SHE RIDES SHOTGUN (2025)

August 1, 2025

Greetings again from the darkness. “A gritty thriller” is a frequently used description that, when heard or read, typically elicits red flags from this movie watcher. However, exceptions to the rule are welcome and writer-director Nick Rowland (CALM WITH HORSES, 2019) has delivered just that with this adaptation of Jordan Hopper’s 2017 novel. The screenplay is co-written by SUPER DARK TIMES (2017) collaborators Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski.

Eleven-year-old Polly (a remarkable Ana Sophia Heger, “Life in Pieces”) is lounging in the park, waiting for her beloved mother to pick her up after school. The minutes roll by until the final teacher departs, leaving Polly with no way home. Polly’s observant and intense blue eyes follow a speeding car as it pulls up near her. She recognizes the father she hasn’t seen over the years he’s been in prison. He exerts pressure on her to get in the car, despite her reticence. Nathan (Taron Egerton, ROCKETMAN, 2019) has a buzzed head, a chiseled physique, and a tatted-up body. His appearance is unquestionably frightening to the young girl.

Polly notes the car is stolen and that Nathan is wearing her stepdad’s hoodie. When they check into a motel, we all assume she’s been kidnapped. As dad naps, Polly sees a TV news report depicting the murder of her mother, her own kidnapping, and the key suspect … dear old dad. There is plenty of familiar territory covered as the two go on the lam, trying to avoid the police and ‘Steel’, the Aryan faction that is seeking revenge on Nathan’s disloyal actions in prison. A “Green Light” (hit) has been issued for Nathan and his family, including Polly. It turns out Nathan is actually trying his best to protect her.

Cinematographer Wyatt Garfield (A DIFFERENT MAN, 2024) works wonders with the New Mexico landscape, as well as the intimate scenes that follow. We feel the tension and danger thanks to the camera work and the developing bond between Nathan and Polly. There’s the mandatory car chase scene and at least three shootouts, the last of which is quite impressive. We also get good cop versus bad cop. Crusading detective John Park (Rob Yang, THE MENU, 2022) wants nothing more than to shut down the local meth lab known as Slab Town, while corrupt and menacing Sheriff Houser (FARGO’s John Carroll Lynch playing against type) relishes his opportunities to torture and wield power.

Despite the familiar territory covered … and the similarity in style to the outstanding Taylor Sheridan film, HELL OR HIGH WATER (2016), there is plenty here to keep our attention and justify the ‘gritty thriller’ description. Redemption is often beyond reach for some, but the effort means a great deal.

Opens August 1, 2025

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Posted by David Ferguson

CARRY-ON (2024)

December 13, 2024

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).

The opening scene finds a mysterious man in a cap destroying a Christmas tree farm, violently taking out the two present workers. We then join Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton, ROCKETMAN, 2019) and his girlfriend Nora (Sofia Carson, PURPLE HEARTS, 2022) as they celebrate a positive pregnancy test. They both head to work at LAX. She’s employed by an airline, and he’s a TSA Agent. We quickly learn Ethan’s supervisor (Dean Norris) recognizes him as coasting through his job, and subsequently shoots down Ethan’s request for a promotion.

Holiday travel is in full swing, and as Ethan goes about his work, he’s soon being blackmailed and threatened by a direct-speaking, calm-demeanored ‘traveler’ (Jason Bateman, “Ozark”). “One bag for one life.” The direction from the terrorist to Ethan is to just “do nothing” as a particular carry-on bag runs through his security line. The penalty for not following the traveler’s instructions is the death of Nora and the unborn child. There is a fascinating sequence where Ethan’s actions are juxtaposed with the work of Detective Cole (Danielle Deadwyler, excellent in this year’s THE PIANO LESSON). This is followed by one of the more creative and intense on-screen car crashes we’ve seen. It provides quite a visual jolt.

Ethan’s backstory is slowly uncovered here, as is the all-too-real threat of the terrorist and that suitcase. Supporting work is provided by familiar faces Theo Rossi and Logan Marshall-Green, and despite plenty of ‘that could never happen moments’, the film carries enough twists, turns, action, and suspense to keep us engaged. It’s a shame that the climax feels so rushed, yet any film that opens with Bruce Springsteen’s “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and closes with Darlene Love’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” deserves a chance. Just stay away from Contraband Bingo with TSA agents.

Premiering on Netflix December 13, 2024

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Posted by David Ferguson

TETRIS (2023)

March 31, 2023

Greetings again from the darkness. Were you one of those? Did you spend hours strategically placing ‘tetrominoes’ on the Gameboy screen for maximum points? Were you addicted to Tetris, one of the earliest globally popular video games? As one of the few people alive today who has never once played Tetris, I was still interested enough in its origin story to watch and review the film from director Jon S Baird (STAN & OLLIE 2018, and FILTH 2013) and screenwriter Noah Pink (creator of the “Genius” TV series).

Taron Egerton (ROCKETMAN 2019, EDDIE THE EAGLE 2015, the KINGSMEN movies) stars as Henk Rogers, who, when we first see him, is pushing the floundering video game he designed himself. It’s at a 1988 conference where he stumbles on an early version of Tetris, and the rest of the movie involves Henk trying to outmaneuver Russians, hucksters, and corrupt businesspeople – each more powerful than him – for the territorial rights to market Tetris, a surefire hit in the early days of video games.

At times, the story plays like a spy thriller, but mostly it’s a story of Communism vs Capitalism, with greed playing a significant role with all involved. One wouldn’t expect foreign intrigue and geopolitical business strategy to facilitate video game distribution, yet in fact, those elements are front and center. Henk’s’ journey finds him crossing paths with Robert Stein (Toby Jones), an international video game agent; renowned publisher and politician Robert Maxwell (an unrecognizable, except for that distinctive voice, Roger Allam) and his arrogant wannabe-power broker son, Kevin (Anthony Boyle); Hiroshi Yamauchi (Togo Igawa), the head of Nintendo; and most importantly (and stressfully), the Russians. If you don’t recognize the name Robert Maxwell, you surely know the story of his daughter, Ghislaine.

Alexey Pajitnov (played by Nikita Efremov) is the Russian computer programmer who initially developed Tetris, and of course, he is the one in danger when the game becomes embroiled in a tug-of-war between Russia and Westerners. Belikov (Oleg Stefan) negotiates on behalf of the Russian government, while Tracy (newcomer Mara Huff) acts as Henk’s translator. But, of course, in Russia, not everything is as it seems, so Henk and the Maxwells and Stein all act in ways not acceptable to Russian protocol. It’s Henk who has literally bet his house on Tetris, but Maxwell’s highly publicized shady business dealings are a factor as well.

At times, the film has a cartoonish feel to it … some of that by (8-bit) design, and some of it just in how the story is presented. Those involved have admitted they were following in the footsteps of THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010), a superior film. Ego and greed are always a bit uncomfortable to watch play out, but we do learn that the name Tetris was formed by blending ‘tetra’ (four) with ‘tennis.’

AppleTV+ on March 31, 2023

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Posted by David Ferguson

SING 2 (2021, animation)

December 21, 2021

Greetings again from the darkness. When an animated movie for kids banks over $600 million at the box office, we wouldn’t expect 5 years to pass before the sequel appears. But that’s exactly what has occurred with writer-director Garth Jennings’ follow-up to his hugely popular 2016 original featuring a troupe of anthropomorphic animals singing and dancing. This franchise doesn’t belong to Pixar or Disney, but rather Illumination, the studio behind the DESPICABLE ME films.

As one would expect, the sequel includes a return of the favorite characters (and voices), including koala Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey), mama pig Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), rockin’ porcupine Ash (Scarlett Johansson), shy elephant Meena (Tori Kelly), and sensitive gorilla Johnny (Taron Egerton). The stakes are higher for our warbling friends this time. The film opens with our furry friends performing an “Alice in Wonderland” production that features the Prince song, “Let’s Go Crazy”. Additionally, our retinas are scorched with every color known to mankind, reminding us of the land Oz … fitting because song #2 is Elton John’s “Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road”. The latter works because Buster has just been informed by talent scout Suki (Chelsea Peretti) that his team is ‘cute’, but “not good enough”. See, Buster’s dream is to introduce the act on a global scale.

Most of the rest of the movie involves: Buster dodging threats from evil tycoon Mr. Crystal (Bobby Cannavale). Crystal is a wolf (of course) and is a powerful presence in a Las Vegas-style city built for entertainment. The other key element here is Buster’s promise to Crystal to deliver Clay Callaway (U2’s Bono) to the new production. Callaway, a lion, has been a reclusive rock star ever since a personal tragedy robbed him of his desire to participate in society. The bonding between Ash and Callaway is probably the best part of the story, and this occurs after Ash (Ms. Johansson) makes her point about equal pay (imitating real life) just after jamming to a Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs’ song.

In a move that makes little sense, Mr. Jennings has crafted a more complex story than what we saw in the first movie. This one will be difficult for many kids to follow, and involves the power and ego of Crystal, as well as nepotism with his entitled daughter (voiced beautifully by Halsey). But why complicate something that doesn’t need to be more complicated?  Most kids just want to watch the animals on stage, singing and dancing and doing goofy things. The sci-fi stage production “Out of this World” finds Meena teamed with a preening partner voiced by Eric Andre, while she dreams of connecting with the ice cream elephant voiced by Pharell Williams. Ash and Callaway are at the climax of the show with a version of Bono’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”. Also included are many familiar tunes by such artists as Taylor Swift, Shawn Mendes, Billie Eilish, and The Weeknd. Many life lessons are served up here, including the importance of following your dream, but at one hour and fifty-two minutes, it’s easily 20 to 25 minutes longer than most kids will likely sit. While we can admire Mr. Jennings’ desire to deliver a sequel with value, we do question the wisdom in revising the template.

Opens in theaters on December 22, 2021

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Posted by David Ferguson

ROCKETMAN (2019)

May 30, 2019

 Greetings again from the darkness. It’s billed as a musical fantasy. If you are familiar with Elton John’s discography and history, you’ll want to keep that in mind as the film unfolds. The reward is a colorful spectacle worthy of one of pop music’s most successful songwriters and greatest showmen. Director Dexter Fletcher (EDDIE THE EAGLE, 2015) and writer Lee Hall (BILLY ELLIOT, 2000) make frequent use of Elton’s music within the fabric of the storytelling. It’s no traditional biopic, nor should it be, given the wild ride of the man whose story is being told.

Taron Egerton tears into playing Elton John like it’s the role of a lifetime. And he succeeds in a way that makes it seem that could be true. Most of us first recognized Taron’s talent as “Eggsy” in KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE (2014), though I’m not sure we expected such a dynamic step up so soon. This is not some actor merely mimicking the movements of a celebrity. This is an actor taking possession of a role. Without the costumes, Taron doesn’t look much like Elton John. He certainly doesn’t sound like Elton John … though his voice does justice to the classic songs. Despite those things, he is captivating on screen, both in the dramatic moments and the musical mania.

Elton’s childhood and the strained relationship he had with his parents (played here by Bryce Dallas Howard and Steven Macintosh) are given much attention, as is the support and love of his grandmother (Gemma Jones). With two self-centered parents wishing he didn’t exist, the child piano prodigy might never have attended the Royal Academy of Music if not for grandmother Ivy. Of course, the professional relationship that meant the most to Elton’s career was his songwriting collaboration with lyricist Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell), and much of the film is devoted to this prolific partnership – in fact, one of the most spine-tingling moments occurs as Bernie hands Elton the words to “Your Song” and Elton proceeds to set it to music right in front of us and Bernie. Whether that’s historically accurate or not, it provides a thrilling moment on screen for the creative duo.

Elton John in rehab is used as a framing device for the film. This allows him to walk us through his life … after admitting to having issues with drugs, alcohol, sex, shopping and anger. In other words, one of the most successful musicians of all time was a mess. And we get to sit front row as he details his early sexual confusion, his desire to be loved, his early professional frustration, and finally a career that exploded – covering him with money, adoration, stress, and more frustration. We see the warts and all.

Supporting roles are filled by Richard Madden as John Reid, Elton’s lover and manager; Tate Donovan as Doug Weston, owner of Sunset Blvd’s Troubadour; Rachel Muldoon as Kiki Dee, Elton’s collaborator on  their big hit “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”; and Stephen Graham as Dick James, the famous music publisher who first signed Elton.

As someone whose favorite Elton albums are “Tumbleweed Connection”, “Madman Across the Water”, and “Honky Chateau”, it’s easy for me to appreciate the time period covered here (roughly 1970-1983), and also to recognize the ‘artistic license’ taken with the timelines and events. His 1970 gig at Troubadour features a rowdy version of “Crocodile Rock”, which wasn’t even written yet … although the scene makes for great cinema. Many of the songs that advance the story are used out of sequence, but it’s quite effective to see and hear them in context. His marriage to Renate Blauel and the rehab stint featured both occurred after 1983, which we can assume is the story’s stopping point given the use of the “I’m Still Standing” video as a finale. Even the use of John Lennon over Long John Baldry doesn’t really matter since this is all about the spectacle, and for spectacle, you’ve likely never seen costumes (including eyeglasses and headdresses) used to such startling effect … and so frequently. The baseball “uniform” Elton wore during his 1975 Dodger Stadium gig has always made me a bit uncomfortable, but it’s recreated beautifully for the film.

Given that comparisons to the recent BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY are inevitable, it should be noted that director Dexter Fletcher rescued the final production of that film before finishing this one. Freddie Mercury and Elton John are two of the most fascinating figures in music history, and while both films are enjoyable, it’s ROCKETMAN that is willing to take the riskier path by highlighting the flaws of a creative genius. So criticize if you must, but you’ll probably still be singing in your seat.

watch the trailer:

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Posted by David Ferguson

KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE (2015)

February 16, 2015

kingsman Greetings again from the darkness. In 2010, writer/director Matthew Vaughn turned the superhero genre on its ear with the hit Kick-Ass. With this most recent film (back with co-writer Jane Goldman), he has done the same thing to spy-thrillers.  We get the well-tailored look made famous by Roger Moore’s James Bond, the fanciful and lethal gadgets from early Bond films, the ever-present umbrella (put to new uses here) of “The Avengers” John Steed, and the ultra-suave and debonair manners of Napoleon Solo from “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”  We get all of that in a surprisingly effective and fun action performance from Colin Firth.

Fun is the operative word here. It’s clear all parties involved are having a great time, especially Mr Firth going drastically against type. There are two action-packed and pretty humorous (in a demented way) fight scenes. One is early on inside a London pub, and has Firth flashing his particular set of skills against a group of thugs. The other (and even more raucous) fight occurs inside a church and is set to Lynryd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird”. The body count piled up as fast as the guitar licks.

As spectacular as the fight scenes are, the real fun here is in the characters. The old guard of the Kingsmen includes Firth as Galahad, Mark Strong as Merlin, Jack Davenport as Lancelot, and Michael Caine as Arthur. This long-standing group is one part international spy, one part Knights of the Round Table … and these gentlemen are extremely well trained and impeccably well dressed. When one of their agents dies on the job, the recruitment boot camp kicks into gear. Made up of a group of relative newcomers to the movie world, the two most interesting are Roxy (Sophie Cookson) and Eggsy (Taron Egerton). Adding to the intrigue, Eggsy is the son of a former Kingsman, and has some skills that aren’t initially apparent.

Of course, what would a spy-tribute movie be without a colorful villain? Samuel L Jackson plays lispy megalomaniac Valentine, who has a quick gag reflex when it comes to violence. Fortunately his henchman Gazelle (Sofia Boutella) is equipped with razor sharp leg prosthetics and some ultra-crazy fighting skills.  We even see Mark Hamill as Professor Arnold … fans of the Mark Miller/Dave Gibbons graphic novel will appreciate the irony.

Firth and Egerton play off each other quite well in the mentor-pupil relationship, and Egerton is clearly set up for the franchise sequels … as is his friend and fellow Kingsman, Ms. Cookson. For those who think the Daniel Craig Bond films are too dark and serious, this provides a flashback to lighter Bond fare (minus the misogyny). Many hot topics are touched on: class warfare, domestic abuse, racism, etc, but mostly this can be taken as a rollicking good time because “it’s not that kind of movie”. It does, however, remind us that “manners make the man”.

watch the trailer:

 

 

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Posted by David Ferguson