation that takes hold when you're living in another country, or even just in different surroundings. And he does it by subtly projecting in Phillip the awkward look and feel of someone who arrived the previous day rather than seven years ago. So it's easy to see how this unusual job offer would pique his curiosity, allowing him to perform and connect with people who just want to be seen.

Early on, Rental Family employee Aiko (Mari Yamamoto) shares with Phillip why she does this, rationalizing that it fills an important void for sad, desperate clients while allowing the performers to feel needed in return. On the surface it almost makes sense, but those words will come back to bite her and company owner Shinji, who's living a lie of his own, until the bottom falls out, with damage far exceeding both their pay grades. And much of that is due to Phillip, who's justifiably unable to separate himself from these extremely personal assignments.

Optimistically hoping to make a difference and for these clients to appreciate him in return, Phillip gets the hang of it when playing groom to a closeted lesbian with traditional, controlling parents who's looking to secretly run away with her wife. But the company's real purpose, aside from making money, comes in enabling people to circumvent tough, necessary decisions by introducing giant lies that bury their problems. And it's only when the facade comes tumbling down that Hikari and co-writer Stephen Blahut's script can fully explore the messy truth.

While the film's trailers and commercials imply that everything revolves around Phillip's relationship with young Mia, what's most remarkable is how Fraser and a precociously superb Gorman convey their naturalistic father-daughter dynamic with far fewer scenes together than expected. And yet there's this real arc that develops as Mia slowly warms up to the idea her "biological father" may be sticking around this time.

By hiring Phillip to give Mia some semblance of an adult male figure in her life, the mom's clearly playing with fire. Even worse, he'll inevitably be blamed for whatever goes wrong, even when doing exactly what he's hired for. But the bigger issue is what becomes of Mia once he leaves or if she somehow finds out the truth. It's one thing pulling the wool over unsuspecting adult eyes, but toying with a child's emotions enters unconscionable territory, regardless of intent.

An equally serious set of challenges accompany Phillip's friendship with the elderly Kikuo, most of which involve boundaries related to his health and care. It's another delicate issue this flawed company can't navigate, with the heat again falling on the one person too empathetic to treat this as a mere performance. At first, we're left guessing how this secondary sub-plot ties into the A-storyline, wondering if the film's time would be better spent focusing exclusively on Phillip's bond with Mia. But we're proven wrong as a moving sacrifice involving Kikuo becomes major catalyst for what occurs in the final act.

The ending is notable for its restraint, as both Rental Family's clients and employees must come to the realization that this system is delivering the polar opposite of what's promised, hurting nearly everyone in the process. They may not know how absurd their behavior is, but the film does, culminating in a moving catharsis full of surprisingly logical twists that reveal both the best and worst in humanity. That Hikari accomplishes this without pouring on the schmaltz can be attributed to her deft touch, but also Fraser's earnestness, which has rarely served him better.

Song Sung Blue

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 16:44:00 +0000

Director: Craig Brewer
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Michael Imperioli, Ella Anderson, King Princess, Mustafa Shakir, Hudson Hensley, John Beckwith, Fisher Stevens, John Belushi, Jackie Cox, Cecelia Riddett
Running Time: 132 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Going strictly off the trailer, it's understandable some would assume Craig Brewer's musical drama Song Sung Blue is a Neil Diamond biopic that charts the legendary crooner's ascent to superstardom and relationship with his long suffering spouse. Well, at least until realizing you can't recall a wife or any other aspect of the singer's personal life, leaving us with just the sight of Hugh Jackson in a wig singing "Cherry, Cherry" to go on. But it's actually based on Greg Kohs' 2008 documentary about a married Midwestern couple who performed as an enormously popular Diamond tribute act in the 80's and 90's. And despite its flaws, or maybe even partially because of them, it's the kind of feel good crowd pleaser you can recommend to anyone, regardless of how they feel about the artist.

Though this isn't focused on the man himself, it's a more accurate reflection of Diamond's impact, popularity and fandom than any traditional biopic could be, with some cheesiness to spare. It also contains alcoholism, depression, a few heart attacks, a couple of car crashes, a bizarre Eddie Vedder impersonation, unplanned pregnancies and a recurring fixation on one of Neil's most overlooked songs. Brewer really piles it on, and yet this works, mostly due to its leads, both of whom play engagingly likable dreamers who pay their dues in biker bars and local fairs before eventually packing arenas across the country. But success is easy compared to what comes next.

It's 1987 when musical impersonator and recovering alcoholic Mike "Lightening" Sardina (Jackman) is set to perform as Don Ho at the Wisconsin State Fair. But when he quits after insisting to play his own material, he meets hairdresser and Patsy Cline double Claire Stengl (Kate Hudson) who suggests he start performing as a Neil Diamond tribute act. It's an idea he initially dismisses until singing with Claire and realizing this idea will only work with them as a duo.

It isn't long before Mike and Claire begin dating and take their show on the road as the newly christened "Lightening and Thunder," with Claire insisting they open with "Sweet Caroline" after a rough first few shows. They marry just as the band starts gaining traction, selling out shows nationwide and even opening for Pearl Jam. But when a horrific accident leaves Claire fighting for her life and Mike struggling to maintain his own sobriety, they consider the possibility their performing days are over. That is until they plot a comeback, hoping to recapture the spark they once had.

When we get our first look at Mike singing at an A.A. meeting, your first thought might be that Jackman's too old for this role, his weathered, lived in look seemingly at odds with the buoyant, energetic entertainer at the film's center. And while a similar observation could even be made about Hudson's casting, you'll quickly realize how wrong those assumptions are since it tracks with this story of two middle-aged single parents who've already faced their fair share of personal and professional disappointments.

It helps that Jackman and Hudson are great singers who share a natural chemistry that's on full display during their early living room duet of "Play Me," which not only solidifies their union as a Diamond themed act, but sets the template for more theatrical performances that follow. One of the smarter touches is Mike's initial rejection of this whole idea, fearing any kind of impersonation would somehow be disrespectful to his hero.

The charismatic but stubborn Mike also applies a similar logic in refusing to open shows with "Sweet Caroline," a song he admires, but doesn't believe should define a legendary career that's about so much more. And it's a philosophy the film takes to heart, spotlighting Diamond's less heralded "Soolaimon" alongside his catchiest, most famous hits like "Forever in Blue Jeans," "Holly Holy" and "I Am...I Said."

Once Mike puts on that sequined jumpsuit and adopts Diamond's Jazz Singer era haircut to team with Claire, it's game on, as Brewer captures the hysteria surrounding a pair that isn't your typical cover act. Fun, welcome supporting turns are also provided from from Michael Imperioli as a Buddy Holly impersonator and promoter turned band guitarist, Fisher Stevens as Mike's dentist/agent and Jim Belushi, whose bus driver becomes their unlikely manager.

One of the better executed subplots involves a touching bond that forms between new step-sisters Rachel (Ella Anderson) and Angelina (King Princess), who find common ground over their respective parents' issues and similarly messed up home lives. Anderson is particularly effective in a meatier role than expected, bringing surprising dimension to what could have become another moody, disaffected teen trope.

Just when "Lightening and Thunder" strikes, so does tragedy, seemingly over and over again. And it's here where an Oscar-nominated Hudson takes over, believably portraying Claire's mental and physical decline after her entire world is turned upside down. Brewer does lay it on a little thick, and while this chain of events can resemble a surreal stretch of manufactured catastrophes, Hudson is spontaneously authentic enough to sell it. She carries this to the end, nearly pulling double duty in the third act when Mike's misfortunes precipitously grow.

This has multiple endings before getting to a real one some will like, even if others find themselves wishing for a title card telling us what happened to their real life counterparts. But that's way too restrained for a movie that's all about being as big, emotional and demonstrative as possible, much like the performer himself. But credit Brewer for going all in, never underestimating how ridiculously fun and heartwarming a fairly basic, well acted underdog story can be. And considering how few entertainers have a karaoke ready catalogue better suited to this treatment, Diamond's songs only sweeten the deal.

The Secret Agent

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 18:32:00 +0000

Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho
Starring: Wagner Moura, Carlos Francisco, Tânia Maria, Robério Diógenes, Enzo Nunes, Gabriel Leone, Roney Villela, Kaiony Venâncio, Maria Fernanda Cândido, Thomás Aquino, Alice Carvalho, Hermila Guedes, Isabél Zuaa, Italo Martins, Igor de Araújo, Laura Lufési, Isadora Ruppert, Luciano Chirolli, Udo Kier, Suzy Lopes, Gregorio Graziosi, Marcelo Valle, Licínio Januário, Robson Andrade
Running Time:161 min.
Rating: R

**This Review Contains Major Plot Spoilers**

★★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Unconventional in nearly every sense, the ambitious Brazilian political drama The Secret Agent will take a while to process when it's over, spanning generations while taking place against a period backdrop that carries massive cultural and historical implications. At its center is an everyman on the run, attempting to evade a government trying to persecute him simply because they can. Disguising and adapting as necessary, he's not exactly alone in this fight, but still forced to look over his shoulder at every turn.

Though he isn't yet fully aware, this protagonist's already perilous situation will go from bad to worse as director Kleber Mendonça Filho's slow burn thriller subverts all expectations, even when a seriously suspenseful stretch of tension and violence goes sideways in its third act. Hypnotically shot and masterfully acted, it employs an unusual structure that lays its pieces on the table before the whole puzzle comes together midway through. Distinctly human in the quirkiest, most inventive of ways, it seems destined to benefit from repeated viewings after all the dots connect and you look back in appreciation at the tinier details that make it so unique.

It's 1977 under Brazil's military dictatorship and ex-academic Armando (Wagner Moura) travels back to Recife during Carnival holiday, visiting young son Fernando (Enzo Nunes), who's been living with his late wife's parents. Arriving at a refuge run by former anarcho-communist Dona Sebastiana (Tânia Maria), he adopts the alias "Marcelo" and befriends the building's other political dissidents before being placed in a job at the identification institute. But while the position gives him an opportunity to search for information on his deceased mother, it fails to offer any protection or anonymity, risking exposure to corrupt police chief Euclides (Robério Diógenes) and his thuggish sons.

Though he's suspicious of Armando, Euclides takes him under his wing, despite having his hands full with an investigation into a severed leg recently found inside a tiger shark. But as Armando tries to lay low, he's informed by resistance leader Elza (Maria Fernanda Cândido) that a contracted hit was put out on him by a powerful, politically connected executive he crossed. With the assassins rapidly closing in, Armando prepares to flee, while in the present day two history students sift through audio recordings and newspaper clippings in an effort to uncover what happened to him decades ago.

The opening minutes immediately grab hold as Armando pulls his VW Beetle into a remote gas station where he sees a dead man lying on the ground covered in cardboard, casually dismissed by an attendant who claims to have contacted authorities days ago. That a corpse pumped full of bullets is viewed as such an innocuous, commonplace annoyance by every passerby but the sad eyed Armando is exactly the point, if not eerie foreshadowing.

When police do arrive, it's not for that, but unfounded suspicions about Armando, who they briefly interrogate, expecting a monetary "donation' in return. With this, the tension builds in an oppressive heat you can almost feel and smell, not only setting the mood for what follows, but introducing us to the bearded Armando, who we still know nothing about. Projecting a cool, calm demeanor, he flies just under the radar, saddled with the unfortunate luck of still somehow drawing attention wherever he goes.

Armando's hometown return is accompanied by a barrage of the area's sights and sounds, from the bright yellow pod-like phone booths to the nightmare inducing Carnival costumes he can't seem to shake. "Haunted" is the best adjective to describe his justifiably paranoid state of mind that's briefly eased by safe house residents like Angolan Civil War refugees Thereza Vitória (Isabél Zuaa) and Antonio (Licínio Januário) and single mother Claudia (Hermila Guedes).

In a cast large enough to fill a medium sized arena, it's Tânia Maria's scene stealing turn as the house's chain smoking, grandmotherly-like Dona Sabastiana that leaps off the screen, with the 79 year-old actress investing her character with an unmistakable mix of spunk, humor and sage wisdom. Regardless of backgrounds or cultures, everyone's met someone like her, making it even more perplexing she was overlooked at awards time for the kind of blunt, disarmingly entertaining performance voters usually reward.

One of the odder touches Filho employs are these Tarantinoesque grindhouse diversions that serve a greater thematic purpose than you'd expect from scenes that clash so harshly with the film's meditative tone. The public's lurid fascination with the shark incident may be a distraction, but it's the sort of one this whole narrative is built on, showing the bizarre lengths this military dictatorship will go to cover crimes and bury evidence. Because of it, the regime's brutality recedes into the background, replaced instead by a wacky urban mystery.

The same can be said for the more jarring, fantastical park sequence that comes later, which could just have easily been lifted from a B-horror movie like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. And again the ridiculousness is intentional as Filho shows how those in control write the playbook, anticipating that everyone will swallow whatever misinformation is shoveled out. Some will while others won't, but the latter group hardly matters since they can't fight back anyway. And no one knows this better than the arrogantly crooked Euclides, who moves past his initial suspicions of Armando to take him under his wing. But the dirty chief's on a cruel power trip that becomes more blatant with his harassment of Jewish Holocaust survivor Hans (Udo Kier in his final role), much to Armando's veiled disgust.

Stuck between a rock and hard place, Armando needs to humor the chief somewhat, both to protect his identity and possibly earn a degree of trust and cover. But even he underestimates just how widespread and corrosive the corruption is, trickling down to even the most local levels of government. And Euclides isn't even the Big Bad, ranking relatively low on a food chain that extends to the very top, where Armando's greatest threat resides, plotting to take him out.

The bond Armando shares with son Fernando and theater projectionist father-in-law Sr. Alexandre (Carlos Francisco) is a tragic one, due mostly to the loss of the woman they all loved and mother this young boy fears he's already forgetting. They can't truly be a family with her gone, especially as this deadly threat hangs over Armando, keeping him a half step away from another fake passport and new identity.

The film transforms when Elza records Armando's testimony and we flash back to the chilling clash he has with a regime influenced executive (Luciano Chirolli) over his scientific research. We see how the escalating feud grows uglier and more personal, culminating in a dinner confrontation that features a brief but unforgettably explosive turn from Alice Carvalho in her only full scene as the late Fátima.

Everything goes south when stepfather and son hitman duo Augusto (Roney Villela) and Bobbi (Gabriel Leone) arrive, chaotically compromising Armando's escape with a reckless gunman (Kaiony Venâncio) who eyes his target. What unfolds next has caused audience debate, with Filho earning No Country For Old Men comparisons for his decision not to show Armando's eventual fate, revealing the death secondhand through a newspaper article discovered decades later by history student Flavia (Laura Lufési). But it works, mostly for making a larger thematic point about how history gets written or sometimes even rewritten by the winners.

The treatment of Armando's murder as an afterthought may not carry the dramatic electricity many envisioned as the film's action ramps up in the final act, but it isn't intended to. Poetic tragedy comes in the burial of his story, now relegated to a forgotten tabloid piece about some "spy" or "secret agent" gunned down in the street. And it would take nearly fifty years for someone to care enough about uncovering the truth to track down the little boy it affected, in ways even he still can't fully comprehend as an adult. But what's saddest in a film so heavily reliant on the relationships between fathers and sons is how the middle-aged Fernando now has no memory of a man his life once revolved around, however briefly.

That Moura also plays this present day version of Fernando in addition to Armando's various incarnations could have come across as a cheap gimmick in the hands of a lesser accomplished actor. But he's equally believable as the grown son, bringing the same authenticity to this role as he does his quietly compelling performance as Armando, marking a rare achievement in immersive subtlety free from unnecessary theatrics.

As Fernando, the magnetic Moura is equally contained, but conflicted, with the physician struggling to process the information he's getting about a father he hardly remembers, much like Armando's faded recollection of his own mother. But instead of a paper file, he's left with Flavia's flash drive as the last remaining record of a conspiracy that's come and gone. It's likely even she'll be moving on to something else before long, leaving Armando's story in the hands of the one person left who's able to tell it.

Whether Fernando will want to know more or can even bring himself to is questionable, but at least something did survive that can't be taken away. In this case it's a core memory that follows him to this day and remains untouched by whatever lies and propaganda were spread a generation earlier. The result is a brilliant framing device sure to invoke deeper analysis about time, memory and just how easily the past gets brushed under the rug when no one's looking.

Carried by a soul stirring lead performance and a wildly eclectic cast of colorful personalities that transcend cultural and cinematic barriers, this is as far as it gets from Oscar season homework. It's also the kind of epic you could easily imagine playing in theaters during the late 70's/early 80's era it takes place, perhaps even sharing screens with the film's heavily mentioned Jaws. Seemingly transported from a time when stories of its ilk wouldn't fall through the cracks or be cynically misinterpreted, The Secret Agent ends on a final coda that separates fact from fiction, and everything else we've lost in between.

Burning Questions From The 2026 Oscars

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 17:22:00 +0000

Conan as Aunt Gladys?

Shouldn't Weapons have been nominated for more than just one Oscar?

Did that opening just give the whole movie away?

Aunt Gladys playing ping pong?

Aunt Gladys in KPop Demon Hunters?

Was that opening sketch an early sign Amy Madigan would win?

Didn't you know Conan wouldn't waste any time cracking a joke about Chalamet's ballet insult?

Wasn't he right about Ted Sarandos having never been to a theater?

Is it safe to assume that won't change now since Netflix isn't buying Warner Bros.?

Isn't it the sign of a good joke when the audience gasps with discomfort?

Did Conan's coronation ceremony make you want to see him actually win a Oscar?

Did you remember that Zoe Saldaña won Supporting Actress last year?

Actually, that one was kind of memorable wasn't it?

Is she aging in reverse?

Was everyone prepared to get that category wrong?

Was everyone prepared to get every category wrong?

Did every Oscar prognosticator breathe a sigh of relief when Madigan won?

Wasn't it a given she'd give an entertaining speech?

Was Conan's "Let's see him put his name in front of that" the line of the night?

How about his story about telling his wife he's the same age as Brad Pitt?

Any doubt KPop Demon Hunters would take Animated Feature?

Did they try to play those winners off quickly or what?

Was that because Madigan went long?

Was an upset winner for Animated Short the last thing anyone needed for their Oscar scorecard?

Was this the earliest in the show we've ever gotten a musical performance?

Wasn't that whole Sinners thing kind of wild?

Did you hear how into it the audience was?

Would it have gotten your attention if Frankenstein lost Costume Design to Sinners?

Or Makeup to...The Smashing Machine?

Who expected the first bleep of the night to come in the Hair/Makeup category?

Did you expect cast members to introduce each of their own film's casting directors?

Conflict of interest much?

But wasn't it kind of great?

How about that ovation for The Secret Agent?

Remember how sure everyone seemed of a category we've never had before?

Should we be a little more careful when predicting this one next year?

Did you see it as an ominous sign that Sinners lost in a category it was thought to be locked for?

Did that bode well for OBAA's Best picture chances?

A TIE????!!!!

How do we count this on our ballots?

Did you notice how careful Kumail was to reassure us it wasn't a joke after what we saw happen with Moonlight and La La Land?

And wasn't he right about the irony of the Live Action Short category taking twice as long now?

Retracting the winner's mic? Really?

Is Chalamet ever going to live this whole ballet thing down?

Unless he wins the Oscar, apologizes and dedicates it to dancers worldwide?

Should he know it's bad when winners are somehow incorporating it into their acceptance speeches?

Did you remember Kieran Culkin won Supporting Actor last year?

Didn't you just know Sean Penn wouldn't be there?

"Or didn't want to?"

Wasn't that Casablanca skit with Sterling K. Brown pretty clever?

Will it ever get tiresome seeing Paul Thomas Anderson accept a writing Oscar?

But isn't it about time for a directing one?

Would Ryan Coogler somehow losing Original Screenplay doom Sinners for the rest of the night?

Wasn't it great to see Billy Crystal on an Oscar stage again?

Could it possibly be under sadder circumstances?

Did you forget just how many popular, widely beloved titles Rob Reiner directed?

Did you spot Fred Savage on stage?

Wasn't that tribute an appropriate segue into the In Memoriam segment?

Is "appropriate" not usually the word we'd use to describe how they handle this portion of the show?

Isn't it scary the names we lost his past year?

Diane Keaton, Catherine O'Hara, Val Kilmer, Robert Duvall, Robert Redford?

Did they really just leave out James Van Der Beek?!

Eric Dane?

Brigitte Bardot?

How much longer are they going to keep pulling this?

Aren't you just waiting to hear the producers' lame excuse...again?

Were you about to lose it until remembering they did include Gene Hackman in last year's segment?

Did anyone else have problems understanding Barbra Streisand?

Wait, doesn't everyone call her "Babs?"

Not a question but...Grogu!

Isn't Avatar always good for an easy Visual Effects win?

They really want to get this thing finished by 10:30 don't they?

Didn't Grogu try his best to clap?

Why does the upcoming The Mandalorian and Grogu movie feel four years too late?

Remember when that Kimmel guy hosted the Oscars?

Did its title alone sway members to vote for Mr. Nobody Against Putin?

Did the lack of political speeches come to a screeching halt with this category?

Isn't F1 by far the weakest of the Best Picture nominees?

Am I the only one who doesn't get the deep affection for Bridesmaids?

But wasn't that bit with the notes funny?

Did Maya Rudolph have the best opening line with "Earlier today while I was counting my money?"

Did you expect the Academy President to look like a cross between Anna Camp and Brittany Snow?

Lewis Pullman does really look a lot like his dad doesn't he?

Did OBBA's editing win lock its Best Picture Oscar?

Or maybe not after that Sinners cinematography upset?

Can you believe a woman's never won in this category before now?

Didn't Train Dreams deserve it?

Isn't "Golden" inbsanely catchy?

Javier Bardem doesn't hold back does he?

Did anyone remember that Lionel Ritchie won an Original Song Oscar for White Knights?

Or recall the last time Diane Warren wasn't nominated?

They really didn't want that "Golden" songwriter to speak did they?

Weren't the producers downright militant in cutting time this year?

Doesn't it feel good to finally say PTA has a directing Oscar?

Wouldn't Zendaya and Pattinson in a PTA movie be intriguing?

Isn't it the truth that Adrien Brody saved last year's show from running short?

Has the Best Actor race ever been this tight?

Okay, maybe not?

Didn't Michael B. Jordan's mom look proud?

Didn't he give a classy speech of appropriate length?

But can we please keep Will Smith's name out of our mouths at the Oscars?

So maybe it didn't end by 10:30 but they still made really good time didn't they?

Is it hard for anyone to forget Mikey Madison beating Demi Moore last year?

Was it even possible to imagine a scenario where Jessie Buckley loses?

Are there any actors who can't sing?

Didn't the best film win for a change?

How about that impressive 1975 Best Picture nominee list PTA rattled off?

Isn't he right about Chase Infiniti being the heart of that movie?

How was she not even nominated?

But isn't it cool how she was named after two of 1995's most memorable movie characters?

Was Marty Supreme just completely shut out?

How about the show's ending skit?

Was that even more of a spoiler than the opening?

Or maybe not, if you didn't know which nominated picture they were spoofing?

Does appointing Conan as "Host For Life" actually not sound like such a bad idea?

2026 Oscar Predictions

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 20:25:00 +0000

Over the past decade or so the Oscars have been getting harder and harder to predict. You can chalk it up to the preferential ballot system or an influx of new voters, but the shift is undeniable. And though we're free to speculate how we got here, there's no denying the fact there's never been a year quite like this one, where every major category is up for grabs. Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress could all be decided by a coin flip, which should both excite and frustrate viewers following along with their scorecards.

There's also an unprecedented scenario where a film championed as the clear favorite all season suddenly feels vulnerable as we head into the home stretch. Sinners may have earned a record breaking 16 nominations but One Battle After Another was always the film to beat, at least until very recently, further proving just how important it is to peak at the right time. Or in this case, the moment voters start receiving their ballots. So even if its nomination tally is out of hand, there's no denying the outpouring of support for Sinners, even if I find OBAA to be a far more deserving winner and legitimately the year's best.

Had votes been counted a month or two ago this would a completely different conversation, but any perceived bump OBAA got from real world events was brief, opening the door for Sinners across numerous categories previously thought to be out of reach. But is it too late? We'll soon find out the answer to that and whether early frontrunner Timothée Chalamet did really sabotage his Best Actor chances when Conan O' Brien returns to host the show this Sunday.

Statistics always play a role but they've never felt less important than in contests as close as these. Sometimes it's best to just follow your gut, buckle up and enjoy the ride since it's looking like we could have another Crash vs. Brokeback or Moonlight vs. La La Land on our hands. Below are my predictions, along with an analysis of the top races, including that brand new casting category.

*Predicted Winners

ANIMATED FEATURE
Arco
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2

ANIMATED SHORT
Butterfly
Forevergreen
The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Retirement Plan
The Three Sisters

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Alabama Solution
Come See Me in the Good Light
Cutting Through Rocks
Mr. Nobody Against Putin
The Perfect Neighbor

DOCUMENTARY SHORT
All the Empty Rooms
Armed Only With a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
Children No More: Were and Are Gone
The Devil Is Busy
Perfectly a Strangeness

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
The Secret Agent (Brazil)
It Was Just an Accident (France)
Sentimental Value (Norway)
Sirat (Spain)
The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia)

LIVE ACTION SHORT
Butcher's Stain
A Friend of Dorothy
Jane Austen's Period Drama
The Singers
Two People Exchanging Saliva

FILM EDITING
F1
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners

SOUND
F1
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Sirat

PRODUCTION DESIGN
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners

COSTUME DESIGN
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Sinners

ORIGINAL SCORE
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Sinners

ORIGINAL SONG
"Dear Me" (Diane Warren: Relentless)
"Golden" (KPop Demon Hunters)
"I Lied to You" (Sinners)
"Sweet Dreams of Joy" (Viva Verdi!)
“Train Dreams” (Train Dreams)

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Frankenstein
Kokuho
Sinners
The Smashing Machine
The Ugly Stepsister

VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar: Fire and Ash
F1
Jurassic World: Rebirth
The Lost Bus
Sinners

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Train Dreams

Though nearly every "major" race is tight, we can at least exclude this one, which is among the few where OBAA isn't competing against its top adversary. Paul Thomas Anderson's script has been locked as the screenplay winner for months having swept Critics Choice, Golden Globe, BAFTA and WGA. It also hasn't wavered or shown the same holes here as in other categories, mostly due to a lack of competition. As the most prestigious and literary of the bunch, Hamnet stands the next best chance, followed by Frankenstein, Bugonia and Train Dreams, but all are real long shots in comparison. Enjoy this predictability while it lasts.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Blue Moon
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
Sentimental Value
Sinners

Sinners is on a similar screenplay trajectory with Ryan Coogler securing Critics Choice, BAFTA and the WGA, making a loss here virtually impossible, even on this night. It Was Just an Accident and Sentimental Value are underdogs that don't pose a serious threat and we've since come a long way from Marty Supreme being considered a frontrunner. Blue Moon is highly respected, but it boasts only one other nomination in Ethan Hawke. So at the end of the first round, you can say that OBAA and Sinners tie with a screenplay win each.

CASTING
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
The Secret Agent

Remember how excited everyone was when the Academy announced they'd finally be instituting a casting award? It's safe to say we all were until seeing the actual nominees and realizing that voters merely cut and pasted half the Best Picture category. Maybe part of the problem (aside from us lacking a concrete explanation of the qualifications) is that great casting is just so subjective and indeterminable, with even some classic films managing to succeed despite the lack of it.

The standout here is Marty Supreme, as casting directors filled major and minor roles with a plethora of outside the box performers who were perfectly suited for their parts, trained actor or not. But since this is mostly a popularity contest, Sinners' recent ensemble SAG win should help that close the deal. It's a shame voters managed to blow such a promising opportunity, opting instead to insert the same group of titles we'll be bombarded with all night.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value)
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value)
Amy Madigan (Weapons)
Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners)
Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another)

This extremely close three-way race might be the toughest to call of any category. Taylor has the Globe, Mosaku won BAFTA and Madigan's back in the forefront with her surprising SAG win. While all three leap through the screen with their performances, the latter has the showiest role of the bunch as Weapons' unforgettably creepy Aunt Gladys. Plus she's an industry vet fellow actors will want to reward for decades worth of great work, as proven by the response she drew for the SAG speech. Then again, she's the movie's sole nomination, could face genre bias and voters might decide to overlook her in favor of an up-and-comer, as they did with Demi Moore last year.

OBAA's Taylor would have been considered a lock just a couple of months ago, but she actually hasn't fallen that far, making it a safe bet her brief but powerful turn as Perfidia is still at the forefront of voters' minds. Sinners' Mosaku went from not even being on the radar for a nod to potential spoiler who's now suddenly riding a wave of momentum heading into the ceremony. If she can come through we'll at least have a pretty good idea how the film's chances stand in bigger categories.

Sentimental Value actresses Fanning and Ibsdotter will get a "thank you for coming," as they're unlikely to earn enough votes to make any serious dent, perhaps even cancelling each other out. A race this close barely favors Madigan, but a lack of precursor wins and Weapons' absence in the Best Picture category gives me pause. Still, that recent SAG victory puts her over the top.

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Benicio Del Toro (One Battle After Another)
Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein)
Delroy Lindo (Sinners)
Sean Penn (One Battle After Another)
Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value)

Early favorite Skarsgård doesn't even seem to be in the conversation anymore, Elordi never was and a fantastic Del Toro suffers from having to split votes with his OBAA co-star. That leaves us with Penn and Lindo in one of the more highly anticipated contests of the night. For all the hype surrounding Lindo, you haven't heard much about the actual performance, which didn't feel award worthy to me, at least on an initial viewing. But this is a career achievement prize above all else and there's no better way to honor a great, highly respected actor in his seventies who's inexplicably gone decades without a nomination until now.

Lindo's narrative may be too too strong to ignore, but so is Penn's disturbing, explosively bizarre performance as Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw, which ideally fits the template of a supporting Oscar winner. While the actor isn't widely beloved and will likely be skipping the ceremony, that didn't stop voters from awarding him twice before and won't again now. The only question left is whether this flood of adoration for Sinners is enough to power Lindo over the finish line. Maybe, but Penn's recent SAG win raised his stock considerably.

ACTRESS
Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)
Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You)
Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue)
Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value)
Emma Stone (Bugonia)

Those speculating that The Bride's box office failure could spell trouble for Buckley should remember it was released after ballots were already turned in. But it's not like this would make a bit of difference anyway since she's the lockiest of locks, winning every precursor imaginable since the season started. Globes, Critics Choice, BAFTA, SAG. So she could have starred in a Norbit sequel and it still wouldn't have hurt her chances. It's just the right role at the right time for the right actress, creating an overwhelming consensus that none of her fellow nominees can compete with. It's also the only performance here that doesn't come down to a matter of taste, with even those lukewarm on the film praising her tremendous work in it.

Rose Byrne is probably in second place, but the movie's underseen, causing her performance to fly under the radar, with most only talking about how trying it is to sit through. Two-time Oscar winner Stone would be my personal pick for her complex turn as an abducted CEO in the mind blowing Bugonia, but with Buckley in the race, she won't be getting a third statue. Hudson's nod for Song Sung Blue feels reminiscent of Sandra Bullock's for The Blind Side, but minus the win. This makes Reinsve the odd woman out for Sentimental Value, but given the competition, that's nothing to be ashamed of. Buckley has it in the bag.

ACTOR
Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme)
Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another)
Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon)
Michael B. Jordan (Sinners)
Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent)

It's not voters' jobs to "humble" actors but sometimes they just can't help themselves, even when only the quality of a performance should matter. Chalamet was probably rehearsing his acceptance speech up until a couple of weeks ago when Michael B. Jordan so shockingly won the SAG that even he couldn't believe it, appearing genuinely stunned.

Combine that with Chalamet's campaign flying off the rails, Marty Supreme losing momentum and just the overall vibe in that room after Jordan won suggests he's no longer the underdog for his dual role as twins Smoke and Stack. Did Chalamet really just cost himself the Oscar? Well, he's probably not winning, although there's no way to know if Jordan would have closed the gap anyway. The shame is that Chalamet's performance is better, but he'll now have to wait his turn like others before him. And you can bet his publicist will be keeping him on a shorter leash next time.

The idea that the two fronrunners will somehow cancel each other out and The Secret Agent's untested Wagner Moura will swoop in to take the trophy is wishful thinking at best. Blue Moon just hasn't had enough of a presence outside Hawke's performance to give him a chance, with his deserved first nomination feeling like an award in itself. Leo was always top of mind for his stoned out, washed up revolutionary in OBAA without ever really being considered a strong possibility to win. The safe money's on Jordan, who's someone very few would have predicted even just last month.

DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)
Ryan Coogler (Sinners)
Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme)
Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value)
Chloé Zhao (Hamnet)

Here's one category Sinners hasn't been able to shake up, if only because the groundswell of support for Paul Thomas Anderson winning his long overdue Academy Award seems unanimous, regardless of what happens elsewhere. PTA sweeping all four major precursors isn't just an indicator that OBAA is still holding strong, but that Ryan Coogler hasn't been able to get a foothold into this race despite all his film's other accolades.

Of course, we could have a Picture/Director split, but even that's unlikely to stop PTA from walking away with an honor he should have received at least three or four movies ago. OBAA also struck a universal chord, revealing even more dimensions to his talent and connecting with the mainstream audiences in a way few would have expected. Even better, this isn't some "make up" Oscar, as most wouldn't hesitate placing it toward the top of his filmography.

Aside from Coogler, the rest of the nominees don't really stand a chance since you could have easily changed out any of the three remaining directors and gotten the same result. If PTA somehow loses this to Coogler (which is possible) you can kiss OBAA's chances at the big prize goodbye. Conversely, if he wins, that still doesn't ensure a Best Picture victory. It's a tough spot to be in.

BEST PICTURE
Bugonia
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams

Since we have to cancel out any film without a Director nomination, we'll say goodbye to my Bugonia, F1 (a requisite big box office inclusion), Frankenstein, The Secret Agent and an underappreciated Train Dreams. Marty Supreme is amazing but its momentum stalled along with Chalamet's. Hamnet and Sentimental Value are arthouse endeavors lacking the broad appeal to break through, even as the former still sits comfortably in third place.

On paper, this race should have been over months ago, but many mitigating factors are at play, a few of which only came into view within the past couple of weeks. OBAA impressively won PGA, DGA and WGA, failing only to clinch that SAG Ensemble, which went to a surging Sinners. But unfortunately no film has ever won Best Picture on just that victory alone.

Further working in OBAA's favor is that only three films in history managed to lose the big one after winning three of the four major guilds. That's a glaring stat but also somewhat misleading when you consider those losses predate the Academy's preferential voting system, which would seem to favor a popular crowd pleaser like Sinners. A combination of industry support following that unfortunate BAFTA incident and the enthusiastic reaction to those SAG wins have helped give it a huge bump at crunch time, only increasing its chances at defying the odds.

While firsts happen and it remains entirely possible all previously held stats can just break, OBAA dominated the season, leaving little time for Sinners to stake its claim. But it's still feasible Oscar voters' minds were made up and one SAG Ensemble win wasn't going to make a difference. So I'm reluctantly going with OBAA, acknowledging that chance Sinners could very well pull off the upset.

Train Dreams

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 18:09:00 +0000

Director: Clint Bentley
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon, William H. Macy, Will Patton, Nathaniel Arcand, John Diehl, Paul Schneider, Clifton Collins Jr., Alfred Hsing
Running Time: 102 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

Clint Bentley's unforgettable Train Dreams is about a seemingly ordinary man plagued by the feeling something terrible will happen. Though he has a dangerous job, it isn't risky in ways we'd typically expect, even as death surrounds him at every turn, waiting indiscriminately for the next opportunity to strike. Without so much as a hint of manipulation, the film deliberately unfolds, and while hauntingly beautiful to look at, there's also a constant sense of dread hanging over the story that just won't go away. And it isn't long before we discover why.

Its measured, evocative pacing may prompt complaints from detractors claiming the film "doesn't go anywhere" or lacks a narrative drive, but those fortunate enough to get on its wavelength will discover the most powerful of cinematic experiences. Based on Denis Johnson's 2011 novella of the same title, it features a protagonist who could easily represent the hundreds of thousands who worked, lived and struggled to survive in a previous era, only to be forgotten by history. But through him, Bentley's able to show how everyone's stories and contributions can carry over generations, whether they're openly acknowledged or not.

It's the start of the twentieth century when orphaned child Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton) arrives in Idaho on the Great Northern Railway, eventually dropping out of school to work as a railroad laborer. But his fortunes change when he meets Gladys Olding (Felicity Jones) at church and they form an instant connection, marrying and settling in a riverside log cabin with new baby daughter Kate.

When Robert takes a construction job with the Spokane International Railway, he's not just dismayed by long stretches away from his family, but traumatized after watching the brutal, senseless murder of a Chinese crew member (Alfred Hsing). Haunted by nightmarish visions of the immigrant, he takes up seasonal logging work, which exposes him to colorful personalities like ornery fellow logger Arn Peeples (William H. Macy). Witnessing further tragedy on the job and facing financial hardship, Robert makes plans with Gladys to build a lumber mill and work closer to home. But the worst still awaits, unexpectedly altering his life's trajectory.

A character study from birth to death, Bentley's script (co-written with Greg Kwedar) and direction is effortless in capturing the serene rhythms of everyday, whether that's scenes of Robert and Gladys marking the location of their future home or the inescapable darkness that descends upon him in the film's second half. It's an event of such magnitude that it doesn't seem real for a shattered Robert who's constantly alone, regardless of whether he has any company. And even in the few precious moments he's able to appreciate what surrounds him, he sees a world he no longer recognizes or fits into.

Edgerton delivers the best work of his career, carrying lengthy, languid sequences while silently registering the emotional agony across Robert's bearded, aging face. When given a screen partner to bounce off or react to, he still manages to convey a sense of complete isolation, becoming this withdrawn observer to his own existence. But if the literary voiceover is correct in assuming the best anyone can hope for is to be remembered, there's still more than a few people willing to vouch for him.

Most memorable is the gruff, sarcastic Arn, who's played by an unrecognizable William H. Macy in a transcendent performance that's short on minutes but immeasurable in impact. Hiding behind a thick, gray mustache, smoking his pipe and speaking with a distinctive backwoods drawl, he's a brutally honest storyteller with the heart of a philosopher. And while a whole separate film could focus entirely on him, that would undermine his primary purpose as the kind of kooky, fascinating character who exits our lives as quickly as he appears, leaving behind a lasting impression along with some indispensable nuggets of wisdom.

Time stands still as Robert attempts to make sense of it all, sleeping in the rain while tormented by his own guilt at being unable to stop the unstoppable. Sympathetic shop owner Ignatius (Nathaniel Arcand), scrapes the logger up at his lowest, helping him reenter a society far different than anything he's known. Faced with the cruel reality his logging days have passed, he'll find work as a local carriage driver, meeting a kind free spirit in Forest Service surveyor Claire (Kerry Condon).

Eerily invoking a great American novel, Patton's narration is soothing, unobtrusive and plain spoken all at once, as if hearing an echo from the distant past. And in painting a vivid portrait of the Pacific Northwest with natural light, Adolpho Veloso's cinematography evokes memory and nostalgia that's only accentuated by a hypnotizing score from The National's Bryce Dessner. All these elements converge to create an ethereal aesthetic that earns justifiable comparisons to Terrence Malik's Days of Heaven and The Tree of Life.

Despite many deserved accolades, Bentley's film has managed to fly under the radar in the midst of showier competition, which isn't an indicator of its quality. If anything, a muted reception is more appropriately aligned with the contemplative journey depicted on screen. Quietly anchored by an actor who hasn't gotten nearly enough accolades, it feels like a micro masterpiece observed over a single lifetime and somehow squeezed into 102 minutes. But what a trip it is. Filled with joy, despair, hope and tragedy, the film's final few minutes hit hard, lingering in our minds long after the credits roll.

Marty Supreme

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 19:41:00 +0000

Director: Josh Safdie
Starring: Timothée Chalamet. Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A'zion, Kevin O'Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara, Fran Drescher, Luke Manley, Emory Cohen, Larry Sloman, Ralph Colucci, Géza Röhrig, Koto Kawaguchi, Pico Iyer, John Catsimatidis, Sandra Bernhard, George Gervin, Ted Williams, Penn Jillette, Isaac Mizrahi, David Mamet, Fred Hechinger, Levon Hawke, Phillipe Petit
Running Time: 150 min.
Rating: R

★★★★ (out of ★★★★)

The biggest surprise to come out of Josh Safdie's semi-biographical table tennis drama Marty Supreme isn't how much is constantly happening, but the frenetic, breakneck pace at which it all occurs. In fact, there's such a dizzying abundance of side quests, odd characters and cleverly constructed scenes you'll probably need a scorecard to keep track. And that's not even accounting for the myriad of familiar faces popping up throughout, many of whom aren't actors, but various pop culture personalities who seamlessly acclimate themselves into Safdie's period specific universe.

Full of wild excursions and sub-plots, the action revolves around a cocky, unlikable main character with a single goal: letting the world know he's the best. But he's also a liar, conman and egotistical scam artist who won't hesitate stepping over everyone as he claws and scratches his way to the top. At one point he matter-of-factly predicts he'll be on a Wheaties box without so much as a hint of irony or doubt. For him, it's all about reaching the coveted World Championships, with all of the film's creatively calamitous detours existing in the service of getting him there.

It's New York City in 1952 and shoe salesman Marty Mouser (Timothée Chalamet) is working at his uncle Murray's (Larry Sloman) shop while competing professionally as a table tennis player. On the cusp of being promoted to store manager, he's having on an affair with married childhood friend Rachel (Odessa A'zion), even as his sights remain set on playing in the British Open. But when a broke Marty can't convince his uncle to give him money for the trip, he takes drastic action, arriving at the tournament only to lose in the finals to deaf Japanese rival Koto Endo (real life table tennis player Koto Kawaguchi).

While in London, Marty starts another affair with former actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), whose wealthy pen magnate husband Milton Rockwell (Kevin O' Leary) makes him a lucrative offer to lose an exhibition match to Endo in Japan. Taking this as an insult, Marty continues touring with friend and former champion Béla Kletzki (Géza Röhrig) as an opening act for the Harlem Globetrotters until he faces a stiff ITTA fine and possible ban for his unprofessional tournament conduct. After desperately convincing taxi driver pal Wally (Tyler Okonma) to help him hustle local players for cash, chaos ensues, forcing Marty to rethink Rockwell's offer, even if that means sacrificing his integrity for cash and a chance at competing in the World Championships.

Though Marty and Rockwell are at odds from the moment they meet, both could believably benefit from this proposed business arrangement since each are selfishly motivated by their separate desires to see the sport's popularity take off in America. For Marty, it can mean greater exposure and fame while Rockwell sees dollar signs, not to mention the opportunity to exploit a brash young punk he'll tolerate just long enough to get what he wants.

While the title character is loosely based on late table tennis champion Marty Reisman, that's where most of the similarities between reality and fiction end, with Safdie concocting a heightened version of the actual person and using the period setting as his primary inspiration. Ironically enough, the very idea of a scripted corporate sponsored exhibition match might be the film's timeliest aspect considering how often these pre-determined corporate sports events are still held, sadly demonstrating the almighty dollar's ability to override the thrill of competition.

Marty's discomfort with throwing a match for money and his undeterred tenacity could be seen as the aspiring champ's only redeeming qualities. It's just too bad he keeps using every friend and family member who helps him, whether that's his uncle, mother (Fran Drescher), girlfriend or even total strangers he encounters along the way. And yet despite sleeping with Rockwell's morose, frustrated wife and insulting his late son, he still manages to come across as the ultimate underdog in comparison since their power dynamic is so severely unbalanced.

Under different circumstances, Rockwell could be considered a somewhat sympathetic character for putting up with Marty, but since he's played by Shark Tank's "Mr. Wonderful" Kevin O' Leary in his acting debut, there's little chance of that. Safdie transposing TV's most recognizably greedy capitalist into the 1950's is a masterstroke, mainly because he's unsurprisingly great at adapting his own outsized persona into such an environment. In actuality, O'Leary goes a few layers deeper, like when delivering Rockwell's metaphorical vampire speech, claiming to have met and destroyed countless Martys over his lifetime. We believe him, just as we recognize how the thought of working with the Japanese who killed his son hasn't ever entered his mind. It's just business.

Marty also knows a lot about compartmentalizing, having screwed and backstabbed to finance a trip that may not even happen unless the idea of consequences start sinking in. His worst behavior comes out in the film's exhilarating middle section when endless scheming unleashes a crazy chain of events involving a mobster (Abel Ferrrara), his missing dog, a gas station fire, a trigger happy farmer (Penn Jillette) and a thwarted venture with hapless friend Dion (Luke Manley) involving orange table tennis balls ("spheres'). And Safdie somehow manages to have it all converge, leading Marty to his lowest point, abandoning a very pregnant Rachel to follow his dream at the worst possible moment.

If Marty's no prize, neither is retired actress and Rockwell's trophy wife Kay, who fills the void of her monotonous, miserable existence with this younger man. While Paltrow's casting could have similarly come across as a stunt, she delivers some of her most memorable work following what's been a nearly seven-year acting hiatus. There's this cold sadness to Kay, who sleepwalks through life without so much as a smile until Marty briefly reignites in her a spark to perform again. It's a strictly physical relationship of convenience for both until they actually start spending time with each other and realize just how bad an idea it is. Or at least she does.

If O' Leary proves how often non-actors can add dimensions of authenticity, this also extends to the smaller supporting roles and cameos Safdie uses to fill the corners of his world. Hardly a scene passes where there isn't some recognizable face, even when it takes a minute to place them. Whether it's Ferrara, Jillette, Tyler, the Creator, internet personality Manley, fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi, writer/director David Mamet, "Man on Wire" Phillip Petite, billionaire businessman John Catsimatidis or "The Man with the Golden Voice" Ted Williams, their presence helps make everything feel a little more real. Far from a distraction, it further draws us in, while Jack Fisk's production design and Miyako Bellizzi's costuming handle much of the heavy lifting.

Though he's constantly scrapping by, we're given fleeting glimpses of Marty's loyalty buried beneath the bravado. But even when he's right, he still manages to express himself so arrogantly that no reasonable person would bother sticking around to listen. These are only a few of the contradictions a brilliant Chalamet brings to a character audiences won't necessarily like, but find complicated and complex enough to warrant redemption. Since there are numerous ways to read the ending, it's not entirely clear whether he gets it, leaving us with something that might appear to resemble a smidgen of growth, depending on your interpretation.

Being recognized as champion is Marty's answer to everything, even if he can't help but let his pride and insecurity get in the way. No one wants to willingly help an abrasive jerk so he manipulates whoever he encounters, constantly failing upwards to reach the next level. But over the course of the story you sense he's resorting to those tactics out of pure survival instincts rather than any calculated plan. It's just who he is. And since having heroic protagonists shouldn't be a prerequisite, a certain comfort comes from knowing Marty won't ever be mistaken for one, making his twisted, energetic journey that much more exciting.

The Housemaid

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 21:28:00 +0000

Director: Paul Feig
Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar, Michele Morrone, Elizabeth Perkins, Indiana Elle, Amanda Joy Erickson, Megan Ferguson, Ellen Tamaki
Running Time: 131 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Paul Feig's The Housemaid is the kind of stylishly silly throwback thriller they don't make enough of anymore, or at least not this well. Just when you think it's winding down is when it really gets going as a relatively straightforward premise flies off the rails in the best possible way. And while feelings may vary on how effectively the film reconciles its two distinct sections, it remains committed enough to its trashiness that you can't help but be on board. Everyone involved knew exactly what they're making and it shows, especially as the situation grows nuttier by the minute.

Rather than questioning why a character didn't do this or that or nitpicking about the details, you'll spend more time awkwardly rooting for an extra-marital affair you know is coming. But even as its campy scenario descends into "MeToo" era melodrama with a side plate of torture porn, this never wavers in tone, earning a leeway so many entertainingly bad movies in its genre don't. And for that and more, it's definitely Feig's most audacious directorial effort yet, if not his craziest.

On parole and living out of her car, Millie Calloway (Sweeney) is hired by Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried) as a live-in housekeeper, arriving at the Great Neck, Long Island mansion she shares with wealthy tech mogul husband Andrew (Brandon Sklenar) and daughter Cece (Indiana Elle). And after impressing a seemingly pleasant and accommodating Nina in her interview, Millie's hired and given the attic guestroom and a new phone. Soon, she's cleaning, running errands and picking up Cece from dance class, only to find Nina's treatment of her starts becoming wildly unpredictable and downright abusive.

Whether Nina's screaming at Millie for some imagined indiscretion or threatening to fire her for no good reason at all, she quickly realizes this woman's psychotic, a theory confirmed by Nina's chatty, backstabbing housewife clique. Desperate to keep this job as a condition of her parole, Millie finds support from the kind, laid-back Andrew, who's equally repulsed by his wife's behavior, which he attributes to a traumatic childhood event. But as Millie and Andrew grow closer, a jealous Nina becomes increasingly unhinged, setting off a dangerous series of events that causes everyone's secrets to spill.

When Millie first arrives at the Winchester house hidden behind a pair of mousey glasses, we immediately suspect she's hiding something, most likely related to her stint in prison for this unknown crime. Those unfamiliar with Freida McFadden's 2022 novel on which the film's based may assume she's running some sort of scam to fleece the family of their fortune. But while the theory's credible, it's also shelved right away, even as Millie's mysterious past remains an important detail that's touched upon throughout.

As the story's self conscious narrator, Millie reveals flashes of her personality in scenes with her understanding parole officer or when quietly expressing concern over the obsessively detailed Nina somehow missing her criminal record in a background search. But in the meantime she contends with the boss from hell as Nina's initially warm, welcoming disposition quickly deteriorates, alternating between phony tradwife and irrational monster. All this as empathetic husband Andrew displays the patience of a saint, managing Nina's mental illness like a pro while also handling his snobby, perfectionist mother (an icy Elizabeth Perkins).

Seyfried is extraordinary, cutting loose and chewing scenery like nobody's business in the type of hysterically over-the-top turn only a great actress could get away with. You're on pins and needles anxiously awaiting what will set Nina off next, especially when Andrew offers the shell-shocked Millie a shoulder to cry on. And while he's no stranger to playing brooding, charismatic good guys in recent films like It Ends With Us and Drop, Skenlar does more here when Rebecca Sonnenshine's script pivots, giving him the chance to further stretch his acting muscles, with compelling results.

That Sweeney's biggest box office success thus far comes in a sleazy psychosexual guilty pleasure rather than the supposedly more serious roles she's been taking on would feel ironic if she wasn't so excellent, skirting the line between vulnerable naiveté and opportunism. She leaves us guessing as we both cheer and dread Millie's inevitable connection with Andrew, buckling up for what's sure to be a bumpy ride. And without giving too much away, it isn't exactly a coincidence she was hired since every detail matters, whether it's related her own history, a nosy groundskeeper or water bottles left in the guest room fridge.

What feels like the movie's peak becomes mere prologue once its big twist arrives, and regardless of whether you saw it coming, watching what unfolds is no less of a blast. The Housemaid probably isn't intended to withstand multiple viewings, but each of these actors impress with how deftly they change course once their characters' true intentions are revealed. When the turn arrives, this doesn't become a different film so much as an insanely amped up, addictive extension of what we were already watching. And in this case, that's not a bad thing at all.

Hamnet

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 21:05:00 +0000

Director: Chloé Zhao
Starring: Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson, Joe Alwyn, Jacobi Jupe, Olivia Lynes, Justine Mitchell, David Wilmot, Bodhi Rae Breathnach, Freya Hannan-Mills, James Skinner, Elliot Baxter, Dainton Anderson, Louisa Harland, Noah Jupe
Running Time: 126 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

Those going into Chloé Zhao's Hamnet have already been warned to prepare themselves for the film's defining event, but it's really the painfully raw, unforgiving aftermath that makes this such an affecting watch. Far from a William Shakespeare biopic, the legendary dramatist's professional reputation is rarely addressed, nor is he even necessarily the main protagonist of a movie centered around a pivotal point in his life. Instead, he's seen through the eyes of wife Agnes, who recognizes him as a husband and father rather than the playwright he's toiling away to become.

While much of what Zhao and co-writer/author Maggie O' Farrell covers is almost entirely speculative, it's rooted in a slice of forgotten, barely acknowledged history still completely unfamiliar to most. And that's why what occurs over the course of these absorbing two hours seems so shocking, as if we've entered territory we're not quite ready for, regardless of any foreshadowing. And though we've seen numerous interpretations of Shakespeare's Hamlet, this hinges on a larger story about love and loss filtered through an absorbing hypothetical about the play's creation.

It's 16th century England and struggling writer William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) is working as a Latin tutor when he's immediately smitten with falconer Agnes (Jessie Buckley). Despite strong objections from his mother Mary (Emily Watson) who believes her to be the daughter of a forest witch, Agnes becomes pregnant with their first child, Susanna. But after Agnes is disowned by stepmother Joan (Justine Mitchell), and moves in with Will's family, her brother Bartholomew (Joe Alwyn) arranges for Will to join a London theater company as she gives birth to twins.

11 years pass, and while Will's career flourishes and frequently keeps him away from their Stratford-Upon-Avon home, twins Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe) and Judith (Olivia Lynes) are inseparable. But when the bubonic plague claims their only son, Agnes and Will's marriage deteriorates, with her resenting Will's extended absences as he continues to withdraw, immersing himself in his latest production. What she doesn't know is how he's been channeling this unimaginable anguish into what soon emerges as his most revered tragedy.

The film begins with a title card stating how the names "Hamnet" and "Hamlet" are considered one in the same, giving us a clear indicator of the connection between Will's son and the play. There's also some misdirection happening in the first act, where viewers are privy to the fact that a death looms, with all signs pointing to their youngest, most vulnerable daughter Judith rather than her brother. That O' Farrell's novel and script creates this imaginary scenario loosely based on historical events blurs the line between fact and fiction, teasing catastrophe until the actual one arrives, shaking the foundation of a marriage that's already overcome considerable odds.

Agnes and Will's unconventional pairing is so soundly rejected by their respective families that this Shakespearean origin story might share more similarities with the Bard's even more ubiquitous work about forbidden, star-crossed lovers than Hamlet. And while the ethereal forest scenes are gorgeously shot by cinematographer Łukasz Żal, they're juxtaposed against the pull of a dark, mysterious cave that portends impending doom.

Lowly tutor Will's family begrudgingly accepts Agnes when her own stepmother doesn't, continuing a trend of abandonment that began after watching her biological mother die during childbirth as a little girl. This trauma manifests itself again with daughter Judith, the twin she most fears for, starting from her stillborn birth to when she later falls ill. But it's Hamnet's unbreakable loyalty to his sister that leads him to "take her place" in the film's most gut-wrenching section. It's also a frightening look at the absence of any effective medical treatment in the 16th century, where survival chances are comparable to a game of Russian roulette.

In the wake of this horrific loss, Will's physical and emotional distance sends Agnes off the deep end, as does the notion he'd invoke their late son's name in his fictionalized play, seeming to only compound her suffering. But what Zhao does here is amazing since Hamlet actually has little, if anything, to do with Hamnet's death, yet still feels entirely about it in small, subtle ways only Agnes and Will would sense. As a result, watching her see it becomes just as hypnotizing as what's happening on stage.

Mescal's complex, tormented turn, sheds light on Will's early frustration at being trapped in a job that suppresses creative ambitions his family can't possibly comprehend. He succeeds in getting out from under his father's thumb, but once tragedy strikes, the actor shows us a man incapable of externally expressing the guilt and sorrow that's broken him, instead directing it toward the only thing he knows.

Buckley is a revelation as earthy healer Agnes, who basks in the joy of marriage and motherhood before circumstances intervene, sending her into a wild, inconsolable rage. Sharing an effortlessly natural chemistry with Mescal, she's called upon to ride a rollercoaster of highs and lows, right up until her character's heartbreaking catharsis in the film's final moments.Young Jacobi Jupe also leaves a lasting impression as the doomed Hamnet while his real life older brother Noah Jupe's portrayal of the actor playing Hamlet works as a projected image of Agnes's own son.

Powered by two devastating performances, the film continuously builds momentum until we're given a rare glimmer of hope, if not the chance for this couple to somehow move forward. And while we've already seen numerous interpretations of Hamlet on stage and screen, it's never come with the benefit of speculating how or why it was conceived. Now viewed through an entirely different lens, audiences experience two overlapping tragedies, culminating in a drama that speaks to the endlessly complex relationship between grief and art.

Frankenstein

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 19:51:00 +0000

Director: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Felix Kammerer, David Bradley, Lars Mikkelsen, Charles Dance, Christian Convery, Kyle Gatehouse, Lauren Collins, Sofia Galasso, Ralph Ineson, Burn Gorman, Nikolaj Lie Kaas
Running Time: 150 min.
Rating: R

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

When it was announced the newest cinematic interpretation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein would hit Netflix after a brief theatrical run, a certain degree of skepticism seemed justifiable. Despite the great Guillermo del Toro at the helm, the idea of revisiting this property could still be seen as a pointless rehash, no matter how closely it aligns with the filmmaker's Gothic horror sensibilities. But with this doubt also comes advantages, such as visuals, costumes, makeup and production design that far exceed even our loftiest expectations. So in finally realizing his long gestating dream project, we recognize how del Toro's always been making some form of Frankenstein, only now getting the chance to make it official.

For del Toro, the devil's in the details when retelling such a familiar tale, as he focuses intensely on the monster's relationship to both the world around him and his obsessively arrogant creator. What starts as a promising experiment soon turns into disaster, with the title character looking to fill the void of a tumultuous childhood while his hubris gets the better of him. Preoccupied with "beating death," he overlooks the potentially dire ramifications, lacking the patience and temperament necessary to control all its unpredictable elements.

In 1857 a seriously injured Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) is found by Captain Anderson (Lars Mikkelsen), who takes him aboard his icebound Royal Danish Navy ship before the crew is attacked by an angry creature (Jacob Elordi) looking for Victor. As Anderson manages to temporarily keep it at bay, Victor recounts the events that lead him there, starting with an aristocratic upbringing defined by his strict father's (Charles Dance) abuse and the sudden death of his mother after giving birth to younger brother William.

As an adult, Victor goes on to become a brilliant but egotistical surgeon obsessed with "curing" death by reanimating corpses. This impresses arms merchant Henrich Harlander (Christoph Waltz), who agrees to fund his work while brother William (Felix Kammerer) helps construct the laboratory. But this is complicated when Victor falls for William's fiancée and Henrich's daughter, Elizabeth (Mia Goth), despite her ambivalence toward him. After gathering body parts from dead soldiers, Victor readies his creation, only to discover the Creature's intellectual deficiencies. Frustrated, he abusively lashes out at the Creature, setting them on a dangerous path that will tragically alter everyone's lives.

Cleanly broken into two parts, the film's bookended structure resembles something of a father-son therapy session, with Victor venting his troubles to the unsuspecting sea captain before the Creature tells his side of the story. We take both their descriptions at face value while recognizing it'll lead to a turning point where their bond crumbles. It's really how del Toro fills in those blanks that's most fascinating, showing how this couldn't have led to any outcome other than the doctor attempting to destroy his prized creation.

These early scenes of young, impressionable Victor (Christian Convery) are some of the film's best, especially in terms of setting the stage for what's to come, as the off-the-wall surgeon becomes so enamored with his own idea he can't see the forest for the trees, much less the catastrophic consequences ahead. Piecing together a living being out of cadavers may be creepy, but the scariest problem is Victor's deep-seated desire to somehow rectify his childhood pain. Everything comes back to that, including his infatuation with the delicate, sensitive Elizabeth, who sees right through him when he starts mistreating the Creature.

Casting the otherworldly Mia Goth in a Frankenstein movie is almost too good to be true, making it easy to guess which character will have the most empathy for an abused misfit, with Elizabeth caring just as much for this fragile creature as the insects she's fascinated by. And viewers will need to do a double take to notice Goth unrecognizably also appears earlier as young Victor's mother, Baroness Claire Frankenstein. Having her play both roles is clever mirroring by del Toro, subtly symbolizing how Victor's grief continues to manifest itself in romantic obsession.

While Victor writes off the monster as an intellectual failure, Elizabeth sees only his innocence and intelligence, which infuriates the maniacal doctor as he searches for reasons why he shouldn't burn his creation alive. Hoping to hear him speak a word other than "Victor," the Creature answers with the one name capable of sending his master off the deep end, in the process shifting the story's focus to this abandoned monster's quest for family and acceptance.

The Creature finds that family on a farm, taking shelter while secretly helping them, but it's his friendship with their elderly blind patriarch (an exceptional David Bradley) that resonates strongest, ultimately proving Victor wrong. And yet the monster's still viewed as an outcast, destined to be ostracized on appearance alone. What eventually drives this kindred "Spirit of the Forest" from his new home reflects that, as the now verbose, fully functional beast hunts down the father who betrayed him.

Elordi's transfixing performance goes well beyond embodying the Creature's physicality, unlocking a childlike sense of wonder and conflicted confusion we haven't seen to this extent in previous interpretations or even the original text. And if Elordi makes this more a parable about companionship and belonging than we ever assumed, Isaac ensures the mad doctor's childhood loss isn't far out of view, with Victor displaying genuine hesitancy during some of his more depraved moments.

For Victor, any chance of redemption rapidly decreases when his creation comes back for revenge as the monster society decides he is, forcing his master to face consequences similar to others he selfishly put in harm's way. Michael would top that list, if only for underestimating just how damaged his big brother is, leaving him and Elizabeth helplessly vulnerable. The same can be said for Waltz's giddy Henrich, who initially seems to be Victor's kindred spirit, until his enthusiasm and desperation become a liability for the driven physician. But while the film's resolution is heartbreaking on many levels, there's hope of a new beginning on the horizon, at least for one of them.

Between the 1931 Karloff version, Kenneth Branagh's 1994 attempt and everything else in between, the biggest challenge facing del Toro was bringing something freshly imaginative to the table. But it turns out we were asking all the wrong questions, underestimating his ability to extract new truths from classic material. While still somehow barely deviating from the original text, he not only delivers the best modern take on Shelley's novel, but sets the new standard by which all future Frankenstein adaptations will be judged.

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 21:10:00 +0000

Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, Paul Walter Hauser, Stephen Graham, Odessa Young, Gaby Hoffman, Marc Maron, David Krumholtz, Harrison Gilbertson, Grace Gummer, Chris Jaymes, Johnny Cannizzaro, Brian Chase
Running Time: 119 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

In Scott Cooper's low-key, surprisingly contemplative Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, we get a portrait of an uncompromising artist attempting to escape his past, his childhood, his own father and the fame that began to engulf him in the early 80's. Bruce Springsteen's journey is recognizable, but that's less a flaw with the film than confirmation of how often personal pain powers the work and ambition required to achieve greatness. For Bruce, it was always about the music first, even as his celebrity became an unintended consequence he'd rather ignore.

Problems often arise when films of this genre employ a traditionally linear approach, cutting corners and running through tired clichés to reach the finish line. So it's to Cooper's credit that he doesn't attempt to cram the entire life and career of the Boss into a two-hour window, instead staying true to Warren Zanes' 2023 book covering the creation of his riskiest album. It's more a fading snapshot of a specific era, with Bruce arriving at a personal and creative crossroads, painfully looking back while trying to move forward.

It's 1981 when ascending rock star Bruce Springsteen (White) finishes the final leg of his sold-out The River tour and manager Jon Landau (Jeremy Strong) rents him a house in Colts Neck, New Jersey where he can quietly decompress. After stumbling upon the movie Badlands on TV, he starts researching notorious serial killer Charles Starkweather, using his story and the works of author Flannery O'Connor to craft new material. But the home's close proximity to the Freehold neighborhood where Bruce grew up brings back traumatic childhood memories of an alcoholic, mentally ill father Douglas (Stephen Graham), who physically and emotionally abused him and his mother Adele (Gaby Hoffman).

Calling on his guitar tech Mike Batlan (Paul Walter Hauser) to bring in a four-track recorder, Bruce turns the bedroom into a makeshift studio where he begins writing a collection of somber songs influenced by his blue-collar upbringing. He also starts dating his old friend's sister Faye (Odessa Young), a single mom struggling to make ends meet. After hearing the somber tracks, Jon's perplexed by Bruce's refusal to alter or clean up the raw acoustic sound he perfected in that room. But as Jon faces the impossible task of convincing Columbia Records' exec Al Teller (David Krumholtz) to release the unmarketable Nebraska, Bruce is suffering from a bigger identity crisis than anyone realizes.

Watching this, you see how oddly fitting it is that Springsteen's most recognizable single came six years prior with "Born To Run," a title he appears to live by through much of the film. And though the pressure's on to top The River's enormous success, we're at least spared another rock star's descent into drug abuse and addiction, with the singer having already gotten a front row seat to those consequences as a child. Rather Bruce's demons come in the form of untreated depression, dimming the brightest moments and lessening what should be the highest of highs.

Strange as it seems given Nebraska's esteemed standing in Bruce's catalogue, the album was actually a huge gamble that could have easily derailed his career. And a folk excursion coming off the heels of one of the artist's more commercially friendly periods only made it a tougher sell. But what's interesting about Cooper's script is how it doesn't necessarily present this undertaking as a choice so much as a flood of memories and influences converging at once, leaving him little option but to lower his guard and let them in.

Absent among these demos is a radio ready hit like "Hungry Heart" or "Out in the Street," but that's inevitable given the stripped down circumstances under which they're produced. And Bruce won't budge on any of it, rejecting the idea of a tour, singles, promotion, or even his photo on the album's cover. But most importantly, the sound he created in that bedroom must be replicated as it was, minus the usual studio bells and whistles. Neither difficult or full of himself, he's just sure of his work in an era when even the most popular musicians were forced by suits to make crippling compromises.

While now we know how far a record like this can go in enhancing an artist's discography, the notion of creative freedom or subverting expectations was foreign at the time, even if it bolsters their popularity once they eventually return to the sound with which fans are most familiar. So if it's painful for Jon and producer Chuck Plotkin (Marc Maron) to shelve future all-timers "Born in the U.S.A.," "Glory Days," "I'm Goin' Down" and "I'm on Fire," to accommodate Bruce's more muted vision, it all worked out in the end, with those abandoned tracks defining his legacy on the next album.

Focusing on the concept album's construction makes this more palatable than it would otherwise be, even if 1950's black and white flashbacks to Bruce's abusive childhood might prompt complaints of Cooper following the genre's typical blueprint. In this case though, it's relevant to both the music's content and emotional scars that infiltrate every facet of the singer's life. This includes a meaningful relationship with Faye he can't help but sabotage, fearful of exposing a side of himself no one's permitted to see.

Powered by Jeremy Allen White's transformative performance in the title role, we're reminded how singing is only half the battle, if that. Briefly convincing us he sounds good enough to pass muster in the concert scenes is one thing, but actually capturing the Boss's swagger and mannerisms is another challenge entirely, as the actor goes beyond imitation to dig deeper during his many quieter moments alone, haunted by the past.

Strong leaves a lasting impression as Bruce's biggest advocate, shepherding the release of a possibly doomed album that only sees the light of day with his full support. Critical but realistic, he's a friend anyone would be lucky enough to also call their manager, as demonstrated by his receptive "wait and see" approach upon receiving the tape. His best scene comes opposite Krumholtz's exec, making it clear that his allegiance lies with Bruce, regardless of what the label wants.

A biopic peppered by a series of depressing flashbacks is good cause for skepticism, but the tropes are mostly sidestepped by Graham's ice cold supporting turn and memories that pay off in Bruce's songwriting and eventual acceptance of where he came from. While the elder Springsteen may have done the best he could, his best happened to be terrible, which is something both need to work past. But in writing an album he didn't know needed to exist, Bruce lets it all pour out, intrinsically tying his music to the endeavor of creating it. Deliver Me From Nowhere is at its best when exploring that process, shedding light on how Nebraska eventually came to be.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 21:08:00 +0000

Director: Rian Johnson
Starring: Daniel Craig, Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, Thomas Hayden Church, Jeffrey Wright, Annie Hamilton, James Faulkner, Bridget Everett, Noah Segan
Running Time: 144 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Among writer/director Rian Johnson's trilogy of Knives Out films, Wake Up Dead Man is sort of an outlier, taking a slightly different route than the two mysteries preceding it. Besides having more on its mind philosophically, the tone is darker and its lead detective shares the spotlight, resulting in enough of a departure to keep us guessing. But what's always been fun about the series remains unchanged, as Johnson still delivers the surprising twists, only this time digging a little deeper into these characters than usual. It's also a slow burn, waiting nearly a half hour to reintroduce the quirky sleuth who'll be diving into another seemingly unsolvable crime.

While those elements distinguish this, there's no reason for those enamored with the familiar formula to worry Johnson's off his game, especially once we meet the latest rogues gallery of eccentric suspects. An argument could even be made it's the strongest entry of the three, at least outside the original, which would still justifiably win the popular vote. But in displacing those films' eagerness to please with a more somber tone and religiously supernatural plotline, this is the true Glass Onion of the series, its many layers gradually peeling away as we approach the final reveal.

When former boxer turned Catholic priest Jud Duplenticy (Josh O' Connor) punches a widely disliked deacon, he's transferred by Bishop Langstrom (Jeffrey Wright) to small upstate New York parish, Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude. While there, he serves as assistant pastor to the enigmatic Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), whose angry, controversial sermons have driven many from the church, leaving behind a small, but intensely devoted group of parishioners who both fear and respect him. It isn't long before Jud and Wicks clash over moral differences, but when the latter is stabbed during a Good Friday service, local police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) calls in private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to investigate.

Jud is the prime suspect, followed by a handful of others, including Wicks' devoted church lady Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close), recently divorced alcoholic doctor Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), lawyer Vera Draven (Kerry Washington), her adopted son and aspiring conservative politician Cy (Daryl McCormack), struggling sci-fi author Lee Ross (Andrew Scott), disabled former concert cellist Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny) and groundskeeper Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church). Everyone's hiding something, but in attempting to crack the case, Blanc unconventionally recruits potential killer Jud to tag along.

What resonates most about this mystery is how a spiritually doubtful Jud being sent to this church simultaneously becomes the best and worst thing that could possibly happen, testing him in ways he didn't know possible. And that it's Jud rather than Blanc serving as our entry point makes this as much his story than anyone else's, including the eventual victim. Equally believable here as he was as a struggling pro tennis player in Challengers, O'Connor quickly settles into the role of an affable, good natured priest with a chip on his shoulder. Jud takes his reassignment in stride, at least until he gets there and meets the arrogant Wicks, who's played with villainous energy by a scene stealing Brolin.

Clearly resentful toward Jud for intruding on his territory, Wicks rules the congregation with an iron fist, resembling a cult leader in how his devoted followers worship his every word, needing guidance they're convinced only he can provide. In exchange, he doesn't just get their money, but fuel for his insatiable ego, fostering a transactional relationship where they're entirely dependent on him. Whether it's a doctor whose wife just left him or a wheelchair bound musician in need of a miracle, they all think he has the cure for what ails them.

There's a timely undercurrent running through the film as a manipulative Cy sees dollar signs in the church, harnessing Wicks' hold over his desperate believers as a springboard for his own political ambitions. But more fascinating is Wicks' sordid family history involving his grandfather and church founder Rev. Prentice Wicks (James Faulkner) and troubled mother Grace (Annie Hamilton), who unsuccessfully schemed to obtain her father's missing inheritance after his death. Depicted in a gripping early flashback, it could provide possible clues related to the details of the murder.

Blanc's brought on by local law enforcement, and if we know anything about him by now, it's that he works alone even when he's not, using his own unique approach to plausibly fit all the puzzle pieces together. And while his bizarre crime solving alliance with Jud hinges on letting the young priest's perspective guide the investigation, Blanc doesn't want to believe Jud did this any more than we do, leaving us wondering what angle the detective's working. But even with O'Connor and Craig standing out as MVPs, there's no shortage of impressive supporting turns from a thoroughly unlikable Brolin, the hard to read Renner and especially Glenn Close, whose Martha serves as the church's eyes and ears.

The ending's jaw-droppingly convoluted and drags a bit, but still somehow makes complete sense, rewarding audiences for paying attention to smaller details pertaining to each character. But the real mystery might be how Johnson again managed to wrangle such eclectic cast, who all look to be having the time of their lives playing against type in some form or another. So while it's difficult to gauge just how much longer he can keep pumping these mysteries out or when we'll tire of them, the continued level of quality suggests this series still has a long way to go before reaching its saturation point.

2026 Oscar Nominations (Reaction and Analysis)

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 23:42:00 +0000

Earlier today, actors Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman announced the 98th Academy Award nominations live from the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. And yes, the Oscars are still airing on ABC, at least until 2029 when YouTube obtains exclusive global streaming rights to the show, signaling the end of an era. This means all those complaints about how low the ratings have sunk will come to an end as the Academy makes a move that can't help but feel a decade late. And while it remains to be seen exactly how this will entice more viewers to watch a three and a half hour telecast or solve its formatting issues, it's a start.

Until then, get ready for more business as usual. Regardless of how or where it airs, the Oscars do still represent the apex of the movie year for many hardcore cinephiles eagerly anticipating which of their favorite films made the cut. And for the directors, actors, producers, writers and crew all directly involved, the stakes couldn't be higher. On the bright side, there's good reason to be excited about the addition of the first new category in 25 years with "Achievement in Casting." It's a long time coming, even if voters went the predictable route of just cutting and pasting the top films into it.

The morning's huge winner was Ryan Coogler's Sinners, which overperformed with a record-breaking 16 nominations, besting the 14 nod mark set by All About Eve, Titanic and La La Land. And as predicted, One Battle After Another fared extremely well with 13, even if it may not be as solid a lock for the big prize as we originally assumed. Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein also cleaned up with 9, dominating the technical categories while also appearing in slots few expected. So now we'll see how much momentum all these films can retain heading into the Conan O' Brien hosted ceremony on Sunday, March 15th. But for now, here's look at all the morning's big surprises and snubs, along with my analysis. The full nomination list can be viewed at Oscars.org.

-Sorry, but 16 nominations seems a little excessive for any film, and that's coming from someone who likes Sinners a lot. But what can you say? The movie just struck a chord with voters and possessed all the necessary components to cover a large swath of categories. The big shock was acting though. Very few even mentioned Delroy Lindo or Wunmi Mosaku as possibilities in the supporting categories, but here we are. Paul Thomas Anderson might be feeling a little more worried now. Can a vampire movie win Best Picture? We're about to find out.

-Speaking of One Battle After After Another, there's no planet where 13 nods would ever feel like a disappointment. That said, Sinners definitely took some wind out of its sails, but as we know, a high nomination tally doesn't always equal the most wins, especially for a genre film. The more alarming development is Chase Infiniti missing Best Actress. This is what happens when a studio runs someone in the wrong category. Had they pushed her for Supporting, she'd be an Oscar winner.

-The blockbuster Best Picture slot went to F1, as some had correctly predicted. The absences of Avatar: Fire and Ash and Wicked: For Good are glaring, especially since it would be quicker to name all the movies that didn't get in with such a massive field. The Secret Agent and Sentimental Value were the two chosen international entries to make the cut, but also had great showings elsewhere, joining Train Dreams in a contingent of tiny movies that could. Bugonia (!), Frankenstein, Hamnet and Marty Supreme rounded out the rest of the field.

-Aside from Amy Madigan's expected supporting nomination, Weapons drew blanks. And that's kind of surprising when you consider how much credit it's shared with Sinners for revitalizing Warner Bros., which was dead to rights before those two films emerged as runaway hits and primed the studio for a sale. But it looks like voters could only find room in their hearts for one horror entry. Knowing their history, it's a miracle they were even able to do that.

-Zhao, Safdie, PTA, Trier and Coogler made the cut for Director and it's hard to call any of those a surprise. If you're not listed here your movie isn't winning Best Picture, which exposes the fallacy of an expanded ten nominee category. Del Toro's conspicuous by his absence, but with the amount of love Frankenstein's already received, it's hard to muster up too much sympathy. He'll be back.

-Best Actor is the only category that went EXACTLY as expected, even if I'd like to see Bugonia's Jesse Plemons recognized. But with Chalamet, DiCaprio, Hawke, Jordan and Moura, it's tough to determine who voters would have picked for him to replace. But this is still Chalamet's to lose, with Michael B. Jordan suddenly finding himself in a better spot after what Sinners just pulled off.

-Kate Hudson: 2-time Oscar nominee. It's strange even typing that when you evaluate the actress's 25 year trajectory since being nominated for playing Penny Lane in Almost Famous, a role that should have launched her career into the stratosphere. But she lost and it didn't, only now returning to her roots with a comeback performance in Song Sung Blue, another musically themed picture. But the better news is that she didn't take Emma Stone's well deserved spot for Bugonia (which also nabbed Score and Screenplay nods). Both actressess join If I Had Legs I'd Kick You's Rose Byrne, Sentimental Value's Renate Reinsve and likely winner Jessie Buckley for Hamnet. The big omission was OBAA's Infiniti, and to a far lesser extent, Wicked: For Good's Cythia Erivo and longshot Amanda Seyfried for The Testament of Ann Lee.

- The OBAA combo of Penn and del Toro were always Supporting Actor locks, joining Frankenstein's Jacob Elordi, Sentimental Value's Stellan Skarsgård and Sinners' Delroy Lindo. This category mostly went according to plan, save Paul Mescal's snub for Hamnet and the surprise nod for Lindo, who joined Hudson and Mosaku in providing the auditorium with its biggest gasps and applause of the morning.

-The Norwegian drama Sentimental Value scored big in the Supporting Actress category as both Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lleaas get in, bringing that film's acting nomination total to four. This and its strong showing across the board make it one of the more notable, under-the-radar success stories of the season. OBAA's Teyana Taylor still has to be considered the frontrunner as Weapons' underwhelming haul might create an uphill battle for Amy Madigan. While Winmi Mosaku's inclusion is a shocker, it makes sense in hindsight, especially seeing how Sinners dominated.

-The casting category is already perplexing in its initial year. Who's to say even the greatest films necessarily represent a huge achievement in casting? Can't bad movies be well cast? Despite having never voted on this award before, the Academy somehow found a way to compile a list that feels like more of the same. Hamnet, Marty Supreme, OBAA, The Secret Agent, Sinners. It's strong casting all around, but they just cherry picked all the Best Picture nominees.

-As for the technical races, I would have been thrilled to see James Price's imperative production design for Bugonia and Tron: Ares' visual effects (along with that Nine Inch Nails score) recognized, but it just wasn't meant to be. And in the case of the latter, it felt like the longest of long shots. But it was great to see The Lost Bus acknowledged for its tremendous effects, along with a Best Makeup nomination for The Smashing Machine, which strangely ended up having no worse a morning than Weapons did.

Bugonia

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 21:47:00 +0000

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, Alicia Silverstone
Running Time: 118 min.
Rating: R

★★★★ (out of ★★★★)

When it comes to successful director/actor collaborations, it's hard to find a recent creative pairing that's resulted in as many divisive opinions as the teaming of Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and Oscar winner Emma Stone. And while their eccentric black comedies have pulled increasingly daring performances out of her, it's also further catapulted the career of an actress who's proven to be an ideal match for his idiosyncratic sensibilities. So just when it's popular for dissenters to complain they've worked together too much or a break would do both some good, a film like Bugonia comes along, reminding us what a terrible idea that is.

For a little while, you may even trick yourself into believing this is somehow more accessible than The Favourite, Poor Things or Kinds of Kindness. Don't worry, it's not. Though undeniably funny at points, this is Lanthimos' bleakest, headiest film, despite the relatively straightforward, small scale thriller it masquerades as in its opening minutes. A scathing, pessimistic social commentary with a certifiably insane final act, it both confounds and enthralls, taking us on a wild trip down this Kubrickian rabbit hole by way of The Twilight Zone. Only when it's over will it start to make complete sense, forcing us to backtrack and reevaluate everything we originally assumed was true.

High-powered pharmaceutical company CEO Michelle Fuller (Stone) is abducted and held captive in the basement of unhinged conspiracy theorist Teddy Gatz (Jesse Plemons) and his autistic cousin Don (Aidan Delbis). Accused of being a member of the Andromedan alien species, Teddy theorizes her kind have come to destroy the planet by killing off the honey bees and enslaving the human race. Shaving her head and covering her body in antihistamine cream, he gives Michelle four days to arrange a meeting with the Andromedan emperor before the lunar eclipse.

As Teddy eagerly anticipates the mothership's arrival on Earth, the kidnapped executive vehemently denies his wacky accusations, offering to cut a deal for her release and warning him the authorities will eventually in. But as Teddy tortures Michelle, it's revealed her company's botched drug trial left his mother Sandy (Alicia Silverstone) comatose, shedding more light on a likely motive. But with Michelle plotting her escape as the eclipse rapidly approaches, Teddy remains committed to saving humanity.

Adapted from the 2003 South Korean film Save The Green Planet! this closely follows the original's narrative while still having its own unique and distinctive vision. It begins intriguingly enough, with an unkempt Teddy and Don training for something you'd assume is extremely bizarre just by how they talk, act and even look. But recreational beekeeper Teddy is the obvious leader, his brain so riddled from the dark web he's now dragged his emotionally vulnerable cousin along for the ride. He lectures a confused Don on aliens but it's unclear what his specific plan to stop it entails, at least beyond some yoga and a shopping trip to Goodwill.

In juxtaposing Teddy's dark, isolated house from an earlier era with Michelle's ultra-modern residence, it soon comes into focus how their vastly different worlds will collide. She may be the target, but possesses more than enough self-defense skills to make her abduction difficult for these two bumbling country bumpkins. In her opening scenes she comes across as the portrait of control and composure at company headquarters, but the real power struggle begins once she's drugged, shaved bald and shackled to a bed. Teddy calls the shots, manipulating a hapless, reluctant Don to follow his lead as he tries to coax Michelle into admitting she's an alien with violent and antagonistic interrogation techniques.

Teddy puts all three of them in a no-win situation since an alien isn't likely to admit they are one, especially if their species is orchestrating what he predicts. And even in the unlikely scenario that's true, he's not the guy topping anyone's list to rescue the human race from such a catastrophic threat. So when faced with this irrational captor, Michelle attempts to talk and reason her way out, verbally manipulating Teddy with the same cutthroat, disingenuous tactics she uses as a CEO.

Stone gives her most complex, ferocious performance yet as character with unreadable dimensions, refusing to roll over or give in, no matter how precarious the situation gets. Physically and mentally, Michelle's put through the wringer while Stone ensures we never have her figured out, even as our feelings toward this woman shift with each shocking and unsettling development. She'll also undergo the most memorable one take head shaving we've seen since Natalie Portman in V For Vendetta.

While Michelle stands her ground opposite the trigger tempered kidnapper, we sense her battle might be as much about gaining the upper hand, even if Lanthimos knows audience sympathy will lay with a kidnapped woman over two men who aren't all mentally there. Michelle wisely plays Teddy's game before turning her attention toward the empathetic Don. Viewers will desperately want to believe she cares what happens to him, but he's just a pawn for both, and maybe the film's only true innocent victim.

Suspicions Michelle is hiding something grow when flashbacks reveal how Teddy's mom suffered from her company's malfeasance. And the more we learn about Teddy's backstory, the murkier our feelings about her get, though not enough to seriously entertain his tinfoil rantings. The early introduction of local cop Casey (Stavros Halkias) appears to be obvious foreshadowing, but Lanthimos also subverts those expectations as the character unlocks another facet to Teddy's tragic past, confirming he's had it far worse than originally thought.

Recently called on to carry more films of this magnitude as a lead, Plemons brings a needed pathos to this conspiracy nut harboring a deeply personal grudge. He's so off-the-wall in his extreme methods that we cringe at the thought there's any truth to his ramblings, even as the actor subtly hints at how we may have seriously underestimated him. A more overlooked turn comes from autistic actor Aidan Delbis, whose Don lacks the emotional bandwith to deal with this situation, crumbling as he's led astray by a cousin he loves, but can't challenge.

Upon reaching the final act, there's a temptation to assume how it concludes, only to be blown away when these characters make decisions that cause us to rethink what's actually happening. What started as a thriller with satirical underpinnings takes an unpredictably crazy detour in its closing half hour, traveling down a road where any number of potential outcomes seem possible. That Lanthimos ends this as he does speaks volumes, further confirming he's a filmmaker incapable of playing it safe or taking the easy way out. So much so that even those on the fence are still forced to admit the execution is unforgettably haunting and ripe for repeated viewings, if only to confirm what we just saw with our own eyes.

The Best (And Worst) Movie Posters of 2025

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 23:54:00 +0000

While my choice for 2025's best "movie" poster is in many ways a first, the intention wasn't to go so far outside the box that a TV design would take the top slot. Yet that's exactly what happened, not due to a lack of viable candidates or this being an off year for movie art, but because it's simply better than all the worthy runners-up listed below.

If anything, it was a strong 12-month run, silencing the usual naysayers who still stubbornly insist this art form is straddling the edge of extinction. And those accusations are getting tiresome, especially when you can easily round up a batch of 80 to 100 high quality one-sheets each year, many of which have abandoned photoshopped floating heads in favor of more illustrative approaches.

What started as a hypothetical morphed into this one poster winning by a considerable margin, regardless of the medium it's intended for. And with the line separating movies and TV getting thinner by the day, you could argue whether this result was eventually inevitable. The rest are fine, just not necessarily different enough from what we're normally spoiled with each year. Still, there are many eye-catching designs below, followed by some true stinkers. A reminder that only posters dropped during 2025's calendar year qualify, regardless of the film's expected release date.

The Best...

10. Hard Truths

Desi Moore's beautiful illustration for Mike Leigh's Hard Truths says all that's necessary with a simple, striking portrait of Marianne Jean-Baptiste's embattled protagonist Pansy. You don't even need to know what this film's about to appreciate what it says. We're given enough to deduce she's in enough emotional distress to wilt away before our eyes. From that look of resigned pain to those falling stems enveloping her and falling onto the bright yellow title, it's an unforgettable image.

9. Jay Kelly

Polish poster artist Aleksander Walijewski's design for the exclusive 35mm engagement of Noah Baumbach's Jay Kelly topped many "best of" lists, even when the film itself didn't. While I'm not quite as impressed by this as some, part of that could stem from the fact an artist as talented as Walijewski is always competing with himself and his previous work. The visual metaphor is clear, with the film strip representing the title character's unraveling life as he leaves behind a trail of familiar faces from his past and present. It's an uncanny illustration of Clooney and the black cursive typography lends this a throwback feel appropriate for its subject. And while white suits against white backgrounds aren't usually advisable, it's effective here in conveying Jay's gradual disappearance from his own life.

8. Death of a Unicorn

Death of a Unicorn's teaser poster was admittedly clever, but this Tony Stella design is on another level, employing a style and approach that invokes warm memories of the late, great Drew Struzin's iconic 80's art. That's some company to be in, and of the current artists attempting the same, Stella comes closest to channeling the master (look no further than Dial of Destiny). If there's a difference, it's that his work tends to skew darker, frequently matching that film's tone. His ability to convey Unicorn's magical realism makes the movie look better than it actually is, giving off some serious Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal and The Neverending Story vibes, especially with that border and all the characters contained therein. Those illustrations of Ortega and Rudd are particularly amazing, but the whole piece promises a twisted fairy tale come to life.

7. One Battle After Another

While not an officially commissioned poster for Paul Thomas Anderson's spectacular One Battle After Another, it may as well be since the "official" ones are awful, failing to capture the scope and grandeur of 2025's defining film. But this piece designed by Italian artist Alessandro Montalto (A.K.A. Nocturnal Layouts) accomplishes that and then some. Much like Death of a Unicorn and the selection you see below, it's another Struzan-inspired design executed to perfection. And it may be the most vibrant, with the yellows, reds and browns leaping from a collage that perfectly captures the propulsive, chaotic nature of the film and its core characters.

6. Eddington

Here's another illustrated poster, this time by artist Jack C. Gregory for Ari Aster's polarizing political satire Eddington. Between this, Death of a Unicorn and One Battle After Another, it's fair to categorize this approach as 2025's defining poster trend. And of the three, this is probably the cleanest and most easily identifiable. The orange and beige color scheme is sensational, the painterly likenesses spot-on, and it doesn't feel overcrowded. Even those who love the movie would probably admit it's somewhat of a mess so credit A24 for cleverly embracing that quirkiness, as they often do. As for the photographic teaser, U2 got there first, but the black and white image of a herd of buffalo following each other off a cliff couldn't be a more apt analogy for the film while that bright orange title font now feels like Eddington's calling card. But it's the brilliant tagline ("Hindsight is 2020") that takes this over-the-top.

5. Die My Love

Using film stills for posters is a risky proposition that can pay off. Such is the case with the one-sheet for Lynne Ramsey's Die My Love, which stars Jennifer Lawrence as Grace, a young mother who goes mad, much to her helpless boyfriend Jackson's (Robert Pattinson) horror. Since Lawrence is no stranger to risky projects or appearing on the crazy great posters accompanying them, this is just another day at the office for her. But if you're picking a shot to capture moviegoers' attention, it doesn't get more evocative or thought provoking than this.

A mystery wrapped in an enigma, her protagonist looks hypnotizingly numb, physically present but emotionally elsewhere as confetti falls on her face into her mouth. Head back, eyes closed, she's someplace else. But where? The juxtaposition of Grace's body language and trance-like expression with the raucous party is jarring. As is the large, bright white title treatment and unusual spacing, further reinforcing the character's disorientation. It's an image begging and daring us to find out more.

4. The Life of Chuck

Mike Flanagan's adaptation of Stephen King's The Life of Chuck is an abnormally structured, shockingly moving mix of apocalyptic thriller, musical and coming-of-age drama that defies standard classification, earning a place alongside the author's best adaptations. But for a while there was reason to worry this wouldn't get a poster it deserved, especially since some of its early designs highlighted the marketing challenges such a unique movie faces. It's not as if those posters were terrible, but they felt hamstrung by the vagueness required to conceal the film's mysteries and revelations.

This illustration finds a way in, showing just enough to generate curiosity and intrigue. All three sections of its non-linear structure are linearly represented by Chuck at the different ages at which he appears, its memorable supporting characters reflected in his glasses. It's a creative concept that also matches the movie, and though the credits are sort of an afterthought, that's understandable considering our eyes are immediately drawn to the three faces. Those who saw the film should only appreciate this that much more.

3. The Secret Agent

For comparison's sake, here's the official poster for director Mendonça Filho's Brazilian political thriller The Secret Agent and its textless version below. I'm a little mixed on which is superior since less text frequently seems preferable, no matter how eye catching the font or title treatment. But even if the absence of credits in this instance further emphasizes an incredible illustration, the poster also looks a little naked without them since typography is as much a part of the design presentation as any image, often in ways not immediately noticeable to the naked eye.

Still, both of these are magnificent, largely because it so accurately invokes the quintessential late 70's/early 80's style of poster that would accompany this movie if it premiered in the era its story takes place. It's no homage or knock off, but the real deal, more authentic looking than many of the retro one-sheets that inspired it. Only adding to its uniqueness is how all three faces belong to various incarnations of Wagner Moura's title character, a scientist who inadvertently becomes a target of Brazil's military dictatorship. But as amazing as the illustration is, it's tinier, subtler details like those shadowy figures in the foreground and a passport stamp in the corner that leave an equally large impression.

2. Bugonia

Another year, another wonderfully odd and insane Vasilis Marmatakis poster for a Yorgos Lanthimos film starring Emma Stone. And if his movies aren't already weird enough, the artistic inspiration they provide for its marketing is always on point, with Bugonia joining The Favourite and more notably 2023's Poor Things as some of the more ambitious poster art we've seen this decade. There's definitely a touch of Radiohead's The Bends in this image, only a whole lot slimier and more disgusting, as the bald Stone's abducted pharmaceutical CEO Michelle Fuller is drenched in a cream familiar to those who've seen the film.

With her face dripping in that crimson, yellowish goo, it's almost as if Stone's character is fighting to escape and get air while the fluid spreads, doubling as a fitting visual metaphor for the story. Eyes looking upward, there's a claustrophobic helplessness to her situation that's uncomfortably mesmerizing to watch despite its ickiness. And that futuristic Churchward Roundsquare title font will now exclusively be identified with this film, its bold usage only amplifying the quirky sci-fi thriller's futuristic tone and style.

1. Pluribus

Sharing little in common with Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul besides an Albuquerque, New Mexico setting, Vince Gilligan's highly anticipated post-apocalyptic sci-fi series Pluribus is unmistakably its own thing, And that's really all we could have asked for. While predictions will vary on where the premise goes from here, few could argue it's made with the same care and quality we've come to expect from the showrunner. If nothing else, he's earned our trust to take the ride, with this poster reeling us in before even a single episode aired.

Simple, sharp and uncomplicated, it immediately grabs hold, at least partially due to a bright school bus yellow color you don't see every day. And just look at all that negative space, save for the cleverly stylized "Plur1bus" title and a surprisingly unobtrusive Apple TV Plus logo on top. But it all comes down to illustrator Michael Koelsch's awesome rendering of Rhea Seehorn's understandably cranky pirate romance novelist Carol Sturka screaming into the abyss. About as truthful a depiction of her maddening situation as it gets, the image looks accurate enough to be mistaken for a real photo. The choice to cut her off at the bottom with hair wildly flailing hammers home this existential crisis. It all makes perfect sense to those who watched this series while still piquing the curiosity of anyone who hasn't.

Runners-Up

And The Worst...

Just when you thought his Batfleck days were over, Ben Affleck returns in a very DC adjacent one-sheet for The Accountant 2, this time parodying a poor man's Riddler from The Batman.

How I Met Your Mother: The Movie. Photoshopped actors, a title treatment you'd sooner see in the supermarket aisle, a silly tagline and a poor visualization of its time-hopping door motif. But what's worse is how safe and sterile it looks, more closely resembling a corporate travel guide than a movie poster.

At least this looks fun bad and the idea of a Currey/Gardner Fall reunion is exciting. But photoshopped dogs is where I draw the line. And how they separately cut and pasted the three stars onto a background that looks like one of those screens you'd use during Zoom calls to pretend you're on vacation. Hopefully somewhere nice, with exploding boats.

And you thought his final match was bad. Difficult to even find the movie's title, until you realize it's directly above that eyesore of a Prime logo. There are other character posters but the Cena's is just too easy.

A digital work of art. You could complain how this woman looks nothing like Scarlett Johansson, but if we're going there, that doesn't look much like a cliff, waterfall, rope or dinosaur either. At least the poster's consistent.

A bad concept that somehow came out looking worse than was likely envisioned. Placing actors inside a silhouette almost always fails but this is particularly clumsy due to the layout. The credits are oddly placed in relation to the title and that's not even getting into the awkward photoshopping or hideous background color. Total disaster all around.

On the bright side, the movie's only 90 minutes. But there's a 97.5% chance I may have laughed after seeing this poster, which is buried beneath a tremendous amount of text. It's hard not to smile at the audacity of its plot, which could be thrilling if you enjoy watching Chris Pratt try to outwit an AI based justice system from the comfort of his own chair. At least Rebecca Ferguson still looks cool doing anything.

According to the blurb on top, "It's a Powerhouse Return To Oscars Form For Russell Crowe" Well, he's in some kind of form, but it has little to do with awards. And have you ever seen a group of actors superimposed in front of a sliver of a screenshot like this?

We can laugh now, but when this generic one-sheet for One Battle After Another first dropped it was tough to accept this as the promotional material for one of our greatest directors' most anticipated films. But while the advertising still didn't improve with its subsequent character posters, the movie still delivered in spades. And at least we'll always have that great alternative design, which is a relief since gun toting Leo in a bathrobe just wasn't cutting it.

Forget about the poster. Let's talk about Pete Davidson's character. So many questions. Is he a security guard? Has he been kidnapped? Is he a pro? Or a con? And whoever this guy is doesn't resemble Eddie Murphy at all. The bills are a nice touch, along with that hilariously gigantic title.

Damon and Affleck reteamed for a Joe Carnahan Netflix cop movie? The RIP might look DOA but at least it can't be as bad as this poster... can it? Its transparent title and laugh out loud tagline are certainly choices, but the whole thing reeks of executives just giving up and throwing their hands in the air. "Fine, we'll do it."

DC should have quit while they were ahead with these. The first teaser was really strong and the runner-up above creatively paid homage to the Reeve films. Unfortunately, pesky franchise obligations dictate we need dozens of character posters and Superman's somehow turned out the worst of all. It's the kind of image we feared seeing when the film was first announced. Luckily, the movie was good enough to overcome it.

W H A T

W E R E

They

T H I N K I N G

With

T H I S

Poster?

Stranger Things (Season 5)

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 20:50:00 +0000

Creators: The Duffer Brothers
Starring: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Brett Gelman, Priah Ferguson, Linda Hamilton, Jamie Campbell Bower, Nell Fisher, Jake Connelly, Cara Buono, Joe Chrest, Randy Havens, Linnea Berthelsen
Original Airdate: 2025

**This Review Contains Major Plot Spoilers**

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

Just as an experiment, it would be fun to show Stranger Things' fifth and final season to viewers who only watched the series' first eight episodes back in 2016 and log their reactions. Before fully processing those lengthy gaps between seasons, all the main characters still being alive and how much older the actors look, they'd probably be most surprised by the sheer size of it. And what roles all these new faces play in serving a story that's now exponentially larger in scope, with many more moving parts. But as inevitable as some of these developments look in hindsight, it wasn't always that way.

The rare series about kids also aimed at adults, the Duffer Brothers creation hit every key demographic, possessing the kind of broad appeal most networks and streaming services only dream of tapping into. While captivating tween and teen audiences with its high stakes adventure, it simultaneously provided a huge dose of 80's nostalgia for Gen Xers who quickly found themselves hooked. As the foundation on which Netflix was built and the impetus for an enormously successful Broadway stage play, the show could seemingly do no wrong.

Unfortunately, with massive popularity comes the pressure and expectation of topping yourself, regardless of how much time you're afforded to write and plan. If anything, it ups the ante, giving showrunners more opportunities to change their minds multiple times before filming. When this happens, pressure mounts to be bigger and better than before as we've seen this Spielbergian coming-of-age mystery/adventure in the vein of The Goonies and Explorers evolve into a full blown sci-fi spectacle that features twice the amount of heroes we started with.

In a fifth season that gifts us the two best cast additions imaginable, the lack of subtraction still manages to stir debate up until the series' final minutes. If killing off characters raises the stakes, risks also accompany who goes and when, which helps shed light on the Duffers' decision making process. But it can still get unwieldly when overlapping storylines collide with an increasingly convoluted supernatural plot, leaving only a certain amount of space for character beats and moments. So if Season 4 proved to be a critical turning point for the series with longer episodes, deeper mythology and the Big Bad's reveal, this is the main event, as the team prepares to do battle for the last time. And it's a wild ride.

It's fall 1987 and after Vecna/Henry Kreel (Jamie Campbell Bower) opened the rifts in Hawkins, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) finds herself being hunted by the U.S. military, who quarantine the town and set up base in the Upside Down under the directive of Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton). As Hopper (David Harbour) and Joyce (Winona Ryder) train Eleven in hiding, Will (Noah Schnapp), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Mike (Finn Wolfhard) try to stop a distraught Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) from provoking fights with the school's jocks over Eddie's memory.

Meanwhile, Steve (Joe Keery), Robin (Maya Hawke), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer) are working at local radio station WSQK, organizing "crawls" with Murray (Brett Gelman) and the rest of the team to sneak Hopper into the Upside Down and locate Vecna. But he has other plans, appearing in human form as Mike and Nancy's little sister Holly's (Nell Fisher) imaginary friend, "Mr. Whatsit."

When Henry takes Holly, it's clear this is only the first step of his master plan involving the kids of Hawkins. But help comes in the form of a still comatose Max (Sadie Sink), who's trapped alongside Holly within Henry's memories. As the pair attempt to navigate their way out of the Upside Down, Eleven readies herself for a showdown with Vecna while Will summons the strength and courage to do the same, unlocking the powers he's possessed since his November 6, 1983 vanishing breached the barrier between worlds.

It's a strong start, with the writers laying the groundwork for everything to converge as the group splits into various factions, but remains unified in achieving the primary goals of rescuing Holly and destroying Vecna for good. Of course, that's assuming he doesn't get to them first. Despite a dizzying amount of cutting back-and-forth between locations, the pacing remains perfect throughout the first few episodes, which balance huge action set pieces with smaller character building moments.

Will, who was relegated to the sidelines for the past few seasons, is again front and center, the ramifications of his first season disappearance finally being exploited as the series' inciting event, haunting him in ways that weren't fully addressed until now. It's also a relief to have the old Mike back, resuming the leadership role he used to occupy, even as Eddie's death continues to take its toll on an angry, inconsolable Dustin, whose feud with former best friend Steve leads to one of the season's better payoffs.

For Jonathan, Steve's presence is only putting a further strain on his already fractured relationship with Nancy while DJ "Rockin'" Robin finds renewed purpose with their challenge ahead. And for the overprotective Hopper, he'll have to learn to trust El and loosen the reigns a little if she's to have a chance at defeating Vecna. But chapters two ("The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler") and three ("The Turnbow Trap") is when business really starts to pick up.

The decision to recast and age up Mike and Nancy's baby sister Holly proves crucial, mainly due to Nell Fisher's breakthrough performance as the youngest Wheeler, conveying a mix of poise, fear and vulnerability when Holly's abducted after watching mom Karen (Cara Buono) get mauled by a Demogorgan.

This leads to part one's strongest stretch, while also introducing us to the season's most entertainingly hilarious addition in Holly's school bully, "Dipshit" Derek Turnbow, played by Jake Connelly. Complete with Transformers bed sheets, his G.I. Joe lunchbox and unmatched comedic timing, he kills every line like foul-mouthed, live action Eric Cartman.

The group using Vecna target Derek and his dysfunctional family as bait leads to that spectacularly funny dinner table scene where a no-nonsense Erica (Priah Ferguson) proudly drugs them all, enabling the team to use their Nightmare on Elm Street inspired booby traps. Both Derek's reaction to the unfolding chaos and his enthusiasm in going undercover to help save his classmates completes his "Delightful" transformation into our new favorite character. But like so many of this season's best laid plans, that rescue mission goes sideways, or rather Upside Down.

Held captive by Henry at the Kreel residence, Holly's journey is part A Wrinkle in Time, part Alice in Wonderland with even a dash of Little Red Riding Hood as she ventures into the forbidden woods and encounters Max. This bond forms the crux of the whole season, with Sink and Fisher emerging as its co-MVPs when their characters unite to escape, discovering horrifying details about Henry's past in the process. With Lucas continuing to keep vigil at Max's bedside in the real world, she'll realize it's him making all the difference rather than Kate Bush, who doesn't hurt either.

The somewhat controversial return of El's "sister" Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) has been predicted for a while, giving the Duffers a second chance to potentially close this creative loop, making sense of her overall purpose in the story. And they do, with Kali exposing Dr. Kay's intentions to restart Brenner's program, with El as the centerpiece.

While Hopper can't trust Kali and she rarely gives him reason to, El does, even if her sister's proposed suicide pact sets off all sorts of alarms. But it isn't until the final episode that we fully appreciate the predicament El's in. There was always a suspicion she might make the ultimate sacrifice, and now that they've gone down that road, it's obvious the strain it's puts on her relationship with Hopper, whose own history losing a daughter informs his every action and emotion.

If El is to defeat Vecna, it won't be alone, as "Will The Wise" harnesses the full extent of his telekinetic abilities, at least partially due to an emotional talk with Robin. With Will snapping Demogorgin limbs and killing them with his telekinetic powers, the spectacularly staged military base scene provides the ideal cliffhanger heading into part two. In battling the combined forces of El, Mike, and the rest of the team, Henry's biggest liability is his own tortured past.

Various plans are made, discussed and abandoned in the last four episodes, sometimes creating repetitively awkward pacing issues and jarring transitions. While Jonathan's "un-proposal" to Nancy in the melting room is a clever conceit that honestly addresses their incompatibility, it's overlong. Dustin and Steve's reconciliation hits harder, with Gaten Matarazzo's work effectively charting his character's evolution from resentful, self destructiveness to eventual acceptance upon realizing he can't bare to lose another best friend.

Dustin's explanation of how the Upside Down functions as a wormhole to the "Abyss" actually makes sense without contradicting any of the other information we've previously gotten. Once Vecna's intentions to use the 12 kidnapped children to merge worlds comes into view, his ability to capitalize on anyone's worst fears is bad news for Will, whose big secret can easily be exploited as a weakness. While it won't come as news to anyone watching that he's gay, the Duffers do manage to make his coming out feel somewhat jarring and unexpected, at least in terms of the execution. At first, it looks as if Will's preparing to tell just Joyce and maybe Mike before pouring his heart out to the entire cast of characters.

You could argue all day whether a moment like that would take place in 1987, but if it did, there's little doubt those in that room would support him without question. That's why this needs to be viewed as sort of wish fulfillment for how its creators and fans would want Will's confession to play out in the eighties. But the focus on Will's fear of being abandoned by his friends, Noah Schnapp's performance, and those reaction shots of Jonathan and Robin overcome the speech's sappier elements, preventing it from becoming a public service announcement.

Everything involving Max and Holly's attempts to evade Henry and exit the Upside Down doesn't miss, especially their trip through his past, which contains elements from The First Shadow stage play. Wisely though, the writers avoid going too far down that rabbit hole, instead using it as a jumping off point to deepen his story without alienating the uninitiated.

That all culminates in Max's movingly motivational speech to "Holly The Heroic," who must find her own way out while not feeling all that courageous. Further establishing all Fisher's done with her role and why Sink is still the show's biggest breakout, the rug gets pulled out when Max escapes and Holly again falls into Vecna's clutches, bringing him closer to his ultimate goal.

Steve's radio tower plan is no crazier than anything else we've seen in these eight episodes, but filled with numerous obstacles, twists and unforeseen complications that diminish its chances of success. With Eleven, Kali, Max and Will all infiltrating Henry's mind to varying degrees, we get the big answer as to how exactly he acquired his powers and why he fears the cave. Like Will, he was merely a vessel, with the key difference being that only one of them chose evil.

Jamie Campbell Bower's chilling turn is one of the finale's biggest strengths, as Henry wages a battle within himself and the Mind Flayer, who doesn't want him seeing how he was manipulated. But his ugly desire for control is what finally pushes him into that cave and past Will's best efforts to get through to him. Whatever remained of that young, scared boy scout was already long gone. They'll be no Vader-like redemption arc for Henry, as it should be.

An even more consequential conflict exists between Hopper, El and Kali once Vecna gives him a frightening glimpse of El's suicidal intentions to stop Dr. Kay or anyone else from continuing what Brenner started. Now Hopper will need to trust El enough to make a choice his late daughter Sara never had. And that longstanding criticism this series doesn't kill off enough characters is front of mind when Kali dies protecting El, who rejoins the team to take down Vecna and a super sized kaiju Mind Flayer.

As the only season to take place almost entirely in the Upside Down, everything in "Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up" feels bigger, including the effects, which have rarely looked as impressive than in this closing fight. Punctuated by Rambo Nancy leading the charge with some serious fire power and a pissed, ax wielding Joyce taking her frustrations out on Vecna, the finale's first hour fires on all cylinders.

Exciting and breathlessly paced, the episode reaches its initial climax when El makes her choice to stay in the Upside Down as it explodes, apparently giving her own life to ensure a better future for Hawkins and her friends. And while saying her goodbyes to an apoplectic Mike, we hear Prince's "Purple Rain," marking the song's first officially licensed use in a TV series or film, joining Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone Now" and David Bowie's "Heroes" among the season's definitive needle drops.

The 45 minute epilogue that catches up with everyone 18 months later could have been tighter, and even if you understand the temptation to give them all an extended goodbye, that rooftop scene with Nancy, Jonathan, Steve and Robin drags on forever.

This isn't to say there aren't worthwhile moments, like seeing Steve as the Hawkins High baseball coach or Mike being consoled by (Sheriff?) Hopper, who seems at peace with El's decision, unwilling to let anger engulf him again. His advice to Mike hits a touching chord, as does valedictorian Dustin's graduation speech, or at least the part where he pays tribute to Eddie with a clever callback.

If there's a reason to go hard on some of the Duffers' creative choices, it's because they delay an incredible closing scene that not only feels earned, but brings the story back to where it began and belongs. Seeing Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas and Max reconvening in the basement to complete their Dungeons & Dragons campaign as Mike envisions their futures feels perfect. Will puts his trauma behind him, college student Dustin reunites with Steve, Lucas and Max get their movie date while Mike embarks on a writing career.

In saving the biggest reveal for last, Mike spins his theory as to how El could have survived the explosion when we see her arrive at the waterfalls, presumably settling into a more peaceful, isolated existence away from her friends, but no longer fearing for their safety. Whether that's the story he tells himself to accept her death or a credible account of what actually happened, we'll never know. Like these characters, fans are free to believe whatever they want, with the writers leaving that door cracked open just a little, like the best finales do.

When the kids tearfully close their binders for the last time and put them on the shelf, they're saying goodbye to their childhoods just as these actors are. But the real kicker comes when Holly, Derek and friends come storming down the basement stairs to replace them, beginning their campaign and reminding us what the show was truly about the entire time. And with Mike proudly watching on, the realization hits that we've come full circle.

Two things can be true at once. Episodes can have flaws and you can still love the series for what it is, mainly because we've never seen anything quite like this. It felt like a huge deal going in but somehow seems even bigger when those illustrated end credits start to roll. And while no one wants to hear it, basically every season but the first falls within a similar realm of quality, including the suddenly respected fourth, which was mocked by fans when it first premiered. Given some time and distance, the dust will settle again, freeing this from the constraints of recency bias so it can age on its own merits. A worldwide phenomenon, Stranger Things is sure to enjoy a long shelf life, but also leaves behind an undeniable cultural footprint that guarantees it'll be rewatched and appreciated for years to come.

Tron: Ares

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 21:47:00 +0000

Director: Joachim Rønning
Starring: Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, Gillian Anderson, Jeff Bridges, Cameron Monaghan, Sarah Desjardins, Selene Yun
Running Time: 119 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★★ (out of ★★★★)

While many were blindsided by director Steven Lisberger's groundbreaking and eerily prescient Tron in 1982, even its biggest detractors knew he was onto something, as its following in the years since has proven. So when Tron: Legacy came around over two decades later, it became a euphoric payoff for longtime fans repeatedly told for years a sequel would never happen. But with the industry finally evolving enough to do justice to Lisberger's futuristic vision, audiences were given an opportunity to experience a 2010 incarnation of the Grid in all its blue neon, 3D glory. And the timing couldn't have been better, at least until those tired "style over substance" complaints that plagued the original resurfaced, squashing any immediate hopes for a follow-up.

Now after another excruciating wait comes Tron: Ares, with Norwegian director Joachim Rønning taking the reigns of a trilogy no one thought they'd ever see, in the franchise that refuses to die. And despite multiple delays, bad buzz and divisive reactions, it's just as spectacular as the others, ensuring its eventual enshrinement into cult status. Not exactly a sequel or reboot, it exists in this grey area in between, again managing to meet the moment with a timely plot centered around the perils and benefits of artificial intelligence. Of course, the first film foresaw this moral dilemma before anyone, knowing even then that technology's impact largely depends on how humanity chooses to use it.

It's the year 2025 and rival companies ENCOM and Dillinger Systems are embroiled in a race to bring digital constructs into reality. One such AI "being" is a program called Ares (Jared Leto), created by Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), the grandson of former ENCOM executive Ed Dillinger. An expendable super soldier, he's a Master Control Program following Julian's directives, but hampered by a fatal design flaw that limits its lifespan to 29 minutes. That's unless Julian can somehow obtain developer Kevin Flynn's (Jeff Bridges) "Permanence Code," which is in the hands of ENCOM's current CEO Eve Kim (Greta Lee), who located it on a floppy disk at Flynn's remote Alaskan station.

Ignoring his mother and ex Dillinger CEO Elisabeth's (Gillian Anderson) warnings, Julian uses Ares and digital solidier Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith) to attack ENCOM's grid and retrieve the code. After that fails, Julian sends them to target her in the real world to get it, even if this means killing her. But when Ares starts showing signs of empathy and self-awareness, he and Eve agree to work together, infuriating Julian, who escalates his tactics to obtain the code. Alternating between real and virtual worlds, the war for digital supremacy unfolds, carrying increasingly high stakes for Eve and Ares.

Picking up exactly where Joseph Kosinski's Legacy left off just wasn't feasible, especially considering how they'd have to entice the key players back after over a decade away. If anything, it's a testament to how well Sam and Quorra's arc concluded, with that unforgettable final shot leaving no where else to go, or at least not enough to justify another feature length adventure focused solely on the aftermath.

The idea that Sam would bow out of ENCOM and hand the company over to someone capable of carrying on his dad's work seems right given how things were left. And most of that information is cleverly dispensed in a slick pre-title sequence that introduces Eve, who's been acting as sole CEO following her sister Tess's (Selene Yun) death. And to the film's credit, that's not a minor detail, as so much of Eve's desire to possess this code stems from a need to fill her late sibling's shoes, and maybe just a touch of lingering jealousy.

Like his grandfather, Julian's a greedy meglomaniac, only with the volume turned up and far less competence. Even his own mom thinks he's a loser, only making him more dangerous and ambitiously eager to prove himself with this risky, unregulated program. If Ares' perceived flaw is a conscience then the Dillinger CEO's human malfunction is his complete lack of one, causing him to play fast and loose with potentially fatal tech. It's a concept that's permeated Tron's universe from day one, but takes on even greater relevance as AI outpaces society's preparedness in dealing with the potential consequences.

This all comes to a head when Julian sets his sights on the code, which Eve and colleague Seth (Arturo Flores) use in digitally transplanting an orange tree, effectively breaking the 29 minute rule. This is what Julian wants and he'll stop at nothing to get it, leading to a surreal, action packed light cycle chase through the streets where Eve's hunted by the dutifully compliant Ares and Athena. But upon realizing he's no longer interested in being considered "expendable," Ares develops a rebellious streak, instead trying his chances at freedom.

While Leto's casting was derided before a trailer even dropped, it's hard to imagine this working quite as well without him, and not just due to his involvement in actually getting the picture made. You'd assume playing a digital entity with human traits is a thin line for any actor to walk, but Leto drops subtle hints that his assassin harbors some strong feelings about what Julian's planning, taking to reality in ways his creator couldn't have counted on.

Conveying distinctly human qualities with something just a little off, Leto proves up to that task and remains equally convincing in full fledged action hero mode, whether inside or outside of the virtual world. And in an aesthetic departure, this Grid has a substantially darker, grittier feel and look that really sets it apart from its predecessors. This red-tinged hallucinatory trip is backed by Nine Inch Nails' hypnotizing electronic soundtrack, which won't supplant Daft Punk's beloved Legacy score, but provides an awesome accompaniment, representing some of Reznor and Ross's best recent work.

In a series often overlooked for its performances, Greta Lee's phenomenal as the sympathetic heroine who unexpectedly goes into badass mode to protect Flynn and her sister's legacies from a maniacal Julian, played with deranged glee by Peters. Gillian Anderson shines in a smallish role as the disgraced former CEO embarrassed by her own son while Jodie Turner-Smith is a physical presence, commanding the screen when Athena gradually emerges as the story's chief antagonist.

As the saga's connective tissue, Jeff Bridges' return as Flynn wasn't exactly a well kept secret, but he's perfectly utilized at just the right time, making a colossal statement with the clarity his character imparts on Ares. Taking place in a familiar setting that calls back to the '82 original, this sequence also marks a convergence point for the trilogy, bringing the saga full circle. And while the final battle is a volcanic cacophony of speed and sound, its very last scene is the best of surprises, addressing the elephant in the room and silencing skeptics who assumed the previous entry's events would go unacknowledged.

A visual feast for the senses, this legitimizes the cliché that certain films are intended to be seen and experienced in the biggest, most immersive environment possible. Of course, that's what Tron's always been, and a lot more, regardless of how many bothered to notice at the time You're either onboard or not, which may as well sum up the history of a franchise that never really got the respect it deserved. But if this is the send-off, it's hard to imagine a better way for the series to go out than staying ahead of the curve, still waiting for the rest us to catch up.

Jay Kelly

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 23:42:00 +0000

Director: Noah Baumbach
Starring: George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, Grace Edwards, Stacy Keach, Jim Broadbent, Patrick Wilson, Eve Hewson, Greta Gerwig, Charlie Rowe, Louis Partridge, Alba Rohrwacher, Josh Hamilton, Emily Mortimer, Thaddea Graham, Sadie Sandler, Isla Fisher
Running Time: 132 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

In Jay Kelly, George Clooney plays a charismatic, enormously successful 60-year-old movie star aging into the latter phase of his career. And while the film could write itself in terms of how closely it reflects the star's own life and public image, that irony isn't lost on Noah Baumbach, who doesn't always go for the easy laughs. Surprisingly subdued and introspective, it's more traditional than we've come to expect from a director known for his acidic, off kilter takes on relationships. This feels more like a high minded Hollywood dramedy from an earlier era, which is fitting for a protagonist who's spent his whole life in front of the camera.

If accolades and worldwide fame suggest the title character has it made, a realization suddenly hits him that this isn't the case, at least on a personal level. Surrounded by dedicated handlers, fellow celebrities and fawning fans, he lives in a manufactured reality, even as strained relationships with his two daughters become a harsh reminder of just how lonely he is. Taken on its own terms, the story's lightweight in spots and nothing extraordinary, but a talented cast and sharp writing manage to get it over the finish line. As does the inspired pairing of Clooney and Adam Sandler, with the latter again proving his range when handed material that plays to his overlooked strengths.

When beleaguered film actor Jay Kelly (Clooney) finds out his college-aged daughter Daisy (Grace Edwards) has chosen to travel through Europe with friends rather than spend time with him, he tells longtime manager Ron Sukenick (Sandler) he's agreed to accept the career tribute award in Tuscany he previously turned down. Hoping to blow off a big movie shoot and surprise Daisy overseas, a series of crises occur before he leaves, including the sudden death of former director and mentor Peter Schneider (Jim Broadbent) and an unexpected encounter with old acting school buddy Tim Galligan (Billy Crudup).

All this dredges up emotional baggage for Jay as he tries to connect with his school teacher daughter Jessica (Riley Keogh), who still resents his absence during childhood. Meanwhile, a stressed Ron unravels at the realization he's Jay's lackey, serving at the actor's beckoned call without so much as a hint of gratitude or acknowledgment. It's a harsh truth cynical publicist Liz (Laura Dern) knows well, as she attempts to convince Ron this is the job he signed up for. But with Jay growing increasingly selfish, the trip forces him to confront the fact he has no idea who he is outside this sheltered cocoon of massive fame.

Movies about the movie business and those inhabiting it tend to invoke more groans and eye rolls than just about any other sub-genre. Viewed as egotistical navel gazing by most mainstream audiences, it's hard not to cringe when hearing how miserable wealthy, privileged Hollywood types are with their lives. And while there's an element of that here, those vehemently opposed to the topic would probably stay clear anyway so it doesn't make much of a difference. Luckily, Baumbach avoids this pitfall thanks to the work of Clooney and Sandler, who share the screen for the first time in their careers to better than expected results.

At many points, Jay comes across as a big baby in need of constant coddling by an entourage who love the guy, but find him insufferably egocentric. The script really earns its stripes when exploring why, like during Jay's uncomfortable encounter with his an ex-friend who fell short of his full potential. Compellingly played by Crudup, there's more to this story than it appears, as their impromptu reunion deteriorates when a few drinks are consumed and the real truth comes out, little of which reflects well on Jay.

Cleverly conceived flashbacks provide Jay's present self a front row seat to regrets and bittersweet memories that, for better or worse, brought him to where he's now at, painting a portrait of young ambition at any cost. This device is particularly effective in depicting the rift between him and eldest daughter Jessica, who begrudgingly accepts the fact he isn't changing and her life will move on, with or without him in it. You could argue Keogh registers the film's most grounded supporting performance, aided by a realistic sub-plot that sidesteps the silliness occasionally present elsewhere.

Some of that nonsense is provided by Laura Dern's publicist character, who has a mind boggling mini-arc with Sandler's Ron that should have been left on the cutting room floor. And while inexplicably sidelining talents like Greta Gerwig, Emily Mortimer and Isla Fisher is certainly a choice, Clooney and Sandler's intentionally unbalanced dynamic helps cover for it.

Unfailingly loyal and eager to please, Ron operates under a sadly misplaced hope Jay views him as a friend. But his star client's unwillingness to compromise is the final straw for the put-upon manager, who's already in the process of losing his other client (played by Patrick Wilson). Sandler effectively conveys Ron's evolution throughout, arriving at this place of clarity he hopes his boss will eventually catch up to. For his part, Jay does clumsily try to bond with Daisy on the trip and even invites his own ornery father (a rambunctious Stacy Keach) along, whose behavior goes a long way in explaining Jay's issues.

Clooney creates an intersection where fiction and reality collide for those envisioning how things would play out if the actor himself boarded a train full of adoring fans. In that respect, the film invokes comparisons to Nic Cage's similarly meta, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, only as a character study rather than a high concept action comedy. It's especially evident in the final scene's tribute reel, which seamlessly incorporates Clooney's career into the film's narrative for a heart tugging conclusion.

The ending also sadly shows how much of Jay's life is defined by his screen persona, as a string of inciting events cause his mistakes to come back and haunt him. With this, Baumbach transforms a somewhat conventional premise about a celebrity's mid-life crisis into a modern day spin on A Christmas Carol. When confronted by ghosts of decades past, the movie star faces failures and missed opportunities, with Clooney flipping the charm on and off as only he can.

One Battle After Another

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Sun, 14 Dec 2025 19:51:00 +0000

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti, Wood Harris, Alana Haim, Paul Grimstad, Shayna McHayle, Tony Goldwyn, John Hoogenakker, Starletta DuPois, Eric Schweig, D.W. Moffett, Kevin Tighe, Jim Downey, James Raterman, Dijon Duenas
Running Time: 162 min.
Rating: R

**The Following Review Contains Plot Spoilers**

★★★★ (out of ★★★★)

With a few masterpieces already under his belt, many assumed Paul Thomas Anderson had nothing further to prove, his recent projects merely reaffirming what most of the filmmaker's hardcore fanbase always knew. And while incapable of a total misstep, we've accepted the fact he keeps carving out his own cinematic arthouse niche of sorts. That's why the notion any Anderson project could carry mainstream appeal, capture the cultural zeitgeist or take place in contemporary times always seemed absurd, even for our greatest director. It became less about whether he could do it than if he'd ever really want to. But all that doubt comes to end with One Battle After Another, an explosive departure miles removed from anything he's previously done.

A strangely accessible crowd pleaser, it opens with enough timely parallels to have us worrying what's ahead, before taking a more personal, affecting turn matched only by its darkly twisted sense of humor. Very loosely adapted from Thomas Pynchon's 1990 novel Vineland, it's also about as unfilmable as the author's similarly challenging Inherent Vice, which Anderson tackled with lukewarm results. Only now he's cracked the code, giving this enough of an overhaul that it's completely unrecognizable from the source material. What he does retain are its themes and ideas, brought to vivid life by a handful of brilliant performances from actors both new and familiar. The film doesn't sneak up on you so much as throw a live hand grenade in your lap, with scenes that should continue replaying in viewers' minds long after the experience ends.

"Ghetto" Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) are members of the far-left revolutionary group, the French 75, breaking out detained Mexican immigrants from California's Otay Mesa Detention Center. During the raid, Perfidia encounters and sexually assaults officer Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn), who enjoys this a little too much, especially once he realizes he can use her to his advantage. So when Perfidia abandons Pat and their newborn baby Charlene to dive headfirst into her activism, she's caught by Lockjaw, who cuts her a deal to rat out the rest. But she soon disappears from witness protection while Pat and Charlene go on the run.

Flash forward sixteen years and Pat and Charlene are now living off the grid in a sanctuary city under the aliases of Bob and Willa Ferguson (Chase Infiniti). With Bob now a paranoid stoner overprotective of his free-spirited teen daughter, Lockjaw has since moved up the government ranks. He's also aiming to join the exclusive, far-right white supremacist group, the Christmas Adventurers Club, so long as a disqualifying secret from his past doesn't come to light. But when a burnt out Bob realizing Willa's been targeted, he desperately tries to find her as a deadly cat-and-mouse game ensues with his former nemesis.

The story really starts cooking with gas after the time jump, though you could argue it happens earlier when a ferociously determined Perfidia first encounters slimy commanding officer Lockjaw. To an extent, they're both using each other, as she wields her sexuality as a weapon after recognizing his interest, which immediately borders on obsession. And it isn't long before he realizes the advantage he holds over her and the revolutionaries as a result.

There's a twisted, toxic psychological game playing out between Perfidia and Lockjaw that has us questioning whether they actually have feelings for each other or he's exaggerated the relationship in his delusional mind. And though we're never completely sure, these questions prove the film's far more interested in exploring the complicated motivations of its characters than inciting political debate.

Mayhem unfolds when a washed-up Bob gets the dreaded distress call that his local karate champion daughter is in danger, confirming the reality of his stoned out paranoia. And while he's prepared Willa for this moment, it's tough for the teen to take her kook of a dad seriously, especially since he's high as a kite, prone to irrational outbursts and perpetually clad in a beanie, bathrobe and oversized shades.

While frequently mislabeled a "comedy," the film does have an extended stretch that undeniably qualifies, as Bob hilariously attempts to extract intel from the resistance without the required password his brain's too fried to remember. DiCaprio's in top form here alongside an effortlessly cool Benicio del Toro as Willa's Sensei, Sergio St. James, a community leader and immigrant smuggler who facilitates a deliriously entertaining escape.

This isn't Sergio's first rodeo and it's a thrill watching how Anderson frames all the chaos around this beer-drinking zen hero who hardly breaks a sweat, remaining completely calm and controlled in the face of Bob's emotional breakdown. Of course, Bob screws everything up anyway, but that hardly matters with Sensei able to pick up the pieces, dust the ex-freedom fighter off and steer him in the right direction.

Teyana Taylor owns the first 30 minutes as the intimidating and vulnerable Perfidia, but after exiting, her past actions continue to inform the rocky father-daughter relationship between Bob and Willa. But what's more amazing is how much DiCaprio and Chase Infiniti manage to convey with their limited screen time together. In just a couple of minutes we can tell why Willa's been shielded from certain details, both for her own safety and to ease Bob's guilty conscience. They also let us look past the bickering to recognize how much they care for each other, especially in moments where you'd mistake Willa as the parent, trying to reign in her unhinged dad. She's also underestimated, which is about to change once the French 75's exhausted, but fiercely loyal Deandra (Regina Hall) takes her into hiding.

The one mistake Perfidia can't erase is the deplorable Colonel Lockjaw, played by a phenomenal Sean Penn in one of his weirdest, creepiest turns. With a goofy haircut and stilted gait, he's the walking embodiment of every self-hating loser given too much power or authority. Each mannerism, line delivery and facial tick induce shivers, as Penn plays him with a Napoleon complex so frighteningly recognizable that he's constantly walking this tightrope between cowardice and egomania.

It's only logical a covert cabal of wealthy white supremacists would view the sleazy Lockjaw as their ideal recruit, just as he'd make it his life's mission to join, tempted by the promise of being considered "superior." This leads to the unforgettable mid-film meeting in which the Christmas Adventurers' leader Virgil Throckmorton (Tony Goldwyn) reveals their newest prospect is instead a liability marked for elimination by the club's seemingly innocuous, Patagonia vest wearing hitman Tim Smith (John Hoogenakker). And Anderson presents this secret organization is terrifying in its everyday casualness, as the blaring holiday music and polite exchange of pleasantries only make their eventual discussion that much more disturbing.

Once Willa realizes that she's the loose end Lockjaw needs tied, it's flight or fight mode from here on out, with the film's sensational second half belonging to a revelatory Infiniti, who channels Willa's fear, angst and sadness into a struggle for survival. Going toe-to-toe in an intense verbal and physical showdown with Penn, Infiniti portrays her as an endless well of resourcefulness as insurmountable danger looms. It'll culminate in a Bullitt-inspired car chase unlike any sequence we've recently seen on screen, with Anderson hypnotically shooting the three vehicles over the rolling hills of California's desert highway as if we're on a dizzying rollercoaster simulator. The risk of a crash or flip keeps the stressful, elegantly edited sequence humming until the distance between cars closes and a believably executed payoff comes. And what a clever one it is, revealing the depth of Willa's ingenuity, as well as the justifiable doubts and suspicion that linger even after she survives the most traumatizing of threats.

The film's final coda is about as strong as endings come, arriving after this jaw dropping twist that sees a character finally get his comeuppance from those just as equally evil. And while Jonny Greenwood's pounding score underlines the unsettling action, Anderson also delivers a pair of unexpected needle drops so effective it that takes a beat to properly recognize songs we've heard countless times, just never in this context. But now it's impossible to ever hear them the same way again, especially one that propels Willa into the next stage of her life's journey.

Though its story centers around revolutionaries and their failed attempts to escape the past, it's the familial through line that gives this exhilarating film its heart and soul, sucking them down a wormhole of paranoia and conspiracies. It also marks the rare instance where moving a book's period setting into the modern era actually pays off, lending an immediacy to these events that could only derive from its timing. Debate will ensue where it ranks in Anderson's filmography, but you have to believe it's up there, as he pulls off a feat even his biggest supporters didn't think he had in him.

Roofman

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 20:37:00 +0000

Director: Derek Cianfrance
Starring: Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple, Peter Dinklage, Ben Mendelsohn, Uzo Aduba, Emory Cohen, Melonie Diaz, Molly Price, Lily Collias, Kennedy Moyer, Alissa Marie Pearson, Tony Revolori
Running Time: 126 min.
Rating: R

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

In Derek Cianfrance's Roofman, we get a nostalgic glimpse inside a Toys "R" Us as it existed in the early to mid 2000's, filled with aisles of DVDs, video games and stuffed animals as far as the eye can see. And it's a safe bet even younger viewers unfamiliar with the store will still be equally amazed and perplexed by this unusual setting for a film. So it only stands to reason that the idea of actually living in one for six months would fulfill the wishes of a certain generation of kids who all identified with the company's philosophy of never growing up.

Unfortunately, that doesn't work as well as an adult, especially if you're scouring the shelves for junk food, relying on a Spider-Man sleeping bag for comfort and lacking a shower or any meaningful human contact. And there's nothing like being slapped with the harsh reality that even our most beloved stores employ incompetent managers handcuffed (or zip tied) by crippling corporate policies. While it beats being homeless, a wanted fugitive can't stay in one place for long, making this extremely likable protagonist's dilemma a sort of karmic comeuppance for years' worth of irreversible mistakes.

It's 1998 and divorced U.S. Army veteran Jeffrey Manchester (Tatum) is resented by ex-wife Talana (Melonie Diaz) and struggling to provide for his three kids, seemingly hitting a dead end in life. But after extracting the wrong message from a conversation with friend and former sergeant Steve's (LaKeith Stanfield), Jeffrey utilizes his military skills to rob multiple McDonald's restaurants by breaking through the roof overnight. Unusually apologetic and polite to the morning crew of employees, he garners national media attention as the "Roofman" before eventually being caught and sentenced to 45 years.

Seamlessly escaping prison in 2004, but with a manhunt underway, Jeffrey finds refuge inside a Charlotte Toys "R" Us, disabling security cameras, ransacking shelves for candy and finding an inconspicuous spot to sleep. After noticing employee and single mom Leigh (Kirsten Dunst) having problems with inflexible store manager Mitch (Peter Dinklage), he secretly intervenes before stealing toys for her church's toy drive. Dating Leigh under the guise of New Yorker "John Zoran" he even connects with her daughters Lindsay (Lily Collias) and Dee (Kennedy Moyer). But the closer Jeffrey gets, the more likely he's caught, ending this relationship for good.

The real kicker is how Jeffrey doesn't exactly fit the profile of your typical armed robber, even when he superficially seems to. He's failed as a husband, fears he's disappointing his kids and probably has a story similar to other incarcerated individuals who took up crime as a last resort. But the key difference lies in how acutely aware he is of his shortcomings, never losing the desire to prove he's someone his family can rely on.

Even clad in black clothes and a ski mask, Jeffrey's guilty conscience betrays him by how well he treats his petrified McDonald's hostages. And when the police do catch up with him, all he can think about in prison is getting out, naively hanging on to the hope he can just return home and start over, despite his young daughter watching him get tackled and arrested on her birthday. And it's that motivation pushing him to orchestrate a prison break smooth enough for The Shawshank Redemption's Andy Dufresne to wonder where he went wrong.

Some of the most entertaining scenes involve Jeffrey's tricks to avoid detection inside the Toys "R" Us, at least for a while. He even starts to have fun, until the temptation to get involved becomes too great, unconventionally affording him a second chance built on one giant lie. But his feelings for Leigh and her kids are genuine, even as he continues to put them in danger, hoping they won't get hurt when the fallout comes.

In one of the best performances of his career, Tatum plays to his understated everyman strengths, projecting a charm and harmless sincerity that immediately puts viewers in the palm of his hand as he juggles lightweight comedy with more emotional drama. While we understand why strangers would embrace this guy without question, Tatum's biggest feat is in getting us to empathize with Jeffrey regardless of his criminal indiscretions. We dread his eventual capture not for the consequences he'll inevitably face, but all that lost potential.

Sharing an effortless chemistry with Tatum, Dunst completely gives herself over as the trusting, feisty Leigh, who's trying to recover from her own failed marriage, if only for the sake of her two daughters, the eldest of which couldn't be moodier. For Leigh, "John" is too good to be true, mostly because she's only seen what he's shown her, however real those feelings are. As Mitch, Dinklage gives one of the more eerily accurate portrayals of a prickly retail manager, right down to his sarcastic asides and passive-aggressive criticisms. It's kind of scary just how well he nails this character, who only shows his true vulnerabilities when the going gets tough.

Nearly every sub-plot works, whether it's Jeffrey's interactions at the church, his wild attempts to bond with Leigh's daughters or a side story involving hapless Toys "R" Us employee Otis' (Emory Cohen) inability to stand up for himself. If there's a head scratching character, it's Stanfield's Steve, who's constantly passing judgment on his friend, which would fine if he wasn't hypocritically running a criminal enterprise himself. Even worse, all his advice only leads to more trouble for Jeffrey and a coincidentally huge bill for help.

All of this can only end one way, with Jeffrey pulling off a final heist to earn the kind of freedom he's not sure he wants or deserves. It also brings him face-to-face with some of the messier consequences his choices cause, as Cianfrance and co-writer Kirt Gunn flip this unbelievably true story on its head to mine thematic gold. But much of that can be attributed to Tatum, who has us rooting for his affable character to somehow turn things around, as increasingly unlikely as that may seem.

Black Phone 2

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Sat, 29 Nov 2025 20:51:00 +0000

Director: Scott Derrickson
Starring: Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Ethan Hawke, Demián Bichir, Jeremy Davies, Miguel Mora, Arianna Rivas, Anna Lore, Graham Abbey, Maev Beaty, James Ransone
Running Time: 114 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

To its credit, Black Phone 2 doesn't take the easy way out, with director Scott Derrickson resisting the urge to retrace the steps of his creepy original by instead taking things in an entirely different direction. No longer working from Joe Hill's short story on which the first film was based, it utilizes the author's idea for a follow-up, creating a worthy next chapter that expands the Grabber's universe beyond what we previously assumed. Echoing themes from A Nightmare on Elm Street while incorporating a frigid, desolate setting that recalls The Shining, it leans further into the supernatural by suggesting death was just the beginning for this killer looking to finish what he started.

Most horror films avoid fleshing out a backstory for their villain since it's difficult coming up with an idea that doesn't diminish our fear of the unknown. Here, Derrickson takes a risk by actually giving evil a name and past while the surviving characters he terrorized struggle to move past their trauma. And now that he's phoning back from beyond, there's no choice but to answer, as the lines separating dreams from reality get even blurrier.

It's 1982 and four years have passed since Finney Blake (Mason Thames) killed his abductor, the masked murderer known as the Grabber (Ethan Hawke). Burying his emotional pain by constantly fighting at school, younger sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) is having nightmares about a series of brutal murders that took place at Alpine Lake Camp in 1957, where their deceased mother once worked as a counselor. Despite dad Terrence's (Jeremy Davies) objections, she obsesses over finding answers, convincing Finney and classmate Ernesto (Miguel Mora) to travel with her to the camp.

Upon arriving, a blizzard traps the three there with camp supervisor Armando (Demián Bichir), his niece Mustang (Arianna Rivas) and skeptical employees Kenneth (Graham Abbey) and Barbara (Maev Beaty) But when mysterious calls start coming from an abandoned, inoperative pay phone and Gwen's disturbing nightmares worsen, they realize the Grabber may have been responsible for the 1952 murders of those campers. Only he's back, entering Gwen's dreams to get revenge on Finney. To stop him they'll need to locate the victims' bodies, in the process uncovering frightening truths about the Grabber's past.

While the last film took place almost entirely within the confines of a darkened basement and revolved around a simple, straightforward premise, it did have an unmistakable look and feel Derrickson used to invoke a sense of oncoming dread. Here, his sequel ups the ante, and if it's become a running joke that horror killers never really die, he and co-writer C. Robert Cargill use this to their advantage, concocting a clever way to resurrect the Grabber that ties details we already know to others not yet revealed.

Taking place in a snowy, haunted camp with Overlook Hotel vibes, cinematographer Pär M. Ekberg channels a grainy, 70's aesthetic filled with trippy dreamscape sequences that feel akin to stepping into an old Super 8 movie. And it's jaw dropping shots like the old phone booth standing in the frozen tundra or a dazed Gwen being confronted by visions of the Grabber's burned and battered victims that help the film maintain a malevolent, unsettling tone throughout.

These characters also evolve in dramatically satisfying ways following the events that befell them four years earlier. McGraw's Gwen is upgraded to full fledged protagonist as she battles Finney's dead captor, who's taken a page or two from Freddy Krueger's playbook. And the pain and punishment he inflicts in her dreams very much carries over to reality, making it far safer to stay awake, even if that remains at odds with what she's hoping to accomplish.

In a heavily expanded role, McGraw gives a powerhouse performance as Gwen, while Thames effectively portrays the angry teen in a state of detached denial, burying his fear behind apathy and pot. More like his alcoholic father than he'd ever admit, he's heading down a similar path of self loathing and regret unless he pulls it together. Bechir is tremendous as the kind, strong-willed camp owner, valuable for his own connection to the Grabber and as the only adult who believes them.

Despite being the brother of a past victim, Mora's Ernesto is still little more than an appendage, his romantic sub-plot with Gwen providing a serviceable enough diversion. But the script skillfully uses Finney and Gwen's late mother Hope (Anna Lore) as a vessel to join past and present, culminating in a spectacularly filmed sequence that finds Gwen entering her mom's dreams, piecing together the Grabber's history as she comes to a shocking realization.

Derrickson settles into a more predictable rhythm when the gang attempts to vanquish the beast, but it's still a hallucinatory ride, building on the goodwill garnered in the previous installment. Though we rarely "need" sequels, it's always a relief when we get one this ambitious. Transfixing but oddly repetitive at points, it boasts a more threatening antagonist and even better atmosphere than its predecessor, reaping the rewards of taking place in an icy hell from which there's no escape.

The Smashing Machine

noreply@blogger.com (jeremythecritic) — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 19:38:00 +0000

Director: Benny Safdie
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, Oleksandr Usyk, Olga Dzyurak, Lyndsey Gavin, Satoshi Ishii, James Moontasri, Yoko Hamamura, Stephen Quadros, Whitney Moore
Running Time: 123 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

It seems odd that the biggest question going into The Smashing Machine was whether Dwayne Johnson could capably play the role of former amateur wrestler turned MMA fighter Mark Kerr. But that we still ask given the actor's history on the mat speaks to just how far removed he's been since becoming a major movie star. It's less whether he can do it than if audiences would bite after an endless string of action vehicles had us thinking he gave up being taken seriously as a dramatic actor. Johnson came out of the gate with such undeniable charisma and early promise we knew he'd eventually jump into more challenging roles in different genres. It's only when the big paydays came and his movies kept dominating the box office that he resisted straying from his familiar formula.

Now after stumbling with Black Adam and the PR mess that followed, Johnson's asking fans to accept this sudden shift that can best be called a calculated gamble. But while that and a depressing subject matter are potential reasons for why audiences stayed away, it isn't a reflection of the film's quality. Everything that can go right does, even as writer/director Benny Safdie crafts a somewhat familiar sports underdog story laced with tragedy. Unfolding with almost documentary-like truthfulness, how it's told and Johnson's performance help lift it, making for an emotionally raw character study.

It's 1999 and we see grainy, VHS fight footage of UFC competitor Mark Kerr (Johnson), being interviewed about his impressive winning streak as he heads to Japan for his next fight, accompanied by trainer, best friend and fellow competitor Mark Coleman (Ryan Bader). But it's Kerr's volatile relationship with girlfriend Dawn Staples (Emily Blunt) that causes problems, especially as he becomes increasingly dependent on drugs, injecting opioids around the clock to numb the pain and continue fighting.

Between arguing with Japanese officials about his pay and getting into locker room screaming matches with Dawn, a glassy eyed Kerr reaches the end of his rope after a devastating loss sends him home and eventually to rehab following an overdose. While he diligently commits to staying clean, rehab and recovery is a change Dawn can't deal with, especially once he begins training for his comeback under the tutelage of MMA legend Bas Rutten (playing himself). With one last shot at redemption, Kerr attempts to maintain his sobriety and career, as he and Dawn continue to lock horns, headed for a nasty collision course.

There's this moment early on when Kerr's asked by an interviewer what he'd do if he lost and his reaction speaks volumes. It's almost as if he can't wrap his head around such an idea, much less the actual possibility, despite it being a prerequisite for every great champion. Watching, you're reminded of Ronda Rousey, a fighter so driven by her hunger to win that she couldn't psychologically process the alternative. When it came, she unraveled, just as Kerr does, going into immediate denial and frantically grasping at straws to search for a loophole that might overturn his worst nightmare.

Of course, Kerr being high all the time doesn't help, transforming him into someone far different from the polite, mild mannered giant who befriends grandmas and kids in doctor's offices at the film's start. On the mat he's a maniac, but the loss marks a turning point in his personal life, causing him to direct much of that rage at a frustrated Dawn, who gives it right back. Nearly from the jump, Safdie plant the seed that she's an outsider in her boyfriend's world, always taking a back seat to his love of competition.

Accustomed to being the center of attention, Dawn tries to connect with him, only pushing his buttons instead, leaving a patient, levelheaded Coleman to act as intermediary while facing media criticism his own MMA career is winding down. Ironically, it's when Kerr gets clean that things get far worse, prompting us to realize his toxic relationship with Dawn can't exclusively be chalked up to the drugs. At times it's more a symptom than a cause since there's more than enough blame to go around for both. Only when he starts making real strides in his recovery do they drift even further apart, causing an isolated Dawn to spiral.

Buried under facial prosthetics, a bigger, more jacked than usual Johnson sort of resembles a cross between Lou Ferrigno and Kurt Angle, with a little of The Rock peeking through. Claims that he's completely unrecognizable or totally disappears aren't exactly accurate, but that's a good thing, since this portrayal wouldn't be nearly as effective without the actor's real persona enhancing it. And though his skills are stretched beyond anything we've recently seen from him, it still incorporates a showmanship and intensity similar to that he displayed between the ropes. We glimpse it in scenes where he's demolishing doors and walls, but it's actually the quieter, emotional moments where he's most impressive, breaking down like a small, helpless child as his character crumbles.

Eyes rolled when it appeared Blunt would be saddled with another suffering wife role, but Dawn has a meatier arc than that, particularly in the film's second half, mostly due to the actress and a certain level of awareness in Safdie's script. And while Kerr's pairing with her is marred by addiction and mental instability, it strays from the usual template of a abusive relationship, creating a murkier than usual dynamic. MMA fighter Ryan Bader is also excellent in his acting debut, bringing a grounded believability to pal and cornerman Mark Coleman while Bas Rutten's brief but memorable appearance is as crazy as you'd want.

The ending notably diverges from the "final fight" sports biopic trope in that there's no victory, at least in a traditional cinematic sense. What Kerr achieves is subtler, less tangible and only achievable through continued progress. The very last scene is a keeper, delightfully showing us the real Kerr out and about in the present day. But for those blaming the film's perceived failure on no one knowing who this guy is, it's best to remember all characters are strangers before the credits roll, whether we've heard of them or not. An actor's job is to fill in the blanks, which Johnson compellingly does from its opening minutes.

I'll gladly take ten Smashing Machines over the projects Johnson's recently chosen, while hoping its muted reception doesn't cause him to swear off riskier parts and head straight back to the action realm. Ideally, he should do a variety of both, which would have already gotten fans used to the idea of him tackling heavier material. But he's on the right track, even if it didn't pull viewers who flocked to Johnson's other movies. Unflinchingly honest, it rarely pulls its punches, dropping us into a grittier era to tell the story of the fighter who helped put UFC on the map.