BUGONIA (2025)

January 4, 2026

Greetings again from the darkness. We can only assume there were conspiracy theorists during the time of cavemen since alarmists have existed at every other stage of humanity. It’s intriguing to assume there is more going on ‘behind the curtain’ than what we see with our own eyes. We feel there must be a reason those other people get rich or escape the judicial system or hold onto power … while we are stuck in the role of being just everyday folks. Filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos has a track record of unconventional projects (POOR THINGS, 2023; THE FAVOURITE, 2018; THE LOBSTER, 2015), and this time, he and screenwriter Will Tracy (THE MENU, 2022) have remade the 2013 award-winning South Korean cult film, SAVE THE GREEN PLANET!, by Jang Joon-hwan … and it’s a doozy.

Teddy (Jesse Plemons) is a radicalized beekeeper whose conspiracy theories have been built through specific podcasts and online extremists. He has dragged his well-meaning cousin Don (the film debut of neurodivergent actor Aidan Delbis) so far into these beliefs that they have both chemically castrated in order to remain focused. That focus is on Michelle Fuller (two-time Oscar winner Emma Stone), a high-powered Biomedical CEO, whom the men are convinced is the Earth-based leader and mastermind of the aliens committed to destroying mankind.

Adding to this is the distinct contrast between these two factions. Teddy and Don are a grungy, unkempt duo living in a dilapidated house, while Michelle is an impeccably dressed, confident woman living and working in a pristine home and office. A less-than-smooth kidnapping occurs as the men wear jumpsuits and masks that are worth a chuckle. Once Michelle is chained to the cot in their basement, her head is shaved (for real) and antihistamine cream is spread over her body. Teddy believes she communicates with her home base through her hair, and that the cream will numb her powers against them.

This is as bonkers as it sounds, yet it’s actually very intense and leads to some elevated verbal sparring between Teddy the believer and Michelle the polished executive. Corporate greed, big pharma, and the destruction of bees are all topics of discussion, and these conversations are key to the story. See, it’s only three days to the next lunar eclipse and Teddy is convinced that’s the only window for negotiations with Michelle’s alien community.

Stavros Halkias as the local sheriff and Teddy’s former babysitter, and Alicia Silverstone as Teddy’s mother have key supporting roles. Production Designer James Price creates the contrast required for the story, and composer Jerskin Fendrix fits the mood for each scene. Whether you figure out the twist early or not, it’s still worthy of discussion on whether aliens are a bigger threat to our planet than ourselves.

WATCH THE TRAILER

2 Comments | Fantasy, Sci-Fi | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson

IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT (Iran/France, 2025)

January 3, 2026

Greetings again from the darkness. What is true human nature? Is there even such a thing? Are we preprogrammed to do the right thing, or is it our nature to hold grudges, seek revenge, and take advantage of every situation? This superb film from Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi explores the topic, and it’s important to know that he was inspired to write the story after being imprisoned for creating propaganda against the regime.

A man is driving his family on a dusty road through the darkness. His pregnant wife (Afssaneh Najmabadi) sits beside him as their young daughter dances to the blasting music in the backseat. When the man hits a stray dog, the daughter becomes upset. Her level-headed mother says, “It was only an accident” … setting the tone for what is to come. When their car breaks down a bit farther down the road, the shop’s owner, Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri) is startled by a familiar and haunting sound – the squeak of the car driver’s prosthetic leg.

Vahid is convinced that squeak belongs to Eghbal, or Peg Leg, as he referred to the prison guard who tortured him. The next day, Vahid kidnaps the man (Ebrahim Azizi) by force and drives him to the desert where he digs a hole in which to bury him. However, the man is convincing in his pleas of “you’ve got the wrong man”, and since Vahid was constantly blindfolded, he has only that haunting squeak as evidence. Rather than risk killing the wrong man, Vahid begins assembling folks who, like himself, were once tortured by Peg Leg. His friend Salar recommends Shiva (Mariam Afshari), a wedding photographer, which leads to bride-to-be Goli (Hadis Pakbaten), the groom-to-be (Madjid Panahi), and an angry and emotional Hamid (Mohamad Ali Elyasmeyr) joining in the quest to decide: mistaken identity or guilty of torture.

This journey of decision-making is bold storytelling filled with some great long takes. Director Panahi filmed this (guerilla style) in Iran, although Postproduction took place in France, which has submitted the film for Best International Feature film. Despite the intensity of the subject matter and the characters, there are surprising moments of (dark) humor … and the crazy twists are what have us questioning so much. At what price does revenge come? Can justice be served, and if so, what would it look like? The details one remembers from being tortured are likely ingrained forever. Filmmaker Panahi sticks the ending in such a way that we leave nearly as haunted as Vahid.

WATCH THE TRAILER

2 Comments | Drama, World Cinema/Foreign | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson

THE LIFE OF CHUCK (2025)

January 2, 2026

Greetings again from the darkness. Well, we can’t really call this a feel-good movie. After all, the first segment (which is really the third) deals with what appears to be the early stages of the end of the world. Plus, it’s adapted from a Stephen King novella/short story and it’s directed by Mike Flanagan, who is best known for DOCTOR SLEEP (2019) and “The Haunting of Hill House” … not exactly the genes of a happy-go-lucky film experience. Still, beyond those points, it’s a terrific film that leaves us with an inspirational and life-affirming message.

The storytelling structure is worthy of forewarning. Reverse order, or backwards … the story of Charles “Chuck” Krantz is told mostly from old age to youth, rather than the traditional chronological order. Beginning with Act III, we get a glimpse of Chuck in a hospital bed, before picking up in the classroom where teacher Marty Anderson (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is informed by his smartphone-toting students that an earthquake has caused parts of California to collapse into the sea. This catastrophe has an impact on the parent-teacher conferences Marty holds … everyone wonders what’s the point – especially once internet is lost. This segment is subtitled, “Thanks, Chuck” because billboards everywhere are thanking the unknown Chuck for 39 great years. After the parent conferences with David Dastmalchian and Harvey Guillen, Marty crosses paths with his neighbor (Matthew Lilliard) and a funeral home director (Carl Lumbly), before re-connecting with his ex-wife (Karen Gillian). Rather than face the end of the world alone, Marty chooses to be with someone who has been special in his life. We understand.

Act II, “Buskers Forever”, delivers the most memorable scene from the movie. We meet the infamous “Chuck” from the billboards. It’s Tom Hiddleston who spontaneously plops down his briefcase and begins dancing to the beats of a street drummer (The Pocket Queen). Chuck’s fantastic dance steps draw a crowd and he invites bystander Janice (Annalise Basso) to join him. It’s a beautiful sequence guaranteed to put a smile on your face – just like with Chuck and Janice, both of whom have had a bad day. Hiddleston (as Chuck) only has about 20 minutes of screen time, but it will definitely stick with you.

Although those first two acts pack a wallop, it’s Act I, “I Contain Multitudes”, that carries much of the weight. Teen Chuck is played by Jacob Tremblay (ROOM, 2015), while even younger Chuck is played by a debuting Cody Flanagan (the director’s son).  Chuck’s grandparents are played by Mia Sara (the girlfriend in FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF, 1986) and Mark Hamill, both exceptional here. Grandma Sarah teaches young Chuck to find the joy in dancing, while Grandpa Albie has the best intentions with his not-so-great life advice. We also find Chuck’s teacher (Kate Siegel, Flanagan’s wife) explaining the Walt Whitman poem, “Song of Myself”, to young Chuck – it’s the same Whitman poem Marty was teaching early in the film.

Flanagan delivers an unusual way to look back on one’s life, and seems to stress the point that the view can be quite different from how you recall certain moments. An environmental and global event forces folks to live in that moment, but the lesson here is about all the other moments in our life. The message is to avoid obsessing about what could happen in the future and focus on what (and who) matters. Nick Offerman serves as the film’s narrator, and yes, some sentimentality is involved, yet it’s never an overdose. In fact, the story is likely to leave you in a contemplative state – analyzing how you deal with your moments. Maybe a dance?

WATCH THE TRAILER

2 Comments | Drama, Sci-Fi | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson

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