Greetings again from the darkness. You don’t have to be a baseball fan to enjoy this one. You don’t need to be an old man either. Since I am both, you can only imagine the appreciation I have for writer-director Carson Lund and his co-writers Michael Basta and Nate Fisher as they deliver a nostalgic and humorous look at how men deal with glory days of old and a rapidly changing landscape that looks to erase the past and their memories.
Two adult recreational league men’s teams gather for a final game on the baseball field where they’ve played their entire lives. The land is being developed for a new school, so the River Dogs and Adler’s Paint square off to scratch that itch one last time – safe/out arguments, aching bodies, rounding the bases, and the form of male camaraderie that only exists when keeping score is involved. In fact, this game has an official scorekeeper in old-timer Franny, who takes the game even more seriously than many of the players.
The field and the game take place in New England, but the location could be anywhere, U.S.A. These are friends and acquaintances, some connected only through baseball, while others are lifelong buddies, co-workers, and relatives. As throwbacks to a different era, this game, which goes extra innings, includes a lost ball in the woods, car headlights to illuminate the field, a delay due to a trash truck, and a shortage of pitchers.
For those who don’t know, an “eephus” pitch is an extremely slow, arcing junk pitch designed to contrast with fastballs and catch the hitter off-guard. Probably the most famous was Rip Sewell’s eephus pitch to Ted Williams in an all-star game, and the pitch has been used more recently by Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. However, the pitcher most associated with the pitch is Bill “Spaceman” Lee, who pitched for the Red Sox for many years. Known for his quirky personality, the pitch was a natural part of his arsenal. That same Bill Lee, now 78 years old, makes an appearance in this film, and even pitches an inning … showing off the titular pitch.
Lee also gets to rattle off a couple of his most famous phrases: “Strikeouts are fascist” and “The sun don’t shine on the same dog’s ___ every day”. And as quickly as he appeared, Lee is then nowhere to be found. The post-game handshakes have a bit more emotion than a typical game, and the players even take in some fireworks before heading back to real life. A nod to Lou Gehrig’s famous farewell is included, and the film ends with Tom Waits singing “Ol’ 55”. Appreciation is the best word I can come up with for Carson Lund and these teams of actors who portray the fun and pain that goes along with a final game.
The film is currently streaming and available VOD
Posted by David Ferguson 
Greetings again from the darkness. Dysfunctional families are frequently at the center of movies – often used for comedic effect. But this latest family drama from writer-director Joachim Trier (THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD, 2021) is something different. It’s something much more powerful. Trier delivers a film of characters struggling with the real effects of the tangled web of emotions that occur when family dynamics take the inevitable twists and turns.
Greetings again from the darkness. Longtime movie lovers usually cringe with announcements regarding movie remakes. Of course, some work out pretty well: A STAR IS BORN (2018), THE THING (1982), TRUE GRIT (2010); while others deserve backlash: PSYCHO (1998), ROLLERBALL (2002), THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (2003). When the news hit that writer-director Tom Gormican (THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT, 2022) was going to remake ANACONDA (1997), it wasn’t so much a cringe reaction as it was a giant question mark … Why remake a movie that on its best day could only be labeled a fringe cult favorite? Once the leads of Jack Black (after Nic Cage dropped out) and Paul Rudd were announced, it made much more sense. This was to be a comedic take on an original film that featured quite a few accidental comedy elements.
Greetings again from the darkness. We give thanks to the movie Gods for filmmakers like Josh Safdie, as there is zero chance that he will ever make a movie that bores us. This is his first solo movie in many years after frequent collaborations with his brother, Benny (UNCUT GEMS, 2019; GOOD TIME, 2017). But fear not, because working alongside the writer-director are other frequent collaborators: screenwriter Ronald Bronstein, cinematographer Darius Khondji, composer Daniel Lopatin, and costume designer Miyako Bellizzi.
Greetings again from the darkness. ‘Do what you love’ and ‘Pursue your passion.’ That’s the traditional advice we give youngsters, so they won’t grow up to live a mundane life filled with regrets. Perhaps there is no better example of living your dream than the real-life love story of Mike Sardina and Claire Stengl-Sardina. These two Milwaukee residents not only found a path to sing on stage, they also found true love with each other.
Greetings again from the darkness. Horror films are a dime a dozen (meaning there is no shortage from the genre), so it’s a revelation when a filmmaker has a legitimate feel for psychological horror – the kind that creeps us out and (likely) causes a nightmare or two. Such is the case for writer-director Paul Bickel. The scariest place on Earth is between our ears, and Bickel attacks the space by keeping us guessing as we attempt to solve the mysterious events occurring on screen.
Greetings again from the darkness. The next entry in the HBO Music Box documentary series comes from director Amy Scott and provides a textbook example of what can happen when a band hits it big ‘overnight’. It’s not always pretty, and sometimes it’s downright uncomfortable. Counting Crows’ popularity exploded with the release of their 1993 debut album, “August and Everything After”. The hit single, “Mr Jones” was all over the radio, only to be followed by an even better song, “Round Here”. The band and their music were ubiquitous.
Greetings again from the darkness. Director Paul Feig hit it big with the outrageous comedy BRIDESMAIDS in 2011, and then he got a lot more interesting as a filmmaker by directing screen adaptations of Darcey Bell novels that were so popular with Book Clubs – A SIMPLE FAVOR (2018) and ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR (2025). There’s no need to mess with a good thing, right? This time he’s directing another Book Club favorite, Frieda McFadden’s 2022 novel. Adapted for the screen by Rebecca Sonnenshine, the movie subjects three gorgeous actors to some off-the-chart twisted and devious turns.
Greetings again from the darkness. The phrase ‘Third time’s the charm’ loses impact when the first two times were also charmed. Such is the case for writer-director Rian Johnson and his ‘Knives Out’ trilogy (so far). The filmmaker has really tapped into the joy of whodunits for those of us who are big fans of the genre. This third one has a darker tone and feel than the first two, but many of the elements remain in place – including a stellar ensemble of well-known actors, some whom only appear briefly.
Greetings again from the darkness. Raise your hand if you were once a kid. Well then, you likely had some experience with a monster under the bed or in the closet. You may have even had an imaginary friend. It no longer matters how your parents handled scary bedtime for you during childhood, but writer-director Bryan Fuller offers a fantastical tale on what could happen if you don’t believe your kids! Mr. Fuller is best known as the creator of the terrific (and dark) TV series “Hannibal”, and he once again collaborates with Mads Mikkelsen, the titular star of that show.
Movie Reviews from the Dark 