Greetings again from the darkness. Claressa Shields’ story is inspirational, and yet it’s so much more than that. She’s an extraordinary person with a remarkable story. She doesn’t just inspire young girls to pursue sports, she motivates us all to pursue our dreams with passion and tenacity. It’s only fitting that the first feature film directed by renowned cinematographer Rachel Morrison centers on a barrier-breaking woman. Ms. Morrison was the first woman to receive a Best Cinematography Oscar nomination for her work on MUDBOUND (2017). The screenplay was written by Oscar winner Barry Jenkins (MOONLIGHT, 2016), and he’s also a producer on the film.
We first see young Claressa as she’s running through her downtrodden hometown of Flint, Michigan to reach the boxing gym … the same gym where volunteer trainer Jason Crutchfield (a terrific Brian Tyree Henry, BULLET TRAIN, 2022) tells her he doesn’t train girls, and later admits, he’s “never thought about girls boxing.” Of course, Jason not only ends up working with Claressa, he also becomes a full-bore role model as her trainer/coach/mentor. Young versions of Claressa are played by Jazmin Headley and Kylee D Allen, and it’s Ryan Destiny (musician-actress-model) who we come to follow as Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, so nicknamed due to her short arms. Destiny is outstanding in the role.
Being a young girl wanting to learn boxing is not Claressa’s only challenge. She grows up very poor, often scraping for food. Her mother doesn’t seem particularly interested in being a mother, and ends up kicking the strong-willed girl out of the house. We learn Claressa even experienced sexual abuse as a child. The film doesn’t glorify or skip over the hard parts of her life, focusing instead on how she remained committed to her dream as she overcame hurdles. This Claressa defines “grit”, an often-overused description.
Jason and his wife invite Claressa into their home, and her training goes next level. We do get the mandatory training montage (thanks, Rocky!), and we see her advance through the stages of matches until, at age 16, she qualifies for the 2012 Olympics in London. By this time, her dad is out of prison and her little sister is pregnant, yet none of that, or even the odd Olympic coaching regulations, can stop her mission. As interesting and fascinating as this quest for a gold medal has been, it’s what Morrison and Jenkins (and Claressa) do after London that is most impressive.
The all-too-familiar struggle of female athletes to secure endorsements becomes a nightmare for Claressa. The emphasis on aesthetics overrides excellence in athletics. She’s told that sponsors are looking for marketability – what a woman looks like out of the ring is every bit as important. The frustration of not being able to cash in motivates Claressa to fight for women’s Olympic equality, a worthy and successful cause. Oh, and yes, she continues training and the closing credits show clips of her at the 2016 Olympics, winning her second gold medal. As I stated, she’s more than an inspiration.
Opens in theaters on December 25, 2024
Posted by David Ferguson 
Greetings again from the darkness. I’ve said it many times, and it still holds true, Oscar winner Pedro Almodovar is the most accomplished male filmmaker when it comes to creating interesting female characters and spinning female-centric stories. Almodovar’s first English-language feature-length film is one he’s adapted from the 2020 novel, “What Are You Going Through”, by Sigrid Nunez. It features two Oscar winners, Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton, both extraordinarily talented.
Greetings again from the darkness. Too many view WWII as just another page in history books, when in fact, so much changed around the globe because of that war. Almost 80 years later, the war continues to provide stories for filmmakers, and when it comes to storytelling, few do it better than this latest from writer-director (actor-turned-filmmaker) Brady Corbet and his co-writer (and romantic partner) Mona Fastvold. The two had previously collaborated on THE CHILDHOOD OF A LEADER (2015) and VOX LUX (2018).
Greetings again from the darkness. Ever since Bruce Willis’ John McClane ‘Yippee-Ki-Yayed’ his way into saving Christmas in 1988, many filmmakers have tried to latch onto the action-filled Christmas crime drama sub-genre. Of course, none have reached the level of that Nakatomi Plaza classic, and often the biggest miss is in the form of the villain. Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber is often cited among the all-time best movie villains, and deservedly so. This latest film we welcome to the party comes from director Jaume Collet-Sera (JUNGLE CRUISE, 2021, ORPHAN, 2009) and co-writers TJ Fixman (Ratchet & Crank video game creator) and Michael Green (LOGAN, 2018).
Greetings again from the darkness. We are probably fortunate that there are people who research, investigate, and write about the reprehensible world of white supremacists. While most of us would prefer to imagine that such folks don’t exist, or at least have little impact, the 1989 book “The Silent Brotherhood” by Gary Gerhardt and Kevin Flynn detail why ignoring is not a feasible option. Zach Baylin (KING RICHARD, 2021) has now adapted the book into a screenplay directed by Aussie Justin Kurzel (THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG, 2019, and the excellent NITRAM, 2021). The book and the film are based on the facts of the case that is now 40 years old, yet still relevant today.
Greetings again from the darkness. Some filmmakers have earned the benefit of the doubt to the point where each film they release is worthy of consideration. Luca Guadagnino is one such filmmaker. He first captured my attention with I AM LOVE (2009) and has since followed that with such interesting films as A BIGGER SPLASH (2015), CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (2017), SUSPIRIA (2018), BONES AND ALL (2022), and CHALLENGERS, his first film released in 2024. This time he and his CHALLENGERS screenwriter, Justin Kuritzkes, take on the 1985 William S Burroughs novella, “Queer”, which was linked to his 1953 novel, “Junkie”. Taking on the writing of William S Burroughs is challenging enough as a reader, much less as a filmmaker.
Greetings again from the darkness. J.D. Salinger once wrote, “Mothers are all slightly insane.” Rachel Yoder’s critically acclaimed 2021 novel has been adapted for the big screen by writer-director Marielle Heller, and it seems to confirm the Salinger theory. Ms. Heller has previously directed A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD (2019), CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? (2018), THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL (2015). She excels in projects that focus on human nature.
Greetings again from the darkness. Cats tend to be solitary creatures. And by ‘tend’ I mean about 99% of the time. In this superb animated fable from writer-director Gints Zilbalodis (AWAY, 2019) and co-writer Matiss Kaza, our protagonist is a cat who learns (and teaches us) that a community working together is more powerful than any single being working alone.
Greetings again from the darkness. Every movie review provides the opportunity to walk the line between telling enough, but not too much. Some movies pose more of a challenge than others, and this is one. Director Steffan Haars (the ‘New Kids’ movies) and writer-actor Nick Frost team up to deliver a devilish and campy folk horror-slasher-comedy that brings a bit of innovation to genre that could use a boost.
Greetings again from the darkness. I’ll give you the set-up and you tell me how it ends. A workaholic real estate developer drives his yellow Porsche from Chicago to a middle-of-nowhere Ohio farm after his sister and brother-in-law die in a car crash. He’s there to sign paperwork for a foster family to take the four brothers left behind. However, there’s a glitch, and the stressed-out uncle is forced to extend his time with the four boys. Since, we can all guess how this story ends, the determining factor on whether it’s worth watching is what happens in-between.
