Film & Froth

Normal

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Normal [2025]

Film

Fresh off the success of the Nobody franchise, earning its franchise tag with the sequel being released last year, Bob Odenkirk is back in action-star form, even if it means doing the same thing again.

Maybe this new movie is called Normal because this is the new normal?

Odenkirk once again plays a reticent character with a mysterious background, harboring some sort of violent mishap, this time as Ulysses Richardson a temporary sheriff in the sleepy town of Normal, Minnesota.

Wait, is that why its called Normal?

Regardless, Normal is built upon the same premise that powered the likes of Nobody and Nobody 2, action flicks that come from the John Wick coaching tree where an unlikely hero (anti-hero?) is begrudgingly thrust back into action to defeat evil. Keanu Reeves revolutionized this "genre" as John Wick primarily, if not entirely, due to Chad Stahelski's intrepid direction and action choreography. Paired with Dan Laustsen's stylish cinematography in chapters 2, 3, and 4 (Jonathan Sela was the cinematographer for the first film and it had a much more muted appearance) the films really served as a new launch point for all involved, including Derek Kolstad who wrote the films. Kolstad carried this newfound panache for reluctant action heroes into his Odenkirk led Nobody films, and now into Normal.

The biggest problem with that evolution, if you will, is that the writing is the weakest link of the Wick films, and that rings true in his latest film as well. Its dry humor doesn't carry as well as it assumes, and the dialogue between characters is beyond undercooked. Starting out as slow as it does doesn't provide much help here either, resulting in an almost confusing backstory of Odenkirk's sheriff and translucent supporting characters that provide nothing of substance. Lena Headey and Henry Winkler are huge castmates to have in the film, they take up quite a bit of the movie's poster for crying out loud, but are completely irrelevant for most if not all of the film as Moira the bartender and Mayor Kibner respectively. Speaking of relevance, Kolstad's screenplay relies on Odenkirk's narration to explain much of what's happening, framed as leaving a voicemail for his wife–an obfuscated layer of intrigue that holds little to no actual intrigue–but beyond that omnipresent voiceover, the script is a mess. Every line is a blatant exercise in Chekhov's gun — a shoehorned shot of C4 in the police evidence room, a conspicuous dead-bolted locker at the hardware store — telegraphed so heavily it borders on parody. All of which muddles the flow of the film, adding to an already sluggish start.

Odenkirk does his best with what he's given. Using his endless flow of charisma to will his uninteresting Ulysses character forward. But there's only so much he can do. Compounded with the drab visuals of the midwestern town, covered in a blanket of blueish darkness as if the snow wasn't indicative enough of the temperature, Normal fails to really grab attention. The most exciting moments of the film are when the action picks up, which is director Ben Wheatley's strength as seen in the feisty-fun Free Fire. But there's a reliance on Fargo levels of midwestern idiosyncrasies, in an attempt to mirror the violent humor (can never stop thinking about that woodchipper scene), which never pans out. Each death can be a bloody good time, but the execution of these Rube-Goldberg eccentricities don't quite mesh with everything. It's as if there's too much going on, and nothing going on at the same time.

That being said, there were a few times that I had a great gasp and chuckle, which added at least a little bit of fun. But ultimately, I'd say I was let down. I'd also say it's hard to see a movie like this promote itself as an heir to the John Wick and Nobody franchises, but fail to have the visual spectacle that made those films what they are. The idea of the mystery or secret surrounding the town of Normal is interesting but the execution and build up failed to capitalize on setting itself up for any sort of explosiveness, and I hope that's not the new normal for these John Wick descendants.

Froth

Given Armando Salas' cinematography work sadly displaying a cold, dark, and muted Midwestern town, I believe an equally dark beverage is appropriate. Aslan Brewing Company's collaboration brew with Métier Brewing Company, The Long Dark, is a Czech Dark Lager (Tmavé) that is exceptionally dark in appearance, and wonderfully light in taste. It has a wonderful roastiness that accents a touch of chocolate, but it doesn't veer into decadent territory by any means. In fact, its a well-balanced delivery of sweet, roast, and a nice pinch of cherry to give it some additional depth. There's also that bready lager quality that gives it a full mouthfeel, while maintaining the qualities of a light and refreshing sipper. Overall, I'd say it doesn't need to be cold and gloomy out to enjoy this banger of a beer, I can see myself enjoying it on a nice and sunny day, but maybe I'm just looking for a reason to enjoy this beer once more.

Project Hail Mary

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Project Hail Mary [2026]

Film

Can you believe it's been a whole 12 years since Phil Lord and Christopher Miller directed a film? Their last co-directed movie was 2014's 22 Jump Street, and even though they've been hard at work producing various projects such as the animated Spider-Verse trilogy — the newest installment being delayed until 2027 — I think we've all missed their zany, comedic direction. Luckily, there's no time like the present to have the directing duo come back to set for not only their own long-awaited return, but the adaptation of Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary.

Since Ridley Scott's incredibly successful adaptation of Weir's The Martian, which saw seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, the collective we has been chomping at the bit for another visual rendition of Weir's whimsical, page-turning, sci-fi novels. Now let me say, Lord and Miller's Project Hail Mary is absolutely worth the wait. Stunning in every technical capacity, with a tremendously heartfelt performance from Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, fans of the book and newcomers alike will both revel in the beauty of what will assuredly be one of the best movies of the year.

Similar to 2015's The Martian, Drew Goddard adapted Weir's novel for the screen. His adaptation, while much more jovial and comedic — playing to Gosling's strengths as the protagonist — provides a potently slimmed down version of its source material. Grace's awakening from a coma to find himself light-years from Earth, and learning his identity and purpose, is translated from a hundred pages to mere minutes. With any adaptation, there will be a litany of precious tidbits left on the cutting floor, but Goddard's translation really hit the nail on the head. The time saved from explanation and seeing Gosling worm around while regaining muscle control — trust me, there is a healthy dose of it though — is saved for the more meaty moments of the story.

That restraint pays dividends in Gosling's performance. Continuing his recent string of himbos (The Fall Guy and Barbie), he imbues his extremely potent mixture of charisma and humor to accent the more comedic tone of Goddard's writing. Weir's novel isn't exactly a straight-edge either, so the funnier, almost slapstick, pastiche really plays into Gosling's strengths. However, it isn't all gags and laughs, as Gosling puts forth phenomenal depth in the film's more somber moments, giving him one of his best performances and best lead roles in years.

Project Hail Mary [2026]

Which brings me to the real star of the show: Rocky. Lord and Miller have graciously given the world one of the greatest gifts fans of the book and fans of movies in general could've asked for — a physical representation of Rocky, the unexpected companion Grace encounters, who is also trying to save his home planet against the sun-eating astrophage. Designed and crafted by the legendary Neal Scanlan, Rocky is a stunning combination of CGI and puppetry, with the puppeteering done by James Ortiz, who also voices the incredibly affable extraterrestrial. The result is a realistic amalgamation of artistry that is a treat to look at and an absolute wonder to feel. Ortiz's voice work and puppetry elevate not only Gosling's work — which is gutting at times — but also add more humor and heart to a film that centers on the hope of collectivism over individualism.

Speaking of how things look and feel, the film overall is a delight to behold in all its technical glory. Greig Fraser's cinematography delivers some of the most spellbinding visuals we've seen since his own work in Denis Villeneuve's Dune films, and Project Hail Mary may even rival the legendary Christopher Nolan film Interstellar in its depiction of interplanetary art when it is all said and done. Charles Wood's production design, meanwhile, brings the ship — the Hail Mary — alive, and the addition of a room where scenes from Earth can be played on the walls as if it were all one big screen is a wonderful and welcome improvement, carrying waves of emotion to Grace and Rocky's journey. Last but not least, where would the feeling of the film be without Daniel Pemberton's fantastic score? Reuniting with Lord and Miller since the last Spider-Verse film, Pemberton's score is the perfect accoutrement to the climactic moments of the Hail Mary, the restrained emotion of the situation's gravity, and the triumphant perseverance of the human spirit. Project Hail Mary is, in every sense, a technical masterpiece in all aspects of sights and sounds.

Even with Goddard's pruning — something he also did quite well with The Martian — you do begin to feel the runtime towards the end. There are elongated moments relishing in the humor of interactions between Grace and Rocky that probably could've saved some extra time. But as the credits roll and the exhales ensue, there isn't much I could ask for differently.

I'll admit I recently read the book — I can't consider myself a real Weir-head, but a mere passenger on the hype train. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the book and found myself wondering how different elements of the text could be put on the screen, which is why I do this and not make movies. Because Lord and Miller had an impeccable vision, and the execution to match it. I try not to be hyperbolic here and maintain an even keel, but the directing duo, along with their whole team, have made something truly remarkable in Project Hail Mary — a testament to imagination, the intrepid resilience of humanity, and the everlasting power of compassion and kinship. Maybe that's a word salad that sounds exactly like the hyperbole I was trying to avoid, but hey, I'm a sucker for big emotions, and sentient rocks that I'm going to have to convince my wife that we can't have at home.

Froth

You know, sometimes I try really hard to not go back to my default pairing of IPA's for just about everything, but I'm just surrounded by them more than anything else. What's a guy supposed to do here!? Luckily, this pairing is a bit more natural than a shoehorned hoppy beverage with Elliot Bay Brewing Company gifting us the perfect companion to the adaptation of Weir's novel. The Starman IPA, in all its glory. Its a West Coast style of brew, sporting a dank aroma that emphasizes its hoppier properties, in turn providing a dry finish after a solid sip. There's plenty of citrus to be enjoyed, and its flavor is potent giving you lots to mull over with its tangerine, berry, and pine backbone. At 35 IBU and 6.4% ABV it is a well balanced beer, taste-wise, without being overpowering in its bitterness or too strong with its alcohol content. Ultimately making it a really fun addition to your IPA rotation, and a nice seasonal offering from Elliot Bay Brewing!

Final Recap of the 98th Academy Awards

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Paul Thomas Anderson at the 98th Academy Awards (Source: The Hollywood Reporter)

An Abridged Recap of the Results

Best Picture: One Battle After Another - Adam Somner (p.n.), Sara Murphy, and Paul Thomas Anderson, producers
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another
Best Actress: Jessie Buckley – Hamnet as Agnes Shakespeare
Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan – Sinners as Elijah "Smoke" Moore / Elias "Stack" Moore
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan – Weapons as Gladys
Best Supporting Actor: Sean Penn – One Battle After Another as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw
Best Adapted Screenplay: Sinners – Ryan Coogler
Best Original Screenplay: One Battle After Another – Paul Thomas Anderson; based on the novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon
Films With Multiple Awards:
- (6) One Battle After Another
- (4) Sinners
- (3) Frankenstein
- (2) KPop Demon Hunters

Just a Few Next-Day Takeaways

One Oscar After Another

Capping off one of the most dominant awards season runs in recent memory, One Battle After Another led the charge at this year's Academy Awards, winning in six categories including, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. It was an important moment for fans of Paul Thomas Anderson to hear his name and watch him walk up to the stage to get his flowers and collect some hard-earned hardware. His status as one of the foremost filmmakers alive and working today was already widely recognized, but, as he alluded to in one of his speeches, it's still nice to be minted. Many of the best filmmakers to ever do it lived and unfortunately died before they could have such a moment. Others get awarded well after they otherwise should have, and often after they've lost their fastball.

Today and forever, we can say happily, that this will not be part of Anderson's legacy. One Battle is a film that makes use of and maximizes all the tools he has developed and refined as a writer/director over the years. This is by far the largest budget Anderson has ever had to work with, and he made the absolute most of it. From start to finish, every storytelling decision is deliberate, every frame is intentional, and every emotional moment is earned. Despite it tackling themes of racial and social injustice, the power of revolution, and the scrutiny and hypocrisy of indulging one's self with a big ol' slice of American Pie, One Battle After Another, at it's true center, is about something else: family. It's about a broken family – a mother with a purpose beyond her family, a daughter coming into adulthood without her mother, and a father trying to be, well a good father. Put simply, it's about what it means to find family, lose family, and keep family. In that sense, the film actually has a lot in common with Anderson's previous work, though it's sturdy-but-intimate character building may have just resonated more deeply with viewers and voters than ever before. Let us be (perhaps the last) to say congratulations to the OBAA family for their much-deserved victory lap at the Oscars. Here's to many, many, many more, Mr. P.T. Anderson.

Winner Winner Sinners Sinners... & Air (B.) Jordan

I know I just went on, and on, and on, and on about One Battle After Another and how this will be one of (if not the) signature moment of Paul Thomas Anderson's career (which is certainly true), but I still think the most iconic moment (or at least the moment I will remember the most) from last night's Oscars once the dust settles will be Michael B. Jordan winning Best Actor for his performance as twins, Smoke and Stack, inSinners, a film which ended up winning in four categories. Having been included but mostly passed over for most of this awards season, all of a sudden the winds seemed to change in the last few weeks. Perhaps some of that change in direction came into play due to one Timothée Chalamet sticking his ballet-slipper foot into his opera-belting mouth (not sure if that foot-in-mouth pun worked or not, you be the judge). But all of a sudden, Chalamet's momentum seemed to sputter and shift behind Michael B., whose Best Actor win at the SAG Actors Awards seemed like a precursory signal for what was to come. As turned out, that win was prophetic; Jordan became just the fourth black man to win Best Actor in 98 years at the Academy Awards (just sit in that). His reaction was priceless, his speech was flawless, and this win is timeless. Not often do we have the chance to be truly surprised on Oscar night, and while it did seem he had a good chance to win, Michael B.'s win is what I'll remember the most from last night.

Quickly, I want to circle back and reiterate that this win came in a year in which Sinners made history before making it to the ceremony. On top of it receiving sixteen nominations, the most ever by a film at the Academy Awards, the film also broke the record for the most Black individuals nominated for a single film with ten. Then on Oscar night, Sinners won three other awards beyond Michael B.'s Best Actor win, including: Autumn Durald Arkapaw won Best Cinematography, becoming the first woman and woman of color to win the award; Ludwig Göransson won Best Original Score, which is his third win, putting him on the fast track to becoming the most successful composer of his generation; and of course, Ryan Coogler won Best Original Screenplay, one of the most respected and well-regarded awards year-in and year-out, one that serves as showcase of talent and a bellwether for future heavyweight filmmakers. Despite not winning the top prize (which, despite the competitive strength of One Battle, still never felt out of the question in my eyes) the Sinners team still had a lot to celebrate, and I think it is more than fair to say that will be remembered fondly long past this awards and represents a high-water mark in the long, checkered history of the Academy Awards.

Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson, Autumn Durald Arkapaw, and Michael B. Jordan at the 98th Academy Awards

Looking Back and Looking Ahead

If you wanted, I could go through each category and tell you my thoughts about each winner – the snubs and the surprises, and even the chalk wins. But I don't think anyone wants that (myself included). As briefly as I can, I want to reflect on the moment and forecast what's ahead. Let's start with reflection: in the aftermath of this year's Oscars, I found myself in a conversation talking through the year in film, mulling over which film was my favorite, which was the best, and which was the most important. I know for some of you Letterboxd Lords, the margins between these distinctions grows thinner, the lines becoming blurrier with each day as we have more of an opportunity to publicly pontificate and force our tastes onto other people's palettes. Parsing through one's feelings about which films were your favorite, the best, and the most important requires a different form a discipline, a know thyself egoism mixed with a shrewd and informed objectivity is easier to assume than procure. Let me just say, this year's best of the best could easily be mixed-and-matched and slotted into any of the three buckets depending on the preferred flavors of your taste in movies. So while One Battle After Another most of the type prizes during this year's award season, there is an argument to be made (of course) that it isn't your favorite film of the year, nor may it be the most important. Why am I writing this soliloquy? Sometimes, I just start writing without having a clue where I'm going. I think I'm writing this down more for myself rather than anyone else, as a friendly reminder to know thyself and to stay informed when trying to be objective. And most importantly, always remember that your favorite, the best, and the most important may all be the same... or they may all be different. When you think about it, that's kind of what this is all about.

On to looking ahead! We're still only about ten weeks into 2026, so there isn't much to report yet. We're on the precipice of Project Hail Mary coming out, a few weeks away from The Drama, slowly getting closer to The Devil Wears Prada 2 and The Mandalorian and Grogu. This summer, we're looking forward to some obvious big budget spectacle, including Disclosure Day, Toy Story 5, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and a little-known-and-hardly-talked-about movie called, The Odyssey. Later this fall, there'll be Resident Evil, Digger, The Social Reckoning, Sense and Sensibility The Great Beyond, and The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. And then during the holidays we'll get Narnia: The Magician's Nephew, Madden, the next Jumanji sequel, Werewulf, and of course, DUNESDAY, a double-billing of Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three on December 18th. On paper, that's a hell of a good slate. Last year, the existential dread for movies felt overwhelmingly bleak (and for good reason, it is). We might say this every year, but 2026 is, in fact, an important year in cinema. Many of the films I just listed have to not only earn enough to cover their production costs, but they have to actually do good business. It's still hard to believe that Oscars following the Warner Bros. fiasco, WB had arguably it's biggest critical success and greatest number of accolades in the company's history. Which is to say, some things are easy to see coming and other things are difficult to anticipate. Let's hope that this year, the movies we expect to do well, do well, and that there are hits coming we that surprise us. My hope is that, like life, movies will find their way.

Our Predictions Tally

Hopster: 20/24
Isaac: 16/24

Hopster: LET'S GO! If you come at the king, you best not miss. Let me just say, it is truly an honor to carry the title of Film & Froth Oscars Ballot Contest over Isaac for a second year in a row (and this year, just missing the top spot by two picks). There was certainly a lot of chalk but a few big surprises went my way, and I firmly believe this is the start of a Neon-type dynasty here at F&F. Last year, I stated how I didn't just want to win back-to-back, I wanted to repeat! And now look where we are?! WE OUT HERE. This is big league ball. WOO! Alright, enough showboating.

Isaac: No comment.

Hopster: But do you know what might be even better than winning the championship belt (a championship belt that, mind you, can only be won by either Isaac or myself, lol)... Let me once again redirect you to last year's Oscars recap, because I'm starting to think we are have some otherworldly powers that we need to consider how to profit from. In your closing remarks, you said, and I quote: "Now its time to hit the theater, get some reps in, and come out the other side ready to put Paul Thomas Anderson's new movie as a lock for all 14 of its inevitable nominations." To which I said: "This is the year. Let's etch the letters "PTA" into the Oscars' lore." Holy shit! Now, maybe that bet isn't that wild, but what just happened?! One Battle After Another received 13 (not quite 14) nominations, and PTA swept all the major awards he was competing in. I don't want to say we're psychic, but maybe we are.

Isaac: No doubt about it, we're psychic.

Our Oscars Preview - Best Picture [2026]

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

It's Oscars Week '26! With these preview articles, we're trying to pin point winners so that you do well in your Oscars prediction pool (a shameless plug for ours)... BUT we're also trying to read the tea leaves and give you concrete reasons for WHY you should make certain selections or steer clear of others. Maybe this our year to nail our predictions...

Here is Part 5 (the final one) of our preview.

One Battle After Another [2025]

Best Picture

Nominees

Bugonia – Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone, and Lars Knudsen, producers (+10000)
F1 – Chad Oman, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Joseph Kosinski, and Jerry Bruckheimer, producers (+20000)
Frankenstein – Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale, and Scott Stuber, producers (+10000)
Hamnet – Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Steven Spielberg, and Sam Mendes, producers (+2000)
Marty Supreme – Eli Bush, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Anthony Katagas, and Timothée Chalamet, producers (+4000)
One Battle After Another – Adam Somner (p.n.), Sara Murphy, and Paul Thomas Anderson, producers (-500)
The Secret Agent – Emilie Lesclaux, producer (+20000)
Sentimental Value – Maria Ekerhovd and Andrea Berentsen Ottmar, producers (+6500)
Sinners – Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, and Ryan Coogler, producers (+340)
Train Dreams – Marissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, Will Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer, and Michael Heimler, producers (+10000)

Best Picture Tiers

F1 [2025]

Tier 3: Happy To Be Here

F1, The Secret Agent, Bugonia, Frankenstein, Train Dreams

Isaac: For the first time since 2023's Killers of the Flower Moon, Apple TV is back in the Best Picture category with F1! This movie might be the epitome of "happy to be here" but every year that we get a crowd-pleasing blockbuster in the mix, is a good year. Not to mention, Netflix finally gets to let out a deep breath after they shelled out some number in the high-teen millions of dollars to acquire Train Dreams out of Sundance. While it might not have been the most lucrative deal out of the rather calm year in Park City, Neon acquired Together for something like $17 million, it is one of the most rewarding. Earning a Best Picture nomination adds to the legacy of Sundance films breaking into the top category, most recent one being Past Lives in 2023, but there is still only one Sundance film that has won the award. CODA in 2021 stands alone, and after this year, I'm afraid it will remain that way. And of course we have the wonderful auteurs Yorgos Lanthimos and Guillermo del Toro in the mix, both netting their third Best Picture nomination. While del Toro is the one of the two filmmakers to win this award for The Shape of Water, both directors have been thriving lately and even though they are on the outside looking in, their consistency of craft should be commended. The real wild-card amongst the films here is Kleber Mendoça Filho's The Secret Agent. Technically, it could see some unexpected success on Oscar night, maybe a couple of upset wins for Wagner Moura in Best Actor and for the film in Best International, which would certainly boost its chances out of this tier. But sadly, I can't see it making it to the tippy top. All great films, however, and it is wonderful to see such a wide variety of stories represented for Best Picture!

Hamnet [2025]

Tier 2: So You're Saying There's a Chance?

Hamnet, Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value

Hopster: Even compared to the 'Happy to Be Here' nominees, making a semi-serious case for any of these three films in Tier 2 in this Best Picture race is still kind of silly. Just look at the odds! We're still talking about (+2000) at best for Hamnet, which is polling in a distant third. Putting aside the two frontrunners, these three films round out a very solid Top 5 Best Picture nominees, and in another year, one of them might have a fighter's chance to make some noise. Of these three films, they could still pull off some high-end wins on Oscar night. Best Actress for Jessie Buckley in Hamnet is a slam dunk, you can cash that ticket right now. Timothée Chalamet could certainly still win Best Actor, which might be the one award Marty Supreme secures. And Sentimental Value could win in a few places, like Stellan Skarsgård for Best Supporting Actor and/or Best International Feature Film. Here's the thing, when One Battle After Another and Sinners are duking it out for gold and silver, I feel confident saying any of those three films would make a worthy bronze. For me, the Acadmey Awards still maintain important cultural relevancy for me, in that they provide a snapshot of which films mattered in a given year. Sometimes they get the winner right, and sometimes they get it wrong. However, which films are selected to compete for Best Picture will continue to matter, especially those that might otherwise be lost to history if not for their Oscar nomination. So no, the "So You're Saying There's a Chance?" films in Tier 2 don't really have a serious chance at winning the top prize, but I'm still happy they're all here. Only at the movies do participation trophies count. Well, and in Little League athletics, I suppose.

Sinners [2025]

Tier 1: Heavyweight Contenders

One Battle After Another, Sinners

Hopster: Since we've been covering the Academy Awards here at Film & Froth, the Best Picture race has more often than not been... well, a bit anticlimatic. In our first year, 2021, Nomadland was a heavy favorite; in 2022, things were a little more interesting, when CODA upset The Power of the Dog; in 2023, Everything Everywhere All at Once cleaned up; in 2024, Oppenheimer did the same thing; and in 2025, Anora turned what was a close race into a blowout. Clicking back through our archives reminds me that the Best Picture race ebbs and flows, where more often than not, what is expected to happen actually happens. Every once in a while, a big surprise can happen, one that we either see coming or are completely blindsided by. The biggest surprise at the Oscars in the past 5 years is certainly CODA winning, but that I don't recall that race being necessarily... competitive. Cut to this year, and this awards season has been anything but competitive. One Battle After Another has been on a heater, winning the top prize at essentially every turn, including the Critics Choice, the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs, the National Board of Review, the DGAs (Directors Guild), the PGAs (Producers Guild), and some of the most prestigious film critics groups in the country. Despite Sinners' big wins at the Actor Awards, it has played second fiddle to OBAA this entire run. As of the time of writing this, One Battle After Another still holds (-500) odds for winning Best Picture, compared to (+340) for Sinners. I admittedly hadn't been tracking how close Vegas projecting this race prior to the Actor Awards, though I imagine the margins have slimmed considerably in the past few week or so. No matter how you slice it, OBBA is sitting pretty and comfortably in the driver's seat to win the top prize (in addition to other top-shelf prizes like Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director).

Still, this race is probably closer than it has been since the start, and anyone not paying attention to the industry-wide support that Sinners clearly has, especially with its record-breaking 16(!) Oscar nominations is missing out. As someone who has been rooting for PTA to win big at the Academy Awards for my entire adult life, the thought of his coronation brings a smile to my face. However, as I'm considering my ballot for Sunday's show, I have to take a beat and recalculate one more time. Sometimes winning Best Picture isn't necessarily about awarding the best film of the year. At this level, we're really splitting hairs anyway. Sometimes winning Best Picture is about voters feeling good about their choice, for one reason or another. Can we somehow still coronate PTA but not give his film Best Picture? At the Academy Awards, that can certainly happen. I'm not a betting man (which is for the best, I'll admit), but at this point in time, I'm betting PTA gets his long-overdue and well-deserved flowers, but I think the Academy voters makes good on a near-century's worth of oversights and does the thing it often never does – which is, in this case, despite the odds and the unlikelihood, awarding Sinners Best Picture.

Sinners – Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, and Ryan Coogler, producers

Isaac: I'm going to take everything Hop just said and take it a different direction. I get the whole splitting hairs thing, and I, just like anybody else, think a Sinners win would be transcendent to witness. Yet, I'm sadly hesitant to pick it here based on the strength of winning both the PGA and DGA. Ten out of the last thirteen times that the PGA and DGA have matched, that film has gone on to win the top prize. The only outliers being, Parasite (1917 won both precursors), Moonlight (famously La La Land), and 12 Years a Slave (Gravity). While there really is something to say about 16 nominations, that just doesn't translate into success, especially for Best Picture. Since 2015, the film with the most nominations has won Best Picture only four times. I suppose you could argue that 50% of those have happened in the last three Oscars with Oppenheimer and Everything Everywhere All At Once, so maybe I'm being a little bit of a curmudgeon! Nevertheless, I have to go with my gut here, and I also need this to happen so I can lord it over Hop's head in the future as he's the biggest PTA fan I know. So give me One Battle After Another and let the record reflect my fandom for PTA has grown, while Hop's has shrunk. Your move pal!

One Battle After Another – Adam Somner (p.n.), Sara Murphy, and Paul Thomas Anderson, producers

Our Oscars Preview - The Acting Categories [2026]

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Sentimental Value [2025]

Best Supporting Actor

Nominees

Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another as Sensei Sergio St. Carlos (+2700)
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein as The Creature (+3300)
Delroy Lindo – Sinners as Delta Slim (+750)
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw (-320)
Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value as Gustav Borg (+430)

Predictions

Hopster: This is an interesting spread. Two of the nominees are from the same movie (del Toro and Penn for One Battle). To this point, Penn, a two-time Best Actor Oscar winner, won the BAFTA and at SAG, while del Toro (another former Best Actor recipient), won the National Board of Review. Then, there's a trio of first-time Oscar nominees in Elordi, Lindo, and Skarsgård. Elordi is a long-shot, who firmly sits in the "happy to be nominated" camp, even though he did win at the Critics Choice Awards. Lindo hasn't won a major precursor, aside from his involvement in the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at SAG (he also is in the most nominated film of the year, so that's not nothing). And then there's Skarsgård, who won at the Golden Globes but is now something of a slight underdog. You heard it here first: I'm calling an upset and predicting that Skarsgård pulls out the surprise win here. The 74-year-old Swedish actor is marvelous in Sentimental Value, a movie that garnered a lot of top-line nominations but seems to be on the outside looking in for a lot of those categories. Despite not having won a major industry award since his surprise win at the Golden Globes, Skarsgård's performance is extremely well-regarded by critics and may draw in even more attention and praise from international voters in the Academy. If you're looking to poke holes in the case of the other nominees winning, I'd point out that while the phenomenon of voting-splitting between two nominees from the same movie in the same category does not always hold true, it is a thing that happens. In this case, both del Toro and Penn have won Oscars previously, so there may be less of an appetite to award either of them again. A win for Penn would demonstrate the strength of One Battle, while this may also be an opportunity to spread the wealth. Skarsgård delivers one of the more tender and subtle performances of the year; he is the soul of Sentimental Value, and it may endear him with the voters enough to secure the victory in this category.

Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value

Isaac: Sean Penn – One Battle After Another as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw

Best Supporting Actress

Nominees

Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value as Rachel Kemp (+10000)
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value as Agnes Borg Pettersen (+3300)
Amy Madigan – Weapons as Gladys (+125)
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners as Annie (+300)
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another as Perfidia Beverly Hills (+170)

Predictions

Isaac: Over the past ten years, this race has more often been a complete domination as opposed to any sort of tight race. Last year was not nearly as close as some may remember it, with Zoe Saldaña winning for Emilia Pérez over Ariana Grande and Margaret Qualley. Prior to that, it becomes a smattering of steamrolls: Da'Vine Joy Randolph in The Holdovers, Ariana DeBose in West Side Story, Yuh-Jung Youn in Minari, Laura Dern in Marriage Story, Regina King, Allison Janney, a legendary Viola Davis performance in Fences, I could keep going. The only really tight race was the, dare I say, absolutely stunning win from Jamie Lee Curtis for Everything Everywhere All at Once over Angela Bassett's performance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Curtis had only won the SAG, and 7 out of the past 10 winners at this point had won the BAFTA, which she hadn't. So now we have this. One of the tightest races for Supporting Actress in recent history! A three horse race between Teyana Taylor (Golden Globe), Wunmi Mosaku (BAFTA), and Amy Madigan (Critics Choice and SAG) that is really anyone's game. Madigan has the "most" precursors but 2 being greater than 1 is kind of a weak argument, not to mention she is the lone nomination for Weapons. There have only been eight times in which a film wins its lone nomination, the most recent being 2008 when Penélope Cruz won for Vicky Cristina Barcelona, so it isn't impossible. Just rare. There have also been eight times over the past ten years where the BAFTA winner of this category won the Oscar, which is one of the strongest correlations across all of the categories. The only two times it didn't match was 2016 when Alicia Vikander wasn't even in the supporting category for the BAFTA and Curtis in 2022 which was shocking enough. Quick break here to adjust my tinfoil hat. Ultimately, I'm thinking the BAFTA streak adds another year, not because of BAFTA importance, but because of the difficulties presented with winning a film's lone Oscar. There is a serious halo effect when you're in a highly nominated film, well, sometimes. Not for Emilia Pérez last year, but Sinners smashed the record for nominations and its impossible to ignore that a toss up here might lean towards more highly nominated films. Which is a long winded way of me saying give me Mosaku taking home the hardware.

Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners

Hopster: Amy Madigan – Weapons

Marty Supreme [2025]

Best Actor

Nominees

Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme as Marty Mauser (-120)
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another as Bob Ferguson (+1400)
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon as Lorenz Hart (+3300)
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners as Elijah "Smoke" Moore / Elias "Stack" Moore (+130)
Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent as Armando Solimões / Marcelo Alves / Fernando Solimões (+1800)

Predictions

Hopster: We have a race, ladies and gentlemen! Thanks to a seemingly out of nowhere win at the Actor Awards last week, we find ourselves in a near dead heat for Best Actor. Yes, there are three other nominees, including Leonardo DiCaprio, who won the National Board of Review, Wagner Moura, who won at the Golden Globes, and Ethan Hawke, who hasn't won any major precurors but has a distinct musk of "it's time" that will one day result in Oscar glory. But we really, we can safely say that this is a two-horse race between Timothée Chalamet, who was seemingly running away with this trophy at the beginning of awards season after winning at the Critics Choice Awards and the Golden Globes, and Michael B. Jordan, who just won Best Actor at SAG. This is Chalamet's third Best Actor nomination (he was nominated in 2017 for Call Me by Your Name and last year for A Complete Unknown) and Jordan's first nomination.

After the Oscar nominations were announced, it seemed that Chalamet was in poll position to win Best Actor, which many considered would be the single prominent win Marty Supreme would have on Oscars night. These past few months, Chalamet has campaigning the shit out of this movie, clearly with his eyes on the prize for winning big at the Academy Awards. Last year, he fell short in Best Actor, where Adrien Brody won for his performance in the The Brutalist. If you'll remember, Chalamet won at SAG last year, which seemed to put in line to win at the Oscars. Now this year, just when it seemed to all be in front of him, he lost at the BAFTAs (well technically everyone did to Robert Aramayo for his performance in I Swear) and then again at SAG to... Michael B. Jordan. I didn't confirm this, but there is almost no precedent for an actor winning back-to-back years at SAG, so maybe Chalamet's Oscar chances are better than we're giving him credit for. That said, not only did Michael B. win Best Actor, Sinners went on to win Best Ensemble, which shows a lot of industry support and came at a time that was in the exact middle of Oscar voting. As far as predicting this category goes, I recognize that I haven't offered any hard data, aside from just recapping the awards race to this point.

A few other lingering questions: (1) Is now the time where I should mention that last year, SAG awarded Chalamet and Demi Moore the top prizes, and then Brody and Mikey Madison won at the Oscars? Point being, you never know what can happen, especially when things are this close? (2) Is it crazy to think DiCaprio or Moura have an outside chance at sneaking out a win? Probably, but I'm not ruling it out completely. (3) Has Chalamet's chances dwindled because of off-the-field problems? If you're not sure what I'm referring to, I encourage you to do your independent research. Needless to say, the ballet and opera art communities are having a field day with his recent comments.

All things considered, here's the final point to make: both Chalamet and Jordan are great in their respective films. They both transform, they both hold the screen like true blue movie stars, and they both elevate the already great material they've been given. This is more or less a coin flip, so my advice is to follow your heart.

Michael B. Jordan – Sinners

Isaac: Michael B. Jordan – Sinners

Best Actress

Nominees

Jessie Buckley – Hamnet as Agnes Shakespeare (-4000)
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I'd Kick You as Linda (+1200)
Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue as Claire Sardina (+4000)
Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value as Nora Borg (+3300)
Emma Stone – Bugonia as Michelle Fuller (+2500)

Predictions

Isaac: I'm not even gonna try and put a longwinded explanation here. I've written enough and I bet you're tired of reading my incessant ramblings. This is beyond locked in for Jessie Buckley.

Jessie Buckley – Hamnet

Hopster: Jessie Buckley – Hamnet

Our Oscars Preview - Writing, Directing, and Casting [2026]

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Train Dreams [2025]

Best Adapted Screenplay

Nominees

Bugonia – Will Tracy; based on the film Save the Green Planet! by Jang Joon-hwan (+2800)
Frankenstein – Guillermo del Toro; based on the novel by Mary Shelley (+2800)
Hamnet – Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell; based on the novel by Maggie O'Farrell (+1000)
One Battle After Another – Paul Thomas Anderson; based on the novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon (-1000)
Train Dreams – Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar; based on the novella by Denis Johnson (+1600)

Predictions

Hopster: Oftentimes, Best Adapted and Best Original Screenplay can serve as bellwethers in trying to predict some of the other big ticket categories. These usually get announced earlier on during the Oscars telecast and can sometimes show which direction the wind might be blowing for Best Director or Best Picture. I'm not sure what to make of that norm this year. Like Best Original Screenplay (which we'll talk about soon), the frontrunner in Best Adapted Screenplay is a heavy favorite and any other nominee winning here seems pretty unlikely. Safe to say, this will most likely be the first time Paul Thomas Anderson's name will be called at this year's Academy Awards, a win that will also represent the first time his name has ever been called at any Academy Awards. Yes, this would be his first win, a topic we've talked about before. Anderson has now been nominated for 14 Academy Awards, his films being some of the most decorated and highly regarded films of the last 30 years in Hollywood. His draught is about to end it certainly seems. Don't feel too bad for him, he has been winning basically every major filmmaking award these past few months for One Battle After Another, including Best Original Screenplay at the Writers Guild of America Awards which is considered the strongest precursor award for this category. Adapting Pynchon's Vineland has been a professional curiosity and an artistic odyssey of PTA's for nearly twenty years, and in the year 2025, he delivered a film that meets the current moment of America perhaps more so than any of his other films (save for maybe The Master). His adaptation is more abstract but still very much in the spirit of Pynchon's postmodern satire, though perhaps a bit more optimistic than we're used to seeing from Anderson. Whether this is his best film or screenplay is kind of besides the point. While the other nominees are absolutely worthy to be here (and may have a had a stronger case to win in a different field of nominees), this is a surefire opportunity for PTA to finally get his hands on an Oscar. And yes, I know I've said that before, but I'm serious this time.

One Battle After Another – Paul Thomas Anderson; based on the novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon

Isaac: One Battle After Another – Paul Thomas Anderson; based on the novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon

Sentimental Value [2025]

Best Original Screenplay

Nominees

Blue Moon – Robert Kaplow (+4500)
It Was Just an Accident – Jafar Panahi; in collaboration with Nader Saïvar, Shadmehr Rastin, and Mehdi Mahmoudian (+2200)
Marty Supreme – Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie (+900)
Sentimental Value – Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier (+2200)
Sinners – Ryan Coogler (-1000)

Predictions

Isaac: While technically Ryan Coogler's Sinners didn't have the ultimate sweep, losing the Golden Globes to One Battle (which will be in Adapted so no threat here), it did win the BAFTA, Critics Choice, and WGA for Best Original Screenplay. While these as individual accolades have been a real toss up in the past, there's been a wild smattering of winners such as last year: A Real Pain won the BAFTA, The Substance won the CCA, and Anora won the WGA and then the Oscar. But, of course it can't be this easy, the WGA alone doesn't indicate Oscar success. The award has correctly predicted the Best Original Screenplay winner six out of the past ten years, which you know, sure, fine, I guess that sounds like an ok percentage. The real proof in the pudding here, however, is even though Sinners "lost" the Golden Globe, every film that has taken all three of the WGA, BAFTA, and CCA across history has won the Oscar. That's a loaded stat because it has only happened twice, once with Spotlight and once with Promising Young Woman, but I think its still solid to go off of. Therefore, I don't think this is a close race. No matter what happens on Oscar night we get at least one Coogler acceptance speech.

Sinners – Ryan Coogler

Hopster: Sinners – Ryan Coogler

Hamnet [2025]

Best Director

Nominees

Chloé Zhao – Hamnet (+2000)
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme (+3500)
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (-1500)
Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value (+4500)
Ryan Coogler – Sinners (+800)

Predictions

Hopster: Just to recap, both Paul Thomas Anderson and Ryan Coogler are (-1000) favorites to win Best Adapted- and Best Original Screenplay, respectively. With those two awards most likely going chalk, we've arrived at the Best Director conversation, which interestingly enough is considered a more lobsided race than either of the two writing categories (which are both runaways, as discussed). At the time of writing this, Anderson is a (-1500) favorite to win Best Director, which is incredibly steep given the closeness of these two films in many of this year's categories (including Best Picture). Part of that is likely attributable to the overwhelming likelihood that Anderson or Coogler DOES NOT win (do not place your money on this outcome unless you like your money to be on fire). It is notable that the Directors Guild of America awarded PTA their top prize this year, which, has been predictive of the Best Director winner 21 out of 25 times this century (including the last 5 consecutive years). On very rare occasion does the Academy look in a different direction, so it is understandable that Anderson is such a heavy favorite. This is his fourth time being nominated for Best Director, compared to Coogler's first time, so there is an "it's time" moment swirling for PTA, which is certainly contributing to the confidence in his chances of winning. One Battle has been steamrolling this awards season (Oppenheimer-esque), so it is hard to fathom he will win in other top-line categories and get passed over for Best Director (even if voters fancy a split between this and Best Picture, I think this is more or less a lock).

We do need to pause and recognize that there is another piece of historical significance to consider here: a black man has NEVER WON BEST DIRECTOR in 98 years at the Academy Awards. No that isn't a typo... and how in the actual fuck is that even possible??? If Coogler were to somehow break through and pull of a major upset in Best Director (and let me just say, whatever PTA fandom I have could easily be put on the shelf while we cheer on the possibility of Coogler winning), it would be a monumental moment, certainly one of the most iconic moments in the history of the Academy Awards. How can you say no to that?! In terms of predicting what is likely to happen, I have a hard time believing voters will pass on Anderson, regardless of how strong Sinners proves to be on Oscar night. And based on the precursors and current betting odds, this already seems more or less decided. Both Anderson and Coogler are without a doubt deserving of the win, but if we're placing our bets...

Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another

Isaac: Ryan Coogler – Sinners

The Secret Agent [2025]

Best Casting

Nominees

Hamnet – Nina Gold (+3300)
Marty Supreme – Jennifer Venditti (+1600)
One Battle After Another – Cassandra Kulukundis (+470)
The Secret Agent – Gabriel Domingues (+2500)
Sinners – Francine Maisler (-340)

Predictions

Isaac: Here we are in uncharted waters, how exciting! The Best Casting award is officially in its first year of existence which means we have absolutely 0 clue what is going to happen. Odds be damned, there's literally nothing that can point to any of these nominees as surefire winners. Sinners is presented as a frontrunner because it's garnered the most hardware for casting or ensemble based awards thus far. The Artios Award is given out by The Casting Society, which they've done so since 1985, which Francine Maisler took home. But its worth mentioning that One Battle After Another's Cassandra Kulukundis is not a member of the guild so she couldn't be nominated for the award, which skews the impact a tad. The Critics Choice for Best Casting and Ensemble also went to Sinners, and One Battle was nominated there so that must mean something, right? It's also worth noting that the SAG Best Ensemble award went to Sinners but that, contextually, might be more of an acting accolade than something awarded to the actual Casting Director. Maybe those things are intertwined in a way that its impossible to separate the two, but nevertheless, it could move the needle one way or the other. Since I can't exactly sit on a fence here I'm going to go with the film that has the most wins thus far in the realm of casting, which would net Maisler an Oscar for Sinners. On a side note, I'm really interested in just how powerful this award might be in the future, or even this year. The SAG Best Ensemble award has historically been a decent indicator for Best Picture. Since the lineup expanded in 2009 the Best Ensemble award has matched the BP winner 8 out of 16 times. Is this award going to correlate to the BP winner more than the SAG now? All five nominees here are up for the top award, will that always be the case? I don't think anyone out there has the answers so we'll all just have to sit back and figure it all out together!

Sinners – Francine Maisler

Hopster: One Battle After Another – Cassandra Kulukundis

Our Oscars Preview - The Niche Categories [2026]

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 01:00:00 GMT

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain [2025]

Best Animated Feature Film

Nominees

Arco – Ugo Bienvenu, Félix de Givry, Sophie Mas, and Natalie Portman (+3500)
Elio – Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina, and Mary Alice Drumm (+3500)
KPop Demon Hunters – Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans, and Michelle L.M. Wong (-1250)
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain – Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han, Nidia Santiago, and Henri Magalon (+1100)
Zootopia 2 – Jared Bush, Byron Howard, and Yvett Merino (+1100)

Predictions

Isaac: It's pretty wild that each of these movies probably could win in any other given year. Arco, even if it gets to be a little like E.T. on LSD, is a phenomenal film, Elio made me cry (thanks Pixar), and Zootopia 2 is so chock full of pop culture references it reminded me a lot of Shrek 2. No I'm not calling Zootopia 2 a masterpiece, but it has the same feel that'll get better with time. Alas, there is simply no stopping the absolute wagon that is KPop Demon Hunters. It's a little bit like the chicken and the egg with its capitlization of growing KPop fandom worldwide, or being the inciting event, but nevertheless the Sony Animation film is firmly cemented in the cultural zeitgeist. The songs are total earworms, the animation is brilliant, and it is entirely approachable and enjoyable for all ages. We even got Novak Djokovic doing a celebration inspired by the film after making the semifinals of the U.S. Open. I was one of those skeptical losers that didn't think they'd like the film and I was eating my words after the first 5 minutes. Not to mention the finale of "What it Sounds Like" rips and still gives me goosebumps. This just isn't a close race at all.

KPop Demon Hunters – Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans, and Michelle L.M. Wong

Hopster: KPop Demon Hunters – Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans, and Michelle L.M. Wong

The Girl Who Cried Pearls [2025]

Best Animated Short Film

Nominees

Butterfly – Florence Miailhe and Ron Dyens (+100)
Forevergreen – Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears (+1000)
The Girl Who Cried Pearls – Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (+230)
Retirement Plan – John Kelly and Andrew Freedman (+500)
The Three Sisters – Konstantin Bronzit (+1800)

Predictions

Hopster: After taking a year off from seeing all the Oscar-nominated shorts (not by choice, just be happenstance), I'm back! I'm ready to weigh in on all three of the Short Film categories, which in my limited experience, is a strong and seemingly competitive slate of films. And before I start, let me just say, if you're at all interested in the films (and specifically the Oscars), I cannot recommend highly enough that you seek out seeing all of these, especially if you have the chance to catch them programmed altogether consecutively at a movie theater near you. They are representative of some of the most creative exercises in filmmaking each year and are notoriously pointed, packing a strong punch in a small package.

This slate of animated short films is seemingly a three-horse race between Butterfly (the current betting favorite), The Girl Who Cried Pearls, and Retirement Plan. All three of these films are distinct in their look and feel. Butterfly is animated by way of oil painting. which tells the story of Alfred Nakache, a Jewish swimmer who competed at the Olympics before and after he survived being separated from his family at Auschwitz. Based on just the look and feel, the film is a visual achievement, like an impressionist paintining come to life. The Girl Who Cried Pearls employs the magic of stop-motion animation, which is always technically impressive and often lends itself well to telling eery stories with a certain thematic flavor. The film is about greed, empathy, and survival, which gives the audience a lot to chew on throughout and is challenging right to the very end (it's open-to-interpretation ending might win over some voters and sway others). Retirement Plan, produced by The New Yorker, is the shortest of these shorts and is also the most economical. Over the course of seven minutes, the film reminds its audience that there's no time like the present to get on and start living. Delicate but powerful and celebratory but cautionary, it's funny, moving, and profound. A wise Redditor recently said, "May retirement come fast and death come slow." Cheers to that.

Retirement Plan – John Kelly and Andrew Freedman

Isaac: Butterfly – Florence Miailhe and Ron Dyens

Best International Feature Film

Nominees

It Was Just an Accident (France) in Persian and Azerbaijani – directed by Jafar Panahi (+1400)
The Secret Agent (Brazil) in Portuguese and German – directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho (+185)
Sentimental Value (Norway) in Norwegian, Swedish, and English – directed by Joachim Trier (-210)
Sirāt (Spain) in Spanish, French, and Arabic – directed by Oliver Laxe (+5000)
The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia) in Arabic – directed by Kaouther Ben Hania (+2800)

Predictions

Isaac: I'm sorry, but it is silly how crazy this category is! You could consider this a crop of Best Picture candidates if you really wanted to, I'm dead serious. The edge overall definitely goes to Sentimental Value and The Secret Agent as they're the only films to actually be in the Best Picture race, but It Was Just An Accident probably should've been in there over someone. Jafar Panahi creating yet another tremendous piece of art that yields him a prison sentence in Iran due to being critical of the regime is one thing, but the fact that the film is so damn good is why it belongs amongst the best of the year. I was floored by what he was able to do, and he rightfully won the Palme d'Or along with numerous Best Director awards. Now, I can understand why Sentimental Value has a slight edge in the odds as it most recently took home the BAFTA for Best Film Not in English Language, a hilariously named category to be honest. But The Secret Agent is having a complete reflection of last year's I'm Still Here vs. Emilia Pérez race. Winning the Golden Globes and Critics Choice for Best International Film, along with Wagner Moura winning the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama (Fernanda Torres won this last year as well) puts the film firmly ahead of where I'm Still Here was last year which begs the question. Is Sentimental Value really that much of a frontrunner? My bet is no. I think The Secret Agent wins, making it two in a row for Brazil, and solidifying my hunch that the Academy doesn't really like Joachim Trier. I know he finally made it into Best Director but color me not convinced!

The Secret Agent (Brazil) in Portuguese and German – directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho

Hopster: Sentimental Value (Norway) in Norwegian, Swedish, and English – directed by Joachim Trier

Jane Austen's Period Drama [2025]

Best Live Action Short Film

Nominees

Butcher's Stain – Meyer Levinson-Blount and Oron Caspi (+1100)
A Friend of Dorothy – Lee Knight and James Dean (+420)
Jane Austen's Period Drama – Julia Aks and Steve Pinder (+1400)
The Singers – Sam A. Davis and Jack Piatt (+160)
Two People Exchanging Saliva – Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata (+135)

Predictions

Hopster: Like Best Animated Short Film, there is no minus betting favorite in this category, meaning it should be understood as a toss up, and in our case, exceedingly difficult to predict. The two films with the best odds that stand above the rest are Two People Exchanging Saliva and The Singers, which are practically polar opposites in terms of what they are trying to say and how they communicate their intentions. While The Singers is uplifting, redemptive, and life-affirming about the healing power of music and the importance community, Two People Exchanging Saliva is a dystopian allegory about repressed love and queerness in the face of authoritarianism. I told you these two films are truly birds of different feathers and not really on each other's corners in any way, shape, or form. If it were up to me, I'd lean Two People Exchanging Saliva, which not only has a lot to say but is a visual delight. It has the ambition of a feature film with the audacity of a short film, packed to the gills with both style and substance, which compliment one another brilliantly. Some voters might gravitate towards The Singers since it leaves you feeling better than it found you, but Two People Exchanging Saliva is the type of medicine you don't necessarily want but, in fact, need.

Two People Exchanging Saliva – Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata

Isaac: The Singers – Sam A. Davis and Jack Piatt

Best Documentary Short Film

Nominees

All the Empty Rooms – Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones (-150)
Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud – Craig Renaud and Juan Arredondo (+300)
Children No More: "Were and Are Gone" – Hilla Medalia and Sheila Nevins (+2500)
The Devil Is Busy – Christalyn Hampton and Geeta Gandbhir (+750)
Perfectly a Strangeness – Alison McAlpine (+600)

Predictions

Hopster: Remember earlier when I advocated that anyone who is even a casual cinephile or moderately interested in the Academy Awards should seek out the short films? Well, I might have been wrong, or I might have steered those of whom like to escape and have a fun time watching movies. Let me be clearer – the Documentary Short Films are not for the faint of heart. This year's slate is particularly pulverizing but powerful.Together these five films make this the most competitive short films category of the year. I'd contend that of all the categories at this year's Oscars, this is not only one of the most stacked categories, but it likely represents a collection of films that demand your fullest attention. Perfectly a Strangeness is the closest things get to feeling a bit gladdening, a rare instance of possible category fraud in the short film categories (though I'm not interested in interrogating that further at this time). This one is introspective if not somewhat charming, thanks its delightful donkey subjects. This one is on the Criterion Channel, which speaks to its high level of craft, though it has more to infer and less to actively say, which likely hurts its chance in this category. The other four films deal with subjects of social commentary and are either politically active or at least politically motivated:All the Empty Rooms presents the untouched bedrooms of children killed in school shootings; Armed with Only a Camera focuses on the death of the renowned war photojournalist documentarian, Brent Renaud; Children No More tackles the atrocities of the war in Gaza and the Palestinian genocide; and The Devil Is Busy is a day-in-the-life of an abortion clinic in Georgia in the aftermath of overturning Roe v. Wade. If it were, up to me, I'd have a hard time choosing between all these short films. If I had to narrow down to one, I'd say All the Empty Rooms might have the best chance, which could have easily been a feature-length documentary but instead uses its brevity to maximize its potency. That said, these are all worthy in their right.

All the Empty Rooms – Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones

Isaac: All the Empty Rooms – Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones

The Alabama Solution [2025]

Best Documentary Feature

Nominees

The Alabama Solution – Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman (+1600)
Come See Me in the Good Light – Ryan White, Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro, and Stef Willen (+650)
Cutting Through Rocks – Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni (+6500)
Mr Nobody Against Putin – David Borenstein, Pavel Talankin, Helle Faber, and Alžběta Karásková (+250)
The Perfect Neighbor – Geeta Gandbhir, Alisa Payne, Nikon Kwantu, and Sam Bisbee (-170)

Predictions

Isaac: Some really nice, and light documentary watches this year, huh? That was clear sarcasm because all of these films made me want to either curl up into a ball in a dark room or start punching a brick wall. I'll start by saying I think The Perfect Neighbor wins, and I'll follow that up by saying it is based on the most unscientific hunch I have ever had. None of these nominees have won 2 or more leading precursors which makes it a real toss up, especially between the top two, Mr. Nobody Against Putin and The Perfect Neighbor. The former most recently won the BAFTA which is probably a leading indicator at this point, but the latter took home the Critics Choice. But the Critics Choice for Best documentary is almost a death knell for Oscar hopes at this point. The award has existed for 10 years and in that timeframe 8 of the winners haven't even been nominated for an Oscar. So technically the fact that The Perfect Neighbor won the CCA and is nominated for the Oscar is already bucking the trend, but it's murky waters at best. Maybe I'm being overly optimistic but I think the editing and filming style is going to push it over the top, impressing Academy voters enough to get it across the finish line.

The Perfect Neighbor – Geeta Gandbhir, Alisa Payne, Nikon Kwantu, and Sam Bisbee

Hopster: The Perfect Neighbor – Geeta Gandbhir, Alisa Payne, Nikon Kwantu, and Sam Bisbee

Our Oscars Preview - The Technical Categories [2026]

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Here is Part 1 of our preview.

KPop Demon Hunters [2025]

Best Original Song

Nominees

"Dear Me" from Diane Warren: Relentless – Music and lyrics by Diane Warren (+2500)
"Golden" from KPop Demon Hunters – Music and lyrics by Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, 24, Ido, and Teddy Park (-1250)
"I Lied to You" from Sinners – Music and lyrics by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Göransson (+650)
"Sweet Dreams of Joy" from Viva Verdi! – Music and lyrics by Nicholas Pike (+3500)
"Train Dreams" from Train Dreams – Music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner; lyrics by Nick Cave (+2000)

Predictions

Hopster: We need to start by at least acknowledging Diane Warren, who is perpetually the bridesmaid but never the bride at the Oscars. She has earned seventeen(!!) Academy Award nominations and received an Academy Honorary Award in 2022 – but has never won (that's what you call a statistical anomaly). She has eight straight years with a nomination, including every year we've covered the Academy Awards (I'm not kidding, check back to 2025, and 2024, and 2023, and 2022, and 2021). And even still, I'm dubious this will be her year. "I Lied to You" from Sinners is my personal pick, a song that is the centerpiece of last year's signature musical scene (lest we forget Miles Caton's otherworldly vocal performance). But, if you're trying to predict winners at a high level of accuracy and have a low-to-nonexistent risk tolerance, I would not advise you to pick anything other than "Golden" from KPop Demon Hunters. Ever heard of it? If not, how have things been going for you under that rock you've clearly just emerged out from under for the first time in eight months? "Golden" may in fact be the most successful K-pop song... of all time. It spent 20 weeks at No. 1 on the global Billboard charts and became the first K-pop song to win a Grammy, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks. Oh, and KPop Demon Hunters is Netflix's most-watched movie in its history, logging 325 million views (which is nearly 100 million more than the second-most-watched film, Red Notice, blehh). If you don't heed anything else I write all week (or ever again), just pick "Golden" to win and tune out the rest.

"Golden" from KPop Demon Hunters – Music and lyrics by Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, 24, Ido, and Teddy Park

Isaac: "Golden" from KPop Demon Hunters – Music and lyrics by Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, 24, Ido, and Teddy Park

Frankenstein [2025]

Best Original Score

Nominees

Bugonia – Jerskin Fendrix (+2500)
Frankenstein – Alexandre Desplat (+2200)
Hamnet – Max Richter (+2200)
One Battle After Another – Jonny Greenwood (+1100)
Sinners – Ludwig Göransson (-1250)

Predictions

Isaac: It feels like Ludwig Göransson was shot out of a cannon and into the pantheon of composers over the past eight to ten years. His score for Creed in 2015 was sensational, and his next collaboration with Ryan Coogler for Black Panther in 2018 saw him win his first Oscar in this category. He then got a little more experimental with the trippy Tenet score in 2020 which probably helped him push boundaries further for Oppenheimer where he won his second Oscar. Oh and he won a Grammy and an Emmy in that timeframe making him one Tony away from EGOT status at 41 years old. His score for Sinners is another transformative experience and his work is some of the best being put out right now, I expect him to be back here next year for The Odyssey as well. Gimme Ludwig taking home Oscar number three.

Sinners – Ludwig Göransson

Hopster: Sinners – Ludwig Göransson

Best Sound

Nominees

F1 – Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, and Juan Peralta (-450)
Frankenstein – Greg Chapman, Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke, and Brad Zoern (+3500)
One Battle After Another – José Antonio García, Christopher Scarabosio, and Tony Villaflor (+1600)
Sinners – Chris Welcker, Benjamin A. Burtt, Felipe Pacheco, Brandon Proctor, and Steve Boeddeker (+600)
Sirāt – Amanda Villavieja, Laia Casanovas, and Yasmina Praderas (+2200)

Predictions

Hopster: Vroom vroom, y'all. Here's a technical category where Sinners, One Battle, Frankenstein, three of this year's preeminent craft darlings, are all seeing the taillights of another film zoom past them. F1, which just the top prize at the Cinema Audio Society Awards, is the betting favorite for Best Sound. Since the sound categories were consolidated at the Oscars in 2020 (combining Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing) this guild has been predictive of the winner 3/5 times... so small sample size. Even still, F1 seems like an obvious place to spread the awards wealth, and a win here would certainly be deserved. As an aside, I think it's fantastic that Sirāt was nominated as well! The sound design and and mixing is incredible (reminiscent of The Zone of Interest, which won two years back), and in a world with a more even playing field, it would be more in the mix to win. Alas, buckle your seat belts and wave the checkered flag, this is F1's trophy to lose.

F1 – Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, and Juan Peralta

Isaac: F1 – Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, and Juan Peralta

Avatar: Fire and Ash [2025]

Best Costume Design

Nominees

Avatar: Fire and Ash – Deborah L. Scott (+2500)
Frankenstein – Kate Hawley (-900)
Hamnet – Malgosia Turzanska (+1400)
Marty Supreme – Miyako Bellizzi (+2200)
Sinners – Ruth E. Carter (+1400)

Predictions

Isaac: I can't be the only one that thinks it is at least a little funny that Avatar: Fire and Ash is in this category. Admittedly, Deborah L. Scott did physically design and create every piece which was then scanned and transformed into CGI for the characters, but, forgive me for thinking this opens a can of worms that makes no sense. If we're going to allow digital costuming to be in here then what's to stop animated wardrobes from being nominated next? Should KPop Demon Hunters been nominated for this too? What fresh hell is this!?

Gripes aside, when it comes to technical categories, it feels like it's just time for Guillermo del Toro's profound vision and detail oriented direction to swoop in with his team and collect some hardware. Yet, his films have never won a Best Costume Design Oscar. Luis Sequeira was nominated for The Shape of Water and Nightmare Alley but lost to Phantom Thread and Cruella, respectively. Now enters Kate Hawley who del Toro partnered with back on Pacific Rim and more notable 2015's Crimson Peak which was egregiously snubbed from this category. Hawley's work in Frankenstein is astonishing, immersive, and is correctly considered the front-runner at the moment and I'm not going to go against that. I think its about damn time a del Toro film gets a Costume Design Oscar and Hawley deserves it. Also worth noting though is Ruth E. Carter's awesome work on Sinners where she repurposed existing costumes, reportedly for Marvel's scrapped Blade movie, to create some fantastic looks. Another well deserved nomination for the legendary costume designer who won twice before when working with Ryan Coogler in Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Depending on the Academy's willingness to keep the Sinners train rolling, I wouldn't be shocked to see Carter win in an upset here.

Frankenstein – Kate Hawley

Hopster: Frankenstein – Kate Hawley

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Nominees

Frankenstein – Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, and Cliona Furey (-700)
Kokuho – Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino, and Tadashi Nishimatsu (+2800)
Sinners – Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine, and Shunika Terry (+1000)
The Smashing Machine – Kazu Hiro, Glen Griffin, and Bjoern Rehbein (+1400)
The Ugly Stepsister – Thomas Foldberg and Anne Cathrine Sauerberg (+2500)

Predictions

Hopster: Here's something interesting – did you know that the Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild has five unique categories for feature-length films at their awards show? In case you're wondering they are: Best Contemporary Make-Up, Best Contemporary Hair Styling, Best Period and/or Character Make-Up, Best Period Hair Styling and/or Character Hair Styling, and Best Special Make-Up Effects. This sub-categorization makes predicting this category both easier and more difficult. In the past seven years, the winner at the Academy Awards won at least one of the Guild's awards, so in that respect, it can be a strong indicator. Two of the three films that won are also Oscar-nominated, Frankenstein (the odds-on favorite) and Sinners; interestingly, One Battle After Another is absent here in favor of a lot of smaller, lesser-seen films (which is honestly a good thing in my opinion). Both Frankenstein and Sinners are widely nominated in the technical films, so it will likely be down to these two, making this an interesting quandry. My gut says to go with Frankenstein, which will assuredly be more competitive in these below-the-line categories than it will be in the top-line ones, like acting, directing, writing, etc. Don't you think voters might lean to recognize the amazing and easy-to-appreciate marvel of the prosthetic work that went into transforming one of the hottest dudes alive into possibly the hottest "Creature" that has ever existed? No offense to Sinners, which would certainly be a worthy winner here, but I'd lean on the belief that this is a category where, often, the MOST work is recognized, not just the best work. And sometimes, those things are on in the same. Don't worry Jacob, those midnight call times and 10-hour sits in the makeup chair were worth it.

Frankenstein – Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, and Cliona Furey

Isaac: Frankenstein – Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, and Cliona Furey

Best Production Design

Nominees

Frankenstein – Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau (-600)
Hamnet – Production Design: Fiona Crombie; Set Decoration: Alice Felton (+2000)
Marty Supreme – Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Adam Willis (+2500)
One Battle After Another – Production Design: Florencia Martin; Set Decoration: Anthony Carlino (+2200)
Sinners – Production Design: Hannah Beachler; Set Decoration: Monique Champagne (+600)

Predictions

Isaac: I won't make this a long and arduous explanation. I already made my case for del Toro films to win big in technical categories, and Frankenstein is the dictionary definition of a technical movie. Let's take that to the bank and deposit it.

Frankenstein – Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau

Hopster: Sinners – Production Design: Hannah Beachler; Set Decoration: Monique Champagne

Best Cinematography

Nominees

Frankenstein – Dan Laustsen (+2800)
Marty Supreme – Darius Khondji (+6500)
One Battle After Another – Michael Bauman (-200)
Sinners – Autumn Durald Arkapaw (+230)
Train Dreams – Adolpho Veloso (+550)

Predictions

Hopster: Let me hit you with some hard hard-hitting data: over the last 25 years, whichever film wins at the American Society of Cinematographers has gone on to win Best Cinematography at the Academy Awards only about 50% of the time. In the last decade, this has ticked up to 60%, so essentially still a coin flip. Point being, I would not put too much stock on this as a predictor when filling out my ballot. Numbers-wise, this is one of the more competitive technical categories of the year, with three films all reasonably in the mix. The longest shot of those three is probably Train Dreams, though many would argue that the way the film looks is its strongest feature. Winning here may be its best shot at an Oscar, but that is probably unlikely given the dominance of the other two favorites. Like so many other categories, this will be a showdown between One Battle After Another and Sinners. Come Oscar night, you may be able to talk yourself into two different scenarios: winning this category early on in the telecast could demonstrate strength and signal which film might have stronger support with voters, including the top-line categories; or winning this category could be a red herring and function as a consolation prize wherein voters are spreading the wealth and divvying up wins across categories. Now let me share another important data point: in its 98-year history, the Academy Awards has never awarded Best Cinematography to a woman. Yep, you read that right! In fact, prior to Arkapaw, only three women have ever been nominated!! And all three of those women have been nominated within the past ten years!!! (Rachel Morrison for Mudbound in 2018; Ari Wegner for The Power of the Dog in 2022; and Mandy Walker for Elvis in 2023). In a race this tight, I would encourage voters to make history and award Sinners. Arkapaw's work is extraordinary – the film was shot on 65mm film, using a mix of IMAX 15-perf and Ultra Panavision 70 to deliver a one-of-a-kind viewing experience with a dual-aspect-ratio look (1.43:1 and 2.76:1... yes, I am ripping this off Google but now you know). Not too dissimilar as last year when the Academy recognized Lol Crawley for shooting The Brutalist on VistaVision, but just as if not more impressive. Now let me just point out that Michael Bauman's work in One Battle is incredible, and he did just win the top prize at the American Society of Cinematographers Awards... but I still think Arkapaw inches this out.

Sinners – Autumn Durald Arkapaw

Isaac: One Battle After Another – Michael Bauman

F1 [2025]

Best Film Editing

Nominees

F1 – Stephen Mirrione (+240)
Marty Supreme – Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie (+2500)
One Battle After Another – Andy Jurgensen (-340)
Sentimental Value – Olivier Bugge Coutté (10000)
Sinners – Michael P. Shawver (+1600)

Predictions

Isaac: The big precursor for Film Editing is the American Cinema Editors guild's Eddie awards. Yes that's a mouthful and yes that's why they just call themselves the ACE. I should've led with that. Anyways, the guild has two top prizes for editing, split into drama and comedy, and one of the winners in those two categories goes on to win the Oscar 17 out of the past 26 years. The biggest outlier was last year where Emilia Perez and Wicked won the Eddies and Anora won the Oscar. Do I think that trend will continue this year for F1 since Sinners and One Battle After Another won the Eddies? Eh, probably not. But, I'm in the mood for some chaos and since Sinners took home the drama Eddie, I think these odds are outrageous by the way, I'm going with Michael P. Shawver to be awarded for his fantastic work.

Sinners - Michael P. Shawver

Hopster: One Battle After Another – Andy Jurgensen

Best Visual Effects

Nominees

Avatar: Fire and Ash – Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, and Daniel Barrett (-1100)
F1 – Ryan Tudhope, Nicolas Chevallier, Robert Harrington, and Keith Dawson (+1000)
Jurassic World Rebirth – David Vickery, Stephen Aplin, Charmaine Chan, and Neil Corbould (+3500)
The Lost Bus – Charlie Noble, David Zaretti, Russell Bowen, and Brandon K. McLaughlin (+2500)
Sinners – Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter, and Donnie Dean (+1400)

Predictions

Hopster: Not going to lie, I kind of exhausted my interest in deep-diving some of the historical precedents for these categories (and let's face it, this is already a pretty long write-up). So forgive me if I give you less of a quantitative analysis and lean on a more qualitative rationale for predicting this category, which tends to be kind of all over the place anyway. This year, there is a lot overlap between the Oscar nominees and the films recognized by the Visual Effects Society, which seems like it would be helpful in trying to figure out a winner. But also, we might not need to overthink this one. Both Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water won Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards, and in both cases, these were viewed as landmark achievements for visual filmmaking. Currently marked as a heavy favorite, Avatar: Fire and Ash looks like it will continue this trend and win yet again. For a medium that will soon be threatened (and probably held captive) by the use of and soon-to-be over-reliance on generative AI, this could sadly be something of a last-gasp for recognizing human-led motion-capture in a big studio production... which, when you think about it, is quite harrowing to say the least. In case you forgot, we're still doomed.

Avatar: Fire and Ash – Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, and Daniel Barrett

Isaac: Avatar: Fire and Ash – Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, and Daniel Barrett

Hoppers

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 08:00:00 GMT

Hoppers [2026]

Film

While hard to believe, yes, Hoppers, the movie in which a girl's mind is transferred into a robot beaver in order to learn about the natural order and the animals within it, is nothing like Avatar. Or so we're told, in fact quite emphatically by Dr. Sam (Kathy Najimy), the visionary professor behind the immersive technology. Yet, Hoppers is a little like Avatar, and The Wild Robot, and the rest of the Pixar animation catalog in the sense that we've come to expect a high level of excellence from their teams. In the midst of all the familiarity that Daniel Chong's new animated adventure evokes, lies something completely new and revelatory. A theatrical odyssey that effortlessly makes you cry with tears of heartwarming joy and sidesplitting laughter, as if they were one and the same, Hoppers is simply the best film Pixar has put out in years. It's a charming mix of heart, humor, and technical excellence that goes absolutely bananas, something that it seems like Pixar has been hesitant to do in films past.

Mabel, voiced terrifically by Piper Curda, is the intrepid hero of the beavers, so to speak. Inspired by her former park ranger grandmother — the two of them bonding in the natural beauty of a nearby glade — Mabel takes it upon herself to stop the encroaching construction project from the city's mayor Jerry, voiced by an equally wonderful and hilarious Jon Hamm. So when she stumbles upon Dr. Sam's technology, that once again is nothing like Avatar, she couldn't help herself but to transfer her mind into a robotic beaver, gather the animals like a rallying of the troops, return to the glade, and stop Jerry's construction.

This much of Chong and Jesse Andrews' story plays out like a textbook Pixar film: a familial bond delivering the emotional heft of the film, a light but meaningful conflict between characters. The film's everybody play nice in the sandbox approach to politics could be a little light in the current times, but it honestly is a refreshingly easy and heartwarming decision that I enjoyed. Together, it all spells out good clean family fun.

And yet, Chong and Andrews carefully orchestrate an upheaval within their own film that is a flat out blast.

It all starts with the unraveling of the scientific order of Dr. Sam's technology. The rules and procedures in which it operates are never explained or fully understood, the team of researchers don't even know what will happen to Mabel's brain if she's in the robot for a long enough time. There are no rules, no boundaries, which makes for exquisite world building. All the animals have left Mabel's beloved glade, giving Jerry's construction project a viable path forward, and have all moved into one gigantic pond. The pond is governed by a simple set of "pond rules" set forth by King George, who is brought to life by astoundingly charismatic voice work from Bobby Moynihan. But as Hoppers pushes on, the rules bend, the hierarchy blurs, and more zany characters are introduced such as other regal leaders at the head of their animal classification. I can't possibly dive into all of the wildly exciting things that happen, but the real feat of it all is how neatly everything ties together into the words Mabel's grandmother inspired her with, the beauty in feeling like you're a part of something bigger.

Hoppers [2026]

Mabel and Jerry's back and forth portions, Mabel's time in the pond amidst the animals fighting for their home, and even the animals fighting against the humans—which isn't really a spoiler but a fun tidbit to look forward to—all are great thematic tie ins Chong wields with aplomb. The varying relationships, no matter how bonkers they get and how wildly it veers from the classic Pixar formula, it all focuses back to Mabel's relationship with her Grandma. Hoppers doesn't do this with overt pandering, or any type of schmaltzy moments, but through its heart and humor.

Outside of the film's story and the organized chaos within it, Hoppers is a sensational technical feat. The animation is sharp, but it retains an innocent and soft appeal to it. I mean seriously, the animals are downright adorable and I could stare at them all day. Not to mention there are some insanely fun needle drops that accompany Mark Mothersbaugh's phenomenal score. Veering between 80's and 90's synth pop vibes and big emotional swings, the music is the perfect partner to the on-screen product, elevating the big moments while letting them operate in their own space, and illuminating the in-between with fun and exciting beats. There really isn't a dull moment.

I know it might seem like hyperbole to say something like "this is the best Pixar movie in years," especially with such a renowned filmography. Elio is quite literally up for the Best Animated Oscars this year. Just like Inside Out 2 was last year, and Elemental the year before, and Turning Red before that, and Luca... you get the point. But those films felt almost too polished. Too afraid to explode into the unknowns of wildly inventive filmmaking that Pixar was known for in its golden era. Hoppers is the type of film to unshackle your imagination and let your thoughts run free, all the while reminding you that we don't get anywhere in life without some heart.

And a whole lot of humor can go a long way.

Froth

With a name like Hoppers I went for something hoppy and dare I say, dank. Reuben's Brews was happy to oblige with their Hopsteady IPA, a West Coast IPA that finishes with that wonderful hoppy/dankness that can make or break a beer. Luckily, Reuben's balances its finish with a grapefruit center, giving a bright citrus element to the bulk of the drink, while the aromatic finish takes more of a backseat. Which makes for a pretty fun brew if you ask me. Basically, I'm seeing that it all boils down to a nice balance that keeps everything together. Not too much dank, not too much citrus, just like Hoppers working with a mighty fine balance of chaotic humor and heartwarming emotions, ultimately resulting in something worth enjoying.

Quite the tie-in there, huh?

Desolate Desert

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 08:00:00 GMT

Sirāt [2026]

(6-minute read)

Film

A man and his son arrive at a rave lost in the mountains of Morocco. They are looking for Marina, their daughter and sister, who disappeared months ago at another rave. Driven by fate, they decide to follow a group of ravers in search one last party, in hopes Marina will be there.

From Óliver Laxe comes Sirāt, an ambitious, test-your-limits type of film that is easy on the eyes but heavy on the heart. After premiering at the Cannes Film Festival and winning the Jury Prize last spring, it went on to be one of the most renowned international films of the year, culminating with it receiving two Oscar nominations at this year's Academy Awards (Best International Feature Film and Best Sound). Sirāt is hard to get your arms around, much less put into words, and should be experienced rather than explained.

Spoilers aplenty

Have you ever been to a rave in the desert? I, for one, have not. In theory, I can imagine it being a good time, I suppose. But also, it seems like the kind of experience where you really have to push outside the structures of your day-to-day life in order to seek one out and participate. In the opening sequence of Sirāt, we see a roadie crew setting up a a pop-up rave out past the fringes of everyday society. Massive loudspeakers are carefully positioned in broad daylight in the middle of the vast and unforgiving deserts of southern Morocco, a stage set for hundreds of nomads to seek refuge to for as long as the music lasts. The camera cuts and pans around, focusing on five individuals in a large crowd of people dancing; these characters, all of whom are non-professional actors, will play important roles throughout the film. They're moving their bodies freely and with a kind of whimsy and enthusiasm that can only be conjured and expressed in this kind of communal solitude (and surely with the help of experimental drugs and hallucinogenics). At first glance, this isn't that dissimilar to a bunch of Deadheads floating around and swaying back and forth while Bob Weir sings Fire on the Mountain. And yet, the setting and semi-impromtu nature of this desert dancefloor seems different. What brings these people together? What are they searching for? What are they leaving behind?

For Luis (Sergi López) and his son Esteban (Bruno Núñez Arjona), it means searching for their missing daughter and sister, Mar. She's been gone a while it seems, or at least long enough for Luis and Esteban to decide to venture to this rave to see if they can find her. But she's nowhere in sight. According to the subgroup of dancing ravers we were introduced earlier, which includes Stef, Jade, Tonin, Bigui, and Josh, another rave will be happening soon deeper in the desert. Meanwhile, the current rave is broken up by a group of soldiers – European ravers in attendance are set to be evacuated, due to an escalating armed conflict that has commenced between two countries, described as a "World War III-like event." Despite the subgroup's attempt to dissuade Luis and Esteban from venturing deeper into the desert, especially given Luis is driving a compact car. They all caravan south, with the intention of finding the next rave, and for Luis and Esteban, hopefully Mar.

The first half of the film is essentially a road movie, an arduous journey into the difficult-to-navigate and unforgiving desert landscape. There's undeniable homage to movies like Mad Max: Fury Road and Sorcerer, where the specifics don't really matter, and you just need to hop on and enjoy the ride. The majority of the film's action is dedicated to extended sequences of trucks speeding across sweeping vistas or methodically trudging through rough terrain. By design,Sirāt is an overwhelming sensory experience, where the louds are loud, the quiet is quiet, the bright is bright, and the dark is dark. Cinematographer Mauro Herce and editor Cristóbal Fernández should be credited for their masterful control over and careful shaping of each frame, whether it be the musucular camera movement and positioning, or by way of the film's propulsive editing. The way the film feels is only accentuated by the pulsing, "feel it down into your diaphragm" rave music from Kangding Ray, which vibrates through many of the film's loudest and grandest sequences, as well as some of its most tender and intimate.

And all of sudden, almost out of nowhere, something happens that abrubtly triggers the film's second half. You'll know it when you see it, and you may not recover from what happens... I do want to safeguard the film's biggest reveals to preserve its shock factor, but just know that what Laxe has in store for the rest of the runtime is not for the faint of heart. The last hour of Sirāt does not pull a single punch, nor does it move in ways that feel familiar or predictable. All of that is a good thing, I'd say – at least until you reckon with the film's deepest questions. If you treat this film like a modern fable, where the characters are archetypal and the broad narrative strokes are meant to make you feel more than think, I think the film is very successful. There's a lot to chew on, in part because many of the story details are never fully fleshed out (e.g., that "World War III-type event"). But I want to circle back to the questions I posed earlier: What brings these people together? What are they searching for? What are they leaving behind? What does it mean when a film refuses to even attempt to provide answeres to the questions and mysteries it lays out? Depending on the kind of viewer you are and what you're looking for in a movie, your mileage may vary as to whether these questions are really answered, or at a minimum, addressed.

For me, the film's biggest shortcoming is that it fails to fully connect me to its characters and their story arcs. By over-relying on dramatic circumstance to push things forward rather than more character-driven motivations, I thought the film abandoned much of what was interesting about its first half. While I do think the use of non-professional actors was a savvy move to bring the audience in this very specific world, I was disappointed that many of the films most powerful moments were performative and maximalist rather than observed and introspective. More simply put, I thought some of the "whoa, holy shit" moments undercut some of the film's honesty and ethos, to the point where I found myself asking that tricky question when you're not exactly sure how you should feel by the end: what was this all for? I should clarify – I'm someone who often responds to an ambiguous, under-explained, open-to-interpretation ending! I think one of the most powerful tools a filmmaker has at their disposal is the power to leave their audience asking questions rather than having all the answers by the end of a film. In the case of Sirāt, it's not that I didn't like how it ended, but to me, it just didn't feel earned.

Overall, I left Sirāt feeling thrilled by its craft, impressed by its narrative bravery, and piqued by its thematic probing. Journeying deep into a literal desert to find one's family while figuratively delving into the desert of one's soul made for a challenging but memorable experience. Though I didn't completely buy into the depths of despair and bask in any newfound catharsis, I did stagger out of the theater and had a hard time shaking the film off – which I mean as a compliment. Make sure to catch this one at the theater and hand yourself over to it.

Froth

Back for more at Hop Butcher! Okay, you caught me, I might have sampled a flight during my last visit, sooo I might even have a few more to cover in the coming weeks. Here's a jet-black, heavy-bodied American Imperial Stout that has a dark-tan head and brings together two flavors that know each other very well: chocolate and peanut butter. This is their Fat Bear, which has a hefty 10.5% ABV to help you forget your problems but enough flavor to remind you that, yes, your taste buds are still working just fine. Creamy, roasty, and perfectly carbonated, this is another exceptional beer from one of Chicago's A-tier breweries. Normally, I'm headed to Hop Butcher for Hazy IPAs (which is prettyyy much what they're known for, I know), but I found this to be a delightful departure. And guess what? It's excellent! Everything they touch turns to gold. And in this case, that black gold tastes like a liquid Reese's Peanut Butter cup... with a much higher alcohol content. Drink this in while it's still around... I'm assuming this is on a rotation like most of their drafts?

How To Make A Killing

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 08:00:00 GMT

How to Make a Killing [2026]

Film

At this point, it is abundantly clear that writer/director John Patton Ford has a seething hatred for the ultra-wealthy and capitalism. If that didn't come off as a gimme after his debut film, Emily the Criminal, well, then it's certain to be blatant in his latest film, How to Make a Killing. Set up as a dark comedy, crime caper, Ford's film follows Becket Redfellow (Glen Powell), whose conception out of wedlock from his heiress mother (Nell Williams) and her subsequent refusal to get an abortion finds her kicked out of her family's estate by the cold, brooding father (Ed Harris). Becket's mother, however, strives to enrich his life with a wealth of experiences rather than money. When she sadly passes, her final words are seared into Becket's brain, beckoning him to never give up until he leads the life he was meant to. Which brings us to Ford's reimagining of Kind Hearts and Coronets, where Becket must murder his 7 family members ahead of him in the family will in order to receive his full inheritance. It's a set-up for a fresh take on a classic film that could pay massive dividends, pun intended. Yet, Ford doesn't dial up the style at all, which leads to a squandered cast and story.

On the positive side, Ford does take his adaptation of the classic British film quite seriously, taking the essential storytelling aspects and revitalizing them for modern times. Powell's Becket opens up the film on death row, where he regales his entire life story to the prison priest, which is a mirror image of Dennis Price's Louis in the 1949 film. The narration of the film keeps it moving at a brisk pace and provides some strong comedic moments that keep the dark humor fresh and fun. However, Ford's story can be incredibly frustrating at times, playing it too safe. Powell's effortless charm and charisma are barely utilized, and his narration often fails to expound on the intricacy of his murders, omitting any sort of style or panache. Which, when Becket is hesitant to begin his homicidal descent and then suddenly becomes Jason Bourne, the audience is left behind, in the dust. The worst part of it all is that the murders are incredibly entertaining, as dark as it sounds. They appear to be solid plans, the planning of which we never see outside of a baseball-cap-wearing Powell doing some reconnaissance, but without knowing how we got from A to B, B is ultimately kind of dull.

That being said, Ford does know how to stoke the flames of tension, creating a slow boil throughout the film that yields an entertaining climax. Using complete opposite love interests like Ruth (Jessica Henwick), the ex-lover of one of Becket's cousins/victims (a tremendously fun cameo by Zach Woods), who is one of the few people in the film that actually listens to their conscience and has a moral compass. Along with Julia (Margaret Qualley), a childhood crush that reemerges with her own finances going down the drain and looks to be engaging in her own nefarious schemes, the duality of Becket's romantic life and their influences on his morality creates a tense environment. What does Julia know that Ruth doesn't? And of course, the thesis of Ford's ultra-wealthy takedown piece, how much is enough? Becket's internal struggle to value love, let alone the type of love, is a welcome layer to an otherwise bland film. Avenging his mother, rekindling his childhood crush, or exploring his very real love with Ruth, even with billions in inheritance, it might not be possible to have it all.

Given the potential for interesting sleuthing scenes with Becket investigating his "targets", I was hoping for at least a little bit of the gonzo energy seen in Richard Linklater's Hit Man. Linklater tapped into a much more whimsical Powell, emboldening him with outrageous costumes, wigs, and accents, which, of course, offered a different tone than Ford's film. But still, the dark humor within the film provides ample space for more flair, especially in the margins of Becket's schemes, which we never see.

All things considered, however, How to Make a Killing had just enough to keep me intrigued. With its twisting moral complexities and frustrating character decisions, the core plot, along with Powell's performance, is still enjoyable to watch. The depraved nature of the cousins, again thanks to great cameos by Woods and Topher Grace, adds to Ford's satirical take on the corruption of wealth, which is more muddled than desired. Ford's bleak ending is unfortunately overwrought with symbolism that was missing the entire time. Avoiding spoilers, but to end on a heavy-handed metaphor on the shackles of riches and abandonment of morality when Becket opens the film yelling about money buying happiness feels a bit off. If you're going to say something about the insidiousness of wealth, then stick by it. The nebulous mix of moral complexity and wealth (what is enough) lingers in the mind, but when the credits roll, you're still waiting for the main course.

Froth

It's gotten a lot frostier in Seattle lately, so naturally, I beat the weather by heading down to Portland for the annual Film & Froth Best Picture Brewery Crawl (TM). Yes, I know we need a shorter name, and yes I know Portland was an excellent choice because the beer was incredible. Plus, given Ford's dark humor in How to Make a Killing, along with the chilly weather it felt right to pair this film with a delicious stout from Evasion Brewing. The Feel Like a Nut stout is a whopping 8% ABV, a heavy hitter by all measures, but you would never guess it after the first sip. And the second, third, fourth, you get the idea here. It is a sumptious beverage that is undeniably delectable. There's a nutty warmth alongside the roasted aroma, along with a pinch of coconut to accent the chocolate sweetness. The bartender at Evasion, shout out to Joy, compared the stout to an Almond Joy which I know can ruffle some feathers but it is much more subdued in its flavors. It isn't overly sweet or boozy, instead maintaining a strong balance of flavors with a medium body that makes for a smooth and delightfully warming treat during these colder weeks.

Wuthering Heights (Emerald's Version)

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 08:00:00 GMT

"Wuthering Heights" [2026]

(10-minute read)

Film

Tragedy strikes when Heathcliff falls in love with Catherine Earnshaw, a woman from a wealthy family in 18th-century England.

Imaginative or misguided? Perceptive or oblivious? Sensuous or chaste? Transgressive or provocative? How far is too far and how far is not far enough? Just in time for Valentine's Day weekend comes a shit-stirring adaptation of "Wuthering Heights", written and directed by Emerald Fennell, a filmmaker whose greatest strength is being allergic to subtlety and agnostic to criticism. This is her third feature film, which follows her debut, Promising Young Woman (for which she won Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards), and Saltburn (for which she received zero Oscar nominations, for better or for worse, depending on who you ask). Currently projected to earn upwards of $50 million at the domestic box office (and potentially $70 million worldwide) in its opening weekend, this divisive (some may say reckless) retelling of Emily Brontë’s bleak and stormy masterwork will either turn you on or turn you off – or maybe even turn you off while trying to turn you on. Are you blushing or just bothered?

Spoilers aplenty

Recapping something as significant and singular as Brontë’s Wuthering Heights is, admittedly, a silly if not downright foolish exercise that will surely expose my fraudulence as a both a writer and thinker... so, here it goes! Charlotte's whiz kid younger sister was sadly a one-and-done author (she started writing Wuthering Heights at 27, it was published when she was 29, and she sadly died one year later); and yet, nearly 180 years later, the story of Heathcliff, Cathy, and those families of the West Yorkshire moors, has permanent staying power, and is a cornerstone of the Western literature canon.

Literary scholars recall that 'the vivid sexual passion and power of its language and imagery impress, bewildered and appalled reviewers'¹, which apparently, led to many early readers to think it had been written by a man (nahh dudes, that's a girl boss, named Emily, she's using a sneaky pseudonym). If you're not familiar with the novel (I wasn't until just recently when I crammed in my first read-through), Wuthering Heights is more about violent and vengeful passion then it is about a true and idyllic romance. Romantic in theme and Gothic in vibe, the book is a multi-generational story of tragedy and trauma, its characters reckoning with love vs. obsession, social status vs. power, and revenge vs. reconciliation. Despite it's potency, it is dense, sprawling, and difficult to get your arms around; a true and pure adaptation that is uncompromisingly faithful to an Unfiltered Brontë™ would not only be nearly impossible to pull off, but it certainly wouldn't be easy to market or perhaps even sit through.

Which brings us to today: enter Emerald Fennell, who has made a film that pays homage and celebrates certain aspects of the source material, while also deviating in ways that are unapologetically subversive (sometimes for the sake of being subversive). Her Cathy is played by our Barbie, Margot Robbie (who also produced the film alongside her husband), and her Heathcliff is played by our Frankenstein's Creature, Jacob Elordi. Wait, let's pause right there, because for Brontë purists, this is already a misstep. Based on the text, both actors are far too old to play these characters, whom are canonically 6-7 years old when they meet and approximately 17-18 in the context of this retelling (Robbie and Elordi are 35 and 28, respectively). Oh, and more notably, casting Elordi as the racially ambiguous Heathcliff, described as resembling a "dark-skinned gipsy" or "Lascar" in the novel, is definitely controversial if not a bit irresponsible (put a pin in that we'll circle back in just a second). To round out the cast, Shazad Latif plays Edgar Linton, Cathy's to-be husband; Alison Oliver plays Isabella Linton, Edgar's sister and Heathcliff's to-be wife; and Hong Chau plays Nelly Dean, the steadfast housekeeper (ahem, servant) in the story, who also functions as the primary narrator in the novel... and is kinda, sorta framed as the de facto villain in Fennell's adaptation. Wow, yikes, okay, there are red flags everywhere. So, there's whitewashing going on, but also colorblind casting? Yeah, it's a lot (can we take the pin out now? No, not yet).

In stark contrast to Brontë, Fennell also radically departs from the novel narratively-speaking. Her script retrofits the story to accommodate her own cinematic interests, shamelessly cherry-picking bits and pieces of the all-consuming love connection between Cathy and Heathcliff. This is more or less Wuthering Heights fan fiction as envisioned by Fennell, leaving behind many of the intellectual and emotional intimacies and entanglements that lurk within every page of the book. Brontë's nuance and subtext is exchanged for something glossier and more chic, which happens to star two of the hottest people on the planet, no less. Maybe that isn't a good thing for the story, but you know what's not sexy? Class hierarchies understood by way of marriage, inheritance, and land ownership. You know what is sexy? Two smoldering celebrities brooding in a sweeping, atmospheric vista in costumes that are not period-accurate getting all hot and bothered, unable to resist one another while a Charli XCX banger is playing over the top. To many, that is, in fact, cinema! Now is the perfect time to compliment the production designer, Suzie Davies, costume designer, Jacqueline Durran, and cinematographer, Linus Sandgren, all of whom represent some of the best choices Fennell made in conceiving and executing on her vision for the film. Their involvement cannot be underestimated, and many of the best moments hinge upon their contributions. Remember Heathcliff appearing in the fog? Mhmm, that's what I'm talking about. And then Cathy's wedding veil blowing in the wind? Yup, that's what we're here for. In creating a memorable sensory experience, these filmmakers understand that this is horny Pride and Prejudice, or Bridgerton for the big screen, or Titanic without the boat. Sure, it's all a bit anachronistic and garish, but that doesn't mean it's insincere. To invoke Taylor Swift, someone whose cultural impact as an artist is imprinted all over this film (audibly and visually): "It's charming, if a little gauche."

"Wuthering Heights" [2026]

And with that, it is officially time to take out the pin. Yes, the casting is problematic, for a variety of reasons that we already touched on. Both Robbie and Elordi are a bit miscast if you're doing a text reading, but in Fennell's world, it doesn't really matter. They are both great actors – she can carry the entire emotional weight of a scene on her face, holding it all in before letting herself crumble at a moment's notice; meanwhile, he is stoic and restrained, a sad boy trapped inside his towering frame with great presence and vulnerability. And of course, they're both stunningly beautiful. Their chemistry is believable, but I never felt like they disappeared inside their characters. Maybe that's hard to pull off given some of the narrative concessions you have to make – don't overthink it, and it's fine.

What's more complicated is untangling what the film wants to be versus what it actually is. Brontë's Cathy and Heathcliff share a destructive love that is possessive, manipulative, and toxic – the romance they share is absolute but far from healthy. In Fennell's adaptation, much of this is either implied or more timidly presented. There is love and sex, there is yearning, control, and a lack of control. There's plenty of heat and attraction, and even a little bit of kink. But I'll point out, that in the book, Cathy and Heathcliff do not consummate their relationship at any point, which is a crucial plot point, especially in the context of the book's second half (where, SPOILER, Heathcliff tries to reenact his and Cathy's love with his kid and hers, which is as wild as it sounds). In my estimation, the best and worst part of Fennell's adaptation is that the film seems to be built on a what if: what if Cathy and Heathcliff had sex? In terms of the narrative, this is probably the biggest departure from Brontë and may very well be the thought experiment of which this entire film is built on. What if their attraction and love wasn't just theoretical? What if these two were more like star-crossed lovers à la Romeo and Juliet or Jack and Rose? This might be the point where LitHeads completely unravel, recognizing that this leads to less interesting character motivations and a shallower thematic pool to dive into. Whether by design or just as consequence, Fennell's adaptation isn't as much emotional trauma porn as it is Gothic smut. Well, in theory at least. "Gothic smut" is a great idea for a movie, but unfortuately, once Cathy and Heathcliff do the deed, the film falls a bit flat. Compared to their erotic foreplay, their sex scenes are relatively tame, and the sequence in the movie is made up of a montage rather than any one impassioned moment. If you're going to go for it, you have to go for it. I think this restraint is the film's greatest sin.

This all begs an important question that I probably should've addressed already: can one change too much or go too far off the rails in adaptation? And to build off that, is maintaining the spirit of the source material essential to delivering a good faith rendition of the story, or should that not matter? Your mileage will likely vary, but I'd argue the success of the film hinges on how you answer these questions. Personally, I have oft-held the opinion that, usually, one can't go too far and that artistic interpretation does not have to (and sometimes should not) strictly adhere to enacting a faithful rendition of a story – tightening the leash on when and which creative liberties can be taken is not a position I like to champion. Forgive my soapboxing, but I also think it is important that we (as culture consumers and critics) try and be as consistent as possible when assessing and/or ascribing what is or is not appropriate or worthwhile when measuring an artist's creative license.

Basically, live and let (artists) live. When an adaptation works, it works, and when it doesn't, well... then it is easy to say, "I told ya so" to the artist, isn't it? We didn't criticize someone like Paul Thomas Anderson last year when he made a fast and loose "adaptation" of Pynchon's Vineland – and guess what? His prior Pynchon adaptation, Inherent Vice more or less flopped commercially and was mostly misunderstood in its time, somewhat in part because it was too faithful of an adaptation. Damned if you do, damned if you don't, eh? Because I'm a bandwagon, Johnny-come-lately to Brontë's Wuthering Heights and had mere days in between finishing the book and seeing the film, far be it for me to tell anyone whether Fennell's adaptation is too far of a departure from the source material. I'd be a liar if I didn't admit that I found it difficult to get over some of these thematic hurdles; that said, it doesn't mean I don't think Fennell is within her right to make the make the film she wanted to make – we, as viewers, retain the right to like it or not. Sure, it's hard to fully reconcile some of her creative choices, and no matter how much Fennell insists they are in the spirit of Brontë, they feel like some decisions are done so in spite of her.

Like most films, how you receive it and what you take from it is intrinsically tied to what you bring into it and what you expect to get out of it. For those loyal to the source material, "Wuthering Heights" (Emerald's Version) will at a minimum test your patience, though it may just as easily piss you off. For those new to the story and for readers not clutching their pearls, this adaptation is an easy sell, an event movie in the dead of winter strategically premiering on a horny holiday weekend designed to stimulate audiences and of course, meet modern expectations at the box office. Like it or not, love it or loathe it, this film is meant to titillate and torture, for pleasure and for pain. Leave behind your wuthering, wuthering, wuthering... oh, for the love of all things sacred, put a cork in it, Kate.

Froth

The Double Blazed Orange Milkshake IPA from Hop Butcher for the World is one of the best beers in Chicago. Have I said this before? Have I reviewed it before? Dude, I don't know. Time is flat circle, and we're so done the wormhole that I'm just happy to be on the ride these days. I've definitely drank it before! And you bet your ass I'll drink it again. After talking to the bartender, it sounds like it is only released a few times a year. He mentioned that a lower ABV version of it will be available again soon after this goes away again (sounds like we're nearing the end of its run, so I might need to stop in one more time this weekend). I'm ashamed to admit that I was very late to the party when it comes to Hop Butcher, which is inarguably one of the best breweries in the city. Their quality, their constant reinvention, their flavor profiles. I can't recomend them enough. I had this draft AFTER seeing "Wuthering Heights", and it really helped me power through my many thoughts on the film. Whether or not the movie will linger as a major film for Fennell is unclear, but Hop Butcher's Milkshake IPA is absolutely a major beer from a major brewery. I wish I received a cut from this praise. Their contributions to the world are enough for me, I guess.

Juliet Gardiner, The History today who's who in British history (2000), p. 109↩

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 08:00:00 GMT

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die [2026]

Film

It only makes sense that we're blessed with an exceedingly comedic and twisted take on The Matrix this week. After all, the Super Bowl was filled with AI commercials, including one from a certain camera company that labeled their new robot overlord surveillance system as a means to find lost puppies. Maybe that's an unfair comparison but when an unnamed man from the future (Sam Rockwell) zaps into a diner, sporting what appears to be trash as fashion so he calls it, to recruit so-called "warriors" to stop the creation of an AI that has taken over in the years to come, it's hard not to think about the Wachowski's seminal film. But, Rockwell's Man From the Future is no Neo (Keanu Reeves) and the martial arts is forsaken for increasingly caustic humor, a homeless man with a machete, and a gigantic kitten-centaur-monster that burps confetti. Yes, this is a real movie I'm talking about, and yes, it is Gore Verbinski's Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die. A movie that, within all of its outrageous episodic reveals, crafts a singular story through poignant and incisive satire, shredding the current status of the world (but mostly the United States) into ribbons, resulting in one of the most exciting, uproarious, and devastating watches of the year. It may be just shy of a decade since Verbinski's last film, but he hasn't lost a step. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is the shot of anti-AI and anti-bullshit that we desperately need.

Rockwell's rousing oorah who's with me speech in the diner starts the film off with a very classic David vs. Goliath feel. An unspeakable evil is right around the corner, and there is some special combination of people in the diner that can defeat it. How does Rockwell's oddly specific character know this? Well, he's "replayed" this moment hundreds of times, introducing the depths his character will go to in order to be victorious. As far as time-loop films go, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is a freshly entertaining mix of the humor in Groundhog Day, the film even getting a reference in Rockwell's speech, and the sci-fi high stakes battle of Edge of Tomorrow. Although Verbinski's film doesn't sport the epic action of the latter-mentioned film, it unveils its intentions through three carefully articulated anthologies for members of the diner's "War Party." Making it an exciting and suspenseful reel of thematic reveals and building on the characters in a way that is gripping, and once again, wickedly funny (even if extremely bleak).

Mark (Michael Peña) and Janet (Zazie Beetz) are teachers and troubled lovers, who showcase one of the problems with the youth in the world. When the kids in school aren't glued to their phones, unironically always showing a type of TikTok interface, they're sheltering from an extremely casually announced school shooting where they eviscerate their teachers' self-esteem. Building upon the technological dependence of teens and tweens, along with the grim reality of school shootings, introduces Susan (Juno Temple), who is grieving the loss of her son, a victim in a separate shooting. Appearing to find solace with a support group of fellow moms, who nonchalantly pity Susan for her "first time," Susan is instead brought to a futuristic facility where the government will pay for a clone of your lost child. Not only is Susan's grief boiled down into a government subsidy, but her son's existence is relegated to a list of character traits where she can only select one. And last, but not least, the final vignette is of Ingrid (Haley Lu Richardson), a young woman who seemingly is allergic to cell and wifi signals. She finally meets a man who shares her analog ideals, but he eventually abandons her to go live in a permanent virtual reality. If there's a character in this heroic party of diner-goers that doesn't receive a special segment, well, that's because Rockwell's Man of the Future told us that "not everybody is gonna make it to the end."

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die [2026]

Robinson clearly has a lot to say about the state of the world. And we could 100% focus this mainly on the United States. Younger generations being addicted to social media or even technology at large, something the Man From the Future claims spawned from morning phone time, is one of the lighter commentaries of the film. But the big picture items of the screenplay, which plays perfectly with Verbinski's ability to display dark humor tastefully (a tall task in this film), is the clear and present danger of unregulated AI, and how we as a society would rather apply technological band-aids instead of look in the mirror and make policy reforms. Susan's section of the movie takes up a good part of the second act and is by far the heavy hitter of the trio. It builds tremendously off of Mark and Janet's, while setting up the emotional heft of Ingrid and the Man From the Future's stories. But it's the balancing act that Verbinski employs that impresses the most. The mixture of gasps, sighs, and laughs coming from such a terribly tragic story is so pitch-perfect that the emotions that boil to the surface are tough to fully comprehend. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is not only immensely entertaining in this regard, but effectively challenges why we accept the status quo of the present when the future looks just as, if not more, grim.

The third act does pose a few issues, though, causing Verbinski's juggling act to stumble a bit. As the diner party pushes onwards in their mission to stop a kid from creating the AI that destroys the future—very Terminator I know—reality folds into itself just like the narrative. For the bulk of the film, the setting could almost be thought of as an exaggerated year from today, making it all the more insightful and incisive in its satire. But when a kaiju kitten-centaur that burps confetti graces the screen, along with what the Man From the Future calls "mindfucks," it loses a lot of its steam. The introduction of a giant monster feels disingenuous from the prior moments of the film that were much more effectively told. Not to mention the big bad AI trying to survive by offering a life in virtual reality, where there is no disease or strife, is a pretty good monster itself.

Regardless, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is a total blast, and a welcome return from Verbinski, nine years after his A Cure For Wellness took more of a horror approach to capitalistic battles. His penchant for using mordant wit to tackle incredibly serious topics is still razor sharp, and his direction here is as sturdy as ever. The script is the perfect vehicle for Verbinski's maniacal vision, and of course, Rockwell's charisma gives the whole project the performance it deserves. The rest of the cast works well, even if Rockwell does much of the heavy lifting, but Temple and Richardson excel in their roles, teetering between comedic and heartbreaking and doing so with aplomb. Ultimately yielding an enthralling cinematic vision that continues to push back against the ever-expanding shadow of artificial intelligence and its encroachment on the human experience.

Froth

For Verbinski's gloriously fun return to film I went with an equally exciting beer from Baerlic Brewing Company, the Frequency Illusion West Coast IPA. Exceptionally hoppy and with a solid bitterness, especially on the back end, the Frequency Illusion is a complete classic of a West Coast IPA. What you're expecting, is what you're getting. But it also finds ways to crank that up a notch, surpassing some expectations especially in its smooth and clean drinkability, piney subtleties, and wealth of tropical flavors like peaches, mango, and pineapple. Brewed with the textbook trio of Mosiac, Simcoe, and Citra hops, Baerlic Brewing (in collaboration with Block 15 Brewing) really turned in an easily drinkable, repeatable, and delicious classic of a staple brew. I would absolutely watch Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die again, and I would assuredly have a nice big pint of Frequency Illusion with it.

Scarlet

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 08:00:00 GMT

Scarlet [2025]

Film

Stunning in its introduction, Scarlet sets the screen on fire with Scarlet (Mana Ashida), a 16th Century Danish princess, wandering "The Otherworld" in a quest to exact revenge against her murderous Uncle Claudius (Kôji Yakusho). Outstretched hands of the dead seek to pull her down into the muck while a massive lightning breathing dragon lords above, shrouded in the ominous clouds, all of which paint a grim picture for our protagonist. Unfortunately, after this torrid start, brimming with gothic medieval fantasy elements shown in gorgeously animated detail, Mamoru Hosoda's latest animated adventure spirals into lethargy and a frustrating lack of consistent messaging. All of which makes Scarlet, an overlong and tepid showing.

If there's one thing Hosoda loves to do, and do rather well, is take a classic story and adapt it to the modern age or add a little pinch of sci-fi adventure. His last film Belle was an adaption of Beauty and the Beast and Scarlet is a mirror image of William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Scarlet, in a gender-swapped role of Hamlet, is thrust into a fiery fit of vengeance when her evil Uncle Claudius frames her father King Amleth (Masachika Ichimura)-his name being an anagram for Hamlet-for conspiring with a neighboring kingdom, thus forcing his public execution. Attempting to exact her vengeance on her Uncle, Scarlet poisons his drink only for Claudius to switch them, leaving the young princess writhing on the floor and frothing at the mouth. Which brings us to "The Otherworld," a liminal space that exists between bleak nothingness and the Infinite Land. Scarlet quickly learns that Claudius is trapped in this world as well, leading her to shed the shackles of the dead's hands, arm herself with the weapons laying around the desert-like land, and push towards her vengeance.

With a twist on Hamlet like that I was fully anticipating being completely immersed in Hosoda's fantastical version of Shakespeare's story. The introduction served as a perfect hook, and the idea of "The Otherworld" satisfied my craving for gothic intensity that the film's synopsis provoked. Yet Hosoda's twisting of the source material, as assuredly as it brought a little spice to the table, also soiled the dish. In "The Otherworld" time doesn't exist which brings characters together across time itself. Scarlet soon befriends an overly idealistic Hijiri (Masaki Okada) a modern-era nurse who abhors the very violence that Scarlet exists to exact. His beckoning of others in this purgatory, raiders and violent mobs, to stop their violence and live together in harmony brings the original plot line to a screeching halt. Emphasized by the duo's meeting of a nomadic group of outsiders, filled with characters across all of time and all over the world, results in a song and dance that yielded more yawns than it did any heartwarming sensation. In fact it relegated the middle portion of the film into a muddy slog that was damn near annoying to get through, tabling the very essence of the story as a tale of revenge for something less intriguing.

Unfortunately, the finale does little to get back on track. Instead, it feels like a drawn out will she, won't she moment as Scarlet reconciles with her father's last word being "forgive" while being within arms reach of her goal. It all comes off too schmaltzy and overwrought to actually end up saying anything, offering up the same idealistic zeal Hijiri had been spouting. Yet in the end we realize we never saw Scarlet delve into the toxic vengeance, and the violence it begets, that had been building up throughout the film. At one point using her sheathed sword to knock opposing soldiers off their horses when she's been training and heralded as a warrior the whole time. On the other hand she also never succumbs fully to the ideals of Hijiri, still hellbent on revenge and opposed to pacifism and forgiving her Uncle. Resulting in a difficult middle-ground that renders Scarlet's development inert. It's evident that Hosoda is attempting to say something about the state of the modern world, and the fantastical spin on Hamlet should be a great way to do it. Scarlet driven by rage and vengeance all the while teetering on the edge of nothingness in "The Otherworld" is a high stakes set up for Shakespeare's tragedy, but Scarlet ends up sitting on a fence, failing to dive onto one side.

Froth

If Scarlet had gone deeper into the hellish imagery, Hosoda was apparently inspired by Barlowe's Inferno something that's only evident in the visuals of the introduction, then maybe I would've opted for a darker beer. Then again, if the film had fully committed in the other direction with Scarlet and Hijiri's pacifism becoming one and the middle portion not being a relative snooze then maybe I could've argued a light pilsner or lager. However, much like Scarlet, I'm trapped in this in-between and am solely relying on beers for their namesake over their style, which is what brought me to Stoup Brewing's Go Into the Light Carol Anne IPA. Sure, it might be named for the fact that days are getting longer as we in the PNW shed our long durations of darkness and bask in the sun, but I choose to interpret it as something relating to the death of our characters in Scarlet. Ominous? Sure. Necessary? Absolutely.

Go Into the Light Carol Anne is a light and refreshing IPA that didn't have much hoppiness or bitterness to me, but did have a subtle flow of citrus flavors that came through. It presents a strong pine flavor that aids in the light floral feel of the beer, along with its translucent golden appearance. While I can't say this one was my favorite from Stoup, I did find the addition of Waimea hops to be pretty exciting. I would consider these hops relatively rare here, take this with a grain of salt as I haven't drank every beer in Seattle, but the presence of pine and a zesty aroma of tangerine were welcome additions.

A Private Life

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 08:00:00 GMT

A Private Life [2025]

Film

It's been quite some time since French-speaking Jodie Foster made an on-screen appearance, going as far back as 2004's Un long dimanche de fiançailles, which makes her presence in Rebecca Zlotowski's A Private Life such a treat. After attending Lycée Français de Los Angeles, starting at nine years old, Foster has rarely flexed her bilingual muscles on-screen, often dubbing her own roles' dialogue for French versions of her English films, which makes this performance something of a rarity. Of course, this is Jodie Foster we're talking about so her performance is still stellar, but Zlotowski's murder mystery following Foster's Lillian Steiner, a psychiatrist who is convinced her patient was murdered, is unfortunately an uninteresting and dull story that can't be saved by the director's vision.

A Private Life jumps out to a rather quick start for a psychological murder mystery, with multiple patients visiting Steiner bringing varying news. One is upset that he's spent so much time visiting Steiner to quit smoking when a hypnotist cured his addiction immediately, the other brings dour news of Steiner's patient Paula passing due to suicide. Steiner, emotional from the news, quite literally cannot stop crying. No matter how hard she tries to stop it, the tears keep flowing from her eyes, which brings her to the very same hypnotist whose treatment brings up psychedelic visions for Steiner leading her to believe a murder has taken place.

As confounding as it sounds, A Private Life is an oddly labyrinthian mystery film that doesn't take its hypothesis that seriously. There's distraction and confusion at every turn. Infidelity, tampering with prescriptions, jealousy over inheritance, rekindled romances, there's almost too much to keep track of while also not wanting to understand any of it. In fact, Zlotowski's mystery is almost too drab to try to follow. Any attempt at a buildup of suspense or intrigue is detoured with a dive into Steiner's self-discovery journey, which as magnetic as Foster is, yields little to no interest. The story at the heart of A Private Life is sadly a banal meandering that feels empty.

However, there are some redeeming qualities. One of which is Foster's fantastic rare appearance as a French speaking performer. Not only is Foster one of the preeminent actresses of the modern age, but her fluency in French makes for an even deeper appreciation of her abilities. Her emotional command and presence on the screen is undeniable, and even if the story is a bland mess watching her fumble through solving a mystery, while speaking French, is a complete treat. The other point being Zlotowski's direction being more interesting than the story. I could consider A Private Life as more of a technical study than a narrative one as Zlotowski's frame composition and vision is downright phenomenal. When we first meet Steiner we're really only seeing her through doorways, distant hallways or whatever other obscured distinctions you want to use. We only see her as half of a picture, a representation of her repressed self-identity, a secret from herself. As the film progresses, the frame opens up, matching with Steiner's self-discovery and exploration of her psyche, not to mention the usage of mirrors in the background is a wonderful bit of production design from Katia Wyszkop further cementing Steiner's continuing reflection.

It's a bit of a bummer that I couldn't revel more in the idea of Foster speaking French in a strong film, but I suppose I'll have to tell myself that at least I got to see it one more time. But, sadly not even her strong performance and je ne sais quoi, could save this murder mystery.

Froth

Given the lack of narrative strength, I decided to base this beer pairing solely off of appearances. Aslan Brewing's Penumbra is a gorgeous looking Hazy IPA that matches the stellar visuals of A Private Life. Its hazy appearance a reflection of the mysterious frame composition Zlotowski's employs, pushing you to take that first sip and figure what exactly you're in for. Luckily, you're in for a treat. The Penumbra is just a flat out delight. With a smooth and full bodied feel it drinks almost like a dessert, especially with its tropical sweetness that's filled with orange and peach flavors. A touch of mango comes in on the backend adding to the pot as well, which does a fantastic job masking the solid 6.5% ABV and turning this Hazy IPA into a delicious treat of tropical hoppiness.

Shelter

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 08:00:00 GMT

Shelter [2026]

Film

Let me put this bluntly, this is the kind of movie where you know exactly what you're getting into. A Ric Roman Waugh popcorn action flick starring Jason Statham as a mysterious graybeard begrudgingly thrown back into the fray due to some extenuating circumstances. That sounds pretty familiar, right? Statham's first line of the movie is a gruff "what're you looking at" directed at his dog. I mean, come on, it simply doesn't get more Statham than that! But even in the midst of the predictable rewrapping of Ric Roman Waugh's vision and Statham's performance, there's something understated about Shelter that helps it just work. Making this one of those films that you've definitely seen before become much more entertaining than I expected it to be.

Clearly inspired by classic action films over the years, Ward Parry's screenplay, is a kaleidoscope of its predecessors. Reflecting and refracting enough to resemble films such as John Wick, The Bourne Identity, and Terminator 2: Judgement Day while also retaining a distinct style that fits. Parry's dialogue evokes Keanu Reeves' taciturn Wick, a role which Statham often excels in, and there's even a pulse pounding nightclub sequence that might be pulled directly from Chad Stahelski's John Wick franchise. Statham's Michael Mason, an ex-operative of a highly skilled MI6 branch called Black Kites, even engages in a fight with a broken piece of wood, which Ric Roman Waugh directs with a handheld, stylistically matching the famous pen fight from The Bourne Identity. It's evident that Ric Roman Waugh is a student of the game and is pulling what works best from prior films, even if Shelter doesn't have all of the bells and whistles of its predecessors. But even with all of these pop-culture callbacks, Shelter finds ways to still be exciting in its own right. The buildup of tension throughout the film is done wonderfully, often coming to an explosive conclusion that preys on our own expectations of predictability.

Of course, Shelter isn't all been-there-seen-that. Instead of leaning into the neon-laden clubs and intricate action choreography of Stahelski's films, Waugh's film opts for the quiet countryside of the Scottish Isles where Mason resides in hiding from MI6's surveillance system. The pulsing score from David Buckley could very well be from the club sequences of John Wick, but its juxtaposition with the calm of the country works wonders with its catchy beats and adrenaline fueling thumps. While in this reclusive state, Mason saves a young girl, Jessie (Bodhi Rae Breathnach) that had been helping deliver supplies to his island, which launches both of them into a winding action-packed path to survival. The duo of Statham and Breathnach is how Shelter really defies expectations. Their chemistry is undeniably heartwarming, providing an uncle-niece relationship that flourishes when the two actors share the screen. Their shared warmth, in turn, elevates the stakes of an otherwise clunky and contrived story that not even a villainous Bill Nighy can really save. Filled with macguffins like "self-deleting code", superfluous police forces led by Naomie Ackie, and classic deus ex machina, the story leaves a lot to be desired. These moments often feel like random plot devices to force the protagonist into the extreme circumstances that take a bit to erupt, even serving to distract from the core relationship of the film. Because Statham and Breathnach do a lot of the heavy lifting, rooting the film in an earnest relationship that makes the action all the more fun to watch, while Waugh's direction keeps the film moving and the adrenaline pumping. Even if Shelter has its eye-rolling moments, it's still a complete blast to watch and colors outside the lines enough to be interesting in its own right, while adhering to the classic Statham action movie stereotype.

Froth

Ric Roman Waugh certainly has a filmmaking formula, or style if you will, and so does Statham, both of which include kicking a lot of ass and leaving the dialogue for some other time. That is unless we're talking about Jason Statham in Spy which is an incredibly underrated comedic turn from the action star. Just saying. Nevertheless, I felt strongly about having a brew from Formula Brewing, for obvious reasons, which was the perfect choice for Shelter. Formula Brewing has a solid spread of styles but I find their IPA's to be downright superb. They also have great pizza but that's for another blog. For this slice of action I enjoyed their American DDH IPA, Gesture to the Sky, which is a wonderful choice for all occasions. It's definitely a strong brew, coming in at 7.2% ABV and tasting like every pinch of it, it can be slightly overwhelming. Luckily, it has a smooth, medium body along with a delicious hoppy and tropical flavor to balance it all out.

Primate

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 08:00:00 GMT

Primate [2025]

Film

Monkey see, monkey do, monkey kill just about all of you. Now this probably would've been a pretty great tagline, whimsically, for Primate, the latest horror film from Johannes Roberts, which features, you guessed it, a murderous chimpanzee. Ben (Miguel Torres Umba), the chimp in question, is bitten by a rabid animal and spirals into a rabies-fueled craze, attacking anyone and everyone in sight in increasingly brutal, albeit entertaining ways. Roberts, of course, doesn't waste any time establishing this basic premise, which ended up being the tagline they actually went with, something is wrong with Ben. Which is clearly discernible when he rips the face off the veterinarian within the first five minutes. Primate moves with pace, never lingering too long to trod into trite survival flicks, and is outrageously effective with its practical effects and intensely gruesome kills, making it an exceptionally entertaining experience.

Similar to Cujo, Ben is a pet, well, kind of. He was brought in at a young age by Adam's (Troy Kotsur) wife, a researcher who was studying ways to have chimps and humans communicate. We never meet the wife; she died the prior year to cancer. And the pain of this trauma is still raw, seen through the daughters Erin (Gia Hunter) and Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah), the latter who has come home from college after being away for an extended period. Roberts' writing breezes through the familial dynamics, saving time and energy for the more thrilling parts of the film. But the underlying drama between sisters in their time apart and how they've handled the grief of losing their mother could've been a rich addition to the stakes of the film. Not to mention, having the last remnant of their mother actively trying to kill them is too good not to tie back into their lives.

There's bits and pieces of this deeper examination of the characters peppered throughout, especially in Roberts' casting choices. Having the Academy Award winning Kotsur play Adam emphasizes his late wife's research in communicating with chimps and is a natural explanation into the family's usage of ASL. But once again, that's as far down the road we get.

Sure, Roberts knows what kind of movie Primate is going to be, a vigorous ride that doesn't have a lot of meat on the bones. But each morsel is visceral and juicy. Ben's kill count, started with the introduction of the unfortunate vet, climbs with every passing minute, adding a good bit of bloody fun to the understated film. But what really makes Ben and his actions excel is the phenomenal practical effects. The suit that Miguel Torres Umba plays Ben in is incredibly realistic, from a moviegoer's perspective, and the seamless blend of CGI is damn near imperceptible. The integration of CGI with practical suit work and animatronics is seamless, making for a incredibly natural and much more terrifying presence for Ben.

Amidst all the carnage in Primate lies a simple story from Roberts and co-writer Ernest Riera that pairs well with its single set locale. Most of the film takes place in Erin and Lucy's pool, due to rabid Ben's inability to swim and symptomatic hydrophobia, which allows for a tight directorial focus from Roberts similar to his shark cage survival film, 47 Meters Down. Employing dizzying camera angles and claustrophobic compositions, Roberts and cinematographer Stephen Murphy strategically craft layers of isolation, from the larger island setting, to the tiny pool. Creating a tense ambience that supplies Primate with much of its horror. Not to mention this feeling of unease and terror gets a little bump from Adrian Johnston's snazzy synth-laden score, further elevating the eeriness and isolated state of Ben's victims.

Even if Primate is a surface-level horror film that barely scratched the surface of its potential, its technical display is enough to keep any horror fan entranced. It knows exactly what kind of movie it is and sticks to its strengths, outrageous monkey murders mixed with subversion and humor. All of which makes Primate a solidly entertaining entry into the New Year.

Froth

Primate opens with an eerie superimposition of words, a definition of hydrophobia and a brief history of it along with its ties as a symptom of rabies. A foreboding tone to start with but also a shocking amount of foreshadowing, signaling the nautical nature of Erin, Lucy, and company's chances at survival. Is Roberts obsessed with water based survival films? Possibly. Nevertheless, I went with a similarly nautical themed brewery in Figurehead Brewing which boasts ship-themed beer names and a rather aquatic aesthetic to their taprooms. The dark nature of Primate along with the literal darkness outside-winter arc am I right-I went with the Black Ball Dubbel to enjoy with some monkeying around. This Belgian Dubbel is dark and filled with signature spicy and malty flavors one would expect from the style. There's a hint of banana that adds a nice depth to it when combined with a touch of classic bread. It's light to drink even at a whopping 7.2% ABV, which makes for a really balanced brew.

A Clanky Clunk

Sun, 28 Dec 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Wake Up Dead Man [2025]

When young priest Jud Duplenticy is sent to assist charismatic firebrand Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, it’s clear that all is not well in the pews. After a sudden and seemingly impossible murder rocks the town, the lack of an obvious suspect prompts local police chief Geraldine Scott to join forces with renowned detective Benoit Blanc to unravel a mystery that defies all logic.

Film

He works in mysterious ways, doesn't He? You may assume I'm talking about the Big Guy upstairs – but in this case, I'm talking about Rian Johnson, the writer/director of Wake Up Dead Man, which is the third entry in his murder mystery film series set in the Benoit Blanc Cinematic Universe. Much like the previous two series installments, Knives Out and Glass Onion, Wake Up Dead Man is intricately constructed and beautifully composed, towing the line between homage and invention ever so carefully as to not tip the scale too far in either direction. As you know, the Knives Out franchise has been housed or trapped at Netflix (depending on how you see the world) since it bought exclusive rights to two sequels after the first film's immense success. And while this may lead those cynical spectators among us (myself included) to assume that propriety might result in a lesser, watered down product, those kind of trepidations would be misplaced – praise be!

Made to be seen on the big screen (and no, not that one in your living room), Wake Up Dead Man (like its predecessors) is a movie's movie, one that boasts a who's who ensemble of your cinephile's favorite character actors, plus Daniel Craig returning as Detective Benoit Blanc. As usual the top-to-bottom lineup is stacked (even though some of them are perhaps miscast or underutilized), the three primary players at the center of this story (aside from Craig) are particularly memorable: Josh Brolin as Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, Glenn Close as Martha Delacroix, and the film's MVP, Josh O'Connor, as Reverend Jud Duplenticy. Together their complementary styles and personas build out an atmosphere that feels fully realized, both heightened and grounded in perfect tonal syncopation. O'Connor, in particular, steals the show; he is bona fide five-tool performer with the ability to make you laugh, cry, and at times, make you forget that he's acting. He certainly has the presence to hold the screen all by himself, but he is just as engaging when sharing a scene with someone – there are a few scenes where he and Craig are so good together you'd think (and perhaps wish) he was a series regular. I'd be curious to hear from Johnson whether he writes his characters with performers in mind or if he and his team just have a knack for inspired casting. Safe to assume it's a mix of both, but I have a hard time believing he is writing in a vacuum void of such intention.

Since I can't remember exactly how when or how I heard/learned this (could've been an interview or a reel I saw whilst swiping), though I'm not complelled to source it... But one thing I've come to appreciate about the Knives Out series is how Johnson conceives each installment to have its own unique look and feel (despite them all having many of the same behind-the-camera collaborators). Each film is set in a different season: Knives Out in cozy, autumnal New England; Glass Onion during a sun-soaked, Greek island summer vacation; and Wake Up Dead Man in gothic upstate New York in the very early spring. If you want to go one layer deeper, did you know that each film is named after a specific song by a famous rock band? Knives Out after the Radiohead song of the same name from Amnesiac; Glass Onion after The Beatles' song from The White Album; and Wake Up Dead Man by U2's song from their album Pop. If you're into this sort of thing, I recommend giving each them each a listen – the lyrics of these songs no doubt inspire and hint to their corresponding film's central metaphors, themes, and vibes.

That correlation in Wake Up Dead Man is undeniable. The title is an obvious double entendre, sure (call me the Master of the Obvious™), and there is a lot of religio-philosophical musings going on about the mysteries of faith and the narrow margins between penance and forgiveness. Even that makes it sound heady and pretentious – let me reassure that it's not! Sure, there's a lot to unpack in Wake Up Dead Man if you're into that sort of thing, but the film's thematic depth never bogs down its pace or tempo, nor does it impede upon how enjoyable and easy-to-watch it is from start to finish. It isn't enough for a movie to have nifty plotting mechanics – mystery, puzzles, and riddles are enough to draw in an audience but certainly not enough to keep them invested. The film has humor, heart, and something to say – how often do you get all three of those flavors in one bite? What I respect most about Wake Up Dead Man is that, like its predecessors, it cares about its characters and priorities entertainment above all else. Agatha Christie would, no doubt, be very proud. While it may not quite recapture the magic of the original, this was, for me, a step up from the last installment, and may very well be the one that lingers in my mind the longest. Under Johnson's exacting direction and trusty stewardship, this series shows no signs of winding down or pittering out. Amen.

Froth

First off, let me just say how fucking thrilled I am that construction on Milwaukee Avenue has (mostly) ceased in Logan Square and made the parking and travel logistics to Hopewell a bit easier this holiday season – we are truly blessed to live in a world where city construction projects DO come to an end (albeit much later than one might hope). Anyways, I have an annual tradition of ordering the seasonal Winter Lager from Hopewell (one of my first Chicago loves) was put on hold during my recent visit to their taproom (don't worry, I'll make my way back before it goes into hibernation). This time around, I opted for something a little lighter and a little brighter. I've not had this before, and while I still don't really understand what it means to be wet-hopped (more on that in a second), I enjoyed this! It was bitter in a good way, piney in a punchy way, and fruity, in a subtle but welcome and refreshing way. Also, the term "wet-hopped" describes hops that are fresh and unprocessed, harvested and and brewed in short order, contrarty to hops that are dried and pelleted for future use. The flavors are more intense, earthy, and grassy (which might not sound like something you want until you realize you should). I'm now completely locked into this whole wet-hopped and might make this my whole beer personality (kind of like how I went through an extended nitro beer phase a few years ago). I don't need to say this, but go to Hopewell. And be sure to order your hops wet. Sorry, that was inappropriate.

Timmy Supreme

Wed, 24 Dec 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Marty Supreme [2025]

Film

Not unlike Josh Safdie's previous film, Uncut Gems, Marty Supreme begins with another semi-intrusive, introspective shot from within a character. Instead of a shot of Adam Sandler's colonoscopy in Uncut Gems, we're treated to a tracking shot of sperm making the journey to fertilize an egg after Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet) and Rachel Mizler's (Odessa A'zion) affair in the basement of a shoe store.

The Safdies love a blatant yet playful insinuation of their lead character's fallibility. While Sandler's Howard Ratner was full of shit and had his head so far up his own ass, Mauser's world revolves around sex, balls, and the pursuit of greatness. As ethereal and strange as an opening can get, Safdie and his frequent non-sibling co-writer Ronald Bronstein do wonders in highlighting the immature and boyish nature of their lead in one introductory title sequence, all ending with the aforementioned fertilized egg being morphed into a ping pong ball. Sex and balls, right?

But that isn't all there is to Marty Supreme; it's just a mild characterization of the titular character's motives. The only higher priority for Marty is becoming the world's greatest table tennis player.

Safdie cleverly uses Chalamet's boyish charm to craft a grifting narcissist so potent in his Sisyphean pursuit of greatness, as a proclamation of American exceptionalism, that it's borderline painful watching him exist. From his temper tantrum after losing in the first act to the new Japanese sensation Koto Endo (Koto Kawaguchi) to his pursuit of finding enough money to get to the World Championships in Tokyo, Marty Mauser is an outrageously grating presence. An unscrupulous degenerate who is willing to lie, cheat, and steal his way to the mountaintop of table tennis glory.

But that's the bread and butter for Safdie and Bronstein's filmmaking. Good Time, Uncut Gems, and now Marty Supreme all feature swindlers in their own right, but these characters are all tremendously entertaining due to the tour de force performances put into them. Robert Pattinson and Sandler both put in against-type performances that were mesmerizing to watch, and now Chalamet has shot himself into the stratosphere (or on top of the Vegas Sphere) with another bar-raising piece of work. His rapid pace delivery fuses with Safdie's hyper-kinetic directorial style to create an electric pace and a simply sensational viewing experience. In what's been a young yet storied career for Chalamet, he's quite frankly, never been better.

On the technical side, Daniel Lopatin's score is the perfect partner for Chalamet and Safdie's operatic fable. Fluttering between hypnotic and energetic, the composer has crafted a perfect pitch for the film, often being highlighted in scenes of chaos where the shouting fades away and leaves Lopatin's chords to do the talking.

The writing aids Chalamet's performance as Safdie and Bronstein serve him up some incredible lines, elevating his magnetism to another degree. His rash actions, condescending and atrocious demeanor, saying he'll drop a third bomb on Endo in their match, put Mauser squarely in the anti-hero category, but once again, Chalamet is just too good to root against. The actor is as magnetic as ever and the character is equally as ambitious, weaving the ethos of a classic underdog sports story into every fiber of a chaotic Safdie film. In all honesty, Safdie's style works perfectly with the emotions of sport. The thrill of a win, the despair of defeat, and the tumultuous journey in between all compliment the sweaty, anxious direction of Josh Safdie.

Marty Supreme [2025]

Beyond the lead, his co-stars are just as excellent. A'zion is another perfect match for Safdie's style and has terrific chemistry with Chalamet. From her work on Rachel Sennott's new show, I Love LA, she can ramp up the energy needed to succeed in Safdie's fast-paced, electric cinematic approach. Not to mention her terrific lead performance in Pools. Even Tyler Okonma (Tyler the Creator), who makes his feature film debut as Marty's hustling friend Wally, does a fantastic job committing to the physicality of his character, delivering great comedic moments, and bouncing lines off of Chalamet's Marty in hilarious fashion.

Safdie and Bronstein's writing certainly gives a lot for Chalamet to chew on, but there's plenty of meat left on the bone for everyone to have a good meal.

However, not all of the story worked for me. While the table tennis scenes are some of the most fun I've had watching the sport, they're cinematic feats of excellence exploding off the screen, the two writers deliver the same story just in a different package. The middle of the film sees Mauser scrambling between all sorts of misadventures to try and scrape together enough money to get to Tokyo, and I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.

It felt too similar to Uncut Gems and even Good Time in a way where Safdie's directorial style falls into the same lockstep patterns, frantic motion, and anxiety-laden mishaps galore. The only difference-maker here is the transcendent work of Chalamet, who effectively pulls the film out of any rut and onto more exciting roads. I know this is just Safdie's approach, in terms of visuals, but strip away the bells and whistles and Chalamet, Sandler, and Pattinson are all running through the same rat maze of trying to find money for some superfluous goal. Risking it all, for the glory of nothing.

That said, the production design from Jack Fisk and set decoration from Adam Willis allow the film to look exquisite in its 1950's New York aesthetic. Chalamet's anxious scrambling through the stores and streets feels authentic and looks the way too. For all the hype the marketing campaign has been making about Marty Supreme feeling like New York, it certainly succeeds. With all of its performative power and technical prowess, Marty Supreme, even with some rehashed story elements, is one of the best films of the year. Which is an exciting outcome for Josh Safdie, who enters into his solo-directing era with Marty Supreme after making his prior two films with his brother, Benny. It's evident that Josh has a strong vision for cinematic moments and a terrific feel for pacing as I didn't feel any of the two and a half hour runtime.

A testament to the American spirit, for better and for worse, Safdie's ball-laden exposition of the pursuit of greatness is a phenomenal film and a mighty entertaining time.

Froth

If we're having some good old fashioned GOAT talk about Marty Mauser (or Marty Reisman who the character is based on) we may as well throw in a GOAT-centric beverage to lift our spirits. Seeing as these debates are often filled with strenuous shouting. Wheelie Pop Brewing was happy to oblige with their aptly named Kareem Abdul-JaBEER, a Hazy IPA that is as delightful to drink as it's name is hilarious. Can't a guy love a good pun? Nevertheless, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is an absolute icon and wholeheartedly in the NBA GOAT debate, which makes this beer feel like a spiritual match to Marty Supreme in our collective pursuit of witnessing the greatest compete in their sports. It's a moderately bitter beer, which helps to not overwhelm the palate just like Safdie's chaotic direction doesn't go full Uncut Gems and give you heart burn. Its light tropical flavor, it is slightly more pineapple forward than anything, is delightful and refreshing and makes it ultimately a very very drinkable brew. Marty Supreme to me is the most easily watchable and enjoyable Safdie film and it only makes sense to have an equally enjoyable and drinkable beer filled with great flavor beside it.

Sentimental Value

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Sentimental Value [2025]

Film

You'd have to imagine that following up a film widely regarded as a masterpiece is a pretty tall task. The crushing expectations of the audience, not to mention one's own self-imposed lofty aspirations, are likely suffocating. Thinking about this makes for a slightly funny if not poetic interpretation of Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgård), an absent father to his two daughters Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), and a once critically acclaimed director who hasn't made a film in 15 years. In fact, he's fresh off a retrospective on his prior films at a French film festival, one of which Rachel (Elle Fanning) calls a masterpiece through teary eyes. This, of course, all taking place within Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value adds a dose of meta commentary on his own prestigious career. Trier's last film, The Worst Person in the World, was a tremendous success, becoming one of the highest regarded films Trier's made, let alone that year. But Sentimental Value isn't about a director trying to revive his career. Well, it kind of is. It's also kind of about family trauma, relationships between sisters and daughters, and identity; in fact, Sentimental Value is kind of about a lot of things, but Trier's writing and direction keep the sprawling film focused, and the perfect follow-up for the acclaimed filmmaker.

While Sentimental Value possesses all the qualities of a classic drama centered on an absent father's reemergence into his child's lives, Trier isn't a writer or director who descends into tropes or cliches. When the distant Gustav returns to the family house after his ex-wife's passing, he offers the lead role in his new movie to Nora, claiming it was written specifically for her. But Nora's refusal and later citing an inability to communicate with Gustav as the reason for her reluctance opens the doors for the usual familial conflict dialogue. However, Trier wisely circumvents this by having his characters revel in silence or non-verbal acknowledgement. Rather than having a shouting match between father and daughter, the slamming of a door, or whatever else one would attribute to the usual argumentative sequence, Nora and Gustav work through all of their transgressions with silence. A shared smile and a laugh between Nora and Gustav as the latter gifts inappropriate movies to his grandson, or the two having a silent smoke break, are moments that normally would feature explosive dialogue. Yet Trier's insistence on his characters operating through their conflicts through silence roots his film, and performances in a grounded reality that makes the Borg family feel so much more real.

Sentimental Value [2025]

Beyond the family, Trier's work is clearly influenced by Ingmar Bergman's Persona and its Jungian ideas surrounding identity. Nora's refusal to play the role in Gustav's movie results in his friendly, if not father-daughter-esque, relationship with Fanning's Rachel Kemp, an influential American actress who loves his films. Gustav offers her the role, and within her fears of not being able to give enough to the character, Rachel dyes her hair the same color as Nora and even tries a matching accent. Is this another instance of self-imposed expectations for the sake of art or Gustav's attempt at replacing his daughter? Nora isn't excluded from the maelstrom of personal identity either. She voices her disdain for Gustav and his infidelity with her mother, yet she's sleeping with her stage production's co-star Jakob (another frequent collaborator of Trier's in Anders Danielsen Lie), who's married. Trier's rich characters blend in a mix of morality and attempted reconciliation in an entrancing way, finding something new and interesting at every turn, but also nothing they do feels out of touch. The Borg family, their crises, and attempted solutions feel like logical steps for them, and their relative performances match the artistic direction Trier employs.

Reinsve is the clear lead and provides a sensational performance. While she delivered clear-cut career-defining work in The Worst Person in the World, winning Best Actress at Cannes, her performance in Sentimental Value is possibly better. The nuance of her emotion, her chemistry with Stellan, Inga, and Elle, and her delivery of the same monologue Rachel gives, but in Norwegian, all prove her sensational capabilities. Skarsgård equally turns in a stunning performance, again making an argument for a career-best in what has been a long and storied career. But it all hinges on Trier's stunning ability to write and direct such realistic and interesting characters. The final result is a phenomenal follow-up to his equally great prior film, and an emotionally resonant story about family, forgiveness, and the power of art.

Froth

Going back to my roots with this one, a pairing based on name more than anything, I think that Single Hill Brewing's Six Sisters is the perfect companion for Trier's breathtaking work. Ultimately, I found Sentimental Value operating as a film about sisters, Nora and Agnes, and their unique experiences with their father, as one of the most impactful views of the film. Luckily, there's a beer for sisters out there! Ignoring the fact that this film only has two sisters (you can't win 'em all) the Six Sisters IPA is a sensational piece of brewing. Incredibly dank with a touch of fruity citrus, the aroma is strong for sure, but along with its light-yellow hazy appearance it makes for a tantalizing pour. The taste exhibits flavors of cherry, earthiness, lemon, and grapefruit while boasting that fresh hop dankness that brings in some extra pine and resinous notes. Overall, the Six Sisters is a total blast, a great smelling, tasting and looking beer that checks all the boxes.

Nouvelle Vague

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Nouvelle Vague [2025]

Film

Richard Linklater's second 2025 feature continues his exploration of art history, and a clear appreciation for the mid-1900's. His previous project, Blue Moon, featured Ethan Hawke in a sublime performance as playwright Lorenz Hart on the eve of Oklahoma!'s debut, a film that I found enjoyable for its performances and jazzy chamber-piece aesthetic. Now, Linklater's follow up-talk about a busy year-Nouvelle Vague tackles the beginning of the French New Wave cinematic movement, specifically Jean-Luc Godard's filming of his debut feature film, Breathless. Whereas Blue Moon's near single-set production likened it to the very stage productions Linklater was referencing, his love letter to 1950's French cinema takes a similar reflective approach. Shot entirely in black and white, Nouvelle Vague acts as a time piece, a casual glimpse into the French cinematic landscape during the inception and rise of the New French Wave, a seminal time in the world's advancement of filmmaking. As important as this time period was, and Linklater's obvious appreciation for it, specifically Godard's contributions, the ambitious scope of the film and rigid screenplay makes for a difficult viewing experience.

While I had my hesitations about Linklater's Blue Moon, and its screenplay absolutely jam-packed with musical theater references, I never found it to be an inaccessible film. Using Ethan Hawke as a vehicle to distribute wise-cracking quips or bursting into song made it much more of a joy than a slog. Hawke's performance alone is worth the price of admission. Sadly, Linklater doesn't have the same powerful performance to salvage his French New Wave film. Guillaume Marbeck does a fine job portraying Jean-Luc Godard, whose bulldozing through any and all roadblocks to get his film made after working as a film critic for years is admirably done. But the lead performance and those of Zoey Deutch as Jean Seberg, Adrien Rouyard as François Truffaut, and Bruno Dreyfürst as Godard's producer Georges de Beauregard lack the level of power and panache to make Nouvelle Vague have the same punch as Blue Moon. Of course its ridiculous to compare performances in this way but I wasn't entranced by Marbeck's work, as fine as it was, and the chemistry between the cast felt lacking. While this could've been a reflection on the chaotic cast work for Godard's own film at the core of this film, the absence of a commanding central presence proves more detrimental than one might expect.

The lack of a definitive performance doesn't render Nouvelle Vague completely inert, but it snowballs the film's esoteric lecturing on the French New Wave into a rather boring pontification. Attempting to insert every major and minor French filmmaker at the time—François Truffaut, Éric Rohmer, Claude Chabrol, Jacques Rivette, etc.—is a bold move by Linklater, but it makes the rather short film feel overstuffed. The incessant name-drops feel more like shoe-horned callouts than actual substance to the film, referencing how Godard should take advice, but not really take it, be himself, but also be like Hitchcock, Bergman, and others. A decent glimpse into the expectations of making a film, sure, but I found the attempts to cover the sprawling landscape of French cinema to be hollow and reducing the film's overall focus.

However, what works wonders is Linklater's added warmth to the film, pushed forth by the fuzzy black and white cinematography that helps the film feel like a time capsule. Additionally, the film doesn't take itself seriously at all, reflecting as a playful interpretation of Godard's eccentric filmmaking style. His obsession with making something new, the resistance to having actors rehearse lines to prevent a mechanical recital, and his refusal to stick to any sort of schedule—the idiosyncrasies of Godard, along with his companions' reactions, provide a light whimsy to the didactic lecturing of film history. These moments of levity offer glimpses of what the film could have been, had it maintained a strong focus of Godard's methodology and just how impactful the making of Breathless was to the movement.

While I don't know much about musical theater, I still found ways to be moved and entertained by Blue Moon. It's likely thanks to Hawke's tremendous performance, but still, Linklater's love letter to theater and Hart was a fun, and interesting chamber-piece. Unfortunately, I didn't feel that same magic with Nouvelle Vague. It unravels as a rather inaccessible scholarly dissertation more than an exciting dive into French cinematic history. If I revisit that era of film, gathering a stronger comprehension of its style and substance, it's possible I'd feel differently about the film, but I really missed Blue Moon's exciting accessibility here. That lacking characteristic tragically diluted a film rich with the love of movies, something I desperately wanted to enjoy.

Froth

For the sake of Nouvelle Vague being about French art I suppose it makes the most sense to enjoy some French styled beer with it. Fair Isle Brewing here in Seattle has mastered the art of the saison and they recently embarked on a collaborative journey with the equally wonderful Bizarre Brewing to make a smoked saison. The product of this collaboration is the Waits, a smoked saison that is bursting with flavors and aromas from its namesake. Providing smokey overtones across the crisp saison, the overall profile of the brew is incredibly smooth and delightfully complex. There's a strong pinch of lemon along with the classic spicy profile, with an even stronger sense of peppercorn than usual, but overall the smokiness pulls back on any present bitterness and acidity. It's an interesting flavor and that's definitely not a bad thing as the Waits is a deliciously dry and refreshing saison that's well worth the Waits.

Die My Love

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Die My Love [2025]

Film

A stationary camera sits in the back of a run-down house, giving us an unflinching look into the arrival of the new owners. A seemingly happy young couple, Grace (Jennifer Lawrence) and Jackson (Robert Pattinson), look in through the front door as Jackson is telling a story about his family. I can't be sure what he says as the walls block out much of the sound. Soon, the new homeowners enter in front of the camera and begin to settle in, as the camera ever so slowly zooms towards them. Then, loud music begins to blare as a chaotic montage of the couple dancing in the kitchen is blurring in front of our eyes. Dancing, screaming, kissing, suddenly, Grace is pregnant, all of these moments smashed together in a wildly kinetic and messy stretch that probably lasts mere seconds but feels like an eternity. Lynne Ramsay's long-awaited return yields a technically dazzling but emotionally hollow exercise in performative chaos in Die My Love.

Ramsay's cacophonous film is overflowing with the tumult of marriage, identity, and parenthood, yet little to no of this mess comes from Grace and Jackson's child. It's almost entirely internalized by Grace and Jackson to some degree. Delivering a sensational performance that is comparable to her work in Darren Aronofsky's Mother!, Lawrence completely unravels into a postpartum tsunami of emotional and mental instability that becomes more unpredictable with every passing second. There are some tongue-in-cheek references to our innate animalistic instincts, surrounding parenthood and sex, as Lawrence's Grace often crawls around on the ground in her semi-lucid state. Not to mention the juxtaposition of life and death is yet another wrinkle in Ramsay's sprawling experiential film. Jackson's mother, Pam (Sissy Spacek), who's grieving over the loss of her husband Harry six months prior, mentions that "everybody goes a little loopy in the first year," to which Grace misinterprets as a dig at her mental state after giving birth. Little bits and pieces of dialogue scattered throughout the screenplay string together a bare-bones narrative that is as abstract and difficult to follow as the film itself. Making Die My Love a great film to feel but a frustrating and tiring journey to follow. There isn't a direct plot to follow, but more of characters' actions to witness and interpret, which can be difficult if the film doesn't resonate with you.

But such is Ramsay's deliberate purpose of the film. Die My Love isn't meant to be a straightforward structure of one couple's journey from start to finish. Instead, it is a performative art piece that is a maelstrom of emotion, chaos, and incredibly abstract imagery. Seamus McGarvey's cinematography is absolutely breathtaking and makes the film a bit more interesting to watch. The lush color of the Montana wilderness mixed with the dream-like texture in the air makes for an intoxicating visual appeal. A worthy technical companion for Ramsay's performers' descent into depression and madness.

Yet through all of the piecemeal appeal throughout Die My Love, I couldn't help but feel unattached to the comings and goings of emotional distress, frenetic noises, and overwhelming sense of directionless. Ramsay is certainly an auteur and has crafted fantastic films that have hit hard for me. You Were Never Really Here and We Need to Talk About Kevin are both tremendous emotional feats, but her latest didn't connect the same way. Lawrence and Pattinson are astounding on screen, but their performative spectacle lacked the depth that I felt was there, hiding behind the curtain of Ramsay's characters. Grace's postpartum distress and Jackson's pathetic helplessness are mired with too many obfuscations like Lakeith Stanfield's mysterious biker, and a mess of a timeline that jitters back and forth, blurring the metaphor serving as the backbone for all of the wild occurrences. As a film to experience, it's remarkable in its technical prowess and artistic approach, but as a narrative, the lack of structure whittled down the drama until it was flat and incoherent.

Froth

McGarvey's cinematography was a real standout for me here, even if I didn't ultimately care for the film as a whole. Some of his shots were just too wonderful to ignore, and I found myself drooling at the coloring, lighting, and almost dreamlike atmosphere he created in remote Montana. Especially the nighttime scenes. It almost reminded me of a Pablo Larraín film type of texture, where a hazy cover slips over the frame, never obscuring our view but putting us in a bit of a daze. For that reason I found it prudent to go with a Hazy IPA here, specifically Fast Fashion's Business Special. It's extraordinarily hazy appearance is the tell tale sign for what you're gonna get, a cloud-like softness. A pillowy texture that accentuates the bursting citrus, pineapple, and mango sweetness which is just divine. There's a touch of grapefruit on the backend which helps to even out the sweetness, but overall it tastes quite balanced. It's a wonderful treat and I don't think I've ever gone wrong with a Fast Fashion beer. I've probably said that every time I've paired something with Fast Fashion or brought a friend there, but hey, when you're right, you're right.

Predator: Badlands

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Predator: Badlands [2025]

Film

Believe it or not, Predator: Badlands is Dan Trachtenberg's third Predator film and even more incredibly, his second this year. His entrance into the universe came with 2022's sensational Prey, which jump-started the whole idea of putting the fearsome alien killer into different environments, against more interesting adversaries. Playing like a much more fleshed out version of 2010's Predators-another badass movie I thought punched above its weight class-Prey was more minimalistic in its setting but started a greater exploration of the Predator. Earlier this year was Trachtenberg's Killer of Killers, also serving as his entry into animated feature direction, which took the idea of Prey and put it into three different temporal environments. The predecessors of Predator: Badlands have shown the director's love and admiration for the universe of Predator as he continues pushing the envelope and asking the hard hitting questions like, "how fucking sick would it be if the Predator fought X, Y, and Z?" Turns out, as seen in the epic, badass, and incredibly entertaining Predator: Badlands, it would be oh so sick.

Taking a slightly different narrative approach from the previous Predator films by making the Predator, or Yautja, the protagonist, Predator: Badlands immediately sets itself apart from any prior film. Admittedly, I was hesitant with this implementation, and increasingly so as Trachtenberg introduces us to Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a young Yautja who's sparring with his brother to prove himself to his clan. Their chummy brotherly banter, at times, felt a little too cute, especially for the premier killer alien that's been at the top of the food chain for decades now. But, of course, I should've had more faith in Trachtenberg, as the subversive filmmaker he is. The vibe of Predator: Badlands is quickly rerouted into the badass action film it's meant to be as Dek is shipped off to the "Death Planet" to hunt the unkillable Kalisk. It's a whirlwind of a prelude, but it grips the audience unlike anything we've seen before. Demanding your attention with intensity of action and the narrative intrigue of following the Yautja for the first time.

Dek's presence on the Death Planet is where Trachtenberg really lets loose. His world-building is unbelievably swift, most often deployed through informative dialogue from the Weyland-Yutani android Thia (Elle Fanning), a tactic resembling how Denis Villeneuve navigated the dense world of Dune by utilizing recordings played by Timotheé Chalamet's Paul Atreides. Trachtenberg's inspiration from Dune resonates immediately as Predator: Badlands opens with sonic similarities to Villeneuve's films right before the camera glides over the barren desert of Yautja Prime. But Predator: Badlands doesn't need a "Part One" to set up the action as Patrick Aison's screenplay is completely devoid of bloat. In fact, Predator: Badlands is a lean, cutthroat film that rips at a break-neck pace, following Dek across the killer landscape of the "Death Planet". Fighting various inhabitants of the planet along with villainous Weyland-Yutani androids led by Tessa, played terrifically by Fanning in dual roles, the thrills of Trachtenberg's film are endless, and a complete blast to watch.

Predator: Badlands [2025]

Not to mention the visuals of the film are stunning. While some of Dek's movements might be rendered erratic at times, namely some jumping scenes early in the film, the marriage of makeup, prosthetics, and visual effects is mesmerizing on-screen, allowing the iconic Predator look to be a sharp piece of the film's intimidating aesthetic. Yet it isn't all grisly action and cut-throat alien killing. In fact, Predator: Badlands might just be Trachtenberg's most playful film. There's a strong comedic element at play, namely in the interactions surrounding Thia, and the comparisons of Dek to the Guardians of the Galaxy character Drax may be impossible to avoid. But Trachtenberg's taut direction, the sumptuous visuals of the fight sequences and unforgiving landscapes, and thrilling, gritty action choreography provide the perfect palate cleanser for any sort of creeping MCU-ification that might be on people's minds. The humor is a welcome enhancement to the film, an accoutrement to the action, as opposed to distractions or moments undercutting the severity of Dek's journey.

When it's all said and done, I think my only real disappointment with Trachtenberg's latest is that it wasn't longer. At a tight 107 minutes of runtime, the film absolutely flies by, yet I found myself wanting to spend hours on hours traversing the gorgeous, deadly landscape with Dek and Thia. Overall, though, Predator: Badlands is badass and an epic thrill-ride that has to be seen on the biggest screen possible. Lastly, we are so close to getting a proper Alien vs. Predator film now that Trachtenberg has pulled the Weyland-Yutani corporation into his universe, and if he's at the helm of such a project, then I think we're in for a real treat.

Froth

I was reading this review of Predator: Badlands, which felt like high praise coming from Ehrlich whom I don't always agree with, and his framing of the Yautja really stuck out to me. Putting the "Predator" in the context of being part of a highly evolved, intelligent alien race that has solved intergalactic travel yet only exists to bonk other living beings is downright hilarious. It's such a funny observation that I love and I can't stop thinking about these aliens sitting on a hot bed of life-changing, world-altering technology and they just get up to go hunt Arnold Schwarzenegger or whatever trophy they can't live without. I'm sorry, but that's pretty goddamn funny. So now I can't help but have a part of my brain think that the Yautja are just these washed up losers, which might be a stretch, but it brought me to Cloudburst Brewing's Washed Up Has Been. A wild connection? Sure. But I'd argue that we can have a litle fun with these kinds of things, no? Anyway, the Washed Up Has Been (lol) is a potent IPA, checking in at 7.1% ABV, which shows up a bit in the taste but overall remains the usually solid type of beer that Cloudburst produces. It's punchy citrus flavors work quite well with the incredibly punchy aroma bursting with pine, woodiness, and some serious dankness. I think it might be a little erratic in the drinking experience, but something worth experiencing nonetheless.

Christy

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Christy [2025]

Film

David Michôd attempts to enter the storied sports filmography with his latest film, Christy. Just as its title would suggest, it is a singular film about Christy Martin, the greatest female boxer and the woman who put women's boxing on the map in the first place. Played by a terrific Sydney Sweeney showcasing her range and physicality once again, Michôd's film has all the narrative juice it could ask for with Martin's incredible story. Unfortunately, Christy not only follows in lock step with every other sports film we've seen but also doesn't express any curiosity or insight into Martin's story outside of a timeline of events. Resulting in a rather underwhelming film that lacks the punch its subject was known for.

Co-writers Mirrah Foulkes and Michôd begin the film in Christy's young adulthood, in rural West Virginia, where she enters a boxing contest for fun, and knocks out the competition. Eventually, she receives a call about taking boxing seriously, which introduces her to Jim Martin (Ben Foster), who in turn becomes her trainer, her husband, and eventually the man who attempts to kill her. Martin's story alone, on paper, is a sensational tale. It reads like a classic American sports story where Christy defies the odds and, through all the gaslighting and cycles of violence from her abusive husband, continues to fight. But Foulkes and Michôd's sprawling, decades-spanning screenplay displays a real lack of curiosity into who Christy is and why/how she fights inside and outside the ring. Instead, Christy paces like a checklist of Wikipedia facts that just need a little time on screen to be marked as done.

There's so much depth to Christy's character that remains untouched, even as hard as Sweeney tries to give depth to the on-screen persona. Her physicality is on full display with her transformation and some wonderfully choreographed boxing scenes that make you feel the weight of her punches. The slower emotional moments are also impeccably done by Sweeney, delivering wry smiles or looks of terror as the film creeps into its abusive dynamics revolving around Jim's manipulation and violence.

Yet Foulkes and Michôd refuse to explore Christy's complexity. Take her first scenes, where she's sneakily sleeping with her girlfriend Rosie (Jess Gabor), but her family is well aware and confronts her during a terrifyingly awkward and homophobic family dinner. Christy's dad, Johnny (Ethan Embry), is a quieter presence, while her mom Joyce (Merritt Wever) aggressively suggests conversion camp. When she's in the ring calling her opponents "dykes," the lack of exploration into her being closeted, her parents' role in it, or her aggression being a product of self-hatred is the film's biggest weakness. Failing to give Christy more depth while also limiting Foster's Jim by not examining his manipulation of Christy's psychology.

This shallowness renders the film disjointed. Sweeney and Foster deliver strong individual performances that never cohere; they feel like actors in separate films, never quite connecting. Antony Partos' low-fi score tries to bind things together but often distracts instead of enhances. However, if there is a moment of emotional confluence, it's the final 20 minutes or so. It is an absolutely shocking finale that will shake you to your core, only to then stir your soul with Christy's resilience. Only for you to think that you've settled down, and Partos' score finally erupts into a triumphant blitz that overlays the end credits. It is practically a perfect ending for a sports film, but the over two-hour runtime to get there is exhausting and at times boring. Michôd seems to have succumbed to the same things I disliked about The King. Wasting a strong lead performance, Sweeney here and Timothée Chalamet in The King, but also creating a meandering film that fails to capture your attention due to a lack of deeper exploration of its subjects.

Froth

For Christy I decided to go with Fremont Brewing's-it's been a while since I was back at my old stomping grounds-Field to Ferment Fresh Hop Pale. This brew has a strong brightness to it, which is reflected in a nice crisp drinking experience, and the grapefruit and orange zest compliment the overall feel. It doesn't pack a punch in terms of alcoholic content, it's "only" 6%, but it swings enough flavor and dank aroma to knock just about anyone out. That's not to say you'll literally get knocked out, I'm just workshopping some boxing puns in here. While I haven't historically been the biggest fan of Fremont Brewing's fresh hop brews, this one was quite delightful. Equally balanced, refreshing, and delicious I actually enjoyed it much more than I was expecting, which makes it one hell of a beer.

Ballad of a Small Player

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Ballad of a Small Player [2025]

Film

Fresh off his critically acclaimed Papal drama, Conclave, Edward Berger returns with his highly anticipated follow-up feature, Ballad of a Small Player. I was a huge fan of Conclave, especially Berger's tremendous direction, so I was really eager to see what he could do when paired up with Colin Farrell in a leading role. A job he's been unfathomably good at, especially in recent projects such as The Batman, The Penguin, and The Banshees of Inisherin.

Unfortunately, Berger's latest film is not nearly as enticing as his past works. In fact, the film itself spirals with the same loss of control as its protagonist, Farrell's Lord Doyle, a gambling addict hiding out in the gambling capital of the world, Macao. Even if Farrell's performance is yet another standout to add to his incredible resume, Rowan Joffe's screenplay is a sluggish and rather muted affair. Farrell is working his hardest to keep your attention but not even his obscenely sweaty demeanor as he battles moral dilemmas, namely stealing money from people to feed his ravenous gambling addiction, was enthralling enough. The film's sluggishness isn't due to a lack of action. There's plenty happening, including but not limited to various paranoid investigations-involving an underutilized Tilda Swinton-Farrell freak-outs, and an oddly distracting supernatural theme. Even though Doyle's inhabitation of Macao takes place over the Festival of Hungry Ghosts, a time when people offer sacrifices to appease the dead which could include burning money, the link between offerings, ghostly apparitions, or Doyle's doomed soul doesn't feel strong enough to make complete sense. Ultimately, adding more noise to an already cacophonous film.

Luckily, however, Berger has maintained the technical panache that made Conclave and All Quiet on the Western Front such visual gems. James Friend, Berger's DP on All Quiet, is back and the two work together in such harmony that every shot in the neon draped gambling capital is undeniably stunning. The visuals work terrifically with Farrell's performance, giving a real textural depth to Doyle's addiction, and the moments outside the booming metropolis are a terrific contrast of simple yet elegant images. Not to mention Volker Bertelmann whose work on the score of All Quiet earned him the Oscar is back with another phenomenal score. Equal parts operatic and smooth, Bertelmann's score dances to the beat of Doyle's heart and mind while electrifying every scene, which isn't far off from what his three-note score from All Quiet accomplished. Even Berger's frequent collaborator Lisy Christl is back in charge of costume design which is filled with wonderful colors, designs, and adds the flair that I've come to expect from Berger's pictures.

Unfortunately, however, there just isn't enough cohesion between the narrative elements of Ballad of a Small Player to complement the lush visuals. The technical aspects, along with Farrell's performance, can only bring you so far, and sadly I found the story lacking and somewhat boring at times. I may have had too high of expectations for Berger's Conclave follow-up but sometimes you have to work with the cards you've been dealt. No matter what though, I enjoyed watching Farrell-which I almost always do-and I love seeing the vision of Berger, along with his usual technical excellence.

Froth

For such a vibrant film, seriously the shots of Macao are stunning, you're going to want an equally colorful beer that pops. El Sueñito Brewing Company is relatively new in Seattle, or at least their location in the Fremont neighborhood, and one that I've been terrible at seeking out. I was luckily able to try their Sueños Del Campo, a wonderful New England Hazy IPA, that has the perfect mix of style and substance. Brewed with a combination of El Dorado and Cashmere hops gives the beer a strong profile of fruitiness, primarily consisting of melon, pineapple, and pear. But there's also a nice citrus backbone that pulls back the sweetness, along with a solid bitterness from the El Dorado hops that really brings it all together in a wonderfully balanced way. The Sueños Del Campo is also a Fresh Hop brew so it has a great grassy and herbal element to it and tastes/smells incredibly fresh. All in all, I can't wait to take a deeper dive into El Sueñito's menu!

Blue Moon is Ethan Hawke at His Best

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Blue Moon [2025]

Film

Back with his once frequent collaborator from the Before trilogy, Richard Linklater brings in Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon. It's a cozy, jazzy chamber-piece that serves much more as a platform for the criminally under-appreciated Hawke than it does the entertaining hang-out films of Linklater past. As the late great lyricist Lorenz Hart, Hawke not only dives into the role, but lands a perfect ten, displaying an extreme variety of emotional chaos with nothing but ease. But that doesn't make Blue Moon as sensational as it should be as Robert Kaplow's dense, lyrically verbose script may be difficult to follow at times, the first act is an arduous journey to climb through. A litany of musical theater references and a smattering of divergences from Hawke's jittery, depressed Hart trying to keep a cheery demeanor delivering a fair amount of whiplash. But anyone in his shoes would be so emotionally unstable, his longtime partner Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott) just celebrated the opening night of his musical written with Oscar Hammerstein II (Simon Delaney), "Oklahoma!" Although the drama, at times feeling like something from a Bravo reality TV show, is delectable, driven by Hawke's feverish performance, Blue Moon ultimately flounders in matching its lead performance's intrigue.

The primary problem with Linklater's latest-well, one of two latest as he's also putting out Nouvelle Vague this year-is a treacherous first act. Hart's unraveling maintains a snail's pace, while the quick-as-a-whip delivery from Hawke jam-packs two hours worth of dialogue into a package ten sizes too small. The walls are bursting at the seams, and it would feel as though your brain is about to burst handling another monologue from Hawke. Especially about how he's in love with a 20 year old girl, Elizabeth who's played by a sorely out of place Margaret Qualley. The film's locale serves as double edged sword with interestingly reserved direction from Linklater in a single location yet embodies the feelings of being trapped with a spiraling man rambling about musical theater, fighting his demons, and yes, once again talking about a girl he met. If you're well-versed in musical theater, the comments from Hart might be exciting easter eggs, many of them went over my head, but no matter what you're interested in you can only handle so much talk from someone about a person they've met and are in love with before you start to resent them both. Harsh? Possibly. But Kaplow's script fails to push through the very evident addictive personality of Hart to get to the more interesting pieces of his psyche, instead relying on this trope of "guy talks to bartender about his love life" ad nauseam.

Luckily, a breath of fresh air enters the room when Andrew Scott's Richard Rodgers appears, delivering an equally stunning performance as a partner that's loyal and loving but absolutely fed up with Hart's destructive behaviors. Where Bobby Cannavale's bartender is ready to serve up another drink at the behest of a longtime patron, Rodgers recoils at the sight of Hart holding a glass of champagne to toast to the success of Oklahoma. The chemistry between Hawke and Scott is tremendous, and the tension is palpable. Their shared desire to work together again takes different forms amongst the men as Hart undergoes a manic frenzy spitting with envy and sadness whereas Rodgers is filled with aching sadness and restrained anger towards his old friend. Scott's portrayal of Rodgers oscillates between fright, concern and dismay all in one sweeping motion while patrons come to celebrate his accomplishments, his success feeling like an echo in the back of his mind while his dear friend screams for more of him. The push and pull these characters have elevate Kaplow's otherwise scatterbrained script and the performers putting on the show are quite frankly, stellar.

Unfortunately, the issues that plagued the first act reemerge once Scott is back off-screen, coincidence? I think not. Hawke, no matter how phenomenal his performance, simply isn't getting the same energy from the rest of the cast. It's especially tragic that Qualley's performance, and character as a whole, feels so out of place. She's almost anachronistic in her portrayal and that's not to diminish Qualley as an actress, but Kaplow's writing gives her nothing to work with and nothing for Hawke to go off of.

Nevertheless, I couldn't help but enjoy Blue Moon for the sheer presence of Hawke and Scott. The magnitude of their performances is just too large to ignore and too good to truly dislike the final product. Linklater also impresses me time and time again with his choices in this recent epoch of his career. He's experimenting without being avant garde and still pulling some terrific performances from his cast. While Blue Moon may be my least favorite of his recent works, as of writing this I have yet to see Nouvelle Vague, I still respect his continued boundary pushing, no matter how minute it may be.

Froth

I'll keep this one quick and easy, after I just lamented about the density of Blue Moon, and mention that I enjoyed a lovely IPA from Fast Fashion Brewing called Control Artist. Naming subtleties aside, the Control Artist was a solid beer and hit all the pleasure points I was looking for. It was crisp, hoppy, refreshing, and with minimal bitterness that allowed the citrus overtones to really come out to play. It's considered a West Coast IPA so it definitely had a more dank, hoppiness to it than anything else but that's definitely something I enjoy so I wasn't overwhelmed by any means. In fact, it was the perfect sipping partner that was easy to drink and immensely enjoyable, making it a little easier to get through the jungle of musical theater references and talky dialogue of Blue Moon.

The Maestro of Monsters is Back

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Frankenstein [2025]

Film

It feels like Guillermo del Toro has been slowly building towards adapting Mary Shelley's gothic classic, Frankenstein for years now. The maestro of monsters has made a killing off of the misunderstood monster, driven to misanthropy not by their own nature but by society's refusal to accept them. None could be more true than del Toro's Shelley adaptation which is, at its core, an interpretation more than a recounting. Literary purists may find the narrative deviations frustrating, but del Toro's Frankenstein approach of slicing and dicing through Shelley's text, picking the parts that would service his cinematic mind best, remains true to his own artistic instincts and that of Shelley's rich thematic tapestry. Of course it helps that del Toro is an aficionado for visuals, starting this film like many of his others, draped in picturesque images. The arctic, where Shelley's story ends, del Toro's begins. The Swedish ship, The Horizon, is trapped in the ice when an explosion nearby draws the attention of the crew. In the incendiary wreckage is the weak, near-death Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), who recalls his history to the captain in exchange for preservation.

Del Toro's story provides more background for the titular doctor, fueling him with rage and ego by the death of his mother and fury towards his father, a world renowned doctor, for not being able to save her. The hubris backing Frankenstein's later endeavors for warring against death, and his ultimate experiment, paint the doctor as the true monster in the story. Further cemented by his disgust and disdain for the creature he creates, brought to life beautifully by an unrecognizable and soul-baring performance from Jacob Elordi.

While del Toro's additional motives for Frankenstein are built with patience and are incredibly rewarding, he succumbs to his worst tendencies in rushing the romantic counterpart of his story. Frankenstein's requited infatuation with his brother William's fiancé, Elizabeth (Mia Goth), doesn't receive the same care and attention for a thoughtful, or even sensical, structure. Seemingly thrust together, Frankenstein and Elizabeth share a confounding forbidden affection for one another that is as confusing as it is distracting. Diverging so far from Shelley's novel might be a factor here. Elizabeth is Frankenstein's childhood friend and they eventually marry in the novel, so del Toro's creative adaptation may have stretched too thin across these changes. But when you also throw in a cobbled character like Elizabeth's father (Christoph Waltz) who is financing Frankenstein's experiment, for reasons emphasizing the downfall of man via hubris, and the supporting roles in Frankenstein feel just as pieced together as the doctor's creation. Becoming more of a disappointment than adding to the emotional package del Toro intends to deliver.

Frankenstein [2025]

As the tale bends back from Frankenstein's rendering to the ship in the Arctic, the monster has arrived and demands to have his side of the story told as well, thus beginning a new narrative. This second act is where del Toro thrives. Finally, the misunderstood monster gets a chance to tell their side of the story, and what a gorgeous story it is. Even though it is far away from the adapted story of Shelley's, instead of making the monster a murderous machine fueled by the anger and apprehension of man, he is a curious and lost soul. Instead of Frankenstein's story carrying us through stunning productions of gothic villages, filled with the intricate designs that del Toro has become synonymous with, the creature's story takes place in the bucolic woods where he benefits from the kindness of a blind man. The frigid, sometimes grimy, natural environment the creature finds himself in, is a terrific contrast to Frankenstein's reality-a credit to del Toro's frequent cinematographer Dan Laustsen who works in concert with del Toro's vision-when they finally have their reunion, the two worlds clash in a frenzy of envy, fear, and sadness.

While del Toro's film makes a strong effort to paint the creature as an innocent byproduct of the machinations of man, it still rings true the maelstrom of themes from Shelley's novel. Nature vs. nurture, man vs. nature, or how when man tries to play god they find themselves much closer to the devil. Del Toro's story, even with its flaws that make it a much more sprawling and unfocused experience than I'm used to from his work, is still riveting. It's possible that the personal expectations del Toro had for making a perfect adaptation has caused this unwinding, not far off from Frankenstein himself. But even when the writer/director isn't at his best, he still makes an awe-inspiring display of cinematic command and effort for understanding those who are most misunderstood.

Froth

I was recently up north in Vancouver Canada for the Vancouver International Film Festival, which was an exceptional time, and I took some time in between screenings for a quick bite and a beer (or multiple) at Steamworks Brewing. There I enjoyed a seasonal delight in their Oktoberfest Märzen that perfectly fits the Fall/Oktoberfest/Halloween kind of vibes we're in right now. The Märzen was a delicious brew, filled with malty sweetness and a touch of biscuit and caramel to brighten it up. It has a toastier aroma than what I was expecting but that ended up adding a little more depth to it, which I'm never going to complain about. All things considered, Steamworks made a solid Märzen and there's no need to ask Frankenstein to build you a companion when you've got a great one poured right here.

VIFF Digest: Part 3

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Blue Heron [2025]

Blue Heron

Fresh off a buzzy reception at this year's Locarno Film Festival, Sophy Romvari's feature debut in Blue Heron was atop the list of films I wanted to catch at VIFF. Luckily I was able to subject myself to the crushing emotional toll of Romvari's gutting film, while also appreciating the sheer craft and beauty laced within it. Based on her own life experiences, Blue Heron follows a family freshly moving into a new home on Vancouver Island. The narrative is mostly from the perspective of the youngest daughter Sasha (Eylul Guven), an assumed reflection for Romvari's younger self, who has just moved into a new Vancouver home along with her parents (Iringó Réti and Ádám Tompa), and three siblings including her older half-brother Jeremy (Edik Beddoes). Sporting a free flowing narrative bereft of much structure, Romvari's storytelling feels incredibly natural, especially when seen through the lens of Sasha's childhood. It feels as free-spirited as a kid's life should be, without stress or planning. The textured sound design places us directly in Sasha's shoes as she helps her mother cook, plays with her friends, or enjoys the beach with her family, providing a sensory aesthetic that's sharp and emphasizes the focus on Sasha.

But as Jeremy's behavior gets increasingly erratic, forcing Sasha's parents to visit child psychologists or social services, it's clear there's a darker side to Sasha's childhood. Much of Romvari's meditation on childhood trauma is in the memories we make, or think we make, often reflecting on the occurrences later in life and realizing it wasn't quite what we thought it was. A few innocent conversations between Sasha and her mother on Jeremy's behavior, Sasha of course doesn't see anything wrong with Jeremy's incidents in the beginning, highlight the less-than-wary sibling bond even in the midst of chaotic episodes. To put it simply, Romvari is in absolute command of her film, using every tool possible to fine-tune a directorial approach that is as seamless as it is intriguing. Her invocation of a The Fablemans moment where Sasha is inadvertantly given the family videocamera, filming Jeremy as he's brought home handcuffed by the police, is a stunning display of surehandedness behind the actual camera. Romvari's ability to weave in a tremendously personal narrative, along with an older version of Sasha (Amy Zimmer) reflecting on the choices her parents made while bridging the past and present-she visits her family home with the younger versions of herself and siblings present-is a complete gut-punch. By the time the finale closes, I was not only wiping tears from my eyes, feeling the ache of what ifs and parental powerlessness, but I was also completely blown away by Romvari's debut. A mix of biographical fiction can be a tall order, not to mention she even blends a documentary style in as well, but Romvari meets and absolutely exceeds the task. Blue Heron was by far the best film I saw at VIFF this year and I cannot wait to see what Romvari does next.

A Poet [2025]

A Poet

Built as an absurdist comedy/drama, Simón Mesa Soto's A Poet is meant to frustrate. Ubeimar Rios' protagonist, Oscar Restrepo, a burnt out poet who spends his days getting drunk and bemoaning his lack of literary notoriety, is the main culprit behind this antagonization. From asking his estranged daughter for money to pouring liquor into his coffee before going to his teaching job, it's readily apparent that Restrepo is a definitive failure. But when he meets Yurlady (Rebeca Andrade) in his class, her notebook filled with poetry moves him to take her under his dusty wings and feed her reluctant love of poetry. Even when Restrepo is making decisions that should enamor the audience to him, Soto's story effectively keeps him in the shadows while the light of success shines on others. Rios does an incredible job capturing the complex emotions of Restrepo's tortured poet. Oscillating between crippling sadness, alcohol inspired anger, or the exhaustion of living on the fringes in a once successful career, Rios' role is captivating. Yet A Poet isn't exactly a happy story, even if it is outrageously hilarious at times given Restrepo's buffoonish actions, but it's highlighting of the most marginalized people being taken advantage of is quite sharp. Restrepo and his more successful colleague getting into a literal dick measuring contest over poetry and bringing up the next wave of talent, with Yurlady and Restrepo's daughter bearing the brunt of the consequences is incredibly well done in both story and direction.

When Soto's film is at its best when moving through Restrepo's attempted moral comeback. The ups and downs, along with sideways stumbles, are entertaining and feed into the absurdist portrayal of a failed poet trying to achieve something worthwhile. However, A Poet tends to spin its own wheels a bit, overplaying its hand on the latter moments of absurdity. Yurlady's brother attacking Restrepo after a celebration goes awry, or even Yurlady's apology video feel overwrought with tonal shifts that undercut the taut storytelling that Soto had thus far. As the film unravels in the third act, a sprawling back-and-forth between Restrepo, his daughter, and Yurlady proves to be thematically tight as a sort of redemption, but it takes too long and slows the pace far below a threshold I was hoping for. Ultimately making A Poet an uneven film that definitely holds a fantastic film within itself, but was lost without sharper editing and a more concrete third act.

VIFF Digest: Part 2

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Dracula [2025]

Dracula

Have you ever worried about AI taking your job? I know I have, but I don't know if Radu Jude feels the same way. You see, Jude seems to think of AI as a barbaric, idiotic, and derivative piece of crap that does nothing but stoke the anxieties of society and make us all dumber. Imbuing his latest film, the damn-near three-hour odyssey Dracula, with his irreverent cinematic style, Jude lambasts the idea of using AI in creative environments while also showcasing the sprawling set of ideals that the provocateur has become known for. Dracula centers around a Romanian filmmaker, who is tasked with creating a film about Romania's most popular IP, Dracula. Struggling creatively and knowing his story won't be "commercially viable", the filmmaker turns to an AI chatbot that creates a series of vignettes of various Dracula stories that are prompted to be commercial, sexy, bloody, and every other buzzword known to mankind. With each digression getting weirder, wilder, and more crass, Jude's vampiric epic is undoubtedly entertaining and shocking but fails to get away from its own self-indulgence or capitalize on anything new after the first relatively agonizing hour.

To prove Jude's point, his central story in this film is the most interesting and thematically coherent. A washed-up actor is playing Dracula in a low-fi theater production in the basement of a restaurant, which he's exhausted of doing, and the patrons watching the show are dismissive, demanding, and eager to quite literally kill him. When he's not running from the patrons hoisting their wooden stakes in the air with murder in their eyes, he's being prostituted to one of the women in the audience because part of the novelty of "Dracula" is how sexy he is in modern media. A fantastic bit about Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula highlights the supposed commercial viability of sex appeal concerning the murderous monster and suggests that Jude also has a pretty low opinion of moviegoers. In fact, he might hate his audience. The construction of the AI-powered vignettes is a double-edged sword of lambasting the lack of creative nuance in artificial intelligence while also reminding the audience that this is exactly what "we" ask for, or at least that's how Jude feels. For a movie to be commercially viable, especially when using such recognizable IP, it must have sex appeal, so why not have AI create phallic homunculuses undulating across the screen in a terrifying display that is beyond nightmare fuel? Or if it needs to make a political statement, then let's have AI make Dracula a union buster while also making fun of Trump and Elon Musk. The fictional union is filled with employees who play video games for buyers' accounts, something Musk himself has admitted to paying for. But when the almost three-hour slog is finished, I didn't find anything substantial beyond Jude's initial statements. Not to mention, when you're making a movie to prove how bad a movie could be, you can only stomach so much of it. While Jude continues to push boundaries and his creative pursuits are nothing short of incredibly audacious, Dracula felt like a self-indulgent exercise that was too absurd and too distracted.

The Love That Remains [2025]

The Love That Remains

When it comes to capturing the natural world, there might not be a better working director than Hlynur Pálmason. His last feature film, Godland, a gorgeous period piece, showcased the beauty and hostilities of Iceland's nature, in part thanks to Maria von Hausswolff's stunning yet bleak cinematography. Continuing with his affection for Iceland's environment and its ability to represent human nature, Pálmason's latest film, The Love That Remains, is a modern meditative drama that follows a family over the course of a year. So the seasons tell us. The attention to the beauty of the mesmerizing landscape is one thing, but the creeping violence in both the natural and human world makes Pálmason's film rich with context. The sound of pounding rain, or the howling of wind across the roof of Anna's (Saga Garðarsdóttir) house, feels like a fragile state of safety with her three young children inside. The opening shot of the film, being an old studio of Anna's, who works as an artist, having its roof torn off, is an alarming indicator of fragility and helplessness. Pálmason's static shots of the landscapes across the seasons, with vicious ice and snow formations appearing out of thin air, are as stunning as they are terrifying. The passage of time is another one of the filmmaker's mediums, if I may be so bold to say, utilizing the change of seasons and weather patterns as a clock and a tapestry, all the same. Anna's art, being the transfer of rust patterns from metal to canvas, is yet another sly tool in Pálmason's writing and directing that time and nature come for us all.

While I'm making it seem like The Love That Remains is a dark film, it's much lovelier in both appearance and execution. The family at the heart of the story is wonderful. Young twins Grímur (Grímur Hlynsson) and Þorgils (Þorgils Hlynsson), along with their older sister Ída (Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir), are delightful, and even Anna's and Magnús' (Sverrir Gudnason) separation is light and feels honest. The violent changes in the world are never overbearing, and the difference between the parents' and children's comprehension of this is often intriguing instead of overwrought. Laughing at a grisly true crime podcast or shooting arrows at a mannequin shows the children's lighter approach as they grow up in an ever-increasingly violent world, whereas Magnús gets surreal night terrors after killing one chicken.

Even if Pálmason's narrative is a bit sparse, the texture, which could be considered ASMR for nature buffs, is delicious, and the rich juxtapositions he invokes through his appreciation of nature are perfectly done. It draws comparisons in my mind to Eva Victor's stellar debut Sorry, Baby, not in really any category other than the idea that we can't protect our children from everything that happens in the world, it's an impossible task. While Victor's film tackles this with an emotional monologue, Pálmason uses nature and some predatory off-islanders, but both films achieve the same result. As time moves on, the landscape changes, and traces of our existence are wiped from the Earth, at least there will be the love that remains.

The Secret Agent

Undoubtedly one of the most enjoyable films I saw at this year's Vancouver International Film Festival is Kleber Mendonça Filho's sensational The Secret Agent. Filho's taut thriller jumps out of the gate with an introduction of Wagner Moura's Marcelo, who is held up at a Brazilian gas station by a police officer with an auspicious blotch of blood on his uniform. A dead body lies in the nearby parking lot, an attempted robber says the gas station attendant, but the police officers pay no attention to the cadaver as they begin their shakedown of Marcelo, looking for donations. The tension is palpable, regardless of whatever knowledge of Marcelo's past that we're missing, and while The Secret Agent doesn't carry this same intensity for the rest of the first act, Moura's charisma alone is enough to keep you fully engaged. By the time we learn about his involvement in a Brazilian witness protection program and a powerful business leader paying two hired guns to kill Moura's Marcelo, Filho is in complete control.

While I don't normally care for lengthy exposition being used to explain the happenstance of a character, or remove all mystery behind their circumstances, having Marcelo explain his history over recordings-tapes that play a strong hand in the film's themes of lost identity feels-apropos. Moreover, the title of the film is a bit of a misnomer, a misdirection that implicates Marcelo in a fiery scheme more than a struggle for survival amongst the other "refugees" he finds solace with in his hometown of Recife. Here, the modest living conditions and human connections he makes not only push Filho's terrific script forward, featuring stellar bouts of dialogue that are emotionally tactful and at times hilarious thanks to a standout performance from the maternal Sebastiana (Tânia Maria). But the title isn't the only distraction as there's plenty of red herrings and obfuscation to go around, especially concerning the Recife Chief of Police Euclides (Robério Diógenes) whose buffoonish personality, involvement in a disembodied leg being found in a shark's stomach, and friendship with the hired gunmen provide plenty of labyrinthian confusion. But these perplexing plot additions serve well to bring levity to the story and ultimately Filho's personal connection with the film's setting, as he grew up in 1970s Recife, which was rife with political repression and frightening unknowns.

Although the final act of The Secret Agent was a bit of a stretch as a narrative for me, spreading itself too thin, it provided a strong connection to last year's tremendous I'm Still Here from Brazil. Both of which have potent themes of lost identity and innocence amidst political turmoil, and are impeccably shown through the perspectives of those harmed the most. And just like Fernanda Torres' phenomenal performance in Walter Salles' film, Moura is a force in Filho's, impossible to ignore, and rightfully the winner of Best Actor out of Cannes.

VIFF Digest: Part 1

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Middle Life [2025]

Middle Life

It feels as though getting the "meet cute" of a romantic film right is one of the hardest parts. Without being forced, or cliche, the romantic counterparts need to intertwine in some way, setting us on a path towards romance, conflict, and that's right, love. Pavan Moondi, the writer, director, editor and producer of Middle Life wisely undercuts the severity of a good meeting, subverting the lofty expectations, by having Ryan (Peter Dreimanis) and Andie (Leah Fay Goldstein) meet in the aftermath of a car accident. Ryan, speeding home because he "needs to take a piss", flips his car, while Andie happens to be at the right place and the right time. Seeing him crawling out of the vehicle, she calls for help. What's nice about Middle Life and Moondi's story is that it doesn't get bogged down by the details. The ensuing credits after the opening sequence show a whirlwind of time, who knows how long after the crash, that highlights Ryan and Andie's day to day lives. Ryan works as a plumber installing bidets, while Andie struggles in her daily life with her husband and son, particularly here Moondi's direction is tremendous. The camera works as a spying third party in Andie's home, always slightly hidden behind a wall or door, peering in on the seemingly worrisome marriage. It doesn't matter how these respective parties got into whatever rut it is that they're in, and abandoning these details makes it more believable and natural. It could be anyone of us in the middle of this exact mundanity.

Moondi's story takes off once Ryan and Andie reconnect, Ryan understandably wants to thank Andie for saving his life and that of his father who was a passenger in the car. Ryan's idiosyncratic, oddball behavior provides a light comedic feel to their budding friendship, but unfortunately the chemistry never connects with Goldstein's Andie. Dreimanis' whimsically comedic delivery simply doesn't match Goldstein's bland reading, lacking emotion and intrigue in a romantic sense. Amidst the strange, inexplicable oversharing from Ryan, leading to the film leaning on his inability to piss-a thematic element that is terribly under explored if not completely abandoned in the latter half-there's little mixing between these two performers. Story-wise Middle Life relies on a chapter structure to highlight distinct moments in Ryan and Andie's journey, but unfortunately the narrative isn't strong enough to keep it all afloat. While I just praised Moondi for not getting too caught up in the little details of the story, there seems to be little balance between moving quickly and building a strong enough foundation of these characters to really pack a punch when their whimsical trip to California takes an anxious turn. The unexamined, and sudden, trauma of Ryan's car crash and Andie's crumbling marriage are necessary developmental elements that flounders when finally revealed. Ultimately making the relationship of Ryan and Andie more of a frustrating head-scratcher than that of two wandering souls finding solace with one another. That being said, there's something to enjoy about the colorful aesthetics of the film and its bright persona, providing a nice, bubblegum pop feel to the budding romance. Combined with Ben Fox's delightfully saxophone-centric score, the technical profile of Moondi's film is quite lovely. Which, in the theme of Ryan's perspective on life, feels appropriate to appreciate the little things and moments even if the whole doesn't come together.

Deathstalker [2025]

Deathstalker

The reanimated corpse of the 1980's B-movie series, Deathstalker, isn't thanks to Nekromemnon-more on this soon-but to Steven Kostanski who's known more for his FX wizardry than his writing/directing chops. Well, I should also mention that Slash, yes Slash, is also to thank for his role as an executive producer along with creating the heavy metal anthem for the titular hero. Spoiler alert, it rips. Regardless of who's responsible for this revival, Deathstalker in its new modern form is just as metal and ridiculous, filled with campy extravaganzas, as its 80's predecessors, which is its gift and curse. The story matches the originals' opacity and outlandishness, taking place in the Kingdom of Abraxeon which is under siege from the Dreadites, an army of undead warriors at the behest of the evil sorcerer, Nekromemnon (Nicholas Rice). As Deathstalker (Daniel Bernhardt) scavenges the battlefields, he unknowingly takes a cursed amulet which sets in motion the fantastical journey that spins completely out of control, but is undeniably entertaining.

Kostanski's dedication to practical effects including but not limited to makeup, prosthetics, animatronic demons and animals, and no shortage of flowing and/or spraying blood gives Deathstalker a proper feel for an 80's revival. Combined with how unserious the film takes itself, delivering extraordinary camp vibes at every turn, Kostanski isn't making a modern Deathstalker that necessarily belongs in 2025, but a reimagining of the original that looks infinitely better. Especially when factoring in the crowd-funded budget. This refurbished approach works incredibly well, for the most part. Hilarious one-liners or ridiculous tropes, the old wise man at the Inn smoking a pipe while reciting the entire history of Deathstalker as a prime example, provide a fun comedic feel, juxtaposed with the river of blood and gore creates an exciting aesthetic that immediately grabs you. But as the story continues to fold in upon itself, introducing new exposition and zany characters or places at every impediment the hero faces, the film gets exponentially more difficult to comprehend. The argument could be made that the nonsensical story is a direct influence of the discombobulated narrative of the original film, but when influence becomes imitation you can't help but struggle to separate the two. Pulling in various parts of The Lord of the Rings (the scene of the hobbits hiding in the tree under the Nazgûl is recreated twice in the same few minutes), Star Wars with Deathstalker piggybacking a small sorcerer named Doodad (Patton Oswalt) invoking Luke Skywalker and Yoda imagery, or Conan the Barbarian with Deathstalker's appearance, are all fun callbacks that have varying appeal. But as the swords keep swinging, foes are vanquished, often providing anticlimactic comedy more than thrilling action, the camp becomes exhausting more than exhilarating.

There's also something to be said about the subversion of the film, primarily rivaling the sexual violence present in the originals, whereas the new film undercuts the very apparent masculine sensibilities by having the resolution revolve around a nice hug with a swamp monster. Bernhardt proves to be a proper vehicle for the gruff, battle-weary hero, playing the titular role with an air of ease. His exasperated and sardonic warrior persona mirrors the ever-increasing stakes of the world diving into darkness with comedic relief and the unserious undercutting that prevents the film from fully imploding. As far as reboots go, especially concerning cult favorites, Deathstalker is a middle of the road modernization that gets the ball rolling, but down the same path. A more refined story that didn't find itself in the same pitfalls as the original could've elevated the campy outrage, creating an all new modern classic.

Miroirs No. 3 [2025]

Miroirs No. 3

Christian Petzold returns with another slow-burn, minimalist drama in Miroirs No. 3, examining the differing processes of grief between those ridden with it, and the choices we make to cope. After a car accident that kills her boyfriend, Laura (Paula Beer) asks to stay with Betty (Barbara Auer), the woman who pulls her from the wreckage. While Laura isn't physically hurt from the crash, there's clearly something wrong, whether it's trauma or grief from the accident or the death of her boyfriend is unclear, especially when getting a glimpse of her behavior prior to the couple's trip. Her silent trip to a river, where she sees a man in all black paddle boarding, something I couldn't help but compare to Charon the ferryman of the Greek underworld, or her emotional and mental distance from her boyfriend create an enigmatic atmosphere that powers Petzold's slow-moving and methodical story. Once Laura and Betty get closer, and you get over the odd circumstances that have brought them together-something I don't think I ever did-Miroirs No. 3 takes a little more shape. Betty introduces Laura to her husband Richard (Matthias Brandt) and son Max (Enno Trebs), the vague tension between the three family members hinting at some sort of missing piece. This becomes abundantly clear the first time you hear the name "Yelena", yielding some explanation to Betty's maternal attachment to Laura after her accident, and the men's hesitation to fully give into this replacement. Additionally, Richard and Max may be operating as criminals on the side, jamming car GPS signals as Max relays to Laura, and Betty's recent completion of a pill regiment, whether by choice or medically, adds fuel to the perplexing fire. The answers to all these strange questions are never given, certainly not out in the open that is, and the mysterious fog enrapturing the four characters is Petzold's thought experiment personified. How and why do we move forward through the grieving process? Petzold doesn't know the answer, neither do his characters, and certainly not us the viewer.

However, with how minimal Miroir's No. 3 is, I found it difficult to stay completely attached to Petzold's approach. It is, after all, hard to get full when you're just eating scraps. The continued layering of more and more mystery isn't an unwelcome level of complexity, but obfuscated the original thesis statement more than magnified it. An air of violence across the men, or even Betty's psychological state reflecting a teetering of violent outbursts yields strong stakes, but I wasn't buying Laura's inability to escape her environment or her lack of agency in being there in the first place. It wasn't suspenseful enough to be fun, and not fun enough to be suspenseful.

That being said, Miroirs No. 3 is a tremendous film technically. Petzold's frequent collaborator Hans Fromm's cinematography is stunning, balancing the light of the countryside delicately across the fractured characters. Not to mention the musicality of the film, named after a composition by Maurice Ravel along with Laura being a piano student adds a level of dimensionality that brings lovely emotional components especially in the third act. So while I don't believe Petzold's minimalism paired well with his bread crumbed story, it was still a wonderful exercise in grief and another slow burn drama that is the writer/director's bread and butter.

One Battle After Another

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 07:00:00 GMT

One Battle After Another [2025]

Film

The ability to write and direct a sprawling action-comedy epic probably doesn't come as a shock when you discover it in Paul Thomas Anderson's bag of tricks. He has been able to craft vivid worlds that are audaciously dense and complex, filled with characters who are equal parts entertaining and challenging. Look no further than one of his most complete works, his 2012 film The Master. Not only is it stunning to look at, but the dueling-yet-symbiotic relationship between Joaquin Phoenix's free-spirited and socially stunted Freddie and Philip Seymour Hoffman's charismatic cult leader, Lancaster Dodd, is revelatory. The push and pull between Anderson's protagonists, he loves an anti-hero dynamic more than protagonist versus antagonist, delivers sensational entertainment value, and is never bogged down by overt messaging. PTA is an auteur after all, his time better spent crafting the character more than the dialogue-not to say his dialogue is lacking-and he has continued this approach with his newest endeavor, One Battle After Another. Creating his most modern and political film to date, Anderson has once again raised the bar, this time to a new dimension, with a sprawling action/comedy epic that feels appropriate for the times, and entertains with feverish delight.

Here Anderson taps Leonardo DiCaprio as his muse, the rebellious idealist cosplaying as a revolutionary Bob Ferguson, who ingrains himself in The French 75, a group of revolutionaries that, upon the film's opening, breaks into an ICE detention facility. While Bob is off setting fireworks as a distraction, a common job for DiCaprio's buffoonish Ferguson, the fiery heart of The French 75, Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) is emasculating Captain Lockjaw (Sean Penn), emboldening her own aspirations while enrapturing Lockjaw's desire. The sexual fervor that bursts through each rebellious act at times feels juvenile, representing a sort of it's not a phase, dad levity, but the deeper Anderson's script dives into the romantic entanglement of Ferguson and Perfidia, along with Lockjaw's malicious gaze, the more intriguing his themes become. After Ferguson and Perfidia have a daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti), The French 75 begins to crumble, eventually leading to the split of the parents and Ferguson taking their daughter into hiding. 16 years later, using drugs and alcohol to feed a dazed state of paranoia, Ferguson discovers Lockjaw has his sights set on the father-daughter duo for revenge, and then some.

One Battle After Another [2025]

While Leo operates as the film's main character, he's cut off at the knees at every turn. His inability to remember codes, rendezvous points, and general collapse under pressure create tremendously comedic moments that lighten the scale of the film, and make it outrageously entertaining. This also serves as a wonderful reminder of DiCaprio's command of physical comedy and a testament to the range he possesses as a performer. I'd argue that he's even turned in his finest, most complete performance since The Wolf of Wall Street, another dedicated physical role. But Ferguson's revolutionary illiteracy is not just a comedic ploy; it creates a contrast between the people of color throughout the film who are organized and self-assured in their actions. Benicio del Toro's Sensei Sergio organizing in the background while Ferguson is bumbling about in the foreground might suggest the attention is on the white revolutionary in front of us, but the suggestion of cyclical violence and preparedness in the background elicits the emphasis the writer/director has built. There's some evidence to this layering in PTA's prior works, Dodd's marriage, and Amy Adams' wonderfully restrained role in The Master, Daniel's (Daniel Day-Lewis) adopted son in There Will Be Blood, and most recently in Licorice Pizza the coterie of men in Gary Valentine's (Cooper Hoffman) life. But it's never been done to this level, and providing this much rewarding context, a surefire step in Anderson's rapturous evolution as a filmmaker and his grasp of storytelling.

Anderson builds upon this with Willa's existence as a biracial child, being born into a battle, or battles, that she had no part in creating nor had a choice in participating in. And even though Leo commands much of the screentime, it's Infiniti's Willa that is the true protagonist of the film. Infiniti delivers a powerhouse performance of fantastic balance and ferocity, especially in the finale, where the ideas of race and social identity come into play. But what makes One Battle After Another so intriguing is Anderson's usual tactics. An underreliance on didactic messaging to make these points about authoritarian states, immigration, and race, and instead relying on the complex characters he's crafted to relay his dense thematic layers. Willa, Ferguson, Lockjaw, and especially a scarce-screentime Regina Hall-who, along with Taylor and Infiniti, create a trio of black women who just might be the true focal points in all three acts-all work together in harmony to create a kaleidoscope of entertaining characters that challenges the audience to think deeper without ever being preachy in its political messaging.

It also helps that the technical side of the film works perfectly as well. Michael Bauman's sweeping cinematography captures the large action set pieces, like the raid in Baktan Cross, with sensational clarity and focus. By the time you arrive in the desert for the rollercoaster of a third act, the scope of the film feels more narrow, while the grand scale of Bauman's camera work is gorgeous and sprawling. Not to mention Johnny Greenwood's frantic, jazz-inspired score aids in the pacing of the film, moving to the beat of Ferguson's frenetic paranoia. Turning a nearly three-hour-long movie into what feels like a blip. But it all comes back to the writing and directing, the harmonious vision he possesses, and the ability to weave such complex character studies into one grandiose epic, which is astonishing. All of Anderson's prior films have been time capsules, glimpses into different eras, yet built out in the image of his written personas. One Battle After Another is a departure in the sense that it's modern and the players feel more grounded and apropos to the contemporary setting, but it still possesses that PTA feel that comes with being an auteur of modern cinema. And yet, somehow, this politically charged film feels like his most commercial and approachable film to date. Which almost sounds ridiculous to say, but his dedication to great characters over anything else is what sets him apart and what makes the rich thematic depth of One Battle After Another so accessible. Considering all of this, I don't think it's hyperbolic to say this is a complete film, perfect from top to bottom, and a masterpiece among a master filmmaker's vaunted filmography that I didn't think could get any better.

Froth

Tis the season for Oktoberfest related content! If you're not out and about at your local Oktoberfest celebration then you may as well cozy up in the theater with Paul Thomas Anderson's latest and a damn fine beer to boot. I tapped Obec Brewing for my selection and was not disappointed in the slightest with their Mad Dog Märzen. Known more for their European style, Obec has always had a sweet spot in my heart for their darker beers, especially their Czech Dark Lager or the Granat (a Czech Amber). So it was a no brainer to give their Märzen a whirl and dare I say, much like PTA's newest film joining his pantheon of a filmography, this brew is up there with Obec's best. It's malty and roasty without veering too far into sweet or bready flavors, and has a delightfully subtle touch of toffee on the backend to bring a nice balance. While it might not be on the same level of the Granat, I'm sorry it is my favorite Obec brew, it is damn good and a refreshingly rich experience.

Eleanor the OK

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Eleanor the Great [2025]

Film

Throughout cinema, lies have always had a way of catching up to the liar. Whether it's a long, complicated con like Catch Me If You Can, a humorous and heartwarming facade in Mrs. Doubtfire, or a more devious form of identity theft in The Talented Mr. Ripley, the perpetrator of the lie is always confronted about their falsities. But what makes these interesting films is how they frame the protagonist as someone you don't want to be caught. There's charisma, suspense, intrigue, all the necessary ingredients to make the con so much more interesting than the truth. Eleanor the Great, Scarlet Johansson's directorial debut, attempts to employ this idea, instead using an incredibly off-putting story that drums up feelings more akin to Dear Evan Hansen. Confusion and a sense of conflicting morals that make for an uncomfortable watch for the bulk of the film.

Eleanor the Great follows Eleanor Morgenstein(June Squibb), a 94-year-old woman grieving the loss of her best friend and roommate, Bessie (Rita Zohar). The introductory moments of Johansson's film provide a terrific glimpse into her filmmaking skills as she highlights the touching friendship between the two elderly women, prior to Bessie's passing. Their witty banter combined with the always wonderfully warm and comedic June Squibb sets up the emotionally devastating loss quite well. A cut from the two friends holding hands in the hospital to Squibb's Eleanor sitting alone on their park bench is a profoundly heart-breaking moment that Johansson handles exquisitely.

But the story veers into confounding territory when it gets to the lie that Eleanor begins spinning. Moving back to New York after Bessie's passing, Eleanor accidentally wanders into a Holocaust survivor's support group at her Jewish Community Center-she was supposed to be attending a choir group-and desperate for emotional support, recants a story of her survival experience. Except it isn't Eleanor's story, it's Bessie's. Even knowing what was going to come from Eleanor's wrong place wrong time mishap couldn't prepare you for the shock of watching someone as warm and affable as Squibb lie about something so horrific. The clash between wanting a grief-stricken Eleanor to find the compassion and healing she needs and being appalled at the way she's going about it provides an incredibly confusing experience that lingers throughout the entire film.

When Eleanor the Great sidelines this disastrous plot line, giving way to Eleanor and Nina's (Erin Kellyman), a young journalism student who wants to write a piece about Eleanor's story, budding and unlikely friendship. Their shared grief, Nina recently lost her mother, plays out in such a beautiful fashion that may be overly weepy at times but nevertheless is the strength of the film. Squibb and Kellyman have fantastic chemistry and light up each scene with a kaleidoscope of complex emotions and humor that helps the film feel much more honest in its depiction of the process of grieving.

The final act sees more of this redemptive work as Chiwetel Ejiofor, playing Nina's father whose grown distant since the passing of his wife, delivers a superb monologue filled with heart, giving the film it's most human moment. However, there's probably two to three other monologues that follow that not only provide diminishing returns, but feel like an attempt to overly justify the lie at the center of the film. Instead of relying on the character dynamics and the all-consuming pit of grief that entangles them all, I got more of a sense of empty justification, in turn reminding me of the fabrication that started this whole thing.

Nevertheless, Eleanor the Great did stand out as a sure-handed debut from Johansson in the director's chair, showing strong vision and a knack for pacing that can't be said of everyone's debut. Yet for all of Johansson's technical proficiency and the genuine warmth she draws from Squibb and Kellyman's performances, the film remains trapped by its own moral confusion. Like Eleanor herself, Eleanor the Great gets lost trying to justify the unjustifiable, when it should have trusted the raw, honest power of grief that made those quieter character moments so compelling. In trying to make Eleanor's lie palatable, the film undermines the very authenticity that makes loss and healing so universally resonant. It's a promising directorial debut that unfortunately can't escape the shadow of its own shocking premise.

Froth

I know I recently paired a Fair Isle Brewing beer with Splitsville and I should probably vary my choices a bit, but this one is too good not to use. Behold, Fair Isle Brewing's Eleanor! Pretty sweet, right? Serendipitous naming aside, Eleanor is another one of Fair Isle's featured foraged saison's that boasts a healthy dose of elderberries. Giving it a delightfully tart and dry finish, combined with a touch of oakiness from its barrel aging, this saison is incredibly refreshing. The berry flavor comes through stronger than some of Fair Isle's other offerings, enhanced by its potent aroma which also has a little funk to it, but its a well balanced affair and is quite drinkable.

It's Big, It's Bold, It's Beautiful, and Oh Boy Is It A Journey

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 07:00:00 GMT

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey [2025]

Film

A road trip where the pitstops are magical doors, allowing you to relive formative moments of your life, sounds like an interesting and emotional odyssey, right? That's exactly the response Kogonada's latest film, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey-a title which lays bare its intentions on this long emotional drive-tries to elicit. Featuring Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie as David and Sarah, two exceedingly single people who meet at a mutual friend's wedding and carpool through this journey home together, the film boasts a fresh spin on the road-trip genre with its mystical romanticism. But A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, while drop-dead gorgeous, is a confounding trip to experience due to a trying narrative and lack of chemistry between its leads.

With every good (or bad) road trip, you need to start with a route. A Big Bold Beautiful Journey implements some exciting twists in its direction, from the odd GPS that guides Sarah and David to their "pitstops" to the idea of reliving past moments in their lives to grow as individuals, both of which are intriguing at a basic level. But Seth Reiss' script is simply too clunky, the road trip equivalent of making a wrong turn and adding an hour to your drive time. David's introduction and the entrance of The Car Rental Agency, an eccentric company that only has two 1994 Saturns to rent and pushes adding a GPS in case "your phone craps out", feels like an abrasive plot device more than the interesting spin it should be.

The road smoothes out a bit when Sarah and David finally begin their journey together. Kogonada's dedication to the magical surrealism of the story plays out quite well. Doors out of place in strange settings-in the middle of the woods, for example-along with a performance art stage that Sarah and David suddenly revisit from time to time, provide a very Kaufman-esque surrealism that is welcome excitement. This is coming from someone who doesn't necessarily care for Charlie Kaufman's films. Yet no matter how far along this ride I went, I kept on thinking about how overwritten and somehow underwritten Reiss' screenplay was. From friendly exchanges to emotional breakdowns, every moment feels inauthentic and forced. That's, of course, compounded by Robbie and Farrell having, somehow someway, absolutely no chemistry. The little cracks here and there in the dialogue between them are torn open by their lack of romantic believability, derailing the entire journey before it really begins.

But if there is something to turn the keys for, it's the stunning technical aspects. Benjamin Loeb's cinematography is a gorgeous display of lighting and colors that, within the first frame, evokes The Umbrellas of Cherbourg imagery, and carries much of the intrigue. The beautiful green rolling hills provide a sensational backdrop while Loeb and Kogonada's teamwork-after their last collaboration After Yang-delivers some exquisitely crafted cinematic images. If there's one thing to love about this road trip, it's that you're taking the scenic route. Not to mention Joe Hisaishi's score is stellar, using keys and trumpets to envelop emotional or exciting moments in a way that had me thinking about his ground-breaking and under-appreciated The Boy and the Heron score.

It's confusing to think about what really went wrong with A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, but it certainly doesn't hit the mark on its potential. While Kogonada's style still pulses throughout the film, it doesn't resonate the same way that After Yang or even his own written and directed film, Columbus, did. Regardless, it's unfortunate that a project such as this, starring two Academy Award nominees who are world class actors and an interesting premise to boot, somehow just never seems to get on the right path.

Froth

Fresh concept during fresh hop season? Sweet serendipity! The best way to stave off the disappointment of A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is to grab yourself a spectacular freshie such as this year's iteration of the Fresh Hop Hazealicious from Reuben's Brews. The basic Hazealicious is a classic so a fresh hop variation is truly something to behold, this year's especially. I mean it's really love at first pour, once you get a glimpse of the bright beautiful hazy coloring. The taste isn't far off from the regular Hazealicious, which is quite nice, but the added fresh hopping gives it a terrific floral aroma, boosting the already delightful citrus flavors. Let's just say that Reuben's Brews met, if not exceeded the lofty expectations of fresh hop season and I for one can't wait to trot back to the bar to order another one.

Just Keep Walking

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 04:00:00 GMT

The Long Walk [2025]

Film

From Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games to Stephen King's The Long Walk (published under his pseudonym Richard Bachman), director Francis Lawrence knows a thing or two about adapting totalitarian regimes and their murderous games. While the visual elements of the two groups of films expectedly vary, The Hunger Games films boast the colorful pomp and circumstance of the extravagant affairs surrounding the games, whereas The Long Walk maintains a despondent, dystopian look; they are inextricably linked through the themes Lawrence focuses on. Lawrence's King adaptation is notably darker and far more sinister than his prior films, yet there's a visceral attraction to his vision. Showcasing human interaction in the face of depravity turns The Long Walk into much more than some survival pastiche, allowing it to organically evolve-with the help of JT Mollner's script-into a hauntingly beautiful portrait of resilience, and a terrifying display of modern horror.

Mollner's script takes a few creative liberties with the central premise of King's work, reducing the total number of contestants from 100 (two from each state) to 50 (one from each state) and lowering the speed the boys need to maintain from four miles per hour to three. Everything else about the competition remains, including the ghastly gunshots for eliminating slow or stopped contestants, and the grand winner receiving whatever they could want. From the starting gun being fired, it's clear the focal point is Ray Garrity (Cooper Hoffman), who, by getting dropped off by his terrified and crying mother (Judy Greer), scores some empathy from the audience. That strong empathetic connection continues, however, as Ray befriends the kind and charismatic Peter McVries (David Jonsson) and the two form a powerful kinship and unlikely friendship with plenty of other contestants. But even as their intertwining relationship evolves, as bonds form among all contestants, the paradox of connection amidst a game built to destroy is soul-crushing.

Lawrence highlights much of the camaraderie between contestants through close-up, often unsteady, camera shots of conversations. The intimate distance to Ray and Peter talking about Ray's mother or Peter's tough upbringing brings us closer to these characters, but the rhythmic bouncing to mirror their walking is a horrifying reminder of the goal at hand. Outlast the person next to you. This grim juxtaposition is a constant presence throughout The Long Walk and enables Lawrence's film to balance a gentle side, these are kids after all, and the grisly brutality enforced by the totalitarian regime looming over the contest.

The Long Walk [2025]

The deliberately opaque nature of the government entity brings a sickly unease. Outside of Mark Hamill's cartoonishly evil Major, whose ability to redirect the boys' ire into gusto is unsettlingly amusing, there's no real vision of the authoritarian state. Mollner fits in a pivotal flashback along with expositional dialogue that works well, but the strength of the adaptation is its lack of explanation. I can't help but think that The Long Walk takes a route similar to Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers, as in both opt for suspenseful and mysterious descriptions of the reality surrounding the characters. The mystery of the regime and the necessity of the contest, even if the Major claims it's to motivate the country, paints an exceedingly sinister backdrop to the boys' journey. Combined with the shots of the decrepit countryside featuring run-down buildings, abandoned vehicles (some burning), and seemingly depressed bystanders, the aesthetic of the film shakes you to your core. It feels too real and makes you fill the gaps with your own interpretations, which makes it all the more terrifying.

But the hopeful heart that pushes through, fighting back the darkness, making it such an extraordinary film, is the chemistry and performances of Hoffman and Jonsson. Their connection during the walk feels authentic, making it easy to root for the duo, knowing that someone isn't going to make the finish line. Every layer of them that is peeled back, revealing their beating hearts, brings us all closer, making it easier to rip our own hearts out of our collective chests. A balancing act of light emotion and dark depravity is no small feat, but Lawrence does so with masterful precision, highlighting every possible ounce of Hoffman and Jonsson's revelatory performances, ultimately leading to one of the most soul-crushing endings that perfectly encapsulates the idea and ethos of a dystopia. Lawrence once again proves his capabilities of adapting to such dismal environments and the weaponization of youth, but this time, he's made something horrifyingly spectacular, making The Long Walk a sensational and heart-breaking journey well worth enduring.

Froth

Normally, I would have a dark beer for such a dark film, but there's such a thing as too much dark. Let's just say The Long Walk is dark enough, it shook me to my core in ways I didn't anticipate, but in a way that says this is an amazing movie. So instead of a dark, roasty beer, I went with Single Hill Brewing's Keepers, a double dry-hopped IPA, because why not lean into higher ABV and light refreshing hoppiness? It's a kind of beer that's refreshing, astoundingly delicious, and light enough that you could go for a walk after.

Alright, I hate myself after that one. No more walking jokes.

Nevertheless, Keepers is, as its name would suggest, a keeper. Brewed with Riwaka, Centennial, and Citra hops, this concoction is bursting with citrus flavors. The Centennial and Citra combination gives a nice floral aroma to the brew, while the Riwaka and Citra duo delivers some bright fruity flavors like grapefruit, peach, and a touch of mango. The double dry hopping pulls the sweetness back by adding some hoppy resinous flavors, but the overall IBU is relatively low, around 30, which makes for a lighter and more balanced beer. Overall, I think it's a great light companion to Lawrence's The Long Walk, serving as a little pick-me-up during some of the more treacherous moments.

Welcome to Splitsville

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Splitsville [2025]

Film

You know what they say, marriage is hard. But honestly, friendship might be harder—or maybe that's only the case if you sleep with your best friend's wife. Best friends and co-workers Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin dissect the fallout of such an extramarital event in their latest film Splitsville. A delightfully entertaining blend of screwball comedy and prestige drama, the dynamic duo infuses their stylishly dry and witty humor—built across a friendship of 15 years—into their sensational new film. Brimming with side-splitting laughter, tender moments, stylish flair, and a shocking level of grounded realism, Splitsville shows that the best comedies are born from genuine relationships—both on and off screen.

The wild relationship comedy-drama begins with Carey (Marvin) and his wife, Ashley (Adria Arjona), driving to a lake house to meet their good friends Paul (Angelo Covino) and his wife, Julie (Dakota Johnson). After a close call with a deadly car accident, shot with sensational effect from a hood-mounted camera, Ashley tells Carey she wants a divorce. Quite literally running to Paul and Julie's lake house for comfort, Carey learns of his friends' open marriage, and one thing leads to another. The steps of Splitsville's relationship drama may unfold in a predictable, foreshadowed way, but it's this telegraphed structure that allows the genuine friendship at the film's center to shine through, elevating what could be groan-inducing moments of blatant hinting into laughter-inducing punchlines.

This authenticity manifests most clearly in the film's technical achievements. The relationship between Angelo Covino's direction and Adam Newport-Berra's cinematography, along with the film being shot in 35mm, delivers massive dividends that harken to 1970s screwball comedy while giving a wholly modern feel. Extravagant shots like riding a rollercoaster while holding ten bags of goldfish or a oner of a constantly changing set juxtaposed with a simple mix of wide angle lenses and intimate close-ups provide a wonderfully complex visual texture—visual flourishes that only work because they're grounded in the genuine connection at the film's heart, making Splitsville much more than just a classic rom-com.

Splitsville [2025]

More than technical prowess, though, it's Angelo Covino and Marvin's relationship that pushes Splitsville beyond its expectations. Their co-written script is hilarious, providing eye-rolling puns, tremendous build-up to thematic jokes throughout, and even lands the more crass, nudity-focused jokes, causing an eruption of laughter in the theater when a police officer plainly asks Marvin's Carey, "Sir, why is your penis out?" Beyond their writing relationship, it's refreshing to see their on-screen friendship feel authentic and honest. Their chemistry elevates not only the story within Splitsville, and the drama surrounding a feeling of betrayal, but the comedy between the two. From plainly written jokes to the seven-minute oner fight scene between Paul and Carey, their characters' involvement with one another feels lived-in, like we know they've been best friends for years, as opposed to performed.

The gravitational pull of the two filmmakers' chemistry amplifies the rest of the cast as well. Arjona delivers a transcendent supporting performance with both comedy and heart, along with Johnson's sharp wit, which she's come to be known for. Turning Splitsville into not just a story about two guys and the fallout in their relationship, but an ensemble film that disarms preconceived notions through well-executed humor, exploring a diverse selection of ideas such as male fragility, open relationships, and the assumptions we make about our partners. Even delivering on some heartwarming motif for the next generation, like Paul and Julie's son Russ (Simon Webster) saying "you never know what something's worth until you sink it" or Julie practicing the Japanese art of Kintsugi (where gold is used to repair cracks in pottery).

It's clear that Angelo Covino and Marvin aren't simply a comedy duo, but are phenomenal filmmakers, growing in their craft since their last film, The Climb, and firmly establishing themselves as exciting names to keep an eye on in the future. Yet, what's most important is they've proven something essential about comedy, especially modern comedy. The funniest moments don't come from setups and punchlines, but from the spaces between people who truly know each other. Splitsville suggests that it's possible friendship isn't harder than marriage after all—at least not when you're willing to work through the messy, complicated, hilariously human parts together. In a landscape of manufactured buddy comedies, Covino and Marvin have created something rarer. A film where the laughs feel as genuine as the friendships that inspire them, making Splitsville one of the year's most essential comedies.

Froth

Angelo Covino and Marvin's film really stood out to me in its almost anarchic aura. Scenes on the verge of collapse, teetering on a razor's edge-provoked by stellar camera work and framing-allowing the film to evolve into something much more than your run-of-the-mill rom-com. It's inherent complexities drove me to enjoying a brew of Fair Isle Brewing's, one they recently brought back to quell my yearning. Loraine is a saison, Fair Isle award winning style, that was originally released in 2023 and has been luckily brought back into the taproom once again. It's bright, effervescent, and wields a lush lychee flavor from its Gewürztraminer (a white wine grape variant) refermentation that is exquisite. I also don't think I've ever had a saison, let alone a beer, that utilizes pomace (Loraine uses Mencía and Tempranillo pomace) the leftover grape skins, seeds, and stems and let me tell you it is quite the experience. The rustic, earthy flavors give Loraine the same complexities that allow Splitsville to flourish-without the adultery-and provide delightful wine characteristics that make it one beguiling beverage. Needless to say I absolutely loved it and can't wait to try more, an experience which I'm sure will give me different flavors than before.

All Money Ain't Good Money

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Highest 2 Lowest [2025]

Film

When a titan music mogul is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma. A reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa's crime thriller High and Low, now played out on the mean streets of modern-day New York City.

Highest 2 Lowest, the latest work from the illustrious and inimitable Spike Lee, is notable for a few reasons. It is Spike's 25th scripted feature film (for those of you keeping score at home), his first feature in five years (remember Da 5 Bloods?), and perhaps most notably, his fifth (and hopefully not final) collaboration with the always-formidable Denzel Washington, who is as fresh, persistent, and powerful as he's ever been. Co-produced by A24 and Apple (what a time to be alive), this film isn’t a “remake” per se, a term that can sound so unbecoming and often comes with a certain stink attached. Labeling Highest 2 Lowest a “remake” would be a bit of a misnomer – I'd call this more of a “remix” than a remake. Instead of being just a spiritual successor to High and Low, which is one of the premier late-career masterworks of the late, great Akira Kurosawa, Lee’s new film is a modern reinvention of an old-school classic, crafted to iterate upon rather than replicate its source material.

Less so the kind of pedigreed vanity project we’re all familiar with and often allergic to, this film is more experimental and self-aware than your run-of-the-mill rehash. Despite some of the film’s offbeat idiosyncrasies (many of which worked for me) and brazen imperfections (some of which felt easy to see but mostly forgivable), Highest 2 Lowest will be remembered foremost as a long-overdue cinematic homecoming of sorts for Denzel and Spike, who have not collaborated on a project in nearly twenty years (since Inside Man way back in 2006). Their reunion here offers the chance for audiences to see one of the all time best actor-director duos do the damn thing (at least) one more time, which is, at an absolute minimum, well worth your time and full attention.

You may be wondering, "Do I need to see High and Low to fully appreciate what Highest 2 Lowest, from both a technical and emotional perspective? To that I say... uhh, most likely? Having not seen the High and Low (I'm embarrassed to admit that sometimes, I do skip the homework even though it is a mainstay on the Criterion Channel), I recognize that having an honest discussion about the merits of this film without the contextual fabric and framework of the of Kurosawa's classic is folly. What I can offer (which has never been much to boast about tbh) is a simple but straight-ahead, text-level reading of Lee's film, thanks to the fact that my POV on the matter is unsullied by the past and will focus solely on what is on screen.

If you’re comparing Highest 2 Lowest to Kurosawa’s OG film’s Letterboxd summary, you’ll see it has a nearly identical nuts-and-bolts story setup: “In the midst of an attempt to take over his company, a powerhouse executive is hit with a huge ransom demand when his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped by mistake.” Lee’s iteration is set in the beating heart of New York City, Denzel plays David King, a successful and renowned record producer who is the CEO of Stackin’ Hit Records. He has a close personal relationship with his hired driver, Paul Christopher, played with a twitchy precision and undeniable humility by the always superb Jeffrey Wright. Like its predecessor, the story hangs and hinges upon a wobbly ethical conundrum, where professional motivations are measured and tested against personal obligations.

Early on, it is revealed that King is putting the pieces in place to spend nearly every dime of his accrued fortune to buy back majority control of the company he built from the ground up. Right when things are coming together for King’s deal, he and Paul’s sons, Trey (Aubrey Joseph) and Kyle (Elijah Wright), are kidnapped (we’ll later know who this perpetrator is). Trey, being King’s son, is the intended target, while Kyle is just the collateral – the plan here is simple: kidnap the business mogul’s son and demand a multi-million-dollar price for his safe return, easy peasy. Things go sideways when Trey is inadvertently let go instead of Kyle, forcing King and his wife, Pam (Ilfenesh Hadera), to work with the police to pay the ransom using the money King intended to use in his buyout in exchange for Kyle’s life.

Highest 2 Lowest [2025]

There are a lot of interesting filmmaking components to mention briefly. The film is shot by the slick and savvy DP Matthew Libatique, who perfectly calibrates his shot list to capture and frame both the high and low of this story with a dynamic visual palette. He is certainly one of the best cinematographers working today, and he continues to demonstrate the ability to enhance storytelling choices through the scope of his lens. Next, I need to call attention to Howard Drossin's score, which sets a very stately tone in the film's first half, almost to a distracting effect. I was at first skeptical that the musical choices were working at all, but with time, I felt like I settled into the vibe that Lee was clearly going for, even if it is a bit off-kilter and sometimes out of place. And then there's Denzel, who holds everything together and gets to reckon with his fame and iconography, which I found to be fascinating. This isn't campy like his performance in Gladiator II, nor does it offer him the opportunity to escape into the darkness and abyss like he did in The Tragedy of Macbeth. No, this is a fully-realized and limitless character for Denzel to explore, and he interrogates every nuance with a level of power and finesse that he alone may be capable of at this point in his career. It may not be the one we remember him by, but it does capture him and is representative of his caliber and magnetism as a force and presence on the big screen.

What's most interesting about Highest 2 Lowest isn't the story or its characters, per say – it's the wide and eclectic array of filmmaking choices Lee delivers at every twist and turn. The film pays direct homage to High and Low by not only following a similar narrative structure, but also through its probing social commentary related to issues of socioeconomic class and late-stage capitalism. For me, what really elevates the film is the creative sensibility Lee projects onto the material. Sure, he modernizes the story, but more importantly, he bends its themes to his will, turning what might have otherwise been a stale concept into something fresh.

There is a multiplicity of what the notion of "high vs. low" is in Highest 2 Lowest, which extends far beyond rich vs. poor, penthouse vs. streets, etc. The point worth making about the subtext of the film (which frankly isn't all that enlightening) is that there is a nearly nonstop juxtaposition between the "high and low" of all art, including acting, musical performance, painting, and writing, to name just a few. In remixing this Kurosawa classic (not remaking it), Lee had the creative liberty to play dress up as a filmmaker, where he could channel the craft and exercise the framing choices made in High and Low, while still play around in the sandbox and see where his instincts take him. So, Highest 2 Lowest isn't just a traditional procedural, nor is it just a high-brow melodrama, nor is it just a genre exercise, nor is it just a gritty, pulpy B-movie. In fact, it gets to be something even better. It gets to be a Spike Lee Joint.

The end-result leads to a feeling that Highest 2 Lowest may in fact be a major, not minor, work from Lee. The film gradually accumulates all its ideas and aligns its intentions as it builds into something that is far greater than the sum of its individual parts. Highest 2 Lowest couldn't have been called just High and Low (Spike's Version) because it doesn't strive to just celebrate Kurosawa, it works hard to not only channel him but also challenge him. Regardless of whether you think it all coalesces together, I found myself marveling at Lee's bold ambition and Denzel's relentless commitment. At an absolute minimum, Spike and Denzel's projects remain, to this day, an appointment-viewing fixture of modern movie-going – you're going to be hard-pressed to find something with as high of a floor.

Coming of Age in the Pools

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Pools [2024]

Film

From the onset of Pools, Sam Hayes' coming-of-age writing and directing debut, Kennedy (Odessa A'zion) is underwater. Both literally, as she's swimming in a pool, and figuratively, as she's also crumbling under the stress of college, expectations, and the emotional duress of her father's sudden passing. The water's symbolism, often associated with cleansing and rebirth, plays a dual purpose in Hayes' eclectic comedy-drama. Acting as a bastion of freedom and release from the muggy heat-wave blistering through the Chicago summer, where Kennedy's college campus resides, but also a melancholic reminder of the loss Kennedy's been shouldering. Something that doesn't come to light until the film's delightful penultimate moments. Hayes' debut delivers remarkable character development for its star, boosted by a fantastic lead performance from A'zion, but struggles to maintain a strong, coherent flow. Reflective of the struggling Kennedy, Pools can be unreliable and spacey, jetting between tonal highs and lows, but ultimately ends on a positive note. One that elicits a smile and a sense of freedom from the seemingly endless waves of water crashing down from the unexpected current of life.

Outside of meeting Kennedy underwater, Hayes employs a stunning visual palette to illustrate the pages of Pools. Bright colors elevate the narrative heat wave and give a wonderful pop to the various characters introduced. In conjunction with quick pans and zooms, the film begins with a quirky, zany feel that is almost impossible not to compare to Wes Anderson's style. The main difference is a feeling of forced humor in Hayes' dialogue, where it simply tries too hard to evoke a laugh through quippy dialogue. Within this overtly comedic atmosphere, we learn of Kennedy's scholarly struggles, and specifically how if she doesn't attend class the next day, she will be expelled. Instead of bunkering down and preparing to get to work, she assembles a hodge-podge group of summer school students to beat the heat by going pool hopping through the campus's neighboring mansions.

The Gen-Z Breakfast Club hits all the classic stereotypes: the seemingly dumb jock Reed (Mason Gooding), it-girl Delaney (Ariel Winter), girl searching for love/acceptance Shane (Francesca Noel), and a burnt-out bookworm in Blake (Tyler Alvarez). Once Pools lends itself to the free-flowing whims of its subjects, jumping from pool to pool, not trying so hard to crack a joke or take itself too seriously. Hayes' screenplay, and on-screen product, becomes much more earnest in its deconstruction of stereotypes, allowing this semi-random group of young adults to learn about each other and themselves, as they subject themselves to the terrible taste of Malört.

While Hayes displays an excellent knack for the larger themes in Pools, dealing with trauma, grief, expectations, and finding your place in the world during turbulent times, it's the in-between moments that struggle to construct a cohesive film. Tonal inconsistency and overwritten dialogue-hammering home the same jokes and attempted quirky exchanges-diminish an otherwise fantastic coming-of-age story. One thing that refuses to be diminished, however, is the stunning lead performance from A'zion. Delivering moments of physical comedy along with emotional nuance during the film's few and far between introspective flairs showcases a real leading talent. All of which comes to a head in the film's waning moments, a great example of Hayes' strengths, in a conversation with Michael (Michael Vlamis), an AC mechanic also figuring his way through life. Vlamis and A'zion's chemistry pays great dividends as well, with the former's supporting role being casual excellence.

Pools is a promising if imperfect debut that earns its emotional payoff. Hayes may struggle with tone and pacing, but his depiction of grief, friendship, and the messiness of growing up (especially in college) feels honest. Not to mention, A'zion's performance alone not only sets her up as an exciting rising talent to keep an eye on, but makes Pools worth diving into.

Froth

Continuing with some good water metaphors here, I went with a classic brewery choice in Holy Mountain Brewing, opting for their Drowned World. This Northwest Lager is as refreshing as one would hope it to be, but with delicious subtleties. Some light hoppiness and piney flavors top a crisp and malt forward profile, but everyone plays well together, striking a wonderful balance. Malt from LINC Malt, and hops from Roy Farms located in Spokane and the Yakima Valley respectively, yield a homegrown feel to the brew that is equal parts delicious and rewarding.

If I were battling a Midwestern heat wave, drowning in the hot humidity, I would rather crush any number of Drowned Worlds than touch one airplane bottle of Malört. But maybe that's the whole point of Pools? Growing up is trying Malört and learning to never do it again.

A Worthy Successor - The Naked Gun [2025]

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 07:00:00 GMT

The Naked Gun [2025]

Film

Is it a little strange that within the same few weeks we get legacy sequels, not from high-brow cinematic tentpoles, but from goofy comedies like Happy Gilmore and The Naked Gun? Serendipitous might be the proper word choice. Because it is a wonderful thing to have happen. And while Happy Gilmore 2 tapped into more 90's nostalgia, it, alongside the new Akiva Schaffer written and directed The Naked Gun, unleashed the same silly humor that propelled their predecessors into the public conscience. Schaffer's reimagining of the comedy classic may strut to the same tune as the original, but that doesn't stop it from still being hilarious and a sensational theater experience. The 2025 rebirth of The Naked Gun may not stand apart from the original, blurring the lines between originality and derivative, but it's a film that knows exactly what it is, what it's doing, and executes with surgical precision. Extracting deep belly laughs and light chuckles from start to finish, and then some more as the credits roll.

Instead of the late, great Leslie Nielsen at the helm as Frank Drebin, Schaffer's updated version of Police Squad features an against-type Liam Neeson as Nielsen's son, Frank Drebin Jr. A coincidence that the two stars have outrageously similar names? Of course not. As Neeson's Jr. kneels before a portrait of Nielsen's Drebin, in the hilarious Hall of Fathers, he proclaims his intentions to be just like his dad, yet with some originality to him. Combined with Jr. introducing the film's Police Squad as "the new version," Schaffer's tongue-in-cheek reference to comedy sequels falling into lockstep with their predecessor is a terrific way to set the film's intentions and poke fun at itself. A move reminiscent of 22 Jump Street, which used Ice Cube vehemently urging Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum to do the exact same thing they did before, in 21 Jump Street.

It makes plenty of sense that The Naked Gun would have a touch of self-awareness for its contents because it thrives in the comedic realm of Nielsen's original films. The dissection of the English language, to an almost pedantic degree, is the same style of humor that was prevalent in Nielsen's The Naked Gun, and his other films, such as Airplane!. Nothing summarizes the type of humor more than the iconic line, "Surely, you can't be serious? I am serious, and don't call me Shirley."

Schaffer's The Naked Gun wields these jokes effectively, and Neeson's delivery, with a deep bass and deadpan diction, provides ample ability for just about every one of them to land. Danny Huston as the villain, Richard Cane, gives another fantastic against-type performance, evoking similarities to his tough-guy businessman in Yellowstone but with hilarious lines and delivery. Neeson and Huston's chemistry gives a great back and forth, emphasized by the snappy editing from Brian Scott Olds. Even if this new version rehashes the exact same joke from the original, where Nielsen's Drebin is offered a cigar-"Cuban? No, Dutch-Irish"-and Neeson's Jr. interaction with Cane, "Cigar? Looks like it to me," you can't help but let out a laugh, because it just works.

Pamela Anderson gives a standout comedic performance that sees her scat for about three minutes-her dedication to this role is astounding-and even Paul Walter Hauser makes a supporting appearance as Ed Hocken Jr., the son of the original's Captain Ed Hocken (George Kennedy). With so many jokes and quips piled onto one another, the narrative does get bogged down by the sheer volume. It's difficult to say that as a critique of the film, as the story is a joke, but the overall number of jokes crammed into an incredibly breezy 85-minute runtime can be stifling. The lack of breathing room from one laugh to the next also forces some lines to fall between the cracks.

While it may not completely buck the trend of unoriginality in comedic sequels, The Naked Gun does enough to provide plenty of laughs and entertainment to the point that you probably don't care. Neeson is a hilarious successor to Nielsen, and Schaffer's writing and direction elevate the comedy to another level. I don't think anyone was expecting this film to top the original, but it is a terrific legacy-sequel, as good as they come. A fitting continuation for the fine people at Police Squad.

The new version.

Froth

There's only one correct choice for a movie that moves as quickly as The Naked Gun does, and makes you laugh so much in such a condensed timeframe. A light Pilsner is the perfect companion for your chuckles, and more specifically the Italian Pilsner from Lucky Envelope Brewing. It's light, crisp, effervescent, and delivers on some honey and malty sweetness. Which works incredibly well with the floral aromas dancing around each sip. Providing an overall incredibly relaxing and refreshing summertime drinking experience. Dry hopping with Saphir and Hallertauer Mittelfrueh hops give this brew a nice Italian-Pilsner styling while adding on a touch of spice and herbal freshness. Making this Lucky Envelope brew another in their long line of easy-drinkers which is especially helpful when you're trying to find time in between vicious laughter to take a quick little sip.

Happy Gilmore 2

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Happy Gilmore 2 [2025]

Film

With comedic timing as strong as ever, Adam Sandler revives the long-lost beloved Happy Gilmore to collectively take us all back into that "Happy Place". This time, instead of Julie Bowen's Virginia lying back in lingerie holding pitchers of beer, Sandler provides a fantasy fit for the 30-year gap between Happy Gilmore and the new semi-retired Happy Gilmore 2. Featuring a nurse holding up a "Low Cholesterol" sign, Happy yucking it up while sitting on the toilet, and more, Happy Gilmore 2 much like the new "Happy Place" is an age-adjusted sequel that's nostalgic and whimsical at heart. Yet amidst all the silly Sandler humor that is bound to bring a smile to fans' faces, therein lies a beautiful self-reflection of the star's career, the importance and impact his real-life family has had on him.

A lot's happened since Happy wrestled the golden jacket from the grips of Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) way back in 1996. He won five more jackets-while getting back the one McGavin subsequently tried to wrestle away-retired to spend time with his wife Virginia and their five children, had a personal tragedy unfold, turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism, got into hot water with the legal system, and lo and behold returned to the world of golf once again. If you think I moved through all those life updates quickly, then you'll likely be shocked to hear all of those events unfold in the first third of Happy Gilmore 2, making its 114-minute runtime at times feel like a slog.

However, Kyle Newachek (of the Workaholics quartet) delivers a solid level of direction. One that's sole focus orbits around the comedic prowess of Sandler, and the gargantuan amount of cameos and callbacks to the film's predecessor. Some of these surprise appearances work extremely well, boosted by Sandler and Tim Herlihy's hilarious screenplay that hits all the sweet spots. Bad Bunny or Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio steals the show as Happy's golf-challenged caddie, showcasing his comedy chops extremely well. Golf legends such as Jack Nicklaus and John Daly each relish in their small yet substantial moments, and there's even a hilarious reference to Scottie Scheffler's arrest. But outside of the golf world, the cameos can prove to be a gratuitous mess of absurdity, halting the fun momentum of Happy's return. Margaret Qualley, Eric Andre and Martin Herlihy play an amateur golfing trio opposite of Happy prior to his comeback tour and while the three of them are enjoyable in their respective crafts, the chemistry and shoehorned appearance completely derails the moment. On the other hand, while the litany of professional golfers throughout Happy Gilmore 2-seriously there's too many to name individually-aren't the best actors, their presence and roles (no matter how small) work as a love letter to the sport that started it all when Happy picked up that club 30 years ago, just to prove some movers wrong and win a couple bucks.

When you mix that with Benny Safdie's villain role, an energy drink magnate starting his outrageous golf league that feels like a complete rebuke of whatever the hell Mr. Beast is doing to the NBA, Happy Gilmore 2 feels much more grounded than just a slapstick guy-gets-hit-in-the-balls-with-a-golf-ball shtick.

Of course with Sandler's real life family playing various roles, his daughter Sunny Sandler plays Happy's daughter Vienna who wants to be a dancer, his wife Jackie Sandler is her dance instructor, and his other daughter Sadie Sandler plays Charlotte, a woman in rehab with Happy, the bigger picture of Happy Gilmore 2 takes shape. All the nostalgic bits and millennial humor are fun, but from a bird's eye view, Sandler's latest film feels like a real reflection of not just Happy Gilmore, but all the zany characters he's brought to life over the decades of his career, and all the friends he's made and brought along. Yet most importantly, there are tender callouts to Sandler's family, such as Charlotte simply telling Happy, "you remind me of my dad," making one think that being a husband and a dad is his favorite character to play.

Nobody is going to be calling Happy Gilmore 2 a prestige legacy sequel by any means; it most certainly has its shortcomings. But that's fine, nobody was expecting it to be, or wanting it to be. Sometimes, you just need a joke that'll make you groan, smile, or laugh. That's precisely what Sandler does, even 30 years later, he's still able to bring us along to a "Happy Place."

Froth

Happy Gilmore 2 is big, loud, and full of in your face jokes and cameos each to varying levels of success, warranting a drink equally as rambunctious. Well, that and equally as hilarious. Fast Fashion Brewing is just the brewery to provide a well named beer for such an occasion! Their catalog often boasts some great food-named beers like their classic Thin Crust Pizza, Fish Food, Burger Party, the list goes on and on, stirring the stomach through such name recognition. Then comes their delightfully boisterous DDH IPA, Stoned and Starving. Aptly named, no? It jumps right in your face with a solid 6.8% ABV that doesn't necessarily come off as boozy but you'll feel it for sure. But just like a crisp chip over a bunker-not that I would know such rushes of success while golfing-Stoned and Starving is a fresh breath of relief, a welcome dosage of "is this real life?" Because Fast Fashion really has brewed up a sensational beer. Its slightly opaque appearance makes it feel semi-hazy but it drinks like a true IPA. Blasts of citrus with hints of peach and berries from the trio of Motueka, Strata and Cashmere hops make for a maelstrom of complimentary flavors. The dry hopping gives it a little more resinous and floral properties that give a great backbone to yet another wonderful Fast Fashion beer.

Beware of Darkness

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Weapons [2025]

Film

When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.

You remember, Barbarian, right? It's the one where a woman books an Airbnb, only to show up at night and find a random guy (who is kind of creepy, but also oddly attractive, but definitely still kind of creepy) already staying there. And – rather than rage-messaging the host while leaving in her car – she shrugs and thinks, "Sure, why not stay anyway?" Turns out, the real problem isn't the double-booking turned meet-cute, nor is it the unfinished basement – it's that you're finished if you go down into that basement! Beyond some hidden corridor downstairs is a subterranean tunnel (it's a property with a ton of potential!) that leads you to the lady of the house and star of the show; ahh yes, the gigantic, naked woman – everyone just refers to her as "The Mother" – who, like any good host, insists on murdering some of her guests and/or breastfeeding the others. And yes, those seem to be the only two options. Barbarian was a blast to watch and a no-brainer recommendation for horror fans, especially those looking for something fresh. It was a mid-tier hit at the box office, but more importantly, a true word-of-mouth phenomenon that quickly became the most-watched film of that Halloween season. Its success launched writer/director Zach Cregger into the "I Cannot Wait to See What He Does Next" zone. His highly anticipated follow-up feature film, Weapons, premiered last week, and in case you're wondering or worried, yes, it is a fucking wild ride.

SPOILERS APLENTY

Much like Barbarian, Weapons is built around an undeniable premise. In the opening moments of the film, it is revealed that Justin Gandy's (Julia Garner) entire third-grade class mysteriously disappeared one night after they all ran away from their homes at precisely 2:17 AM without warning and without cause. None of the seventeen students have been seen or heard from since, well, except for one, Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher), who is the only student who did not disappear that night. And that's all you really need to know going in (this is your final spoiler warning, seriously stop reading if you plan on seeing this for the surprises). Seeing the kids running out into the street in their pajamas with their airplane arms outstretched is eerily innocent. Or maybe innocently eerie. Either way, the imagery is utterly inexplicable – so disorienting, so unsettling, and yet, so beguiling. If this sequence was shot in black and white, I might've expected a pan to Rod Serling teeing up an eloquent opening line to an episode of the Twilight Zone. He might've said something like, "Maybrook, Pennsylvania – a town where children should be fast asleep in their beds, not vanishing without a trace. Seventeen disappearances, one survivor, and no one knows how or why. In these once quiet suburbs, innocence fades while paranoia grows, and a dark secret is soon to be discovered, the answer to which is lurking just around the corner. Tonight, we explore the shadows that reach beyond our understanding... in the Twilight Zone." Holy shit, now tell me that wouldn't have been awesome! What we ultimately get instead is as close to a perfect needle drop as one could ask for, which is queuing up "Beware of Darkness" by George Harrison. That's some textbook tone-setting if you ask me.

Slyly, Weapons sets the table for one meal while quietly preparing another. We've seen Cregger do this before, and because his act of misdirection is now something of an expectation, he has to operate with even more precision. Sub out the slow-burning tension of an Airbnb horror-romance and sub in the fallout from the children's disappearance, which is pulling the community apart by its seams. There are despondent parents, like Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), who are becoming increasingly frustrated with the police's lack of progress in the investigation and resort to blaming the students' teacher, Justine, despite not having a scrap of evidence. We learn that she's something of an easy target for this defamation based on her spotty reputation around town; the school's principal, Marcus (Benedict Wong), places Justine on temporary leave to get her away from the school and out of the public eye. There might be a deeper thematic subtext you could delve into here if you really wanted to, but digging too deeply sometimes leads to diminishing returns. It doesn't always pay to excavate through every inch of a filmmaker's intentions – creative choices are often better to be felt rather than spoken.

Weapons [2025]

And because Cregger has a knack for serving up something that isn't on your typical menu, he builds suspense around the audience's fear of one thing while slowly but surely revealing the darker truths of what is actually happening. Rather than making this a more traditional character study that relies on Justine's point of view, the film is a series of vignettes carefully strung together. Everyone gets their own chapter, including the aforementioned Justine, Archer, Alex, and Marcus; but the audience also spends a lot of time with Paul Morgan (Alden Ehrenreich), a troubled police officer who is entangled with Justine, and James, (Austin Abrams), a homeless drug addict and burglar who, unfortunately, finds himself in the middle of the action. This brand of nonlinear, serialized ensemble storytelling is ambitious (some might even say Magnolia-esque) and allows for a wider breadth of suspense, where specific occurrences are cleverly repeated and juxtaposed against the shifting perspectives of each character. These convergences, some silly and some scary, represent the strongest argument for why Weapons works extremely well from start to finish – for the most part.

By the way, I'm done getting into any of the plot mechanics – okay, well, almost done. At the risk of saying too much, I want to simply point note that Amy Madigan is in this film. That's it, that's all I'm going to say. Shit, that might've even been too much. Let's just say her performance is transcendent – talk to me offline if you want to discuss this topic further. Moreover, the cinematography is strong, courtesy of Larkin Seiple, best known for his work on Everything Everywhere All at Once; editor Joe Murphy, who also worked on Barbarian and is clearly a key collaborator for Cregger, does a fantastic job converging storylines and maintaining complete control over each scene's vibe and tempo; and the score, courtesy of Ryan and Hays Holladay, as well as Cregger (the balls on this guy... who does he think he is, John Carpenter?!) is deftly understated and atmospheric.

Now, if I'm being finicky, there were a few minor things that didn't totally click into place for me. While I found the shape of the screenplay ingenious, I can't say I was blown over by some of the almost prosaic storytelling twists. Maybe it was some clunky exposition or just a bit too much play time with the toys, I can't be sure. The shadow is almost always scarier than what's making the shadow, so once the pieces started to fall into place, I did feel my heartbeat subdue a half a step. Don't get me wrong, the literal ending is brilliantly executed, and I'm glad Cregger took the opportunity to tie up the loose ends by using them to strangle his audience until they're laughing and squirming in their seats. As you can feel the film coming to its close, I did appreciate how Cregger did not feel compelled to linger around any longer than necessary. Don't over-explain things; let the audience do the work as the credits roll. Keep it lean and mean and get out of your own way.

And like I mentioned earlier, most creative choices are better left undisturbed, if only to preserve them. What's personal to the artist about their art might translate into something different for their audience. As many of the characters abuse drugs and alcohol throughout the film, should we be surprised that Alex's completely inanimate parents might reflect the hardships Cregger experienced growing up? Based on some of his interviews, I don't think this is meant to be all that subtle. Do we need to know why a giant AK-47 floats above Archer's house and is never addressed? I think in many ways, we very well know what that image is meant to imply. Lastly, is it a coincidence that this film was released on the fourth anniversary of Trevor Moore's tragic death, Cregger's friend and collaborator, one of the founding members of the comedy troupe, The Whitest Kids U' Know? In my opinion, it would actually be weird if it were just a coincidence. Weapons is a great film, not because it isn't full of big ideas, but because it is careful not to overexplain them. Cregger not only has the instincts of a true auteur, someone with sharp wit and top-notch filmmaking chops, but he also knows how to show and not tell. Why pre-chew the food for the the audience when they're eating right out of your hands? Alright, I think I'm fresh out of food-related quips. Why are you still reading this?! Go see this on the big screen with a raucous crowd and try to forget all the spoilers I just spilled. And enjoy the nightmares.

Froth

You know what always plays? A weeknight horror movie. Seriously. Few things can power me through the doldrums of a 9-5 than having a pre-planned, midweek panic attack in the controlled and safe haven of a movie theater. How does this set up which beer I'm going to talk about? Your guess is as good as mine. You know what else always plays?? The Vienna lager from Dovetail Brewery is truly one of the best flagship beers in all of greater Chicago. With its solid malty and bready base (I think I've used bready in my last Froth section, too), this has a light sweetness with a delightfully dry finish. Despite it going down easy, the Vienna has character. If you haven't tried this already, you are clearly missing out.

Disturbing the Peace

Fri, 08 Aug 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Eddington [2025]

Film

In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff and mayor sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico.

One person's nervous breakdown is another's unsavory inspiration for an off-color joke. Welcome back to the all-but-ordinary mind of Ari Aster, the emotionally well-adjusted filmmaker who insists he "has a great relationship with his mother" despite being the creative fiend behind family-friendly films like Hereditary and Midsommar. We chronicled both of those films two years ago in the lead-up to his last film, Beau Is Afraid, which is perhaps the crème de la crème of unhinged Oedipal fever-dreams of the 21st century. All things considered, Ari seems to be a laid-back, easygoing chap. He's someone who enjoys pondering the simple things in life – things like ritualistic violence and gruesome mutilation; the inherent and hypocritical spectacle of psychological horror; and how could I forget, the debilitating, trickle-down effects of deep-seeded, multi-generational family trauma. Like I said, just casual, low-key stuff and definitely nothing fraught or unsettling to speak of! This time around, Ari is back and peeping through the looking glass, to a time long ago in a galaxy far, far away... the time is May 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the place is a small, rural town in New Mexico.

His fourth feature film, Eddington, is something of an oxymoron by design, a contemporaneous period piece that feels like it happened yesterday... or is happening right now... or might even happen tomorrow. To its credit, the film is a slow burn that gradually turns up the burners, nimbly subverting any sort of clear-cut genre label, while skillfully keeping its larger intentions hidden for as long as possible. Eddington feels like some kind of deconstructed, post-modern neo-western, set in a land of division and derision. It also has the makings of a simmering paranoid political thriller, brimming and nearly boiling over with a bunch of half-baked crackpot theories about the dark and seedy underbelly of America. Don't worry, I'm nearly done over-intellectualizing over here because I'm running out of ideas and terms to throw around. But really, the best thing about Eddington is that it deploys Aster's best qualities and tendencies as an unapologetic filmmaker, applying his skills so assuredly to something that feels a bit more urgent and a bit more grounded than his typical fare. And by invoking the art of shrewd observational comedy with such scientific precision, the film often feels as much like a heightened documentary as it does some kind of scathing satire.

Starring Aster's new favorite loser cuck (I mean muse), Joaquin Phoenix plays the stumbling and bumbling Joe Cross, sheriff and soon-to-be mayoral candidate of Eddington. Whether it be as Napoleon Bonaparte, Arthur Fleck, or Beau Wasserman, this is a character archetype Phoenix has been playing a lot in recent memory. His performance brilliantly straddles the line between wet-blanket nincompoop and just-insecure-and-disenchanted-enough-to-be-dangerous. Opposite him is Pedro Pascal as Ted Garcia, Eddington's incumbent mayor who is running for re-election and testing the limits of his and Cross' professional collegiality. Pascal, who has shouldered the unbearable (and inescapable) weight of fantastic talent and expectations all summer at the box office, makes for a worthy foil to Phoenix – he does so with relative ease as he blends his charm with a heavy dose of smarm. Elsewhere, there's two-time Oscar-winning actress Emma Stone playing Cross' wife, Louise, who somehow managed to take time out of her prolific shooting schedule with Yorgos Lanthimos to show up in New Mexico for a few weeks. Her screen time, while limited, is effective. And lastly, there's one of Hollywood's premier it-guys, Austin Butler, who... well, I'm still not exactly sure why he's in this movie but that's neither here nor there. Before you get mad, I'm not saying he's bad, I just think his B-storyline is one of the film's few weaker links. Overall, most scenes are well-scripted and characters do not seem to overstay their welcome.

Eddington [2025]

While there's no shortage of on-screen starpower, the behind the camera and below the line filmmaking talent meets, if not exceeds, Ari's usual top-shelf standards. Composer Bobby Krlic, is splitting duties with Daniel Pemberton (of Spider-Verse fame) to produce what is ultimately a high-low, ying-yang score that is ominous and atmospheric, but also semi-ironically traditional and, at times, uncomfortably stately. Aster's long-time cinematographer, Pawel Pogorzelski, is absent this time around and in comes Darius Khondji, savvy veteran DP who recently worked with Bong Joon-ho on Mickey 17, who shoots in both wide vistas and claustrophobic tracking shots to marvelous effect. And then there's editor Lucian Johnston, who has been around since Hereditary and is the thumping pulse of Aster's tension-building and suspense. Altogether, the filmmaking craft is, as expected, operating at an extremely high level, and provides Aster, and the performers, the liberty and opportunity to fully develop the characters, story, and themes.

Divisive by design, Eddington doesn't really take a stance or offer any kind of solution to the problems it presents. As it pertains to the screenplay, I think that's a feature, not a bug. In my opinion, accusations of centric fence-sitting and murky virtue-signaling are somewhat silly if not downright stupid. Who the hell went to see Eddington in the theater hoping Ari Aster was going to solve the world's problems?! If it is offering anything at all, it gives the audience the opportunity to laugh at the absurdity that is being honestly rendered in each frame – what it lacks in depth it certainly makes up for in sharp humor. Exploring and unpacking this film, like the rest of Aster's filmography, requires both heavy-lifting and a great deal of balletic discipline. After all, he's made his bones disrupting and disturbing his audience. Some viewers may find the inner workings and the sadism of his films exhilarating, while others might find them draining. You might say that Aster is a kind of black licorice filmmaker – depending on your preferred palette, his brand of warped humor and his off-putting disposition as a filmmaker may not exactly mellow your yellow. To each their own.

Since seeing the film, I still have a lot of unresolved thoughts and feelings. Maybe some of them would be resolved after a second viewing – but then again, maybe not. What I do think is that Eddington seems to have a lower opinion of its general audience than it does its characters, a loaded sentiment I imagine others may disagree with. The characters here are all immensely flawed, sure, but there is something so wickedly honest in their shading that makes them feel so unequivocally human. Almost as if real life is stranger than fiction. Kind of reminds me of characters from the Coen Brothers or Charlie Kaufman – either you're in on the joke, or you're the butt of the joke, eh? In a film full of people compounding their problems under the fraudulent façade of "helping others," Aster still manages to find humanity, humor, and dare I say it, heart, amidst the blood, smoke, and darkness. Even though Eddington gets its jollies from poking at hot-button issues you might encounter while mindlessly doom-scrolling, it doesn't pretend to offer any real call to action. So even if the commentary is shallow, maybe that is kind of the whole point? There's no nostalgia here, no happy ending to help you rest easier at night. The bravest realization that comes from this movie is that we're probably screwed, because we've been screwed for a long time. Aster knows this, and he knows his audience knows this, at least more so than the characters in Eddington do. The real problem isn't on screen, it's in the seats.

Froth

Demo Brewing Company is the new kid on the block in Chicago's Malt Row. When you're bumping shoulders with Dovetail, Begyle, and Hop Butcher for the World, you better bring your A-game. Luckily, Demo is for real. Their garage setup is is intimate but lived-in, their beers are punchy but highly drinkable, and the vibes are immaculate. During my most recent stop-in, I tried the Pillow Talk Juicy Pale Ale, which is fruity, oaty, and plush (their word-choice not mine). Oh, and just so I don't take any grief, it's obviously juicy. I didn't think I needed to say that here since it's literally called a Juicy Pale Ale, but here we are. Geez, everyone is so sensitive these days! That said, I don't have to hope for big things for Demo Brewing Company, because I know they are for real.

Finally, Superman

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Superman [2025]

Film

As sure as the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, I find myself in awe of James Gunn's comic book character juggling. Every time he puts out a new comic book movie (CBM) I take the form of a broken record, spouting my admiration for making me emotionally invested in all sorts of oddballs and misfits. From Polka-Dot Man in Suicide Squad to Rocket Raccoon in his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, Gunn has always had a penchant for putting the strange supporting characters as the secret protagonists. When he, and Peter Safran, were announced as co-leads of the new DC Studios rebirth, along with the announcement of Gunn helming a new Superman film, there were a couple foregone conclusions. First, there would be a plethora of zany side characters from the depths of DC comics that would you would become irreversibly attached to. Second, Gunn would bring his bright, silly and comic book accurate vision to deliver the best Superman adaptation in decades. Both of these materialized in Superman where Gunn constructs a tremendous summer blockbuster and revitalizes the Superman character, adding in a wild ensemble of supporting characters that can be a gift and a curse for a slightly chaotic script.

Dropping us directly into the fray-a welcome departure from what's become an overwrought cliche of superhero origin stories-Gunn's script wastes no time introducing the titular character. Superman (David Corenswet) reeling from a fight with a supposed meta-human from Boravia, a country whose invasion of the neighboring Jahranpur was spurred by the big blue boy scout, poses an interesting new dynamic. Here exists a world where Superman can in fact take a beating and lose but also we're not wasting time worrying about the what-ifs of Superman's powers. Where Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, outside of its seismically serious tone, focused on the world adjusting to the existence of Superman, James Gunn's Superman, in an oft inconsistently jovial tone, reframes Snyder's thesis. Now, Superman is adapting to the world around him. Which poses some very interesting and fresh layers of moral and emotional complexity to the man of steel. Echoing one of my favorite Hayao Miyazaki films Princess Mononoke we're bound to ponder how can someone be just and fair in an unjust and unfair world. Yet just as Superman struggles to make his heroic intentions understood by a skeptical world, Gunn's film sometimes struggles to clearly communicate its own ambitious vision.

Both character and film face the challenge of explaining complex realities to audiences unprepared for exposition in place of spectacle. While I certainly appreciate the brevity of setup in the film, allowing this exciting new turn the proper space to breath, there is a sacrifice of expositional dialogue needed to explain little odds and ends. From Superman's Robot No. 4 (Alan Tudyk) explaining Superman's mission from his parents to a henchman of Lex Luthor's (Nicholas Hoult) describing the maniacal billionaire's under-explored hatred of Superman, these instances of exposition feel incredibly forced. These abrasive moments of over explaining off-screen occurrences ultimately distract and muddle the substance on-screen.

Superman [2025]

Superman's greatest weakness has always been his inability to say no to those who need help, and Gunn's film suffers from the same heroic flaw. While Gunn's new world looks and feels familiar, at times the excess and narrative bloat with his coterie of caped crusaders to advance the new DC Universe isn't completely balanced. Guy Gardner/Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi) and Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan) are a classic James Gunn support group and bring a lot to the table. But there's only so much food at the table, and there can be too many mouths to feed in a breezy two hour and nine minute runtime.

That being said, the performances are all terrific. Corenswet embodies the ethos of Superman perfectly. Embedding his charisma and energy into the character, combined with the new bright and hopeful aesthetic of Superman creates a phenomenal version of the super-hero, the likes of which we haven't seen since Christopher Reeve donned the cape. Not to mention Nicholas Hoult delivers a feverish performance as the arch-rival Lex Luthor, which even in its underwritten and unexplored state, serves well. But the real show-stopper of the film is Gathegi's Mr. Terrific. Even with limited screen time he steals each and every scene, devouring your attention and leaving no crumbs. And even as I may not fully digest the quantity of characters, the quality of the visuals are ravishing. James Gunn has a reputation for collaborating with the same people, which pays tremendous dividends here. From costume designer Judianna Makovsky to cinematographer Henry Braham, the understanding this team possesses of one another and the overall vision is the real super-hero team. Together they've created a new aesthetic of comic book movies that's colorful, bright, and reflects the silliness of comic book sensibilities. It never takes itself too seriously, but it seriously looks amazing.

Even if there are elements to Superman that didn't entirely work for me, it is abundantly clear how much the character and world means to James Gunn. Prior to Superman's release, Gunn had posted multiple updates about the tragic passing of his father, and how he often didn't fully understand James but read comics beloved by his son in the hope of furthering their bond. Not to mention James' brother revealed to him that the film's release date happened to be on their father's birthday. It became apparent that Superman means something more to James, something not only reflective of the past but hopeful for the future. A beautiful imitation between art and life that can feel serendipitous. And even without that extra information, the heart beat of Superman resonates phenomenally. A beautiful, albeit short, moment between Clark Kent and his father (Pruitt Taylor Vince) highlights Gunn's personal flair for the film, imbuing his own experiences and connecting with any son or father in a bit of gorgeous tearful acquiescence.

Despite a narrative and tonal imbalance, Superman is still above and beyond the best DC film in decades. It's introduction of a brand new universe that's so positive and full of hope just like Superman himself is a fantastic fresh step forward in a world that's rife with comic book fatigue. Gunn once again establishes himself as a director with an entertaining vision and as quite possibly one of the best comic book movie writer/directors working today. The film is imperfect, but so is its titular character, which is exactly why it works. Within these imperfections, James Gunn does his best work, highlighting those very same oddballs and misfits that demand our attention and steal our hearts time and time again. Giving us all hope, for not only a better world, but for the perseverance of the power of cinema and its person-ability.

Froth

I was recently in Boston for a wedding and was lucky-very lucky-that the welcome party took place in Trillium Brewing Company, a magical place I'd always wanted to visit. It's an incredibly difficult task to only highlight one of the wonderful brews I had there but it feels appropriate that my absolute favorite is the choice here. Congress Street is their flagship American IPA that is as bright as it is delicious. If you're finding yourself relishing in the colorful new world of James Gunn's Superman then a good pour of Congress Street is bound to enhance your experience. There's a great backbone of citrus flavors that's complimented by some pine and melon flavors, lending some intriguing layers. Even if its at a somewhat hefty 7.2% ABV it still has a light and easy drinkability, thanks in part to a subtle biscuity accent that keeps it afloat.

And now I can't wait to throw in some other Trillium brews for other articles, all for the hopes of making the pilgrimage back East to try even more of their wares.

Memento Mori - 28 Years Later

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 07:00:00 GMT

28 Years Later [2025]

Film

I would be remiss if I didn't voice the softest complaint about how Sony Pictures Releasing could've made the most incredible marketing move by releasing 28 Years Later, quite literally, 28 years after the original 28 Days Later. Again, just a thought I needed to throw out there. But if I'm thinking about it seriously, I don't think I could've waited another four years to watch Danny Boyle and Alex Garland's reenter the visceral world they created.

Days was nothing short of sensational. A viciously gritty departure from the status quo that stands perfectly in its own "genre", while simultaneously reinvigorating the zombie niche, Days was a benchmark moment for everyone involved, including the audience. And while 28 Weeks Later may have been a step back, Boyle and Garland were only executive producers, the sensation that Years provides, is as gutting as the original installment. It’s not just worth the wait—it’s a rare auteur statement hiding inside a tentpole.

Continuing from Days and Weeks, Years sees Britain still under quarantine with scattered villages of survivors and the infected roaming freely. The latest installment takes the franchise's overtones of British isolationism to new heights by focusing on a village located on Lindisfarne, a small remote island that's only accessible at low tide by a causeway. Boyle and Garland's vision blossoms with the crafting of these village characters, especially with young Spike, played terrifically by Alfie Williams. The Days franchise never needed subversion—its horror lay in how the real danger often came from the uninfected. Years shifts that lens, focusing instead on how fear, masculinity, and survivalism shape a boy’s identity in a crumbling world. Through Spike's eyes and experiences, concerning his-at times removed and abrasive-father Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his ill mother Isla (Jodie Comer), we're brought along a coming-of-age journey unlike anything before. Spike shoulders an inherited ideal of masculinity, shaped more by myth than truth as his father regales fellow villagers of Spike's brave exploits-which never happened-along with Spike's own self-reflection of what he needs to do delivers a much more nuanced viewing experience than the prior installments.

28 Years Later [2025]

While the unexpected genre-bending and extra juicy characters are welcome treats, the film does suffer from inconsistent tone and shallow character exploration. For the former, Garland imbues a pinch of humor, pretty much whenever Erik (Edvin Ryding) is on-screen, and horror per usual but the mixture can be quite confusing at times. Emotionally heavy moments have an undertone of dark humor while some of the most disturbing moments are left murky—either under explained or jarringly out of sync with the tone—which undermines their emotional impact. Which leads me to the latter point. There's a lot that isn't explored in Years. Whether that was by design before the idea of making a new trilogy or not I can't say but at times the film can be frustrating in its set up of subsequent projects. I'll absolutely be seated for Nia DiCosta's 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, but the whiplash of this ending and question marks felt more in tune with a half-baked idea that couldn't be self-contained. It's entertainment value is through the roof, don't get me wrong, but it felt like I was nibbling at crumbs for almost two hours and am far from satiated.

I don't mean to sound overly glum, as I really did enjoy the film. Even in its sort-of studio franchised state, there were enough rough spots that felt grounded in Boyle's original vision and aesthetic. The iPhone camera rigs, and overall work from Anthony Dod Mantle, is a complete spectacle. Giving the film an experimental and gritty feel that echoes the screams 28 Days Later first emitted over two decades ago. Thus providing a cohesive idea, that lends its ethos to how the picture moves, keeping you emotionally on edge only for the ultimate heartbreaking scene by a fantastic, yet sparse, Ralph Fiennes. Which is exactly why we keep coming back for films by Danny Boyle. No matter the wrapper, the candy is just as sweet. A delightful treat about the perseverance of humanity, the depths of depravity that exist in the darkest corners, and how finding something within yourself to change the status quo can provide enough of a spark to ignite the flame of life. Even if in the shadows, there is always death.

Memento Mori.

Froth

A couple weekends ago I had the opportunity to go to the Washington Brewers Festival which brought in over 70 breweries from the state for some tasting experiences.

Not to mention, there were unlimited pours. Hey-o.

One of my favorites from the day I was there was from Well 80 in Olympia, the Hell's Well. Now, I know I'm a creature of habit and normally for a horror film as wild as this one I'd rely on my usual shenanigans and mention something from Holy Mountain Brewing. But that's the beauty of the WABF! I was able to sample a beer I've never had before from a brewery I've never heard of before, which is not a knock on Well 80 it's just that I don't have a car in Seattle and Olympia would be quite the walk/bike. Nevertheless, the Hell's Well is a bonafide slam dunk of a Scottish Ale. It is boozy, due to the three years aged in bourbon barrels so expect some boozy warmth, vanilla, caramel, rye, and oaky flavors to deliver a real punch each sip. It is an 11.1% ABV beer so it has a strong essence to it, but the taste perfectly matches the intensity. Making the Hell's Well an easy sipper, a delightful endeavor, and a pour not to be taken lightly.

The Life of Chuck

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 07:00:00 GMT

The Life of Chuck [2024]

Film

Who would've expected one of the best Stephen King adaptations this century to not be a horror film? Certainly not I. This isn't a way of saying that King's more humanistic-we could also phrase that as realistic-novels or novellas are lacking in quality, but in quantity. For every one story outside the realm of horror, King probably has ten or more in the trenches of terror. But his 2020 novella The Life of Chuck from a published collection titled If It Bleeds has been reborn for the big screen in a big, beautiful spectacle of ephemeral appreciation. And of course it only makes sense that the person behind the adaptation is none other than Mike Flanagan, who's responsible for other sensational King adaptations such as Gerald's Game, Doctor Sleep, and the Netflix series Midnight Mass inspired by Salem's Lot. Flanagan not only has a real sharp eye for horror and his original productions are terrific and terrifying, but a more nuanced vision and appreciation for King's work. Even if there are no monsters, jump-scares, or supernatural terrors within The Life of Chuck, Flanagan is able to weave a beautiful story about living life to the fullest and enjoying all of the little things that make us human.

Flanagan's screenplay, and film, serve the source material faithfully, almost to a T. With both unraveling in reverse chronological order. The first act sees elementary school teacher Marty Anderson (Chiwetel Ejiofor) navigating the burgeoning apocalyptic world, while reconnecting with his ex-wife Felicia Gordon (Karen Gillan). All of the end of world activities appear off-screen, save for some news coverage Marty watches, which makes for a much more intriguing hook. Combined with the incongruous billboards, tv ads, and radio spots all thanking a mysterious Chuck Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) for 39 great years, Flanagan's film sets up the remaining two-thirds in a satisfying way. Priming your emotions with intrigue and in true King fashion, a sprinkle of horror with what I'd consider a realistic apocalyptic scenario.

The next two acts introduce us to Krantz in varying points of his life, as Nick Offerman serves as a fantastic narrator, guiding us through the minds of characters such as Krantz and Janice Halliday (Annalise Basso). The latter whose boyfriend broke up with her via text. But is rejuvenated through a stunning dance number with Krantz in the middle of the street. Flanagan's film feasts on these tiny moments of life, the little joys of existence, which makes sense given the source material. But to see it play out on the big screen is nothing short of a profoundly magical experience. Hiddleston and Basso are tremendous in their choreography and I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a huge smile across my face the entire sequence.

The final piece of the puzzle comes in act three. As an elongated portion of the film it pulls the pace back a little bit, which at times can be trying but the overall execution is still fascinating. A young Chuck Krantz played by Jacob Tremblay is an endearing focal point and introduces the grand thematics of the film, a poem by Walt Whitman. In the poem is this idea that we contain multitudes, pulling on memories and experiences to construct a universe within ourself. The big revelation of Whitman's words explains the first act in a satisfying way, not being too rushed, but at times Flanagan's insistence on repeated reflection can be a bit heavy handed. The Life of Chuck is bursting with gorgeous emotional and intellectual complexities on how life can be cherished, no matter how minute something might seem, and the over reliance on making that abundantly clear came across as abrasive. That isn't to say I wasn't moved by the time the credits rolled, but its emotional excess occasionally undermines its otherwise elegant restraint.

Nevertheless, Flanagan has proved once again that he is more in tune with King's transcendant storytelling than anyone else. Delivering a nuanced interpretation and gravitas of emotion unlike anything you've seen before. The cast brings powerful performances, albeit with limited screen-time for everyone, especially a powerfully focused Mark Hamill as Chuck's grandfather Albie. It's possible, if not likely, that I'll enjoy The Life of Chuck more on a second watch, but even if I like it just the same, I can't wait to see it again.

Froth

As a longtime King fan, watching adaptations stack up is pretty damn sweet—especially when they tap into the complexity and humanity that defines his best work. The Life of Chuck feels like one of those stories where the horror is secondary to something deeper. Acting as a billboard-sized reminder of life’s fleeting beauty. Which is why I went with Cloudburst Brewing’s Pure Possibility, an IPA that appears hazy but drinks crisp. It's bursting with citrus flavors and tropical undertones all the while a cool bitterness (50 IBU) reels the sweetness back into a more balanced territory.

SIFF 2025 Snippets

Fri, 30 May 2025 07:00:00 GMT

By Design [2024]

By Design

Wildly unique and dripping with camp, Amanda Kramer’s By Design turns the objectification of women into a metaphor as Camille (Juliette Lewis) swaps bodies with a chair. Equal parts performance art and surrealism, the film is both abstract and glaringly on-the-nose. Kramer’s striking visual palette keeps it compelling, but unfortunately, the script recycles the same ideas so much that it becomes more exhausting than enlightening.

Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass [2024]

Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass

If I watched the Quay Brothers latest stop motion film 100 times, I bet I’d have 100 completely different experiences. Their unique style and stop motion mastery shine throughout, but the melancholic enigma of this Bruno Schulz adaptation is difficult to comprehend. A mix of gothic texture and avant-garde filmmaking turns this interpretation into an opaque and overly surreal film that pushes experience over plot. Understanding of the source material may be needed to fully appreciate its adaptation.

Meeting with Pol Pot [2024]

Meeting with Pol Pot

After seven documentaries on the Khmer Rouge regime, Rithy Panh returns with the horror-adjacent Meeting with Pol Pot. His depth of knowledge, and personal lens make the narrative fascinating while the performances from Irène Jacob, Grégoire Colin, Cyril Gueï as French journalists meeting the reclusive dictator, are terrific. Although the tone and flow are slightly disrupted with Panh’s almost mixed-media style, the film’s story and its horror-esque unfolding make it impossible to look away.

40 Acres [2024]

40 Acres

Danielle Deadwyler delivers another powerhouse performance as a tenacious, no-bullshit mother trying to protect her farm and family in a post-apocalyptic world devoid of animals in 40 Acres. After a gripping opening, R.T. Thorne’s survival drama falters with tepid pacing and predictability, but more than makes up for it with a thrilling third act that had me white-knuckling my seat. It’s not without flaws, but the film hits all the essential beats of sci-fi survival, blending emotional stakes with visceral thrills.

Shepherds - SIFF [2025]

Wed, 28 May 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Shepherds [2024]

Film

This film was viewed at the 51st Seattle International Film Festival

Any millennial who's not exactly enamored with their day job has likely thought about—if not romanticized—the idea of leaving for greener pastures. Probably not to the degree of Mathyas (Félix-Antoine Duval) who leaves his cushy advertising job in Montreal to attempt to become a shepherd in the south of France, but we're all dreaming the same dream. A grand romantic adventure of self-discovery and following one's passions sounds almost too good to be true, but as Mathyas wanders around tying up the loose ends of soon-to-be old job, one can't help but feel the heart-warming effect of the beautiful string score. Grand, sweeping music carries Mathyas in an almost spiritual-sibling introduction to Colin Farrell in The Banshees of Inisherin. Everything is going so great, there may as well be a glowing rainbow in the sky. We should be happy for Mathyas, following his dream, even if it is as seemingly preposterous as leaving the corporate world for the bucolic life doing something with zero prior experience. Such is the ethos of Shepherds, the Quebecois drama written and directed by Sophie Deraspe which she adapted from Mathyas Lefebure’s novel, the basis for Duval’s character. It's a outwardly over-emphasized fantasy in some regards, especially in the first act of Mathyas’ journey. But overall, Deraspe’s adaptation remains a gorgeous and heartfelt depiction of letting passion be your compass and a rebuke of the material world, all the while being a sharp reflection of corporate life.

When I say gorgeous, part of what I mean is the visual beauty. I can be superficial here, alright? But when I wasn't focused on Mathyas learning what an ewe is-it took me about two mentions to also figure it out-I was entranced by the picturesque French Alps. Shot on location in Southern France, Shepherds delivers a grounded vision that contrasts with the lofty romanticism preceding the mountains. Mathyas' dreaming can only take him so far, and us along with him, but when the mountains eclipse the screen, it puts his whole adventure into perspective. But the journey to the Alps isn't easy for Mathyas. Encountering numerous "bosses" that reflect the managerial styles of the corporate world he's trying to flee from, one whose chance is extraordinarily short-term and another who represents the worst out there, who beats, belittles, and even kills his subordinates.

In Shepherds, the sheep aren't just ovine supporting cast members, they are Mathyas' dream incarnate. They represent the fragmented hopes of Mathyas’ new life, culminating in a book he eventually writes about the experience. Which, knowing that the movie is an adaptation is a bit of a spoiler. Luckily, his writing happens off-screen giving us the proper bandwidth to focus on how his heart wanders from Montreal, Provence, and the French Alps. At one point Mathyas even philosophizes on how he set out to be a shepherd to be in nature and eventually write a novel, but if he doesn't then who cares, he's had a hell of a ride. As cliche as some of the moments in Shepherds prove to be-I'm picturing a nice poster with "It's not about the destination, it's about the journey" in a script font-the performances of Duval, his eventual shepherding companion Elise (Solène Rigot), and their mentor Dudu (David Ayala) are too endearing. Their chemistry is downright delightful, and the idiosyncratic characters that flow in and out of Mathyas and Elise's journey feel too realistic to reduce to a cliche. Whenever Shepherds might be sinking into such territory, the charisma of the cast and beauty of the landscape are strong enough to buoy even the lowest moments.

Deraspe and cinematographer Vincent Gonneville also utilize a passive camera, often slowly following Mathyas or the other shepherds as if we the audience are the sheep, to create an immersive experience. We aren't simply watching this adventure, we're on it. Which in turn elevates the climactic moments, regarding nature or poor management alike. Forceful storms in the Alps and belligerent breeders lashing out against the herd provide white-knuckling moments that wipe away any thought of romanticization, yet the emotional crests and troughs are fully appreciated. Deraspe's fantastic grasp of flow in Shepherds makes it so much more moving, entertaining, and also I'll say it: I think sheep are pretty damn cute now.

Watching Mathyas escape the corporate world—telling his boss to fuck off—only to face eerily similar challenges in the French Alps, reveals the true depth of Shepherds. While it begins as a romanticized dream, its grounding in harsh realities strips away idealism, not to discourage, but to illuminate. You might see it as a sly commentary on modern labor expectations. But ultimately, Shepherds is about passion over paycheck. It’s a tribute to those who dare to dream and chase that dream—even if the road is rocky, the herd unruly, and the mountains unforgiving. Still, if Deraspe’s vision is any indication, it’s absolutely worth the journey. And really—just look at that view.

Froth

It's too tall of a task to see the towering beauty of the French Alps and not think about all of the natural splendor around me that needs to be preserved. National Parks, State Parks, even just protected public land these are all essential assets for our enjoyment now, our kids, and future generations that won't know whether we did anything to help. But they'll know if we didn't.

In a flash of serendipity Bale Breaker Brewing just so happened to have a beer where a portion of proceeds go to funding our State Parks here in Washington! I Love My State Parks IPA is exactly what it sounds like, a beer ingrained so hard in the PNW that it might be growing from the very trees its working to protect. With only 45 IBU its bitterness is quite mild, but its bright colors and crisp hopiness along with a refreshing splash of melon and pineapple give it a really nice resinous, tropical flavor. You don't really taste the 6.2% ABV which makes for an easy drinking experience and it has a pretty hefty head so it looks/feels incredibly fresh.

Also if I'm talking about nature, the PNW, and beer of course I'm going to choose an IPA. It just makes too much sense. But on a serious note, the hoppy flavors and citrus notes just go too well with Deraspe's Shepherds. As far as loving nature vibes go, this is a match made in heaven, or the French Alps, they look like they might be heaven.

Undercover - SIFF [2025]

Mon, 26 May 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Undercover [2024]

Film

This film was viewed at the 51st Seattle International Film Festival

Appearances are everything, especially for Mónica (Carolina Yuste), who's been embedded in the ETA terrorist group as an undercover police officer for the past eight years. Celebrating murders, antagonizing police officers, and furiously lamenting the arrests and deaths of fellow ETA members are all appearances that Mónica will have to keep up as explained by her superior, Ángel (Luis Tosar). He’s the only person who knows Mónica's undercover identity. Outside of emotionally masquerading as an ETA member, Arantxa Echevarría's thrilling Undercover shows Mónica’s physical unraveling, as the toll of death and deception changes her from a young, beautiful, and idealistic officer to a reflection of the pain she's been enduring. The bags under her eyes grow with every additional day, balancing on the razor's edge between stopping the political violence and terror of ETA, and being killed if her true identity is revealed. While Echevarría's film doesn't necessarily reinvent the undercover thriller—we've seen these high stakes and familiar plotlines before- her steady direction and terrific build-up create a powder keg within Undercover, ready to explode at any moment, and with it the audience's nerves.

Mónica’s introduction and transformation into her undercover identity, Arantxa, follow the familiar arc of the classic incognito thriller. Ángel explains the usual ramifications and dangers, such as proximity to the enemy with no fallback, including no police record of her, and the necessity of spending eight years building this new identity to be recognized by the ETA. But Echevarría's film does a phenomenal job slowly building, at times maybe too slow, to an electrifying final act that doesn't completely subvert expectations but keeps your blood pumping enough so that it doesn't matter. Tense editing by Victoria Lammers and an active camera keep the action fluid and fast paced as Arantxa/Mónica's eight-year journey comes toward an explosive ending, teetering between success and failure. An outcome that could shift at a moment's notice, and within this stressful limbo, Undercover is sensational.

The high stakes and emotional fervor of Mónica, and that of Undercover as a whole, wouldn't work without the award-winning performance of Yuste. Her descent from the youthful recruit full of moral tenacity into paranoid desolation is reflected perfectly through her tremendous emotional communication. The role even requires a physicality that Yuste uses to command both the screen and the audience’s attention through anguished, silent screams and expressions filled with anxious pain. Of course, it helps that Diego Anido's Sergio, a high-ranking ETA leader hellbent on continuing their organization's violence, plays a terrific villain. Yuste and Anido share a bristling chemistry that elevates one another's performance, pushing us closer and closer to the edge of our seats as we watch their game of cat-and-mouse play out.

This "game" could've had more explanation behind it, a deeper dive into the ETA and their motivations. But that's also a cultural complaint, being an American who isn't taught much about the movement or time in Spain's history in depth. Ultimately, there's enough there to understand what's happening and who the key players are, and it helps that these players are delivered through such charismatic performances. Despite its predictability and occasional pacing lulls, Undercover still lands a knockout punch, driven by sheer determination. Just like Mónica's drive to be the one to end ETA once and for all, that same fire keeps Echevarría's covert thriller burning as bright as ever.

Froth

Speaking of familiarity, let's crack open this year's Washington Brewer's Guild Collab, the 2025 re-brew of Westies With Our Besties! Of the seven regional variations of the brew, I had the North Seattle Metro version at Fremont Brewing (brewed at the regional host brewery, Stoup Brewing) but there are six more that I'm looking forward to enjoying. This year's iteration is reminiscent of last year's along with a mighty fine example of what a West Coast IPA stands for. I'm talking about a strong dry finish, beautifully bright, and possessing a taste-bud popping level of hoppiness. There's, of course, the powerful bitterness that swings in too, complimenting the bright citrusy flavors. And thus, you have assembled a top-notch team of familiar West Coast IPA characteristics, but much like Undercover it's not the what it's the how. You know what to expect when you order a West Coast IPA, or at least I hope you have some idea, and instead of falling into a trough of predictability and been-there-had-that, this year's Westies With Our Besties is a triumphant brew. The North Seattle Metro Breweries have really knocked it out of the park and I thoroughly enjoyed the balance of the strength, pop of citrus, bitterness and hoppy resinous aroma and flavor that just packs a punch. Much like Undercover, I was pleasantly surprised, yet felt welcomed by a familiar friend that always finds new ways to impress me.

Raptures - SIFF [2025]

Sun, 25 May 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Raptures [2025]

Film

This film was viewed at the 51st Seattle International Film Festival

Suppose your husband was descending deeper into religious dogmatism, eventually blowing down the doors into fanaticism, while leading a sectarian cult in your small village. Would you stay as a bystander? Or would you run as fast as you can? Jon Blåhed poses this scenario with Rakel (Jessica Grabowsky) as the focal point in Raptures, a historical drama about the rise of the Korpela movement, which was known as an increasingly radical religious cult. Told from Rakel’s perspective, we watch through her wary gaze as paranoia quietly festers in her husband Teodor (Jakob Öhrman)—and soon, in the village itself. Once the visiting preacher Toivo Korpela (Samuli Niittymäki), after spreading his word and being threatened by the mainstream Church, leaves, Teodor believes he is chosen by God to lead in Korpela's absence. Taking up the mantle and pushing forth the burgeoning Korpela movement. We, through Rakel's eyes, begin to slowly fail to recognize Teodor and the other villagers who succumb to the cult's calls of apocalyptic prophecies, isolationism, and justification of extra-marital sex. What should’ve been a terrifying glimpse into the poisonous words of men grasping for power is ultimately reduced to surface-level exposition that lacks the teeth to chew what it bites off.

Blåhed's setup of Raptures is among one of the most intriguing of a film I've ever seen, becoming the first film to primarily feature the minority language of Meänkali. But the film also uses Swedish and Finnish, distinguishing the languages through different colored subtitles, which at times can be overly demanding. However, the subtlety of engaging in multiple languages, especially given the politics of 20th century Sweden, where Meankali speakers were seen as lowly peasants by Swedish speakers, who were conversely seen as "fancy gentlemen from Uppsala" by the villagers-along with interpretations or translations of the Bible resulting in religious fanaticism is beyond interesting. It's a slick piece of filmmaking that immediately establishes intricate layers to the story before a single line of dialogue is spoken.

Combined with the riveting performance of Grabowsky and the arresting camera-work from cinematographer Mimmo Hildén, highlighting the isolated beauty of the village or the deliriously bright backlighting of the prayer house (another great cinematic flair for religious themes), Raptures possesses all of the groundwork for a tremendous viewing experience. One fraught with paranoia, betrayal, and the battle between morality and sectarian actions.

Raptures [2025]

Unfortunately, just like the logs piling up in the river outside the village of Meänmaa, Raptures suffers from having too much and too little flow. At the same time, Rakel is the perfect focal point for the film, her husband's-and his cult followers-bear little to no depth. The construction of the dogmatic cult is swift and devoid of appropriate scaffolding, demanding the viewer to fill in the gaps. Power-hungry men don’t need elaborate backstories—but they need something. Teodor and his right hand man Hannes (Sampo Sarkola) creating an echo chamber of beliefs in the village as if it were a black hole consuming everything and everyone, could've been emphasized to a greater degree. When a tragedy befalls a young girl in the final act of the film, its context being framed outside of the camera provides more confusion than it does suspense. Putting the cult on the verge of parody, undermining its intended menace.

Blähed's attachment to the material, being raised in the region, is evident. The camera has a reverence for the natural beauty, and the nuances of the language are terrific ways to pay homage to the past and reach to communicate the story as a warning. In some ways, Raptures has bone-chilling parallels to the growing religious extremism throughout the world, as an unexplainable spread of translations and interpretations taken as fact. But without the characters to build upon the context, Raptures ends up as a haunting whisper instead of a prophetic scream.

Froth

You could go a number of different ways here in terms of beer pairing, and you could also go a number of different ways on enjoying the film more/less than I did. So in order to relinquish some brain power to devote to reading subtitles and picking up on the subtleties of Raptures linguistics I think a nice and easy lager is the ideal pairing here. Stoup Brewing's German-Style Spring Lager is a simple yet impeccably brewed beverage that can satisfy your every craving, yet is light and crisp enough to not demand too much. Filled with toasty and caramel accented flavors, this lager is a supremely easy and refreshing drink even with its towering 6.8% ABV. Seems like a feature more than a bug if ya know what I mean.

Nevertheless, it is an ideal beer for warmer weather, enjoying movies, and being extra wary of that new preacher that comes to town speaking about how a crystal ark is going to drop down from the heavens into the nearby lake.

Spermageddon - SIFF [2025]

Thu, 22 May 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Spermageddon [2024]

Film

This film was viewed at the 51st Seattle International Film Festival

I know what you're thinking—yes, this is a real film. Even if it feels like a fever dream at times, Spermageddon is very real. And while it takes some time to settle down, this Norwegian animated adult musical is so extraordinarily unique, it honestly deserves to be seen. Better yet, it screams to be seen. In Osmosis Jones manner, Tommy Wirkola and Rasmus A. Sivertsen's film centers on Jens (Christian Fredrik Mikkelsen), a nerdy and socially awkward teenager whose parents are desperately trying to get out of the house, and, as expected, his sperm. Simen (Aksel Hennie) is Jens incarnate as a humanized sperm; awkward, introverted, and afraid of new experiences especially the prophesied Spermageddon. Wirkola along with co-writers Geir Vegar Hoel and Jesper Sundnes cleverly contextualize the titular event as a mythological journey to Valhalla, where sperm that die in an effort to fertilize an egg will be awaited in the Great Hall of Asgard. Lending some gravitas to the situation provides an enthralling juxtaposition between Jens' predispositions and Simen's. While both would rather stay inside and play video games all day, you can't help but laugh at the comparisons between their individual actions and the scale between them. One's journey is mundane, while the other is microscopic yet epic.

But for every clever bit of depth, there are probably 15 puns about bodily fluids, genitals, and everything in between. Simen's best friend's name is Cumilla (Mathilde Thomine Storm), the antagonist is a giga-chad sperm named Jizzmo (Christian Rubeck), and I could keep going but it's hard to remember the 80-minute runtime filled with euphemisms for sex, sperm, and vagina. There's certainly a stretch-which could be any subsect of runtime-where you grow tired of what feels like an Adult Swim version of Inside Out. The jokes can be reductive and if the humor doesn't land then Spermageddon can be a seriously trying watch. But if you can lend some levity to the situation, then this irreverent comedy can be something really special. Wirkola has long pushed boundaries to outrageously campy territory, the Dead Snow films are a great example, but its especially true for Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. No matter the source idea, whether its Nazi zombies attacking college kids or a childhood fable turned on its head, Wirkola has often gone against the grain, so to speak. His most recent film, Violent Night is a spin on Christmas movies that sees a beloved icon like Santa turn into an enraged violent badass. Spermageddon is no exception as its imbued with that very same rebellious spirit, yet its often to varying results.

While it's quite aware of the type of film it is, some of the more outrageous moments-biologically speaking-deliver more eye rolls than laughs such as a musical number by E. Coli and the "gang's" journey to even get there. Yet, even with Spermageddon spraying crude puns and irreverent humor all over the place, it's absolutely bonkers third act is a true saving grace. Going through Simen, Cumilla and Jizzmo's (a trio of names I never thought I'd be typing) journey on the inside, along with Jens and Lisa (Nasrin Khusrawi) winds up constructing a beautiful comedy of errors about sexual faux pas. The awkwardness of Jens and Lisa's first time, the pleasure gap, and so many other little ins and outs (I can make sex puns too) culminate in a finale that moves at a breakneck pace but lands all of its emotional punches. Finally bringing the house down with a musical number on the importance of being ready to have kids and the contraceptive options available to ensure that you're being safe was the perfect reality check for Wirkola's otherwise raucous animated film.

Now is it possible that no matter what I've said here there's no way you'd watch Spermageddon? Yeah, absolutely, I get that. But, if there's one thing that Wirkola has passively beckoned to his audience, it's to check your expectations and taste at the door and be open to something that's going to be way out there. While Spermageddon is by no means the de facto sex ed film of the 21st century (but it might be given the current state of affairs) it does a tremendous job conveying the importance of communication, consent, and comfort between sex partners. Resulting in a phenomenally entertaining and unique viewing experience, as Wirkola is known for, but this time, with a little more spunk.

Froth

I could've gone a number of routes here but I think I'll stick to the very High School theme that Wirkola incorporates. Not only into the humor, but also the main message of the film being more applicable to the younger generations. Cloudburst Brewing's Peaked in High School is a sumptuous West Coast Double Red Ale that not only punches you in the mouth, but asks to do so before. At 7.7% ABV it's got some real punch behind it, hence my theme here, and it does show just a tad. But the smooth maltiness that follows is a welcome treat as it escorts a warm sweetness and solid bready depth to the brew. Of course it wouldn't be the West Coast without a nice hoppy bitterness to share with everyone and it is dynamic here. The classic high school entourage of cool kids being Chinook, Mosaic, Simcoe and Centennial hops makes the bitterness profile much more intriguing than anything else and gives it a nice floral aroma along with some stone fruits, citrus, and grassy lightness. Which of course makes it the perfect companion to the ups and downs of Spermageddon, which also has its bitter moments, but comes around with ultimate sweetness and a feeling that things are going to be A OK.

Also a huge congratulations to Cloudburst Brewing who took home the gold medal from the 2025 World Beer Cup for this brew! Incredible work from an always incredible brewery, I'm in awe of their consistency and fantastic beers. Cheers to many more!

Bitter Gold - SIFF [2025]

Wed, 21 May 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Bitter Gold [2024]

Film

This film was viewed at the 51st Seattle International Film Festival

At just sixteen, Carola (Katalina Sánchez) isn’t concerned with school or teenage distractions—she’s too busy running her father Pacifico’s (Francisco Melo) copper mine with a crew of men and little more than rudimentary equipment. She couldn't have predicted the position she'd be put in after an altercation with one of Pacifico's workers sees him injured, unable to work, or that the workers are growing in their discontent of following Carola. Juan Francisco Olea's Bitter Gold takes these unexpected twists and turns of life and weaves them into a gripping neo-western that plays it cool on the surface. But just beneath the sediment, tensions are boiling in a maelstrom of fragile masculinity, dark secrets and greed for power and gold.

“Where there’s gold, the devil shows,” is the warning of one of Carola's workers when the mineshaft next door is taken over by a rival miner with rumors of gold swirling about. It's not the first metaphor used by the team of writers (Francisco Hervé, Moisés Sepúlveda, María Luida Furche, Agustín Toscano, Nicolás Wellmann) for how greed rears its ugly head, but it's the most literal. But the devil takes many forms in Olea's film, and while it doesn't result in a fast-paced, action packed sequences about warring miners, the entertainment factor is there all the same. Shot on location in the Atacama Desert, Bitter Gold is a sensational viewing experience as the gorgeous desert hills roll past Carola and Pacifico on their way to the mine. Pairing the wide-open desolate landscape with the claustrophobic interior of the mines constructs a horrifying clash of perspectives. The perceived freedom they have driving across the expanse comes crashing down when we enter the mines, the walls looking as if they're continually closing in around Carola and Pacifico. Cinematographer Sergio Armstrong does incredible work here with the aerial shots and some sublime lighting in the mines. A classic trick of using muzzle flash from gunfire be the only light in the mines during the film's early conflict provides a great spark for the paranoia and feelings of being trapped.

As level as Olea's film unwinds, never veering too far into fast or slow, it's carried by Sánchez's powerful performance as the 16-year old Carola that finds herself with the weight of the mountains on her shoulders. She navigates fragile male egos—many of whom are day laborers bound only by spoken trust—and strained relationships, particularly with her godfather (Daniel Antivilo), who embodies the opportunistic instincts that pervade Bitter Gold.

Unfortunately, the ending left me wanting more. The unraveling within the third act works perfectly to propel Carola's life into chaos, and we're well positioned for an explosive finale. But its execution failed to add to the suspense of the rising hostilities, the lure of riches, and the shadowy secret buried deep below. Instead, Olea continued to use his steady hand, which while that worked for most of the film, doesn't quite reach the same heights here. Though the film’s final moments strike with less force than expected, Olea’s Bitter Gold still shines with striking imagery, thematic weight, and a breakout performance from Sánchez—proof that there’s treasure to be found in slow-burning storytelling.

Froth

Bitter Gold? You already know this one has to be paired with an IPA, I mean come on. So of course I'm going to go with Varietal Beer Company's Time Reflection, a West Coast IPA. Swinging a solid 7% ABV, this brew is a bit of a heavy-hitter but that doesn't prevent it from being crushable or refreshing. Its strength takes a back seat in the flavor profile, allowing the bitterness (bitter gold am I right) and bright citrus flavors to be more prominent. A dry-hopping of Vista, El Dorado and Krush packs on more tropical accents like a pinch of watermelon, pear, and even a little lime craziness. Overall its a decently bitter beer, nothing too crazy though, and with each sip that bitter taste just reminds you of the upcoming gold. Lovely, lovely gold.

The Balconettes - SIFF [2025]

Tue, 20 May 2025 07:00:00 GMT

The Balconettes [2024]

Film

This film was viewed at the 51st Seattle International Film Festival

Drenched in bright colors and dripping in sweat is Noémie Merlant's sophomore directorial feature film, The Balconettes, which sees her star in and co-write as well. Joining forces again with Céline Sciamma-of the terrific Portrait of a Lady on Fire-and Pauline Munier to write the script, creates an outrageously entertaining, and at times wildly quirky, film that doubles as a thesis statement on the reclamation of female sexualization. Doing so, immediately, might I add, as the opening sequence features a woman suffocating her husband by sitting on his face. The double entendre of this sexualized scenario flipping the power dynamic of traditional relationships on its head, culminating in the death of the man, is but a mere taste of what Merlant has in store in this sprawling, sometimes unfocused yet always intriguing film.

The triptych perspectives of the three leads form the foundation, allowing Merlant to weave their experiences together into a gorgeous tapestry of feminine rage, sadness, horror, and ultimately freedom. Ruby (Souheila Yacoub) often engages in displays of this freedom. She works as a cam-girl, which appears to be for her own pleasure instead of the gaggle of men that peer through her camera-throwing comments of varying levels of implied sexual violence that Ruby will never read nor answer-and just like her male counterparts likes to beat the heat wave by being topless on her and Nicole's (Sanda Codreanu) balcony. Whoops and jeers from the men in the apartments nearby pour down to Nicole's horror, but Ruby couldn't care less. "They're just boobs" she defiantly shouts while shaking her chest in the air. The Balconettes finds ways to distill these early occurrences throughout the entire runtime, but through wildly different mechanisms. Even Elise (Merlant) arrives to the friends' balcony dressed in a Marilyn Monroe costume-she's an actress that's just fled from set-which couldn't be more on the nose. But through all of Merlant's heavy-handed visuals and ideas, The Balconettes finds ways to thoroughly entertain and subvert expectations through sure-handed direction and delightful aesthetics.

Chloé Cambournac, Jeanne Lecrivain and Emmanuelle Youchnovski as the production, set, and costume designers, respectively, craft stunning displays of bombastic colors that elevate each and every sequence. The Marseilles heat wave, instead of that disgusting yellow filter you see in every movie, is conveyed through every essence of the production design that makes me want to sit out on my balcony to beat the heat. Note, it is 52 degrees and cloudy here, but I can dream. Even amidst the sensational saturation of Merlant's film, and the flipping of sexual power dynamics, The Balconettes contorts itself too much with the inclusion of a supernatural element meant to strengthen its incisive commentary, but unfortunately dulls it more than anything. Nicole, a writer, becomes so enamored with her neighbor across the street, a photographer named Magnani (Lucas Bravo), that she writes her next story about their fictitious relationship. After the three women are invited over to Magnani's for a drink, Ruby comes home delirious and covered in blood. Magnani, is dead. On one side, this launches a screwball comedy involving the three friends hiding the body and avoiding suspicion, whereas on the other, Magnani and a litany of other dead men reappear as ghosts to "haunt" Nicole.

The Balconettes [2024]

These apparitions apply a straightline horror element to The Balconettes but the real terror is the implied-and actual-assaults occurring. The jeers from men while the women are on their balcony, the opening sequence, every interaction with Elise's abusive boyfriend Paul (Christophe Montenez) are all perfect instances of dread-inducing moments that drive Merlant's film perfectly. This is especially true for Elise's visit to her gynecologist, when she puts her legs in the stirrups and waits patiently for what feels like ages, as her apathetic doctor sits at his desk. Merlant bares it all on screen in the defining moment of The Balconettes where Elise is at the mercy of yet another man, one that should be helping her more than anything, but it also represents a direct challenge to the audience. There's no where to run, no where to hide, and certainly no where to look as we're fixated on Elise's vulnerability and a somber subtext of impending violence. With a scene like this, there simply isn't the need to dilute the harsh reality and rebuke of the patriarchy with silly ghost stories that are resolved as absurdly as they begin.

Unfortunately, even if this supernatural element is a small aspect of Merlant's film, it takes on a life larger than expected. Unbinding an otherwise cohesive tone and relegating The Balconettes into a slightly confusing mixture of realism and surrealism, horror and comedy. But if there's one thing to take away, it's the strength of Merlant as a filmmaker and, of course, her continued stellar performances as she continues to raise the bar and take on compelling and important narratives to highlight.

Froth

Speaking of genre-bending, let's talk about the Quick Kick IPA from Here Today Brewing!

While it might sound like your run of the mill IPA, it's anything but. Brewed with smoked grapefruit alongside Citra and Amarillo hops, the Quick Kick IPA is all over the place with its flavor. And I'm saying that as complementarily as possible. The bright coloring matches the visual aesthetic of Merlant's film, while it is exploding with refreshing citrus and floral flavors. Not to mention, both of these hops work tremendously well with their provided aromas matching the base tastes. Then this ole smoked grapefruit comes in and adds some tremendous depth. The bitterness from the grapefruit accents the hops perfectly, and the smokiness brings everything all together for a delicious group hug that gets better with every sip. Every sip offers the chance to experience something completely different through taste or smell. I've thoroughly enjoyed the previous IPAs and Hazy IPAs from Here Today, and it's fun that they keep pushing the envelope with new (well, new to me) ways to twist the beer drinking experience. They have a cocktail IPA on their board that I'm dying to try.

Here Come the Thunderbolts (New Avengers)

Thu, 08 May 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Thunderbolts* [2025]

Film

Straight out of the gate, Thunderbolts* lets you know that things are going to be different. Of course, this is a welcome breathe of fresh air as the past six years of Marvel films have been-checks notes-ass. Opening on a Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) monologue about finding purpose in her meandering life, especially after all of the events of the prior MCU stuff, she sets a grounded tone of our "heroes" that often doesn't come until the second-act. We're moving things along I see! But, Belova's words carry some substantial weight behind them as we move forward in Thunderbolts*, which turns out to be a surprisingly solid new entry in the MCU. While there are moments of weakness, as all heroes have, Marvel's gaggle of anti-heroes come together to deliver rousing moments, terrific emotional depth, and ultimately, make the best Marvel film in I'm not even sure how many years. Sure, it's a low bar, but make no mistake, Thunderbolts* mostly walks the fine line of action, entertainment, humor, and dissecting mature topics that resonate through all ages.

Yelena opens with her monologue as she's dealing with the emotional weight of losing her sister (Black Widow in Avengers: Endgame), while working as a "cleaner" for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Who just so happens to be under Congressional investigation and therefore could really use Yelena's skills in deleting evidence of any wrong-doing. But during one mission, Yelena runs into a number of fellow "cleaners"-John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and a seemingly ordinary guy named Bob (Lewis Pullman). As they come to the realization that they themselves are the evidence Fontaine means to have eliminated, this rag-tag band of villains works together to escape, and confront en even greater evil surfacing. But for that they're going to need the help of Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Red Guardian (David Harbour).

The introduction of these characters, many of whom have likely been forgotten due to the vast web of nonsensical MCU movies and shows, takes far too long to build up. Not to mention, Fontaine is too dull of a villain to push the narrative forward, even after the "team's" revelation of being assigned one another for cleanup duty. But once they're on the move, joined by Bucky and Red Guardian, Thunderbolts* begins to get its feet under itself, running towards a tremendous buildup of the big bad. A villain whose whole identity is centered around the very depression Yelena is experiencing, making it not only one of the most relatable villains, but a comprehensive thematic choice that allows director Jake Schreier's film to have much more emotional depth than recent Marvel films.

Unfortunately, that's where most of the detour from the Marvel formula rejoins the main road. Visually speaking, Thunderbolts* finds itself with the same desaturated and dark color palette that has been plaguing the MCU for years now. Shades of gray and brown are smattered throughout scenes, providing flat and bland aesthetics, and the lighting doesn't get too much better. Understandably so, there are darker scenes due to the powers at play, but even outside of these voids I'll call them, the lighting is drab or nonexistent. Say what you will about how bad Eternals was, but at least it was visually interesting.

Even with the mature discussion around mental health-which carries some serious weight when your heroes are the ones battling-the story lacks the high stakes that create true tension. While the ending is a welcome departure from the usual CGI-smash-fest, diving deep into Yelena's and other's psyches, the final resolution felt a little too corny. All things considered though, Schreier's film is a more nuanced entry in the MCU than others in recent memory, and if Thunderbolts* marks the end of Marvel’s recent slump, and Fantastic Four: First Steps builds on its best ideas, we might finally be entering a new MCU worth caring about. We just might, hear me out, be so back.

Froth

There's only one proper pairing here, and it is Future Primitive Brewing's Thunderpussy. In direct contrast with Thunderbolts*, Thunderpussy is bursting with bright color, which turns into delicious peach, orange, and apricot flavors that are too good to be true. Its bitterness is what I can only describe as low-key, pulling back on the sweetness and citrus flavors just a tad. Making the beer a much more approachable and well-balanced NW Hazy IPA. It's bright, resinous or dank properties make it a nice uplifting companion to Schreier's film which can bring a nice even keel to the whole experience. Both emotionally, and visually, but no matter what you'll be able to enjoy both crafts as Thunderpussy and Thunderbolts* are both worth experiencing, and more importantly, feeling.

There Is, In Fact, A Clown In The Cornfield

Wed, 07 May 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Clown in a Cornfield [2025]

Film

If you spliced together every slasher trope in a lab and added a dose of clown-fueled chaos, you'd get Clown in a Cornfield—a film that gleefully checks every box, only to flip the script and light it on fire. Moronic teenagers, curmudgeonly elders, a run-down midwestern town, and a clown named Frendo terrorizing the youth of the town one by one, all find their perfect, cozy little home in this clown-crazed bloodbath. But as cut and dry as the elements are, the final product from the Tucker and Dale vs. Evil director, Eli Craig, is nothing short of fresh, bloody fun. While it doesn't strike the same balance as the aforementioned film from Craig, somehow holding dueling perspectives of tortured teens and affable idiots, Clown in a Cornfield subverts expectations in a similar style, one that Craig has fine-tuned over the years. Providing a silly, gory, entertaining watch that will serve genre fans and deliver some great laughs and scares for all alike.

Like many horror films, Craig's film begins with a newcomer to town. Quinn Maybrook (Katie Douglas) and her father (Aaron Abrams) are elated to be the two newest members of Kettle Springs, yet another Midwestern town stuck in the past. Their traditions take precedent over common sense, the Founder's Day parade that boasts a bunch of clown floats that pay homage to the Corn Syrup factory's mascot-talk about dystopic capitalism-must continue. Even if the factory has been burnt down for years now, an incident attributed to Cole (Carson MacCormac) and his group of friends including Janet (Cassandra Potenza), Ronnie (Verity Marks), Tucker (Ayo Solanke) and Matt (Alexandre Martin Deakin). A conglomerate of troublemaking teens that spend their spare time pranking others by filming videos of one another dressed as Frendo (the Corn Syrup Clown) murdering one another and uploading the video to their YouTube channel. It's equal parts Eli Roth's Thanksgiving and Scream as, suddenly, in a cruel twist of the knife, it looks like Frendo might be real and he's picking off the teenagers one by one in gruesome fashion.

Craig employs just about every trope in the book here, similarly to his work in Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, but of course, once again, it’s done to call into question the efficacy of these ideas in any other film. This is in part how the anachronistic identity of the town and the younger generation work so well, providing great humor along with extending the horror of Frendo's terror. Instances like not knowing how to use a rotary phone or how to drive a stick shift are prime examples of ridiculous plot armor that horror films often use to stick their victims in hapless states. Craig knows this and cleverly works to subvert the very tropes that drive the genre, giving Clown in a Cornfield a much more interesting and entertaining angle. Not to mention, the very uncomfortable divide between the younger and older generations, depicted through a by the book Sheriff (Will Sasso) and power tripping teacher (Bradley Sawatzky) builds upon this twisting of commonplace horror film ideas. The cool kids being the bane of existence for the elderly crowd in the town, along with their penchant for creating content, feels incredibly fresh and modern. A poignant double-edged sword of commentary, cutting both ways into this town that's desperately clinging to the past.

Clown in a Cornfield [2025]

Doing all of this at a brisk 96-minute runtime allows the film to gloss over certain elements, thrusting the film forward so quickly that you don't even care to question something. You've already moved on. And in this chaos, Craig's and co-writer Carter Blanchard's adaptation of Adam Cesare's novel of the same name, soars. The blood-soaked carnage, combined with undercutting the seriousness of the scene, delivers a fantastic one-two punch of humor and horror.

But of course, all good things must come to an end. Unfortunately, in a similar turn to Longlegs, the third act's exposition dump explaining everything undermines all of the nonsensical fun that led up to it. Once the shroud of mystery behind Frendo and Clown in a Cornfield dissipates, the dumb fun seems to leak away as well. Rendering the finale as a slight swing and a miss. Maybe it’s best to just let the clown be in the cornfield, no questions asked.

While there are some weak spots in Craig's latest horror film (read: horror-comedy), namely its lack of balance of good vs evil-vagueness to avoid spoilers here-and weak characters, which could be considered part of the satire but could be better, that doesn't prevent Clown in a Cornfield from being a total blast. It's not as humorous as Tucker and Dale vs. Evil and not as big of a meta-commentary on horror like Cabin in the Woods, but it finds itself somewhere in the middle. A range in which it operates with aplomb, making it a surprisingly fun time with enough blood for everyone.

Froth

New to the Seattle brewery scene is Human People Beer—a welcome newcomer with a brand-new taproom, though they've been slinging suds for a while now via a pop-up outside Ballard’s Stoup Brewing. Their most recent pop-up is where I grabbed Big Country, a Pilsner that feels like a spiritual companion to Clown in a Cornfield—yes, the one with the homicidal mascot in overalls.

Big Country is a delightfully light and fluffy pilsner that practically sweats summer energy. I’m talking big keggers at the old farm, bonfires, corn tag—yes, that’s a thing—and the whole dusty, golden-hour Americana fantasy.

Well, I'm just guessing that's what happened, I never got invited to those parties if that wasn't evident enough with my film blogging.

But let’s talk beer. Big Country pours with a gorgeous head and a pale, straw-like clarity that is as refreshing as it sounds. The red wheat malt brings unexpected depth: a bready, nutty core and a creamy mouthfeel, while still preserving the light-bodied drinkability of the brew. It's light, sure, but not hollow. There's a pinch of pepper on the finish from the German Perle hops, rounded out by soft floral aromatics that linger just enough to make you notice.

The moral of this pairing is that we do live in a big country, things are different in every state, things that we can't always explain with rational thinking. But if you ever go through some Midwestern town and see a clown in a cornfield, just keep driving and throw all hunger for rationality out the window. You'll thank me later.

The Wedding Banquet [2025]

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 07:00:00 GMT

The Wedding Banquet [2025]

Film

32 years after Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet was released, and two years after it was selected to be preserved in the National Film Registry, a modern reimagining has been given to us by Andrew Ahn. Backed by a star-studded cast—including Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Joan Chen, Youn Yuh-joung, and Bowen Yang—Ahn’s remake of Lee’s classic preserves the original’s core theme of marriages of convenience, while introducing timely, modern conflicts. The two couples at the epicenter of The Wedding Banquet, Angela (Tran) and Lee (Gladstone), and Chris (Yang) and Min (Han Gi-chan), enter into an arrangement much like the original where Min and Angela agree to get married to appease Min's traditional grandmother (Yuh-joung). The payoff for Angela, outside of being a good friend (or wife?), is Min will help front the cost for her and Lee's ongoing IVF treatments. Not only does Ahn's film stay true to Lee's source material, but the inclusion of two same sex couples and the very real, human, problems such as unsuccessful and expensive IVF treatments makes The Wedding Banquet much more in tune with the current landscape.

It's fair to ask whether we really needed a remake of The Wedding Banquet—and even if the answer leans toward “no,” Ahn’s attempt to inject new relevance and depth is still worth acknowledging. Unfortunately, the slick new-age visuals and themes prove less than fruitful, as Ahn's film is mired with lax development, clunky writing, and failing to hit home on the emotional notes that powered the heart and soul of Lee's original.

The main culprit is just how messy Ahn's film is. Its characters are messy, their arcs underdeveloped, and the titular arrangement feels more confusing than compelling. The web of relationships at the film’s center unfolds in a disjointed, sometimes incoherent fashion. Now there's some poetic redemption here in terms of the messiness of the main quartet being a reflection of life's, encountering problems and solutions one could've never predicted such as a marriage agreement in order to pay for IVF treatment. Regardless, the construction of The Wedding Banquet relies on a shaky foundation, especially pertaining to Chris' staunch opposition to commitment-which is only partially explained by Min's proposal to him for the purpose of getting citizenship, but we're led to believe there's more fueling Chris' hesitation. The intra-group dynamics—Lee and Min being close, Angela and Chris sharing a past, including having slept together—are not fully reconciled with the characters’ present-day motivations, creating friction that feels more accidental than intentional. The ensuing chaotic composition of storytelling causes some real pacing issues especially in the first act of the film, which feels like it takes way too long to develop to the dramatic scheme at the center.

The Wedding Banquet [2025]

Not to mention, the tributary moments to Lee's original film don't feel authentic. Instead, these retreads-like Angela, Lee and Chris removing all of the queer art from their home-come across as attempts to follow in the footsteps of the film's predecessor. The surprise conflict even makes a reprise, in a different context, but instead of being amplified by Ahn's modern direction (something that could've really made its mark in the film) its resolution is murky at best. Ultimately, moments that conjure the spirit of Ang Lee's classic film feel more like mandatory checked boxes to achieve the goal of being a remake instead of injecting a new wave of heart and soul.

Without the sturdiness of the relationships in The Wedding Banquet, the building blocks don't quite stack up like they should. Preventing the heart of the film, the reconciliation of each couple, from truly landing. Ahn's star-studded cast is enough alone to drive anyone to see the film, and they fill their roles well enough with Joan Chen being an absolute stand-out. In the end, there just isn't enough holding The Wedding Banquet together, and as much as you want to root for it, this might just be another remake that didn't have to happen.

Froth

Why enter a sham marriage for a green card when you can simply get a work visa through your favorite brewery? Sounds pretty easy right? Ok, well technically it's not an official thing, but This Is My Work Visa Application by Cloudburst Brewing certainly solves quite a few issues! Namely, not having a beer. This brew is a double dry hopped New Zealand West Coast IPA which, while a mouthful, is also quite refreshing. It comes in at a solid 6.9% ABV but doesn't have the strong profile that DIPA's might be accustomed to providing. The hoppiness from the DDH is an effective buoy for its higher ABV, and is complimented by the Nelson Sauvin hops providing a really light, grapefruit and white wine dryness. The citrus flavors don't come through all too much, providing more subtleties than anything, which kind of dampens the depth of the IPA. But overall it's still a good beer from the good people at Cloudburst Brewing!

The Endearing and Hilarious Ballad Of Wallis Island

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 07:00:00 GMT

The Ballad of Wallis Island [2025]

Film

18 years ago James Griffiths directed the BAFTA nominated short The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island, written by and starring Tom Basden and Tim Key, and now the trio return to Wallis Island once again. This time, in feature film style with The Ballad of Wallis Island. Brimming with endearing warmth amidst the rainy chill of Wallis Island, Griffiths' feature-length adaptation of his short is, quite simply, a cozy bundle of heart. Basden and Key dial up their chemistry along with their writing, crafting an incredibly entertaining and witty story, along with bringing in world-class talent Carey Mulligan who delivers an added level of emotion to the film. Overall, the expansion of the Wallis Island Cinematic Universe (WICU trademark pending) is a well crafted and gorgeous elegy on lost love and rediscovering joy.

Reminiscent of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Ballad of Wallis Island sees an eccentric millionaire pay an incredible sum of money to get their favorite celebrity to spend time at their home. But instead of Pedro Pascal paying for some one on one time with Nicholas Cage, Charles (Key), a quirky lottery winner, hires Herb McGwyer (Basden)—formerly of the world-famous folk band Mortimer McGwyer—to perform a private concert on Wallis Island where Charles resides. Unbeknownst to McGwyer, this show isn't for a crowd but only for Charles, and he's invited the other half of McGwyer's band, Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan), who Herb had some sort of romantic involvement with before pursuing a solo career and destroying their relationship/friendship.

While the premise may seem like it’s headed for familiar territory, Basden and Key cleverly sidestep the obvious and steer the story into more unexpected, emotionally rich terrain. Instead of veering into a classic romantic redemption story, The Ballad of Wallis Island opts for a deeper and more complex message. This isn't some version of The Parent Trap where Charles masterminds the rekindling of his favorite band's romance, but more of a reflection on how we move on from lost love. Basden and Key have such terrific chemistry that even though the film carries a melancholic plot, their delivery and interactions are hilarious. Key's incessant punning is fantastic and further illustrates Charles as the eccentric lottery winner that just wants to jam with his favorite band and remember better days.

The sharp writing keeps The Ballad of Wallis Island moving at a brisk pace, while hitting all of the pleasure points for heart, humor, and entertainment value as the suspense surrounding Charles' history and motivation is gripping. While it does lose itself a bit in the second act, meandering a little too much into the eccentricities of Wallis Island and Charles, it never strays too far off the dirt road. And when the emotional gut punch of the third act lands, it’s not only earned—it’s a refreshing break from rom-com predictability.

For every flaw The Ballad of Wallis Island has, it offers ten moments of genuine heart to make up for it. Charles, Herb, and Nell form a terrific trifecta of heartwarming comedy that find a way to make you laugh through steady tears. There are some fantastic visual gags on the absurdity of the music industry and celebrity, but ultimately this film is like a warm hug in the cold of winter. Wholly welcome, thoroughly enjoyed, and missed as soon as it ends.

Froth

Look, there's a lot of negativity in the world right now. Most of it is deservedly so, but still, it can all-consuming. So when you can sit back and enjoy a tall glass of this is not only a really good movie but also a really feel good movie you gotta enjoy it, you know? Thus we have to pair this nice glass of film with a nice glass of positivity, aka Brighten Up from Reuben's Brews! This IPA is juicy and as it's name would suggest, incredibly bright, bringing forward a visually stunning bright yellow. Grapefruit is the most dominant flavor giving it a nice light, juicy, bitterness but the back-up singers of passionfruit, citrus, and sweet malt effortlessly harmonize together for a wonderful chorus. And by chorus I mean taste, and I will not apologize for the music shtick I'm doing here.

Anyway, Reuben's Brews just keeps putting out hits like nobody's business and Brighten Up is just another chart topper like I've come to expect.

Big Wedding Dreams

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 07:00:00 GMT

A Nice Indian Boy [2025]

Film

If you don't know by now, romantic comedies are built on two pillars: an irresistible love story and a steady stream of humor. Some films balance both perfectly, such as the pinnacle of rom-coms When Harry Met Sally, while others lean more one way than the other. Anyone But You certainly isn't a perfect film and has its humorous moments, but the chemistry (and wildly effective marketing campaign) made the central romance between Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney much more effective, whereas Judd Apatow's Knocked Up is a great example of a romantic Comedy, with a capital C. Roshan Sethi's A Nice Indian Boy embraces this textbook formula with charm, blending cultural expectations with a modern romance, delivering heartfelt moments and some lighthearted laughs. But, despite its promising premise and occasional bright spots, the film struggles to break free from the well-worn tropes of the genre. While it offers a fresh perspective on family, identity, and same-sex relationships within Indian culture, the central romance never fully captures the emotional depth needed to make it truly compelling.

Sethi's film follows Naveen (Karan Soni), a reserved and conflict-averse man who won’t admit it outright but has always dreamed of a big Indian wedding—a dream that feels just out of reach. That is until he meets Jay (Jonathan Groff), a white photographer, adopted and raised by Indian parents, with an insatiable love for Bollywood films and the grand gestures of love that are within them. As they grow closer, Naveen must finally introduce Jay to his traditional Indian parents, to make his dreams of a big Indian wedding, come true.

While Soni and Groff are admirable in their roles, flashing moments of chemistry, their underlying romance is rushed and at times, underdeveloped. Their first date is a hilarious mix of awkward exchanges and masked emotion, but the dialogue in which they learn about each other is predicated on a clunky discussion of love. Rom-coms are expected to explore love, but writers Eric Randall and Madhuri Shekar overdo it, making the dialogue feel heavy-handed rather than natural. While Jay's appreciation of grand romantic gestures makes sense thematically, with his love of Bollywood films and how they represent romance, the execution derails the very foundation of his and Naveen's relationship. Unfortunately, this snowballs throughout the film, rendering most of their relationship conflicts ineffective. However, the comedic moments scattered throughout A Nice Indian Boy are effective thanks to a wonderful group of supporting actors. Naveen's best friend Paul (Peter S. Kim) has a handful of hilarious lines, while Naveen's parents Megha (Zarna Garg) and Archit (Harish Patel) contribute effectively through their tepid acceptance of Jay.

Where A Nice Indian Boy finds some depth is in its exploration of the intersection of tradition and modern love, not only through Naveen and Jay’s same-sex relationship but also the contrasting relationship of Naveen’s sister, Arundhathi(Sunita Mani). Differing expectations placed on women versus men in the Indian community, including arranged marriages, add nuance to the story, allowing it to thrive outside the confines of classic rom-com tropes. When the film reaches its heartfelt conclusion, there’s a sense of warmth thanks to a classic tug at-your-heart strings finale, but there's also a lingering feeling that it could have been something more. The ingredients for a standout rom-com are in A Nice Indian Boy somewhere, but the execution lacks the spark needed to make it truly memorable.

In the end, A Nice Indian Boy is a pleasant watch, especially for fans of the rom-com genre. It delivers a handful of laughs, tender moments, and a meaningful cultural perspective, but it never fully distances itself from the countless other romantic comedies that came before it. While enjoyable, it’s more “nice” than truly unforgettable.

Froth

If you're looking for a solid, middle-of-the-road, hits all the popular points kind of rom-com, then you'll likely enjoy A Nice Indian Boy. It doesn't veer too far off the sides any which way, and is an easily digestable piece of entertainment for those that enjoy the genre. For the beer side, I took a similar approach. Maritime Pacific Brewing Company's Citra IPA has quickly become one of those staples that you can turn to in a time of need, and know that you're gonna enjoy yourself. If you love a combination of punchy citrus, grapefruit, and strong florals well then my friend, you love a good Citra brewed IPA. And Maritime Pacific Brewing Company has got one! It's got a decent heft to it, at 6.4% ABV, but it's still got an easy medium body that makes it drinkable and refreshing as we get near these hotter spring months. Making it, that's right, an easy option to default to for any of you Citra IPA lovers out there!

Warfare: Reviewed

Sat, 29 Mar 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Warfare [2025]

Film

A platoon of American Navy SEALs in the home of an Iraqi family overwatches the movement of US forces through insurgent territory.

Alex Garland's previous film, Civil War, depicted a dark dystopian America in the midst of a second civil war. The story is a nightmarish thought experiment or a kind of disconcerting cautionary tale about how extreme political rhetoric and polarization can dismantle society and lead to democratic decline. Upon its release, the film faced a myriad of backlash for its perceived political hedging and ideological fence-sitting. Hell, even I had some thoughts on this indictment after seeing it. Though I respected Garland's transgressive approach and his willingness to operate a bit dangerously, I criticized the film for using and abusing provocation as a filmmaking tactic, an over-indulgent approach that I felt undermined Garland's own thesis statement. Despite the controversy and contention, Civil War is still the most expensive film A24 has made with an estimated budget of $50 million; it is also one of the studio's most profitable releases, earning north of $127 million, $25.7 million in its opening weekend. With Garland's status as a writer-director cemented, I was curious to see where he would go to next as a filmmaker and whether or not he would continue leaning his tendencies as a provocateur.

While there is certainly some connective tissue to Civil War, Garland's new film, Warfare, rejects any and all temptation to pursue cinematic goading or thrill-seeking as a narrative device. Instead, he channels his energy into the sensory details and keeps any hint of social commentary under the surface.Warfare is the ultimate team effort in that it is co-directed and co-written by Ray Mendoza, a former US Navy SEAL who served during the Iraq War and worked as Garland's military advisor on Civil War. The film is based on his and his platoon's shared expereience and memories from a mission-gone-wrong during their time in Iraq circa 2006. Because this story isn't adapted or sourced directly from a text but is a fragmented retelling of a traumatic collective occurrence, so much of what happens in Warfare breaks from typical Hollywood storytelling and conventional filmmaking. This non-traditional emphasizes the ultimate respect and reverence its characters; their story is void of exploitation and understands the environment and consequences of war in a hyper-realistic way that is uncommon at this form.

Out of respect for preserving the film-going experience, I'm going to avoid getting into any plot details or story specifics. This is without a doubt a "less-you-know-the-better" situation. What I will say is that I really respected how Warfare resists the urge to spoon-feed needless exposition or provide unnecessary context to the audience. Of course, it has all the bells and whistles that modern cinematic filmmaking can afford - incredible visual effects that feel practical, a disorienting sound design, and first-rate editing. But all that you need to know story-wise going in is what you already know about the nature of war and the way in which war has previously been represented on screen. While Warfare is certainly in conversation with the long history of war films that have come before it, the film is not relient on its forebears and does not demand that its audience have an extensive literacy in them.

By focusing on true-to-life accuracy, no matter how gruesome or grim, Warfare is judicious in its scope and perspective, avoids hollow sensationalism, and manages to deftly balance style and substance. Experiencing this sort of firsthand combat and subsequent trauma does not lend itself to recalling such events in an airtight narrative structure. Garland and Mendoza are delicate but uncompromising in their quest for recreating what actually happened, and those who lived it (or died during it) must have buried the visceral horrors of what happened to them deep within themselves. It must have been indescribably difficult to reconstruct these harrowing events in a legible and linear fashion, and though what happens to these men feels familiar in its subject, this specific retelling is unique in its blunt delivery and has unflinching honesty.

Warfare is by design inherently apolitical but has an organic anti-war disposition baked into every scene and shot. A lesser film would overly annunciate its own intentions and indulge in the act of recreating this kind of violence. In keeping true to its subject and honoring those who served, Warfare is honest in its intention and effective in its execution. The film is vivid and immersive, meant to be felt first and interpreted after the fact. It is a purely human expression that interrogates the nuances of bravery, leadership, and brotherhood. There is incredible filmmaking craft at work and transformative performances that convince you what you're seeing is real (the whole cast is fantastic, including Will Poulter, Joseph Quinn, Charles Melton, and D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai). Sadly, for those involved in the actual events, this was real, and it is hard to leave the theater and stop thinking about what you just watched play out on screen. So yes, it's apolitical, but like I said, it is clearly a piece of anti-war performative art. I would contend that Warfare is a film that is meant to start conversations, not end them. In that regard, maybe Garland is still a provocateur at his core.

Froth

Here in Chicago, the cold weather is starting to lift and lighten up as spring arrives slowly but surely. This season of transition means a lot of things, but it also means that breweries are getting busier, their windows and patios are open, and they've got new things on the menu to try. One of my tried and true spots, Hopewell Brewing Co., put Shaker, an "90's Brewpub-Style Amber Ale" back on their menu (or maybe it's new?), and I was thrilled to give this one a test drive after hearing from the bartender that this is kind of a throwback take on a beer that is somewhere between a what-you-might-expect amber ale and the somewhat-defunct-but-making-a-return red ale. Shaker is auburn in color and sudsy in feel. A lot of times these kind of drinks or malty but also roasty and toasty... this one had a unique piney and bread-y thing going on, which might be why I was nursing it longer than I usually do with a Hopewell tap. Overall, I liked the beer and am always excited when a brewery I love goes back into the lab and tries to recapture a moment in time in a glass.

Remaining Native - Beyond The Finish Line

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Remaining Native [2025]

Film

Remaining Native had its World Premiere at SXSW 2025

For most people, running is just another sport—a test of endurance, speed, and willpower. For Kutoven (Ku) Stevens, a 17-year-old Paiute runner from Yerington, Nevada, it’s something much deeper. Running is history, remembrance, and a testament to the spiritual and cultural endurance and resilience of his ancestors. Paige Bethmann's feature length directorial debut, Remaining Native is a moving documentary that highlights this tribute from Ku to the countless Native American children who suffered in "Indian Boarding Schools". Schools that served to forcefully assimilate Native Americans into "White society" by erasing their culture, identity, and essence of being. Ku's own grandfather, Frank “Togo’o” Quinn, was forced into one of these schools, the Stewart Indian School, and ran away three separate times. His third escape, at 8 years old, resulted in a 50 mile run back home to the Paiute reservation. In Remaining Native, we witness how each stride Ku takes is both an act of defiance of cultural oppression, remembrance of ancestral pain, and a step toward a brighter future.

Bethmann's emotionally poignant documentary excels in its clear and focused storytelling, skillfully balancing Ku’s dream of running for the University of Oregon—a world-class track and field program—with the painful legacy of the boarding schools. Archival photos from Stewart, often with lingering shots, create a stark contrast between the abuse that Ku's grandfather and countless others faced and Ku's relentless training. Whereas one generation ran to survive, to escape, Ku runs to honor and become an inspiration for those around him.

Ku often serves as a narrator, as well as the subject, driving the message of the film from a much more personal perspective. While his narration adds an intimate and emotional layer, it sometimes fails to build upon the story presented, creating more of a speed bump that causes pacing issues. Especially in the first half of the film, which can be too slow in establishing Ku's full story. It can be appreciated that Remaining Native has a singular focus in Ku's story but could benefit from more interview testimonials from other members of the community to provide an expanded scope of the reservation's traumatic history. Not to mention, moving Ku from narrator to a more prominent subject role, putting his story in front of the camera as opposed to behind it would provide additional visual translations of his emotions.

However, the visuals of Remaining Native are simply superb. The camera crew does a phenomenal job capturing the remote roads that constitute Ku's training grounds, while the editing from Stephanie Khoury and Eric F. Martin deliver electrifying moments during Ku's competitions. It makes sense that the film picks up the pace when Ku is running in the Arcadia Invitational, striving to run a sub-nine minute 3200 meter race in order to garner attention from Oregon recruiters. Quick cuts between the race and those dusty dirt roads Ku trains on give not only goosebumps, but extraordinary contrast between where he comes from and where he hopes to go, through hard work, determination, and a reverence to his roots.

With Remaining Native, Bethmann delivers not just another sports story, but a powerful reckoning with history, identity, and perseverance. Ku's journey is one of honoring the past while chasing the future—a future shaped by resilience, remembrance, and the unbreakable spirit of his people.

Froth

I've often wondered what people like to drink after running, especially with the prominence of brewery run clubs around Seattle. Maybe I'll have to check them out in order to do some "market research" but if I had to throw my choice out there, it'd be something nice and light while refreshing as all hell. Lucky Envelope Brewing makes a Pilsner that checks all of those boxes and is delicious on top of it. It's a German-style Pilsner so it has a nice light body and a decent spiciness along with subtle bitterness that all comes together delightfully. There's a solid amount of carbonation which I think adds to the refreshing factor, especially after a run, not to mention at a cool 4.8% ABV it's light drinkability is a completely welcome attribute.

The Home - A Harrowing Horror on Trauma's Longevity

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 07:00:00 GMT

The Home [2025]

Film

The Home had its World Premiere at SXSW 2025

Based on the novel of the same name, by Mats Strandberg, Mattias Johansson Skoglund's Swedish film The Home is yet another outstanding dread-filled Scandinavian horror film, marking a terrific run from the area. Echoing the unease of last year’s Handling the Dead and the haunting intimacy of Let the Right One In (2008), The Home thrives on claustrophobic tension and steadily mounting anxiety. What sets Skoglund's film apart from its Scandinavian horror predecessors is its sheer pace, leaping into the tension with electrifying speed drawn from Strandberg’s source material. The final product is a gripping, suspenseful horror that provides enough voltage to shake you to your core.

After Joel's (Philip Oros) mother, Monika (Anki Lidén), suffers a stroke, he reluctantly returns to his hometown after years of absence to help her into an assisted living home. Joel's once upon a time best friend Nina (Gizem Erdogan) happens to work at this facility and both seem to think that something is decidedly off with Monika, and not just due to her worsening dementia. It's possible, that something, or someone, has followed Monika back from her near death experience.

Skoglund's adaptation does an incredible job expressing the breadth of this information in the first 15 minutes of the film. The rapid-fire editing can feel choppy at times, leaving a desire for more lingering shots, but ultimately its effective in its communication. Once the initial idea has been presented, The Home really begins to take shape. The production design of the nursing home is nothing extravagant, but its slightly run-down or mundane nature makes it that much more perturbing. The fellow inhabitants, each battling their own mental struggles, further amplify the film’s unsettling atmosphere. And as much as I wanted a little more sustenance in the introduction, Skoglund is able to ensnare your interest in the story just enough where the ensuing scares are undeniably effective and skin-crawling.

Not to mention, the performances anchor the film’s emotional core. Oros excels as Joel, portraying a detached yet quietly unraveling son whose restrained demeanor contrasts with the supernatural turmoil unfolding around him. His chemistry with Erdogan makes their dynamic as estranged best friends feel authentic, while Lily Wahlsteen’s Olivia—a young, indifferent caretaker—adds further depth to the film’s exploration of lifelong trauma and unresolved guilt. But the real gem within The Home is the palpable suspense that permeates the film. From start to finish, Skoglund strategically directs us through a rat maze of supernatural occurrences and human emotion that blend together in a mixture of terror, grief, and the unrelenting feeling of inadequacy.

Unfortunately, with so much going for The Home, it fails to truly capitalize with its ending. While thematically resonant, its execution leaves something to be desired. The ending leans more toward a groan-worthy resolution rather than a truly shocking or satisfying conclusion. Nevertheless, I was thoroughly engrossed with Skoglund's fast-paced and terrifying adaptation of Strandberg's novel, along with Oros' steady lead performance. Some slight technical gripes aside, The Home was a film that terrified, saddened and maddened, exactly the kind of emotional cocktail that great horror should deliver.

Froth

While there are no vampires here, another slight difference from Let The Right One In, there's enough supernatural horror to justify pairing The Home with Cloudburst Brewing's Vampire Empire. Equally as dark as Skoglund's film, this Baltic Porter is a stunning balance of light refreshing drinkability and the dark roasty nectar of the night. It holds a relatively strong boozy taste, but the chocolate and roasted malt flavors deliver an offsetting sweetness that turns it into a lighter beverage. There's even a nice bit of fruit that swoops in on the finish consisting of dates, raisin and plum which in turn give a nice earthiness. Overall, Vampire Empire is yet another notch in Cloudburst Brewing's belt of beers that are awesome because I can't remember the last time I had a bad beer from them. Maybe that says something about how much beer I drink but that's neither here nor there. Cloudburst has once again, delivered the goods and the Vampire Empire is a perfect companion for some darker films that you might have waiting in your queue, ready to watch next.

Ash - A Horror Space Odyssey

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Ash [2025]

Film

Ash had its World Premiere at SXSW 2025

If you think you're having a bad day, just imagine waking up on a remote space station with no recollection of who you are or why you're there. Oh, and the bodies of your dead crew members are violently strewn about. Sounds like a worse time if you ask me. But that's exactly what's happening to Riya (Eiza González) in the sci-fi horror film, Ash. Shortly after waking up, Riya is joined by Brion (Aaron Paul) another crew member who was on their orbiting station, safe from whatever events transpired, giving Riya some much needed assistance in figuring out what's happened and finding a way off this strange planet.

If this premise sounds familiar, it's because it is. One way or another, piecing together the violent demise of a "crew" in space has been folded in every which way. Pandorum, being the most direct comparison to Ash, sees a pair of astronauts (Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster) awake from hypersleep with no memories of self or mission along with some sort of violent episode occurring in their ship. But the variations on this are limitless, Event Horizon, Passengers, most of the Alien franchise, and more, the plot line of "something weird is going on in space let's investigate" can be a bit tired. Where Ash makes strides in being a fresh take in the sci-fi horror landscape is with Flying Lotus' visually striking language. Utilizing stellar color design and exceedingly trippy visuals Flying Lotus crafts an experiential feel for the bulk of Ash. Blending neo-noir with sci-fi horror gives the film a striking exterior, even if its core substance isn’t as compelling.

The biggest problem, or problems, with Ash is the half-baked narrative that tries to combine aspects of the sci-fi horror films before it, without any of their fluidity or coherence. Unfortunately Jonni Remmler's screenplay doesn't deliver on any of the big twists it foreshadows, nor is the lead up fulfilling. Pacing issues plague the first half of Ash as Riya works to piece together her memory, and save for a couple of jumps that deliver an ephemeral scare there's limited development. Even when the third act explodes into chaotic, monster-driven action, it feels more like a last-minute spectacle than a meaningful resolution to Riya’s journey.

However lackluster the story might be, bogging down Ash with its empty development, it's clear that Flying Lotus has grown in his command of the camera and ability to construct an exciting atmosphere. Half of that is his actual direction while the other half is his wild, synth-laden score that sets the mysterious tone of Ash better than the story itself. Flying Lotus' years as a producer give him ample experience to craft a thorough soundscape that accents the visuals of Ash, carrying us along the shifting landscapes and emotional distress of Riya and Brion with surefire execution.

But, all things considered, Flying Lotus' technical prowess isn't enough to save Ash from itself. While González does the best with what she's given, the film as whole is too discombobulated and flat to deliver the anticipated thrills.

Froth

There's no better way to enjoy a space themed film (even if I didn't enjoy the film) than with a brew from Outer Planet Brewing! Talk about motif, right? Outer Planet Brewing boasts a solid selection of European style brews that all have delightfully space-centric names. For Ash I opted for something that accented the dark horror tones of the film, and yes that's me referring to a dark beer. The 10th Orbit is Outer Planet's 10th anniversary beer that was brewed with a black forest cake in mind, providing some decadent cherry flavors under the cover of roasted darkness. Ending with a slight sweetness to carry you home and you've got yourself one hell of a drinkable dessert! Even though it is an imperial stout, hoisting an ABV of 8.9%, it's incredibly smooth and not nearly as boozy as one would anticipate with the tart cherry and sweeter finish masking its strength. Making for one smooth, well-rounded trip out into space.

One More Shot - A Time Tested Mantra

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 07:00:00 GMT

One More Shot [2025]

Film

One More Shot had its World Premiere at SXSW 2025

Imagine a world where taking one more shot of tequila gave you the ability to fix all your problems instead of creating more of them. That is if you took advantage of the powers this mystical tequila imbues. Now if only we could get that in beer, right? Alas, One More Shot details the journey, or journeys, Minnie (Emily Browning) takes when she discovers a bottle of tequila allows her to restart her 1999 New Year's Eve night with each shot. This is extremely convenient for her as her long-lost love, Joe (Sean Keenan), happens to be at this party. Giving Minnie an entire bottle's worth of chances to make things right.

Even though One More Shot sounds like another time-loop movie you've seen before, the new upholstery of time-traveling tequila instantly makes it much more interesting. Basing the entire concept of going back in time to fix things on getting more intoxicated, therefore snowballing the mess. Unfortunately, Gregory Erdstein and Alice Foulcher's story never quite finds its footing this idea establishes. Minnie's introduction as an anesthesiologist works well when she bumps into an ex-lover who didn’t want kids—but is now at her hospital with his new wife in labor. This quick exchange effectively sets up Minnie’s desire for kids and her rocky romantic past, laying the groundwork for the drama of New Year’s Eve with Joe—but the ensuing moments lean heavily into cheesy tropes, which may not land for all audiences.

Unfortunately, most of the film unfurls in a Hallmark-esque type of romantic comedy where the humor often feels forced and doesn’t consistently land, and the chemistry between Minnie and her friends, but most importantly Joe, just isn't there. Not to mention, Joe didn't come alone to this party. He brought his girlfriend Jenny (Aisha Dee), turning One More Shot into a rehash of the 2023 film Somebody I Used to Know, with Browning in the Alison Brie-like role—trying to wrestle a former lover away from their new partner, no matter the consequences. While that makes the romantic comedy genre more interesting and veers from formulaic approaches, how Minnie-and One More Shot as a whole-engages in this act is tough to empathize with.

One More Shot finally picks up momentum when it explores the mythology—or understanding—of the time-traveling tequila and the ensuing chaos or personal growth it provides. Finally, we begin to see Minnie, her friend Rodney (Ashley Zukerman), and Pia (Pallavi Sharda) become much more interesting characters to the story. There's some gravity to the situation, which is always difficult when you have a time-loop scenario, but at long last the development we've been yearning for arrives. Something that preaches personal growth and moving forward in the right way as opposed to hitting a reset button and making aggravating decisions. Choices that put a divide between an audience and its characters, and not in an anti-hero way, but something that is more frustrating to watch.

I firmly believe that the pieces of a great movie are in One More Shot. The premise alone piqued my interest, but ultimately the execution struggles to fully develop its complex characters within the rom-com framework. The end result is less than desirable—but still better than having to down a whole bottle of tequila to fix your mistakes.

Froth

On one hand, if we were Tequila & TV this would be an easy pairing, but on the other hand, it would be fairly difficult to find time-traveling tequila to properly finish this review. Alas, we are stuck in our frothy ways which brings me to my beverage of choice, the Head Full of Dynomite from Fremont Brewing. What struck me with this pairing is the quote Fremont posts with the beer:

“Friends bring happiness into your life, best friends bring beer.” – VWP

So of course a romantic comedy about friends coming together, especially two long lost lovers, deserves a beer that feels the same about wonderful reunions! The only difference being a decided lack of beer in One More Shot but we can get over that.

Fremont Brewing's Head Full of Dynomite is a dank Hazy IPA that wears its heart on its sleeve. And by heart I mean its diabolical bitterness, which Fremont rates as ACT, A Crap Ton. But fret not, as this brew is well tempered in every category, balancing out this heightened bitterness with extraordinary flavor, mouthfeel and aroma. Beside the bitterness is a delightful tropical forward flavor that rounds out into something much more even-keeled. Layers of breadiness, I won't say malt but its close, along with some pine and lighter florals lift up the heavier characters of this brew making it an all around delight that can be enjoyed year round.

Now if only one sip could restart your whole pint...

$POSITIONS - Friends Don't Let Friends Do Crypto

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 07:00:00 GMT

$POSITIONS [2025]

Film

$POSITIONS had its World Premiere at SXSW 2025

$POSITIONS is one of those films that doesn't waste any time. From the moment you press play, you are thrust into a manic odyssey through the highs and oh-so-very-lows of crypto trading. Brandon Daley's feature film debut as a writer and director is highly effective in its breezy 97-minute runtime as multiple tonal shifts carry you along as if you're riding the very candlestick chart that Mike Alvarado (Michael Kunicki) is obsessively checking. You see, Mike is something of a crypto genius, and by genius I mean he's sunk his life savings into a random crypto coin called XMUN. The only reason he has his blue-collar job is to get more money to sink into his monkey pictures, as they're so affectionately referred to by Mike's friends and family. But as Mike sinks deeper and deeper into the addictive thrill of chasing gains, while spiraling further into disarray, his sanity, friends, and family all suffer the consequences in Daley's tremendously hilarious and anxiety-inducing comedy.

Striking quickly with an introduction that seamlessly introduces Kunicki's Mike, his developmentally disabled brother Vinnie (Vinnie Kress), and Mike's fiscally irresponsible relationship with crypto, Daley's sharp writing establishes the foundation for $POSITIONS effectively and hilariously before the title credits even run. Paired with a buzzing, nerve-rattling score from Brock Chart, $POSITIONS transforms from a hopeful get-rich-quick story into a nightmarish descent—from the bright lights of financial freedom to the struggle of affording your next meal. That underlying tension aligns perfectly with the setting of the rural Midwest, where Daley creates a feel of a "black hole" town. One with no way out. When Mike starts liquidating his family’s assets for more XMUN, the absurdity of his actions is undeniably funny, thanks to Kunicki’s comedic delivery. But beneath the humor lies a darker, more sobering theme—the inescapable cycle of poverty that makes financial desperation all too real.

Bound to draw comparisons to films like Good Time and Uncut Gems, $POSITIONS feasts on its atmosphere of anxiety, driving the audience's paranoia and disgust in Mike's actions to heights that beget incredibly engaged empathy. You can't look away because you need to know if Mike is going to pull himself out of the mess he’s made. Where Daley's film strays from the Safdie Brothers' formula is rather intricate layering of characters, giving more complexity to Mike's environment. Sometimes that results in biting off more than Daley can chew, especially with Mike's trauma with his mother and father (Guido Z Cameli), and his cousin Travis (Trevor Dawkins) who's fresh out of prison and battling addiction, but there's enough holding it all together that really works.

Despite a few narrative threads that fray, Daley never lets $POSITIONS spiral out of control. The film mirrors the market it skewers—chaotic, unpredictable, and, above all, wildly entertaining. With its sharp comedic timing, frantic energy, and biting critique of crypto as modern-day snake oil, $POSITIONS cements itself as one of the funniest and most anxiety-inducing films of the year.

Froth

I'll cut right to the chase here, Brandon Daley style and just jump in. Urban Family Brewing has some of the best beer names in Seattle and the more intriguing the name, the more likely I am to give it a whirl. Which is exactly why I ordered a Sandwich Theory! No, Sandwich Theory is not an algorithmic approach to investing in the crypto market, but is in fact a delightful New England style Hazy IPA. Brewed with Simcoe, Strata and El Dorado hops, this beer is bursting with their combined tropical fruit, citrus, and herbal notes with the latter being a little more subdued than the others. On top of that, the dankness from the Strata gives it a little more bang-for-your-buck in the aroma, making it a solid all around hazy. The kind you crack open and drink with confidence after selling your mother's heirlooms to pay for 1.347 Ethereum.

That's not a spoiler for $POSITIONS and nor is it based on personal experience.

You believe me, right?

Dying for a Living

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Mickey 17 [2025]

Film

Unlikely hero Mickey Barnes finds himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living.

Can you believe it's been five years since Parasite cleaned up at the Oscars? If you remember that night, it became the first non-English-language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, a perfect bookend to it winning the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. As we discussed recently, a film winning both of these major awards has only happened four times ever, which should put into perspective how impressive it is that Anora just accomplished this same feat. In the wake of winning three Academy Awards in one night (four if you include the non-competitive Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, which is awarded to the country as a whole and is not accepted by the winning film's director), Parasite was instantaneously and universally hailed as a masterpiece and its South Korean director, Bong Joon Ho was coronated a master of the form and one of our foremost contemporary filmmakers. It is not overstating things to say this felt like a watershed moment, for Hollywood, for the Academy Awards, and perhaps most importantly, for Bong himself.

Fast forward a half-decade to current day, and it is irrefutable that a lot has happened since that night, including but not limited to: the COVID-19 pandemic and public health emergency; global economic recession and inflation surges; countless environmental disasters happening all around the world intensified by climate change; political polarization, the rise of neo-nationalism, and the global fallout of civil and social unrest (see the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War); subsequent humanitarian crises related to migration and refugeeism; and cutting edge technological advancement of artificial intelligence and automation. Yikes is right. I left out a few specific things from that list, including an insurrectionist mob that threatened to overthrow the United States government, as well as the re-election of an American president who became only the second US president to serve non-consecutive terms and the first convicted felon to work out of the Oval Office. I'm guessing that list of depressing events wasn't in your 5-year plan. But alls to say that the world is very different now than it was when Bong and Parasite were given a standing ovation at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles (is now the time to mention that the same aformentioned US president made xenophobic and racist remarks mocking Parasite's historic victory? Are you the least bit surprised?)...

Albeit of lesser importance, a lot has happened in the world of movies since Parasite won, too: the rise and dominance of streaming services, the struggle and decline of the theater industry, the studios' reliance on franchise expansion, and consumers' changing preferences for content consumption, just to name a few. We talk about these trends to a nauseating degree. For Bong, moving on creatively from one of the most important films of the 21st century poses an immenese challenge – some might even say burdenous responsibility (Parasite was ranked number 90 (tie) in the prestigious Sight and Sound's 2022 Greatest Films of All Time Critics Poll). If you're familiar with Bong's filmography, you'll already know he sets the bar quite high for himself. Beyond just Parasite, his films are renonwned for being meticulously directed, containing great thematic depth, and juggling sharp tonal shifts. Bong has a knack for bending genre to his will, exploring the human condition with a wickedly dark sense of humor, and rather than shying away from them, he is fearless in his ability and willingness to comment on social issues.

If you've made it this far, thank you for hanging in there with me and my long windedness. I realize there wasn't a scrap of film analysis or a kernel of criticism in those opening 600 words, but I do think all that table setting is important to unpacking and understanding Mickey 17. Heavily-anticipated and heavily-delayed (more on that in a minute), this sci-fi black comedy is Bong's eighth directorial feature, his third English-language film, and it has far and away the largest working budget of his career (with an estimated $118 million production budget and $80 million marketing spend). Safe to say the stakes are pretty high for this one, wouldn't you agree Warner Bros? What is evidently clear is that Mickey 17 is the movie after the movie, a blank check movie, a no-expense-spared movie, the kind of movie you only have the leverage to make after you're the toast of the town and everyone wants in on whatever you're selling.

SPOILERS APLENTY

Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) is disposable, an "Expendable" if you will (no, not that kind of Expendable). He is assigned all the most dangerous tasks necessary on a mission to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Should he die (more like when he dies), another Mickey is cloned and regenerated with most his core memories restored. Things get complicated quickly when Mickey 18 is regenerated after Mickey 17 is presumed dead but ultimately survives. Mickey 17's and Mickey 18's coexistence is at best complicated and at worst impossible, especially since the expedition's egomaniacal leader (former failed politician), Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo), has mandated that "Multiples" (simultaneously living clones) are not allowed and has vowed kill any who are identified without question. There are tardigrade-like lifeform (referred to as "creepers"); there is a B-plot that involves the romantic entanglements between the Multiple Mickeys and one of the ship's security guards who happens to be Mickey's love interest, Nasha (Namoi Ackie); and there a lot of half-baked but still interesting B-storylines that weave in Marshall's conniving wife Ylfa (Toni Collette) and Timo (Steven Yeun), a pilot who is Mickey's friend from Earth.

Mickey 17 [2025]

Adapted from Edward Ashton's novel, "Mickey7," Mickey 17 is written by Bong but really it is more of an interpretation of its source text than it is an adaptation. The screenplay absorbs the best ideas from Ashton's novel and repurposes the story beats that slot neatly tie-in to and continue Bong's broader filmmaking project. Unfortunately, the script's silly-but-serious tonal shape-shifting is what may be challenging for some to stay locked in and invested in the characters and story. Is this supposed to be a satire or farce? Do the laughs balance out or undermine the knotty themes at work? I think the problem is the movie doesn't really iron out some of these details, and the finished product doesn't fully come together – it's okay for things to be little messy along the way, but the film's final shape shouldn't seem mushy. As someone who read the book (not a flex), I did feel like the overall pacing was a bit uneven, not because of the nonlinear narrative (which is true to the book), but because the jumping around didn't seem to lead the audience anywhere emotionally. Adapting a book for the screen can be a tricky business, but I think taking a few more creative liberties might have really helped in this case.

Even still, there really is a lot to like. The story and subjects at the center of Mickey 17 are extremely well-suited to Bong's skillset as a filmmaker and his unique perspective as a storyteller. Like Snowpiercer and Okja, his other two English-language films, this film has its own distinct look, feel, and vibe; from a sci-fi world-building perspective, the production design and visual effects are world-class. There is a stable of top-notch below-the-line craftspeople who worked on this project, a talented collection of Bong's frequent collaborators: the cinematography by Darius Khondji is marvelous, the editing by Yang Jin-mo is tight, and the score by Jung Jae-il doesn't necessarily stand out but isn't distracting and fits in nicely.

Now in terms of the acting, Bong, in the wake of his post-Parasite success, was able to secure a big budget to bring in a collection of some our greatest living on-screen performers. Your mileage may vary with each actor's choices along the way, but it is inarguable that Yeun, Collette, Ackie, and even Ruffalo bring their all to the table. Sure, maybe Yeun doesn't have much to do, and Collette is more restrained than usual, and Ackie has to often act as the center of gravity, and Ruffalo may be doing a shitty Trump-but-not-Trump impersonation, but I still think there is a lot to enjoy with what each of them is doing minute-to-minute. And then there's Pattinson, who has been, if you haven't noticed yet, one of our best working actors for the better part of the last decade. He is asked to shoulder the emotional stakes of the film (similar to what Matt Damon had to do in The Martian) but he also has to deliver a multi-faceted performance (well, performances) and holding together the whole concept of what it means to be an "Expendable" or a "Multiple." This performance is maybe the best showcase of Pattinson's dynamic range, his subtle but powerful control and restraint, and the incandescent starpower and presence he has as a movie star. In a just world, he will at least be in the coversation for Best Actor for his work here, but also, I am confident his time as a leading man will be long and prosperous.

I do have a somewhat intrusive thought/question: does the fact that Mickey 17 is unlikely to break even business-wise say more about audiences and the movie-going apparatus than it does about Bong or the movie itself? Sure, maybe it was just nearly impossible to market effectively. Or maybe the rigmarole of creative control slowly eroded Bong's creative vision (he fought tirelessly for final cut, which is why the film was delayed so many times). Or, it could be that the tepid response of Mickey 17 has more to do with the insurmountable expectations and unwavering embrace of Parasite. Instead of giving the people what they want, Bong decided to give the people what they need, which simply stated, is something different – and this time, he decided to not say it in Korean. His English-language films are obviously tailored towards an American audience, and Mickey 17, in particular, is his biggest commercial swing to date. Perhaps something does get lost in translation, but regardless, Bong's films are still more thought-provoking to engage with and more visually interesting to experience than the majority of films being released in 2025. He is and always has been a true artist and looking backwards will never be as satisfying as looking forward.

It's hard to say now whether or not the appreciation for Mickey 17 will grow in time. Maybe it just kind of missed and is misunderstood. Because Bong is Bong, his bar is simply higher than it is for most other filmmakers. I'm generally of the opinion that "the bigger the swing, the larger the curve I grade it on." I admit that I am probably somewhat protective of his films and of him as a creative, and while I can't just hand out an A for effort, I think his latest film is being somewhat taken for granted and graded against too steep of a curve. Despite some of the criticism, some of which is warranted, Mickey 17 is a bold and an urgent film made for modern times that has ideas about the here and now of living on Earth. It manages to be both actively and passively political, philosophical, and psychological. It uses genre and relies on fiction to tell what is truly a human story, one that is funny on the surface but horrific underneath. Mickey 17 is flawed but ambitious, challenging but rewarding.

Froth

Hello darkness my old friend – I've come to drink with you again. Meet Orin, a veteran of Half Acre's our barrel program. Orin is a bourbon barrel aged strong ale that clocks in with heavyweight ABV of 13.9%, which honestly at that point, don't you just round up and call it an even 14.0%? There are some obvious notes of whiskey and oak (attributable to the barrel, duh), but then their website mentions notes cremé brulee, savory prune jam, and sticky molasses. With its complex maltiness and higher hop rate, Orin is described as "perfect for these cooler evenings that are made for introspective sipping beer." That may be, but it is also the kind of beer that you drink when seriously only want to have one beer because my gawd a beer packing that kind of punch will hit you in the jaw, the stomach, the liver, and of course, the taste buds. I'm not selling this the right way - Orin is delicious. I mean, really delicious. It's a limited release, and I'm struggling with the idea that my other can might have to sit for a bit just so I can enjoy it in a few months' time. Half Acre never misses, but this is an all-timer.

Novocaine - All Fun With A Side Of Pain

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Novocaine [2025]

Film

Wearing your heart on your sleeve is a staple of romantic comedies. Some might call it tropey or even cheesy, but when done right, it allows a film to convey its emotions in the simplest, most direct way. Co-directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen embrace this approach in Novocaine, layering in just enough sentimental charm to be endearing—if occasionally eye-roll-inducing. Whether it’s Sherry (Amber Midthunder) gliding into frame in slow motion as Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid) loses himself in the moment, or Earl (Lou Beatty Jr.) a longtime bank member at Nathan's branch expressing his grief over losing his wife of 50 years, Novocaine wears its intentions plainly. It starts with this somewhat cheesy and slow first act, carefully building the romance between Nathan and Sherry before pivoting into a nobody-becomes-somebody adventure in the final two-thirds, which, tropes-aside, is an entertaining and wild ride.

But Novocaine's real hook is Nathan’s unique condition—he can’t feel pain. His entire life has been shaped by caution, from avoiding solid food for fear of biting his tongue to icing his coffee to prevent burns. That is, until he meets Sherry. But in the blink of an eye, bank robbers, led by a wildly belligerent Ray Nicholson, come crashing into Nathan's branch and take Sherry hostage in their escape. Fueled by a mixture of love, adrenaline, and the absence of pain, Nathan takes it upon himself to go after Sherry and become the hero—not because he ever wanted to be one, but because, for the right person, he just might be.

While the first act takes its time to build the connection between Sherry and Nathan, as soon as she's taken, the gloves come off. The action sequences, especially in tight corners, introduce fantastic camera movement that creates an immersive experience reminiscent of Upgrade, a sci-fi action thriller where a man's body is taken over by artificial intelligence for fight scenes. While Upgrade has someone in the cockpit for the fights, Novocaine left without its pilot as Quaid relishes in the getting tossed around like a rag doll role. When combined with the kinetic camera movement, it results in an exceptionally thrilling action sequence. The only qualm I have is that this direction was abandoned early in the film, and I think it could've benefitted from having this be a reoccurring visual motif.

Novocaine [2025]

Novocaine, however, does strike gold with its more consistent measures, which starts with Quaid and Midthunder's chemistry. They play incredibly well off of each other, delivering some stand-out laughs and heartfelt moments that feel genuine. A big plus for the romantic tones of the film. Additionally, the terrific sound design of whatever the hell Caine goes through is catered perfectly to creating a squirming audience. While Caine may not feel any pain, the design and camera work around the more gruesome acts make damn sure the audience feels everything, creating a fun environment in a packed theater that emanates shocked groans and gasps.

Unfortunately, but expectedly, the story suffers from some lulls, which could've been eliminated with some sharper editing. the whole movie feels 15-20 minutes overlong. Especially when shoe-horning in redundant action or chase sequences that could've been abbreviated. Not to mention the textbook eye-roll and groan-inducing romantic moments that are beyond predictable. But Novocaine's more corny, or campy, moments are a magnification of its absurdity. A man that can't feel any pain going on a "rampage" to save a woman he's been on one date with? Of course, it's ridiculous! Of course, the villain is going to be a nonsensical megalomaniac. But Quaid, Midthunder and Nicholson prove to be exceptionally effective in their roles, reflecting the outrageous nature of the story in their performances, in what is a wildly fun film. Sure, Quaid and Jacob Batalon might just be rehashed versions of their characters in The Boys and the latest Spider-Man films, respectively, but they have great rapport, and Quaid has a tremendous comedic physicality to his role. Being thrown around like a neurotic rag doll, as it turns out, is pretty entertaining to watch.

Novocaine isn’t a perfect film, but it knows exactly what it is: a high-energy, offbeat action-romance that never takes itself too seriously. It stumbles in places, but thanks to its committed cast, sharp action, and moments of genuine heart, it delivers a thoroughly fun ride—corny moments and all.

Froth

There were plenty of moments in Novocaine where I was squirming in my seat, writhing in imagined pain from what Nathan Caine was experiencing. Quaid's nonchalance through these traumatic scenes give the film a nice comedic touch while you're watching something a little more gruesome occur, so the balance overall is quite enjoyable. But still, there's some things that occur that really trigger my squeamish side. So of course I'm going to partake in drinking a brew that will help alleviate some of this imaginary pain while accenting every punch with punches of its own. I'm talking about Reuben's Brews' Blimey That's Bitter! triple IPA. It packs a wallop with 80 IBU but never to the point of being unbearable to drink. In fact, its heightened bitterness is delightful when combined with its boozier taste, coming in at a solid 10.5% ABV, and its strong citrus and piney notes. Sure, there's a lot going on in this beer but it all evens out to be a curated experience that isn't overwhelming and instead gives each flavor profile its time to shine.

Recapping the 97th Academy Awards

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Best Picture Nominees (Source: The Hindu)

An Abridged Overview of the Results

Best Picture: Anora - Alex Coco, Samantha Quan and Sean Baker, producers
Best Director: Sean Baker - Anora
Best Actress: Mikey Madison – Anora as Anora "Ani" Mikheeva
Best Actor: Adrien Brody – The Brutalist as László Tóth
Best Supporting Actress: Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez as Rita Mora Castro
Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain as Benji Kaplan
Best Adapted Screenplay: Conclave - Screenplay by Peter Straughan
Best Original Screenplay: Anora - Written by Sean Baker

4-Pack of Random Takeaways

Anora Triumphs!: Heading into Sunday night, there was seemingly more mystery and intrigue around which films would take home some the top prizes at the Academy Awards than there has been in recent years. We're coming out of consecutive years where the frontrunner was a runaway freight train steamrolling through their respective award seasons. Both Everything Everywhere All at Once and Oppenheimer went on to completely dominate at the Oscars culminating with them each winning in seven categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, and a Best Lead Acting Performance. In both cases, there seemed to be a consensus of approval around both films, a near-universal appreciation from both audiences and critics alike. Sure, one was a high-concept A24 film that grossed an impressive-for-what-it cost box office and the other was made by one of Hollywood's few blank check directors that went on to earn just under $1 billion worldwide. But the point remains that both films were nearly uncontested in their Best Picture campaigns leading up to their coronation at the Academy Awards. This year, things were a little murkier. Emilia Pérez, which is and will always be one of the most nominated films in the Academy's nearly 100-year history (just think about that for a second), was nearly out of the race in the major categories altogether, and seemed like a three-way race between The Brutalist, Conclave, and Anora. Just a month ago, it was unclear if Anora could pull ahead. After winning the top prizes at PGA, DGA, and WGA, it became clear that Anora had strong polling position, but many remained uncertain whether Oscar voters would rally behind it's provocative subject matter and downer ending. As it turned out, Anora, Sean Baker, and Mikey Madison all won big. The film took home five Oscars in total, Baker won four (more on that momentarily), and Madison snuck out the gold in a very competitive Best Actress race. When we look back at the 24-25 Oscars, the first thing we'll think about is Anora, a film that won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in May (only the fourth time in history a film has won both this and Best Picture - here's looking at you, Parasite), a film that had to stay in the Oscars mix for more than half a year, and yet it ended up winning despite being one of the lowest-grossing films to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Sean Baker with his four Oscars (Source: Los Angeles Times)

Let Baker Bake!: There has been a seismic shift in the sort of films that the Academy recognizes and awards. In the face of controversy, and stagnancy the Oscars have evolved. Yeah, I know I just ran through how Oppenheimer cleaned up just last year, a movie directed by a mainstream industry juggernaut who helps keep the lights on in movie theaters, but I'd argue that film is more of an outlier in this new era of the Oscars. Since Moonlight won in 2017, there has been a greater emphasis on making sure lesser-seen independent films made my auteur filmmakers from smaller studios and distributors make their way into the mix. Anora is one such film and Sean Baker is one such filmmaker, and it is safe to say that it would have never won Best Picture even just a decade ago. Speaking of Baker, what a night he had! He doesn't just join illustrious company of filmmakers who won three Oscars for one movie in the same movie, he is a record-breaker, the first person to win four Oscars for one movie in the same night. The only person to do something remotely similar was somebody you've never heard of from a long time ago who won four Oscars for four different films in one night (three of which were shorts)... his name was Wal Disney. So yeah, winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing is... absolutely bonkers and feels like a record that may hold for some time.
Lisan al Gaib Rises: In one of the tightest races of the night, Adrien Brody won his second Best Actor trophy for his performance in The Brutalist, beating Timothée Chalamet, who was nominated for the second time in his young career for his performance as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Had Chalamet beaten Brody, there would've been a kind of symmetrical cosmic balance here - Chalamet would have become the youngest person to win Best Actor since Brody accomplished this back in 2003 when he won for The Pianist. As it turns out, Chalamet will have to wait for his chance to win at the Oscars. But, it does feel like he has ascended into a higher echelon in Hollywood, does it not? He was the star of two films that were nominated for Best Picture this year (A Complete Unknown and Dune: Part Two); he has a track record of being a box office floor-raiser for bigger budget films (see the Dune franchise, Wonka, and even A Complete Unknown did good business); and he won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture at this year's SAG Awards, which was his first major acting award. Yes, I know he gave a much-discussed acceptance speech where he mentioned wanting to be "one of the greats," which many perceived as somewhat arrogant and egotistical. While I didn't love that he failed to thank his director, cast and crew, and fellow nominees, I actually respect the sentiment of his speech. Artistic ambition shouldn't be chastized, especially when it is expressed with honesty. Losing this Oscar might be the best thing that ever happened to Chalamet (let's face it, he'll get another bite at the Oscar apple), and hopefully, he keeps a level head as he continues his professional winning streak. If not, we'll know for sure that he drank the Water of Life and has completed his transformation into Lisan al Gaib (I can hardly wait for Dune: Messiah).
An Optimistic Outlook: Every year right after the Oscars, I look ahead to the calendar of film releases, and I wonder if this is the year that things will bottom out for movies. In some ways, I guess you could say the bottoming out has already happened. Looking ahead to 2025, I am more optimistic about what's to come than I have in past years! That maybe has less to do with what's on the slate (the deck looks light once again) and more to do with my hopefulness that surprises will pop up over the course of the year. This year, like in the past, there were a ton of great surprises: Nickel Boys, The Brutalist, The Substance, I Saw the TV Glow, Sing Sing, Flow, Red Rooms, just to name a few. It is hard for me to believe that this is the year the spigget runs dry, especially when you really start to dig deeper and consider the wide breadth of filmmaking talent that's out there working. If 2023 and 2024 were full of surprises, then why will this coming year be any different? Maybe movies aren't changing - maybe I am. And don't even get me started on what's coming down the pipeline in 2026...

Our Predictions Tally

Hopster: 15/23
Isaac: 14/23

Hopster: Oh baby, I did the damn thing! Give me that championship belt, Isaac, it's mine. For the first time in our brief history at Film & Froth, I won our Oscars Ballot Contest (and by won, I mean I predicted more right than Isaac - I certainly did not win, someone else who entered the competition predicted 20/23 categories correctly, shout out to marty scorsaison). Thanks to Anora sweeping in the major categories, I scraped together just enough accurate predictions to pull out the victory. I believe this might be a changing of the guard moment, a chance for me to build a legacy of my own. I'm already looking ahead to next year and the year after. I don't just want to win back-to-back, I want to three-peat. I'm speaking this into existence, and that always works, right? For now, I'll keep my head down, keep grinding tape, and stay hungry.

Isaac: At long last (read: two years) I've been unseated from my golden throne here at Film & Froth. For two amazing years I got to lord over Hopster as the residential Oscar Expert. I certainly had a little more pep in my step over that time, but unfortunately like all good things, my reign has come to an end. But I will say, it's pretty funny how unremarkable both of our ballots were, wouldn't you say? I think we big-brained ourselves into thinking we were really onto some upsets when the biggest upsets of the night, In the Shadow of the Cypress for Best Animated Short for one example, weren't even close to being on our radar. But that is, in fact, how the cookie crumbles sometimes. Relish in your victory Hop, because the taste of losing will fuel me like nothing else this offseason! Now its time to hit the theater, get some reps in, and come out the other side ready to put Paul Thomas Anderson's new movie as a lock for all 14 of its inevitable nominations.

Hopster: This is the year. Let's etch the letters "PTA" into the Oscars' lore.

Froth

Thanks to Midwest Coast Brewing Company in Chicago, IL for hosting our first Oscars Watch Party in Chi-town! Hosted in their beautiful upstairs event space, attendees were treated to superb vibes and a delicious beer menu. In terms of the Chicago craft beer scene, MWCBC (not sure if that is the correct letters for an acronym) casts a wide spread of options. For the Oscars, I made a point to sticking with one of their classic core beers, the West Town Brown, an American Brown Ale that is roasty and toasty, with notes of brown sugar, chocolate, and walnut. In the midst of the ceremony, I ended up having two since I enjoyed the first one so much. Like their space and staff, this beer is a winner, one that I'll return to on future visits. Of course, I'll make an effort to branch out and try their spring & summer seasonal fare this year, but the West Town Brown is the real deal and if you haven't tried it, you're missing out on a real one.

Our Oscars Preview - Best Picture [2025]

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 05:00:00 GMT

It's Oscars Week '25! Maybe this our year to nail our predictions... Here is Part 5 of our preview.

Best Picture

Be sure to check out our latest podcast episode! This year, we took our Best Picture Brewery Crawl to Salt Lake City while we were at Sundance. Salt Lake City's incredible brewing scene was a blast to experience the beautiful mountains were the perfect back drop for talking about the 10 Best Picture nominees!

Nominees

Anora - Alex Coco, Samantha Quan and Sean Baker, producers (-200)
The Brutalist - Nick Gordon, Brian Young, Andrew Morrison, D.J. Gugenheim and Brady Corbet, producers (+600)
A Complete Unknown - Fred Berger, James Mangold and Alex Heineman, producers (+4000)
Conclave - Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell and Michael A. Jackman, producers (+225)
Dune: Part Two - Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Tanya Lapointe and Denis Villeneuve, producers (+10000)
Emilia Pérez - Pascal Caucheteux and Jacques Audiard, producers (+6500)
I'm Still Here - Maria Carlota Bruno and Rodrigo Teixeira, producers (+8000)
Nickel Boys - Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Joslyn Barnes, producers (+10000)
The Substance - Coralie Fargeat and Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, producers (+10000)
Wicked - Marc Platt, producer (+4000)

Best Picture Tiers

Dune: Part Two [2024]

Tier 3: Happy To Be Here

Dune: Part Two, The Substance, Nickel Boys, I'm Still Here

Isaac: This is the happy-go-lucky tier where everyone is just excited to be present. But I think the most excited might be, me? Well, excited and frustrated. Excited because a genre film like Coralie Fargeat's body-horror, The Substance, is actually receiving attention from the Academy in multiple categories. Remember when Julia Ducournau's Titane won the Palme d'Or and was one of the best films of 2021, only to receive dust bunnies from the Academy (and general awards)? I remember! Not that awards are the end-all-be-all of filmmaking but the sheer presence of The Substance signals a shift in Academy thinking that should make for a much more exciting future, if the trend continues. But I'm also frustrated because as a certified Dunehead, Dune: Part Two is woefully underrepresented in this years awards season. Denis Villeneuve continues to defy gravity (the crossover we all want) with his adaptations of Frank Herbert's seminal work and Dune: Part Two is one of the best films of the year, and one of the best science fiction films easily this century. I don't think that's hyperbole, maybe I'm biased, regardless it's still delightful to see these four films nominated in general

Wicked [2024]

Tier 2: So You're Saying There's a Chance

Wicked, Emilia Pérez, A Complete Unknown

Hopster: What an interesting trio of films that are now considered the middle-of-the-pack nominees for Best Picture! All three of these might have had an inside or outside chance of crashing the party and winning big, but it seems that time has passed them by. Emilia Pérez (you know, the film that received 13 nominations out of the gate and was the preeminent frontrunner) has fallen out of contention for the top prizes almost entirely, which is certainly attributable to controversies that have been exposed in recent weeks (go ahead and Google it yourself if you’re interested); however, that fall from grace seems warranted since the film wasn’t worthy of that level of praise to begin with (see here if you have any more questions on that subject). Which brings us to Wicked and A Complete Unknown. Here are two films that came out after the film festival season concluded and instead premiered in theaters during the peak of the two winter holiday seasons. Both films proceeded to win over completely all the movie fans in your life looking for crowd-pleasing musical numbers and uncomplicated but still resonant and worthwhile movie-going experiences. I don’t say any of that to besmirch but simply to point out that boomers, dads, and Chalamet-stans turned A Complete Unknown into a modest hit, while musical theater kids of all ages and iPod-generation millennials came out in droves, elevating Wicked into being the 5th highest grossing film of the year even with a November release!! (sorry to Gladiator II, which was left in the Glicked dust). What’s holding all these films back from being on the upper echelon of the Best Picture race is a matter of perspective, but I’d argue the reasoning is simple – they’re a class below the remaining nominees. Maybe A Complete Unknown would be more seriously considered if the musical biopic wasn’t an exhausted genre. Maybe voters are keeping their powder dry and are gearing up to vote for next year’s conclusive sequel Wicked: For Good. Hell, maybe Emilia Pérez would have a better chance if… well, let’s leave that sentence right where it is. The point is that these three films cannot be ruled out of contention completely, just mostly.

Conclave [2024]

Tier 1: Heavyweight Contenders

The Brutalist, Conclave, Anora

Isaac: Each of these three thoroughbreds has led at one point or another in the Best Picture race this year. From Anora taking the Palme d'Or in Spring, to The Brutalist taking Venice by storm in the Fall, all the way to Conclave winning the coveted SAG Best Ensemble award mere days ago, all three films have positioned themselves for an incredibly tight finish. I've always been one to weigh the SAG heavily when it comes to Best Picture but, it's difficult to do when Edward Berger wasn't even nominated for Best Director. Meanwhile, Sean Baker and Brady Corbet are duking it out for who will take home the Oscar for direction, a strong endorsement of The Brutalist and Anora in terms of Best Picture odds. If Conclave were to win Best Picture, it would be the first film since Argo in 2013 to take home the top honors without a nomination in Best Director, and it is baffling that Ben Affleck wasn't nominated in 2012 and that Berger wasn't nominated here. It would also make this the fourth time in history that a Best Picture winner doesn't have the director nominated. Argo in 2013, along with Driving Miss Daisy in 1990, and Grand Hotel in 1933 are the only instances this has ever happened. So, while the SAG win is huge for Conclave, it's almost fighting against history to actually win Best Picture. However, we're dealing with ranked choice here, which means, excuse me while I start connecting red yarn all over my conspiracy theory bulletin board, that Conclave just needs to stay in the top three of most Academy members' ballots. I, personally, think there will be a lot of Academy members that are old and cranky and didn't care for Anora, and a lot of Academy members that are young and have the attention span of a goldfish and didn't care for The Brutalist (or didn't watch it). Therefore, I'm going to pick the movie I most medium suspect to win Best Picture, which would be Conclave.

Hopster: That's a compelling case and hard to push back against! I agree that rank choice voting will make or break the Best Picture race, which does seem like it would help Conclave the most. However, the big question we have to ask ourselves is how much of an outlier year this will ultimately be. In trying to read the tea leaves, do you feel more confident in Anora or Conclave winning some of the bellwether below-the-line categories or something bigger like Best Editing or Best Screenplay? It's hard to say, right? Many of these races are really, really close. And like Isaac mentioned, Berger didn't even make it in Best Director, which is a glaring omission that I'm having a hard time getting past. Taking it all into account, I still think Anora has the strongest case to win the top prize compared to these final three films. In the history of the Academy Awards, only eight films have won PGA, DGA, and WGA; of those eight films, seven went on to win Best Picture with the sole exception being Brokeback Mountain in 2005 (which is one of the most inflammatory Oscar outcomes in the history of its checkered history). Despite missing the BAFTA and SAG ensemble (two wins Conclave has picked up in recent weeks), Anora has built enough of a base that losing Best Picture would be a shocker in its own right. I'm placing my bets on this unpredictable year going chalkier than many might be expecting, and I'm going to roll with Anora.

Our Oscars Preview - The Acting Categories [2025]

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 05:00:00 GMT

It's Oscars Week '25! Maybe this our year to nail our predictions... Here is Part 4 of our preview.

The Brutalist [2024]

Best Supporting Actor

Nominees

Yura Borisov - Anora (+1800)
Kieran Culkin - A Real Pain (-3500)
Edward Norton - A Complete Unknown (+1100)
Guy Pearce - The Brutalist (+2000)
Jeremy Strong - The Apprentice (+2000)

Predictions

Isaac: I'm just going to be echoing exactly what Hopster said last year about Robert Downey Jr. but with Kieran Culkin. Last year, Hopster mentioned that in the last 20 years there were ten instances of a supporting actor winning the SAG, BAFTA, Critics Choice, and Golden Globe with Downey Jr. being the tenth occurrence. Well, now we can say that's eleven instances of that exact same sweep with Kieran Culkin raking in the awards. And what else was mentioned last year? That the nine sweeps prior to Downey Jr. all ended with winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Of course Downey Jr. made that 10 and if I was a betting man, I'd bet the kids' college tuition money on Culkin winning here. Note that this is not financial advice and you should most definitely not do that. But yeah, Culkin is going to win here. It's also wonderful seeing the Succession boys here together like one big happy family.

Hopster: Kieran Culkin - A Real Pain

A Complete Unknown [2024]

Best Supporting Actress

Nominees

Monica Barbaro - A Complete Unknown (+2500)
Ariana Grande - Wicked (+800)
Felicity Jones - The Brutalist (+1400)
Isabella Rossellini - Conclave (+2000)
Zoe Saldaña - Emilia Pérez (-2500)

Predictions

Hopster: Much like Best Supporting Actor, this category feels like a lock and has been since the very beginning of awards season. Despite the controversies, the one undeniable aspect of Emilia Pérez that voters have gone out of their way to recognize is the supporting performance from Zoe Saldaña. Much like Culkin, Saldaña has won every major precursor award – BAFTA, Critics’ Choice, Golden Globe, and SAG. She’s been cleaning up for months now, and her momentum hasn’t lessened, even in the face of her film’s fall from being an Oscars frontrunner to falling out of contention almost entirely (in addition to its becoming a moral quagmire and now a competitive afterthought). While your opinion may vary as to whether this performance is truly a supporting performance and not a leading one (category fraud strikes again!), it’s safe to say it doesn’t really matter – Saldaña brings her everything to this role and shoulders nearly every scene she is in. Her performance is reminiscent of a Mike Trout MVP season before Ohtani showed up in LA – she’s doing the most with the least, and despite the subpar record for the team, you have to imagine how bad things would be if she wasn’t giving her all. I'm realizing now that I can't iron out this Ohtani analogy any further since he moved across town... Just remember, picking Saldaña in this category is a slam-dunk, don't-overthink-it, no-brainer! so don’t fuck up your ballot trying to get cute.

Isaac: Zoe Saldaña - Emilia Pérez

The Apprentice [2024]

Best Actor

Nominees

Adrien Brody - The Brutalist (-230)
Timothée Chalamet - A Complete Unknown (+150)
Colman Domingo - Sing Sing (+3500)
Ralph Fiennes - Conclave (+1600)
Sebastian Stan - The Apprentice (+3500)

Predictions

Isaac: In one corner, we have Adrien Brody, the reigning "youngest to win Best Actor" who's up once again for his transcendent work in The Brutalist. Usage of AI be damned, Brody captivates as László Toth and his performance is the heartbeat of Brady Corbet's near-4-hour historical epic, making this, an exceptionally well-deserved second Academy Award nomination for him. This year, Brody has taken home the BAFTA, Golden Globe (for drama), and Critics Choice for Best Actor, which puts him in similar territory as Casey Affleck in 2017. That year, Affleck won those three awards for Manchester by the Sea, lost the SAG to Denzel Washington for Fences, and still took home the Oscar. More often than not the SAG aligns with at least one of these precursor awards but the sheer resume that Brody has built this awards season is tough to deny. But, in the other corner we have Timothée Chalamet whose win would crown him the newest "youngest to win Best Actor" for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in James Mangold's A Complete Unknown. Chalamet took home the SAG award which is usually the strongest indicator for winning the Oscar for Best Actor. In fact, over the last 15 years, the SAG winner has failed to win the Oscar only twice. The aforementioned instance of Denzel Washington's win in 2017 and Chadwick Boseman in 2021 who ended up losing the Oscar to Anthony Hopkins are the only two times over the last 15 years, two times! Of course, Boseman had won the Golden Globe (for drama) and the Critics Choice, while Hopkins' lone win was the BAFTA so the entire scenario is much more akin to Washington winning the SAG and Affleck taking home the Oscar. The real question is, how will voters look at the absolute catnip that is a musical biopic performance? And how will they actually compare that with the usage of AI to enhance Brody's Hungarian accent? Ultimately, I think this has all of the ingredients for an upset victory à la Brendan Fraser winning over Colin Farrell with Timothée Chalamet being crowned the youngest to win the Best Actor Oscar.

Hopster: Adrien Brody - The Brutalist

I'm Still Here [2024]

Best Actress

Nominees

Cynthia Erivo - Wicked (+3500)
Karla Sofía Gascón - Emilia Pérez (+3500)
Mikey Madison - Anora (+165)
Demi Moore - The Substance (-250)
Fernanda Torres - I'm Still Here (+1400)

Predictions

Hopster: In yesteryears, the major categories at the Academy Awards have tightened up, and there have been fewer close races and less holy shit moments on Oscar night. That kind of general consensus makes predicting one’s ballot easier (unless you’re a dipshit like me), but it leads to less drama from an awards show perspective. However, as we just discussed with Best Actor, Best Actress is ultra-competitive this year! Well, at least it’s a close race between two of the nominees, Mikey Madison from Anora and Demi Moore from The Substance. Not too dissimilar from the dynamic between Adrien Brody and Timothée Chalamet, the outcome of this category will be either a full-circle body-of-work coronation for (Moore) or a “star is born” moment (Madison). What’s different here is that Moore (unlike Brody) has not yet won an Oscar before, so a win for her would be long overdue but also right on time in that this is perhaps the most audacious performance of her career. Conversely, Madison is a relative newcomer to the casual movie fan, and based on the small sample size, it seems she is well on her way to becoming a must-watch star. The precursor awards paint a murky picture, but as of now, Moore is the odds-on favorite; she’s won the Critics’ Choice, a Golden Globe, and the SAG award. Madison has stayed in the race by winning the BAFTA and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Performance, both of which have come later in the race and show some momentum for Anora. Like Best Actor, this may very well be a coin flip, which will make for an exciting telecast! I’m definitely cheering for Moore (and The Substance writ large) and rooting for her to have a big moment... but also, Mikey Madison might’ve delivered the performance of the year… okay fine, I’m placing my bets on Madison by a sliver.

Isaac: Demi Moore - The Substance

Our Oscars Preview - Writing and Directing [2025]

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 05:00:00 GMT

It's Oscars Week '25! Maybe this our year to nail our predictions... Here is Part 3 of our preview.

Sing Sing [2023]

Best Adapted Screenplay

Nominees

A Complete Unknown - Screenplay by James Mangold and Jay Cocks (+2000)
Conclave - Screenplay by Peter Straughan (-1000)
Emilia Pérez - Screenplay by Jacques Audiard; In collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius and Nicolas Livecchi (+1000)
Nickel Boys - Screenplay by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes (+740)
Sing Sing - Screenplay by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar; Story by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John "Divine G" Whitfield (+2000)

Predictions

Isaac: Cue me screaming for Dune: Part Two to be in this category. But it's fine, I'm fine, it's fine. As much as I'd love RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes to swoop in and bring home an Oscar for Nickel Boys, which very well could go home empty-handed, this is a runaway victory for Conclave. The Academy loves when the Cardinals come out in early Spring, and they also love a clearly dictated holy vape hit. Conclave winning the BAFTA and Critics Choice for Best Adapted Screenplay, and the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay has seemingly set it up for a decisive win, along with the USC Scripter Award, and while Nickel Boys won the WGA in Adapted, it doesn't appear to have moved the needle as much. In a perfect world, this award would be between Sing Sing and Nickel Boys, two of the my favorite adaptations this year and extraordinary examples of immersive storytelling.

Hopster:Conclave - Screenplay by Peter Straughan

The Brutalist [2024]

Best Original Screenplay

Nominees

Anora - Written by Sean Baker (-250)
The Brutalist - Written by Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold (+1400)
A Real Pain - Written by Jesse Eisenberg (+500)
September 5 - Written by Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum; Co-Written by Alex David (+3500)
The Substance - Written by Coralie Fargeat (+300)

Predictions

Hopster: When there isn’t a runaway Best Picture favorite at the Academy Awards, there are few key categories pundits point to that sometimes signal which direction the wind is blowing. Historically, Best Editing, Best Director, and both Best Adapted and Best Original Screenplay are categories to keep an eye on, either because they function as a first step to winning the top prize or because they are awarded as a consolation of sorts. Winning one of the two screenplay awards has been a reliable indicator when trying to predict the Best Picture category – over the last 25 years, about 75% of films that won Best Picture won a screenplay award, too. Last year was an exception to that rule, in that Oppenheimer won seven Oscars but not Best Adapted Screenplay. When that split occurs, it’s usually because Academy voters are eager to divvy up the hardware more democratically in the face of what otherwise may be a sweep – or it is a chance to award something outside of the typical Oscars purview. So, what’s going to happen this year? Personally, I’m not convinced this race is as close as the Vegas odds suggest. Anora won Best Original Screenplay at the Writers Guild of America Awards, against A Real Pain (also nominated by the Academy) and three other films, none of which are nominated here. In some ways, I think this group of nominees poses stiffer competition for Anora, specifically The Brutalist and The Substance. I don’t believe that awarding Best Original Screenplay recognizes the foremost strength of The Brutalist, and while a win for Coralie Fargeat would be one of the most inspired wins in this category since Jordan Peele won for Get Out back in 2018, I have a feeling Anora is too strong. A win for Sean Baker here paves the way for a potential sweep that would include Best Director and Best Picture. If Anora wins for its screenplay, it might be the first signal (aside from Best Editing) that it is the frontrunner for the marquee categories.

Isaac: The Substance - Written by Coralie Fargeat

A Complete Unknown [2024]

Best Director

Nominees

Sean Baker - Anora (-165)
Brady Corbet - The Brutalist (+125)
James Mangold - A Complete Unknown (+2500)
Jacques Audiard - Emilia Pérez (+2000)
Coralie Fargeat - The Substance (+2500)

Predictions

Isaac: This Best Director lineup feels like a clash of the titans, if the titans were first time Best Director nominees and largely worked on indie films until their 2024 breakout film. Pretty niche group, huh? While Sean Baker has long been an "indie darling" of the Academy, it's clear that his film Anora is his biggest commercial success yet, winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes and seeing Baker get nominated in 4 different categories (Director, Original Screenplay, Editing, and Best Picture). Anora seemingly had all of the momentum going through Spring into Summer, being crowned the Best Picture of the year in March is a tough image to maintain, until Brady Corbet's sprawling historical drama took the festival circuit by storm starting in Venice in September. Since then, we've had an incredible back and forth battle between Baker and Corbet in the precursors. Corbet won big at the BAFTAs and Golden Globes while Baker took home the DGA, and hilariously Jon M. Chu won the Critics Choice for Wicked just to make this a little more interesting. Over the past 15 years, the precursors have had little to no spread across the nominees. The last time there was even a slightly interesting race was in 2023 when the DGA, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Critics Choice split between Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Fablemans and All Quiet on the Western Front (EEAAO won the CC, DGA, and eventually the Oscar). But for most years, these 4 awards are in lockstep with one another. The DGA has had the most in common with the Oscar winner, matching almost 87% of the time over the past 15 years, while the BAFTA and Critics Choice are next highest at 73% (the Golden Globe is at a paltry 60%). So, in theory, Baker winning the DGA is a the best predictor of winning the Oscar and Jon M. Chu taking the Critics Choice helps spread the favor around, ultimately aiding Baker's chances. It's certainly gonna be a tight race and whoever wins is more than deserving, but I think Baker has regained some of his Springtime momentum and that's going to net him a Best Director Oscar for Anora.

Hopster: Brady Corbet - The Brutalist

Our Oscars Preview - The Niche Categories [2025]

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 01:00:00 GMT

It's Oscars Week '25! Maybe this is our year to nail our predictions... Here is Part 2 of our preview.

Memoir of a Snail [2024]

Best Animated Feature Film

Nominees

Flow - Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens and Gregory Zalcman (+225)
Inside Out 2 - Kelsey Mann and Mark Nielsen (+2000)
Memoir of a Snail - Adam Elliot and Liz Kearney (+3500)
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl - Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham and Richard Beek (+1600)
The Wild Robot - Chris Sanders and Jeff Hermann (-340)

Predictions

Hopster: Here we go, a really interesting category! How often do we get to discuss a group of nominees that are this strong top-to-bottom, where you might actually feel good about any of the films winning? Do I think Inside Out 2 should or will win? No, not really, even though it is a sturdy sequel to a beloved Pixar film. How about Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl? It seems unlikely it will win, even though Aardman Animations almost never makes anything less than entertaining. And there's Memoir of a Snail, an adult stop-motion tragicomedy that may be the most technically impressive of the bunch. Vegas isn't giving it much of a chance to win, but maybe that's because more adult animated films seem to not fair as well in the awards circuit. Which leaves us two of the best animated films in recent memory. The first is the Latvian film Flow, a dialogue-less film about a cat surviving ecological destruction that relies on its visual storytelling to efficiently package mature themes within a surrealist video game world. The second is The Wild Robot, which delivered one of the most emotionally satisfying experiences I had watching a film all year. You could make the case that The Wild Robot not only is the best film of this bunch but also deserves a spot in the Best Picture race. As much as I loved Flow, a film I am convinced has super powers and can speak to animals (my black cat was transfixed for the entire runtime), I am predicting that The Wild Robot wins, which struck and plucked my heartstrings effortlessly. What a treat that all these films are recognized and any of them would make a worthy winner.

Isaac: The Wild Robot - Chris Sanders and Jeff Hermann

In the Shadow of the Cypress [2023]

Best Animated Short Film

Nominees

Beautiful Men - Nicolas Keppens and Brecht Van Elslande (+225)
In the Shadow of the Cypress - Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi (+4000)
Magic Candies - Daisuke Nishio and Takashi Washio (+1200)
Wander to Wonder - Nina Gantz and Stienette Bosklopper (-250)
Yuck! - Loïc Espuche and Juliette Marquet (+900)

Predictions

Isaac: After bagging the Annie Award for Best Short Subject and the BAFTA for Best Short Animation, Wander to Wonder has seen its odds soar for bringing home the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. Which, seeing the beautiful stop motion craftsmanship and the film's intricate mixture of humor, grief, and oddities makes complete sense to me, it's a wonderful film. But even though Wander to Wonder was the only short amongst the nominees to win at the Annies, Yuck! was the only one nominated in two categories, Best Special Production and Best Writing TV/Media. It lost both of those awards to Orion and the Dark which seems a little odd to have a short competing (and losing) to a feature film, but the nominations alone are quite compelling. I'm not sure I quite agree with the extreme odds of In the Shadow of the Cypress not only because of its compelling story and gorgeous animation, but because it atleast received an Annie nomination whereas Magic Candies was blanked entirely. Then of course there's the idea that these precursor awards I always yap about are predictors of the Oscar, which is rarely true. In fact, outside of last year's win for War is Over! you'd have to go back to 2017 to find the Annie winner match the Oscar winner with Dear Basketball. So even though Wander to Wonder seems to have a leg up, it could totally go another direction. Which is where I find myself going. I think Yuck! is going to pull the upset for its thoughtful story and vibrant animation, maybe I'm trying to stay away from picking straight chalk too much but hey, that's what makes it fun.

Hopster: Wander to Wonder - Nina Gantz and Stienette Bosklopper

Best International Feature Film

Nominees

I'm Still Here (Brazil) - directed by Walter Salles (-140)
The Girl with the Needle (Denmark) - directed by Magnus von Horn (+4000)
Emilia Pérez (France) - directed by Jacques Audiard (+110)
The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Germany) - directed by Mohammad Rasoulof (+1400)
Flow (Latvia) - directed by Gints Zilbalodis (+2500)

Predictions

Hopster: Hmmm, what to do what to do. This one's tricky. Let's work through it. The Girl with the Needle, Flow, and The Seed of the Sacred Fig all seem to be on the outside looking in at this point (the latter of which looked to be the frontrunner a few months ago). My gut is telling me that the rise and fall of Emilia Pérez in public favor will benefit I'm Still Here, a film like Emilia Pérez that is double-dipping in both Best International Feature Film and Best Picture. There are still other categories we have not talked about that I think voters might choose to recognize certain aspects of Emilia Pérez, but I do believe it's chances in a lot of major categories has all be dissipated. Should that be the case, I think I'm Still Here will rise to the top here and pull of the win. I'm Still Here is just as worthy and far and away less controversial, and when you're trying to predict winners, it certainly presents as a far less risky option.

Isaac: Emilia Pérez (France) - directed by Jacques Audiard

I'm Not a Robot [2023]

Best Live Action Short Film

Nominees

A Lien - Sam Cutler-Kreutz and David Cutler-Kreutz (+150)
Anuja - Adam J. Graves and Suchitra Mattai (+250)
I'm Not a Robot - Victoria Warmerdam and Trent (+650)
The Last Ranger - Cindy Lee and Darwin Shaw (+3000)
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent - Nebojša Slijepčević and Danijel Pek (+175)

Predictions

Isaac: Another toss up! After last year's Live Action Short Film category was a runaway victory for The Wonderful Life of Henry Sugar, netting Wes Anderson his first Oscar, this year's field is much more difficult to predict. A Lien is an incredibly potent depiction of the bureaucratic process of immigration and has Adam McKay as an executive producer, which could boost its star power if you will. And we all know the Academy loves McKay, looking at you Best Picture nominee Don't Look Up. But I'm thinking there's going to be another upset here, which isn't saying too much since there's not really too big a favorite. Anuja, with a production team that has Mindy Kaling and Priyanka Chopra Jones, is a tremendously well done short film in every capacity. From acting, Sajda Pathan as Anuja is extraordinary, to Adam J. Graves' direction and writing, I was blown away by this short film. Otherwise if I had to pick a runner-up, I'd love to see I'm Not a Robot swoop in too. It's a fantastic short that reverberates between outrageous semi-dark humor and poignant commentary on identity, and shows our collective displeasure with CAPTCHA's (this was not written by a robot).

Hopster: Anuja - Adam J. Graves and Suchitra Mattai

Best Documentary Short Subject

Nominees

Death by Numbers - Kim A. Snyder and Janique L. Robillard (+370)
I Am Ready, Warden - Smriti Mundhra and Maya Gnyp (+100)
Incident - Bill Morrison and Jamie Kalven (+450)
Instruments of a Beating Heart - Ema Ryan Yamazaki and Eric Nyari (+2800)
The Only Girl in the Orchestra - Molly O’Brien and Lisa Remington (+260)

Predictions

Hopster: Last year, I made a point of seeing every nominated short for the first time ever. It was a truly rewarding experience! This year, I haven't seen a single one. Rather than bullshit you all, my prediction is a simple one here: I'm taking the current favorite, I Am Ready, Warden. I hope to catch up on the shorts after the Oscars, and I promise I'll do better next year (maybe I don't promise but I promise I'll try).

Isaac: The Only Girl in the Orchestra - Molly O’Brien and Lisa Remington

Black Box Diaries [2024]

Best Documentary Feature

Nominees

Black Box Diaries - Shiori Ito, Eric Nyari and Hanna Aqvilin (+2000)
No Other Land - Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal and Yuval Abraham (-165)
Porcelain War - Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev, Aniela Sidorska and Paula DuPre' Pesmen (+150)
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat - Johan Grimonprez, Daan Milius and Rémi Grellety (+1600)
Sugarcane - Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie and Kellen Quinn (+700)

Predictions

Isaac: I always like to save some, sorry, hold some space to make fun of the Academy during these previews and I think here's a good place for it. Because, what the shit is this lineup? Now I agree that Documentary Feature can be an incredibly tough category and I'm not in any way diminishing the nominees here nor am I saying that they should be removed. I'm merely bringing up that the two front-runners, Porcelain War and No Other Land, haven't won much of anything leading up to the Oscars. Yes, Porcelain War won the DGA for Best Documentary and No Other Land won the International Documentary Association award, and there's some festival wins sprinkled throughout but the two big winners from the precursors weren't even nominated. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story took home the PGA, BAFTA and shared the Critics Choice award with yet another outstanding (and not nominated) documentary, Will and Harper. Again, I'm not saying kick out Black Box Diaries for one of these, but usually there's at least some overlap with the PGA, DGA, BAFTA and Critics Choice with them splitting across nominees or highlighting a clear favorite. 20 Days in Mariupol won the BAFTA and DGA, Navalny won the BAFTA and PGA, as did Summer of Soul, and so on. From a birds eye view, I think this category could be a toss up between the top three of No Other Land, Porcelain War, and Sugarcane with the first two benefitting from winning at least some big award. As much as I think the DGA holds more weight, it's as clear as mud how the Academy views the precursors when the docs that win more aren't nominated. So I'm going to go with the current favorite, which feels like it has more momentum at the moment which is No Other Land. But I wouldn't be shocked if I'm wrong here.

Hopster: Sugarcane - Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie and Kellen Quinn

Our Oscars Preview - The Technical Categories [2025]

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 05:00:00 GMT

It's Oscars Week '25! Maybe this our year to nail our predictions... Here is Part 1 of our preview.

Emilia Pérez [2024]

Best Original Song

Nominees

"El Mal" from Emilia Pérez - Music and lyrics by Clément Ducol, Camille, and Jacques Audiard (-310)
"Mi Camino" from Emilia Pérez - Music and lyrics by Camille and Clément Ducol (+800)
"The Journey" from The Six Triple Eight - Music and lyrics by Diane Warren (+400)
"Never Too Late" from Elton John: Never Too Late - Music and lyrics by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin (+800)
"Like A Bird" from Sing Sing - Music and lyrics by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada (+2000)

Predictions

Hopster: This year's highest grossing film and most popular soundtrack, Wicked, is peppered with ten nominations – and yet, due to the restrictions of the Best Original Song category, does not have a song represented here (please forgive this tangent and maybe this is a conversation for another day, but does this really need to be Best Original Song? In what tends to be one of the weaker categories year in and year out, would anyone be upset if this was changed to include both original songs and adapted songs? That way, new enditions of previously written songs could be eligible in this category. Wouldn't it be a more fun collection of nominees if a song from Wicked made it into the mix for adaptaing a song from the musical to the screen? This seems like an easy way to spice things up a bit)... So, we're left debating whether or not the former frontrunner Emilia Pérez, which at one point had this category locked up, can win secure what might be one of only a few victories come Oscar night. The film has 13 nominations, two of which are songs.

As it turns out, dual nominations in Best Original Song happens more often than you might expect – according to Reddit (don't mind me piggybacking here), there have been 16 years with a film getting multiple song nominations (and 18 films total, with two years with two films each getting two songs). In those years, the winning song came from the multi-nominated film more than two-thirds of the time, meaning this is a strong indicator but still not a guarantee. I'll note that even without going back through and parsing through which films did not win, it would be hard to believe that any of those had more off-the-court controversy than Emilia Pérez has had, so it is very possible voters look for another winner in what is one of this year's the thinner categories. If you're looking for an upset, maybe throw your weight behind Diane Warren, who has earned sixteen Academy Award nominations (and still has not won) and received an Academy Award at the Governor Awards in 2022. Perhaps Academy voters will seek to make good on her prolific career of Oscar recognition and make the Warren the bride instead of the bridesmaid for once.

Isaac: "El Mal" from Emilia Pérez - Music and lyrics by Clément Ducol, Camille, and Jacques Audiard

The Wild Robot [2024]

Best Original Score

Nominees

The Brutalist - Daniel Blumberg (-400)
Conclave - Volker Bertelmann (+800)
The Wild Robot - Kris Bowers (+400)
Emilia Pérez - Clément Ducol and Camille (+1600)
Wicked - John Powell and Stephen Schwartz (+3500)

Predictions

Isaac: I'm still reeling from the terrible omission of Trent Reznor and Atticuz Ross' absolutely electric score in Challengers, but now is not the time to grieve. It's also not the time to complain about how weird the Oscar rules are since Hans Zimmer's score for Dune: Part Two was disqualified for reusing too much of the prior Dune score but Wicked is nominated with preexisting musicality throughout. As you can tell, I'm obviously not upset or anything. Luckily, Wicked and my arch-nemesis Emilia Pérez are bringing up the rear of the pack and my three favorites are at the top, odds-wise. Bowers' work on The Wild Robot adds a tremendous emotional backbone to an already terrific movie and the Bertelmann score in Conclave is equally wonderful. It's smooth, thrilling nature, elevates the stakes of Berger's papal drama and could be a dark horse candidate when it comes time to open the envelope. But, nothing can really compare to the feeling you get when you first hear Blumberg's overture in The Brutalist when the Statue of Liberty hits the screen. Equal parts triumphant and dreary, especially as The Brutalist climbs its lengthy runtime, Blumberg's score is undeniably one of the best of the year and, well, I think it just might be the best.

Hopster: The Brutalist - Daniel Blumberg

Best Sound

Nominees

A Complete Unknown - Tod A. Maitland, Donald Sylvester, Ted Caplan, Paul Massey and David Giammarco (+350)
Dune: Part Two - Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill (-400)
Emilia Pérez - Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Maxence Dussère, Cyril Holtz and Niels Barletta (+5000)
Wicked - Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson and John Marquis (+600)
The Wild Robot - Randy Thom, Brian Chumney, Gary A. Rizzo and Leff Lefferts (+5000)

Predictions

Hopster: In case you missed it (I would almost guarantee the vast majority of the human population missed this piece of news), but Hollywood's two largest guilds for sound achievement in film had their awards this past weekend. On Saturday, the 61st Cinema Audio Society Awards took place, and on Sunday, the 72nd Golden Reel Awards were held. The former guild honors outstanding achievements in sound mixing, while the latter honors the best in sound editing. If you'll remember, sound mixing and sound editing were two distinct categories at the Academy Awards for many years until 2020, when the two were consolidated into a composite category called Best Sound. All five of this year's Oscar nominees in Best Sound were recognized at these two guild awards ceremonies this past weekend, so there is little to go on in terms of predicting this category. Pundits might steer you to place your bets on the current betting favorite Dune: Part Two, a fair recommendation considering its predecessor won Best Sound just a few years back. The other two films that seem to be have a fighter's chance of snagging the prize are A Complete Unknown and Wicked. I'm putting my money on A Complete Unknown, a film with accomplished sound mixing that excels at bringing the audience back in time to an era when sound amplification was a bit more primitive and the very idea of a folk hero going electric would be somewhat otherworldly. Like when Bohemian Rhapsody won a few years ago, (which was laughable then and eye-roll-worthy now), good sound mixing can sometimes take the cake over over great sound editing.

Isaac: Dune: Part Two - Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill

Gladiator II [2024]

Best Costume Design

Nominees

A Complete Unknown - Arianne Phillips (+2500)
Conclave - Lisy Christl (+800)
Gladiator II - Janty Yates and Dave Crossman (+3500)
Nosferatu - Linda Muir (+1400)
Wicked - Paul Tazewell (-2000)

Predictions

Isaac: The Costume Designers Guild separates their yearly awards into three categories, Excellence in Contemporary Film, Period Film, and Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film which was awarded to Conclave, Nosferatu, and Wicked respectively. So it only makes sense that those three are the frontrunners. However, Paul Tazewell's work for Wicked has also won the Critics Choice Award and BAFTA while Lisy Christl and Linda Muir have a lesser resume of precursor awards. The CDG Awards are a huge lift for Nosferatu and Conclave but the lack of extra oomph puts them at a severe disadvantage compared to Wicked. Therefore, I'm inclined to believe that this is a runaway victory for Wicked.

Hopster: Wicked - Paul Tazewell

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Nominees

A Different Man - Mike Marino, David Presto and Crystal Jurado (+3500)
Emilia Pérez - Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini (+2800)
Nosferatu - David White, Traci Loader and Suzanne Stokes-Munton (+1400)
The Substance - Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli (-1400)
Wicked - Frances Hannon, Laura Blount and Sarah Nuth (+600)

Predictions

Hopster: This is one of those Oscar categories where "more is more," if you know what I mean. In trying to recognize the effectiveness that makeup and hairstyling can have on the end-product of a film, Oscar voters tend to reward movies with the most makeup and hairstyling. This year's group of nominees contains a lot of films with capital M makeup and capital H hairstyling. While Nosferatu, Wicked, and A Different Man are all extremely dependent on the top-notch execution of makeup and hairstyling from a storytelling perspective, The Substance is perhaps a cut above its peers. Part The Elephant Man part The Thing, this body horror film quite literally relies on the creative boldness of the makeup and hairstyling decisions that take place to pull of the film's slew of magic tricks, no matter how grotesque they may be. Aside from Emilia Pérez, the other four nominees would be worthy of a win, but I'm putting my money on The Substance.

Isaac: The Substance - Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli

Best Production Design

Nominees

The Brutalist - Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Patricia Cuccia (+800)
Conclave - Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Cynthia Sleiter (+900)
Dune: Part Two - Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau (+3500)
Nosferatu - Production Design: Craig Lathrop; Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová (+500)
Wicked - Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales (-400)

Predictions

Isaac: Similar to the Costume Designer Guild, the Art Directors Guild separates their feature film awards into five categories and for the sake of this exercise we can omit the Television Movie and Animated Feature Film groups, which leaves us with Period, Fantasy, and Contemporary Feature Film awards. Which, you guessed it, was awarded to Nosferatu, Wicked, and Conclave respectively, just like the CDG awards. Nosferatu actually bested The Brutalist in the Period category giving it a bigger boost, but Conclave and Wicked being at the top or close-ish by is understandable. In fact, the Contemporary and Fantasy categories have been incredibly strong predictors in recent years, with Poor Things and Dune winning (All Quiet on the Western Front was the winner in 2022 but did not win the ADG so its excluded from this point). But overall, the ADG award for a Period Feature Film has the most winners in common with the Academy Award for Production Design since 2006, when the ADG Fantasy and Period awards were split into their own categories. Since then, there have been seven Period winners, 6 Fantasy winners, and only 5 Contemporary winners. Which means a win for Crowley, a frequent Christopher Nolan collaborator, would be the tying win for Fantasy ADG winners, but I have a feeling that voters are gonna go a little hog-wild this year. Odds be damned, I am drawn to the Nosferatu underdog story like no other and think a split between Costume and Production Design is due.

Hopster: Wicked - Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Best Cinematography

Nominees

The Brutalist - Lol Crawley (-340)
Dune: Part Two - Greig Fraser (+550)
Emilia Pérez - Paul Guilhaume (+6500)
Maria - Ed Lachman (+2000)
Nosferatu - Jarin Blaschke (+350)

Predictions

Hopster: This year, the American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases (which is quite the mouthful) went to Maria, which interestingly enough if polling in fourth in Vegas' Oscars odds. Ahead of it are three films that are more than worthy of the award, Dune: Part Two, Nosferatu, and The Brutalist. You would assume Greig Fraser, who won a few years ago for his work on Dune, is the frontrunner here. He's certainly one of the most sought-after and accomplished DPs working in the business today. And then there's Jarin Blaschke, Robert Eggers' long-time collaborator who delivers stunning work in Nosferatu, of which the cinematography may be the film's foremost accomplishment. But I'm betting Lol Crawley gets recognized for his work on The Brutalist. The fact that he pulled off shooting the entire film in 35mm VistaVision with such limited resources for an independent production is an achievement on to itself that cannot go unnoticed by the Academy.

Isaac: The Brutalist - Lol Crawley

Anora [2024]

Best Film Editing

Nominees

Anora - Sean Baker (+150)
The Brutalist - David Jancso (+700)
Conclave - Nick Emerson (-140)
Emilia Pérez - Juliette Welfling (+3500)
Wicked - Myron Kerstein (+1400)

Predictions

Isaac: This is by far the tightest race of today's preview. While there may be some upsets in the other categories, Film Editing feels like a complete toss up between Conclave and Anora. While Emerson won the BAFTA for editing, he lost the Critics Choice, but Sean Baker wasn't even nominated for it. Meanwhile, Anora and Conclave are in separate categories for the American Cinema Editors (ACE) awards so they could both benefit from their own win. However, the ACE for Drama films has been much more predictive of the Oscar since 2001, matching 57% of the time, whereas the ACE for Comedy/Musical only matches with the Academy 13% of the time. The only Comedy/Musical winners to win both the ACE and the Oscar are Chicago, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Bohemian Rhapsody so it would be rarified air if Anora were to win the ACE award and the Oscar. But even with how much more predictive the Drama category of the ACE is, the BAFTA is almost like a curse? The BAFTA for Editing only predicts the Oscar winner 43% of the time, a nice little reminder that the BAFTAs are almost on their own little planet, but to say that winning another award hurts Conclave's chances would be ridiculous. I think part of the favor towards Conclave from a betting perspective is that extra award win but also the fact that Anora wasn't nominated for the Critics Choice, but ultimately I think it's a complete coin flip for who wins. I love a good underdog and as much as I thoroughly enjoyed Conclave and wished Anora was about 15 minutes shorter, some of the comedic scenes were overlong, I think the Academy recognizes Baker's work and Anora takes it home.

Hopster: Conclave - Nick Emerson

Best Visual Effects

Nominees

Alien: Romulus - Eric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin and Shane Mahan (+3500)
Better Man - Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft and Peter Stubbs (+2500)
Dune: Part Two - Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer (-800)
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes - Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story and Rodney Burke (+400)
Wicked - Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shirk and Paul Corbould (+2000)

Predictions

Hopster: If you had asked me after the film premiered back in March 2024, I would've assumed guessed that Dune: Part Two might run away with or at least be the film to beat in a bunch of below-the-line technical categories at the Academy Awards, including Best Production Design, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, to name a few. Surprisingly, it seems the this Herbert-adapted sequel has fallen out of favor or at least out of the spotlight this awards season, and I'm wondering how many Oscars it goes home with on Sunday. However, I think it winning Best Visual Effects should be a no-brainer and will be a surefire win. Paired with Villeneuve's brilliant sense of image-making and pacing, the visuals in this film are out of control, both in a micro- and macro-sense. Even now, I can close my eyes and only imagine how they pulled off some of the visual effects, particularly the opening sequence where the Sardaukar float up to the top of the mountain. That was absolutely breathtaking. A film that looks like this sends shivers down your spine should absolutely win the Oscar.

Isaac: Dune: Part Two - Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer*

Atropia - Sundance 2025

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 06:00:00 GMT

Atropia [2025]

Film

When Haley Gates introduced her, recently Jury Grand Prize awarded, film Atropia before my Sundance screening, she called her work "a smart movie, but also a profoundly stupid one." Still shaking from Jury member Celine Song's high praise, Gates aptly described her film's sizzling satire as one that has phenomenally potent socio-political commentary, yet remains entertaining in its outrageous comedy.

Atropia examines the military-industrial complex through "The Box," a strategic military outpost in the California desert that's designed to look like an Iraqi village-except it’s actually in a fictional country they call Atropia. Life in "The Box" is quite literally a simulation, every villager is an actor hired to assume a role, whether they act for their current job or their big Hollywood aspirations is another matter, to create a fully immersive training experience for a soon-to-be-deployed platoon of fresh-faced teenagers. Not only does Gates introduce us to "The Box" with a nostalgic early-2000's training video, but she effectively and hilariously sets the stage for a comedic examination of the United States' engagement with Iraq. Where Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers was subtle in its satire, layering military motivation under casual or even deadpan dialogue, Gates is much more direct and absurdist. A truck full of new troops singing (read: screaming) Sheryl Crow, or a cacophony of complaints from workers as their animatronic donkey bomb fails to go off during a training session; all are terrifically written satirical swipes that are to be taken at face value.

While the first half of Atropia flows seamlessly from one joke to the next, making for an exceedingly entertaining time, the second half unfortunately couldn't keep it all together. Effectively running out of steam as Fayruz (Alia Shakwat), one of the Iraqi "villagers" with dreams of Hollywood stardom, and Abu Dice's (Callum Turner), an Iraq veteran waiting for redeployment, strange romance takes center stage. Gates' film still maintains its absurd sense of humor, especially seen as Dice says "I'm gonna wash you like a dirty dish" to Fayruz, but there are some odd identity choices undermine the romantic entanglement considering the two lovers' motivations and ideals. Even though the entertainment factor is still present, which is further emphasized by Tim Heidecker and Chloe Sevigny’s top military officials acting as if they’re casting directors, Atropia finds itself spread too thin across its ideas. Suddenly, instead of being the sharp, witty, satirical film it started as, it’s a homunculus of plot points that should serve as one coherent plot instead of warring factions.

All of this is to say that I did enjoy Atropia, it’s a side-splitting comedy that nails its satirical rampage and in doing so, is incredibly fun to watch. I just wish that it had kept that same tight focus throughout. If there’s one thing to take away from Gates’ Sundance award winning film, it’s that not even an endangered tortoise can stop the gears of war.

Froth

What better beer to pair with an award winning film at Sundance than an award winning beer from Salt Lake City? Bewilder Brewing Co's ESB is a North American Brewers Association Bronze Medal winning beer in 2022 and even if that's three years ago, it stands the test of time. The ESB's description from Bewilder references the presence of the word "bitter" in the name, and how that doesn't reflect the actual taste of it, and while I might sound like I'm just parroting Bewilder's wording they really hit the nail on the head. Even though their ESB does possess a level of bitterness that's appropriate for an ESB, its well-balanced flavor dances between sweet, earthy, and malty with a subtle hoppiness to deliver some dynamic depth. While it might be a little closer to a traditional amber it still checks the boxes of English brewing style all the while being a delicious treat of a beer.

Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake) - Sundance 2025

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake) [2025]

Film

Lives intertwine around Green Lake as a girl learns to sail, a boy fights for first chair, two sisters operate a bed-and-breakfast, and a fisherman is after the catch of his life.

As a born and raised Wisconsinite, here is a movie that captured so much of what it felt like to spend part of your summer 'way up north there' in a land of lakes on sky blue waters. Written and directed by Sierra Falconer, a Midwest-native born and raised in Michigan, Sunfish (and other Stories on Green Lake) felt oh so familiar but also fresh and inventive. There's a small-town feel to the subject matter and characters detailed in this anthological story, and in the best way possible, I felt this film more so than watched it. To the film's credit, I identified with the ups and downs of these characters and was remained invested in each story vignette from start to finish, no matter how routine or silly things became. Sure, I might have been the target audience for this film, but even still, I found the sum of the film's four parts came together and added up to an enjoyable viewing experience.

SPOILERS APLENTY

There are four episodes in this anthology, named "Sunfish," "Summer Camp," "Two Hearted," and "Resident Bird," all of which interwine and are loosely connect, more so through their core themes and story ideas than their actual plot details. I found the general looseness in the connectivity between these stories to be a more effective way of conveying the film's intentions than I would have if there were overly constructed throughlines. Sure, there is overlap that ties things together, but those details peripheral and nearly inconsequential to each section. Broadly speaking, I found that each section was at least in part about the difficulties that come with growing up, whether that reckoning with one's family or one's own internal struggle. There is a similar synergy that links "Sunfish" to "Summer Camp," some connective tissue that links "Summer Camp" and "Two Hearted," a narrative hand-off between "Two Hearted" and "Resident Bird," and a full-circle moment at the end of "Resident Bird" that perfectly ties back to and hands off once more to "Sunfish." There's no need for me to unpack these connection points any further since the film doesn't really rely on them anyways. What the film understands and communicates in a beautiful way is that it's not important where you're going - its about if and how you get there. The characters in these episodes are all uniquely sketched but not always thoroughly drawn. That could be a knock against the film for some, but for me, I found there to be a kind of beauty in some of the ambiguity, a choice that might actually lead to wider universality to each character and story.

There's no question that Sunfish (and Other Stories on Green Lake) is a labor of love, and the honest and pure affection that Falconer has for these characters and their stories reverberates through every shot. She is undoubtedly a talented writer and shows off some impressive filmmaking chops, too. I not only recommend this to viewers who are hoping to reach out and grab hold of some of the Midwest ethos baked into this film, but I hope film fans seek this out as well and see the start of a promising career for Falconer.

Froth

Another tap from our Salt Lake City brewery tour! This one comes from Level Crossing Brewing Company (with their mesmerizing wood fire pizza oven), the Fruit Bat, a spring/summer seasonal blonde ale (that I must have caught early in the spring season since I had it in January???) This was a super drinkable, fruit-forward golden ale that was a little tart, even less hops, but a smooth pleasant finish. If I was staying consistent with Sunfish, I would have reviewed a Bell's Two Hearted IPA (which is the beer of choice in the third episode "Two Hearted"), but I had to give some love to another one of our stops in Salt Lake. Thanks for putting up with us Level Crossing, and just so you know, I really appreciate the funky artwork framed on the wall next to our table.

Sorry, Baby - Sundance 2025

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Sorry, Baby [2025]

Film

It's hard to fathom what goes into a directorial feature film debut, let alone one that is sensational. In 2023, Celine Song blew me away with her debut film Past Lives, an intimate and touching romance about childhood friends that reunite later in life, and I can't possibly forget blinking the tears away after my first viewing. Song's honest and exceedingly mature take on the complexities of real life relationships was a breath of fresh air, devoid of Hollywood tropes or cliches, but was at the same time an easily digestible film. Then in 2024 my heart (and brain) was blown to pieces by Ramell Ross' transcendent adaptation of Colson Whitehead's novel, Nickel Boys, yet another narrative feature debut that far exceeded the expectations of being "a first time." Ross' experimental POV camera design gives the characters of Nickel Boys and the audience the same perspective, blurring the lines between subject and audience, while his adapted screenplay soars in its adherence to the source material and also its transformation for the screen. I could keep raving about past feature directorial debuts that were sensational, 2022's Aftersun from Charlotte Wells, 2021's The Lost Daughter from Maggie Gylenhaal, and so many more, but I think we should look forward to the new stellar debut from Eva Victor in Sorry, Baby.

Not only is Sorry, Baby Victor's directorial debut, but her writing and starring debut as well. Culminating in a trifecta of how can this possibly be this damn good. Sorry, Baby follows a non-linear structure of Agnes' (Victor) life that spans an uncertain number of years from her time as a graduate student in college to her professional career as a teacher at the same university. Scattered between are the little slices of life that define Agnes, ranging from good, to bad, to unfathomably terrible. But if any of this sounds too depressing, it should be a point of emphasis that Victor's writing, and roots as a comedian, is outstanding in its hilariously honest portrayal of Agnes and her inner circle. From the first moment that Agnes and Lydie (Naomi Ackie) share a silly, heartfelt moment on their couch you're completely enamored with not only their friendship, but the charismatic lead in Victor's character. Creating emotional attachment to characters is no easy feat—even for veteran filmmakers. That Victor not only directs and writes but also stars as one of the most affable characters on screen is simply astonishing. Not only are we watching a superstar filmmaker in the making, but a christening of a movie star in every facet.

While some films leave a trail of breadcrumbs with a non-linear layout, like in films such as We Live In Time and The Outrun as recent examples that utilized qualities of the protagonists hair to pinpoint where in time the story is, Sorry, Baby has labels that come across the screen for individual years. But even these aren't gimmicky monikers for moments in Agnes' life and instead are relatively light-hearted descriptors foreshadowing what is to come. Names like "The year with the baby" or "The year with the really good sandwich" don't fully give away what is to come, or what has come, but instead inject Victor's tremendous comedic personality into a film that has some exceedingly difficult emotional moments. These lows for Agnes are not only terrifically acted by Victor, but are well written and directed. There's no need to look further than a couple of long exposure shots and up-close examinations of Agnes that slowly crinkled my stomach up into my heart, and began a tumultuous emotional experience that I attribute to downright incredible filmmaking.

Of course, the emotional tumult is only one aspect of Sorry, Baby and Victor achieves a tonal balance of drama and comedy that is so finely tuned I'd almost think it couldn't possibly be a debut film. Not to mention Victor's chemistry on screen with Ackie, a wonderfully hilarious Lucas Hedges, a delightful John Carroll Lynch, and a stupefying nemesis in Kelly McCormack is phenomenal.

We often look to the next project after a debut, telling ourselves "I can't wait for Celine Song's follow up to Past Lives," which almost feels like we're not giving ourselves enough time to fully appreciate what's in front of us. Well I'll be the first to say I, personally, can wait for Victor's follow up to Sorry, Baby, because this film, and Victor's expert construction of it in her writing, direction and acting, should be studied for years to come. I’m confident Sorry, Baby will be one of this year’s best films, earning its place alongside Past Lives, Nickel Boys, and other remarkable debuts.

Froth

Whe I arrived at Kiitos Brewing in Salt Lake City, I asked the brewtender a question that probably put me the category of "annoying customer." I simply said, "If this is the only time I'm going to visit Kiitos in my life, what would you recommend I drink?" The answer was not only inspired, but the best beer I had in Utah for Sundance and possibly the best beer I've had in a year. The Fonio Ale is brewed with its namesake grain, an ancient West African grain only has two breweries in the world making a 100% Fonio based beer. Kiitos Brewing in Salt Lake City and Carlsberg Brewing in Copenhagen.

That's it, that's the list.

Kiitos' Fonio Ale is an astonishing translucent clear white color that at first might be a perplexing sight, but upon further inspection, who cares what it looks like. Bursting with passionfruit and lychee flavors and without any bitterness due to little or no hops being used, this ale is a completely unique experience and taste. It's smooth, refreshing, and not overwhelming in its sweetness as it possesses a touch of saltiness that balances it out, akin to bitterness and citrus flavors of say an IPA. Overall it resembles a drinking experience like a seltzer but with less carbonation, and way better flavor.

Train Dreams - Sundance 2025

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Train Dreams [2025]

Film

A story about Robert Grainier, a day laborer employed as a logger helping to expand the railways across America. Forced to spend prolonged periods of time away from his wife, Gladys, and their young daughter, Grainier struggles to make sense of his place in a rapidly changing world. As his story unfolds, he experiences great love, unspeakable loss and unique bonds, on a journey that is both distinct and universal.

Directed and co-written by the Sing Sing duo of Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar comes Train Dreams, a buzzy film out of Sundance that tells an intimate but epic story that broadly reaches to explore the depths of one's soul and the pain of the human experience. Adapted from the novella by Denis Johnson, the film is a philosophical period piece about westward expansion and the modernization of America that is juxtaposed against the destructive power and redemptive beauty of nature. There is both a bigness and smallness to the story being told, something that is both epic and intimate. Think of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and The Tree of Life, two films that likewise have impeccable craft and also challenge their audiences with meandering narratives and/or art house impressionism. Train Dreams is a film I found less satisfying, something that is more narrow and thin than it is broad and engrossing.

SPOILERS APLENTY

Joel Edgerton plays Robert Grainier, a true-blue, blue-collar logger and railroad laborer who lives a simple life of hermitage in the vastness of the American West in the early part of the 20th century. Grainer works in a dangerous trade done by hand and requires the strength and energy of younger men – you know what they say, no country for old men. He works onsite for seasonal work until he moves on to the next job. He lives a quiet but happy life of solitude. That is until he meets his Gladys, the woman who will soon become his beloved wife (Felicity Jones) and mother of his child. Together they build a life together, away from the noise in the quiet of the woods, away from the dangers of the industrial world and left in the peaceful quiet of nature. Coming back from what was intended to be his last job as a logger, Robert is faced with what can only be described as unimaginable and inescapable grief. A massive wildfire has completely consumed the valley where he and his family lives, destroying his cabin and leaving his wife and daughter nowhere to be found. The back half of the film is about how Robert manages to survive and carry on, even in the face of his immense trauma and loss. It is about him struggling to find and gradually discovering his way through the ever-changing world around him.

While I have my doubts about the film, I'd be ignorant to deny or dismiss this film's stunning visual imagery and its below-the-line achievements. The amazing cinematography from Adolpho Veloso perfectly captures the vastness of the natural world Grainier is living in and also at odds against; the long, wide shots of the breathtaking locations are easy to get swept up in, especially on the big screen. The score from Bryce Dessner is appropriately moody and manages to somehow feel contemporary and timeless. Even the overarching voiceover by Will Patton (who I later found out also narrated the audiobook), which did feel like a storytelling crutch at times, helped reel in and reframe the story for the audience to keep everything moving forward.

Unfortunately, I still found myself on the outside looking in on this one. I'll try my best to describe my hesitation – and maybe I should start by admitting that there was just something off about the way the film made me feel. I certainly could connect with Robert's story arc and the pain and loneliness which he is forced to live through – I'm not some heartless bastard. I'm not sure how to exactly pinpoint my skepticism; it's not that the film doesn't coalesce, but I just wasn't really buying what it was selling. Maybe it's that I really felt the runtime as my attention and interest slowly waned. And that's not to say directly that the film was "too slow" or "underwritten," though there is certainly some truth in both of those criticisms.

I suppose my biggest issue with the film is the emotional disconnect I had with its characters and to its themes. To be clear, that isn't to say the performances were bad, because they were not. Edgerton is well-suited to this part – he is stiff and rigid but also vulnerable and evocative. Jones makes her mark even though she doesn't have much to do with limited screen time, and the supporting performances, specifically from William H. Macy and Kerry Condon, are memorable and provide a welcome jolt of energy. What might be holding back my enthusiasm is that the balance between the film's style and substance was off. Maybe my issue with the film is that it felt less like a tasteful homage and more like a hollow imitation of other art films that pursue similar emotionally rich and narratively fluid vibes. The expressiveness of the camera work is inspired, and sometimes even transcendent, but it felt a bit too contrived to be compared to Lubezki and a bit too derivative to be reminiscent of Deakins. There's a fine line between homage and imitation, and this felt less like it was in conversation with these artists and more like good-hearted mimicry (imitation is the best form of flattery).

Since seeing the film, I've read that the novella is in a Hemingway-esque writing style, with an unobtrusive and simplistic prose and a closed-off sentimentality that manages to still be endearing. With that in mind, I can see more clearly what the filmmakers were going for, but ultimately, there's still something missing for me. Coming out of Sundance, many were quick to hail Train Dreams as a meditative masterpiece. I mean bloody hell, Netflix decided to pony up $16+ million to acquire its distribution rights, meaning it will absolutely be a big part of their awards push next year (which is not even subtly ironic since this film should be seen at the theater and NOT streamed at home). I may be in the minority here and may even come to eat crow on my opinion here after a second viewing or more time to mull over what the film is going for. For now, I was left somewhere on the outskirts, impressed by its ingredients but still underwhelmed by the finished product.

Froth

Stop 3 on our Salt Lake City Brewery Crawl was at Bewilder Brewing Co, a brewery with a great space and lots of a great beer options. Let me tell you, this place was packed at about midday on the Saturday we were bouncing around SLC. I ordered the Vitruvian Pils, an Italian Pilsner which has a little more hop than you'll get in a classic German-style pilsner. The brewery describes it as perfectly portioned, a sentiment I agree with. This might not be the sort of beer I have more than one or two of, or the kind I would pair with my dinner, but it would be a great "first beer of the night" beer, or a "let's have some mozzarella sticks and throw back a cold one" beer. So for that, you could do much, much worse.

Jimpa - Sundance 2025

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Jimpa [2025]

Film

Three years after Sophie Hyde's fantastic Good Luck To You, Leo Grande comes a much more personal story, written by Hyde herself, Jimpa. Based on Hyde's father Jim, a version which is played by a wonderful John Lithgow, the film mostly follows Hannah (Olivia Colman), a filmmaker who is in the process of casting roles for her own film about Lithgow's Jim. But the self-reflection doesn't stop there as Hyde casts her child Aud Mason-Hyde as Frances, Hannah and her husband Harry's (Daniel Henshall) non-binary teenager who, on their family trip to Amsterdam to visit Jim, wants to stay and experience the rich LGBTQI+ community Amsterdam has to offer.

To say there's a conflict between Hannah and Frances on their desire to stay with Jim would be a little misguided. Especially since Hannah very clearly enforces the idea that her script about Jim is focused on "drama without conflict." And while the sentiment is nice, it obscures Hannah's true feelings towards Frances' desire to stay with Jim, even if she voices Jim's shortcomings as a father due to his conflict oriented style of discussion. Hyde makes Jimpa deeply personal not just in subject matter, but in characterization. She's made a film that has her own child experiencing true growth as a member of the LGBTQI+ community, but the film's focus on Jim's decades-spanning fight for equality and civil rights for his own community, even if it means leaving his family when Hannah was 13-Jim came out after the birth of both of his daughters and after a mutual co-parenting friendship embarked on a move to Amsterdam for social justice jobs-muddies the water of what is a "conflict" and what isn't.

Hyde’s films tend to be dialogue-heavy. While Good Luck To You, Leo Grande wasn’t written by her, it still had an extended conversational structure that risked losing audience engagement. While her topics can be thought provoking and entirely deserving of attention, such as conversations of sex work, sexuality, the pleasure gap, and so much more, there can be a drawn out feel to her films that can be frustrating to watch. While I felt as though Good Luck To You, Leo Grande came around in the third act due to Emma Thompson's incredibly vulnerable and honest performance, I never got the same satisfaction out of Jimpa. Even though Colman and Lithgow are extraordinary-I've never seen a bad performance from either of them and neither have you-Hyde's script attempts to overstuff the narrative with too many talking points, ultimately obfuscating its true message.

Jimpa has plenty of wonderful moments that could blossom into though-provoking or boundary pushing discussions such as Jim's friends rebuke of the word "queer", a derogatory term they fought against during their protests, or Frances' exploration of sexuality, but they're spread too thin across the final product. When you think you're about to get to a revelatory moment, the theme shifts to another topic or even character, which leaves you yearning for the depth that Hyde has reached in her past films. Throw in too many dreamlike interjections of flashbacks or mood-setting moments and you begin to really feel the runtime much more than you'd like.

Hyde remains an incredibly bold filmmaker, unafraid to tackle complex themes—a trait that feels especially vital in today’s social and political climate. But in Jimpa, that ambition may have worked against her, resulting in a film that is deeply personal yet structurally unfocused.

Froth

While Jimpa wasn't necessarily my cup of tea, Level Crossing Brewing's In The Pines was. This New England Hazy IPA is bursting with citrusy flavors, ranging from tart grapefruit to sweet oranges, all while delivering a rather resinous overtone. The hoppiness is fairly strong not only in aroma but taste as well, coming in exceptionally well on a bitter, dry finish. There's a light malt that delivers some bready feel along with some sweetness that gives this brew a delightfully well-rounded complexion that is the perfect companion for what can still be a thought provoking watch, regardless of its issues, in Jimpa.

Kiss of the Spider Woman - Sundance 2025

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Kiss of the Spider Woman [2025]

Film

Valentín, a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina, a window dresser convicted of public indecency. The two form an unlikely bond as Molina recounts the plot of a Hollywood musical starring his favorite silver screen diva, Ingrid Luna.

Musicals are back! They’re coming in all different shapes, sizes, and structures. Many are focused on telling stories about a greater variety of characters and with a wider scope of perspectives. They’re being sourced, conceived, and produced with renewed formal experimentation, even if the standard musical formula and tropes are still more or less in place. Kiss of the Spider Woman, written and directed by Bill Condon, is one such musical, a high-concept, multi-layered story with multi-roling performances told with a lot of bravado and a lot of heart. This film balances out its wide-ranging tonality with a lot of songs and corresponding set pieces that work really well and augment the larger storytelling goals in place rather than diminish them.

Based on the stage musical of the same name, Kiss of the Spider Woman is the second adaptation of the 1976 novel, following the 1985 Brazilian film adaptation. It’s set in an Argentinian prison during the National Reorganization Process (or Dirty War), which was the military junta and subsequent terrorism of Argentina between the fascist military government and the anti-communist opposition group that took place between 1973 and 1983. Housed in this Argentinian prison are many national prisoners, most of whom are anti-communists charged with political conspiracy and revolutionary dissidence. Understanding this political backdrop may be important to processing the film’s storytelling details, but I went in with none of this context and never felt overburdened. Notably, Kiss of the Spider Woman is a period piece within a period piece, an homage to the kind of Golden Age of Hollywood 1950s musical shot on a sound stage and in Technicolor, umbrellaed within a historical prison drama set in the 1980s (inspired by true events). While I can’t speak to how well this works as an adaptation or even an interpretation of its source material, I felt like the scenes were built on one another and came together nicely.

My biggest issue with the film has to do with its visuals. The multi-layered aspect of its storytelling seemed to work in Condon’s favor, blurring the lines between loving homage and any creative stamp he put on the project that is rooted in his own visual language. A lot of the musical set pieces are oddly framed and seem to lose track of the pulse of the vibrant choreography. Being that the musical segments are meant to feel like a throwback Hollywood musical, a genre in an era with a more simplistic approach to camerawork and visual flair, I’m mixed on whether they all feel like a cosplay impression rather than a creative step forward (think about what Spielberg did with West Side Story just a few years ago). Similarly, the prison scenes feel a little like director dress-up, as if Condon has never been at the helm for scenes this bleak and dreary. Even still, the filmmaking had enough choices along the way to carry the story and held my attention the entire time.

The strength of this film is in its performances, a three-hander between the better-every-time-you-see-him Diego Luna, the ageless wonder Jennifer Lopez, and newcomer/scene-stealer Tonatiuh, who was the breakout and standout. All three performers take on multiple parts and explore one another’s identities. Though some aspects are more complex than others, all of them need to sync up for the audience to fully buy in. Lopez, who is using her powers for the ultimate good here, plays with her fame and iconography in a more dynamic way than she usually has the opportunity to, capitalizing on her skillet and strengths as a dancer, singer, and on-screen presence. This is obviously way ahead of schedule, but I would not be surprised to see a lot of critical praise and attention paid to this cast in the coming calendar year.

You can’t talk about Kiss of the Spider Woman without exploring its themes of queerness and Latinx. It’s hard not to compare it to its peer, Emilia Pérez, which is currently in the heat of an Oscar race where it claims 13 nominations and is a frontrunner in several major categories. This film is like and unlike Emilia Pérez in many ways, some for better and some for worse; and while I hesitate to put one down to prop another up, Kiss of the Spider Woman is the more impressive and entertaining of the two and does a great job of balancing its complicated themes within its dynamic storytelling structure. Films that are artistically ambitious, politically outspoken, and emotionally tender should never fall out of fashion, especially those coming out at a time when musicals are having a kind of reinvigorated revival.

Froth

Reading the description of Bin Chicken at Offset Bier was the primary reason I opted to order it. Described on Beer Advocate as an "English Bitter," the brewery claimed it is an Aussie Mid Ale, a really easy-drinking beer that generally falls between 3.5 and 4%, or as I like to say, right in the State of Utah's preferred ABV sweet spot. There's less malt complexity here, but after you drink an 11.0% ABV Belgian Trippel before it, you need to balance things out and find some balance. Bin Chicken is auburn in its color, light and citrusy in its flavor profile, and malty enough to keep you interested. There's no chicken bouillon flavoring in this beverage, but it would pair well with some chicken nuggets.

Rebuilding - Sundance 2025

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Rebuilding [2025]

Film

Dusty's (Josh O'Connor) ranch has been in his family for an unknown number of years. A home that spans generations, has memories of its own and is quite simply more than just a bright blue barn on a piece of land. It's a lifestyle, a refuge, and a place that means so much more than whatever monetary value you could possibly put on it. I would imagine its been called heaven on Earth before, and it has one hell of a view.

Yet, despite all the weight the ranch carries, we never truly see it as it was. As soon as we learn of Dusty, he's already selling what cattle he has to try and build anew. In an all too common twist of fate, his ranch has been consumed by a wildfire, leaving nothing but physical destruction and emotional turmoil in its wake. Sometimes art imitates life, and sometimes life imitates art, but the mutual relationship our world, and the tragic fires in Los Angeles, have with Max Walker-Silverman's Rebuilding is difficult to put into words. The recent string of events outside L.A. may have elevated the emotional impact of Rebuilding but I must emphasize the fact that objectively, Walker-Silverman has made a tremendously moving film. A soul-stirring modern western.

From his first scene, O'Connor commands attention with a quiet, restrained performance as the reeling Dusty. Beyond the physical losses, Dusty’s family—his young daughter Callie Rose (Lily LaTorre), his ex-wife Ruby (a tremendous Meghann Fahy), and her mother Bess (Amy Madigan)—are also navigating emotional turmoil, especially as Dusty contemplates moving to Montana for work. O'Connor's meditative and nuanced performance not only captures the emotional weight of losing the memories carved into the wood of his home or barn but also the upstream fight he has to rebuild his relationship with Callie Rose. Combining the emotions of Dusty and his family with the gorgeous cinematography from Alfonso Herrera Salcedo—who's emphasis on natural lighting bathes the awe-inspiring landscape in surreal beauty—and the heart-shaking guitar-centric score from James Elkington and Jake Xerxes Fussell results in a redefinition of the modern Western. A shift in trajectory from the classic machismo of the cowboy, like in the popular Yellowstone series, to a more relatable, more human figure. Dusty's strength isn't an on-screen physical feature, but a piece of character that shines when he takes Callie Rose to the Library parking lot where he can get WiFi instead of in his FEMA trailer, or when he interacts with his neighbors who have all lost everything. The slow and steady community building, while in the throes of quiet grief, is the backbone of Rebuilding and why it succeeds not with O'Connor, but because of him.

Walker-Silverman's sophomore feature is another entry into his affection for the American West, in all of its glory. Focusing on its natural beauty, the diverse people that define it, and the indomitable spirit that the West represents, Rebuilding capitalizes on the groundwork laid by Walker-Silverman's first feature A Love Song. Creating and highlighting the beauty of finding yourself, among other things, when everything has been lost.

At times Rebuilding was tough to watch, especially with the proximity to the devastation in L.A. but never once does Walker-Silverman veer into exploitation. Instead, he carefully crafts a heartwarming story that is bound to be remembered for its touching story, moving performances, and a damn good view.

Froth

It's impossible to deny the impact that climate change has on the increased frequency and severity of wildfires. This is why I'm just going to cut to the chase and say this beer was chosen for its dedication to sustainable brewing. Offset Bier's Just Me: Mt Hood is a single hop Pilsner that utilizes the Mt. Hood hop varietal that was created to mimic the flavor and profile of German Noble hops. And while the flavor is undeniable, bringing in a slight spiciness that resembles a Czech Pilsner, it’s the hops and malt both being Salmon Safe products that drew me in. Salmon Safe is an organization that presents certification to West Coast farms, vineyards, large-scale construction, and urban development operations that abide by certain standards to ensure that they are not negatively impacting the watershed. This, in turn, means there's no detrimental impact on the salmon, among other fish, that rely on these sources of water to reproduce, along with all of the other incredibly important responsibilities salmon carry in their ecosystem.

And while being Salmon Safe is a huge plus here, the other big attraction to this brew is how delightful it is. Its aforementioned spiciness is balanced with a light profile, refreshing taste, and casual maltiness that rounds out a nice, enjoyable pilsner.

Magic Farm - Sundance 2025

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Magic Farm [2025]

Film

A film crew working for an edgy media company travels to Argentina to profile a local musician, but their ineptitude leads them into the wrong country. As the crew collaborates with locals to fabricate a trend, unexpected connections blossom while a pervasive health crisis looms unacknowledged in the background.

Being labeled as an independent film comes with certain expectations. Little-known films that premier at Sundance tend to face the risk of too much early exposure and face an uphill battle trying to meet expectations, which is often harder than it sounds. The movies with the most buzz have to feel familiar to satisfy audiences but also should be willing to break some rules. They have to look and feel a certain way but still offer a healthy dose of subversion. Cater to your audience’s appetites too much, and you’ll be flagged as a normie; push their limits too far, and you won’t appeal to the industry bigwigs who may help secure distribution and ensure you at least break even money-wise. It’s a tricky balance, especially if you’re not well-known and working on the fringes. Subversion versus satisfaction – what’s the right ratio?

From director Amelia Ulman comes Magic Farm, an independent film in the purest sense, a film that is quite literally about how difficult it is to get something made on a micro-budget. Despite being full of creative energy, there’s sadly just not enough storytelling spine for the film to get its points across, and it slowly wears you down with a few too many distractions that come at the expense of its story and characters. To its credit, Magic Farm manages to dodge any obvious genre labeling, which is often a box many independent films are eager to check. The film might be a stoner movie, albeit without much stoning. It’s somewhere between a quirky road comedy, a cheeky journalistic satire, and an offbeat cautionary tale about the blurry lines and differences between cultural exploration and exploitation. And while all those ideas in concept make for a ripe sandbox to play in, the concepts of a movie are just not enough to hold your attention. Tonally, the film resembles an erratic heart rate monitor – it leans into its laughs whenever a good joke is teed up, but its more interested in exploring the space than it is coalescing its pieces. Maybe this is a point of preference and expectation. Are you someone who wants to build a sandcastle or dig in the corner by the grass looking for a bug you’ve never seen before?

A film this fast and loose hinges upon the strength and presence of its performers, and thankfully, Ulman does a fine job of giving her actors, a cast of memorable enough characters, plenty of room to move. Alex Wolff makes the most of the opportunity and explores some of the far reaches of his millennial neurotic on-screen persona. While Chloë Sevigny has less to do, and Simon Rex has what is essentially a cameo, the rest of the cast rounds out an ensemble of performances that hold the strained seams together. Even still, much of the filmmaking decisions were put to the side, whether it be the bland visuals, the uneven editing tempo, or the rough shot set staging. Throw in a few jerky, handheld, insert shots, and mix in some wonky, if not downright goofy, musical interludes, and you have something that is hard to put your finger on and even harder to embrace wholeheartedly.

Froth

As I've quickly come to learn, at Sundance, you have to be hyper-aware of when and how you're frontloading or backloading your ABV. Being in Utah adds an extra wrinkle to this, in that the max ABV you're getting from any beer on draft is 5% (anything in a can or bottle can surpass that). This isn't a problem, I'm just making the point. I understand the more I talk about frontloading, backloading, ABV, and how hard it can be drinking beer efficiently, the more you're worried about my psyche. Rest assured, I am coping just fine and have found ways to maximize my screen time and beer time.

AT Red Rock Brewing Company, a beer-vibrant spot right next to the Megaplex at Park City, I opted to try something a bit stronger per our bartender's recommendation, the Marvella Belgian Style Tripel. Let me tell you, this is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Clocking in at a robust 11% ABV, I can confide in confidence that I did not know that data point before making my selection. If not for some wood-fired pizza (the arugula and prosciutto topped my flash-baked pie as if it were a "salad as dinner" entrée), I might have been in rough shape early. I would describe it as (well, with help from their website) as a golden pale with a fruity aroma and earthy potpourri of dried flowers (I'm still working on hone my beer flavor descriptions). Light where you need and strong where it counts, this was a top-notch option on a menu full of them.

Rabbit Trap - Sundance 2025

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Rabbit Trap [2025]

Film

You know when you're home alone and begin to hear strange, inexplicable noises. Frequencies that resemble your worst nightmares, seemingly appearing out of thin air, mirroring the isolation that breeds them. Bryn Chainey knows either too much about these otherworldly instances, or has experienced them too many times. These, along with English and Welsh folktales inspired the story behind Chainey's debut feature film, Rabbit Trap. Filled with supernatural noises--buoyed by intricate sound design--along with outrageously odd occurrences, Chainey's debut dives into the bottomless well of folk horror, quickly losing its narrative focus. While Rabbit Trap starts with an intriguing premise, it immediately loses any steam, twisting itself into a tangled homage to folk horror’s greatest hits, only to miss the mark.

In an isolated cottage in rural Wales, Darcy (Dev Patel) works as a sound engineer for his experimental musician wife Daphne (Rosy McEwen), often blaring their works in progress across the lonely Welsh landscape. While out recording the natural sounds around their cabin, Darcy stumbles across a strange warbling emanating from the nearby woods. Upon further investigation, subsequent playback, and mixing of the unordinary noise, a child (Jade Croot) appears outside their cabin, starting an eery chain of events that will haunt Darcy and Daphne forever.

For a film that's so entrenched in its understanding and representation of noise, Rabbit Trap does well to provide some extraordinary sound design. Various concoctions of mixing flutter in and out of the first act of the film while Daphne is at her most productive. While the film takes place in 1970, the couple have state-of-the-art equipment, allowing Daphne's twists and turns of mixing boards and tapes to provide some incredibly immersive and haunting experimental music.

Yet for all its sonic prowess, the film falters when it shifts from auditory horror to an unfocused pastiche of folk horror tropes when Croot's child appears. Chainey's screenplay repeatedly emphasizes the eerie notion that sound is an apparition of actions—an unsettling concept that had the potential to be deeply effective. One would expect this idea to play a pivotal role in the unraveling of Darcy and Daphne’s lives, yet it is frustratingly abandoned. But, unfortunately, Rabbit Trap cuts its main premise short, instead swerving deep into a mixture of folk horror ideas that are all as incomprehensible as the next. Strange moments occur one after another but neither do they build upon each other, nor do these events seem to have any bearing on the overall efficacy of the film. It feels as though there were too many ideas for how to make Rabbit Trap a folk horror film, without weeding through any of the weaker options.

From haunting dreams of Darcy's tormented past, the omnipotent forest spirits, or even the strange child's existence, none of these supposedly dread-building moments add to a feeling of terror, but instead serve to obfuscate the true meaning of whatever the hell is happening. Darcy clearly has trauma rooted in his father, who appears in his nightmares along with a shadowy figure, but these motifs aren't only left unexplained, but take screen time away from the horrific reality of Darcy and Daphne. Meanwhile, the child often refers to faeries and the ancient forest people, the Tylweth Teg, but the rich folktales they reference are never expanded upon. Instead leading much of Rabbit Trap into a frustrating territory of misinterpretation, or just plain confusion. For whatever redeeming qualities Rabbit Trap had in sound design, they were quickly snuffed out by the overwhelming tangle of underdeveloped ideas that unravels the very foundation of the film. Making for one confusing and often boring feature that squanders its strongest elements, leaving a film that is as frustrating as it is forgettable.

Froth

Originally I thought Rabbit Trap was going to be a real trip into a dark, aural world of horror that would shake my soul through my ears. For the first 20 minutes I was right, but it quickly devolved into the messy folk horror that I mentioned. But that doesn't detract from the beer choice I had curated prior to my viewing which is Offset Bier's Drawn to the Dark, a milk stout featuring a prominent coffee presence.

It's dark appearance is a reflection of what was supposed to be a dark and dreary adventure, while the coffee is meant to keep you awake not because I found the movie boring but because I saw it in the midnight section of Sundance. The sweet chocolate notes carry the strong coffee flavors into a beautiful marriage of taste while its overall warming properties keep you nice and cozy this winter. At 6.8% ABV it doesn't possess a real boozy presence, instead taking on an extremely smooth and medium drinking profile that makes it an easy drink, and more importantly, a delightful drink. By the time the mysterious child starts shrieking you'll be able to kick back, relax, and take a sip of this wonderful beverage while Rabbit Trap goes deeper into the dark.

Nosferatu: A Macabre Masterpiece

Thu, 09 Jan 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Nosferatu [2024]

Film

Steeped in darkness, visually and thematically, Robert Eggers' reimagining of the classic Nosferatu is a stunning display of seductive, visceral evil as if it were dug up from the hellish soil Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) slumbers on. Following the traditional story of F. W. Murnau's 1922 silent film, an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, Eggers opts to shift the perspective from that of Thomas Hutter's (Nicholas Hoult) to his wife's, Ellen Hutter (Lily Rose-Depp). The result is a monumentally richer experience, thriving on mankind's carnal cravings, a deep-seated fear of them, and a more potent fear of how much one can enjoy surrendering to these desires. Eggers' balancing act of Ellen's sexuality and Orlok's horrific omnipotency strikes the perfect chord, creating a terrifying timbre that pays homage to the ancient roots of Nosferatu yet builds a new modern legacy for which monster movies can yearn to attain.

In Murnau's seminal 1922 film, the story starts with and follows Thomas' adventure to Orlok's home region in the Carpathian Mountains, to sell him a new estate in Thomas' home village of Wisborg. While Eggers' adaptation contains this same storyline, he slides the focus from Thomas to his Ellen, who awakens Orlok in her young adulthood. Calling out to the spirits of the night, Ellen beckons for anyone and anything to save her from her desperate loneliness. Orlok answers her call, appearing as a ghostly apparition—a mere shadow on Ellen's blowing curtains. This moment is beautifully captured by Jarin Blaschke's cinematography, which masterfully combines low-light settings and encroaching darkness. These visuals emphasize Ellen's isolation and subtly suggest her fateful, intimate connection with Orlok.

Layering Orlok's existence with a combination of pure unhinged evil and sexual shame gives Eggers' Nosferatu a stunning depth that its predecessors never reached. Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula merely scratched the surface, giving Count Dracula (Gary Oldman) outrageous rizz-"I have crossed oceans of time to find you" is in fact, a bar-meanwhile Eggers' Count Orlok is a physical manifestation of Ellen's sexual desires. From the very first moment Ellen and Orlok's souls become inextricably tied, there is a prominent seductive nature to Orlok's interactions with Ellen which are communicated effortlessly through Lily Rose-Depp's monumental performance. Eggers has often sought physically demanding performances to convey his deeper messaging through non-verbal means, giving his films a more nuanced feel, often referred to as elevated horror by cinephiles and film bros alike. Performances such as Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson's in Eggers' sophomore film The Lighthouse and even Anya Taylor-Joy's role in The Witch had a subdued demanding feel to it, allowing Eggers to focus on the construction of the mystique, which works to extraordinary measures in Nosferatu. I also have to mention Alexander Skarsgård's role in The Northman, even if it isn't a horror film it might be one of Eggers' most physically demanding roles.

Nosferatu [2024]

Not only is Rose-Depp a standout for her transformative work, but Nicholas Hoult's ability to convey the terror of Orlok lays the groundwork for the rest of Nosferatu to succeed. Hoult’s sweat-drenched body language and expressive terror amplify Orlok's malevolence, making the ancient vampire’s journey to Wisborg feel ominously inevitable. Eggers masterfully builds this sense of impending doom, perfectly complemented by Blaschke's claustrophobic, pitch-black cinematography.

When Nosferatu finally erupts into chaos and death, all of the pieces come together in a symphony of horror that supplants the classic monster movie tropes and establishes a new blueprint. Skarsgård as Orlok sees himself disappear in yet another transformative role and become one with the ancient aristocrat monster. The makeup and prosthetics are incredibly well-done for Orlok, Wisborg, and its inhabitants are immersive through fantastic set and costume design, and I'd be remiss not to mention Robin Carolan haunting gothic score that finds the perfect terrifying pitch for Eggers' vision. I've long been enamored by Robert Eggers' films, from his pacing to his dedication of language to the wildly unique experience each one provides, I've felt as though he's quickly become a monumental force in the horror genre. His reimagining of Nosferatu is yet another step in the right direction as he's found a way to turn a beloved horror classic, a staple of world cinema, into a modern, macabre masterpiece.

Froth

There's little for me to gripe about with Eggers' Nosferatu because just about all of it works. His meticulous attention to detail, the new version of the story and of course more Willem Dafoe, I mean, what's not to like? Sure there are moments that might be too dark visually speaking, but the vibes are immaculate nonetheless. Quite literally, every aspect of this film is fire. Thus, I turn to my most recently discovered brewery and one of my new favorites, Floodland Brewing's Everything is Fire.

I dare not fit into the stereotype of people wanting to describe this beer on the internet as so eloquently put on Floodland's Bottle Log, but this beer is simply, wow. Balanced perfectly between its dry, sweet, and bitter components it really is one of the finer beers I've had. Easy to drink and refreshing, yet with a complexity that keeps you coming back for more, there's a dynamic depth to Everything is Fire that simply can't be replicated. It's a shame that there's an extremely likely chance I won't ever get to try this beer again, given Floodland's brewing model, but that just helps me have more appreciation for the ephemeral. Those fleeting moments where you can't help but take stock in what's happening in the present, and truly appreciate a mastery of craft when it hits you in the face. I experience these moments with Floodland Brewing beers, and I most certainly experienced it seeing Robert Eggers' Nosferatu for the first time. A sense of nirvana that only some damn fine craftsmanship can bring about.

Hard Truths

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 08:00:00 GMT

Hard Truths [2024]

Film

Mike Leigh's latest character study, Hard Truths, pushes the boundaries of empathy with its protagonist, Pansy (Marianne Jean-Baptiste). Mysteriously at odds with the world, Pansy unleashes a relentless barrage of critiques and grievances—often aimed at her husband Curtley (David Webber) and son Moses (Tuwaine Barrett).

Pansy’s outbursts, whether directed at a couple resting their feet on a store sofa or a well-meaning dental hygienist, turn Hard Truths into a test of endurance. The film is as emotionally taxing as it is unpredictable in revealing Pansy’s past. Her bitterness seems rooted in grief over her mother’s death and their strained relationship, yet Leigh offers no clear answers, leaving us to sift through conjecture about how someone can grow so unrelentingly cold.

This confusion deepens when Curtley and Moses—two very reserved and mild-mannered men—bear the brunt of Pansy's relentless rage. While Leigh's methodology of filmmaking, the absence of a script and focus on improvisational writing, brings about delightful dividends with his prior work, the lack of a coherent structure and an abhorrent protagonist make for an exceedingly trying experience in Hard Truths.

While there is some semblance of emotional reward, in the form of a stranger sharing candy with Moses, this lone message of everyone being deserving of love falls flat amongst the grand picture of the film. That being, everyone other than Pansy is a redeemable person. She certainly wouldn’t be the first anti-hero, if qualifying for the title, to alienate audiences. However, the shallow development of Pansy results in a hollow figurehead as opposed to uncovering her varying complexities. As the credits roll, the lingering sense is not of missed nuance but of something that was never truly there.

That being said, if there is a reason to subject oneself to the tirade of Pansy, it lies solely in Marianne Jean-Baptiste's towering performance. The cadence in which she delivers Pansy's commentary is a furious poem that sits in the back of your mind like a gnawing pain yet compels you to watch her every move. Her introspection during a Mother's Day celebration reveals a somber side to Pansy and Jean-Baptiste's all-encompassing performance captivates. It's one thing to be able to portray Pansy's angry side, but to balance that with emotional depth is simply stunning. Jean-Baptiste is not only the most compelling part of Hard Truths-her performance alone makes the film's exhausting character study worth enduring.

Froth

Quite often I found myself begging these characters to do whatever they could to avoid Pansy. Knowing damn well that her unfettered rage would find them, and it certainly wouldn't matter if it was justified. The only way to actively avoid Pansy's fury is to quite literally avoid Pansy, which of course is an impossible task for those that live with her and her loved ones that love her unconditionally. Again, the thematic flow of all people deserving love is a little thin, but nevertheless you can't help but wish these innocent bystanders would exercise a little more caution to not stoke the flames of Pansy's anger. To help us avoid the same grievances as Pansy, yet fully immerse yourself in the terrific Jean-Baptiste performance, we've got the Stoke the Flame IPA from the lovely Cloudburst Brewing!

Incredible transition, I know.

Delightful at every sip, it is absolutely impossible to be enraged when enjoying this double dry hopped West Coast IPA. Brewed in collaboration with Grand Fir Brewing in Portland it takes on the ultimate essence of the West Coast brewing methodology, providing delicious hoppy aroma and a solid bitterness to back it up. Bursting with citrus flavors, and being smooth as hell, this IPA is a tremendous way to end the year.

Best Holiday Movies, Ranked (2.0)

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 01:00:00 GMT

May Your Days Be Merry and Bright

Happy Holidays to you and yours! As promised, I am revisiting last year's holiday ranking, a list that was met with a great deal of derision (some might even say vitriol). Rather than cower and run away from the heat, I'm embracing the flames and doubling down on the project I started. This past week, I re-opened this giant can of worms, moved some things around, and am excited to re-release our list with updated rankings. Last year, I talked about including other Christmas-adjacent films, some B-side honorable mentions (and maybe some dishonorable mentions, too). You'll notice that instead of getting messy and getting in too deep, I opted to include ten films that were not previously mentioned last year, which gives us an even Top 50. For the sake of your precious time, I chose to not talk about each film individually (though I again point you to Version 1.0 from last year if you're looking for a bit of light reading). How and why things are placed where they are is based on repeat viewings, anecdotal evidence, and completely arbitrary gut feelings. This ranking if fluid, and I'm sure it will change again next year. Without further ado, here is the new and improved, bound-to-piss-you-off, please-don't-hate-me, 2024 Version 2.0 of the official Film & Froth Holiday Movies, Ranked.

Disclaimer: These lists are typically conceived whilst having an adult beverage or two. They're flawed. I reserve the right to change my mind and alter my rankings at any point in the future for any reason whatsoever. That being said, please send your grievances to film.froth@gmail.com

50. The Night Before (2015)

Dir. Jonathan Levine
101 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: In New York City for their annual tradition of Christmas Eve debauchery, three lifelong best friends set out to find the Holy Grail of Christmas parties since their yearly reunion might be coming to an end.

49. Love Actually (2003)

Dir. Richard Curtis
135 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: Eight London couples try to deal with their relationships in different ways. Their tryst with love makes them discover how complicated relationships can be.

48. The Polar Express (2004)

Dir. Robert Zemeckis
100 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: When a doubting young boy takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.

47. Jack Frost (1998)

Dir. Troy Miller
101 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: A father, who can't keep his promises, dies in a car accident. One year later, he returns as a snowman, who has the final chance to put things right with his son before he is gone forever.

46. The Santa Clause (1994)

Dir. John Pasquin
97 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: Scott Calvin is an ordinary man, who accidentally causes Santa Claus to fall from his roof on Christmas Eve and is knocked unconscious. When he and his young son finish Santa's trip and deliveries, they go to the North Pole, where Scott learns he must become the new Santa and convince those he loves that he is indeed, Father Christmas.

45. Happiest Season (2020)

Dir. Clea DuVall
102 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: A young woman's plans to propose to her girlfriend while at her family's annual holiday party are upended when she discovers her partner hasn't yet come out to her conservative parents.

44. Four Christmases (2008)

Dir. Seth Gordon
89 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: Brad and Kate have made something of an art form out of avoiding their families during the holidays, but this year their foolproof plan is about go bust -- big time. Stuck at the city airport after all departing flights are canceled, the couple is embarrassed to see their ruse exposed to the world by an overzealous television reporter. Now, Brad and Kate are left with precious little choice other than to swallow their pride and suffer the rounds...

43. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

Dir. Chris Columbus
120 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: Instead of flying to Florida with his folks, Kevin ends up alone in New York, where he gets a hotel room with his dad's credit card—despite problems from a clerk and meddling bellboy. But when Kevin runs into his old nemeses, the Wet Bandits, he's determined to foil their plans to rob a toy store on Christmas Eve.

42. Krampus (2015)

Dir. Michael Dougherty
97 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: A horror comedy based on the ancient legend about a pagan creature who punishes children on Christmas.

41. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

Dir. Peter R. Hunt
142 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: James Bond tracks his archnemesis, Ernst Blofeld, to a mountaintop retreat where he is training an army of beautiful, lethal women. Along the way, Bond falls for Italian contessa Tracy Draco, and marries her in order to get closer to Blofeld.

40. Remember the Night (1940)

Dir. Mitchell Leisen
94 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: When Jack, an assistant District Attorney, takes Lee, a shoplifter caught in the act, home with him for Christmas, the unexpected happens and love blossoms.

39. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

Dir. Shane Black
103 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: A petty thief posing as an actor is brought to Los Angeles for an unlikely audition and finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation along with his high school dream girl and a detective who's been training him for his upcoming role...

38. Scrooged (1988)

Dir. Richard Donner
100 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: In this modern take on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," Frank Cross is a wildly successful television executive whose cold ambition and curmudgeonly nature has driven away the love of his life, Claire Phillips. But after firing a staff member, Eliot Loudermilk, on Christmas Eve, Frank is visited by a series of ghosts who give him a chance to re-evaluate his actions and right the wrongs of his past.

37. Black Christmas (1974)

Dir. Bob Clark
98 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: A sorority house is terrorized by a stranger who makes frightening phone calls and then murders the sorority sisters during Christmas break.

36. The Holiday (2006)

Dir. Nancy Meyers
136 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: In New York City for their annual tradition of Christmas Eve debauchery, three lifelong best friends set out to find the Holy Grail of Christmas parties since their yearly reunion might be coming to an end.

35. Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Dir. Ron Howard
105 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: Inside a snowflake exists the magical land of Whoville. In Whoville, live the Whos, an almost mutated sort of Munchkin-like people. All the Whos love Christmas, yet just outside of their beloved Whoville lives the Grinch. The Grinch is a nasty creature that hates Christmas, and plots to steal it away from the Whos, whom he equally abhors. Yet a small child, Cindy Lou Who, decides to try befriending the Grinch.

34. A Christmas Carol (1984)

Dir. Clive Donner
100 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: Miser Ebenezer Scrooge is awakened on Christmas Eve by spirits who reveal to him his own miserable existence, what opportunities he wasted in his youth, his current cruelties, and the dire fate that awaits him if he does not change his ways. Scrooge is faced with his own story of growing bitterness and meanness, and must decide what his own future will hold: death or redemption.

33. Little Women (2019)

Dir. Greta Gerwig
135 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.

32. Trading Places (1983)

Dir. John Landis
116 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: A snobbish investor and a wily street con-artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.

31. Christmas Eve in Miller's Point (2024)

Dir. Tyler Thomas Taormina
106 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: A rambunctious extended family descends upon their small Long Island hometown for the holidays where hijinks, generational squabbles, and family traditions ensue.

30. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

Dir. Larry Roemer
52 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: Sam the snowman tells us the story of a young red-nosed reindeer who, after being ousted from the reindeer games because of his glowing nose, teams up with Hermey, an elf who wants to be a dentist, and Yukon Cornelius, the prospector. They run into the Abominable Snowman and find a whole island of misfit toys. Rudolph vows to see if he can get Santa to help the toys, and he goes back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. But Santa's sleigh is fogged in. But when Santa looks over Rudolph, he gets a very bright idea...

29. The Preacher's Wife (1996)

Dir. Penny Marshall
124 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: Good-natured Reverend Henry Biggs finds that his marriage to choir mistress Julia is flagging, due to his constant absence caring for the deprived neighborhood they live in. On top of all this, his church is coming under threat from property developer Joe Hamilton. In desperation, Biggs prays to God for help – which arrives in the form of an angel named Dudley.

28. Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1977)

Dir. Jim Henson
48 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: A poor otter family risks everything for the chance to win the cash prize of a talent contest for Christmas.

27. Tokyo Godfathers (2003)

Dir. Satoshi Kon
92 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: During a Christmas Eve in Tokyo, three homeless people, middle-aged alcoholic Gin, former drag queen Hana, and dependent runaway girl Miyuki, discover an abandoned newborn while looking through the garbage. With only a handful of clues to the baby's identity, the three misfits search the city to find its parents.

26. Gremlins (1984)

Dir. Joe Dante
106 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: When Billy Peltzer is given a strange but adorable pet named Gizmo for Christmas, he inadvertently breaks the three important rules of caring for a Mogwai, and unleashes a horde of mischievous gremlins on a small town.

25. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Dir. George Seaton
96 min.

Letterboxd synopsis:Kris Kringle, seemingly the embodiment of Santa Claus, is asked to portray the jolly old fellow at Macy's following his performance in the Thanksgiving Day parade. His portrayal is so complete that many begin to question if he truly is Santa Claus, while others question his sanity.

24. The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)

Dir. Jules Bass / Arthur Rankin Jr.
51 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: Feeling forgotten by the children of the world, old St. Nick decides to skip his gift-giving journey and take a vacation. Mrs. Claus and two spunky little elves, Jingle and Jangle, set out to see to where all the season's cheer has disappeared. Aided by a magical snowfall, they reawaken the spirit of Christmas in children's hearts and put Santa back in action.

23. Fanny and Alexander (1982)

Dir. Ingmar Bergman
188 min.

Letterboxd synopsis:Through the eyes of ten-year-old Alexander, we witness the delights and conflicts of the Ekdahl family, a sprawling bourgeois clan in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Sweden.

22. Klaus (2019)

Dir. Sergio Pablos
97 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: When Jesper distinguishes himself as the Postal Academy's worst student, he is sent to Smeerensburg, a small village located on an icy island above the Arctic Circle, where grumpy inhabitants barely exchange words, let alone letters. Jesper is about to give up and abandon his duty as a postman when he meets local teacher Alva and Klaus, a mysterious carpenter who lives alone in a cabin full of handmade toys.

21. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Dir. Stanley Kubrick
159 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: After Dr. Bill Harford's wife, Alice, admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. He discovers an underground sexual group and attends one of their meetings -- and quickly discovers that he is in over his head.

20. The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

Dir. Ernst Lubitsch
99 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: Two employees at a gift shop can barely stand one another, without realizing that they are falling in love through the post as each other's anonymous pen pal.

19. Bad Santa (2003)

Dir. Terry Zwigoff
92 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: A miserable conman and his partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper to rob department stores on Christmas Eve. But they run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid, and the security boss discovers the plot.

18. A Christmas Story (1983)

Dir. Bob Clark
84 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: The comic mishaps and adventures of a young boy named Ralph, trying to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that a Red Ryder B.B. gun really is the perfect Christmas gift for the 1940s.

17. Batman Returns (1992)

Dir. Tim Burton
126 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: Having defeated the Joker, Batman now faces the Penguin—a warped and deformed individual who is intent on being accepted into Gotham society, with the help of Max Schreck, a crooked businessman, whom he coerces into helping him run for the position of Mayor of Gotham, while they both attempt to frame Batman in a different light. Batman must attempt to clear his name, all while also deciding just what must be done with the mysterious Catwoman slinking about.

16. Jingle All the Way (1996)

Dir. Brian Levant
89 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: Meet Howard Langston, a salesman for a mattress company who is constantly busy at his job, and he also constantly disappoints his son, after he misses his son's karate exposition, his son tells Howard that he wants for Christmas is an action figure of his son's television hero, he tries hard to make it up to him. Unfortunately for Howard, it is Christmas Eve, and every store is sold out of Turbo Man, now Howard must travel all over town and compete with everybody else to find a Turbo Man action figure.

15. The Holdovers (2023)

Dir. Alexander Payne
133 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam.

14. Elf (2003)

Dir. Jon Favreau
96 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: When young Buddy falls into Santa's gift sack on Christmas Eve, he's transported back to the North Pole and raised as a toy-making elf by Santa's helpers. But as he grows into adulthood, he can't shake the nagging feeling that he doesn't belong. Buddy vows to visit Manhattan and find his real dad, a workaholic publisher.

13. The Green Knight (2021)

Dir. David Lowery
130 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: An epic fantasy adventure based on the timeless Arthurian legend, The Green Knight tells the story of Sir Gawain, King Arthur's reckless and headstrong nephew, who embarks on a daring quest to confront the eponymous Green Knight, a gigantic emerald-skinned stranger and tester of men.

12. Carol (2015)

Dir. Todd Haynes
119 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: In 1950s New York, a department-store clerk who dreams of a better life falls for an older, married woman.

11. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

Dir. Bill Melendez
25 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: When Charlie Brown complains about the overwhelming materialism that he sees amongst everyone during the Christmas season, Lucy suggests that he become director of the school Christmas pageant. Charlie Brown accepts, but is a frustrating struggle. When an attempt to restore the proper spirit with a forlorn little fir Christmas tree fails, he needs Linus' help to learn the meaning of Christmas.

10. The Apartment (1960)

Dir. Billy Wilder
125 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: Bud Baxter is a minor clerk in a huge New York insurance company, until he discovers a quick way to climb the corporate ladder. He lends out his apartment to the executives as a place to take their mistresses. Although he often has to deal with the aftermath of their visits, one night he's left with a major problem to solve.

9. Home Alone (1990)

Dir. Chris Columbus
103 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: Eight-year-old Kevin McCallister makes the most of the situation after his family unwittingly leaves him behind when they go on Christmas vacation. But when a pair of bungling burglars set their sights on Kevin's house, the plucky kid stands ready to defend his territory. By planting booby traps galore, adorably mischievous Kevin stands his ground as his frantic mother attempts to race home before Christmas Day.

8. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Dir. Henry Selick
76 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: Tired of scaring humans every October 31 with the same old bag of tricks, Jack Skellington, the spindly king of Halloween Town, kidnaps Santa Claus and plans to deliver shrunken heads and other ghoulish gifts to children on Christmas morning. But as Christmas approaches, Jack's rag-doll girlfriend, Sally, tries to foil his misguided plans.

7. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

Dir. Jeremiah S. Chechik
97 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: It's Christmas time and the Griswolds are preparing for a family seasonal celebration, but things never run smoothly for Clark, his wife Ellen and their two kids. Clark's continual bad luck is worsened by his obnoxious family guests, but he manages to keep going knowing that his Christmas bonus is due soon.

6. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)

Dir. Chuck Jones
26 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: Bitter and hateful, the Grinch is irritated at the thought of a nearby village having a happy time celebrating Christmas. Disguised as Santa Claus, with his dog made to look like a reindeer, he decides to raid the village to steal all the Christmas things.

5. White Christmas (1954)

Dir. Michael Curtiz
120 min.

director Letterboxd synopsis: Two talented song-and-dance men team up after the war to become one of the hottest acts in show business. In time they befriend and become romantically involved with the beautiful Haynes sisters who comprise a sister act.

4. Die Hard (1988)

Dir. John McTiernan
132 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: NYPD cop John McClane's plan to reconcile with his estranged wife is thrown for a serious loop when, minutes after he arrives at her office, the entire building is overtaken by a group of terrorists. With little help from the LAPD, wisecracking McClane sets out to single-handedly rescue the hostages and bring the bad guys down.

3. The Muppets Christmas Carol (1992)

Dir. Brian Henson
86 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: A retelling of the classic Dickens tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, miser extraordinaire. He is held accountable for his dastardly ways during night-time visitations by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and future.

2. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

Dir. Frank Capra
131 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: A holiday favorite for generations... George Bailey has spent his entire life giving to the people of Bedford Falls. All that prevents rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town is George's modest building and loan company. But on Christmas Eve the business's $8,000 is lost and George's troubles begin..*

1. The Snowman (1982)

Dir. Dianne Jackson
26 min.

Letterboxd synopsis: A young boy makes a snowman one Christmas Eve, which comes to life at midnight and takes him on a magical adventure to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 08:00:00 GMT

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim [2024]

Film

Full of fresh energy but familiar spirit, Kenji Kamiyama's The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim offers a bold new vision of Middle-Earth. While it doesn’t quite match the grandeur of Peter Jackson's trilogy, Kamiyama's film evokes the visual storytelling of Hayao Miyazaki. The attention to Middle-Earth’s small, mystical details feels like a love letter to Tolkien’s world, giving audiences an experience that’s as enchanting as it is visually striking. Héra (Gaia Wise) is the adventurous and headstrong female lead, a common theme across Miyazaki's films, but these couple inspirations are where the comparisons end. While Kamiyama's film is gorgeous in its animation, thriving in the kinetic anime-styled action sequences, its story is stretched too thin to justify a two-plus hour runtime. A small amount of nostalgia-filled moments will give goosebumps to fans of Jackson's work, but it isn't enough to carry The War of the Rohirrim across the finish line.

Almost 200 years before Bilbo Baggins stumbles upon the one ring, The War of the Rohirrim takes us through familiar territory: the land of the horse lords, Rohan. Ruled by Helm Hammerhand (Brian Cox), yes that Helm, the land, and its inhabitants have a festering distaste for Gondor, especially the Dunlendian Lord Freca (Shaun Dooley), who finds extra grievances when he hears Helm's daughter Héra is to be wed to a Gondorian prince. Offering his son Wulf (Luca Pasqualino) to wed Héra instead, Helm sees through his veil of uniting Rohan as a means of taking the throne for his own. Insulted, Helm fights Freca outside the Great Hall, where he accidentally kills Freca with one blow, then banishes Wulf after his attempted vengeance. As the years pass, Wulf is nowhere to be seen, but his banishment has led to enemies of Rohan gathering at Isengard, threatening to engulf the land in war.

Kamiyama's vision and the visual team's stellar work perfectly complement the mythical nature of Tolkien's work. Combined with the brutal physicality of anime, the art forms work perfectly in tandem to amplify the strength of Helm Hammerhand, the swiftness of the horses, or the rage of a mûmakil in battle. Transposing the animation over gorgeous, realistic landscapes provides the characters with more lifelike resemblances and movement while maintaining the overall style. The result is a delightfully vintage aesthetic that matches the source material's vibe perfectly.

This animation style reaches even greater heights when The War of the Rohirrim, much like Jackson's predecessors (we're not talking about The Hobbit), engages in riveting large-scale action. Kamiyama's direction presents a more intimate view, most of the time focusing on one-on-one fights, but the kinetic energy of the scenes will keep you on the edge of your seat. Feeling every swing of the blade.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim [2024]

Unfortunately, The War of the Rohirrim is all show and no substance. Albeit there are some nice twists to try to keep you guessing, but its all too predictable. It is a story of how Helm's Deep earned its name, which becomes incredibly trivial in the first fifteen minutes when you meet Helm Hammerhand, even if it tries to keep the focus on Héra. While the newly adapted elements struggle to stand out, Kamiyama's film cleverly taps into nostalgia to reignite the magic of Middle-Earth. Moments like the homage to Howard Shore's legendary score will stir even the most lukewarm fans. But, alas, these high points are too few and far between to muster any cohesion across the story and film as a whole.

Even with its flaws, I can't help but be drawn to the existence of another The Lord of the Rings film that once again sets a standard for technical prowess. The animation is otherworldly and alone makes the film something that should be seen, but the voice acting is extraordinary as well. Brian Cox may have been the most inspired casting choice for Helm Hammerhand. His gravelly tenor adds gravitas to the role, and his emotional range is fully displayed during Helm's quieter moments. Wise's Héra is also fantastic, and it is always good to hear Miranda Otto's Éowyn once again, even if only for narration.

Yes, The War of the Rohirrim has its flaws, but it is also a wonderfully entertaining film that can take you back to the early 2000s when Jackson's trilogy was exhilarating audiences. Even if nostalgia is all it has to offer, it’s a journey worth taking. The War of the Rohirrim reminds us why Middle-Earth remains a place we never tire of revisiting.

Froth

As I said, The War of the Rohirrim hinges on the history of Helm's Deep, or the Hornburg as it was called. Avoiding spoilers, much the Hornburg's time on screen is in a blanket of snow during one of Rohan's worst winter's imaginable.

Talk about the perfect aesthetic for enjoying a nice stout, right?

Slight insensitivities to the people of Rohan aside, the atmosphere Kamiyama buries the Hornburg in is as beautiful as it is desolate. The only appropriate beverage to match the intense cold and impending doom is a stout, specifically the Moon Tower Stout by Hellbent Brewing. Not only is the antagonist hellbent on destroying Rohan, but the moon plays a strong role in one of the biggest moments of the film so it felt appropriate to pair The War of the Rohirrim with a beer not only in style, but in name as well. It's silky smooth, caramel forward taste warms the heart and moves the soul while a drier finish keeps you locked in for more. While Hellbent Brewing might have designed this as a summer leaning stout, it still hits the spot in the cold of winter.

Enduring Erosion

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 08:00:00 GMT

Film

The Brutalist [2024]

Escaping post-war Europe, visionary architect László Tóth arrives in America to rebuild his life, his work, and his marriage to his wife Erzsébet after being forced apart during wartime by shifting borders and regimes. On his own in a strange new country, László settles in Pennsylvania, where the wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren recognizes his talent for building. But power and legacy come at a heavy cost.

"Most artists are more devoted to their projects than they are their own spiritualism – obsession doesn't leave much space for other things." You may be wondering if this is bit of pseudo-enlightened and hyper-introspective jargon was casually dropped during one of Variety's pre-Oscars Directors On Directors sit-down conversations. It definitely sounds like something a filmmaker would say to curry favor and deeper appreciation for their hard work, don't you agree?

Actually, it's just a throwaway pull-quote from director Brady Corbet, something I jotted down in the notes app on my phone that he said during a post-screening Q&A of his new film last fall. In the months I've spent mulling over my thoughts and feelings and emotionally marinating about his new film, The Brutalist, I've also had this quote on my mind. We all know it's hard to get any movie made these days; and of course, it's even harder to make something that strives for true greatness that has enough creative juice to hold it together. It seems that Corbet's remark isn't so much an angled proclamation as it is a wounded plea, one with a sort of canned but candid sentiment that might sound self-congratulatory if it weren't so brazenly honest.

With its wide scope of storytelling, labyrinth of postmodern themes, and its utilization of nearly extinct filmmaking materials to shoot the damn thing, it should come as no surprise to anyone that The Brutalist was, in every sense, very difficult to make from start to finish. It's a film with a lot of ideas about both its story and subject, as well as its own existence. Some may find it persuasive and intellectually stimulating; others may have to work hard just to tolerate it. Those who hail it as an instant classic are quick to call it EPIC and MONUMENTAL; it's detractors accuse it of being HOLLOW and PRETENTIOUS. Personally, I was enthralled - few films hit my cinematic pleasure centers more than The Brutalist did this year.

The Brutalist [2024]

SPOILERS APLENTY

In an effort to not chew up your precious time (remembering that this film has a maximalist runtime), I'm going to keep my plot detailing short. All you really need to know is that a Hungarian-Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor, László Tóth (Adrien Brody) immigrates to the United States. Despite having the chance to start anew, the freedom and opportunities he has in pursuit of a better life is understood more as a dream than a reality.

The Brutalist is about a lot of things. It's a film about America capitalism, then and now. It's an immigrant story, a film about about assimilation and the struggle of maintaining one's own cultural identity. It's a film about what it means to experience, cope with, and live with trauma. Beyond those heady ideas and themes are a lot of other sub textual and meta texual things, too, some of which are more layered than others. The film is about the co-dependent nature and often destructive relationship between art and commerce and about the blurry lines between the artist and their financier. It's about how creativity and profitability are almost never synonymous and how those concepts are inherently at odds with one another. Stated simply, The Brutalist is a piece of art about making art; its a film that is just as interested in its characters and story as it is its own creation and construction, as audacious and shameless as that may seem.

In case you somehow did not know, The Brutalist was shot using VistaVision cameras on 35mm film stock which was then scanned and printed for a 70mm film release. Importantly, this choice is also aesthetic, a transportive way to hearken back to a byegone era of Hollywood moviemaking. It is worth pointing out that brutalist architecture is characterized its minimalist constructions that showcase the bare building materials and emphasize the structure elements over decorative design. So, in many ways, Corbet's approach to filmmaking has much in common with this ethos – he has prioritized the quality of materials used to ensure his work will withstand time and endure erosion. It is also worth mentioning that the film's runtime is runs north of three and a half hours, which includes an overture and a 15-minute intermission. How it was conceived, how it was captured, and how it is being presented to audiences is one reason The Brutalist will resonate more deeply than other films – it is designed to demand your full attention and earn your respect.

There isn't enough of your time or attention for me to gush about the all the above- and below-the-line talent who worked on The Brutalist. The original screenplay, co-written by Corbet and his wife Mona Fastvold (a talented filmmaker in her own right) is dense and sprawling with ideas, but it does not lose sight of its characters and their arcs. Despite having a sub-$10 million budget, this has the scope and scale of a production with much deeper pockets. I want to call attention to Lol Crawley's extravagant and sumptuous cinematography, Dávid Jancsó's precise and rhythmic editing, and Daniel Blumberg's instantly memorable and luscious score. As excellent as the screenwriting, directing, and acting all are, these three craftsmen all turn in what may be career-defining work, and they should all be in line for Oscar nominations, if not victories.

As for the acting, the film's three leads all rise to the occasion. As László Tóth, Brody transforms and delivers a truly great bookend performance that is clearly in conversation with the film that highlighted him as an A-list in The Pianist. He is mesmerizing and juggles the emotional highs and lows of his character with control and a level of unpredictability. As his on-screen counterweight, Guy Pearce is equally unpredictable if not more and manages to be both dangerously charismatic and demonstrably sinister. He is every bit as engaging as Brody, and I'm thrilled to see him dive head first into this character. Which leaves us Felicity Jones, who has less to do than the others with considerably less screen time, but the importance of Erzsébet's arc helps harmonize that of her husband's ups and downs. In many ways, Jones is the soul of the story, the tonic to Brody's gin. While every performance fits together nicely, it is the tug-of-war between Brody and Pearce that I will remember most fondly.

The Brutalist [2024]

As Corbet noted, artistic obsession comes at a steep cost and is often the kind of Faustian bargain that can be destructive and can supercede the state of one's own livelihood. Do artistic ends justify the commercial means? It's hard not to feel like Corbet is the living and breathing embodiment of the themes his film explores, a victim of his own creativity struggling to make something so thoughtful and inspired. In that same post-screening Q&A I referenced earlier, I remember Corbet discussing the film's final thesis statement. In the film's epilogue, an older Zsofia delivers a speech at the First Architecture Biennale in Venice commermorating an now aged László's work. Speaking to a crowd of his supporters, Zsofia offers an inside look into the artistic psychology of the now aged László, elucidating how his experiences with the Holocaust are inextricably infused within, expressed through, and serve as the principal inspiration for his works. She ends by recounting what László once told her: "No matter what the others try and sell you, it is the destination, not the journey.”

Corbet explains that for László (and perhaps himself in many ways), if everything was just about the journey, then the story would simply be about a journey through hell. Making anything is hard, making something great is nearly impossible. As he went on to explain, it can be obnoxious to say stop and smell the roses - maybe there aren't any roses to smell, maybe it is all just a means to an end, and maybe the means demand a great deal of suffering without reprieve. From a filmmaker's perspective, surviving the means and getting to a satisfying end just means the ability to make another project – perhaps one with the same level of autonomy and creative control (hence the cheeky needle drop in the film's cut to the credits, "One for You, One for Me"). Like his titular architect, Corbet has constructed his work to stand the test of time, and The Brutalist is great, not because it delivers a memorable journey, but because it arrives at it's intended destination.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 08:00:00 GMT

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl [2024]

Film

After nearly two decades of absence, Wallace (Ben Whitehead) and Gromit are back with a bang in Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. With machines to invent, cheese to eat, and mysteries to solve, the iconic claymation duo returns sharper (and funnier) than ever. As in their prior films, Nick Park's dynamic duo are politely hilarious, while the classic handcrafted visuals have Wallace and Gromit looking sharper than ever. Similar to last year's Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, Aardman Animations has fine tuned their animation style, curating an aesthetic that mirrors the simple wonders of their film's subjects. Wallace and Gromit continue to be delightful protagonists, finding themselves in extraordinary circumstances only to be solved by their kind ingenuity and love for one another. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl draws on decades of humor and heart to deliver an entertaining smash for an audience of all ages.

Park's latest foray into the world of Wallace & Gromit isn't a direct sequel to Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, instead building upon the story from one of Park's short films, Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers. Feathers McGraw, an extraordinarily antagonistic looking penguin, is apprehended for his attempted theft of the Museum's diamond, now, Wallace is able to continue his merry life of invention with his beloved dog Gromit. As Gromit toils in his garden—a delightful nod to the simple joys of manual labor—Wallace reveals his latest invention: the Norbot. A small robotic gnome who completes all tasks asked of it, including but not limited to, making things neat and tidy which doesn't bode well for Gromit's potpourri of flowers. But as Wallace's Norbot becomes more in demand with neighbors wanting his robotic gardening service, Gromit can't help but think there's something sinister behind Wallace's most recent invention.

Never mess with another man's garden, right?

Park's characters are as charming as their prior adventures, solving criminal cases with a good bit of circumstantial luck and a can-do attitude. The slapstick, silent humor of Feathers McGraw and Gromit is outstanding all the while both characters express profound emotion with relatively static faces. Claymation bits of sweat on McGraw or tears for Gromit are not only technically sound, but do wonders in elevating the emotional output of silent characters. Meanwhile, the delightfully absurd puns such as "Gnome Improvement" for Norbot, Onya Doorstep (Diane Morgan) as a local reporter, and more provide a light breeze of humor that hits hard. Especially paired with the tremendous stop-motion aesthetic.

While somewhat predictable, Park and co-writer Mark Burton have implemented enough twists and turns to create a much more rewarding story than initially expected. This isn't simply another Wallace and Gromit film but a modern take on the characters with more mature elements. Commentary on our dependence on technology and need to push artificial intelligence to the edge proves to be a great story from the perspective of an inventor. In the end, it’s not just the eccentric Wallace, the sharp-witted Gromit, or the dastardly penguin that steal the show—it’s the timeless reminder that no invention, no matter how advanced, can ever replace a good friend.

Froth

There's almost definitely a hierarchy of quintessentially British cinema characters. Do I want to be the one to list them all out? Absolutely not. But I'd love to highlight a few and mention that there really aren't many out there that have gripped multiple generations the way a certain duo has. Among the throes of fictional British pop culture icons, it'd undoubtedly contain Harry Potter, James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, Peppa Pig, Mary Poppins, Austin Powers, Jane Eyre, Gulliver and probably a handful or more that I can't possibly lay out (I admitted I didn't want to). But outside of all of these incredible characters, it's my humble opinion that Nick Park's Wallace & Gromit have captured the imagination of so many people across some thirty years now more than any other. Save me your Mary Poppins and James Bond pearl clutching. I’ll hear debates about Austin Powers, but the stop-motion duo has been in countless pictures, short form or feature length, and they've been undeniably magnetic. So of course, for an American such as I, to comment on British pop culture it would only make sense for me to pair a beer with the inventive combo's latest feature as an exceedingly British beer!

Luckily, the Machine House Brewery specializes in traditional British ales that are not only richly flavorful, but downright delightful. For Vengeance Most Fowl, their flagship Best Bitter is quintessentially British, and brimming with character. The brewery has it on cask so you can get the full experience in person, but even at home it’s well worth it. A solid copper color and off-white head give it the classic British bitter appearance, while the aroma of fresh wood and subtle malt rounds it out. Its 4.2% ABV is perfectly in line with tradition, and its taste goes beyond expectations. Notes of grassy freshness, sharp yet balanced bitterness, and a light floral essence create a symphony of subtle flavors that never overwhelm the palate.

Wicked: Part One

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 08:00:00 GMT

Wicked [2024]

Film

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Jon M. Chu from films like In the Heights and Crazy Rich Asians, it’s his unparalleled mastery of the extravagant. Chu brings large-scale musical numbers and dazzling displays of excess to life without losing sight of the story. With Wicked, he doesn’t just meet expectations—he soars past them. Chu's enchanting film adaptation of the beloved Broadway production is an eye-popping adventure, emanating the magic of Oz at every step, and boasts Chu's vision for boisterous musical numbers that match the vitality of the stage. While there are some confounding cinematography choices that frustrate, the dynamic duo of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo elevate the film to breathtaking--gravity defying--heights.

As in the Broadway production, Wicked takes place long before Dorothy arrives in Oz, primarily at Shiz University. The prestigious college is where Glinda (Grande), or Galinda as she's known as during this time, and Elphaba (Erivo) meet and are begrudgingly assigned as roommates. Initially at odds—thanks to Glinda’s mean-girl antics, amplified by her lackey Pfannee (a delightful Bowen Yang)—the two women form an unlikely bond as they discover qualities in each other that the rest of Oz overlooks. Eventually the two travel to the Emerald City to meet the Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) where the darker themes of the source material take shape, culminating in Elphaba's iconic performance of "Defying Gravity."

Chu's Wicked is a fairly cut and dry adaptation of the Broadway version from Winnie Holzman, and the original novel from Gregory Maguire, but benefits from the wonders of movie magic. Frequent Christopher Nolan collaborator for production design, Nathan Crowley assembles a spellbinding visual recipe along with set decorator Lee Sandales. Combined with Chu's direction and his In The Heights choreographer Christopher Scott's dance construction, the energy of Wicked is simply off the charts. The rotating library during Fiyero's (an alluring Jonathan Bailey) performance of "Dancing Through Life" is as electric as ever, and the top-to-bottom choreography of "What Is This Feeling" is a gorgeous blend of subtleties and lavish ensemble. Yet Chu’s true genius lies in tying these elements together, maintaining the emotional core of Wicked even amid its most extravagant moments.

Wicked [2024]

Moreover, Grande and Erivo don't just fill in for Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel--a seemingly impossible task--but they are able to provide their own artistic twists on their characters. Grande could have leaned into Glinda’s aloof, status-driven persona, which would undoubtedly have delivered great comedic moments (not to say Grande's performance is void of comedy because there is some great humor). Instead, she digs deeper, bringing nuance to the character through subtle expressions, physicality, and emotional vocals. Matching Grande's vocal prowess is the Tony award winning Erivo who is downright outstanding as Elphaba, delivering powerhouse vocals infused with raw emotion. Together, Grande and Erivo's chemistry and mesmerizing performances anchor the film's heart, providing a rewarding emotional experience.

Unfortunately, at times--and I know this is a hot button issue--the backlighting of scenes is a real problem. Washing out scenes with egregious backlighting is a complete disservice to the work that Grande and Erivo are delivering in every scene. Muting Crowley's color palette across the production could be excusable, but to have the backlighting in a scene mask the expressions of Glinda and Elphaba is to undermine their career best work.

Of course Wicked is a part one, although its runtime matches the entirety of the musical production, but it ends with a triumphant "Defying Gravity" that effortlessly prepares you for part two. While long in runtime, Wicked never truly feels long. In fact, the pacing works to the advantage of the film's bustling collection of characters, all the while setting up for a satisfying conclusion. Some moments feel underdeveloped, as with most part one installments, such as Fiyero's overall involvement along with Nessarose (Marissa Bode), but these shortcomings are mere byproducts of splitting the story.

Overall, fans of the musical will thoroughly enjoy the fresh new musicality and choreography, while newcomers will find an exceedingly entertaining musical brimming with life and energy. Giving a whole new meaning to going to the movies for magic.

Froth

Even with the dark undertones of Wicked's story, I believe a lighter, more approachable beer is proper choice of companion beverage. Something with a slight bitterness to match the nefarious nature of the Wizard, but perfectly balanced much like Grande and Erivo's performances. A Pale Ale with a subdued bitterness and accented citrusy aroma plays wonderfully with the bright visuals of Wicked while bouncing around the phenomenal timbre, bringing the magic of Oz right to you. El Sueñito Brewing Company's New Friends Pale Ale fits the profile perfectly, with its delicate balance of Citra, Mosaic and Idaho 7 hops delivering a blast of citrus. Meanwhile, it's slight bitterness and light body makes it a refreshing delight, as if every sip causes you to hear Jonathan Bailey's big note in "Dancing Through Life." Not a bad way to live if you ask me.

Gladiator II: Are You At Least Entertained?!

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 08:00:00 GMT

Gladiator II [2024]

Film

Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.

It's been nearly a quarter-century since audiences were swept away to Ancient Rome and experienced the power and prowess of Sir Ridley Scott's Academy-Award-winning film Gladiator. His sword-and-sandal epic immediately staked its claim at the epicenter of movie culture. Embraced by audiences and critics alike, the film quadrupled its budget and was nominated for twelve Academy Awards, winning five. The film put a spotlight on megastar Russell Crowe and captured him at the peak of his powers, a performance that won him Best Actor; opposite him was Joaquin Phoenix, a future Oscar-winner himself who soon went on to become one of the signature on-screen performers of his generation. It is uncontroversial to claim Gladiator as one of the most influential and revered blockbusters of its time... and probably of all time.

Flash forward to 2024. At the time of writing this, the top-grossing films of the year at the domestic box office are almost exclusively reboots, sequels, or kickstarters to soon-to-be franchises. Major film studios rely on the success of these sorts of tentpole releases now more than ever to keep the lights on. While this isn't a new trend, it is a very different commercial landscape than it was at the turn of the century when Gladiator was released — for better and for worse. Two years ago, the success of Top Gun: Maverick laid the groundwork for the groundswell of movie-going enthusiasm for "Barbenheimer", a two-hander cinematic event that paired the releases of Barbie and Oppenheimer on the same day in July. Together the two films helped bring out audiences for one another all summer; both films garnered legitimate critical acclaim and accolades and created a real moment where it felt like movies were back at the center of culture. But was that just fool's gold or some kind of one-hit wonder? The existential question facing studio heads and film distributors in the wake of Barbenheimer is whether that phenomenon was more of a blip than it was something replicable.

This fall, another dual-release twofer was pitched to audiences to try to recreate and capture the lightning in the bottle that was the Barbenheimer experience last summer. Enter "Glicked," a double billing that is one part Wicked and one part Gladiator II. While the former has done very well commercially and critically and has generated a great deal of Oscar buzz, the overall reception to the legacy sequel of one of the foremost films of the 21st century has been... tepid. At the ripe but still fruitful age of 87, Scott is back in Rome with some unfinished business. While the shadow cast by Gladiator looms large, I for one went into Gladiator II with mild and managed expectations, which is perhaps why I am warmer towards it than others. Many people have lamented that a sequel to Gladiator is "unnecessary" or could "diminish the original film" in some way. To that I say, most sequels and spinoffs run that risk, right? I tried to keep my powder dry and went into my pre-Thanksgiving screening with cautious optimism. Meeting and exceeding the impossible standards set by this film's predecessor is wholly unreasonable, and I found Gladiator II to be most enjoyable when it is content leaning into the exercise rather than worrying about its legacy.

It is worth noting that what happens in Gladiator II feels eerily familiar to what happened in Gladiator by design — at least initially. In the sixteen following the events of the first film, a lot has happened and yet, everything is kind of the same. Rome is still ruled by the corrupt and enslaved gladiators are still fighting their way to freedom. Hanno, aka Luciuerus Aurelius (Paul Mescal) is the de facto hero this time around, and he is of course the grandson of the former emperor Marcus Aurelius and son of Maximus Decimus Meridius... and rightful heir to the Roman Empire. Gladiator II tells Lucius' story, from his enslavement to his rise through the gladiatorial ranks. Like an unknown minor league pitching prospect with an electric arm, Lucius is discovered by Macrinus (Denzel Washington), a former slave turned cutthroat gladiator manager who is well-connected in the Rome's political arena. Macrinus promises Lucius that the opportunity for revenge against the Romans and specifically their general and public hero, Acacius (Pedro Pascal), who killed his wife in the film's opening battle in the North African kingdom of Numidia. To make things almost needlessly complicated, Acacius is now married to Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), who happens to be Lucius's mother, Maximus's former lover, and Aurelius's daughter.

On the surface, these narrative coincidences seem annoyingly regurgitated, like how Star Wars: The Force Awakens felt more like a blatant ripoff of A New Hope than something that pushes the larger story forward. However, in this case, I think if you can avoid overthinking things and see the story in large brush strokes, the film's thematic wobbliness actually works in its favor — that is if you believe Ridley is in on the joke. Like much of Scott's late-period work, Gladiator II is more camp than kitsch. Consider Alien: Covenant, House of Gucci, and Napoleon, all films that are exaggerated by design and aware of their own absurdities. Gladiator II may just be the continuation of this particular brand of filmmaking for Scott, and the film's self-indulgence is in good fun and not the result of some lacking self-awareness. The circumstances and events that take place in the film are deliciously Shakespearean, but the story still carves out plenty of time to satisfy the kind of high-stakes action audiences responded to in the original film. I'm not going to sit here and analyze every storytelling choice along the way, but I think it's safe to say that Gladiator II was conceived to entertain its audience first and foremost, perhaps exclusively.

Having directed 60 films over the course of almost 50 years in Hollywood, Scott is one of the greats to ever sit in the director's chair; and yet, he has often been overlooked, taken for granted by many, and has still never won the Academy Award for Best Director. Despite some of his creative pits and peaks, I'm just excited I had the chance to catch another one of his massively ambitious projects on the big screen (especially this one, as its clear he wanted to come back to this world). And let me just say, the craft and direction, as well as the performances in this film, are still top-notch. Lucky for his fans, Scott's last decade has been especially prolific, and his breakneck pace shows that he's still passionate about his trade and eager to get as many projects out of his mind and into the world as possible. So even though Gladiator II feels a bit reductive and will likely fade into misguided sequel obscurity, I found that it provided an answer to the question Maximus posed to patrons at the Colosseum some twenty-odd years ago with an unabashed confidence: yes Ridley, I am indeed entertained.

Froth

How much time do you really need to stop in for a quick beer taster at a taproom? 5 minutes? 15 minutes? 2 minutes? I guess the answer to that question depends on the person. For me, I learned that 3.5 minutes is just enough time to order, closeout, and enjoy a quick beer hit in a pinch. Before heading to my screening of Gladiator II, I made a pit stop at the Life on Marz Community Club a nano, brewery, taproom, and coffee shop right outside Chicago's Logan Square. In those 3.5 minutes, I ordered and downed a small pour of Jungle Boogie, an extremely well-regarded American pale wheat beer that is one of Marz's signatures. What stood out most was the depth of flavor, something that doesn't seem to always coincide with a pale wheat. Jungle Boogie has a caramelly sweetness with that is subtly hoppy while still being fruit-forward. The key ingredient here is the Rooibos tea, which I would imagine might be a make-or-break for some drinkers. I have to admit that while I was a little skeptical about the description, I was a big fan of Jungle Boogie. Not only did it help prime for Gladiator II and its 2.5-hour runtime, but I could easily drink and enjoy it in 3.5 minutes with ease. Next time, I need to put aside more time at the Life on Marz Community Club to give their beer selection a full taste test.

Emilia Pérez

Wed, 27 Nov 2024 08:00:00 GMT

Emilia Pérez [2024]

Film

Filled to the brim with audacious, swing-for-the-fences musical numbers, Jacques Audiard's vivacious drama-musical Emilia Pérez is a spectacle like no other. When I say, "They don't make 'em like this anymore," what I really mean is, "I'm not sure they ever used to make 'em like this." Bold and brimming with ambition, the film bursts with creative energy, ultimately crescendoing into boisterous action steeped in romance. While much of it falters—unraveling at each twist or musical turn—Audiard's artistry and Zoe Saldaña's mountain-moving performance demand attention.

At its core, Emilia Pérez tells the story of Rita (Saldaña), a chronically overworked lawyer stuck in an unappreciative cycle. Her life takes an extraordinary turn when she’s approached by the powerful cartel boss Manitas Del Monte (Karla Sofía Gascón), who wishes to fake their death and transition into a fully authentic life as Emilia Pérez. With Rita’s help, Del Monte undergoes surgery and disappears, while their wife, Jessi (Selena Gomez), and children relocate to Switzerland, believing Del Monte has died. Four years later, Pérez resurfaces, seeking to reunite with her children in Mexico, setting off a cascade of emotional and logistical complications.

One of the film’s most intriguing but problematic aspects is its handling of trans identity. The story initially commits to separating Del Monte and Pérez as distinct personas, with Rita meticulously crafting a narrative to ensure Del Monte’s “death” is airtight. Yet, the central conceit unravels when Rita, who knew Del Monte for mere months, recognizes Pérez four years later—while Jessi, the person closest to Del Monte, cannot. This implausibility undermines the emotional stakes and raises questions about the film's exploration of transformation and authenticity.

This misstep bleeds into the romantic subplot involving Jessi and Gustavo (Édgar Ramirez), which feels underdeveloped and disconnected. Their interactions, though potentially rich with dramatic tension, lack depth and instead serve as filler. The narrative stagnates here, reducing the romantic entanglements to contrived drama that doesn’t advance the story or characters in meaningful ways.

Emilia Pérez [2024]

Where Emilia Pérez excels is in Audiard’s bold directorial choices. The film brims with vibrant sequences, visually stunning and alive with kinetic energy. The musical numbers, in particular, showcase dynamic set pieces that experiment with genre—from gritty rock raves to tender ballads. These moments are dazzling on the surface but often fail to add depth to the narrative or characters. While three standouts manage to amplify the story, the rest feel more like distractions, their lyrics, and themes too shallow to carry the emotional weight the film demands.

Audiard’s ambition is undeniable, but the uneven execution leaves Emilia Pérez as a tonal patchwork. The film’s dramatic themes, romantic subplots, and musical interludes clash rather than harmonize, creating a product that feels both overstuffed and undercooked. Still, there are bright spots. Saldaña delivers a powerhouse performance, bringing grit and vulnerability to Rita’s character, even when the story doesn’t give her much to work with. Gascón also shines, navigating Del Monte’s journey with sincerity and nuance.

Ultimately, Emilia Pérez is a fascinating experiment—a film unafraid to take risks and push boundaries. Yet its creative ambition is often its own undoing, resulting in a cinematic experience that is as frustrating as it is unique.

Froth

I had high hopes for Emilia Pérez. I'm by no means a musical hater, so my transgressions against the musicality of the film aren't rooted in any prejudice, it's merely the fact that the songs really didn't work for me. Fortunately, Saldaña's fantastic (an understatement) performance kept me focused on the film and carried me to the end. For the films that brim with the hope of a wonderful experience, only to result in something else, I find it prudent to enjoy a beer that toes the line between varying experiences as well. That way, we can have some balance in unpredictability and enjoy the ebbs and flows, the twists and turns of both crafts. One of the newer breweries here in Seattle, Human People Beer, provides such a beverage in their Of the Moment Pilsner.

At first sniff, you'd imagine you're about to drink a classic West Coast IPA. Hoppy bitterness exudes off the head of the beer, delivered from the fresh hopped Citra, making it seem as though Of the Moment will be a higher ABV, more IPA-leaning brew. But its crisp, refreshing flavor, filled with delightful lager qualities, along with some citrus tones and a touch of lime, creates a light beer that's easy and immensely enjoyable to drink.

Anora - A Star Is Born

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 06:00:00 GMT

Anora [2024]

Film

As if injected with the cold, steely exterior of the New York cityscape in which it displays, Anora, and the titular Ani (whose full name is Anora), is full of attitude and relentless tenacity. A chilling front that takes time and a lot of money to get beyond. On to warmer, cozier pastures of affluence and, well, sex. But as is the ethos of New Yorkers, don't you dare try to label what Anora, and Ani are. Ani may work as an exotic dancer, moonlighting as an escort if the situation is right, but calling her a sex worker is going to unleash the fiery wrath of a New Yorker who rejects being thought of as anything outside their worldview. A common thread of the independent free spirit that resounds throughout the concrete jungle. And Anora may be a ballistic screwball comedy at times, but calling it anything other than brilliant is a disservice to Baker and his stellar lead, Mikey Madison.

Born from the ashes of a classic Cinderella story, Anora is a modern and sleek rebirth of the classic tale. Ani (Madison) works all night in a dimly lit strip club where clientele of all walks of life constantly flows in and out of the building, only to return to a contentious roommate in their run-down house next to the train tracks. One night, her prince charming arrives at the club in the form of Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), a childish and callous son of Russian oligarchs who can't get enough of the excess his parent's wealth affords him. As he endlessly vapes the night away, he asks for a dancer who speaks Russian, the manager of the club sends Ani his way, who learned Russian from her grandma but never likes to speak it, citing a terrible accent as her excuse. The semi-language barrier gently foreshadows Ani's ill-fit in Vanya's world, a delightfully subtle hint from Baker's tremendously written, albeit overlong, script. Regardless, she effortlessly charms Vanya into buying a private dance where she grinds on Vanya's lap after taking her thong off, claiming that's explicitly against the rules, while Vanya yells, "God bless America!"

Anora [2024]

While the two are on a trip in Las Vegas, Vanya pops the question to Ani, and they tie the knot in one of those classic little white chapels. Eventually, Vanya's parents catch wind of the supposed nuptials and dispatch Toros (Karren Karagulian), their "babysitter," so to speak, and his two henchmen Garnick (Vache Tovmasyan) and Igor (Yura Borisov) to force the happy couple to annul their marriage. What starts as a sleek, modern Cinderella story of how Vanya and Ani found love in a hopeless place quickly spirals into an expeditious and, at times, screwball comedy through quick-hitting lines and Ani’s physical rejection of the Russian goons’ manhandling.

Baker’s lively direction of these kinetic portions and Madison turning in a star-in-the-making performance deliver the heartbeat of Anora. A sometimes sporadic thumping devoid of rhythm, amplified by the chaos of Ani’s fight for her Cinderella story, while other times, it is an elegant symphony of human emotion and big city dreams. The belief in a dream is so potent that Ani is ready to kick, scratch, bite, and scream even if the feeling isn’t mutual from her Prince Charming. Rich kids, am I right? While the explosive comedic sets between Ani and Toros’ gaggle of goons are entertaining, fluid pieces of character development—at times toeing the line between sensitive and repulsive, such as Igor offering Ani the very scarf he used to gag her—you feel they’re overlong nature. To the point where they may have overstayed their welcome, suggesting Baker may have benefitted from leaving the editing up to someone else. But make no mistake, that’s the only gripe I have with what Baker’s constructed here. Anora is a firestorm of cinematic triumph. It is a complex and contradictory character study that’s equally entertaining and thought-provoking. The final scene, a common place for movies to end on a happy note, is Baker’s coup de grace. A soul-rattling sequence that certainly doesn’t feel good but is the pitch-perfect culmination of Ani’s journey and Baker’s ascension from the writer/director of indie-darlings Tangerine, The Florida Project and Red Rocket to one of the best films of the year and a surefire awards contender.

Froth

Winter is coming.

And with it, Stout season! There's nothing better than cozying up on the couch, watching the snow drift past the window, while sipping on a delicious dark beer full of roasty, chocolate delight. Mix in the frigid New York landscapes in Anora and you've got yourself one hell of a combo.

I tapped Single Hill Brewing's Ursa Minor Stout for this film and I can't recommend the experience enough. Sandwiched between roasted malty flavors is a semi-sweet cocoa filling, if you will, that provides a much desired depth to the flavor profile. Pouring as a near black beer, the Ursa Minor is still light and slightly carbonated to the point where it is easy to drink, yet satisfying with each sip. It's roasted aroma is sure to evoke some warm feelings while its low alcohol content allows you to savor each drop. The balance of the brew is a near mirror image of Anora's turns from romantic drama to wild comedy, bolstering the cinematic experience with an even keel of enjoyment. By the time the finale hits the screen, and the snow is falling upon Ani's ultimate moment, the Ursa Minor will be a welcome companion not only for emotional sanity but to sip on something sweet while contemplating the bitter realization of our own hidden fragility.

The 60th Chicago International Film Festival

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 04:00:00 GMT

The Seed of the Sacred Fig [2024]

The Seed of the Sacred Fig

An investigating judge in the Revolutionary Court in Tehran grapples with mistrust and paranoia as nationwide political protests intensify and his gun mysteriously disappears. Suspecting the involvement of his wife and their two daughters, he imposes drastic measures at home, causing tensions to rise. Step by step, social norms and the rules of family life are being suspended.

After premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, competing for the Palme d'Or, and winning the jury's Special Award, The Seed of the Sacred Fig is recognized as one of the most important films released this past year. Written and directed by Iranian independent filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, this political thriller drama blends fictional storytelling with sobering non-fiction where a family drama unfolds set against a mirage of real images of violent protests against the authoritarian regime in Iran. After a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman died in the police custody for allegedly wearing a hijab improperly, the protests that erupted are from the "Woman, life, and freedom" movement. The film was shot in secret because Rasoulof has been arrested, jailed, and banned from filmmaking in his native country. He miraculously attended Cannes after fleeing an eight-year prison sentence imposed by Iranian authorities in an effort to suppress his art and activism. The Seed of the Sacred Fig is not an effective film just because of its important subject matter, but also because it has a fascinating and messy-but-realistic setup that challenges viewers and their expectations. When a father is promoted into a higher-ranking role as an investigating judge in the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, he is forced into a life of anonymity in order to provide and protection for his family. As the political protests against the authoritarian government intensify, the relationship between the father and his daughters deteriorates. In trying to provide for his family and tow the thin line of danger and exposure, he rejects their feminist sensibilities and considers it dangerous propaganda. Needless to say, using this family as a proxy is a dark way to explore how dangerous repression can be, where distrust can usurp love. With a muscular runtime of 168 minutes, this film gives its audience a lot to handle. The power of the core message behind this film holds the film together, which loses steam and nearly falls apart in the last 30 minutes. This is an unflinching look and fiery declaration against the suppressive authoritarian regime in Iran. The Seed of the Sacred Fig is Germany's entry for this year's Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards, and I expect this film is a shoo-in to get a nomination. The fact that this film exists is a miracle, the kind of courageous act of artistic expression that is meant to infuriate and inspire.

Blitz [2024]

Blitz

In World War II London, nine-year-old George is evacuated to the countryside by his mother, Rita, to escape the bombings. Defiant and determined to return to his family, George embarks on an epic, perilous journey back home as Rita searches for him.

Without question, Sir Steve McQueen is considered one of his generation's most visionary and important contemporary filmmakers. In the decade since 12 Years a Slave, the film that made him the first black director to win an Academy Award for Best Picture, McQueen has been at the helm of several ambitious projects, including the neo-noir heist thriller Widows, the anthology film series Small Axe, and the documentary film Occupied City. His latest film, Blitz, is a historical war drama set in London about a family being torn apart and the journey to be reunited amid the German’s bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in the Second World War. In many ways, Blitz is reminiscent of a film we’ve all seen before, a kind of cinematic echo told in the tradition of other British-centric stories set during World War II (a subject matter and time period with a rich film history). But with McQueen’s sensibilities and through his lens, the film feels fresh and is a change of pace for the esteemed director, an opportunity to work on a larger scale and put his spin on a familiar mode of storytelling. Told through the eyes and ears of a child, Blitz uses its narrative framework to view things primarily through a child’s perspective, a 9-year-old named George (Elliott Heffernan). He is the child of an interracial couple; he lives with his mother, a white woman named Rita (Saoirse Ronan), but his father, Marcus, is a black man who was deported to Grenada. Once the Nazi bombing begins in London, Rita makes the difficult decision to send George on a train to evacuate the country for his safety. As he’s leaving the city, George jumps off the train to return to his mother, and the film is a myriad of vignettes showing George’s journey to survive and reunite with his mother. So much of what’s here feels familiar as far as WWII movies go, but what necessitates this film’s existence is the balancing act in embracing and subverting the tropes that go into that kind of story. In some ways, the film feels like a throwback period piece, the kind of old-fashioned glossy and polished sort of filmmaking to which movie-going audiences have grown accustomed over time. But Blitz has more to offer than just nostalgia and sentimentality. The film tries to deconstruct some of the tropes that are hard to avoid here. Sure, many of the characters are still stoic and have that “stiff British upper lip” that you come to expect in this type of story, but there is a broader diversity and greater emotional vulnerability to the characters rendered in this story. The film spends more time building a world and coloring the culture of the faces and places George encounters during his odyssey. Consistent with his shrewd attention to detail, McQueen unearths (and perhaps somewhat revises) what might have happened during a particularly devastating time and place in our recent history. Blitz has a familiar feeling but is reframed and conceived in a way that could only have come from a particularly gifted filmmaker and his unique artistic perspective. Though the sum of all its parts may not capture the highs of his previous works, I found Blitz to be engaging, vibrant, and wrenching.

Nickel Boys [2024]

Nickel Boys

Chronicles the powerful friendship between two young Black teenagers navigating the harrowing trials of reform school together in Florida.

Last year, I wrote about another magnificent film and talked about how films that affect you and those around you in a profound way are rare gifts. It doens't happen often that you get so engrossed in a movie's story and so fully transported by such high-level filmmaking that you leave the theater feeling like a different person. But when it does, that sort of personal growth and changed perspective can be life-affiriming, life-changing, and on the rare occasion, both of those things. I had this kind of feeling walking out of the theater after seeing Nickel Boys, an astonishing film that is the narrative feature directorial debut from RaMell Ross, which yes, is nearly impossible to believe since he's so damn talented. Based on Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, the story follows two African-American boys, Elwood (Ethan Herisse) and Turner (Brandon Wilson) and chronicles their experiences of extreme emotional and physical abuse at the Nickel Academy in Florida in the 1960s. If you're like me and haven't read Whitehead's novel, it is widely considered one of the best books of the decade. His first Pulitzer Prize for Fiction win came for his novel of historical fiction, "The Underground Railroad," which was in fact became a TV miniseries adaptation, written and directed by another one of our great filmmakers, Barry Jenkins, the director of a little film you might have heard of called Moonlight. Like Jenkins' Best Picture winner, Ross' film is a highly emotive sensory experience that is bursting with breathtaking style and masterful technique. This is a film that makes you feel more than it makes you think, and I say that as a compliment. The POV-framing that Ross employs in telling the story from each of the boys' perspective feels revelatory, and while I'm not enough of a cinephile to tell you or not whether it is, it is so perfectly executed that it might as well be. In the first 5-10 minutes of the film, the first-person storytelling seems like it might just be a gimmick, an aeshetic flourish that will fold into letting the characters take over the narrative meanderings. But as the film goes on, Ross remains steadfast and you realize he has a gameplan. It puts you, the viewer, not just into the story, but the framing insists you think and respond as if you're one of the main characters. It's a powerful tactic, one that Ross is perfectly control of, so much that many times the movements and camera design feels improvisational. The blocking and choreography required to pull off this sort of constant camera movement is a feat onto itself, and I can't really think of another film that I've seen that accomplished something similar. Everything coalesces and synthesizes perfectly including the performances. Herisse and Wilson are great, and their ability to act directly into the camera must have been incredibly challenging. The same goes for Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, who plays Elwood's grandmother, and I believe should be in the running for Best Supporting Actress this year. I won't be diving into what this film has to say about racist behavior America and the dark evils and bitter truths that remain inescapable and unhealing within our culture and history. I don't know how much of a perspective I have to offer in that regard, but I can assure you that Ross does. Nickel Boys is an efficient film in how it says a lot while still holding back, in both big ways and small ways. It is not hyperbolic to call this one a masterpiece, and I cannot wait to see what Ross does next.

TIFF 2024: The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 07:00:00 GMT

The Seed of the Sacred Fig [2024]

Film

It's hard to fathom that Mohammad Rasoulof's The Seed of the Sacred Fig, a searing indictment of the Iranian regime, is seeing the light of day.

Not only did Rasoulof have to shoot the film secretly over 70 days, but he also received an eight-year prison sentence in the middle of shooting. Hoping the appeal would delay his eventual apprehension long enough to finish the film, Rasoulof persevered through filming, at times taking elongated breaks to not draw attention to the cast and crew. A cast that includes Soheila Golestani who protested wearing a hijab and was arrested during the protests at the center of the film for the Women, Life, Freedom Movement. Eventually, the court upheld the sentence, and Rasoulof had to make a decision.

Leave or stay?

These incomprehensible stories are on full display throughout Rasoulof's filmography, but none more powerful than the film at the heart of this timeline, The Seed of the Sacred Fig. Named after an ancient fig tree that grows around an existing tree, eventually strangling it, the film is a scorching tempest of resistance. Against tyranny, fascism, and the theocratic regime of Iran, all centered around the emergence of the Women, Life, Freedom Movement that came to prominence after the Iranian morality police killed Mahsa Amini for improperly wearing her hijab. The film's inclusion of real footage of the movement and the government's violent response to protest by editor Andrew Bird makes Rasoulof's work even more impactful.

The Seed of the Sacred Fig follows Iman (Missagh Zareh), a devoted husband who was recently promoted to an investigating judge in Iran's revolutionary court. He lives with his wife Najmeh (Golestani) and two young adult daughters Rezvan (Mahsa Rostami) and Sana (Setareh Maleki), who now are held to a higher standard like staying off social media, he's even given a government-issued handgun to protect his family should they be targeted. Shortly after his promotion, Iman realizes he wasn't chosen for his work ethic or accolades but because those above him require him to sign off on every judgment regardless of the evidence, including death sentences. This realization takes a turn for the worse when the protests and subsequent violent response by the government occur during the Women, Life, Freedom Movement. But Iman begins questioning everything and everyone when his assigned handgun goes missing--a very literal example of Chekhov's gun thanks to some extremely clever directing from Rasoulof--resulting in a paranoid thriller that will surely leave its mark on you.

The Seed of the Sacred Fig [2024]

Rasoulof's ability to, almost on a dime, change the trajectory of The Seed of the Sacred Fig from political drama to dark family thriller is, at the very least, astonishing. Within this seismic shift of tone, the outward exploration of combatting fascism turns inward. Instead of Iman being a possible victim, he's now the most sinister of villains. It's a gamble, bending the very genre of the film halfway through, but it pays off in searing suspense that keeps you pressed into the back of your seat. The central cast's performances are all tremendous, and their chemistry is entirely believable, making the family that much more broken when the gears of fate begin to turn. Unfortunately, those gears turn for a little bit too long as the final 30 minutes of the film lose steam exponentially. I loved everything leading up to it, but the strange mixture of The Shining and Scooby-Doo displayed in a labyrinthian chase became too slapstick in nature.

Although the ending left a relatively sour taste in my mouth, there's no denying the triumphant film that Rasoulof has put together is one of the most impactful of the year. His dissection of the Iranian regime, resulting in his escape, makes the film become more than just a collection of scenes. And Bird was correct to splice in real footage of the Women, Life, Freedom Movement's brutally violent response from the government, heightening the very real-life stakes and giving emotional depth to The Seed of the Sacred Fig.

While Rasoulof may have lost some footing in the finale, The Seed of the Sacred Fig is still a scorching piece of work from the writer/director, and we are beyond lucky to be able to see it.

Froth

A small hike away from the TIFF central area is a little slice of heaven called Collective Arts Brewing. This, yes that's right, collective had a smattering of beer types that were all screaming my name. So naturally, I had to get a flight to get as much mileage out of my little scamper as I could. While all their beers were delightful, only one could match the genre-bending, tone shifting of The Seed of the Sacred Fig, the Mango, Lime & Jalapeño Gose. Bouncing between sweet, savory mango, the margarita-esque punch of lime, and the heat of the jalapeño, this Gose had a little bit of everything going on. And let me tell you, it was sublime. All three sensational flavor profiles were intricately balanced to not overpower, and they came in different intervals to provide a wholly unique drinking experience. The thick heavy body elevated the mango elements feeling, close to the mouthfeel of a heavy stout, but light and refreshing with lime and fruit flavors.

TIFF Digest: Part 8

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Eden [2024]

Eden

A darkly comic tale of murder and survival, focusing on an eclectic group of characters who abandon civilization for the Galápagos Islands. They are all searching for the answer to that ever-pressing question that plagues us all: what is the meaning of life?

My list of favorite working filmmakers is in a constant state of flux, whether that be with new additions and emerging talent or because of others dropping off and slowly fading into irrelevancy and obscurity. Like most great rock bands or well-run professional sports teams, film directors seem to have a shelf life in the public consciousness, meaning they peak at some point if they're truly great at what they do before they gradually disappear. Those filmmakers who truly persist are rare and worth studying, even if they aren't your cup of tea. I say this with the utmost respect, but Ron Howard just won't go away. After peaking in the mid-90s and early 2000s as one of the preeminent directors of his generation, Howard has spent the last 25 years moving from one project to the next, trying new things, and always finding a way to keep his name in the mix. Since A Beautiful Mind won Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 2002, he has made a dozen movies, including a handful of literary adaptations, a couple of sports movies, and a Star Wars movie (to name just a few). Many of these movies have been Oscar-baity in attempt to recapture some prestige and acclaim he previous enjoyed; many others have been designed to make do good business at the box office, tell a story he's particularly interested in, or come in as a steady, competent hand when called upon. His two most recent films, Hillbilly Elegy and Thirteen Lives, came out as direct-to-streaming options, the former of which I enjoyed quite a bit (I will not be addressing the latter here and now or ever again hopefully). Why am I walking through the last twenty-five years of Howard's filmography? Well, I do think it's relevant when answering the question of whether or not I liked Eden, his most recent film that premiered at TIFF and stars a slew of talented and interesting performers including but not limited to Jude Law, Vanessa Kirby, Daniel Brühl, Sydney Sweeney, and Ana de Armas. First off, if you're wondering whether or not Ron Howard is still a relevant filmmaker, I suggest you re-read that list of names. Whether it be the material or the director, I'm confident in saying that Eden is not only a high-profile movie but a buzzy one at that. The film is a survival thriller based on the true story of a few European settlers arriving at Floreana Island, in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. I'm not going to talk about the film's plotting or story details, because this is one of those cases where I think less is more for the audience. What I will say is that I truly had a great time watching Eden. Maybe that's not because it's a masterwork or something that will gravitate towards the center of movie culture, but I genuinely believe that with this film (and perhaps starting with Thirteen Lives), Howard has landed a late-career bump in my estimation. Eden is far from perfect and perhaps less than the sum of its parts, but it is a flashy movie with a lot of moves and a lot of ideas on its brain. I'm not sure it all comes together, but it did hold my attention and challenged my overall opinion on the trajectory of Howard going forward.

Conclave [2024]

Conclave

After the unexpected death of the Pope, Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with managing the covert and ancient ritual of electing a new one. Sequestered in the Vatican with the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders until the process is complete, Lawrence finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could lead to its downfall.

I can say without hesitation or reservation that Edward Berger's latest film is one of my favorite films that I saw at TIFF this year. As the follow-up to his Oscar-winning German epic anti-war film All Quiet on the Western Front, Berger sets his sights on directing the adaptation of the 2016 novel by Robert Harris of the same name, Conclave, a mystery papal thriller that has more to say about politicking than most modern political thrillers do. The film is set in the context of the death of a pope and the subsequent papal conclave to elect his successor. To be honest, that's all you really need to know to get started! I'm not going into anymore details because I will certainly not be the reason why something in this film gets spoiled for you. There is a lot to love about what Berger not only attempts but pulls off with Conclave. First, the film is an on-the-nose two-hour film that moves with such pace and rhythm that it might've felt fifteen minutes shorter than it is. How often do things get drawn out where you really feel the runtime (in a bad way)? Second, while I know very little about the maneuverings of the Catholic Church (in particular the goings on at the very tippy top of power), this film does a great job of imagining what the behind-the-scenes may actually look and feel like. Whenever a film can pull back the curtain and bring you into a world this convincingly, it is hard not to be impressed by the filmmaking prowess and confidence in its storytelling. What stands out the most for me (not to shortchange the acting which I'll get to in a minute), is the visual flair and keen eye for imagery that Berger brings to the project. This is one of my favorite things that can happen when a director who can aptly handle a big-budget film with a lot of set pieces and moving parts sets their eyes on telling something stripped of the scope but gives it a gravitas and professionalism that feels polished and stylish. He may even be over-qualified to be in charge here, but I for one am truly glad he was all in on elevating this pulpy material into something rich and propulsive. I expect to see Berger only go up from here, but I hope that regardless of what he does next, he continues working with his excellent behind-the-scenes craftspeople and makes a point of carving out time to tackle projects like this. Lastly, I have to acknowledge at least the murder's row of talented performers in this film — Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, and Isabella Rossellini all bring their best stuff to this one. While everyone is fantastic, Fiennes is and will be the one to seriously get into the mix for an Academy Award nomination. For someone who is always great forever, it is absurd to think that he's only been nominated for an Oscar twice and has never won (where both times the film he was nominated for won Best Picture). Regardless of how things shake out, I am confident saying that Conclave will be in the mix, as will Fiennes (and maybe some others?) — who knew a quiet papal thriller could make this much noise?

Viktor [2024]

Viktor

A uniquely intimate portrait of a Deaf person’s experience of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

From director and veteran war photographer Olivier Sarbil comes Viktor, a documentary that offers a micro and macro perspective on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The film follows the titular Viktor, a deaf Ukrainian photographer living with his mother in Kharkiv during the invasion. Due to his different abilities, Viktor has left him on the sidelines of the conflict despite him wanting to serve in the Ukrainian military to fight for his country. That soon changes when Viktor begins volunteering as a photographer, and he begins capturing the overwhelming destruction and hardship that war has brought to his home. Viktor is a challenging film shot in black-and-white that presents its viewers with a wide array of thematic ideas to engage with head on. The sounds of war are inescapably loud, and through Viktor's muffled hearing his world sometimes feels quietly removed from some of the chaos while also feeling even more at risk. Sarbil brings Viktor to life on screen, presenting a complicated man navigating a dangerous world, where art and journalism clash with geopolitical warfare at its worst. Viktor is also in conversation with the influx of films featuring the deaf and hard of hearing that have taken center stage of the film world in recent years, including the mega blockbuster A Quiet Place, the Best Picture-winning CODA, and Sound of Metal, whose Oscar-winning sound design team also worked on Sarbil's film. The attention to detail in how Viktor's world is communicated is effective and helps the audience get a better feel for what it is seemingly like to live your life this way. However, what I respected most is that the film is not just a piece of geopolitical propaganda catering to the film community. To his credit, Sarbil presents Viktor as a complicated man, not a victim, nor a martyr. His deafness does not define him but it does present both obstacles and opportunities alike. He is in some ways a product of his environment, and some his deeply held beliefs and ideologies stand in contrast to what many viewers might believe themselves. All that said, Viktor does what any great documentary should attempt to do — it has a story to tell and finds a way to bring its audience in, not shut it out.

Heretic [2024]

Heretic

Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed, becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

This was my festival closer! What's better than wrapping things up with a late-night horror premiere? Co-directed by Scott Beck & Bryan Woods comes the A24 psychological horror film Heretic, starring Sophie Thatcher as Sister Barnes, Chloe East as Sister Paxton respectively, and in a so bizarre it works heel turn from Hugh Grant, who plays Mr. Reed. I purposely went into this screening knowing very little about what the film was about, which I do believe helped my viewing experience in this case. It's easier now than ever to let your expectations dictate your feelings mid- and post-movie, especially when it is a genre film built on suspense and surprises. Let me start by saying that Heretic is certainly one of the talkiest horror movies I've ever seen, particularly in the first half of the runtime. It is far from uncommon for a film like this to have a lot of expository setup and thematic situating, but Heretic takes that sort of table setting much, much further in both good and bad ways. I've seen the film described as a piece of chamber horror, which I think brilliantly captures the mood and structure the filmmakers are going for. After the two young missionaries are somewhere between awkwardly stuck and legitimately trapped in Mr. Reed's orbit of semantics and philosophical sparring, the film lets Grant cook and jabber on and on and on. A lot of what he says is interesting — it always makes for a more entertaining movie when the villain makes some good points! And just as Sister Paxton and Sister Barnes are trying to impart their beliefs to others, Mr. Reed flips the script and begins to slowly chip away at their own beliefs and the very reason why they found themselves in this position in the first place. As a piece of chamber horror, I think Heretic is pretty effective and worthwhile. Admittedly, I lost interest after about the 50-minute mark when I realized that this labyrinth of points Mr. Reed was playing around with started to spin its tires. In an effort to avoid spoilers, part of me wonders whether or not the film would've worked better if it really stuck to it's one-location promise that the characters settle into when they first meet Mr. Reed. The film kind of felt like it was in conversation with too many ideas and too many other films to really convince me it had something to say beyond, "don't be an asshole no matter how many people knock on your door trying to sell you something." Performance-wise I thought both Thatcher and East really nailed their parts; as for Grant, I could tell he was having a great time chewing up every line delivery and relishing in the opportunity to play against type.

TIFF Digest: Part 7

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

We Live in Time [2024]

We Live in Time

An up-and-coming chef and a recent divorcée find their lives forever changed when a chance encounter brings them together, in a decade-spanning, deeply moving romance.

I like my romantic dramedies like I like my eggs: scrambled. Though I imagine some prefer to have this genre of movie served over easy or sunny side up (wow, that egg bit ran out of steam quickly), I believe the power of We Live in Time is its nonlinear storytelling structure and the undeniable chemistry between it's two lead performers. The film is directed by John Crowley of Brooklyn fame and stars Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, both of whom are mega-famous and incredible actors. It seems pretty rare to have such a high pedigree of talent tied to this sort of material — we live in (a) time where D-level rom coms are as regularly available on streaming services as new seasons of Love Is Blind. But what really helps Crowley's film stand head and shoulders above the majority of other heart-string plucking movies you might have seen recently is that it isn't relying on what some have described as "cheap emotional manipulation." I think that undersells what is going on in Nick Payne's imaginative screenplay. We Live in Time explores how our memories are often disorganized and fragmented, how we often forget the order in which things happen in our lives, and how we can remember and cherish the small but specific details of those big happenings. The film is carefully structured so that certain stories feel serendipitous in retrospect and its characters setbacks might sting more because of what has already happened. Doesn't that feel true to life? I applaud the structure of Payne's screenplay, not because it is without flaw but because it is full of them. Even if some critics find the script to be a bit thin, I think there are some serious screenwriting flexes in the way the breadcrumbs are laid out for future payoffs that is being underappreciated. As for Pugh and Garfield, I don't think I have much to say; this is a mighty two-hander, a case where where two A-listers brought their A-game. You can keep your bland and over-cooked romantic dramedies. I'll take mine messy and scrambled with a side of extra crispy hashbrowns please.

K-Pops! [2024]

K-Pops!

A washed-up musician travels to Korea to write for K-pop stars, discovering that his long-lost son is set to front one of the country’s hottest new groups. He then jumps at the opportunity to capitalize on his son’s stardom for his own renaissance, but learns that fatherhood is much more fulfilling and meaningful than stardom.

Anderson .Paak is a Grammy-award-winning singer, rapper, and record producer, a jack-of-all-trades with limitless talent who can excel at almost anything he sets his mind to. Oft-referred to as a musical polymath, Paak is an artist full of ambition who is confident enough in his skills and know-how to bend and blend things to his will in service to whatever project he's working on at the time. His artistic sensibilities and creative instincts make him a performer to never underestimate, and he's someone who can call the shots even when he's in the room with someone as freakishly talented à la Bruno Mars or Kendrick Lamar. There seems to be an overlap with these kind of traits and those of a filmmaker, does there not? His directorial debut feature film, K-Pops is a family comedy that seems to know what it's trying to say but has a hard time communicating those ideas effectively. The film is a bit choppy and messy the same way many debut features are choppy and messy, so that isn't really the issue. While it would be callous and rather uncharitable of me to describe this film as something of a vanity project, I might describe K-Pops is a labor of love that feels a bit belabored. The funny bits might have just tried too hard to be funny, the heartfelt moments might have just tried too hard to be heartfelt, and any of it's more nuanced ideas might have just been overshadowed by the bigger and louder elements of the film. As a performer, Paak knows just how to put himself in a position to succeed and win over his audience — as a director, he could use a few more reps. Still, K-Pops is a fun time overall that somehow manages to work too hard and too little at the same time.

The Quiet Ones [2024]

The Quiet Ones

In 2008, a group of men from Denmark and across Europe pull off the biggest heist of all time on Danish soil. Kasper, a boxer with few chances left in life, is offered the opportunity to plan the robbery by its foreign initiators.

At my core, I wouldn't describe myself as the kind of person who headbangs to metal, looks or acts like a badass, or could make a living working as a contributor to a highly-skilled crime synidcate. In fact, I'm absolutely confident I'm not that person (I spend my free time going to movies and blogging, of course I'm not that person). However, I do have an itch for the sort of detailed and edgy heist thriller that is focused on the process of crime as much as the potential consequences. The Quiet Ones, directed by Frederik Louis Hviid, is inspired by a true-to-life crime that took place in 2008 and was the biggest heist in the history of Denmark. The film shares a similar affinity for the meticulousness required if you want to pull off this sort of high-stakes job reminiscent of what Michael Mann was so expertly communicated in his neo-noir heist film, Thief. Like Mann, Hviid does well to spell out the sort of rigorous professionalism that is required of its perpetrators in this line of work. Every single element of the planning and execution has to be perfect without fail. Kasper, played by the rugged Gustav Giese is the film's center of gravity, and he handles his leading role with emotional legibility that kept me invested in how things would turn out at the end. It is worth pointing out that the film is extremely masculine, almost to a fault. However, there are enough storytelling turns to keep things interesting, even if some of those choices are perhaps a bit on the nose and predictable (I'll show some restraint and let you find out for yourself). What makes The Quiet Ones a story worth telling is, well the story — it seems almost too unbelievable to believe. But what ultimately makes The Quiet Ones a movie worth watching is how convincingly it's characters plan and execute that plan to an exacting degree.

The Return [2024]

The Return

After twenty years away, Odysseus washes up on the shores of Ithaca, haggard and unrecognizable. The king has finally returned home, but much has changed in his kingdom since he left to fight in the Trojan war.

27 years after The English Patient was released and went on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, its two stars Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes, reunite on the big screen as co-leads in Uberto Pasolini's The Return. The film, adapted by Edward Bond, John Collee and Pasolini is a retelling of Homer's Odyssey, which in case you're confused is indeed THE Odyssey, aka one of the oldest works of literature and one of just two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer (the other being of course, the Illiad). The story of The Return, as I understand it, takes place after the Trojan War when Odysseus (Fiennes) returns home to Ithaca after 20 years (and by returns I mean washes ashore because our dude is spent). Odysseus soon finds that things have gone downhill during his time away and his family is burdened with the restlessness that comes with a lack of authority and stability on the island. His wife Penelope (Binoche), though confident Odysseus will return, is buying time despite her safety being in jeopardy. Odysseus may be broken man, but there is still time to make things right (I'm not sure why I just walked through the skeleton of the plot like that, I kind of made it sound like a cheesy 80's action movie). I don't think I need to go into more details, since this is a film that is focused on the intimacies that come with big picture storytelling. My biggest knock against The Return is also my biggest point of praise: the film is unflinchingly gritty and dour by design. We're so accustomed to some sugar to help the medicine go down when it comes to these kind of movies that it is almost disorienting when the tone is this muted. This is a stripped down rendering of Homer's story, one where the vibes have to feel right if you want the audience to get transported back in time. While I wouldn't say I had a good ol' time watching it as a means for entertainment, the craft was immersive and the storytelling was certainly effective. By casting Fiennes and Binoche, Pasolini pairs together two performers who ground the film thanks to their innate chemistry; they can do a lot with a little while still keeping things simple.

TIFF Digest: Part 6

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 04:00:00 GMT

The Last Showgirl [2024]

The Last Showgirl

A seasoned showgirl must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run.

The Last Showgirl features a cast of many familiar faces orbiting around a lead performance from Pamela Anderson, an unlikely center of gravity for a festival-running, dramatic film. Directed by Gia Coppola (yes, from that Coppola family), the film follows Shelley (Anderson), a veteran Vegas showgirl who is on the cusp of a midlife transition. The show she has been dancer for in Sin City is shutting down and having its final curtain call after her being a fixture of the show for 30 years. The film is about beginnings and endings, how one thing doesn't necessarily begin as soon as another ends and how our lives can flash by quickly as well as stall or pause without notice. The Last Showgirl is by all accounts an independent film made for a small budget by filmmakers who are passionate about the material and its characters. The film has great atmosphere – every room and location feels lived in and real (probably because they are). Some of the writing felt either a little too on the nose or a bit thin at times, but the film's pacing and tight runtime helped keep me engaged the whole time. In many ways, The Last Showgirl would make for an interesting double feature (companion piece / palate cleanser) with The Substance; both films, while diametrically opposed in their design and tone, are reckoning with similar themes of how aging and beauty and the impossible pressures of being a woman and maintaining one's youth. Like Demi Moore's performance in The Substance, Anderson hands over her entire self, the good and the bad, the highs and lows, and the full array of triumphs and baggage from her life and career in service to the story. There is a depth of character and internalization that is omnipresent with her performance as Shelley that would certainly not be present for another actress. The film asks a lot of her, and she rises to the occasion and delivers an honest and heartfelt performance. Watching her work through each scene, I greatly admired her courage and transparency and was particularly impressed by her acting chops considering she's put in a position to hold the screen acting opposite a cast of high-caliber actors. Void of vanity and presented with a lack of varnish, The Last Showgirl is immersive and affecting.

Daniela Forever [2024]

Daniela Forever

A man struggling to come to terms with the sudden death of his girlfriend in an accident six months prior signs up for a sleep trial that allows him to reconstruct his life with her through the use of lucid dreams.

Pairing science fiction with romantic drama is a combination that is easy to sign up for, hard to unsubscribe to, and usually underwhelming. Like so many attempts before it, Daniela Forever is built on an interesting premise but loses its focus once the soft sci-fi mechanics at work overpower the emotional stakes of the film. I think these types of films often struggle to pull together a worthwhile payoff looks like, which perhaps says more about audience expectations than it does the tropes of the genre. To be fair, romantic dramas don't have to end happily – in fact, sometimes sadder is better. What doesn't ultimately work in Daniela Forever is easy to feel but hard to describe. I guess my issues with the film are related to the the more basic components of the storytelling itself rather than the fringier genre liberties taken by director Nacho Vigalondo. Like so many other films working in this mode, Daniela Forever tries to overexplain its premise early on so it doesn't have to later. The problem is its initial explanation is somewhat convoluted (which is fine until it's not fine). My biggest issue is the manipulative quality to the word-building and metaphysical misdirection. I'm all for a film working to intentionally keep its audience off-balance, but I'm usually against that practice when it is either overused and/or abused for the sake of dramatic reveals and gotchas. Just because Nicholas (Henry Golding) descends into greater confusion as the film goes along doesn't mean the audience should feel the same way. Just because the flimsy nature of reality within a dreamscape can make for playful or heartbreaking turns doesn't mean the ride necessarily goes anywhere interesting. It's difficult to parse out whether the pieces of this Daniela Forever don't come together for one reason or another, and I think it's safe to say it didn't coalesce for me for a myriad of reasons. Despite it all, I still encourage those who have a hard time passing on this brand of sci-fi + romance to seek out the film – it could work better for others than it did for me.

The Damned [2024]

The Damned

Winter 1862. In the midst of the Civil War, the US Army sends a company of volunteer soldiers to the western territories, with the task of patrolling the unchartered borderlands. As their mission ultimately changes course, the meaning behind their engagement begins to elude them.

Roberto Minervini's Civil War film, The Damned, is designed with the kind of observational minimalism and show-don't-tell commitment that you either get totally wrapped up in or slowly drift away from (depending on your storytelling preferences). It's the sort of singular artistic exploration that can only be expressed through film, where each scene is so loosely connected together that the story begins to feel.... nearly real. Every character remains nameless to the audience, but they are memorable for their faces, their conversations (or lack thereof), and the obstacles they encounter along their journey. In that way, it has something in common with Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk. However, The Damned goes the extra mile in forcing its audience to accept less than they may typically expect from their big-screen storytelling; the details are stripped down to the point of being nearly naked. There is a lot less to hold on to than some viewers might found worth their while after the two hours of investment. The Damned is somewhere between a meditative war movie, an unforgiving western, and a moody art film. It reminded me of what I bet Terrence Malick would do today if he were to make a war movie set on the frontier (but with a lot less meandering). Despite the bare bones approach to the storytelling, I did not find the lack of narrative specifics to be an obstacle for holding my attention. If anything, I felt like my interest in the back half of the film waivered because I felt like the story might have settled for less than it was promising once things began to break down after the first significant conflict (or maybe that's just a byproduct of making a film where it becomes difficult for any character to make it out of this story alive). I don't believe Minervini was interested in making some sweeping decree on the how "war is hell," a somewhat oversaturated thesis that feels a bit tired at this point. No, his film is a subtler, stiller, and leaner. The Damned is a difficult movie to love but an easy one to respect, particularly the rawness of its design and the naturalism of its execution. This film has dirt under its fingernails and is far from a rehash of something we've all seen before.

TIFF Digest: Part 5

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 07:00:00 GMT

SATURDAY NIGHT [2024]

SATURDAY NIGHT

Coalescing with the 50th season of Saturday Night Live, in a move of either serendipitous coincidence or masterful marketing, is the Jason Reitman written and directed story of how the show all started, SATURDAY NIGHT. Recreating the chaotic 90 minutes leading up to the first-ever broadcast of Saturday Night Live, Reitman's film is a funny, nostalgic slice of life in the way that things never really go to plan until (sometimes) the very end. That is if you can survive the anxiety leading up to it.

SATURDAY NIGHT's cast is a solid mixture of knowns and unknowns, portraying a group of unknowns at the time. Dylan O'Brien's Dan Aykroyd, Corey Michael Smith's Chevy Chase, and Lamorne Morris' Garrett Morris are highlights through their charismatic performances. Eating up every morsel of hard-to-come-by screentime. And when I say hard-to-come-by, I mean it. SATURDAY NIGHT is overstuffed and underdeveloped in exploring individuality through the original SNL cast. Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan in their attempt to include everything about that first show, end up relegating many of the comedians into after-thoughts. Understandably, the focus is on Lorne Michaels--a woefully miscast Gabriel LaBelle, buoyed by the fact that Michaels has little to no public persona--and his attempts to wrangle an unruly gaggle of actors before David Tebet (Willem Dafoe) pulls the plug. Still, it's ultimately distracting to have so many big names running in the background. In a way, the film plays as a self-indulgent promotion, dredging up the likeness of comedians--some of whom have unfortunately passed--to highlight the 50th anniversary of a show that, honestly, has lost a lot of its luster. But removing that glaring smudge and consuming the film as a standalone entity is still quite a blast. The anxiety-inducing powder-keg filmmaking style pairs perfectly with the frenetic pace and events taking place. Sometimes, the background noise gets too powerful, causing the dialogue to be nonexistent, but overall, the sound design works to effectively quicken your heart rate. While we know how the outcome of the night works out, some 50 years later, which can reduce some of the thrills of the film, it still is a fun and wildly entertaining trip down memory lane.

Presence [2024]

Presence

The great Steven Soderbergh is back in the director's chair after what is always a short absence—honestly, I don't think the man ever sleeps--to helm what is his most experimental film to date, Presence. Shot entirely from the POV of some ghostly entity, carefully floating throughout a house as a new family moves in, Soderbergh's latest film is a nuanced and incredibly entertaining tour de force from the storied director. Unlike anything he's made before, Presence feels like an evolution of what film can be. Blurring the line between the audience and the film, the original camera angling allows us to feel as if we, the audience, possess the agency to affect the outcome of the film's events.

As the first scene hits the screen, we see the real estate agent (Julia Fox) scramble into the house she's showing to our protagonist family (Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Eddy Maday) and somehow everything looks familiar, yet completely new. We, the spectral presence haunting the home, are immediately felt by Liang's daughter character in a meta moment of recognition that broaches the very boundaries of the lens. It is as if the character is acknowledging our presence--pun intended--as the voyeur. It feels strange that a film character recognizes the audience in a way, but it works exceedingly well here. Small pushes against the fourth wall are scattered throughout Presence where David Koepp's script flutters between the melodramatic teenage family drama and thrilling ghost story horrors, all the while, we remain hovering, silently watching as the menacing yet benevolent entity haunting the family's home. Within this fluidity of morality for ourselves is where Soderbergh soars. The drama between Maday and Liang as teenage siblings creates tension as a combination of cringe groans from a teenage boy bragging about receiving nude pictures to fury about toxic masculine braggadocio, reaching a boiling point where we feel as though we should be intervening. Such intervention is phenomenally orchestrated by the camera flying up the stairs and trashing Maday's exceedingly teenage-boy-decorated room. In essence, Soderbergh has found a way to provoke an emotional reaction from the audience and then allow them to feel like they acted on it through clever camera movement and sensational direction. Koepp's screenplay does hit a bit of a snag in the climactic moment of the film with some choppy dialogue that feels more removed than the rest of the film, but it’s a small dent in an otherwise exquisitely crafted cinematic experience. Not to mention, the finale left me in a stew of emotions ranging between heartbreak and terror that culminates in a collective out-of-body experience with the rest of the audience, where we float up above the clouds. All realize together that Soderbergh has pushed the boundaries of cinema with Presence; a groundbreaking achievement by all measures.

The Piano Lesson [2024]

The Piano Lesson

Malcolm Washington's writing and directorial debut comes in the form of adapting August Wilson's play for the big screen. Washington's The Piano Lesson even takes a literal page out of Wilson's work by having multiple actors from the Broadway production in 2022 reprise their roles. Actors such as John David Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Fisher, and Michael Potts all return to their roles, while Washington also makes the incredibly prudent move to cast Danielle Deadwyler as Berniece Charles, whom she plays with the fire and passion that Deadwyler has come to be known for. The stories of the two projects are intertwined, sharing the same arc. Boy Willie (Washington) and his friend Lymon (Fisher) visit Willie's uncle Doaker Charles (Jackson), along with Willie's sister Berniece (Deadwyler), to work towards Willie's financial goal of being able to buy farmland back down south. All he needs to do is sell all the watermelon in the truck they drove up with and convince Berniece to sell their family's piano, a precious heirloom with a tragic history. A history that doesn't seem to be done haunting the Charles family.

As someone who wasn't aware of the full story from the Broadway production, the descent from family drama into supernatural horror was unexpected but fares well with the writing. The point of contention is Berniece's reluctance to sell the piano, given all her family has gone through to still have it, and Willie's negligence to confront the past and instead steamroll into what he believes is a more idealistic future. Ebbs and flows of deep-seated familial grief are fantastic backdrops for the ghostly elements of The Piano Lesson and Washington does well to never lean too far into the silliness of ghost stories. Instead, he opts for a more grounded approach, where the specters of the past can only be conquered by embracing the pain of the past, calling upon those who've come before you, and relying on their strength and resilience. While John David Washington has a tremendously charismatic and entertaining performance, the film would be nothing if not for Deadwyler's phenomenal abilities. She crushes everything in her wake with gravitas and the emotional weight that Wilson's story requires, elevating Washington's first directing project. Deadwyler is a force to be reckoned with, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a better performance this year.

While the performances were great, and the story a strong adaptation, The Piano Lesson is bogged down by some of Washington's unseasoned skills. The film relies too much on the material, at times feeling as if you're watching a recording of the play itself. Washington can continue to learn the power of the camera, the angles it can provide, and the depth it can bring to a story. By no means is it a bad debut, but one that Washington can continue to grow from, and I do not doubt in my mind that if there's anyone who can continue to get better, it's one of the Washington's.

It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This [2023]

It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This

You would imagine that not only buying a run-down duplex in an eerie neighborhood is a little unnerving, but also finding out that strangers line up outside this house in the middle of the night to simply stare at it. Eventually dispersing after multiple hours of... staring. Well, it would scare the hell out of me, but not so much for Rachel Kempf and Nick Toti who wrote, directed, and starred in their found footage horror film, It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This.

Rachel and Nick, out to create one of their films along with their friend Christian, end up purchasing the aforementioned duplex, thinking it would be the perfect haunting location for a seance or two. The only problem is that installed security cameras keep on recording hours on hours of footage of neighbors, close and distant, standing around the duplex and staring, motionless through the night. What's great about Rachel and Nick's film is that it doesn't succumb to the usual pitfalls of found footage films. Where the camera operator is terrified, sometimes running for their life like in Cloverfield, yet they continue to film for some godforsaken reason, Rachel and Nick effectively subvert this trope by effectively wrapping us up in the story of how they're trying to capture these supernatural or paranormal occurrences. Not to mention, Rachel and Christian's constant seances, along with Nick's desire to film, make the group much more grounded in their pursuit of continued filming instead of running for the hills. Their chemistry and humor make them that much more endearing, which in turn gives some real juice to the more terrifying elements of the film, elevating the stakes. However, this same humor, or more specifically the levity with which "the staring people" are met with, eliminates any real threat they pose. What should be a haunting mass of people is turned into a punchline time and time again. It's an entertaining idea, flipping the horror of It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This on its head but also turning a novel idea into a lukewarm, tonally inconsistent experience. The one true scare in the film is the result of a deafening noise that unveils the group's new obsession and, in turn, poses way too many unanswered questions on mythology and world-building. Eventually snowballing into a lackluster finish that left me thinking it could possibly, be a little better than this.

TIFF Digest: Part 4

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Bird [2024]

Bird

Andrea Arnold has always had a knack for crafting experiential films. Movies are meant to be felt as part of a wholly immersive experience. Arnold achieved this through her older films Wasp, Dog, American Honey, Wuthering Heights, and although she takes a slightly different approach with Bird, the textbook Arnold texture remains salient.

Bird, maintaining Arnold's theme of single-word animal titles, is an intriguing perspective on burgeoning womanhood through the eyes of Bailey, played by the revelatory newcomer Nykiya Adams. Bailey squats in a run-down apartment complex with her brother Hunter (Jason Buda) and their father, Bug (Barry Keoghan), who doesn't have enough time for either of them. He's too busy trying to get a toad to excrete drugs that he can sell to fund his upcoming wedding. And if you think that's wild, just wait! The family dynamic, or lack thereof, at the center of Bird does a tremendous job of creating empathy for Bailey while her focus seems to be on everything outside of her life. Kinetic and tactile camera movements give the film that Arnold texture while following Bailey's childlike wonder with every animal she finds. Taking out her phone and recording everything from butterflies to birds, the allure of wild freedom is as tantalizing as ever. Soon enough, she bumps into a drifter named Bird (Franz Rogowski), whose constant perching upon rooftops feels glaringly obvious. The uneven mixture of magical surrealism and grounded realism makes Bird a distracting character and makes Bird a confusing film. Bailey's journey, internal and external, is extraordinarily compelling and fits Andrea Arnold's core thesis perfectly. But the addition of some dubious CGI animals and a wildly unexpected anthropomorphic transformation knock the train completely off the tracks. Arnold's ambition is admirable, but unfortunately, the big swings detracted from an otherwise great coming-of-age story and a terrific lead performance from Adams.

Flow [2024]

Flow

In stark contrast to the aforementioned anthropomorphizing is Gints Zilbalodis' animated feature film, Flow, which vehemently avoids the intermingling of human and animal characteristics. Following a solitary black cat, Flow is about the odyssey this cat embarks on when its eerily human-absent world--albeit with the remains of human existence scattered about through sculptures, drawings, and buildings--experiences an unexpected flood. The cat's only lifeboat arrives in a knick of time but with some unexpected company in the forms of a capybara, lemur, golden retriever, and a crane-adjacent bird, all of whom must now work together to survive the rising tides.

Instead of giving these adorable animals voices, Zilbalodis opted to have them rely solely on their animalistic properties. Unencumbered by the presence of dialogue, each character has their personality shine through individual instincts. The cat's meowing or flapping of ears, and the golden retriever's ready-to-always-play attitude creates a kaleidoscope of camaraderie that is as infectious as it sounds. Not to mention, the interactions between these animals in Zilbalodis' jaw-dropping landscape are the perfect fuel for a heart-warming, even at times incredibly stressful, journey of companionship and survival. Sure, the base premise of Flow sounds extremely dark, at times exhibiting increasingly Biblical elements--including but not limited to a gigantic flood and rapture-ish event--but the light-hearted aesthetic of the film beats out any grim aspect of the story. Gorgeous backdrops, realistic movement, and tremendous tracking shots all provide a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience that is honestly tough to find in most live-action films these days. I know it all sounds exaggerated, but Flow is a type of film that transcends expectations. It feels like and looks like high art without being pretentious or self-indulgent. Zilbalodis, when introducing the film at TIFF, even likened the journey the animals take (singling the cat out as an embodiment of his solitary nature) to creating the film. Whereas Zilbalodis wrote, directed, edited, animated, and scored his previous film Away, Flow took the teamwork it reflects on-screen to make it a reality. Creating a very personal extended metaphor for being brave enough to expand your horizons outside of the comfort of solitude and asking for help from unlikely sources.

Flow is officially Latvia's entry for Best International Feature for this upcoming Oscar season, but I think it could make a run for Best Animated Feature. What more could you ask for in an animated film other than rushes of childlike wonder and jaw-dropping thrills, all in a brisk 84-minute runtime that will leave you begging for more? More of the solitary black cat who finds belonging in a motley crew of friends, more of the stunning animated realm that balances rugged hand-made and perfect qualities, and absolutely more of whatever Gints Zilbalodis is cooking up next.

The Penguin Lessons [2024]

The Penguin Lessons

Continuing on our theme of lovable animals is Peter Cattaneo's The Penguin Lessons, based on Tom Michell's autobiographical novel of the same name. Steve Coogan stars as Michell, a cynical English professor arriving for his first days at a prestigious Buenos Aires private school, set in the days leading up to Argentina's 1976 military coup. The political turmoil and personal chaos are an intriguing backdrop for a heartwarming story about how Michell accidentally adopted a penguin while partying in Uruguay, but it provides mature depth to the source material. The reason is that Cattaneo's film takes some artistic liberties with frequent Coogan collaborator, writer Jeff Pope deviating from Michell's novel on various events and facts. Michell was in his twenties when these events unfolded, but Pope changed the age and provided a tragic backstory to make sense for Steve Coogan to take over the character. Even though there are some bumps in the road, the Pope and Coogan team-up is still as sharp as ever. Pope's straightforward, at times bland writing perfectly accentuates Coogan's dry wit, allowing him to relish every savory morsel of sarcastic cynicism. His laissez-faire personality, opposite of Johnathan Pryce's apolitical Headmaster, creates a fun atmosphere and some welcome tension surrounding the penguin's (named Juan Salvador) presence breaking the rules of the school.

As good as Coogan is, and Pryce for that matter, The Penguin Lessons is at its best when Juan Salvador is on the screen flapping those flippers all across the school. The human-animal relationship between everyone and the penguin, especially Michell, given his initial resistance, gives Cattaneo's film the heartwarming backbone of the power of natural healing. But, most importantly, enforcing the idea of good people doing good things. Michell's cynicism is challenged by Sophie (Alfonsina Carrocio), whose upbeat, idealistic political views of Argentina result in her being one of many people who disappeared during the coup and ensuing military rule, while Juan Salvador is the catalyst for Michell's future action. Of course The Penguin Lessons and its deviation from the source material creates a white savior storyline that should've been fixed with a better exploration of Michell's paternal tragedy and how that affects his outlook on life and relationship with Sophie, but it's a messy moment that detracts from the heart of the film. There are plenty of rough around the edges moments in Cattaneo's film, but I couldn't help but be completely entranced by Coogan's hilariously heartfelt performance and that damn adorable penguin.

The Wild Robot [2024]

The Wild Robot

You know the old saying, "Kill them with kindness?" Well, imagine a movie that's trying to say the opposite of that. Chris Sanders' gorgeous animated feature film, The Wild Robot captures this sentiment of kindness being a survival instinct, all the while delivering incredible emotional depth.

After a storm maroons ROZZUM Unit 7134, known as Roz (Lupita Nyong'o), on an island, she must work together with the locals to find her way back home. The only problem is that the locals are all animals. Unfortunately, through Roz's attempts to interact with the island's inhabitants, an accident occurs that sees the unintentional death of a mother goose and all of her eggs except one. Before Roz can process what's happened, her newfound egg hatches, allowing the baby gosling to imprint on the first thing he sees. Which would make Roz a new mom. Funny how life works out? Now Roz must find it within her programming to help this gosling, Brightbill (Kit Connor), learn how to eat, swim, and fly if he's to survive the upcoming migration before winter.

While the story of The Wild Robot, based off of Peter Brown's book, follows a singular and simple plot, the heart that the whole team behind the film brings to the project elevates it to pitch-perfect levels. Nyong'o's stellar voice work transcends the limitations of the screen, showcasing the growth and adaptation of Roz from her time on the island. Not to mention Pedro Pascal is hardly recognizable as the hilariously heartfelt outsider, Fink. As you get attached to the lovable characters at the focal point of the film, Kris Bowers' score finds new ways to warm your heart, even in the coldest of winters. The gorgeous melodies enchant your ears while The Wild Robot's visual aesthetic imprints itself into your brain. Hand-painted images full of deep, rich color provide some of the more memorable pictures you'll see this year. I just raved about Flow and this has a very similar feel to it, where you can see the artistry in full display. In a world of dark CG-focused films, it's refreshing to see Dreamworks keep real animation afloat in a film that evokes the same feelings as seeing animated classics of yesteryear. There's even a training montage for Brightbill flying, with Maren Morris' delightful original song "Kiss the Sky" in the background, which feels nostalgic in its approach but novel with its imagery. Roz's movements are sweeping and effortless, while her relationship with Brightbill--and all the other inhabitants--is moving. Calling it simply moving might be the understatement of the year.

I'll put it broadly: Sanders and team have made one of the best films of the year and certifiably the best animated film of the year. Not only visually stunning but emotionally mature and downright entertaining, The Wild Robot's tale of being more than you were programmed to be is a slam dunk. An artistic achievement that continues Dreamworks' storied filmography and a film that has something for everyone in it.

TIFF 2024: Hold Your Breath

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Hold Your Breath [2024]

Film

"I don't like dust. It's coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere."

A line that you would think was in Karrie Crouse's psychological thriller Hold Your Breath which takes place in 1930's Oklahoma where constant dust storms ravage the desolate landscape. Although the Anakin Skywalker-inspired line from Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones doesn't appear in Crouse's film, the sentiment behind it permeates the rugged Oklahoman frontier.

Starring Sarah Paulson as Margaret Bellum, Hold Your Breath chronicles the psychological erosion from persistent trauma through an all gas, no brakes pace and a slightly uneven story. Yielding a heart-pounding thriller that wastes no time, spares no twist, and leaves you gasping for air until the dust finally settles.

Crouse's story is framed familiarly. A mother, in an unforgiving climate such as the Dust Bowl, must care for her two young children, Rose (Amiah Miller) and Ollie (Alona Jane Robbins), while their father is away for work. The horror of Hold Your Breath derives itself from a book Rose reads to Ollie, detailing the existence of "The Grey Man," who lurks in the very swirls of dust penetrating every crevice of their house. This sinister being can dissipate into dust, allowing his victims to breathe him in, which is how he's then able to force them to do unspeakable acts. Drawing similarities to the 2014 Australian horror film, The Babadook, Hold Your Breath also portrays manifestations of grief through children's book characters that resemble monsters. Although the film may, so far, sound like a rewrapping of sorts, Crouse can effectively craft an unrelenting atmosphere of terror that feels fresh in its own way.

The opening sequence makes that known more than anything, with Paulson's Margaret screaming for air amid a dust storm. Unrelenting gusts of dust batter her body while the howls of the Margaret and the wind alike seep into your very bones. Not only do Crouse and co-director William Joines immediately set the tone--in terms of horror--but they also let the audience in on a little secret. This is going to be a masterclass from Sarah Paulson.

Hold Your Breath [2024]

Not to be hyperbolic, but Paulson is better than ever in Hold Your Breath. It's difficult to fathom what that means without seeing the film, especially if you've seen Paulson's terrific work in The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Run, Carol, and her bone-chilling supporting role in 12 Years A Slave. The balancing act Paulson effortlessly displays between grieving mother and protective matriarch, all the while descending into paranoid psychosis, is simply stunning. Paulson has always been an expressive actor, conveying so much thought and emotion through a wide range of facial expressions, and with a bar set so high, she's still able to clear it. As Crouse's fast-paced script continually picks up pace, Paulson ratchets up her performance, matching the intensity of the film's tone and her character's identity with her performance.

At times, Hold Your Breath feels too quick at a tightly wrapped 94-minute runtime. But that's more a comment on how I didn't want the movie to end. I was completely engrossed in the world Crouse created, and although I could nitpick at the story here and there, I loved its direction. Not to mention Zoë White's cinematography provides the technical depth for Crouse and Joines' desired tone, culminating in some hauntingly gorgeous scenes. The dust storms are obvious highlights, but the cool, isolated nighttime shots are full of ominous beauty that prove to be brief recesses from the intense thrills throughout. Allowing you to catch your breath before the next rapid descent into madness. Which, now that I think of it, might be the only rest you'll get, as Hold Your Breath is an immensely entertaining experience that is guided by its lightning-fast pace and white-knuckle-inducing thrills.

By the time the movie ends, you just might come to the realization that you've been holding your breath for longer than you thought possible.

Froth

Instead of resting on your laurels, taking a leisurely stroll through the Oklahoman dust-scape, you may as well enjoy yourself a little bit and dip your toes in the madness of Hold Your Breath. Sure a fine Pilsner would work, or a sweet Stout matching the darkness of Margaret Bellum's psyche, but that's all playing it a little safe, no? Since we like to live on the edge here at Film & Froth I figured why not go a little mad and enjoy a Mad Tom IPA from Muskoka Brewing. This feisty West Coast IPA has a beautiful copper, almost amber color to it, and immediately upon pouring you can smell the piney nature of it along with some strong citrus elements. It's not as heavy as you'd expect, with a 6.4% ABV and more malt than anticipated, going down smoothly and being quite refreshing. The madness comes into play with the finish however with a fairly strong bitterness resonating long after your sip. But luckily, that's not a bad thing. Plenty of citrus is present to keep you afloat, and I for one really loved the dry-hopped texture from the Chinook and Centennial hops. Providing a nicely rounded, albeit leaning more bitter, drinking experience.

Red Rooms - SIFF [2024]

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Red Rooms [2023]

Film

This film was viewed at the 50th Seattle International Film Festival

I was under the impression that after last year's triumphant Anatomy of a Fall I was more than prepared to weather the storm and enjoy another French courtroom procedural. Little did I know that Pascal Plante's Red Rooms would shake this confidence straight from my being. Plante's psychological thriller is a fucked up descent into pure, terrifying psychosis. Displaying the same cold, lack of empathy the serial killer at the center of the story emotes while also employing stomach-turning scenes of hidden violence, Red Rooms forces you to watch between shaky fingers and sweaty palms.

In a cold, plain, white-walled courtroom, the camera slowly pans across the members of the jury, prosecutors, defense, and judge alike while the prosecutor, in horrifying detail, lists the litany of crimes from Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos). As the camera finally makes its way to Chevalier, sitting apathetically, legs crossed, we see the giant glass box he resides in. A transparent cage for all to see through, mirroring his horrendous crimes of mutilating and dismembering young girls on camera, where voyeurs pay to watch the hellacious acts online. Much of what Plante accomplishes with Red Rooms is through the simple act of watching. Not only do Chevalier's crimes have a viewership, but the courtroom itself contains a section of viewers, including the victims' families and Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy), a tech-savvy model that's been drawn into the allure of the high-profile case. Every day, lines form around the courthouse hours before the trial begins, with Kelly-Anne going as far as sleeping in a nearby alley to ensure her spot at the front of the line. As if directly calling out the audience of his film, Plante asserts a belief that finding, dare I say, entertainment in watching such an egregious killer in court is not a normal hobby. Given the explosion of popularity in recent years with true-crime dramas, Plante's overt reflection of the audience feels incredibly daring. Am I feeding into the sensationalism of the crimes and criminal in question?

Red Rooms finds more substance under the skin of comfort by introducing Kelly-Anne to Clementine (Laurie Babin), a young woman who's traveled a lengthy distance to get an opportunity to see Chevalier in person because she believes, with her whole being, that he's being set-up. A victim of a deep conspiracy to pin the crimes on an innocent man, whose believed innocence makes him a romanticized object to Clementine. The mixture of sensationalism, including the blurred lines of the public perception of victim/perpetrator, creates a deeply unsettling atmosphere in the cold, dark world of Red Rooms. Gloomy lighting outside the courtroom, dripping with hues of blue, provides a stark contrast between the world outside the judicial system and the one within.

Red Rooms [2023]

Kelly-Anne's cold demeanor and disconnect from social interactions, especially those with Clementine, work to deepen those dark concepts. When Kelly-Anne isn't modeling--which doesn't occupy much of her time--she's busy being the single most online person in the world. Her workouts are online videos, an AI personal assistant runs her life, every possible question is searched online, and she is obsessed with playing online poker, where she makes most of her money. A spotless, sanitary apartment devoid of any personality further highlights Kelly-Anne's possible, if not probable, sociopathic tendencies. Resulting in the development of Kelly-Anne and Clementine's relationship to drag at times, with a tug-and-pull between the two on Chevalier's theorized innocence. While the dialogue and exploration between the two differing personalities can be choppy at times, the climactic moment between the two is a spine-tingling, if not explosive, moment of horror and dread. It not only serves Plante's established themes effectively but serves as a launch point for a third act that will leave you wide-eyed in unencumbered horror. The careful insinuation of violence, with it only being mentioned and not being shown on screen to the audience, forces us to become the voyeurs once again, ingesting the true nature of Chevalier's crimes through Kelly-Anne's face and emotion.

Plante's meticulous direction is a tour de force on establishing the dread-infused atmosphere of Red Rooms, enhancing the terrifying story he's constructed. Gariépy's cold and calculated performance provides a sensational backbone for the themes on hand, culminating in a nauseating finale for which the film is named. It was rash of me to namedrop Anatomy of a Fall at the beginning of this because Red Rooms shares nothing in common with it other than the language and existence of a courtroom. Where Justine Triet's film is meant to provide a level of ambiguity, Plante's project could not be more clear. Going as far as to suggest that we, the audience, are complicit in the growing sensationalism of truly heinous, criminal actions. Making the self-reflection at the end of Red Rooms one of the most horrifying aspects of the psychological thriller.

Froth

Here's the deal. Pascal Plante's Red Rooms was the first film I watched for this year's Seattle International Film Festival and it severely ruined me. I was distraught. Not only was it an incredibly strong start to the festival, in terms of pure movie quality, but also in terms of how wild of a psychological thriller it was. The only appropriate pairing for a film like Red Rooms is something equally strong. Something to provide a little slap in the face, a little come back to reality slap if you know what I mean. Figurehead Brewing's Midwatch Belgian is a Belgian strong dark ale that packs that much needed wallop. It's boozy backbone is warming, while the roasted-malt and fruit forward flavors develop a delightfully well rounded profile that checks plenty of boxes for everything you'd want in a Belgian ale. Not to mention, the focus of plum and fig flavors give a really fun an unique fruitiness underneath the dark appearance.

Which I guess is kind of the opposite of Red Rooms which is completely devoid of any light fruitiness under its dark themes. But hey, you can't win them all? Just take a sip of the Midwatch whenever you find yourself sinking into the deep, dark corners of Plante's terrific film to stave off the scaries.

TIFF Digest: Part 3

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

The Salt Path [2024]

The Salt Path

Based on the memoir about a couple who lose their home and days later discover the husband has been diagnosed with a terminal illness as they embark on a year long coastal trek. In official circles, the Salt Path is known as the South West Coast Path — England’s longest footpath. Way back in the day it was the trail favoured by the coast guard watching out for smugglers using the coves and estuaries to stash their goods.

Having not read Raynor Winn’s memoir of the same name, I went into my screening of The Salt Path without any baggage, insights, or expectations. Maybe I wasn’t pleasantly surprised by anything, but I'm not surprised that I found it pleasant. Marianne Elliott’s film may not be remembered for its directorial precision or seamless pacing, but it’s worth seeking out for its captivating performances and heartwarming themes. This is an actor’s movie through and through. Together Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs have genuine chemistry; they are two complimentary halves of the same whole, and they work hard from start to finish pushing one another to explore new intimacies and vulnerabilities. Some other elements of the filmmaking and screenwriting proved to be a bit more distracting than beneficial. The film relies on nearly as many sweeping wide shots as Ben Affleck stuffed into The Town. Though I can’t deny the visual beauty of the landscape, but so many of the shots feel shoehorned in and unnecessary, like they were scripted from a pre-arranged shot list thus making them impossible to leave on the cutting room floor. The narrative time-jumping also felt a bit clunky at times, a choice that may be more effective for book readers than it ultimately is for someone new to the story. Elsewhere, the syrupy saccharine score is one of the film’s true misses – it feels almost lazy to douse the audience with this much artificial emotional sauce (kind of like adding liquid smoke to some barbecue while it’s already sitting on the grill). Despite some of the technical unevenness, I thought the film’s quieter moments managed to drum up some real feels. The cliffside exchange about the lightly salted blackberries (which is apparently lifted directly from the book) hits the emotional nail on the head. Sure, it’s a little heavy-handed, but it’s a tidy way of getting your point across, and luckily, the power of its lead performances keeps this moment glued to the earth. Your mileage may vary for whether The Salt Path offers answers to any of the questions it poses, but I thought the film valiantly plants the seeds for what may be food for your thoughts.

Cloud [2024]

Cloud

Ryosuke Yoshii is an ordinary person, who supports himself by reselling things on the internet. He carelessly earns grudges by people around him and, in the end, he is dragged into a desperate struggle that risks his life.

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s latest film is a suspenseful thriller, a modern film for modern times with a modern commentary about how modern solutions to modern problems perhaps aren’t all that modern. I’m seriously running the risk of semantic satiation here… Yoshii (Masaki Suda) works a totally normal but incredibly boring 9-5 job (don't we all?) that he isn’t remotely interested in. He spends most of his time working as an online reseller churning fraudulent sales while hiding behind an increasingly less than anonymous online seller profile. He’s marking his product up and raking in a huge profit while taking advantage of both the buyers and sellers he’s working with. Yoshii’s capitalistic intentions are callously for-profit, and he clearly enjoys the sport of his hustling, perhaps even more so than the financial gains to be had. Of course, his extracurricular activity gradually becomes his curricular activity (it’s weird to spell that out, I'm not sure I've ever actually written out the word curricular). Yoshii’s relationships, personally, professionally, and romantically, all become messier with and intermixed with his nefarious behavior. Kurosawa creates a palpable uneasiness throughout that taps into the anxieties of feeling known online, or in this case, overexposed. Taking advantage of people and exploiting them by way of online anonymity has a cost that slowly catches up with you. This is a revenge movie, one where you’re mixed about rooting for the person whom others are seeking their due process. In Cloud, the fallout is inevitable if still a bit abrupt… and violent. I will say that my interest in the material gradually dipped in the film’s back half, but maybe that’s because the film’s first half is so immersive in setting the stage for the downfall ahead. Even still, I would absolutely recommend seeking this one out, especially if you're into revenge thrillers with a vibrant social commentary. Like all of Kurosawa’s films, the screenwriting is crisp, there’s a meticulousness and style to the filmmaking, and the themes are pointedly resonant. Did I mention that it feels modern?

The Substance [2024]

The Substance

A fading celebrity decides to use a black market drug, a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself.

This was my first time at the Toronto International Film Festival, and The Substance was the first film screening for Midnight Madness on the first night of the festival. For that alone, my likeness for this film is going to be inflated. That said, body horror isn’t necessarily a subgenre I ride or die for, maybe in part because I feel the results are often mediocre and over-reliant on cheap thrills. Safe to say that The Substance, the new film by writer-director Coralie Fargeat, is far from mediocre, often brilliant, and the sort of wildly unhinged but still grossly entertaining film that will divide its audience by challenging the normies and rewarding the sickos. In this ‘careful what you wish for’ decree on society’s relentless and destructive pressure to stay young and beautiful, “aging” movie star Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) is being coldly pushed out of the Hollywood spotlight by the utterly revolting TV executive (Dennis Quaid). Amidst her personal and professional turmoil, Elisabeth is presented with a suspiciously mysterious but potentially life-altering opportunity (literally), an experimental injection labeled “The Substance.” This serum, which I can guarantee you is not FDA-approved, creates the perfect younger and beautiful version of its user. Elisabeth quickly orders and consumes "The Substance" and soon "births" (if you want to call it that) a younger and more beautiful version of herself, this film’s Frankenstein’s monster, Sue (Margaret Qualley). "The Substance" is a transformative MacGuffin à la A Different Man, another film with some overlap in this thematic sphere. So, what’s the catch? Users of this mystery drug must follow two specific rules, namely that The Substance can only be used once and that the two must switch bodies every seven days without exception (the other is merely a body recovering and preparing for the next round of trauma that comes from this constant body-swapping). As you might imagine, things go well until they go horribly. On the off chance I revisit this one again soon, I’ll save the details for another day. I might knock the film a few points for losing track of its style vs. substance (pardon my deliberate pun) equilibrium at times, even though I am often a proponent of the notion that you can never go "too far." In the film's back off, there's a little bit of narrative wobbliness, which I can ultimately forgive when the pursuit is this bold. With The Substance, Fargeat channels and challenges the men of cinema’s past, both interrogating and celebrating the likes of Cronenberg, De Palma, and Kubrick. She’s made a movie about the girls for the boys, an aggressive, unapologetic piece of filmmaking that is full of blood and guts, jet-black satire, and stunningly fearless and meta performances. Brace yourself.

TIFF Digest: Part 2

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Nightbitch [2024]

Nightbitch

One of my most anticipated films at this year's TIFF was Nightbitch, the adaptation of Rachel Yoder's novel by Marielle Heller. Which, by all accounts, looked to be in the general zip code of my preferred level of weird. A story about a mother (Amy Adams) who, through the trials and tribulations of being a stay-at-home mother raising a toddler, begins to believe that she's turning into a dog. But oddly enough, the synopsis was about as weird as the movie gets, instead veering more towards normalcy. Forging the central allegory in the fires of reality created a much more grounded and emotionally intelligent experience than I was expecting. Allowing the film to oscillate between the wide variety of sacrifices, willing or unwilling, that women have to make while experiencing motherhood. Adams' character was once a successful artist and curator, creating and providing cultural enrichment for her community through her artistic vision. But with a newborn and eventually two-year-old toddler, Adams' career took a backseat to raising her child. Eventually, her identity--she is only credited as "mother" after all--fades into nonexistence. Her days now consist of rigid repetition, and Adams shows it with sincerity with her exhausted expressions. Making the same breakfast every day and going to the same child-centered events at the library where other moms experiencing similar life paths seem like a different species altogether establish just how taxing being a mother is.

Luckily, Adams can find some communal camaraderie when she attracts three random dogs while at the park with her son. Fast forward to finding some new bodily additions, such as a tuft of white hair on her lower back and a handful of extra canine-esque nipples maybe it's all a little too coincidental for Adams. The only explanation is the woman she was before childbirth no longer exists, and in her place is something more primal. With a tinge of body horror transformational imagery, Heller communicates effortlessly not only the physical changes a woman goes through but also the metaphysical changes after birth. Adams' loss of identity and humanity is at the forefront of Nightbitch and how she grapples with her instincts, or lack thereof, as is explored with extraordinary monologues scattered across the film, allows her the space to put on a breathtaking performance. The vulnerability, yet also power that Adams provides delivers an earnest feel to Heller's film that pulls back on the magical realism throughout and establishes a more heartfelt, grounded message about motherhood. Heller's cautious approach to filming, essentially playing it safe, puts the spotlight entirely on Adams, which pays massive dividends for Nightbitch. It is not only a wildly entertaining, sometimes hilarious, ode to mothers but also a deeper exploration of how a blueprint to being a mother doesn't exist, nor should it. Everyone's experience is different, and sometimes, you have to rely on primal instincts because, as Nightbitch shows, being a mom is hard. But clearly, all moms have that dog in them.

The Shrouds [2024]

The Shrouds

Speaking of weird, I was lucky enough to catch David Cronenberg's latest film, The Shrouds. In what might be one, if not the most personal of Cronenberg's films, the writer/director puts his heart on his sleeve--not in the usual literal sense of body horror--but with an intimate, albeit weighty, exploration of grief.

Karsh (Vincent Cassell), inspired by the passing of his wife Becca (Diane Kruger), creates GraveTech, a company that sells in-coffin surveillance software. By utilizing GraveTech software, grieving widows, friends, and family alike can pull up a live camera view of their passed loved ones decaying corpses in real-time. Cronenberg has always been one to explore the limitations or experiment with transformations of the human body, but The Shrouds is a deviation from tradition. Instead, the film plays more as a somber homage to the human body. Karsh's mourning over not being able to hold or touch his wife's body is the catalyst for his new company. The whole plot line, and Karsh's similar appearance to a younger version of the writer/director, feels incredibly personal to Cronenberg's real-life tragedy of his wife passing several years ago.

Instead of relying on Karsh's corporate entity as the film's vehicle of grief, there's also another layer, even more melancholic than the prior. Through reoccurring dreams, we see how Karsh's wife, Becca, struggled in her fight against cancer, at one point having her left breast and arm amputated. Her bones are so brittle that Karsh's embrace breaks her hip. Beyond all that, in a gut-wrenching, heartbreaking moment, Becca asks Karsh if she's too mutilated for him to love her anymore. In all of its bodily-focused moments, from Gravetech's surveillance to Karsh's comments about Becca's body and even an intimate moment with Becca's twin sister Terry (Kruger), The Shrouds works to highlight love that penetrates deeper than the skin, in a way that only Cronenberg can do. No level of mutilation or decay can take away the love and grief of losing a loved one. While a narrow focus on this topic alone could've made for a wonderfully intimate Cronenberg film, it unfortunately contorts itself into a complex fusion of distractions. Veering off the beaten path into a difficult-to-follow paranoid story involving Karsh's brother-in-law Maury (Guy Pearce), the overall effectiveness begins to weaken. Secret plots between Chinese and Russian governments involving Karsh's GraveTech systems hijack a tender theme of grief, turning The Shrouds inside out and unrecognizably opaque. Under all of the excessive layers of obfuscation, there's a blatant call out on our infantile obsession with technology as Karsh drives everywhere autonomously in his Tesla while his AI assistant Hunny (Kruger) also controls everything in his life, which could've added some depth to Cronenberg's concept of the human condition. But, unfortunately, as the curtain closes on The Shrouds, you're left contemplating what it is exactly that Cronenberg was trying to convey. Funny enough, that just might be exactly what he was going for.

Queer [2024]

Queer

Mere months after Luca Guadagnino's Challengers hit theaters, he's back with another sexually charged piece of cinema in an adaptation of William S. Burroughs' Queer. At the same time, Challengers was a much more straightforward depiction of desire and competition, Queer finds itself steeped in hallucinogenic and abstract imagery, obscuring its true feelings from the viewer. But, the real fire behind Queer is Luca's unwavering visual panache combined with a stellar performance from Daniel Craig as Lee. Living in Mexico City amidst the throngs of fellow expatriates, Lee fills his time with drugs, alcohol, conversations with his friend Joe (Jason Schwartzman), and the romantic company of other men. Lee's varying addictions eventually lead him to set his sights on Allerton (Drew Starkey), who takes a little more effort to get to know. Ghostly appendages coming from Lee, stroking Allerton's face, effectively show his unrequited desire and set the tone for Guadagnino's venture into more psychedelic imagery. As Lee and Allerton embark on an adventure to the Amazon, where Lee has his sights set on trying Ayahuasca for its believed telepathic properties, Queer focuses more on the literal needs of Lee, as opposed to his desires. Horrendous withdrawal symptoms highlight Lee's dependence on substances while his yearning, or neediness, for Allerton's attention suggests a deeper absence of joy in everything Lee already possesses.

Joining forces once again, Luca Guadagnino and writer Justin Kuritzkes, who wrote Challengers as well, play perfectly to each other's strengths. Namely, the explicit and implicit presence of sex. Where Challengers relied on the sexual competition between the film's main trio (Mike Faist, Josh O'Conner and Zendaya), Queer takes a more abstract approach. Presenting sex as a commodity to be consumed, where the only competition is within one's self to find the right partner at the right place and time. Luca's psychedelic portrayal of this idea takes various forms, like the aforementioned apparitions, but also anachronistic musical choices. Lee first sets his eyes on Allerton while walking the streets to Nirvana's "Come As You Are," which feels appropriate in some regard but jarring when combined with a period film. Simply put, who is the right partner, and is it the right place and right time? While difficult to follow at times, sifting through the opaque imagery can yield some intriguing thoughts. An early dream sequence of Lee's sees everyone he's met in Mexico City wandering in what can immediately be interpreted as prison-striped uniforms, proposing the possibility that Lee is in a prison of his desires. Equating the journey at the center of Queer as a quest to enlightenment, possibly even freedom from the shackles of need. Guadagnino once again shows deft direction, and even though I enjoyed Challengers more, it’s impossible to refute Luca's ambition, not to mention the dizzyingly stellar performance from Daniel Craig that consumes the screen with delicate intensity.

TIFF Digest: Part 1

Fri, 13 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

The Toronto International Film Festival is in full swing to check out some of this year's fine films! Without further ado, let's jump right into it.

Babygirl [2024]

Babygirl

From the director of Bodies, Bodies, Bodies. Halina Reijn, comes her second directorial feature, and her writing feature debut, Babygirl. Starring Nicole Kidman as Romy, the big name tech CEO of a company building autonomous robots for warehousing, Babygirl explores the pleasure gap between men and women along with a litany of other sexually charged themes as Romy begins a fervent affair with an intern (Harris Dickinson) at her company. Starting off with a bang, the film opens with Romy and her husband Daniel (Antonion Banderas) engaging in what appears to be intensely pleasurable sex, resulting in what can only be interpreted as sensational climaxes for both parties. But as Daniel fades off to sleep, Romy scampers half naked to the living room to lay on the floor and finish the job while watching domination porn on her computer. Reijn's snappy, dialogue-less introduction to our central couple offers some fantastic introspection on who we're dealing with in Romy. Not only is she on top of Daniel during sex, signaling she's not just on top in the boardroom but also the bedroom, but she has an unquenched desire to not be in control.

Where Babygirl excels in deconstructing the premise of domination is in Romy's torrid affair with Samuel (Dickinson) after he shows a sheer lack of interest in following the usual company rules. You show up, look professional and act professionally. Instead Samuel draws Romy's wandering eye by being abrupt, chaotic, and displaying a command over her in a way she can't easily explain. Following their rapid introduction, something I would've preferred to be a little more fleshed out to dive deeper into the emotion of it all, their affair skyrockets the tension of the film into the stratosphere. Romy's assistant Esme (Sophie Wilde) is anxiously awaiting a promotion, seeking an opportunity to help the company advance its initiatives for a stronger female workforce, finds herself in an advantageous position once uncovering Romy and Samuel's intimate affair. Instead of seeking to destroy Romy, taking her for all she's worth, Reijn makes a clever adjustment to the tired trope of blackmail in the corporate world to layer in themes of women in power. Esme doesn't want the promotion because she has some hot goss on Romy that could make her lose everything, that's not what she's after. The information she holds is merely a means to an end, an end that she has deserved from before Romy even met Samuel.

Kidman's performance is one of the most electric I've seen from her, and with her filmography that's really saying something. She's intense, vulnerable, powerful, and poised all in one incredibly focused performance that sees her going to places we rarely see. At times when Babygirl's dialogue gets increasingly clunky, forcing its way into sexuality as opposed to the smooth flow one would prefer, Kidman is there to elevate everything on screen. Not to mention, when Banderas is opposite her it is as cinematic a scene as you could want. Their chemistry and rapport is delicious, turning the tumultuous emotion around power dynamics, sex, fetishes, and everything in between into a wonderful war of words that left me in awe. Unfortunately, the conflict is resolved too quickly, and with the aforementioned introduction being much too brief you're left wanting more from this intriguing scenario.

The End [2024]

The End

Critically acclaimed, and Oscar nominated documentary director Joshua Oppenheimer doesn't just dip his toes into fiction filmmaking, but dives head first with his fiction feature debut, The End. The golden age themed musical centers on an affluent white family living out the end of humankind in their stylishly gaudy bunker buried deep in salt mines. At the center of the whole story is the son, George MacKay who seems to be pulled into the various worlds, or imaginations of his father (Michael Shannon) and mother (Tilda Swinton). Shannon's character worked in the energy industry and is constantly insinuating his role in some event that started the end of mankind, while Swinton's mother is forgetful, aloof, and downright strange. Oppenheimer's main goal is to evoke the idea of a rich white family that's at the very least partially responsible for the end of the world avoiding any sort of confrontation with responsibility. Shannon's character is going so far as to have his son write his memoir but reshaping the history itself to make him seem innocent if not a hero of sorts. The End does a decent enough job laying the groundwork for this idea, but fails to drill any deeper into the salty Earth to make any lasting comments on it. Not to mention it branches out into so many different themes, it can't possibly reach a satisfying conclusion for any of them. One of the most potent being how survivors view their survival. Are you doing your part to preserve mankind by simply surviving, or did you fail by not saving more people? These dark topics are juxtaposed with cheery orchestral numbers, and admirable singing from MacKay, Shannon and Swinton, but the songs aren't distinguishable from one another, causing them to bleed together into one elongated mess of noise.

In the end, pun intended, it's clear that Oppenheimer has a lot of great ideas, he just might be bursting at the seams, but none of them are explored deep or well enough to be impactful. The End is one of those films that is jammed with themes, ripe for exquisite cinema, but ultimately says nothing.

On Swift Horses [2024]

On Swift Horses

An adaptation of Shannon Pufahl's novel, On Swift Horses boasts a star studded cast (Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi, Will Poulter) that examines the romantic inclinations of people that play it safe, or risk it all. Newlyweds, Lee (Poulter) and Muriel (Edgar-Jones), live in Kansas on Muriel's family property, but when Lee's brother Julius (Elordi) returns from the Korean war they all decide to take different paths in life. Initially all agreeing to meet in San Diego, Lee and Muriel start their life there while Julius makes a few pit stops including one elongated stay in Las Vegas where his deft poker ability, including some cheating, begins to take hold. Relying on the focal couple, Lee and Muriel, On Swift Horses hinges on the emotional connection to them while Muriel and Julius hide secrets, and gamble in their own ways-- Muriel bets on horses while Julius plays poker but both explore different sexual paths as well. Unfortunately, Poulter and Edgar-Jones have no chemistry, and their clunky, unsatisfying dialogue prevent us from having any real care for them as a couple. Which of course, makes any sort of tension revolving around Muriel and Julius, or Muriel and their neighbor Sandra (Sacha Calle) nonexistent. Muriel and Lee are this picture perfect model American couple that live in a literal model house, while the houses built around them are empty husks of support beams and nothing else, establishing a colorful commentary on LGBTQ rights and representation in the 50's. But the film doesn't expand upon much of that, in fact without the chemistry of the core couple to raise the stakes the same-sex affairs of Muriel and Julius feel just like those hollow structures, empty and inconsequential. That being said, the film somehow turned a complete 180 and ended with one of the most satisfying conclusions given how bland the journey had been up to that point. Muriel's independence and adherence to her family's history along with Julius literally riding off into the sunset like a Western hero are the perfect ending for their characters, I just wish that everything leading up to it was as rewarding.

Summer Backlog

Fri, 30 Aug 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Kinds of Kindness [2024]

Kinds of Kindness

A triptych fable following a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life; a policeman who is alarmed that his wife who was missing-at-sea has returned and seems a different person; and a woman determined to find a specific someone with a special ability, who is destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader.

Kinds of Kindness marks a return of sorts for Yorgos Lanthimos, or as I like to call him, "The Greek Freak of Cinema" (with all due to respect to Mr. Antetokounmpo). Coming out of what may be remembered as his poptimist period, a two-movie stent consisting of Oscar-friendlier projects in The Favourite and Poor Things, Lanthimos seems to have hit a creative reset and pivoted back into what is seemingly his truer-to-self, his default comfort zone – making people exceedingly uncomfortable. Throughout its gargantuan runtime, Kinds of Kindness goes out of its way to rub its audience the wrong way, to make every twist and turn feel like an annoyance. It's darkly hilarious, often unsetting, unapologetic in its sardonic tone and with an unforgiving depravity. It's unapologetic in its sardonic tone and has an unforgiving depravity. The surrealism at work both highlights and undermines its own designed provocation, and the deadpan reactions of its star-powered ensemble manages to dispel potential fear of any real life stakes... the whole thing feels like a quirky thought experiment where the performers are operating in some Earth-adjacent equilibrium or simulation of some kind. This both helps and hurts the film in my opinion. There's something off-kilter about how these characters act and interact with one another. I actually think that detachment effectively made the each exercise feel a little too safe despite all the danger going on.

While his last two films were collaborations with Tony McNamara seemed to explore and measure the potential scope of Yorgos' mainstream appeal, Kinds of Kindness is a different kind of exercise, for Yorgos and his creative team, to test his weirdo limits while still holding on to some elements of his newfound pop sensibilities. There is an messiness and particular fussiness to what he seems to be pursuing here. This is what you get when a freak gets fussy. A triptych fable you say? There's perhaps more than just a whiff of Wes Anderson's mannered idiosyncrasies at work here, maybe not so much in the overall style but certainly in the thematic layering and compartmentalization of its narrative structure. Do all three stories exist in the same world? It seems intentionally ambiguous, the sort of "don't overthink it at risk of undermining the exercise altogether" attitude that you don't think twice about because we're operating from Yorgos' absurdist purview.

After another viewing, I might be in a better position to tie together some overarching theme across the three stories, something about how desperate people go to extreme lengths to seek love, acceptance, or approval. And I'd muster something eloquent about how folly this pursuit is in some ways to Yorgos, even if it is an essential part of the human condition. But also, maybe there is less here than you might expect there to be. Maybe it's like I said earlier, just an exercise. I think it's fair to say that I liked Kinds of Kindness more than I was compelled by it or found it convincing in some way. It may be something of a minor work within his impressive filmography, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have its merits, especially for viewers who just like to see stars like Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Jesse Plemons playing around in Yorgos' playground (Plemons is so good I'll have to remember him come Oscar season). I'm all for a director experimenting for the sake of experimentation, but maybe this is just a smattering of Yorgos' leftover B-material. That said, I'll buy a ticket to go watch his sloppy seconds any day.

A Quiet Place: Day One [2024]

A Quiet Place: Day One

As New York City is invaded by alien creatures who hunt by sound, a woman named Sam fights to survive with her cat.

Making a prequel can often be a fool's errand. There's always a balancing act that comes with showing the audience something new while still giving them what they want, which is to recapture what they felt the first go-around. With original storytelling, this gets even dicier, because one false move and you can squash any hope of planning for more spin-offs. What's worse is that if the movie is truly a disaster, you run the risk off pissing people off to the point where it begins to undermine the past accomplishments of the original film.

One of the best storytelling choices from the first film in this franchise, A Quiet Place, is that writer-director John Krasinski and co-screenwriters Scott Beck & Bryan Woods drop the audience headfirst into the a fully-realized world. The stakes are communicated efficiently, and most of the exposition is shown rather than told. The sequel more or less follows a similar script, except it does broaden the scope of storytelling by getting its characters on the move and in new locations. A Quiet Place: Day One, a prequel I went into with tempered expectations, flexes a bigger budget and a grander story setting but manages to capture the same kind of intimacy and emotional stakes consistent with the first two films in this series. Director Michael Sarnoski, who directed his first feature film, Pig, a few years ago (which we enjoyed immensely) is particularly well-suited for helming a project like this where the big flashy action set pieces are juxtaposed against his brand of deeply felt, heartfelt moments between characters. He's a director who can handle the quiet (why didn't Paramount ask us to provide a tagline for the poster?!), and lucky for him he has two lead performers in Lupita Nyong'o and Joseph Quinn who are well-equipped to carry that sort of emotional heft. Both performers are incredibly expressive and their talents are maximized as the film often asks them to hold the screen for long, wordless stretches where their wide-eyed reactions often do most of the work.

What holds the film back are the big, noisy action set pieces, which are disorienting and hard to follow for the most part. They don't feel natural, and that might be because they were shot on a soundstage in London and not in New York City. I would've like for the film to make me feel the specter of living in a post-apocalyptic metropolis more so than it did. Shooting on location is still the way to go, but you have to remember that this film was made for $67 million not $167 million. So while I felt like Sarnoski lost his grip on some of those big ticket action sequences, I'm willing to forgive most of those pitfalls — the creatures and jump scares sell tickets but good storytelling holds your attention. As far as the other online criticism of this film I read (the predictability of the ending and the silliness of Frodo the Cat being such an obvious motif/proxy), I think that has more to do with audience expectations than anything. Take Rogue One: A Star Wars Story for example, another prequel with an ending that was predetermined and had to juggle the pressure of being both a sweeping epic war film and an ensemble piece with archetypal characters. Similarly, A Quiet Place: Day One finds its footing as a sequel because it manages to balance impressive world-building with nuanced character-building. Seeking out this prequel is not a fool's errand.

Deadpool & Wolverine [2024]

Deadpool & Wolverine

A listless Wade Wilson toils away in civilian life with his days as the morally flexible mercenary, Deadpool, behind him. But when his homeworld faces an existential threat, Wade must reluctantly suit-up again with an even more reluctant Wolverine.

Deadpool & Wolverine is the kind of team-up movie with slick one-liners and indulgent comic-booky fight sequences that must be the ultimate wet dream fantasy for 12-year-old boys of today’s youth. Sadly, for me, this brand of multiversal storytelling and self-referential comedy has become a bit tiresome. Shawn Levy’s latest film in the Deadpool trilogy (for now) takes aim at millennial blowhards like me and pokes fun at the last decade of fanboy movies. It’s a good bit until it becomes the whole things becomes a tinge annoying. I’m not above juvenile humor, but I’m also a grown man who cried at the end of Logan in the theater. Maybe I’m just mad because the joke is on me now.

For most of its runtime, Deadpool & Wolverine feels like it was made by and for Reddit, for those miscreants lurking on Letterboxd ready to roll with small opinions and a limited worldview. It’s a movie of antics, emotionally hollow IP-brand management, and a guide on how to reverse-engineer a movie around an actor, not the other way around. It likely doesn’t help that I’m not a huge fan of the Deadpool movies to begin with. Or maybe it’s more of a Ryan Reynolds problem – in this case, there is essentially no difference between those two things. Reynolds knows exactly what fans of this franchise are looking for, and he certainly delivers a lot of quippy jokes and knows a good gag when he sees one. Turning this into a buddy comedy and playing with the legacy of one of the more beloved characters in the broader superhero cannon was a savvy move, and luckily, Hugh Jackman still gives a shit and delivers an awesome performance (let’s hope he still has time to shed the claws every once and awhile to do other things). The co-leads play well off each other, and it was fun to spend time with them on the road together.

The movie is funny, but sometimes in ways it does not mean to be. What was funny for me is that the film works fine despite not having any interesting visual sensibilities or style nor does it seem remotely interested in exploring a fresh spin on comic book storytelling. That's almost hard to pull off! It instead settles for the low-hanging fruit, which is fine if you're just there for the memes and lolz. When a movie prioritizes things like being a meme machine, I can’t help but lose interest. Not every movie has to elicit earnest emotion, but at what point does a movie fall victim to its own insufferable self-awareness and hyperactive metacommentary with the world at large? For me, Deadpool & Wolverine manages to both overcomplicate and oversimplify things, which undermines any attempt at genuine critical appraisal in my opinion. All in all, I did enjoy the movie, but I have to remind myself that if I was 12 years old, I would have been a much bigger fan.

I was such a little dumbass dipshit when I was 12 years old.

Life, Aliens, and Abominations

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Alien: Romulus [2024]

Film

Fede Alvarez's Alien: Romulus is a wild thrill ride. Drawing similarities to his 2013 remake of Evil Dead, this reconstruction of Ridley Scott's Alien films is dripping with Alvarez's knack for horror. Slowly metamorphosing across an anxiety-laden near two-hour runtime, Alien: Romulus revisits the claustrophobic, grimy horror of Scott's original Alien, and James Cameron's Aliens, two of the most prolific sci-fi films of all time. But the feeling of familiarity in Alvarez's new adventure, yes, at times feels like an appropriate homage to the Alien stories to have come before. Otherwise, it serves to undermine the thrilling new addition.

Opening up the film is a brief sequence where a Weyland-Yutani probe in the far reaches of outer space is investigating the wreckage of a ship. That ship is none other than the Nostromo from the original Alien. The probe pulls in a piece of debris that happens to be what remains of the xenomorph Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) shot out of the airlock. Moments like these are, on one hand, fun nods to the origins of the Alien series, but you can't help but roll your eyes at the start of a new exciting Alien story beginning with "somehow the xenomorph has returned."

There are plenty of the original Alien themes in Alien: Romulus as well, which is one of the film's strengths. Focusing on a group of young adults, led by a superb Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine and David Jonsson as her adopted brother Andy (he's an android), Romulus highlights the corporate greed and malfeasance through younger eyes. This rag-tag group of kids was born on a mining planet, where the Weyland-Yutani company sends miners into the depths of the planet to contract lung disease and die before their ludicrous mandatory contracts can ever be finished. Their hopes of flying up to the Romulus space station, an abandoned vessel sitting above the planet, to take its cryo-chambers, enabling them to fly to the far reaches of space for a better life, are over before they even begin. These aren't disgruntled workers with decades of wear and tear at the behest of a dystopic corporation, or space marines sent on a suicide mission to make a quick buck. These are kids who never had a chance to begin with, born on a planet where you can't see the sun. There is no bright side to look on for these people.

Even as they try to carry out their heist as it may seem, it turns out the Romulus space station is harboring the probe from the beginning of the film and thus, the xenomorph(s) and facehuggers. Classic Alien fans and newcomers alike will be satiated with Alvarez's terrific direction on the Romulus station. The usage of practical effects including animatronic/puppet-like facehuggers transforms simple chase sequences in narrow hallways into gut-wrenching, anxiety-inducing thrill rides. Watching Rain, Andy and Co. navigate the Romulus is gripping, and is nothing short of a visual feast. Galo Olivares' cinematography is a sight to behold. From lighting to color grading, and everything in between, Alien: Romulus is simply gorgeous, in a harrowing or impending death kind of way. Allowing its surface-level appeal to aid in not only the continued world-building but also Alvarez's ability to insert elements of classic slasher horror films into the grimy, bloody abyss of space.

Alien: Romulus [2024]

While watching the protagonists of Alien: Romulus fight off their alien counterparts is fun, especially for classic fans, the lack of originality hampers the overall product. Where Ridley Scott's unfinished David Trilogy (Prometheus, Alien: Covenant) pushed the boundaries of what an Alien movie could be, and what it could be about, Alien: Romulus slips back into the trenches of "been there, done that." The all too familiar android mission over man conundrum of the original films reappears, along with a terribly CGI'd version of the late great Ian Holm--for no real reason other than a shoehorned callback to his character Ash from the 1979 Alien. There's even a "get away from her, you bitch" thrown in for effect. The effect is something in between an exasperated wheeze and an uncomfortable laugh. As a huge fan of the previous films, I can't say I wholly disliked all of the rehashed ideas, but the absence of original ideas is a little souring.

Luckily, Alvarez can fit in some new ideas in the film's break-neck pace finale. Equal parts terrifying and exciting, Alien: Romulus slightly builds on the ideas of the David Trilogy without reaching beyond the bounds of the path laid out throughout the film. It feels much closer to Don't Breathe Alvarez, where his story originality shines, but also his sick and twisted mind. And I mean that with utmost respect because I loved Don't Breathe and the final twenty minutes of Romulus.

Sure, I could've used more of the existential quandaries from the David Trilogy as the premise for Romulus. Prometheus and Alien: Covenant questioned our place in the universe, the existence of a god, and the little itty bitty question of whether or not god hates humans. Time will look favorably upon Scott's challenging post-Alien films, as more ambitious sci-fi swings, but the reality of the fact is that I still enjoyed Romulus. Its lack of ambition is a bit of a downer, but as a fan of the classics, and a sucker for the dirty, dystopian world of the Alien films I couldn't help but be excited to watch Alvarez give it a whirl.

Froth

Alien movies don't come around very often. Lord knows Ridley Scott might be too busy cranking out whatever movie to ever revisit the world run by the Weyland-Yutani company--shout out to Gladiator 2, the sequel we never knew we needed or wanted. Not to mention, with Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox it wasn't outlandish to think we'd never see the xenomorph ever again. Luckily, we've faired ok under our Disney overlords with their revival of the Predator franchise, with the terrific Prey, and now (albeit with some downsides) the box office success, Alien: Romulus. With films that don't come that often, I think it's prudent to find a beer that follows suit. A special occasion calls for a special beer, no?

This led me to a small brewery I heard about through a stranger on the internet. Funny how things work these days am I right? Floodland Brewing, located in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood is not only a unique brewery, but boasts some incredible brews. I'm just assuming all of their brews are incredible since I've only had one, but it was tremendous. The Roseate Blend 6 is a funky, and fruity bottle conditioned saison whose bright semi-translucent red/pink appearance just screams freshness. I can't possibly do any justice on the construction of this blend of Roseate, you'd be better off checking the notes on Floodland's Bottle Log, because it's the product of masterful tinkering. It contains some 15 fruit varieties, but the sweet flavors of cherries and plums rise to the surface along with a twist of rhubarb tartness. Toss in some oaky characteristics and the Roseate Blend 6 is not just a beer, but a full blown experience. Equally refreshing, with effervescence amplifying taste and aroma, and delicious it is one of the most well-rounded saisons I've ever had.

What makes Floodland so unique as a brewery is these beers are only available by public sale every other month. This allows the utmost time and care to be put into every batch and even reminds me of the careful artistry by the lambic brewers seen in Bottle Conditioned. But it also turns these beers into something more than just a beer. As I mentioned, it's a full blown experience, but that's referring to one's own tasting. Floodland's elegant exclusivity transforms the act of opening a bottle into an event, a communal celebration where you're drawn to bringing others along for the ride. When are you ever going to get to try the Roseate Blend 6 ever again? Probably never! So you may as well bring some friends or family to the party, pop a bottle, and dive head first into the fantastic world of Floodland's offerings.

That being said I did drink this alone. I am nothing, if not honest. But don't worry, I have two other bottles from the July sale to actually share with people!

Sebastian - SIFF [2024]

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Sebastian [2024]

Film

This film was viewed at the 50th Seattle International Film Festival

Sometimes art imitates life, sometimes life imitates art.

For Max (Ruaridh Mollica) it's a bit of both. Creating a vicious feedback loop that sends him deeper into an abyss of self-destruction in Mikko Mäkelä's dark drama, Sebastian.

While working as a writer for an LGBTQ magazine in London, Max begins researching for his upcoming debut novel. The premise focuses on a sex worker named Sebastian, navigating a life of sex work on psychological and physical levels. Co-workers and Max's boss believe Sebastian to be a work of fiction—a complex character created in Max's mind for the sole purpose of putting pen to paper. But Max has been assuming the name "Sebastian," joining a male escort website, and moonlighting as a sex worker to gather plot lines for his novel.

Max's alter ego is where Sebastian blurs the lines between the exploitative and the exploited. It also happens to be where Max flirts with the status of anti-hero. Some of his clients are lonely, lost souls yearning for intimacy, whether these men aren't out yet, or they haven't had an intimate moment in years. The soft, tender interactions resulting in a new chapter for Max's novel feel like nothing other than exploitation. But on the flip side, some clients are exploiting Max as a sex worker, psychologically and/or physically. The varying power dynamics between Sebastian (Max) and his clients are complex pieces of character building that challenge the audience's perception of Max, but it's the internal struggle of Max and Sebastian that drives the ethos of Mäkelä's film.

Max's decision to venture out as Sebastian when it is adversely affecting his personal and professional life, all for his professional pursuits, gives a tough display of how far people are willing to go for their dreams. And it often doesn't align with what the audience wants him to do, sparking dramatic appeal.

But unfortunately, it isn't all thrills in Sebastian as the story lacks direction, becoming predictably plain and visually bland. As Max returns with a new chapter of his exploits, his feedback usually results in some new creative direction for the Sebastian character. Sebastian should have more interesting experiences, fall in love, fall out of love, have conflict, all the things that make a good story. Each piece of feedback is delivered in such specificity that it doesn't foreshadow what's about to happen, but instead point blank tells you. Ultimately resulting in Sebastian's time on screen being relegated to redundancy. Which in turn, causes the big triumphant ending of Max's journey to be nothing but a cliched, trite flopped attempt at emotional explosion. There's even a freeze frame to sear the disappointment into one's mind.

Froth

Leaning on more European style beer for a London-centric piece has brought me back to one of my favorite across-the-pond focused breweries, Obec! Their English Bitter is not only a perfect pairing with Sebastian for geographical reasons and taste, but is also a dynamite brew. It has a great mix of fruity and spicy aroma/taste while holding onto a biscuity lightness, making it oh so crisp and easy to drink. Coming in at a low 4.5% ABV also keeps it from leaning into heavier territory so it can be a smooth, simple, enjoyable experience. If I haven't convinced you to try out this semi-sweet crispy, spicy concoction then I'll have you know that the Obec's English Bitter took home the Silver Medal in the 2023 Sip Magazine's Best of the Northwest Competition. Meaning, that's right, it's one of the best English ales in the Northwest.

Seated And Unsettled - Longlegs

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Longlegs [2024]

Film

As if forged in the fires of Hell, Osgood Perkins' Longlegs serves to disrupt and disturb at every step. Cultivating a thrilling and chilling atmosphere throughout its 101-minute runtime, Perkins' feature is undoubtedly the original horror film of the summer. If not all of 2024.

Resembling classics such as Silence of the Lambs, Se7en and Zodiac, Longlegs centers on FBI Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) and her investigation into the titular serial killer, Longlegs (Nicolas Cage). Somehow, someway, Longlegs has been able to get the fathers of families--over multiple decades--to kill their wives and children before killing themselves. The only thing left at the scene is a coded letter, signed "Longlegs." But without any sign of forced entry, it would appear that Longlegs was never there. The circumstances of these murder-suicides aren't the only oddities that dig deep under your skin. Lingering, just below the surface of reasonable explanations that act as a comforting blanket. Because really, it's just about everything in Longlegs. From Perkins' direction to Andres Arochi's gorgeous, disquieting cinematography, Longlegs creates a suffocating feeling for every internal shot. Utilizing some wonderful blocking techniques to hide figures in doorways, keeping the field of view tight and mysterious. Meanwhile, external shots often brandish a wide-angle lens, pushing our peripheral vision to the point of paranoia. There must be something on the edge of our screen, right?

But the atmosphere can only get you so far. Perkins is lucky to be able to lean on extremely complementary performances from Monroe as Harker, and Cage as Longlegs. Watching Harker's mannerisms, innocent and childlike at times, hypnotizes in a way that resembles an unsuspecting deer amidst a hunt. Monroe's balancing act of withdrawn socializing with her superior Agent Carter (Blair Underwood) and surefooted investigative skills are juxtaposed to almost clashing. It's as if you're hearing two slightly off-key notes that ever-so-slightly grind at your sanity. Excessively violent murders lurking in the shadows perpetuate this feeling even more as Monroe's youthful, at times fragile, image navigates the killer's labyrinthian motives.

Longlegs [2024]

It's not the first time that Monroe has delivered a stupendously curated horror performance. She's quickly and quietly been cementing herself as a scream queen ever since her breakout role in the phenomenal 2017 horror film It Follows. But even more impressive than Monroe's performance, is the legendary Nicolas Cage as Longlegs.

Not only is Cage terrifying, and rather unrecognizable under the makeup and prosthetics, but it truly feels like Longlegs is a performance so grandiose in scale and nature, that it could only be Cage. Even with minimal screen time as a supporting role, Cage delivers something so tremendous, that it might shake the very Earth you sit upon while watching. At times he's slow and steady, then vicious and quick, but there is never even the slightest moment when Cage is on screen that you aren't frozen by some strange mix of fear and awe.

The only problem is a third act that unspools all of the prior tension at a breakneck pace. Using an exposition dump to explain motives and clear up any minor details feels like a disservice to the work Perkins put in to get to this point. Diminishing a wild finale into a brief voice-over was incredibly disappointing. While there was still plenty to enjoy, including the ending scene itself, the wind gets taken out of the sails. Leaving a slightly bad taste in your mouth. Then again, that could be from the build-up to the finale which was tense, terrifying, and deeply unsettling.

All things considered, Longlegs was a blast and I am incredibly thankful there were other people in the theater. I would've noped on out of there after the first scene if I was alone.

Froth

Normally I default satanic horror films such as this to pair with Holy Mountain Brewing Company. Their beer styles, gothic artwork--some of the coolest can designs and branding I've seen--and sheer brewing talent make it an easy association for horror films. I mean, look no further than the pairing for Immaculate which was the easiest decision I ever made. Some would even call it, immaculate...

Hey-o!

But I'm going to challenge myself here and head north from Seattle to a little watering hole called Hemlock State Brewing Company. The brewery started just like us here at Film & Froth, with a couple of friends enjoying a hobby together that grew and grew. Suddenly taking on a life of its own. Not only is their story inspiring, but the beer is downright delicious!

Instead of choosing their stout option, a Chocolate Moose Oatmeal Cream Stout which is a wildly sweet treat, their other malty brew is perfectly suited for Longlegs. The John Long's Long Johns Amber Ale not only sports a hilarious name, almost matching the film's title is a bit of serendipity, but I'm always craving a nice amber. It's color is a deep golden amber that looks as good as it smells. Delivering a sweet caramel aroma mixed with some malt, and piney/woody notes namely from the Glacier hops. The Pale malt keeps the taste light and biscuity, which joins the caramel sweetness in holy matrimony. Making the John Long's Long Johns Amber Ale a delightful amber that is a surefire hit for everyone missing more ambers throughout the PNW area.

The X Finale - Maxxxine

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 07:00:00 GMT

MaXXXine [2024]

Film

After the trials and tribulations of X Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) has finally rolled over the competition, and made her way to "glamorous" Hollywood. But not everything is glitz and glamor in Ti West's MaXXXine, the final installment of his X trilogy. A sinister serial killer known as the Night Stalker is on the loose, murdering young woman in an apparent satanic fashion. Not only does Maxine have to navigate the pitfalls of 80's Hollywood and a serial killer, but throw in the sleazy PI John Labat, played effortlessly by an exceedingly wild Kevin Bacon, who's hot on the trail of what remains of the Texas ranch massacre from X.

West's MaXXXine deals with the meta commentary constructed in Pearl and X, with how the entertainment industry can be a ruthless wasteland. The latest feature going as far as representing this through the Night Stalker's vicious murders of young women trying to make it in Hollywood. Even thought the messaging is consistent throughout the trilogy, as we saw with Pearl and X, West refuses to replicate the style for each subsequent film. Pearl was an homage to the Technicolor era of movies in the 30's, X tackled the grainy slasher like the original 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and now MaXXXine combines Italian Giallo and neo-noir mysteries of the 80's.

Taking place in Hollywood, with many pivotal scenes occurring on the Universal lot itself, West's film showcases a lot of the tumultuous change across the filmmaking landscape. The rise of horror, along with the growing presence of satanic elements and sex within horror films are noticeable through constant protestors seen marching around the lot. Of course these ideas are consistently applied throughout the trilogy, but provide a larger focal point in MaXXXine. West even goes as far as magnifying questions of Maxine's past, not the violence of it, but her start as an adult film star and how dubious producers are based on that. The only way she's able to get her big break--other than a fantastic monologue delivered directly to the camera as if auditioning in the eyes of the audience--is through the backing of Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki), the director of the film Maxine auditions for.

MaXXXine [2024]

The rising presence of sex in mainstream moviemaking throughout West's trilogy along with MaXXXine's grimy, B movie atmosphere deliver another fantastic aesthetic for more of West's twisted storytelling. Mixed with the neo-noir lighting and the score from Tyler Bates, the seedy underbelly of Hollywood is the perfect vehicle for the finale of the trilogy.

But even with West's stylish vision, MaXXXine suffers from serious shortcomings in the story. Pearl and X were foreboding, ominous films that culminated in thrilling finales. No matter what expectations were held, West was able to circumvent the conventional. Delivering some wild scares, along with some general unease. That very same thrill simply doesn't exist in MaXXXine. Telegraphed kills are carried out exactly how they're anticipated, lacking any interesting elements from West's prior films, relegating any feelings of horror into predictable disappointment. But most of the disappointment comes from nothing other than the evaporation of Mia Goth. Maxine's role, and Goth's acting, in X was more mild but matched the tone of the film, making it more effective in the long run. Then her role as Pearl was truly transcendent. West wrote a much more intriguing script as a whole, along with an infinitely juicier character for Goth to sink her teeth into. Following up that performance with a lackluster role in MaXXXine prevented Goth from delivering another horror classic, dragging down the film.

Froth

For West's X finale, even if I was ultimately disappointed I think it deserves a triumphant beer to mark the end of A24's first ever trilogy. Well, that and the fact that I really did love X and Pearl so even if the third installment came up short, West did treat us to some fantastic films on the way. In order to match the dark, oft satanic, tones of MaXXXine in a complementary way, we may as well indulge in a dark beer. Lantern Brewing's Oneux is a simple stout whose appearance of damn near complete black is a reflection of West's dark universe. Filled with dark roasted malt, Oneux boasts a strong roasty flavor, but is never overpowering. That in part is due to the chocolate sweetness that comes on the backend, lifting up the heavier elements of the drink. The finish is lighter than the start, much like West's trilogy, but presents a nice lingering roast and malty flavor that refreshes and fills at the same time.

Sweet, Sweet Marmalade

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Marmalade [2024]

Film

Not much time passes before another film embodying the Bonnie and Clyde archetype pops up. It seems like every year there's a new star-crossed-lovers are incredibly violent-criminals show. Maybe there's some recency bias with Keir O'Donnell's Marmalade but the matter of fact is, Bonnie and Clyde is an inspiring story. Not in the sense of inspiring acts of violence, but inspiring artistic representation of love in complex ways. O'Donnell's directorial debut operates on that plane of representation. Showing love as a complicated mess of emotion and action, without promoting or romanticizing the lawlessness of two of the most notorious outlaws in American history.

Baron (Joe Keery), a literally down-on-his-luck guy, finds himself incarcerated and bunking with Otis (Aldis Hodge) for what are originally unknown reasons. But luckily for Baron, Otis is a renowned escapee, completing the feat three distinct times. After nudging Otis with a promise of $250k to help him escape, Baron recounts a winding tale of just how an affable dimwit such as himself ends up in a maximum security prison.

Just like Bonnie and Clyde, Baron's story starts and ends with his beloved Marmalade (Camila Morrone).

Structuring the story of Marmalade backward, with Baron narrating and Otis comedically interjecting at points, gives O'Donnell plenty of creative freedom with the feel of the film. At times it moves quickly, whereas in other moments the story and characters are given the time to live in their world, talk, and grip the audience. Baron's brief but fiery introduction to Marmalade is just the right speed to thrust their romance into the hearts of the audience. How can the beautifully aloof Marmalade simply stumble upon the small-town Baron? Let alone spark up a feverish romance that powers the film's heartbeat for the rest of its duration.

It's entirely due to O'Donnell's construction of characters over plot, along with Morrone and Keery's individually contrasting performances. Keery is laid back, casual, and always feels a step behind. Even reeling his "small town country" accent's cadence back a couple of beats to feel like he's just half a second too slow to say anything. Meanwhile, Morrone is the dictionary definition of a wildcard. From outfits to language, to well just about everything in between. She proved her performing abilities and some with her role in Daisy & The Six but she brings a completely different energy in Marmalade. An energy that is infectious, rapid, and undeniably intriguing. Morrone not only steals every scene but feasts in her character's morally complex and baffling psyche. Leaving the audience contemplating what could happen next.

Marmalade [2024]

But again, at the heart of it all is the Bonnie and Clyde romantic component. Morrone and Keery's chemistry is solid, delivering a heat of romance that further allows Baron's storytelling to operate on another level. He's not just telling Otis about the bank robbery that landed him in jail, but how he's willing to give all of that money to Otis just so he can be reunited with his beloved Marmalade.

How romantic, no?

However, even with Keery and Morrone delivering, and Hodge giving one of his best performances--more multi-faceted roles please--Marmalade struggles to keep a coherent overall tone. What starts as a romantic comedy in a way, turns into a crime drama, which somehow finds its way to just flat drama. The real gold is in the interactions of Baron, Marmalade, and Otis but unfortunately it never really feels like we get enough of them. O'Donnell's twists are aptly executed, keeping me well on the edge of my seat, but there's a hollow feeling at the end where there could've been something a little more. I wholly understand where Otis ends up, but it conflicts with who he really is and the trope of his lost motivation/rediscovery feels bland if not trite.

Even if Marmalade wasn't completely fleshed out, that doesn't mean that O'Donnell's directorial feature isn't a total blast. Keery, Morrone, and Hodge deliver plenty for any moviegoer to pull something from the film if not entirely enjoy the wild ride.

Froth

It's peak summertime so we may as well have a peak summertime beer. Well, that and the name is quite appropriate for reasons that I'm legally obligated not to divulge.

By that I mean I'm not giving away any spoilers.

Ravenna Brewing Company's Flip The Script is a delicious Hazy IPA that is not only light and drinkable on a hot summer day, but also jam packed with flavor. It's brewed with my kryptonite hop, Mosaic, giving it wonderful tropical taste like mango, stone fruit, and even some berries. But there's also a good bit of grapefruit tang, not the astronaut drink mind you, to pull back on the sweetness along with the smooth mouthfeel of a hazy to wrap it all in a blanket of delight. As Marmalade keeps on flipping the script on you, just sit back, relax, and sip on some summertime nectar.

Get it? Flipping the script? Sometimes I'm too funny.

Imagination at its Best

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 07:00:00 GMT

The Imaginary [2023]

Film

In a wild turn of events, we didn't get just one imaginary-friends-come-alive movie this year, but three! Two live-action features, IF and Imaginary, both U.S. films, and now most recently The Imaginary from Japan's Studio Ponoc.

Founded in 2015 by Yoshiaki Nishimura, a former Studio Ghibli producer, Studio Ponoc put out its first animated film in 2017 with Mary and the Witch's Flower. Fast forward seven years and the studio recently premiered its first of many films on Netflix, due to a deal with the streaming platform for future films, The Imaginary. Directed by Yoshiyuki Momose, another acclaimed former Ghibli employee, with Momose contributing to the animation department for films such as Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke and Grave of the Fireflies, The Imaginary towers over the other two U.S. films I mentioned in essentially every category. In fact, it might be the best animated film you'll see all year.

Adapted from A.F. Harrold's novel of the same name, The Imaginary follows Rudger (Kokoro Terada), the imaginary friend of Amanda (Rio Suzuki), and their various adventures together. But as an unfortunate accident puts Amanda in the hospital, Rudger begins to experience what all imaginary friends eventually do—being forgotten and disappearing.

If that sounds like doom and despair, rather ominous emotions for an animated film, then I can only retort with the classic "That's why this movie is so damn good." The Imaginary has a delicate balance of fun-loving adventure and mature topics such as forgetting bits of loved ones after they're gone, or even growing out of your childlike imagination as Amanda's mom Lizzie (Sakura Andô) (among other adults) cannot see imaginary friends. These themes of maturation overlayed on stunning animation make for the type of animated films we're used to seeing from Studio Ghibli. But make no mistake, Studio Ponoc's films are wholly original and unique. Not only in their style but all around production from writing to direction to voice acting.

The Imaginary [2023]

In fact, The Imaginary even goes a step further, reaching out from intrapersonal matters to interpersonal or societal topics. The most noticeable being that lost imaginary friends can prevent themselves from disappearing by finding safety within a local library, guided by the wise cat Jinzan (Takayuki Yamada). Because after all, books allow everyone to imagine and are products of imagination in their own respect. There are even some references to the most imaginative people in history such as William Shakespeare and Wolfgang Mozart whose imaginary friends have found their way to this sanctuary.

The breadth of applicable themes in The Imaginary is wonderful to watch unfold. As if you're seeing something new and exciting around every turn. But at times the more potent and important ones can get lost in the mix. Especially when it comes to the powerful moment between Emily, Rudger, and Lizzie concerning the patriarch of the family. I can't help but feel, that even though that moment was tremendous, it could've been a larger focal point in the heart of the film.

But overall The Imaginary is a triumphant and breathtaking piece of filmmaking. The animation is at its best when we're being zipped through Emily's surreal imagination. Flying alongside her and Rudger across rippling dimensions of childlike wonder and curiosity that causes feelings of nostalgia for your own childish imagination to bubble to the surface. Further enhanced by agehasprings and Kenji Tamai's breathtaking score, every element of The Imaginary fits seamlessly together, allowing you to feel surrounded and comforted by your swathe of loved ones. Real and imaginary.

Froth

Even though the Imaginary boasts some darker, more mature topics, it remains light-hearted and beyond aesthetically appealing through it all. Therefore it deserves an equally light-hearted and aesthetically appealing beer! Lowercase Brewing's Alsatian Pilsner is a crisp, clean, and light beverage that suits our purposes perfectly. Brewed with French hops, the Alsatian and Strisselspalt give this Pilsner its fresh herbal and floral elements that make it a delightfully crisp drink. Lowercase also added in some corn to the brewing process-cue Fat Bastard yelling "I don't remember eating corn"-which adds a mellow sweetness, rounding out the overall flavor.

Given the recent heat wave in Seattle, and the general lack of air conditioning in apartment buildings, you may as well find other means to cooling down. One of which being sitting back, blasting your fan on extra-high, turning on The Imaginary, and enjoying a cool, crisp and refreshing Alsatian Pilsner from the wonderful folks at Lowercase Brewing.

Or, get this. You could theoretically imagine some air conditioning.

Nah, I'd prefer the beer.

From Sundance x Chicago '24 - A Different Man

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 07:00:00 GMT

A Different Man [2024]
Dir. Aaron Schimberg
112 min.

Editorial Disclaimer: Coverage of the films screening at the Sundance Institute x Chicago 2024 is limited to publishing capsule reviews at this time. This in accordance with each film's review embargo that may or may not have already been formally lifted prior to its theatrical release. As always, please send any grievances, questions, or concerns you may have to film.froth@gmail.com.

Letterboxd Summary: Aspiring actor Edward undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. But his new dream face quickly turns into a nightmare, as he loses out on the role he was born to play and becomes obsessed with reclaiming what was lost.

Film

Be careful what you wish for – which in this case, believe it or not, includes wishing you looked like a handsome movie star. From the truly independent writer-director Aaron Schimberg comes A Different Man, a jet-black comedy crossed with a surrealist tragedy set to release later this year and be distributed by – yes, you guessed it – A24. Like so many other breakthrough films in the A24 ecosystem, A Different Man has a boldness and unconventionality that is challenging in its bleakness but refreshing in its creativity.

Edward (Sebastian Stan) has neurofibromatosis, meaning he has severe facial deformities. He’s living in a crappy, rundown New York apartment and works as an actor frequently typecast only as someone with facial differences, hired to be more of a prop than a performer. Edward not only has trouble communicating with others, but more often than not would prefer avoiding interpersonal interaction altogether – many strangers are cruel and often gawk, mock, or, at best, stare at him. He is depressed, alone, and lonely, except for the budding connection he has with his friendly but slightly odd neighbor, Ingrid (Renate Reinsve).

Edward soon undergoes an experimental facial reconstruction surgery that heeds miraculous results and completely transforms his appearance – the procedure functions as this cautionary tale's monkey's paw. He later finds out that Ingrid has written a play based on her former neighbor Edward's life, a titular lead role that is now unsuitable for the new Edward to play. Of course, this is where additional details would begin spoiling things. Let's just say that things begin to unravel upon the arrival of Oswald (Adam Pearson), a man with neurofibromatosis who might look like the old Edward but could not be more different on the inside.

Schimberg's screenplay takes its time building out Edward's world and establishing his perspective, and this table setting is crucial to better understanding the characters' setbacks and motivation. There's a dearth of thematic depth to unpack in A Different Man including ideas of identity, obsession, and performance, all of which make up a messy nest of knotty threads that need to be either strung together or untied. Though the allegorical weight of the story could have easily exhausted the audience's patience (for some it might), I thought Schimberg knew how to lighten the load and maintained control over the winking tone and methodical pacing overall. I particularly enjoyed Stan's meta-textual performance, who seems to have found a new career groove thanks to this mode of offbeat, genre-bendy storytelling.

What I appreciated most about A Different Man is its general weirdness. This isn't just a modern rendering of a Twilight Zone episode, or a patent remake of David Lynch's The Elephant Man, or off-brand homage to a Charlie Kaufman high-concept dramedy. In a world overrun by blandly algorithmic options available on streaming, A Different Man shoots it shot with unflinching frankness and uniqueness. The film wields a sharp knife, aims to cut deep and leave its mark. I found myself leaving the theater a different man than I was two hours prior.

A Different Man premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2024 and is scheduled to be released in the United States in theaters on September 20, 2024.

Froth

During Sundance Institute x Chicago 2024, it was 90+ degrees in Chicago. Which means stay inside. Which means don't walk too far. Which means keep it in the neighborhood. Which for me on Saturday meant heading to Hop Butcher for the World, an IPA-rich microbrewery situated somewhere in between the Ravenswood breweries and Lincoln Square. Saturday was not my first time having a Hop Butcher beer, but it was the first time in their taproom. After finding the last open barstool and glancing at the menu, I ordered the first thing I saw listed was was the Blazed Orange Milkshake. Let me start by saying, this one is a flagship for a reason. This was a deliciously refreshing with a great foamy head and smooth flavor profile. I knew that Hop Butcher was the perfect place to hangout at halftime of my double feature. I did not know that the first beer on their menu would make for thing to quench my thirst in late-June Chicago.

A New Classic - The Bikeriders

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 07:00:00 GMT

The Bikeriders [2023]

Film

Primarily told through Kathy's (Jodie Comer) narration--via interviews with Danny Lyon (Mike Faist)-- Jeff Nichols' The Bikeriders details the changes, surface level and beyond, of a Chicago biker club across the late 60's. While Kathy's involvement with the Vandals starts and ends with her relationship with Benny (Austin Butler), his beginnings are a little murkier. A stoic member of the club, known for not even shedding a tear when his father died, Benny is simultaneously mature beyond his years and a hot-headed kid who'll resort to violence if he feels any sort of aggression. Up the hierarchy of the club is Johnny (Tom Hardy). Where Benny is a bit of a mystery to everyone, Johnny's motivations and inspirations are clear. While watching The Wild One, Johnny is transfixed on Marlon Brando's cool and casual outlaw persona. Feeling like an outcast himself, wanting something outside the mundanity of his simple married life--we often call this a mid-life crisis--Johnny feels inspired to start a bike club beyond his preexisting hobby of racing motorbikes.

What transpires over the next sub-120-minute runtime is gorgeous, transportive cinema courtesy of Nichols' sure-handed direction and dedication to complex characters rooted in gritty realism.

Assumedly, it would appear that The Bikeriders is Austin Butler's film. He's at the center of the conflict, he's got the biggest presence on the movie's poster, and well, he's tremendous. But as quietly commanding as he is on the screen, Nichols has cleverly made this film about Kathy, the one character who hates riding bikes. And it works. It works incredibly well. The Bikeriders telling a Kathy-centric story results in the film not solely being about guys being dudes, which I mean, there is a lot of and it's great. But Kathy's narration provides an important female perspective on this boys' club. Not only is her perspective valuable, illuminating the male gaze and echo chamber of stupidity that can occur when so many like-minded individuals confer with each other, but Comer's performance is towering. Sometimes astute, sometimes aloof, Comer's balancing act of fluctuating between a woman head over heels in love and someone who is completely out of place is astonishing. No matter how many times Johnny tells Kathy that nothing will happen to her, you can't help but never feel at ease, much like Kathy. Comer's portrayal does an outstanding job pushing the emotional burden of Kathy's desire to be with Benny, yet knowing that scenario might not be entirely possible.

Tom Hardy deserves his praise here as well with yet another incredibly sturdy performance. While his only Oscar nomination came from his supporting role in The Revenant, you can never count out Hardy to deliver something unique. Pushing the boundaries of his filmography and ushering a new direction in his acting eloquence. Not to mention we've got another classic Hardy accent here that will go down in history.

The Bikeriders [2023]

Speaking of, there's been some discourse lately on his and Comer's accent work in The Bikeriders and how it detracts from the film for being too goofy. I'll argue that their accents are completely warranted and not only add to the setting of the film but the ethos of it as well. Kathy and Johnny sport outrageously prominent Chicago-Midwest accents to the point of being caricature but that doesn't result in me taking them any less seriously. Johnny's resistance to change in the club, Kathy's caution, and both of their pursuits of Benny are just as emotionally charged. But with one twist. Their accent elevates the story. Benny is torn between two worlds, a push and pull of the woman he loves and the club he belongs to. Is it a coincidence that the two characters representing these matters have accents so thick that you can smell the Jeppson's Malört? Absolutely not! They both personify the choices Benny has to make, that any person has to make. Between something that you loved but couldn't control or didn't want to control, and someone you love who you wouldn't dare try to change.

Also, nobody complained about the caricature accents in Fargo when that came out so I think we've lost sight of what we're critiquing here.

I would be remiss to mention the performances from the lead trio without the supporting man that drove the emotional stake of the film through my heart. That being, the frequent Nichols collaborator Michael Shannon. Playing the drunkenly aloof Latvian-born rider, Zipco, Shannon takes more of a backseat than his prior roles in Nichols' films. Whether that's as a defensive, concerned father in Midnight Special, or a man so paranoid that he's driven to pure rage in Take Shelter, Shannon has always risen to the occasion for what Nichols has wanted on screen. That's no different in The Bikeriders as his character required a more subdued approach. However, when the time came for Zipco to deliver a monologue around a campfire, lamenting over how the army turned him down, Shannon turned his tiny moment into a luscious feast. In just mere minutes, for what could've been a throwaway story from an oft-drunk character, Shannon loosely describes a story that embodies the very spirit of the Vandals. A man who feels outcast from society, begging to fight in a war in Vietnam to preserve the ideals of which he feels an outsider in the first place, is the defining member of the club. At times funny, yet mostly somber, Shannon's monologue is the moment where I found myself truly questioning whether I was watching greatness unfold, and I'm really happy to say that I believe I did.

I loved The Bikeriders in all of its dirty, grimy hyper-realism. The performances from the top-billed trio are as memorable as ever but that would be rendered moot without Nichols' superb direction. In conjunction with Adam Stone's gorgeous cinematography, rich with wide shots, and Julie Monroe's editing, The Bikeriders is overflowing with Scorsese influence à la Goodfellas. Where some could see Nichols' homage as more of a rip-off, or a cheap clone in a way, I think the unique perspective Nichols has given the mob/gangster film here delivers Scorsese influence as a side, not the main dish.

While The Bikeriders certainly has its flaws, I found it to be the rip-roaring summer film I was yearning for. Its raw, uncut edges add to the sublime realism and give some rough texture to complex performances. Nichols' latest film may not be receiving accolades across the board this year, but I'm sure it will age tremendously well. As not only a character study of the American ethos, but as a damn fine film that delivers thrills, emotion and an unexpected amount of laughs while not muddying its overall tone.

Froth

I just love a good theme. Don't you?

Going with the theme of, well, bikeriders, I found it especially prudent to visit Wheelie Pop Brewing for some solid bike themed brews! The best one for Nichols' latest feature film being the Power Slide Oatmeal Stout. While darker and a little heavier than what I'd normally go for in a summer film, the Power Slide is never a bad choice. Its dark exterior reflects the gritty realism and grimy appearance of the Vandals, further sending you into the 60's Chicago atmosphere. Taste-wise it is delicious. A wholly rich stout that delivers a wonderful creaminess and smooth mouthfeel from the English oatmeal styling, along with classic bread fluff to counter the sweet chocolate and superb roasty flavors. At a cool 5.5% ABV as well, the Power Slide is a lighter stout that makes it a breezy drink, not bogging down any brain power while watching guys be dudes with some incredible sub-context.

This Movie is a Hit, Man

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Hit Man [2023]

Film

For almost the past 40 years, Richard Linklater has been writing and directing films. Covering a wide span of genres, Linklater's works have often been ubiquitous in modern pop culture. Whether it's the aged like fine wine cult classic Dazed And Confused, his romantic Before (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight) trilogy, or his 2000s homage to childhood rebelliousness School of Rock, there is quite simply a Linklater film for everybody. I've only mentioned about five films in his vast filmography--for some reason omitting the six Oscar-nominated Boyhood which was shot over 12 years--but he's been surely adding to it at an interval of about every other year. Outside of this year if you count the episodic God Save Texas, of which Linklater has one episode, and his latest foray into comedy-drama-romance, Hit Man.

Co-written with Glen Powell and Skip Hollandsworth (credited for his original article on the subject matter), Hit Man is inspired by the true story of Gary Johnson (played by Powell) who, let's say, was a man who wore many hats. An unassuming professor of psychology, Johnson is something of a loner. He lives alone with two cats and enjoys birding in his free time. Powell's portrayal of Johnson even sports below-the-knee jorts and a cell phone holder on his belt. The embodiment of "dad-core" without the kids. And of course, on a part-time teacher's salary, Johnson does what anyone would do, gets a second job working with police on various hidden cameras and listening equipment to incarcerate people hiring "hit men". Powell does a great job being "unassuming," disarming our expectations of him within the first few frames of the film. His loner, cat-dad persona is one of aloof affability that makes it that much more of a shock when he becomes the undercover agent acting as the "hit man" to get the client to incriminate themself.

This is but one instance of Linklater and Powell's incredibly twisty-turvy script that works wonders in dismembering our preconceived notions of identity and self. Johnson's ability to sink into new characters, putting on a new performance for each client is outrageously engaging. Not to mention Powell's performance (within a performance) is what I would simplify as, pure fun. He's doing some hilarious accent work, and the wardrobes are exciting and intriguing, basically whatever Powell is doing here is working wonders.

Hit Man [2023]

When you throw in Madison (Adria Arjona), an unhappy married woman asking Ron (Johnson's latest hit man identity) to kill her husband, you begin to see the layers of Hit Man at work. Johnson's lectures are placed throughout the film so you can get a little taste of psychology through Freudian theories. Namely his theory of personality on how everyone is made up of three components, the id, the ego, and the superego.

Ron and Madison's interactions match that of the id, the animalistic instinct that abides by the pleasure principle. While Gary Johnson seems like a moral person, the superego, Ron takes over when it's time for Hit Man to lean into the sexiness of its romantic components. Not to mention Arjona and Powell's chemistry is off the charts, making the full-steam-ahead love affair much more potent, thus giving some depth to Johnson's psyche.

Not everything works to such satisfaction however as the antagonist of the film, the dirty cop Johnson replaces (Austin Amelio), gets a little lost in the weeds of the third act. With all of the twists and turns, each one surprisingly more fun than the prior, the core of the story gets a bit muddled. In the end, I was left a little perplexed by the motivations of Johnson, the subtext of personality components ultimately being just a little undercooked.

Luckily for Linklater and company, Hit Man has enough in the tank to compensate for its misgivings. The chemistry between Powell and Arjona gives the film a gigantic boost of sexy romance while Powell's rangy performance is good clean entertainment. Toss in Linklater's sturdy direction and you've got yourself a well-baked pie for all to enjoy.

Because after all, all pie is good pie.

Froth

I think that we can all agree that a movie in which Gary Johnson doesn't actually become a fake hit man and we just watch him go birding for three hours would be riveting.

No?

Well I'm imagining that's what Powell's Johnson really wanted to spend his time doing, outside of hanging with his cats. Which is why I'm opting for pairing Hit Man with Fast Fashion Brewing's Birding! Isn't it nice when the beer just magically falls into place? That's right, it sure is.

Birding is a German Pilsner full of spicy Saaz hop flavors while still retaining the refreshing crispness of more American Pilsner tastes. With all the great surprises in Hit Man, along with the spicy chemistry of Powell and Arjona, there's no need for an overly bitter beverage. Or a dark pour of chocolate. But instead, a simple yet elegant Pilsner is the perfect couch partner for Linklater's hit. Then again, all beer is good beer.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga [2024]

Film

Does George Miller have it in him to make it epic?

I mean, it's kind of a dumb question, right? We know damn well that Miller has the cinematic juice for creations of epic proportions.

But it wasn't posed to Miller in his latest action epic in the Mad Max franchise, Furiosa. Instead, Chris Hemsworth's wildly twisted wasteland warlord, Dementus, asks if Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) has it within her. "It" is the ambition and ability to exact her revenge on Dementus. Vengeance is the key theme across Miller's exploration of Furiosa's origin in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. And of course, we know from Mad Max: Fury Road that Furiosa, does, in fact, have it within her to make it epic. As does Miller, once again.

If Fury Road was the high-octane action-adventure original, then Furiosa is its slightly pulled-back, more nuanced ancestor. Whereas Fury Road is a complete pedal-to-the-medal, intricate chase sequence turned into a full film, Furiosa's origin story provides much more storytelling backbone. Establishing a narrative structure broken up into five parts allows Miller to weave more dialogue in, but not much from Furiosa herself who is mute for most of her childhood, and layer the power struggles between Dementus, Furiosa, and Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme). This triangle of conflict is shown through Furiosa's point of view and while it can be a little slow at times, it's not all glorious car chase into Valhalla after all, it is exceedingly rewarding. Miller and co-writer Nick Lathouris' story beholds a visceral beauty in uncovering Furiosa's motivations, emotions, and everything in between.

Stemming from her capture where she's taken from her mother and the Green Place of Many Mothers to her violently stolen innocence--often shown with the withering of a teddy bear Dementus carries with him-- to the film's triumphant yet meditative finale, we can understand and appreciate so much more of Charlize Theron's depiction in Fury Road. Furiosa plays directly up to the beginning of the 2015 film so it is possible to watch both back to back and really sink your teeth into sweet sweet wasteland vengeance.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga [2024]

I know I've taken some time to mention that Furiosa is not as high-octane as its predecessor but make no mistake, this is still a George Miller Mad Max film. In other words, there is plenty of high-speed action including a phenomenal chase sequence that introduces some new wasteland machinery along with a stupendous supporting character in Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke). Dementus' wasteland biker gang, heralding callbacks to nomadic warlords of history such as Genghis Khan, butting heads with Immortan Joe's legion of War Boys with Furiosa caught in the middle creates gripping tension. The unforgiving violence and landscape of the wasteland yielding to the darker tendencies of human nature. Desires of conquest and killing are ever-present.

And of course the main headlines of Furiosa revolve around Taylor-Joy's lack of dialogue, the same happened with Tom Hardy for Fury Road, but lest you forget that is a feature and not a bug. Miller believes that filmmaking is a visual medium, and his lack of dialogue only furthers his agenda of creating aesthetically appealing movies that move to the beat he establishes. A conductor leading a symphony of action and emotion, Miller effectively recreates the visual identity of Fury Road while building upon his later career penchant for bright colors and kinetic camera work. This is seen in his Mad Max films along with the oft-overlooked Three Thousand Years of Longing through John Seale's cinematography. However, with Furiosa, Miller enlists a new cinematographer in Simon Duggan that does a fantastic job pulling elements from the aforementioned films, while also creating a new style that fits the ethos of this new project. But what's more important than Miller's vision, optically speaking, is his ability to pull the best performances from his actors. Taylor-Joy puts in career-best work in what is one of her most physically demanding roles. But who steals the show is Hemsworth's portrayal of Dementus. We can chalk him up as another post-Marvel actor who finds something deep inside himself for a truly weird and wonderful performance (another example being Mark Ruffalo in Poor Things). I couldn't get enough of his, at times hilariously, weird yet terrifying display of a fragile ego sheltering the same anguish and despair that drives Furiosa's odyssey of revenge.

Endless comparisons to Fury Road are bound to blur the legacy of these two entries in the Mad Max saga. Both gorgeous films of epic proportions will be leveled as "Well, which one is better?" But the matter of the fact is that they are in essence equal, if not impossible to compare. Miller's wasteland and the devolution of humanity are explored in the same way across the films but through different means. One being an elongated and masterful action sequence, and the other being more akin to a Greek epic. A slow, melodic poem of action, love, and anger, all the while being undeniably gripping in every facet. And of course, people will look at the box office numbers and consider Furiosa an economic "failure" because for some reason people chose to go see Chris Pratt voice an animated Garfield, but Furiosa is nothing less than an incredible success. Time will look favorably upon Miller's Mad Max addition, and his continued ability to make it epic.

Froth

As an extension of Fury Road, Furiosa boasts the same greasy energy and vehicular worshipping that defines the wasteland. Machines used to find safety and incite violence just the same, all for the purpose of being welcomed at the gates of Valhalla where everything is shiny and chrome. But here in the dust, the world is nothing but fire and blood. Such dark imagery, no? Given how bitter Furiosa's story is, along with the grease ridden elements of the Mad Max universe, there's not much better suited for such a viewing other than Flying Lion Brewing's Double Black IPA. This pit of darkness is lighter than a stout, which I wanted for the constant motion of Miller's films. You'll need a beer that's lighter such that you're not weighted down by all the commotion. Not to mention the Double Black IPA has a delicious bitterness at the finish that serves to accent the stolen childhood/life of Furiosa, increasing your own level of angst. You'll appreciate Hemsworth's Dementus much more as a villain if your disdain for him is backed up by a bitter taste in your mouth.

But of course its not all darkness and bitters, this brew also has wonderful citrus elements and a stone fruit sweetness that pays homage to those beautiful memories of the Green Place of Many Mothers.

The Fall Guy Fell Short (mostly at the box office)

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 07:00:00 GMT

The Fall Guy [2024]
Dir. David Leitch
126 min.

Brief Summary: After leaving the business one year earlier, battle-scarred stuntman Colt Seavers springs back into action when the star of a big studio movie suddenly disappears. As the mystery surrounding the missing actor deepens, Colt soon finds himself ensnared in a sinister plot that pushes him to the edge of a fall more dangerous than any stunt.

Film

Box office expectations for The Fall Guy were somewhere between inexplicably high and unreasonably low (just ask Indiewire). The film was projected to gross something north of $30 million in its opening weekend, an estimate based on the convergence and reliance on several factors including: (1) the popularity of its lead actors, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, both of whom are coming off the co-mega smash of Barbenheimer last summer; (2) the directorial stewardship of David Leitch, a renowned stunt coordinator/performer-turned-action-director whose work on the first John Wick movie, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, and Bullet Train is very highly-regarded for this brand of highly stylized action-comedy; and (3) the film took over the highly coveted "first weekend of May summer-kickstarter" slot that was vacated by Deadpool & Wolverine in the wake of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, which is now slated to premiere later this summer instead. So in theory and on paper, Universal Pictures had a no doubt, can't-miss, surefire slam-dunk hit on its hands.

Or perhaps it only seemed as such. I recently learned from The Quorum, a website dedicated to film data research and tracking, that The Fall Guy was the first non-superhero movie since Mission: Impossible III in 2006 to release as the headliner for the first-ish weekend of May. That factoid isn't necessarily surprising, especially when you look at the list of films below. But it does signal some kind of "changing of the guard" or reversion back to a different kind of blockbuster summer movie event in a post-Top Gun: Maverick world. This scheduling switcheroo also presented the golden opportunity and wide-open runway for The Fall Guy to rake in the cash without much competition for at least a full week until Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes released on May 10. Again, insert the phrases, "no doubt," "can't miss," and "surefire slam-dunk."

Source: The Quorum

Merely weeks later and The Fall Guy is now considered a full-on box office flop by the one and only true metric that carries weight in this conversation: the box office. As of the time I'm writing this, the film has grossed an $129.4 million worldwide against its estimated budget of $130-135 million (with upwards of $20 million in marketing as well). Just getting back to financial sea level isn't enough for Universal Studios when a title like this has so much baked-in potential Breaking even doesn't equate to success in Hollywood – this isn't golf, it's the movies. Oh, and speaking of movie theaters, the film is already available to rent on VOD (which is something I maybe wish I had realized before sitting in a nearly empty theater with three other people quietly chuckling and munching on popcorn). This 'quick!-to-streaming' maneuver is a course of action studios are willing to make only when they're either desperate to save their bottom line or want to promote another forthcoming release (I see you HBO for releasing Dune 2 on Max a bit earlier than expected to build some hype for Dune: Prophecy in the fall). In the case of The Fall Guy, Universal is clearly trying to save face, cut costs, and streamline their profits to reconcile any hope of a marginal return on investment...

Which let me tell you is a damn shame and unfair to the movie itself, because I for one really enjoyed The Fall Guy. Bogging down my writing flow to shoehorn in some overly thought out film criticism would kill the momentum, so I'll keep my retrospective peaks and pits simple and short. Basically, if "Ryan Gosling" isn't the first, last, or most frequently used words in your review of this film, you're missing the most important point. The same guy who was once fought off being typecast as the guy from The Notebook by taking on roles where he played quietly brooding and mysteriously intriguing men (mostly in Nicolas Winding Refn movies like Drive) has finally evolved into what is now his final movie star form. Yes, he was funny in The Nice Guys and his relentless commitment to the bit in Barbie showed another way for him to be fearless, but he I don't think he's ever leaned in to being the charming, prototypical leading man as much as he does in The Fall Guy. And yes, I realize that there is a part-satire, part-parody, and part-sight gag humor to it all, but that doesn't mean Gosling isn't relishing the spotlight. His efforts are matched by Emily Blunt, who is equally committed and makes the most of a part that seems half-baked on the page but fully realized in her performance. Together, the two of them make up for a lot of the film's shortcomings, including some of its messy pacing and disjointed tonality. Leitch certainly has the filmmaking chops and sense of visual playfulness to keep his audience interested, but The Fall Guy is built around and reliant upon the shared comedic chemistry of its two leading movie stars.

The Fall Guy [2024]

Despite it flopping, The Fall Guy still gets more right than wrong and delivers a movie with extremely charismatic performers that knows how to keep things moving and its audience laughing, which is more than most other turn-off-your-brain blockbusters in 2024 can say. So what exactly went wrong at the box office and why didn't people go see The Fall Guy? I feel like we ask ourselves this question every time a movie that should hit but doesn't (which is increasingly common in the mid-2020s). At a micro-level, I think there was a marketability hurdle stemming from the title of the movie. Think about: in 2021 there was Free Guy starring Ryan Reynolds and in 2022 there was The Gray Man, which also starred Gosling in a brainless action flick. I guess the point is it can be hard to name your movie that feels almost like a composite of those two titles starring one of two very famous actors named Ryan. Am I overstating this? Maybe. But I can tell you that I personally have flubbed saying the words The Fall Guy at least a half dozen times this month. I'm just wondering if a different title might have helped even just a little bit. On a macro-level, we've seen that for theater-going audiences, most individuals have to be absolutely certain that a movie is somehow "important" enough (either event- or experience-wise) or financially-worthwhile for them to make the effort to get off their couch and make the trip off their couch and leave the house to watch it amongst strangers. And I totally get it, the movies can be expensive, especially if you go all out and make going into a big event. With rising costs at the theater and more competitive streaming options at home, fewer people than ever before view the act of moviegoing as an entertainment for the experience rather than entertainment for the sake of... well, entertainment. The Fall Guy is an attempted throwback to an era of a simpler times when movies could just be a fun way to enjoy oneself for two hours without thinking too hard and didn't need to dilute the starpower of its actors by putting them in a cape or against a CGI backdrop. When thought of in those terms, The Fall Guy delivers on its promise and earns its stripes.

The Fall Guy premiered at SXSW on March 12, 2024, and was released in the United States on May 3, by Universal Pictures. It is also available to stream VOD.

Froth

Seeing The Fall Guy at Chicago's Logan Theatre would typically mean popping in at one of several high quality brewers in Logan Square for a draft or two (or maybe even a flight if there's time). But weeknight screenings call for weeknight decision-making, so this beer pairing occurred at the theater during the movie. I opted to try the Crushinator, a session IPA from the always reliable Maplewood Brewing Company. This was a lower ABV, easy-drinking beer that was malt-forward with a slightly fruity finish. Apparently, this is only released through June, so if I want another round of the Crushinator, I'll have to get on that sooner than later. As always, Maplewood delivers the goods.

From CCFF '24 - Cuckoo

Mon, 27 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Cuckoo [2024]
Dir. Tilman Singer
102 min.

Editorial Disclaimer: Coverage of the films screening at the 2024 Chicago Critics Film Festival is limited to publishing capsule reviews at this time. This in accordance with each film's review embargo that may or may not have already been formally lifted prior to its theatrical release. As always, please send any grievances, questions, or concerns you may have to film.froth@gmail.com.

NEON Summary: Reluctantly, 17-year-old Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) leaves her American home to live with her father, who has just moved into a resort in the German Alps with his new family. Arriving at their future residence, they are greeted by Mr. König (Dan Stevens), her father's boss, who takes an inexplicable interest in Gretchen's mute half-sister Alma. Something doesn't seem right in this tranquil vacation paradise. Gretchen is plagued by strange noises and bloody visions until she discovers a shocking secret that also concerns her own family.

Film

From NEON, or what you now might think of as THE hottest American independent film production and distribution company around these days comes Cuckoo, an occasionally nonsensical but still highly effective horror-thriller film worth putting on your watchlist this summer. With a rock-solid turn from Hunter Schafer in the leading role and a zany but still ridiculously fun supporting performance from Dan Stevens, Cuckoo is a something of a fun mess and baffling film to discuss, especially when you're safe-guarding the story's twists and turns. Though at times the story feels needlessly convoluted, the jumps and scares are legit, the editing is crisp, and the slick camera moves are arranged with purpose. Director Tilman Singer clearly has the know-how to drum up some tension maintaining just enough control over the mayhem he's created to prevent things from unraveling beyond salvageable repair. Don't misconstrue my wishy-washy critiques for outright derision – my backhanded compliments are sincere and come from a place of whole-hearted endorsement for this film.

while most of the plot details are relatively spoiler-proof by design, I'm going to be intentionally vague just to preserve the mysteries and keep the reveals under wraps. In the wake of her mother's death, seventeen-year-old Gretchen (Schafer) has reluctantly relocated to an eerily remote resort on the side of a German mountain with her father, her stepmother, and her mute seven-year-old stepsister. They're welcomed by the exceedingly eccentric and excessively rich Mr. Herr König (Stevens), who apparently owns the resort, the local hospital, and seems to have control and oversight over the goings-on in the town (some might say too much control and oversight). Still dealing with her own unresolved grief and yearning to return stateside, Gretchen accepts a position offered by König at the resort to earn some extra cash (to save up for the chance to fly home). For reasons unexplained, König insists Gretchen doesn't work the nightshift... a warning that immediately disregards because of course should would, she's an angsty teenager. Almost immediately she starts to notice peculiar behavior from her stepsister and the patrons at the resort. Gretchen herself begins experiencing disorienting and repetitive visions full of ear-splitting screeching noises and unnerving images.... and as Gretchen dives deeper into the mysteries around her, of which directly concern her own family, terrible things begin happening and she realizes that danger is all around her.

Put plainly, Cuckoo worked best when it honed in on manufacturing creepy vibes and top-notch scares and shied away from all its heady technicalities. Like so many other horror thrillers, there's a seemingly inherent insistence to chop up the details and toss them into a a soggy exposition salad in the third act just to make sure everyone is clear on the mechanics of what is happening. Whenever the film teetered into that sort of over-explanation, I could feel my attention span shortening and my investment waning. On the flip side, whenever Singer threw narrative caution to the wind and simply leaned into his strengths as a filmmaker, I really liked the game he was pitching. Where his screenplay lacks discipline in trimming unnecessary yada-yada genre machinations, his savvy instincts as a director are apparent. Elsewhere, there's plenty to get excited about. From a craft perspective, the reverberating editing and deafening sound design are particularly inspired and are crucial to the film's look and feel. Moreover, the complimentary performances from a steadfast-Schafer and an idiosyncratic-Stevens are fully realized and calibrated to balance one another out from start to finish.

All things considered, Cuckoo delivers a bit more sizzle than steak – despite its lackluster high-concept genre story, the filmmaking is impressive enough to overcome its "trying-to-be-smart but dumber-than-it-realizes" storytelling choices. While I wasn't won over by the film's overreliance on baked-in trauma commentary and themes (something that plagues a lot of current horror films), I did think its fluid genre components blended together nicely, namely the cohesion of its nerve-racking supernatural suspense and gnarly body horror violence. There's a lot to like here for fans of the horror genre but probably a lot less to write home about for the casuals out there. I wouldn't necessarily say that the endgame payoffs in Cuckoo cover the whole tab here, but in horror filmmaking, any sort of satisfying third-act closure is really just a cherry on the sundae, right? Even still, Singer does manage to hold it all together, a credit to his stylish and inventive filmmaking flourishes.

Cuckoo is scheduled for a wider theatrical release in the United States starting on August 2, 2024.

Young Hearts - SIFF [2024]

Fri, 24 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Young Hearts [2024]

Film

This film was viewed at the 50th Seattle International Film Festival

Love, what an easily understandable emotion right? You lock eyes with someone across the room while George Michael's "Careless Whisper" carries you both to the center of the room. "Funny how in a room full of people you can feel so alone" mourns one of you. Then, a kiss, fireworks, marriage, kids, mid-life crisis sports car, retirement (if you're lucky), and finally adjacent plots at the cemetery.

Piece of cake right?

In reality, only Elias' (Lou Goossens) father Luk (Geert Van Rampelberg) feels that way. As a singer who finally catches his break with his smash single about first love in Anthony Schatteman's gorgeous coming-of-age Young Hearts, Luk is in essence, an artifact of the older generation. When times were simpler, emotions weren't complex and drove people to create formulaic pop singles with no substance. I won't deny the fact that "First Love" is an absolute banger, but love isn't all that clear-cut for Elias. While dating, it might just be "hanging out"--I'm detached from what the youths call it these days--Valerie (Saar Rogiers), Elias has a new neighbor who moved in across the street. A boy his age, Alexander (Marius De Saeger) clearly causes Elias to feel butterflies, just like his dad sings about.

But Schatteman's story isn't as simple as that. In his young naïveté, Elias has no clue how to deal with his emotions. He's in a relationship with Valerie but harbors feelings for Alexander. Here lies the heart (pun intended) of Young Hearts. A gentle, sweeping romance about a young boy's understanding of his feelings without the cliche of outside influences. While his father, Luk, is a symbol of the old guard in terms of emotional comprehension, he never actively acts against his son's best interests. There's no outward homophobia from extraneous characters, save for some bullies in Elias' high school, instead the conflict is an inward journey of self-understanding, and with it, self-acceptance.

Young Hearts [2024]

Elias' poor comprehension of his feelings isn't a completely new plot-line for a film such as Young Hearts, but Goossens' performance turns any tired trope into an excellent piece of maturing in the modern age. His restrained emotion carefully carries Elias' hardships, showcasing his internal conflict of the heart, while the rare outburst is finely focused and superbly delivered. Not to mention Schatteman's thorough story and direction include enough in the peripheries to round out Elias. He is a talented young artist who can express himself exquisitely with pictures, whereas his father can do so in song. A fantastic layering of being able to express yourself with words compared to Elias' inability, but not due to any lack of emotion. Throw in Dirk van Dijck's performance as Elias' grandfather, Fred, along with their heartwarming chemistry and you've got a stupendous backbone for the ethos of the film. All of this culminates in a monologue from Fred to Elias on the nature of love and the hardships involved akin to Michael Stuhlbarg in Call Me By Your Name.

Schatteman's Young Hearts never feels like a copy of its predecessors, the multitude of coming-of-age films focused on first love. Instead it finds ways to wriggle free from the mold and defy expectations, starting with Goossens' stellar performance, a lovely story, where a score of beautiful melodic strings floats between the peaks and troughs of Elias' journey of self-discovery.

Froth

Young Hearts is an absolute delight. A cute, warm, fuzzy concoction of cinematic heart-warming introspection that leaves no eyes dry in the theater. A light-hearted story that somehow mixes in the confusion of modern-age love while remaining true to its characters is a rarity. There's no need for anything heavy when watching this film and certainly no need for anything dark. The only appropriate pairing has to be Happy Little Clouds from Cloudburst Brewing. This award-winning pilsner is as light, tasty, and refreshing as any beer could be. A mix of German and American hops along with some pilsner malt make a damn fine balanced brew, which is nothing short of the norm at Cloudburst Brewing if you ask me.

Don't believe me? Well then check out this immaculate review from Craft Beer and Brewing.

From CCFF '24 - Sing Sing

Mon, 20 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Sing Sing [2023]
Dir. Greg Kwedar
105 min.

A24 Summary: Divine G (Colman Domingo), imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group with other incarcerated men. When a wary outsider (Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin as himself) joins the group, the men decide to stage their first original comedy, in this stirring true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art, starring an unforgettable ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors.

Film

Now that's how you get things started off on a high note. The 2024 Chicago Critics Film Festival led its opening night with the highly anticipated Sing Sing, the breakout film co-written and directed by Greg Kwedar that premiered to rave reviews last fall out of the Toronto International Film Festival. The characters featured and story of Sing Sing is certainly not a work of fiction, nor is it presented as a documentary. I guess you could say the feature film is something closer to a docudrama, one where the true events that inspired the story and the great meta-textual performances in the film are blended and blurred in ways that respects those whom the story is about and told by. Sing Sing is an emotionally intelligent crowd-pleaser that has a spirit and soul that works hard to earn every emotion it renders in its audience.

The film is based on the experiences of actual participants in the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program, which originated in 1996 at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York, and has since expanded to several maximum and minimum security prisons throughout New York State. For nearly three decades, RTA has empowered incarcerated individuals to cultivate life skills through artistic expression, embodying an ethos of human dignity-centric justice rather than punitive measures. In adapting this story for the screen with his co-writer Clint Bentley, Kwedar's script focuses on a small group of prisoners at Sing Sing in the RTA program preparing to put on an original production called, "Breakin' The Mummy's Code." By telling a more contained and intimate story about the psyche of a few individuals, Kwedar earns his film the credibility to address on the systemic issues of an institution that are baked into the fabric of the story, specifically the negative psychological challenges attributed to the traumatic experience of incarceration.

Listening to the talented cast of actors speak at the post-screening Q&A illuminated the challenges and complicated emotions that came with portraying themselves on screen. What they achieve as a unit is incredibly powerful and moving. And I know its only May (and there's no need to start talking about this yet), but I'm unilaterally deciding that it is not too outlandish nor too early to pencil in Colman Domingo as one of the presumptive nominees in Best Actor at next year's Academy Awards. Domingo delivers a balanced but dynamic performance, one where is tasked with vacillating between leading and following according to what the scene is calling for. He often is asked to carry scenes with little to say, which he is more than capable of thanks to his magnetic on-screen presence, but he also does a great deal of give-and-take acting and is generous in his ability to share the screen and hold steady to maximize those around him. Domingo is already one of the most sought after and well-respect actors working today, but I believe this to be the best performance I've seen from him to date.

It is known that the emotional distress, social distress, and interpersonal isolation makes post-prison adjustment process extremely difficult for many former prisoners, which leads to an increased likelihood of recidivism. Something I learned after the movie is that less than 3% of RTA members return to prison compared to the national recidivism rate of 60%, which is staggering statistic to say the least. As a film, Sing Sing showcases this redemptive power of art through the eyes of former incarcerated inmates telling their own story as they reckon with their own identities and use performance as a way to heal and transform. This is an honest film made with great care and respect for its subject that has a lot to say about collaboration, community, and camaraderie.

Sing Sing is scheduled for a wider theatrical release in the United States starting on July 12, 2024.

Froth

Bitterly refreshing or refreshingly bitter? While I am regularly drawn to the IPA section on a beer menu, I am usually partial to New England-style IPAs, where the flavor emphasis is typically fruit-forward, smooth, and bit less bitter. For my most recent visit to Corridor Brewery & Provisions in the center of the Southport Corridor in Chicago, I opted for the Six Paper Joint, a West Coast IPA that was crisper, drier, and bitter-er than my palette is used to. Maybe not my favorite beer I've ordered in recent memory, but ultimately I'm glad I went off script and ordered this – even just to try it.

Porcelain War - SIFF [2024]

Sat, 18 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Porcelain War [2024]

Film

This film was viewed at the 50th Seattle International Film Festival

It was never a question of leaving or staying in Kharkiv for Slava and Anya, after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Kharkiv has always been home, and to leave, abandoning everything they've known and loved, would be personally heartbreaking and felt like being complicit in the violently encroaching tyranny. This is exactly why they chose to stay, with Slava continuing his journey as a Ukrainian special forces member, teaching civilians how to safely and effectively contribute to the war effort.

The extraordinary story of Slava, Anya, and their friend Andrey, is the compelling narrative behind Porcelain War, an intimate exploration of artistic expression amidst the violence and chaos of war, shot mostly by the subjects in front of the camera. Slava and Anya not only chose to remain in the war-torn city of Kharkiv, steeling themselves against the bombardment of Russian aggression, but to continue to build and create the porcelain figurines that they've been making together for years. Often using the natural world as inspiration, sculpting various animals, the duo chose porcelain as their medium due to its paradoxical properties. Porcelain is fragile, yet also steadfast in its strength. Slava brags about how it can be buried for hundreds of years and remain intact, or easily restored.

But is he talking about the gorgeous figurines that he makes in his home with his wife? Behind the constant sirens of missile strikes, gunfire, and looming threat of cultural erasure at the doorstep. Or are porcelain's properties simply allusions to the resolve of Ukraine? Porcelain War often places these sculptures from Slava and Anya amid the destruction from the war. Ruined buildings, destroyed homes, all backgrounds for the artistic creation of a porcelain owl, lizard, and snail amongst other creatures. The juxtaposition of creation and beauty in the chaos of war provides Porcelain War with its gorgeous heartbeat. A documentary so full of dedication, and cultural preservation and I'll say it again, heart, that whenever Anya, Slava, and Andrey begin to speak I can't help but feel their pain. Not only their pain but their hopes, dreams, love for family and country, their whole existence is so beautifully depicted in a film that showcases the terror that they have to exist within.

Much of the story of Porcelain War is told through the subjects on screen, delivering a personal and intimate feel of the story, but occasionally one of the porcelain sculptures holds animated paintings on it. As an animated mural, the once static artwork becomes a dynamic storyteller, which when aided by Slava, Anya, or Andrey's narration coalesces into a breathtakingly innovative approach to documentary filmmaking.

Porcelain War [2024]

Slava and company's story is but a microcosm of the larger effort in Ukraine, represented effectively with deft editing and more somber moments of actual warfare from Slava's company. Shot from a first-person perspective, the action feels close in proximity and offers a sobering moment outside of the themes of art to remind us of what is at stake here. Anya and Slava create these sculptures, painting them to be rich with Ukrainian culture, to prevent the complete erasure of Ukraine. Just like how Slava continues to train civilians how to handle firearms, shoot, and become fighters to push back against Russia. But he also understands that if the worst-case scenario were to happen, much like porcelain, they would remain. Maybe buried for years, cracked, maybe broken, but they can and will be restored.

Lastly, I'll say that in the two years I've covered SIFF I've seen two breathtaking documentaries from Ukraine. Last year's 20 Days in Mariupol was breathtaking for much more horrific reasons, but the point I'm making is that Ukrainian determination and resolve are beautiful. We (using a general we for Americans here) gripe a lot, especially these days, about losing freedoms and whatnot, even using college commencement speeches to lament about not being in the 1930s anymore (oh the horror!!). But we couldn't possibly comprehend the idea of actually losing freedom, experiencing erasure on the scale we're seeing out of Ukraine and the documentaries about it are harrowing and more important than ever.

Froth

There's a rich history and culture to Ukraine, which is explained through the variety of beautiful sculptures in Porcelain War. Making the most sense to have a rich, and slightly sweet, brew to help you sit back and enjoy the phenomenal bit of storytelling you're about to watch. The Ascari Amber from Wheelie Pop Brewing is a robust amber that has all the qualities you'd be looking for. It's got great flavor, a roasty backbone with a sweetness at the front of each sip, while also balancing a nice level of bitterness to pull back that sweetness to not be overwhelming. Balance is a word I'd use to describe such a sensation. Coming in at 5.6% ABV you'll be able to really sip on this and enjoy not only your beverage, but an enriching experience brought on by Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev's documentary picture that is high on my list of SIFF favorites this year.

Holy Mother - SIFF [2024]

Sat, 18 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Holy Mother [2024]

Film

This film was viewed at the 50th Seattle International Film Festival

Possibly an Ari Aster-esque commentary on inheriting the flaws, or debts--spiritual or physical--of our parents, Emma (Daniela Brown) was passed down the dreams of her father upon his passing. Now tasked with repopulating the Spanish borders and spreading the Christian faith in the 9th Century, as the Crusades rage on, she's found herself as the Abbess of a remote convent at the age of 17. Is this newfound power and position a gift, or a curse?

Writer-Director Antonio Chavarrías' Holy Mother (also titled La Abadesa) is an ambitious middle-aged epic that follows Emma on this spiritual conquest, against the machinations of a patriarchal society and dogmatic religion that wishes to see her fail. Featuring stunning landscapes and set designs, Chavarrías's film is an immersive experience, fitting you amongst the ranks of nuns under the tutelage of Emma. The only problem is, that Emma's convent is not one of prayers and penance but a congregation of outcasts, misfits that were sent to the edge of the world by their fathers to avoid humiliation. You can imagine Emma's shock, arriving as the leader of a convent to promote Christianity, only to find more pagan predispositions accompanied by outrageous allowances from her sisters' fathers to keep them from wanting to return home. Emma's job not only has to confront a male ideology of power, but now she must convince the nuns to abide by her rules and help her spread the faith. Oh and did I mention she's 17?

Holy Mother [2024]

The deck is truly stacked against Emma, and Brown's performance as the young embattled Abbess is the incredible backbone of the film. Resolute, and solemnly powerful she wields her influence with a careful reticence that reflects the ethos of the time. Men are in disbelief that she wishes to go outside the walls of the Abbey, attempting to reach the poor and starving villagers who may or may not be Muslim, as they would believe that an Abbess would simply wish to pray inside the walls. Are the walls of the Abbey protection from the ongoing war between Christians and Muslims or are they serving a more nefarious purpose as a prison for the ambitions of women like Emma?

But of course, we can't just have a powerful feminine character being questioned for her power but she also must be questioned for her emotions. Her brother begins to question her romantic interests in a helpful deacon, Eduard (Ernest Villegas), leading many to be dubious of her ability to lead. However, time and time again Emma's stalwart dedication to her mission and faith provide a template for her followers, effectively shown through Chavarrías' detailed, albeit slow, screenplay. The contrast between the bright snowscape outside and the dark candle-lit interior of the convent are fantastic elements hinting at the varying dueling ideologies in the film. Dogmatic religious ideals versus more forgiving ones, patriarchal standards against an egalitarian society, and the simple idea of combatting violence with caring and goodwill. Taking in a young Muslim girl to the convent shows Emma's more flexible approach to the Christian texts (hello to the old love thy neighbor parable) while old men continue to be threatened by her actions.

In the end, Chavarrías' middle-aged epic is grand in scale as it is effective in storytelling. While slow at times, and possibly benefitting from a shorter runtime, the story is thematically sound if not entirely due to Brown's revelatory performance. Commanding the screen at every turn, especially ringing true at the inquisition of her actions by a papal arbiter, she brings a fantastic quiet power to the film that elevates the castaway nuns and outcast villager characters into another level of humanity. Bringing the entire project into the scope of fighting the dogmatic appraisal of religion, instead opting for something more caring, human, and gentle in the face of wild adversity.

Froth

While not completely dark in nature, Holy Mother provides a lot of great thinking points through its meandering, slow storytelling.

That sounded like I didn't like the movie, but I did! More importantly I think a slower film that requires some pondering also deserves a slow sipper of a beer, something a little darker but not too heavy. That's where the Cannonball Oatmeal Porter from Jellyfish Brewing comes into play. It's heavy but light to drink at the same time, thanks in part to the flaky properties of brewing with oats. But this porter still holds the wonderful roasty darkness of a robust porter, and the oats provide a wonderfully smooth mouthfeel making it easy to drink and even easier to enjoy.

Tim Travers and the Time Traveler's Paradox - SIFF [2024]

Fri, 17 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Tim Travers and the Time Traveler's Paradox [2024]

Film

This film was viewed at the 50th Seattle International Film Festival

Much like the titular protagonist of Tim Travers and the Time Traveler's Paradox, Tim Travers (Samuel Dunning), writer-director Stimson Snead is a bit of a mad scientist. Dissecting absurd gaffes, plot holes, or just downright weird moments of various time travel-centric films and throwing them into the cauldron of his film. Cooking up a concoction of hilarious sci-fi nonsense that all meshes together seamlessly. Playing like a raunchy, B-movie version of Back to the Future, Tim Travers (excuse my shorthand but we don't need to type that title out every time) is a wild ride through Snead's satirical vision. Following the aforementioned Tim Travers, we ride along as a trustworthy observer to the convoluted time travel mechanics as Travers sets out to understand the "Time Traveler's Paradox"--more commonly referred to as the "Grandfather Paradox."

The paradox is set up as such: you first build a time machine of course, then travel back in time and kill your grandfather--or in the case of Tim Travers, your younger self. Do you, now a future version of yourself with no past self, continue to exist or simply disappear? Well, Travers continues to exist after killing his past self from a minute prior, which sets forth the wheels in his brain. An egomaniac such as himself cannot accept the fact that he's living a paradox that he doesn't understand. What unravels next, is sheer insanity.

While some time travel films can get wrapped up in their physics, or plot holes, Snead's film walks a steady line between batshit crazy and explainable craziness. We're not meant to follow each iteration of Travers, because there are many as he enlists the help of past versions of himself to understand the paradox, but instead we the viewers are the arbiter of what is now and what is past or future. Establishing an easily understandable story was Snead's first remarkable accomplishment, in a film that gets weird real quick, but the amount of witty humor he's instilled in it is equally commendable. Packed with excellent one-liners, setups, and outrageous gimmicks, Tim Travers, if anything will get you laughing until the credits roll.

Story-wise it suffers a little in the second half as it expands its scope from a story on the human experience, exploring Travers' ego and lack of self-love (except for a hilariously timed orgy with 14 versions of himself), to a metaphysical examination of reality. While I enjoyed the multiple jabs at past time travel films or even generally absurd conspiracies on life, like the universe being a simulation or video game controlled by a self-published author played by a delightfully cynical Keith David, it bloats the central story too much. I could've stayed in Travers' laboratory amidst the plethora of Travers copies all engaging in hilarious dialogue and ridiculous scientific advancements for the sake of inflating their collective ego.

As far as sci-fi B-movies go, Tim Travers is up there with the greats. It never strays too far outside its comfort zone, narrative gripes aside, and does a fantastic job highlighting a wonderfully weird performance (or performances) from Samuel Dunning. Not to mention the cameos from Danny Trejo, as an enforcer sent from the terrorist who Travers stole nuclear material from (read: Back to the Future homage), and Joel McHale, as a podcast host that's a mix of Joe Rogan and Alex Jones, are phenomenal additions.

Tim Travers didn't entirely work for me, as I mentioned with the last 30 minutes or so spiraling out of control, but there's more good than bad. Not to mention I laughed my ass off and find Snead's wonderfully weird humor to be right up my alley and matches the aesthetic of a low-budget sci-fi movie extraordinarily well.

Froth

For most people, the worst case scenario for the Grandfather Paradox is ending one's own existence. But for Tim Travers, the worst possible outcome is the one he finds himself in. The inability to understand the current reality. How can there be something that this mad genius doesn't know!? Well lucky for us, his worst case outcome results in a fun movie for us. I guess that's our best case, or should I say... our West Case Scenario!

This Burke-Gilman Brewing Company West Coast IPA is a wild concoction of Eureka, Chinook and Citra hops giving it a delightful floral, citrus, and tropical aroma. Not to mention a delicious flavor bursting with pine, berries, and a pinch of lime that accents the dank hoppiness well. Overall its a worthy companion for a casual trip to the past while trying to understand the present. A tall task no?

In Flames - SIFF [2024]

Thu, 16 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

In Flames [2023]

Film

This film was viewed at the 50th Seattle International Film Festival

Zarrar Kahn's written and directed film, In Flames, refuses to pull any punches. Instead, it opts for a straightforward, blatant, call out of not only Pakistan's insidious patriarchy but all across the world. It asks the question that's sarcastically and seriously thrown around, are there any decent men out there? Where have all the good guys gone?

From the perspective of Mariam (Ramesha Nawal), she's never known the existence of good men. Her father was abusive, and her grandfather--whose disposition is unclear--recently passed, leaving just herself, her mother Fariha (Bakhtawar Mazhar), and her younger brother Bilal (Jibran Khan) to navigate this unforgiving world. Their home is a cramped apartment, not far from the constant flow of Karachi traffic and action, but might resemble that more of a prison than a comfortable place to live. Sinister men plague Mariam's life, even as she tries to steer clear of their ire, instead only going to and from the library to continue her studies to be a doctor. But even on this humble, private journey, she's confronted with unwelcome violence or advances. One day a man throws a brick through her car window, calling her a whore, while another day she's out on her balcony at home and a man on the street begins to masturbate while she watches in horror--powerless and confused.

In Flames [2023]

But Kahn doesn't paint a picture of sheer aggression and sexually abusive behavior, as Mariam meets the timid and gentle Asad (Omar Javaid), another student who genuinely cares for her well-being. Unfortunately, in Kahn's gothic horror, there's something or someone that continues to haunt Mariam and her family with imagery of creeping insanity and paranoia. An omnipresent horror that follows Mariam and her family, an allegory to the always present and always powerful established patriarchy that controls women in Pakistan (and most of the world). Visions of mysterious men, known and unknown, constantly remind her of how her life could easily be erased without so much of a blink, reinforced by the interactions with the legal system even if her grandfather was the governing power of it when alive. These creeping nightmares effectively create a claustrophobic terror throughout In Flames, choking out the light of hope and the literal breath of Mariam whose asthma creates intense moments of dread.

Altogether, Kahn's direction and screenplay are razor-sharp dissections of patriarchal society and the horrifying impositions such archaic ways of life have on young and older women alike. Seeing the ramifications across Mariam's family is bone-chilling, and the supernatural horror added in layer additional complexities to make the message much more clear. Last but not least, I would be remiss to not mention Nawal's revelatory performance. Her portrayal of Mariam is astonishing, heartbreaking, and awe-inspiring all in one. She's the magnetic centerpiece of the film and the enduring strength of her performance carries the film to a remarkable conclusion.

Froth

In Flames was a lot darker than I expected. I mean, maybe that's me being dense and not anticipating what I was about to watch, but that's neither here nor there. I knew the basic synopsis and was attracted to the fact that this was Pakistan's submission for Best International Feature for this year's Oscar's. I was also sad that it didn't get into even a shortlist after watching it but that also is a testament to the quality of International films out there! Nevertheless, I really loved what Kahn made here and it's absolutely a highlight of this year's SIFF. For such a dark film that touches on a pertinent topic in the world today, it's best to have a beer that you slowly sip on, enjoy, and think about what is happening. The newest brewery in my Ballard neighborhood, Distant West Brewing, is a phenomenal operation and their American Stout is the perfect companion for some good old fashioned sit and watch and reflect. It's sweeter than anticipated (not like In Flames) but that's good for the overall experience because this film is not for the faint of heart. Coffee and licorice flavors sit behind the first taste while the roasted aroma will carry you to a relaxed state of introspection and enjoyment of some of the fine cinema the world can offer!

We Strangers - SIFF [2024]

Thu, 16 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

We Strangers [2024]

Film

This film was viewed at the 50th Seattle International Film Festival

It's not an everyday occurrence that a cleaning lady in Gary Indiana admits to being clairvoyant, hurling herself into a lackadaisical hustle with wealthy white women champing at the bit to hire her psychic services. Well, it might be more common than I think, I've never been to Gary, Indiana so what do I know? But this is the exact scheme that Ray (Kirby) finds herself in as she watches Jean Lachia (Maria Dizzia), whose house she cleans, absorbed in a daytime cable show about psychics communing with dead relatives. Suddenly hatching her next hustle while putting herself further in the hole.

Anu Valia's feature film directorial debut, We Strangers, focuses on Ray and her ever-evolving dedication to the hustle. Starting as a commercial cleaner, Ray finds herself being hired by the affluent Dr. Neeraj Patel (Hari Dhillon) to clean up his house as he's desperate for some help. Within moments of cleaning the Patel household Jean arrives with a face full of concern that a black woman is roaming around the wealthy doctor's abode. While We Strangers appears to start with an overarching social commentary on race, it quickly veers off to the side to highlight the complexities of the wealth gap. As opposed to being in an exaggerated form of "extremely poor person taken advantage of by extremely wealthy people" Valia narrows the wealth gap but also turns the advantageous nature of characters on its head. Instead of Ray falling prey to the eccentricities of the wealthy Patel and Lachia families, she finds herself--or forces her way--into the driver's seat, as seen in her lucrative psychic shenanigans.

Kirby's performance is admirable, balancing the duality of Ray being under the water with her responsibilities (personal and professional) while also slowly accumulating command of her benefactors. Combined with Valia's colorful and visually appealing direction, We Strangers is easy on the eyes and at times a delightful optical journey. But Valia's obscure and messy story pulls Ray's escapades in different directions, spreading the thematic context too thin. Ray's personal life is scattered throughout, serving as an afterthought to her hustling lifestyle, muddying some of the more pivotal interactions she has with her mother (Tina Lifford) and partner Mari (Kara Young). However, I did enjoy Valia's wry excoriation of how time can be the biggest contributor to the wealth gap. The Patel's and Lachia families have 24 hours in a day and choose to sit on their asses while Ray feels as though she's only working with 12 hours to balance her personal and professional affairs. But that's not enough to save the scattered story and construction of Ray's character throughout the film that ends feeling hollow, with so much to say without actually getting a word out. There's also oft-repeated sub-context provided from an anecdote of a man in ancient times being imprisoned, finding his way out of his cell after a volcano eruption only to emerge as the only man left amongst the destruction. Is Ray working her way into a prison of her own making, controlling rich people too engrossed in their frivolity to care while forsaking her own family, ultimately ending up alone? I wish I could know the answer, but unfortunately, the repetitive volcano imagery doesn't aid in exploring this intriguing storyline. Leaving me waiting for an eruption that never comes.

Froth

I wasn't being facetious when I said that Valia's direction is bursting with color, leading to some visual appeal. Sure, overall I wasn't a fan of the film but I can't deny that Valia has the vision for pushing some boundaries and making a film that is great to look at. Its the main quality of the film, which when pairing with the constant volcanic references--no seriously that volcano pops up a lot--gives plenty of smoke and mirror vibes. Thankfully Holy Mountain Brewing recently put out a volcanic themed brew with their Smoke of the Volcanoes. This Grodziskie, a type I'm admittedly not wholly familiar with, is low in alcohol, making it refreshingly light, but containing a decent amount of smokiness as its style would imply. It possesses a slightly murky coloring amidst its pale yellow, but it wears it well, looking dashing as ever if I may say. The Smoke of the Volcanoes is a lot like We Strangers in its light bodied nature, smoky veil obscuring deeper introspection, and finishing it prepares you well for whatever comes next.

Long Live the Challengers

Wed, 08 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Challengers [2024]

Film

We all knew what we were getting into when Challengers was getting ready to come out. A Luca Guadagnino love triangle film centered on tennis? Surely we were privy to the stylings of Guadagnino's previous films and how that would leak over into Challengers. Sexual subtext, tension, and casual eroticism with some character complexity sprinkled in are all different flavors that resemble an archetypical film of his. Time and time again these themes have burst off the screen with films like his colloquial trilogy centered on desire (A Bigger Splash, I Am Love, Call Me By Your Name) or even his latest film, a plunge into romance-horror, Bones and All. Portraying desire, and other sensual emotions through careful proximity between characters is not only the Guadagnino way, but also omnipresent in Challengers. A love triangle between the tennis prodigy that couldn't be, Tashi (Zendaya), the star that was, Art (Mike Faist), and the champion that was never, Patrick (Josh O'Connor) is all the romantic setup Luca needs to push forth the overtly sexual undertones-and overtones, feverishly. Their individual and combined relationships are explored throughout a 13-year period, culminating in a final tennis match between Art and Patrick. Where the past, present, and future all come together on opposite sides of the net. As friends, foes, or something a little more fiery.

But while I was well-prepared for another sexually charged movie, I wasn't totally ready for Luca to be this deep in his director bag.

Challengers is by far the most visually stunning film in Guadagnino's filmography. The marriage between his direction, and some rather daring camera work from frequent collaborator Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, create some of his most electric scenes. Split triopter sequences, a tennis ball camera, see-through tennis courts, I mean what the hell? Challengers takes the idea of tennis being a spectator sport, chews it up, and spits it back in your face. Because your face is literally in the middle of the match that punctuates the film's finale. As immersive as it is entertaining, it's difficult to say anything negative about the new modern styling that Guadagnino brought to the table. Where his prior films were more muted, reserved and maybe I'll say careful, he decides to experiment with more exaggerated direction here. And I'm happy to say it worked. It worked incredibly well.

Now of course we have some textbook Guadagnino flair peppered throughout. Up close, and personal shots, encroaching on the lips of Art, Patrick, and Tashi during moments of dialogue establish classic sexual tension. Sure there's a lot of substantial romantic action, ceding some of the suspense, but there's much more of the possibility of a kiss, or sexual escalation, that builds within Challengers. The shot selection (pun intended) also operates outside of this rather predictable set of parameters. To put a microscope on the relationships each character has with one another, in a purely plutonic way (homoeroticism aside). Art is best friends with Patrick while they both fight for the same romantic interest, who happens to date/marry them at different times. In such a lush, visually appealing film focused on a spectator sport, it's the intimate moments between the contest that allow us to truly get a personal look at the players. Challengers can be coy in these troughs, dragging through romanticism with overt imagery that can feel misleading or obfuscating, but the end product justifies the means.

Challengers [2024]

That's because Justin Kuritzkes' screenplay sharply pits the trio against one another while crescendoing their interpersonal tension throughout. Sexual tension between the three is palpable, almost blocking out the sun at times. Art and Patrick's history, aided by the aforementioned camera work and sub-context (shout out to the churros), creates an extra layer of distress for the relationships between Art/Tashi and even Patrick/Tashi. But what's more remarkable is how Challengers portrays Tashi. As a tennis ball personified, ricocheting back and forth between competitors, yet she may just be in control of the whole thing. Is she a mere tool, an object of desire for these two men, who believe they're making all the right moves-strokes, if you will-to win the match? Or is Tashi operating at a higher level of autonomy, calling the shots? What's in bounds, a fault, and who is the winner of the so-called match? Are we still talking about tennis?

All of this is miraculously written into Tashi's complex character, played amazingly well by Zendaya in one of her darkest roles since Euphoria. And Kuritzke's writing carefully explores Art and Patrick's story, along with Tashi's involvement, through a series of back-and-forth flashbacks interspersed in the final tennis match. Jumping back and forth, back and forth, again and again, can create a confusing timeline but Kuritzke and Guadagnino do a commendable job leading the audience to a basic level of comprehension. It isn't that hard to follow. However, what these time jumps do haphazardly create, is a lagging pace. The kinetic profile of Challengers works to undo the elongated feel of the film, but the real savior is a bonafide awards player in Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' score. Fast-paced drums and synth beats construct a gorgeous atmosphere of frenetic fury with each move on and off the court. Each beat quickens the pace of your heart, stimulating the on-screen tension. Reminiscent of an 80's video game semi-techno score, Reznor and Ross' work comes to a gorgeous conclusion over the final match. All of the tension comes to a breaking point, the pot has boiled over, and all that's left is for us to sit back and watch some great fucking tennis.

Froth

Luca Guadagnino's no stranger to gorgeous settings in his films. The rural Italian countryside in Call Me By Your Name, the foreboding West Germany dance academy in his Suspiria remake, or even the expeditious American countryside in Bones and All, Luca has certainly seen and shown us all. But Challengers introduces a new concept to the Luca atmosphere. A setting absolutely seething with Americana. Most apparent, being the visually pervasive nature of capitalism. Everything, and I mean everything, is branded as if Challengers is just one gigantic advertisement for the tennis world. But of course it makes sense because that's how tennis is. Celebrities, endorsements, advertising campaigns, the whole nine yards! So why not join in on the fun? Seapine Brewing's American Light Lager is the perfect pour of Americana to soothe the soul and fire you up simultaneously.

It's crushable, light, refreshing, and has a dry finish that keeps you coming back for more. Enjoy it on a hot day, on a cold day, on a boat, on land, hell even enjoy it on the tennis court! With a 4.0% ABV you're not doing yourself any favors by skipping that second pour so go ahead and indulge a little bit. Let the mild hoppiness wash over you like Mike Faist's excessively sweaty slow motion sequence, but with no saltiness. Challengers is an exquisite bit of entertainment so you may as well go with a beer that's easy to drink, allowing you to focus on the escalating tension and possibly even grooving to the Ross/Reznor score as you see fit.

Best Breweries For SIFF 2024

Fri, 03 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Where To Take A Beer Break During SIFF 2024

It's officially SIFF season! The 50th iteration of the festival kicks off in one week and to celebrate such a wonderful occasion, I think it's best to highlight some of the extraordinary local Seattle breweries. Screenings during SIFF take place over eight locations throughout, and around, Seattle which means there are plenty of breweries to take a beer break at between films.

So without further ado, let's get SIFFTY.

Majestic Bay Theatres

2044 NW Market St

Cloudburst Brewing on Shilshole

5456 Shilshole Ave NW
0.2 Miles

Not only is Cloudburst on Shilshole the closest brewery to Majestic Bay, but it is also one of my favorites in all of Seattle. They have a great outdoor space that may be small, but is mighty. In terms of their beer lineup, it is not small and it is mightier. You can't go wrong with any of their IPA's which are jam packed with hoppy complexities and tropical sensations. Mosaicin' Me Crazy is an ultra Mosaic packed IPA that carries all the wonderful properties of the hop. Making it a highlight offering. But if you're looking for something outside the realm of IPA's then fret not! Cloudburst Brewing has won multiple awards for their Happy Little Clouds Pilsner and it is wholly deserved. A beer as light, refreshing, and flavorful as Happy Little Clouds deserves to be in the Louvre. Or in your hand to be consumed. If you're looking for something even further off the beaten path then I would suggest you get a little freaky with the Aw Shucks Oyster Stout. I won't pretend to know much about the exceedingly British Oyster Stout but I can absolutely say it is delicious. Robust, roasty, and bringing a earthy almost mineral like depth to it, this brew is extremely exciting with how enigmatic it is (to a normie such as myself).

Of course there's also the Plenty of Clouds Dump Truck in case you need some fuel before another beer or screening.

SIFF Cinema Egyptian

805 E Pine St

Outer Planet Craft Brewing

1812 12th Ave #100
0.4 Miles

While Stoup Brewing, taking over the old Optimism Brewing location, is an easy and close choice. I think shouting out a slightly lesser known brewery with the same quality is a wise move. Outer Planet Craft Brewing is one of the oldest breweries in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, starting back in 2014, and it continues to churn out some phenomenal beers. Not only are the beers great, the names are all outrageously fun space puns. Brews like the Hubble Seeing Double IPA, Red Rover Irish Red Ale, English Space Beer, and more highlight the fun nomenclature of Outer Planet's products and the wide variety of styles they offer. They even have a pair of sours, Defying Guavaty and the Nooks and Crannies Cranberry Sour for those looking for something a little more tart. Basically what I'm getting at is Outer Planet Craft Brewing has a stupendous selection of beers that will absolutely have something for everyone.

AMC Pacific Place

600 Pine St Ste 400

The Pike Brewing Company

1415 1st Ave
0.5 Miles

What better way to spend a break between films than a little trip to Pike Place Market? The Pike Brewing Company's massive space at the market is filled with fun beer history and a menu with no wrong choices. That goes for the chowder as well, which is to die for.

A pair of seasonal releases sit atop the menu with Mountains Out IPA and the Rose Ann West Coast Amber. Both of which, are delicious. A west coast spin on the amber makes the soft toffee, roasty sweetness of a traditional amber that much more exciting while the hoppy bitterness of the Mountains Out is a blast of tropical refreshment. Then of course you have the heavyweight championship lineup of Pike Brewing's year round selection. The Post Alley Pils is a favorite of mine, being a crisp and clean drink, along with the Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale always finding its way into my hands. You can't go wrong with a Pike brew, and the location elevates the flavors and fun to another level.

SIFF Cinema Downtown

2100 4th Ave

Here Today Brewery and Kitchen

2815 Elliott Ave Suite 101
0.8 Miles

One of the newer breweries in Seattle, Here Today quickly climbed my list of preferred brewing operations. Their IPAs are some of the best in the city, being full of extraordinary citrus and tropical wonder. The Glitter Paw IPA shows off some excellent Mosaic hopped properties, and finishes with a fruity, earthy, dry bitterness that is excellent. But my favorite (at the moment) has to be the Jaguar Jade. A gorgeous IPA that is outrageously well balanced, the Jaguar Jade is probably the beer I start and end with, with maybe three more in between. I will admit, being .8 miles away is a bit of a hike depending on the time constraints you're working with. But Here Today's beer is well worth the trek. You can also belly up to the bar and order some of their food, which also hits the spot.

SIFF Cinema Uptown & SIFF Film Center

Uptown: 511 Queen Anne Ave N
Film Center: 167 Republican St

Fast Fashion

16 Roy St
0.2 Miles

I think I've labeled a handful of these breweries so far as favorites of mine? At what number of favorites do my opinions lose credibility? Maybe that's an impossible question, but guess what. Fast Fashion is another one of my favorite breweries in Seattle. I shed multiple tears when the Masonry location in Fremont closed, which at the time was the only spot where one could procure Fast Fashion beer. But luckily the beer gods have intervened and there's a Fast Fashion tasting room on Roy street a mere .2 miles from SIFF Cinema Uptown and the SIFF Film Center!

Fast Fashion is constantly rotating their taps so its hard to stay on top of all their current offerings. Or maybe I'm just giving myself a good reason to visit their taproom more frequently? While I may be blindly recommending their current menu, I can confidently say there's likely not a bad (or even mid) beer listed. Their IPAs are delicious, the Pilsners are crisp, and they also love to get a little weird and have new takes on old styles. Its also hard to say no to such a wonderful brewery when its a three minute walk from the screening locations. So why not speed on over and sample a couple brews in between films!

Shoreline Community College

16101 Greenwood Ave N Main Auditorium

Monka Brewing Co

17211 15th Ave NE
3.6 Miles

Shoreline is a bit of a tricky spot, just because walking is not feasible. So forgive me for the 3.6 miles between theater and brewery. But don't be deterred by the quick 10-15 minute drive because Monka Brewing Co is legit. They have a basic beer menu but sometimes you just need to do the classics really well. Their no frills approach means that their classic IPAs are scrumptious. Not to mention they have a Black IPA which is always a highlight when visiting. It's lighter than expected but that doesn't result in any sacrifices on the flavor front. A pair of sours are also available for sour lovers, coming in a blackberry and raspberry variety. Both are crisp, sweet yet carrying a tart fruitiness that brings it all together.

Hundreds of Beavers is Why I Love Movies

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Hundreds of Beavers [2022]

Film

Would you rather fight one hundred regular sized beavers, or one human sized beaver?

Ok, now what about one hundred human sized beavers?

Mike Cheslik's feature film directorial debut is the philosophical thesis establishing a framework on how to really think about this question. Most importantly, what does a human sized beaver look like? How do human sized beavers fight? What does due process look like in a sophisticated society of human sized beavers? What makes Cheslik's dissection of such vast quandaries so interesting is how he turns the wildly chaotic into an architecture digest dream house of world building. Each floor more expansive and beautiful than the previous, but still relies on those integral weight bearing walls just the same. Creating a complex fantastical world that is all too easy (and enjoyable) to comprehend.

Ryland Brickson Cole Tews plays Jean Kayak, an applejack salesman in a seemingly permanent state of intoxication. That is until his applejack operation is licked by the flames of chaos and burnt to the ground. Lost in a desolate hellscape of snow, frigid winds, and an unforgiving natural order, Kayak must learn to survive or accept the same fate that befell his beloved beverage enterprise.

Shot in black and white, Hundreds of Beavers works as an homage to the slapstick comedies of yester-year, but with an innovative injection of sublime wit which I'll touch on in a bit. Tews invokes images of Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton with a dialogue-less performance as the intrepid hero with his performance focusing solely on facial expressions and sheer physicality. Stripping away the frills, if you can really call them frills, of dialogue and color create a hyper focus of the on screen images. There's no moments to miss, no time to look away and absorb some casual conversation. But also, why would you look away? Tews is outrageously magnetic as Kayak and his outlandish physical gimmicks are superb. From subtle, to not so subtle expressions or over the top maneuvering, Tews commands the entire screen with ease and purpose. His dedication to the film as a whole pushes this wild project towards the sky. Elevating Cheslik's vision while contributing his own style and flair much like Tews role in his prior collaboration with Cheslik (as writers) in Lake Michigan Monster. Watching him go toe to toe with the throngs of vicious beavers is endlessly entertaining, and completely worthwhile.

Wait. How exactly do these beavers fit in here? Remember my question about human sized beavers, and that little quip about an "innovative injection of sublime wit?" Well, as wonderful as Tews' performance is, along with Cheslik's direction, the real movie magic in Hundreds of Beavers is how Cheslik opts to portray these "beasts." Every animal, not just beavers, are represented in the film as people wearing what I would describe as, mascot costumes. Beavers, rabbits, raccoons and wolves have cartoonishly large heads while there's even a horse that is made up of two people in a horse costume! Not only is this unique and bold, but it plays perfectly into the self aware cartoonish nature of the film. At no point does Hundreds of Beavers ever stray out of its carefully curated lane of zany Looney Tunes logic. Making the mascot costumes not only hilarious, but so much more authentic than a quick gag.

As Kayak navigates the freezing landscape, we learn more and more about the world and its intricacies. Which "animals" line up where in the food chain, how you can catch certain "animals" thanks to some help from a very Santa-esque looking fur trapper (Wes Tank). He even employs a platoon of sled dogs (hilariously not huskies) who all love to play poker beside the fire at night. Quotidian details such as dogs playing poker are abundant in the film and highlight a beyond exceptional screenplay from Tews and Cheslik. Their world building is meticulous, yet as carefree as the silly events unfolding in front of our eyes. A great part of that is due to the depiction of wildlife, even knit fish have some humor too. But the guidance of Kayak's character across the snowscape for the first half of the film is a gorgeous balance between downright comedic entertainment, and gradual buildup. Step by step we learn more and more of the wacky physics of this world, strange transportive holes in the ground, icicles falling circuitously, and oh so many more lovely oddities. While this could be off putting in some instances, its the self aware nature of Hundreds of Beavers that keeps itself right on track. It knows, and Cheslik knows, what it's building towards and the comedic logic behind it escalates to a rapturous finale that is well worth the side cramps from laughter.

Hundreds of Beavers [2022]

Hundreds of Beavers isn't a silent film by any means, but the lack of dialogue surely plays a role in recalling that era. The sound effects, and really technical department as a whole, accent each erratic bit of action and whimsy. Special effects achieved through some insanely clever compositing of shots mirrors the silly appearance of the animals but is in no way shape or form bad. Serving as an almost time capsule, the effects are what you'd expect from a 1920's film in some ways, further transporting you into a different zen of a movie watching experience. The harmony of production, from top to bottom in Hundreds of Beavers is outstanding filmmaking and all of the wild swings it takes are not only welcome with open arms, but should be revered. It is hilariously innovative, otherworldly entertaining, and all done on a budget of 150k. Amazing.

I could've sat through another two hours of Hundreds of Beavers and been just as in awe as the first bit. Cheslik's world building should be studied for years to come and seen as a benchmark in establishing background while being entertaining as hell. This film has absolutely everything working in its favor and I've been shouting from the rooftops to everyone I know to go and see this beautiful piece of filmmaking craftsmanship.

It's bold. It's a blast. It's so goddamn innovative with its dedication to practicality. It is certainly one of my favorite movies of the year and I'm drooling, thinking about what Cheslik and Tews can do with a bigger budget.

Maybe we could get thousands of beavers?

Froth

Surely there's a beaver themed beer out there that can be a literal companion piece to this film. But I opted for style over naming here. With how outrageously hilarious this film is, along with a ripping 108 minute runtime, the best option in my humble opinion is a strong dark beer. Let's accent the black and white contrast of the film with some extra darkness and have a delightfully warming roasted aroma/flavor to keep us safe in these dangerous snowy conditions. Good Society Brewing has just the beverage for such a scenario in Rye Hard With A Vengeance. Their 2024 Barrel Aged Imperial Rye Stout is a banger of a brew, and boasts a phenomenal pun for a name. I mean come on, some Bruce Willis Die Hard With a Vengeance love? Sold!

Swinging a big ole 10.2% ABV this beer will certainly help you laugh throughout the film, while also providing a comparison to Kayak's drunken applejack ways. This imperial stout also adds some welcome depth to the darkness of the film. Think of your highlights being toned down and your shadows growing, a good old photoshop trick you know? The rye adds a delicious spicy complexity that props up the simplicity of styling in Hundreds of Beavers. But keep in mind, nothing about the film is simple. It takes good hard work to put me on the ground laughing from a well timed Jeremiah Johnson callback. All in all, Rye Hard With a Vengeance is the boozy, warming friend you can have a deep belly laugh with while watching this lovely film about man conquering the beasts of the wild.

Literally, hundreds of beavers, with a couple rabbits and raccoons mixed in.

Breakers Roar

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Civil War [2024]
Dir. Alex Garland
109 min.

Film

In the near future, a group of war journalists attempt to survive while reporting the truth as the United States stands on the brink of civil war.

It seems that author-turned-screenwriter-now-director Alex Garland has a lot on his mind at the moment. Already considered a notoriously paranoid filmmaker by trade, his increasingly sober brand of filmmaking communicates his persistent skepticism about who we are and where we might be headed. Which I suppose is just a nicer way of saying Garland’s films are unforgivingly bleak and depressing by design. Can you hardly blame him? The world we live in often feels like it's teetering on the precipice of an irreversible freefall. We’re in constant battle with one crisis after another – social and political crises, economic and environmental crises, health and technological crises – so basically every major category of cataclysmic crisis you can possibly think of. Though Garland wears his existential dread on his sleeves, his ongoing cinematic mission statement remains unchanged: to address such anxieties through genre-forward storytelling without ceding any artistic compromise. That alone puts him on the shortlist of must-see filmmakers working today.

Anticipated to be and marketed as one of the more grim and transgressive films set to release this year, Civil War represents a ultra-heightened level of concern about the state of the world (particularly the United States) from Garland, who seems to be even more unsettled than ever. His newest film is set in just an ever-so-slightly future but still very dystopian America amid a country-wide civil war between the former democratic-turned-authoritarian US government and various state-ish regional factions. While the battle lines have been drawn and the stakes are very real, the causes for conflict are left more or less undiscussed, aside from the introductory fact that the elected president (a deliberately against-type Nick Offermann) is in his third term. The film follows a group of mostly war-seasoned photojournalists, including Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, and Stephen McKinley Henderson, all of whom deliver subtle but believable performances. And there's a wickedly bone-chilling cameo from Jesse Plemons captures the insanities of war and a dark look at 'what kind of Americans' may in fact live in the fringe and forgotten corners of the country.

Civil War [2024]

Like so many expository details in Civil War, it is intentionally unclear exactly when this story takes place and for how long things have been this bad. In fact, the film has been caught in a crossfire since its release (well, really since its trailer debuted) about the dangerous nature of its political hedging and ideological fence-sitting. The fact that Civil War makes a point to not make a strictly political point that aligns with any one side has pissed a lot of people off, whether that be Democrats, Republicans, or film critics. While I understand that criticism, I do not agree with it. There's a difference between a film being political in its themes and storytelling choices compared to a film being explicitly partisan. What the film is about can be different from what audience members want to derive from it. Yes, this is obviously in some ways a cautionary tale, but it is also an immersive thought experiment, an abstraction of reality that is deceptively convincing and undeniably horrifying. Garland has gained the reputation of being a genre-fluid filmmaker who dabbles in science fiction, horror, and now with this film, action. But more than anything, he is a philosopher, and Civil War feels like the brainchild of someone who prioritizes snarling social commentary as much as they do cinematic thrills.

My biggest knock against Civil War is not its lack of contextual exposition or its anti-partisan, anti-side-taking agenda. Unlike his best films, Garland undermines his own pursuits when he turns provocation into a thesis rather than a means to an end. Civil War and Men, his last feature which was a hallucinatory folk horror film about misogyny and toxic masculinity, have a lot more in common than his two prior films, Ex Machina and Annihilation. As a writer/director, I get that impression that Garland is trying to take on new challenges and push his creative limits. I guess my concern is that while his prowess as a filmmaker continues to grow, his writing isn't as crisp or shrewd. While I thought Civil War was impressive to look at and experience in the theater, I felt like it excelled as a screenplay but had an underwhelming script. Does that make sense? The plotting and narrative jumps all more or less worked for me as a movie, but the interplay between characters and the thematic cohesion left me disappointed. Point being, I think it is admirable that he is growing as an artist, pushing the boundaries of what is expected of him, and leaning into being filmmaking provocateur. But just being provocative isn't enough, especially when it starts to feel like the style is more important than the substance.

Even still, I'd recommend seeking this movie out (especially in the theater if you can). It's amazing to think that this is an A24 movie, which has officially started its rebrand as a studio, moving away from its reputation as a small, independent company. As for Alex Garland, I sincerely hope he keeps making movies. When most movies feel safe, it's good to have those filmmakers who are willing to operate a bit dangerously.

Froth

First thing to know about Middle Brow Beer Co.: everything they do, they do well! The beer is great. The wine is great. The pizza is great. The vibe is great. The service is great. You get the picture. I'm going to diverge from talking about beer for a second and plug their once-a-week Tavern Tuesday pizza. It is in the conversation for best tavern-style pizza in Chicago, and I hate even sharing this because I don't want anyone else to know about it since it is already hard enough to get a reservation on a Tuesday night!! Okay, back to the beer. I was excited to try their Sabro Crush session IPA based on the description alone: "a little india pale ale. only sabro. pink and blue bubbalicious / coconut / tangerine cream. 4.5%. 12z." Doesn't that just sound incredible? The end-result was very good (and especially creamy), but I feel obligated to knock it a full half-point for the lack of bubbalicious flavor. Maybe I just missed it or maybe I was hypnotized by great pizza, but I was just hoping there would be a stronger hint of bubbalicious in the flavor profile. Oh well, Middle Brow Beer Co. is forgiven for being awesome. And please accept my apology for the rating knock and don't give away my reservation for the next Tavern Tuesday.

Fresh Musical Romance Straight From The Vine

Fri, 12 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Música [2024]

Film

Wow two writing and directing debut films in one week! How lucky are we?! A couple days ago I raved about Dev Patel's gritty action spectacle Monkey Man and now we have Música.

Rudy Mancuso, who some may recall from his wildly popular Vine (RIP) videos, co-wrote (with Dan Lagana) and directed this semi-autobiographical film. Centered on a younger version of Mancuso, whom Rudy plays, the film explores his life a few weeks before graduating college and how he navigates love, life, and his dreams in a vivid Brazilian community of Newark, New Jersey.

Still living at home with his mother, played by Mancuso's actual mother Maria Mancuso making all of her overbearing proclivities that much more endearing, Rudy struggles with reconciling his future desires and his current reality. His long time girlfriend Haley (Francesca Reale) subtly, yet not so subtly urges him to look forward to living together in some expensive loft in downtown Manhattan where they both lead successful marketing careers at the same firm. Sounds a little homogeneous no?

Every time Rudy hears about Haley's dream he can't help but feel a little torn inside. Because Rudy's real future, as he would prefer it, consists of the marriage of music and puppets. Performing a small musical puppet show in the Subway during his down time, Rudy wants to continue playing out this passion of his, even if he doesn't quite know how to make it big yet, and even if Haley doesn't understand nor support it. Much like Rudy's sometime metaphysically alive puppet Diego, Haley is trying to pull the strings on what she assumes is "their life together." Their eventual break up sends Rudy on a path to meet Isabella (Camila Mendes) and thrusts Música into the normative romantic comedy narrative.

Música [2024]

But where Música lacks in storytelling, it more than makes up for in visual flair. Rudy has a condition called synesthesia which results in stimulus for one sense, provoking random perception of stimuli in another. For Rudy specifically, this comes in the form of music. Where we hear spoons clinking together in a diner, coffee being poured and mops slapping the floor, Rudy hears melodies and rhythms. Portraying these internal musical moments as full blown percussion performances that fit the scene. Diner employees are suddenly jumping on counters, committing to dance sequences and drumming on garbage cans. The metronome of the film is not the story of Rudy but instead the charming, vivid, representation of his mind producing fun and energetic musical sets. Of course it also only makes sense that Mancuso also composed the music for the film. Further blurring the line between what is Música and what is Mancuso's actual life.

Delightful musical sequences aren't the only visual identity of Música, but are instead conduits for more sensational vibrance. Melissa Kent's editing is clean, crisp, and adds so much flavor to the film. Especially when the story dips into predictable, trite territories. Combining Kent's editing with Mancuso's direction and Shane Hurlbut's lively cinematography creates a bright ambience that many romantic comedies aspire to establish. One such instance involves Rudy changing outfits going from date to date between Haley and Isabella. Playing out in a single elongated take that evokes theatre production vibes, the actual narrative of what's occurring is rather bland. A conventional romantic bit that builds our protagonist up for inevitable failure at first makes the scene a little tired. But the stylistic choices of Mancuso and Hurlbut to make it one long take, creating settings through stage pieces like a play, and having Mancuso gravitate to each location is a great bit of fun. The best part of Música is how many of these moments there are. Moments where the story drags, or as I mentioned before is overly predictable, but the style and flair of it all is just too much fun to ignore. While that can't possibly cover up all of the shortcomings of Música, it does an admirable job keeping the film fresh and fun. Making Mancuso's directorial debut an entertaining watch that has wide appeal to romantic comedy fans, and also those looking for something a little less formulaic.

Froth

A beer that matches the fun visual juice of Música is absolutely essential. While there's likely a great IPA, Hazy or other styling, that would serve well I think this film presents an opportunity to think outside the box. Mancuso's directing choices provide some really inventive solutions to the tired and tried rom-com formula, and it only makes sense to follow suit. Savage Brewing Company, located across Lake Washington in Kirkland, brews a mean Fruited Sour that is perfectly suited for the whimsical notes of Música. Made You A Mixtape is a low ABV sour that packs in bursts of blueberry and raspberry. Providing a delightful sweet and tart flavor to accent the musical notes of the film. It's playful, it's refreshing, it's delicious and it's music themed!? Talk about drumming up a perfect combo!