A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY (2025)

September 18, 2025

Greetings again from the darkness. I’m not normally the target market for romantic philosophy-of-life movies, so it seems apropos that one I connect with is likely to be labeled maudlin or sappy by others. Being a big fan of director Kogonada’s underrated COLUMBUS (2017), I was interested to see him team up again with his AFTER YANG (2021) star Colin Farrell, in a blacklist script from writer Seth Reiss (THE MENU, 2022).

Matching Colin Farrell with Margot Robbie means that, at a minimum, beautiful movie stars will fill the screen. Beyond their stunning looks, both are extremely talented actors – Farrell has certainly honed his skill over the years, while Robbie is a modern day Grace Kelly. David and Sarah first meet each other at a wedding. The attraction is there, but this encounter ends awkwardly with each going their separate way. We learn they are quasi-miserable lonely souls who see little hope in finding a true soulmate – the message here being that nothing should be assumed until one’s own soul-searching is complete.

The world’s most bizarre Rental Car counter is staffed by two quirky characters played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag”) and Kevin Kline. A fantastical GPS system in their matching 1994 Saturns finds David and Sarah ordering the same ‘fast food cheeseburger’ at a roadside diner. This is step one in their titular journey … so named as David screams it while driving. Now traveling in the same Saturn, this GPS directs them to a series of doors – each connected to some past moment of their lives. A red door leads to a lighthouse, another to a high school musical production, one to a special museum, and yet another to hospital visits. It’s part trip down memory lane and part spiritual awakening.

What matters is that David and Sarah are sharing the journey with each other – good memories and bad. Stepping through the doors exposes bits of their life and personality that might take years for two in a relationship to discover, if ever they would. Dealing with one’s own past is a first step in moving forward, much less in accepting another to share a life with. Regrets, missed opportunities, grief, and hurdles are all part of what make us who we are. Supporting cast members include Lily Rabe, Billy Magnussen, Jodi Turner-Smith, and Sarah Gadon. Hamish Linklater nails his one crucial scene as David’s dad … surprisingly, it’s the film’s best scene. Whether it’s viewed as a search for one’s own soul or for a soulmate, the film deals with the baggage that goes with being a grown-up.

Exclusively in theaters beginning September 19, 2025

WATCH THE TRAILER

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Posted by David Ferguson

YOU GOTTA BELIEVE (2024)

August 29, 2024

Greetings again from the darkness. As a lifelong avid baseball fan, I recall the 1973 season when relief pitcher Tug McGraw (father of country performer and actor Tim McGraw) elevated the phrase “You Gotta Believe” to the rallying cry for his New York Mets team that year (they ultimately lost the World Series to the Oakland A’s). So, I’ll admit to a touch of skepticism when I saw this was a baseball movie. Director Ty Roberts and writer Lane Garrison previously collaborated on 12 MIGHTY ORPHANS (2020) and THE IRON ORCHARD (2018), and after watching this one, I’ll give them full credit for bringing very human stories of real people to the screen.

Based on the true story of the 2002 Fort Worth (Texas) Little League team that advanced all the way to the Little League World Series, this one has the bones of the always enjoyable youth ‘underdog’ story in the vein of THE MIGHTY DUCKS (1992) and HARDBALL (2001). The big difference here is that there is also some personal and family drama that’s not quite so uplifting … heartwarming, yes … but not uplifting. We first meet this team as they are finishing their winless season. Optimistic coach Bobby Ratliff (Luke Wilson) and distracted manager Jon Kelly (Greg Kinnear) both have sons on the team, but from the action we see, this team rarely practices and has a shocking lack of athleticism for a bunch of 12-year-olds.

It’s the glimpse of on-field action that makes this version of reality a bit difficult to swallow. When the league commissioner, played by Patrick Renna (from the truly classic baseball film THE SANDLOT, 1993) pleads with too-busy attorney Jon to take his team to the all-star tournament, logic tells us, it’s one and done. However, the dynamics change quickly when coach Bobby is diagnosed with melanoma and a brain tumor. The team now has something to play for, and we are to believe that with the help of Coach Mitch Belew (hard-working character actor Lew Temple, ONCE UPON A TIME … IN HOLLYWOOD, 2019), this team improves enough to win regionals and sectionals (in a montage) while qualifying for the Little League World Series.

Bobby’s two sons Robert (Michael Cash) and Peanut, and Jon’s pitching son, (the ironically named Walker (Etienne Kallici) have key supporting roles, as do Molly Parker as Jon’s wife Kathy and Sarah Gadon (COSMOPOLIS, 2012) as Bobby’s wife Patti. The team has “Bobby” embroidered on their caps as motivation, and the team’s winning ways help keep up spirits for Bobby as he goes through treatment. There is a “Rawhide” theme song sequence that adds a bit of comic relief to help offset the heaviness of cancer.

The film highlights the remarkable game the team played in Williamsport, and we get a Satchel Paige reference (or two). The downside is that by exaggerating the ineptitude of the team when we first see them, their turnaround and entire journey seem a bit hokey. Of course, no game is bigger than life, and the film ends with the expected harsh reality of the boys wearing their uniform one more time. We do get a shot of Bobby’s grown-up son reading a letter to his young son, and it concludes with clips of the actual Little League World Series – complete with players, coaches, and Bobby. Once again, a story of underdogs manages to make solid contact.

In theaters nationwide on August 30, 2024

WATCH THE TRAILER

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Posted by David Ferguson

INDIGNATION (2016)

August 4, 2016

indignation Greetings again from the darkness. Quite often, Hollywood “period pieces” feel dated and somewhat irrelevant to our world today – as if they were a snapshot from an old magazine. But the best ones transport us to a different era while also serving up themes and characters that are just as interesting and germane today as then … and that’s what we have here.

First time director James Schamus (founder of Focus Features) is an Oscar nominated producer (Brokeback Mountain) and writer (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), and he tackles the popular 2008 Philip Roth novel … one that the 83 year old novelist admits to being influenced by his own college years. Mr. Roth has been writing novels for more than 50 years and won the Pulitzer Prize for his 1997 “American Pastoral”.

Taking on the lead role of college-bound Marcus Messner is Logan Lerman … an actor who has been on screen since he was 8 years old, and seems to have the eternal youth DNA so sought after by Ponce de Leon. While his looks haven’t changed much since the “Percy Jackson” films or the excellent The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Lerman shines here as the working class Newark Jewish boy, smothered by his parents, and as naïve to the world as he is academically gifted.

It’s 1951 and too many neighborhood boys are arriving back home in pine boxes after serving in the Korean War. Marcus’ father (Danny Burstein) is a kosher butcher and is half of the hyper-cautious parental unit that is alternatively thankful and frightened that their son is avoiding serving in the military by heading off to ultra-conservative (and fictional) Winesburg College in Ohio.

Once on campus, Marcus discovers little of the hoped-for freedom. Mandatory chapel attendance, roommates assigned via religious leanings, and the expectations of joining the Jewish fraternity and hanging out with his own kind combine to be only a different kind of emotional stifling than what he had at home. A series of events serve to shake up Marcus and his beliefs. Date night with his dream girl from the library ends with him being both repulsed and enchanted by a sexually assertive Olivia (Sarah Gadon). An argument with his lughead roommates ends with his being given the worst dorm room on campus. Meeting with the College Dean (Tracy Letts) results in an exhilarating debate that will surely be treasured by all who adore wordplay and oratory sword-fighting. Finally, an emergency appendectomy brings a hospital visit from Marcus’ mother (Linda Emond), and a conversation that drastically alters the course of his life.

The conservative social mores of the 1950’s are on full display, as is the restlessness of the young who would change society forever. Fear would be replaced with daring, and the film does a terrific job of highlighting how revolution often comes at a high price. Bookended by war scenes that dramatize the fine line between civilized society and the brutality of war, it all comes together … bringing more power and poignancy to the two best scenes: as previously mentioned, Letts and Lerman go mano y mano in arguing the brilliance of Bertrand Russell, and their word battle highlights the age-old idealist vs. real world struggles; a mother-son scene towards the end is as heart-breaking as any we’re likely to see on screen this year. Mr. Letts, Ms. Emond and Ms. Gadon all work well with Logan Lerman in order to provide an excellent presentation of Roth’s novel and Schamus’ first film.

 watch the trailer:

 

 

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Posted by David Ferguson

BELLE (2013, UK)

July 12, 2014

belle Greetings again from the darkness. Always a bit partial to films based on a true story, I would have to label this as a fictionalized historical period piece, and a step above most costume dramas (though the costumes here are quite stunning). While it’s a very attractive movie to look at, I was a bit frustrated at the multi-directional approach that just skimmed many topics.

The movie could have focused on the relationship between cousins Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Lady Elizabeth Murray (Sarah Gadon). Or it could have zeroed in on the unusual complexities raised by the illegitimate mixed race Belle being raised in British Aristocracy. Still another option would have been digging into the historical impact of Zong massacre and the subsequent arguments, court trials and appeals. Instead, we get a splash of each … which leaves the viewer wanting more detail on all three.

The cast is very strong and features Tom Wilkinson as Lord Mansfield, Lord Chief Justice of the King’s Court … he raises Belle at the request of his nephew (her father). Lord Mansfield’s wife is played well by the always excellent Emily Watson.  Also featured are Miranda Richardson, Matthew Goode, Penelope Wilton (always entertaining), James Norton, Sam Reid, and Tom Felton – who creates yet another despicable character to go with his Draco from the “Harry Potter” series.

Maybe the best term for this is historical melodrama, as the courtroom decision comes across as anti-climatic, with more third act attention paid to Belle’s love interest (Mr. Reid). Very little is known of the actual Dido Elizabeth Belle, but it seems clear that her role in the Zong trial was dramatically enhanced for the purposes of the film. In fact, more drama may have played out for the film’s writing credit between the director Amma Asante and the WGA. Though the director lost the writing credit, she can be proud enough of the final product.  The two cousins are featured in the famous 1779 painting (see below) that inspired the story.

1779 painting

 

 

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Posted by David Ferguson

COSMOPOLIS (2012)

September 3, 2012

 Greetings again from the darkness. David Cronenberg is a brilliant filmmaker. Brilliance doesn’t necessarily translate into popular or even accessible. He tends to make movies that force a level of discomfort while viewing, while also stretching our intellect as we attempt to follow. Even his films that come closest to mainstream (A History of Violence, The Fly) refuse to allow us to just sit and be entertained. His more esoteric films (Naked Lunch, Crash) will cause your thoughts to swim and your gut to churn.

This latest is based on the Don DeLillo novel and there is no known group of film lovers for whom this can be recommended, save Cronenberg fans. Even that doesn’t reduce its brilliance. Robert Pattinson plays Eric Packer, the ultimate example of the 1% that is receiving such notice these days. Packer is a young, billionaire, who rides around in his mobile high tech ivory tower (you might call it a white stretch limo), taking meetings while on his mission to get a haircut. The meetings are vignettes designed to grow increasingly abstract and dialogue heavy as the film progresses.

The meetings feature Jay Baruchel as his Chief of Technology, Philip Nozuka as an Analyst, Emily Hampshire as his Chief of Finance, Samantha Morton as his Chief of Theory … oh, and a special meeting with his mistress Juliette Binoche. He also manages to continually run into his new wife played by Sarah Gadon, and work in his daily doctor’s exam which is extremely thorough. All of these occur while he is being protected by his security chief played by Kevin Durand.

 This film is not plot driven, but rather ideal and theory driven. From the discussions we can tell that the financial systems are collapsing and Packer is losing millions by the minute. His fortune is vanishing and there are threats on his life. The most interesting threat comes from his true polar opposite in life – Benno Levin played by Paul Giamatti. This sequence is the film’s longest and most dialogue heavy. Understanding every sentence is not necessary to realize it’s a comment on the faceless many vs the evil privileged. The paranoia has boiled over to the point where anarchy and violence somehow make sense.

Twilight fans will not be pleased with Pattinson’s performance, but he is absolutely perfect as Packer. His cold, arrogant nature and monotone voice are anything but emotionless. He apparently realizes his path is leading to the Village of the Damned, and he seems to have designed his own purgatory. One of the funniest, yet still odd, moments arrives in the form of Mathieu Amalric, who will generate recollections of a Rupert Murdoch incident.

Howard Shore provides an extremely subtle score that fits with the mood changes a the film progresses. Again, this is a bit like watching a philosophical laboratory experiment and certainly won’t appeal to a wide audience. If you are a Cronenberg fan, have at it. If not … the risk is yours.

SEE THIS MOVIE IF: you are a big time Cronenberg fan (I can’t think of another reason)

SKIP THIS MOVIE IF: you are a Twilight fan expecting Robert Pattinson’s bedroom eyes to steal your heart

watch the trailer:

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Posted by David Ferguson