THE TROUBLE WITH JESSICA (2025)

April 24, 2025

Greetings again from the darkness. For most of us, the worst thing that happens at a dinner party is the pork loin is a bit dry or the wine selection is a bit lacking. Among the worst occurrences are the friction and hurt feelings caused by a joke-gone-wrong, or God forbid, someone brings up politics. It’s just such a dinner party that kicks off this film from writer-director Matt Winn and his co-writer and frequent collaborator, James Handel.

Husband and wife Richard (Rufus Sewell) and Beth (Olivia Williams) arrive at the lovely London home of Sarah (the always fabulous Shirley Henderson) and Tom (Alan Tudyk). Hitching a ride is uninvited mutual ‘friend’ Jessica (Indira Varma), whose recent book has just hit the bestseller list. Jessica is one who sometimes over-imbibes and is a notorious flirt, rarely taking much precaution in either activity.

Two things happen that drastically impact the evening’s proceedings … and neither has to do with the Clafoutis dish Tom prepared (and takes enormous pride in). The friends are stunned when they learn Sarah and Tom must sell the house quickly or face financial ruin – something unthinkable to those who have lived this life. Secondly, and infinitely more shocking, is the realization that Jessica has committed suicide in the garden. On top of those biggies, secrets are later revealed that feel like a gut punch after the crisis.

With the home sale pending, Tom and Sarah believe a dead body will turn off the buyer, resulting in the bankruptcy they so fear. Their plan is to convince long-time friends Richard and Beth to go along with a scheme that will prevent further disaster. Arguing, debating, and ‘what about’ discussions, some quite animated, take center stage with the group. The drama is elevated by a nosy neighbor (Anne Reid) and an unexpected visit from the potential buyer (a terrific Sylvester Groth who played Goebbels in INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, 2009).

Winn cleverly uses chapter subtitles, each beginning with “The Trouble with …”, to reinforce the live theater feel of the story. Some of the chapters work better than others, but it’s the veteran and talented cast that diligently pull off the dark humor at a time no one should be laughing. Shirley Henderson especially shines as she spews her lines with that unique and distinctive voice of hers.

The soft jazz score, credited to director Matt Winn and Matt Cooper, provides a nice touch, and mostly we just look at these folks and wonder how far they will go to keep themselves out of trouble. If not for the comedic touches, it would be quite disturbing … well, even with the comedy, it’s quite disturbing. However, a new twist on the dinner table setting is welcome, and despite everything, the film maintains a level of entertainment.

Opens in theaters on April 25, 2025

WATCH THE TRAILER

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE AERONAUTS (2019)

December 6, 2019

 Greetings again from the darkness. ‘Up, up, and away, in my beautiful balloon.’ That song says nothing about a lack of oxygen (hypoxemia), a malfunctioning valve, or frost bite … all of which come into play in this story inspired by real life events of 1862 in London. Tom Harper directed the excellent WILD ROSE earlier this year, and for this one, he and his co-writer Jack Thorne (WONDER, 2017) base the story on both the real life record-breaking flight of scientist James Glaisher and balloon pilot Henry Coxwell, and Richard Holmes’ book “Falling Upwards: How We Took to the Air.’

Reuniting from THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING (2014) where they played Stephen Hawking and wife Jane, are Eddie Redmayne (as scientist-with-a-chip James Glaisher) and Felicity Jones (as fictional balloon pilot Amelia Wren/Rennes … yes, naming your female pilot Amelia is so very creative). Courageous real life balloon pilot Henry Coxwell gets nary a mention here, as new world cinema must require a female lead or co-lead for every filmmaker not named Martin Scorsese. So, to heck with history, Amelia Wren is now the hero of this adventure!

As it turns out, Ms. Jones’ character is the more interesting of the two. Amelia’s initial showmanship catches nerdy Glaisher off-guard, though in fact, both are over-compensating. He, for his inferiority complex and the ridicule he endures from his fellow brainiacs at the Royal Society of London, and she for the tragic loss of her beloved husband in a balloon mishap. The mismatched pair are on a mission to fly higher than any human has previously flown, and in the process, allow Glaisher to record all the atmospheric readings possible in order to prove to the skeptics that meteorology is legitimate, and the weather can be predicted (although almost 160 years later, most weather reporters still haven’t quite gotten the hang of it).

It’s a tricky thing filming two characters who spend most of the movie floating tens of thousands of feet above ground in a wicker basket. The banter between the two should be crisp and the connection or disconnect should add intrigue. Here, the two characters are dwarfed by the giant balloon and the challenges that brings. What begins as an adventure morphs into a tale of survival. Storms, frostbite and technical issues provide the conflict. We do have flashbacks to background on both Amelia and Glaisher. Himesh Patel (star of this year’s YESTERDAY) plays Glaisher’s best friend, while Tom Courtenay and Anne Reid are Glaisher’s parents. Vincent Perez appears as Amelia’s husband Pierre.

I was fortunate enough to see this in a theatre and the big screen allows for the balloon effects to have full impact. There is no doubt that streaming this on your TV will not be as impressive … although anyone suffering from acrophobia will likely still experience some discomfort. The scenes in the balloon are thrilling, and Amelia’s rescue mission up the ropes is stunning and beautifully filmed by cinematographer George Steel; however, the flashback scenes are quick to deflate the excitement. The upside here is that the English really did break the French record on the flight … even if the filmmaker had to bend history so Amelia could get credit.

watch the trailer:

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Posted by David Ferguson

KALEIDOSCOPE (2017)

December 7, 2017

 Greetings again from the darkness. Why is it that estranged mothers always seem to show up when we are frantically trying to clean up all evidence of a murder that took place in our apartment? OK, maybe that’s not really a common occurrence, but it’s certainly at the heart of this Hitchcockian psychological mind-bender from writer/director Rupert Jones. His brother, the very talented and always interesting Toby Jones, stars as the quiet ex-con attempting to get his life on track.

A pre-credit opening scene has Carl (Toby Jones) borrowing an uncharacteristically flashy (and quite hideous) shirt from a helpful neighbor for his date which was arranged online. After passing out on the sofa, Carl discovers his date Abby (Sinead Matthews) dead in the bathroom and flashes back to a brief moment of violence. Both Carl and we viewers are disoriented – a sensation that sticks with us until the end credits roll.

An ominous voicemail leads to a visit from Carl’s mother, played by Anne Reid. What follows are Mommy issues galore (on par with PSYCHO in this department). Mother and son have irreconcilable differences over something in the past, but she clearly understands his ‘tendencies’ better than he does – especially those related to women, alcohol and violence.

Director Jones has a very interesting visual style, as well as a unique approach to story-telling. He expects commitment and attention from viewers, and rewards those who play along. Despite the claustrophobic feel of Carl’s apartment, there are some creative camera angles to go with the imposing nighttime shots of the building’s exterior.

The three main actors are all excellent. Ms. Reid is a screen veteran who has spent most of her career on British projects, and she excels as the slightly creepy, domineering figure in Carl’s life. While the dialogue is minimal, Mr. Jones and Ms. Matthews, as Carl and Abby, have one exchange that really stands out.

Abby: “You’re a sneaky snake”

Carl: “What do you think that makes you?”

Abby: “Nasty”

It’s such a raw moment, and a turning point (along with the voicemail) in their evening. Much of our effort goes into slowly assembling the pieces and clues that are doled out along the way, and it takes a sharp eye to catch some of them … while we are challenged by others to determine if they are dreams, or actual memories. A kaleidoscope changes color, shape and perception as it’s twisted – just like this movie. It’s a fun ride if you enjoy the twists and turns of determining which parts of a nightmare are reality and which parts are something else.

watch the trailer:

 

 

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Posted by David Ferguson