As frequent readers of this site may know, I’m a sucker for character posters. And it’s not often that you see them for emotionally weighty family dramas like “Sentimental Value”. But with the film now showing in select theaters and with it just receiving nine Academy Award nominations, NEON has released four posters of the film’s four Oscar-nominated stars.
“Sentimental Value” follows a struggling family attempting to reconnect despite years of buried pain and estrangement. Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas play very different yet very close sisters. Stellan Skarsgård plays their father who suddenly re-enters their lives. And Elle Fanning plays an outsider with a very unique perspective on their relationships. The characters are rich and compelling; the performances are phenomenal and awards-worthy. You can read my full review of the film [HERE].
Check out the new posters below and let me know what you think. And make a point to see “Sentimental Value” in select theaters now.
If you’re familiar with director Josephine Decker’s past work, you might have a hard time believing she’s at the helm of the Sundance comedy “Chasing Summer”. It’s such a dramatic turn from what she’s done previously. And while it’s always commendable to see a filmmaker extending themselves in new directions, the messy misfire that is “Chasing Summer” proves that good results are never guaranteed.
While Decker’s struggles are noticeable, just as much (if not more) of the blame goes to the script, written by the film’s charismatic star, Iliza Shlesinger. Decker never seems to have a firm grasp on the material which starts off strong, but quickly begins to lose its way. It eventually craters thanks to a ludicrous late twist that leaves a plot hole the size of the Grand Canyon. It completely cuts the already wobbly legs out from under the story and its premise.
As mentioned, the film starts out strong by introducing us to Jamie (Shlesinger), a forty-something relief worker who is providing aide to tornado victims in Mississippi. While there, she’s informed by her boyfriend and co-worker that he’s breaking up with her after five years together. Forced to move out and with nowhere else to go, Jamie returns to her small hometown in Texas to stay with her parents over the summer.
Image Courtesy of Sundance Film Festival
The problem is Jamie doesn’t have the fondest memories of her hometown. She hasn’t been back in twenty years, which is when she left after an ugly breakup with her old boyfriend Chase (Tom Welling) led to vicious rumors that ruined her reputation all across their town. But now she’s back and forced to reconnect with her former life which includes old family, old friends, and her old fling.
The movie’s central theme of confronting your former life and re-evaluating your current one plays out in Jamie’s awkward reunions with the people from her past. The best of the lot are her parents, Layanne (Megan Mullally) and Randall (Jeff Perry) who perfectly fit the small town mold while delivering some great laughs. There’s also Jamie’s crass older sister Marissa (Cassidy Freeman) who owns a local roller skating rink. And her three gossipy classmates (Aimee Garcia, Lauren Aboulafia, Lindsey Moore), all married with children. And of course the hunky Chase who is still beloved around town.
But what begins as a screwball comedy throwback turns into something messy, generic, and in some cases utterly baffling. The kink in the storytelling comes when Jamie starts a steamy romance with a local named Colby (Garrett Wareing). He’s some twenty years younger and fresh out of high school, but that doesn’t stop them hooking up and making no real effort to hide it. Age-gap romances are nothing new. But here it’s handled like a clunky teen comedy. Even worse is the preposterous plot twist it leads to which gashes any chance of taking things seriously.
“Chasing Summer” is a head-scratching misfire that consistently seems at odds with itself. It’s a movie marked by early highs, late lows, and a flop of a finish that ends up being its death knell. Decker and Shlesinger’s collaboration begins as the kind of zany comedy anchored enough in the real world to resonate. It ends up being an indistinct and forgettable letdown that seems custom made for streaming. And it’s not the kind of reinvention you hope to see from a filmmaker like Decker.
Writer-director Kogonada makes his third trip to the Sundance Film Festival with his latest feature, “Zi”. More of an experimental meditation than a plot-driven story, “Zi” speaks to the senses through Kogonada’s arresting visual style and three lights-out performances. For most of its running time, the film sweeps you away with its soulful spirit and thoughtful ruminations. That’s why it’s so frustrating to watch it veer off course at the final act.
Michelle Mao is terrific playing Zi, a quiet and somewhat detached young woman who we meet as she’s roaming the streets of Hong Kong. We listen in as she calls her manager to inform him she won’t be going on her orchestra tour. We watch as she pays a visit to the cemetery where her parents are buried and pours her heart out to them. But stranger than anything, we also witness her having visions of her future self which she tries keep up with. But her future self keeps slipping further and further away.
Image Courtesy of Sundance Film Festival
So what does it all mean? Kogonada asks us to go along with him, observing what he chooses to show and picking up morsels of information he drops along the way. Without giving away too much, Zi has received some devastating news and she has never felt more alone. But her seemingly hopeless path comes to a life-changing intersection when she meets a young American woman wearing a bad wig who introduces herself as Elle (Haley Lu Richardson).
Elle is a blustery free spirit from Arizona who is wandering around Hong Kong “collecting sounds”. Zi tries to blow her off, but the persistent Elle sticks around, finally getting Zi to open up about her problems. Elle insists they go see her friend Min (Jin Ha), a researcher who may be able to explain Zi’s visions. What unfolds is a night on the town where the trio reveal some compelling old connections and some not so compelling new ones.
There is an air of mystery surrounding the story which Kogonada embellishes through his striking visuals and rich sound design. He and cinematographer Benjamin Loeb employ a 4:3 aspect ratio which adds intimacy while giving the film an ethereal vibe. Meanwhile pulsating in the background is a shrewdly calibrated assortment of sounds, from gentle wind gusts to melancholic piano chords to rhythmic electric buzzes. All contribute to the shifting tenors of the story.
Image Courtesy of Sundance Film Festival
But sadly Kogonada loses his way in the final minutes by throwing in an abrupt and rather heavy-handed spin that feels tacked-on rather than organic. It tilts the story in a direction that doesn’t feel earned, and it takes time away from other story threads that need more explaining. It’s a frustrating shift that shortchanges the soulful and captivating experience Kogonada had built to that point.
“Zi” is not a movie angled towards casual audiences. It’s aimed at those who can get onboard with its unique wavelength. But even then, in-tune viewers might find themselves discouraged at how a beautifully beguiling story can go off track so quickly. It’s unfortunate because Kogonada shows some of the same creative verve that has made him one of the most interesting filmmakers working today. But here he stubbles with a slapdash finish that undermines much of what came before it.
“Josephine” is the harrowing second feature from writer-director Beth de Araújo that deserves every bit of the buzz it has generated at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. “Josephine” features superb performances from Gemma Chan and Channing Tanning along with a remarkable debut from young Mason Reeves. But the film’s profound emotional resonance is established most in de Araújo’s potent and powerful direction.
Affected by a specific personal experience, de Araújo begin writing her script for “Josephine” in 2014. It was challenging material to begin with, but it was even more challenging getting her film made, especially after COVID stalled her progress. But things finally began falling into place, especially after finding her young star at a San Francisco farmer’s market. What de Araújo is able to accomplish through the eyes of Reeves will stay with you for days after the final credits.
Image Courtesy of Sundance Film Festival
The movie starts with eight-year-old Josephine (Reeves) and her father Damien (Tatum) playfully jogging through Golden Gate Park. While racing, the two get separated, with Josephine wandering into a remote section of the park. It’s there that she witnesses the brutal rape of a woman by a man hiding and waiting. De Araújo doesn’t hold back, forcing her audience to watch the assault as Josephine sees it. It’s graphic and disturbing, but captured truthfully and with purpose.
Damien arrives as the assailant is fleeing and chases him until the police arrive and make an arrest. As for the tender and impressionable Josephine, she takes in the horror and chaos as it unfolds in front of her. Once away from the scene, Damien and his wife Claire (Chan) try to normalize things for their daughter. But Josephine struggles to process what she has seen. The rush of complex emotions makes her question every part of her once innocent and safe world. It impacts how she sees everything, from strangers in public to displays of affection between her parents at home.
Josephine’s struggles are truly devastating to observe, largely because we witness everything through her eyes. De Araújo’s powerful use of perspective gives us startling insight into a child’s trauma. It’s seen in Josephine’s heartbreaking moments of withdrawal and more vividly as she begins lashing out in numerous ways at home and at school. De Araújo even adds a horror element to her depiction via the haunting, reoccurring projections of the rapist (Philip Ettinger) from Josephine’s mind. It’s a creative choice that emphasizes her inability to escape her trauma.
But the film also takes time to convey the struggles of parents navigating their child through such a scarring ordeal. Damien and Claire have clashing approaches based on their individual life experiences. Neither are portrayed as bad parents. Rather they’re both doing the best they can in a painfully hard situation. Their difficulties mount after Josephine is called upon to testify in court as the lone witness. De Araújo uses the trial scenes to make some perceptive comments on our shockingly flawed legal system.
“Josephine” is a devastating examination of trauma and its crushing effects, not just on a small child, but on a family as well. De Araújo’s fearless direction, accompanied by three equally bold performances, make this an uncomfortably authentic yet deeply sensitive treatment of some truly difficult subject matter. And while I genuinely hate throwing around words like “important”, there is an urgency to “Josephine” that goes beyond the riveting drama. The film forces us to reckon with uneasy yet consequential issues. And it does so with clear-eyed conviction, which is precisely what this kind of material needs.
20th Century Studios is bringing “Ella McCay” to digital and Blu-ray. The political dramedy is the first movie in fifteen years from Academy Award winner James L. Brooks. It stars Emma Mackey as Ella, an ambitious 34-year-old lieutenant governor who is thrust into political and personal chaos after she is promoted to governor following her mentor’s resignation. The film features a strong supporting cast that includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Albert Brooks, Woody Harrelson, Jack Lowden, Kumail Nanjiani, Ayo Edebiri, Albert Brooks, Rebecca Hall.
“Ella McCay” is available NOW on most digital platforms. It will release physically on Blu-ray on March 3rd. See below for a full synopsis of the film as well as a list of the special features from both the digital and physical releases.
About the Film:
Year: 2025
Runtime: 115 Minutes
Director: James L. Brooks
Screenwriter: James L. Brooks
Cast: Emma Mackey, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Lowden, Woody Harrelson, Kumail Nanjiani, Ayo Edebiri, Spike Fearn, Rebecca Hall, Julie Kavner, Becky Ann Baker, Joey Brooks with Albert Brooks
Rating: PG-13 for strong language, some sexual material and drug content
“Ella McCay” follows an idealistic young woman juggling her less-than-perfect family with her passion for her work. From writer-director James L. Brooks, this fresh and heartwarming comedy is about the people you love and how to survive them.
Special Features:
Digital & Blu-ray Bonus Features:
Deleted Scenes:
“You Win, We Lose”
“Forget About The Union Rep”
“I Love Girl”
“No More Interruptions”
“Make Your Family Whole”
“A Small Concussion”
“Hazel Bottomless”
“You Got Him Out”
“Nice Family”
Bloopers
Featurettes:
A James L. Brooks Film: Go behind the scenes as the film’s star-studded cast and crew share their joy of working with acclaimed writer-director James L. Brooks. Experience Brooks’ singular gift for creating beloved, memorable movie moments — and what it’s like to hear him laugh.
In Good Company: The Cast Of Ella McCay: Sit down with James L. Brooks as he talks about his extraordinary cast and as the actors share their respect and appreciation for Brooks — and each other. Hear about the casting process that created heartfelt chemistry both on set and onscreen.
Fans of the old Westerns are sure to find something to like in “Frontier Crucible”. It’s a film that captures some of the genre’s biggest strengths as well as its noticeable weaknesses. Yet director Travis Mills doesn’t blindly stick to the classic Western formula. He and screenwriter S. Craig Zahler give us a slow-burning and character-driven feature that doesn’t shy away from bursts of grisly violence.
Filmed in the stunning Monument Valley Tribal Park in Prescott, Arizona, there is never a shortage of rugged natural beauty to take in. Despite having a modest budget, Mills and cinematographer Maxime Alexandre make the most of every shot. They lean heavily on their locations, often filming in places where no vehicle could get. It led to an arduous and exhausting eighteen-day shoot, but the results are magnificent. In addition to the gorgeous scenery, the film has a striking aesthetic that calls back the Westerns of the early 1960s.
Image Courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment
As for the story, it’s based on Harry Whittington’s 1961 novel “Desert Stake-Out”. Set in 1872, it unfolds across the Arizona Territory where tensions boil between frontier settlers and native Apaches. It’s where me meet Merrick Beckford (Myles Clohessy), a former Union soldier whose name is well known among the locals. Clohessy’s performance is unintentionally comical at first as he goes too far in channeling Clint Eastwood, from his scruffy beard to his brown cigarette to Clint’s famous squint. But over time Clohessy loosens up and finds his own rhythm.
Merrick is summoned to a meeting with a tired cavalryman, Major O’Rourke (the always welcomed William H. Macy) who desperately needs to get medical supplies to San Carlos, where a fever epidemic has spread across the small town. But the journey crosses Apache land and sending a company of soldiers could spark a conflict. Merrick knows how to navigate the Apache, so he reluctantly agrees to transport the wagon full of meds himself.
But his journey is sidetracked after he stops to assist five strangers who were ambushed by Apaches at a remote watering hole. Among the group is Valerie (Mary Stickley) and her seriously wounded husband Jeff (Eli Brown). They’re accompanied by three hard-to-read ruffians, Charlie (Thomas Jane), his wiry son Billy (Ryan Masson), and his shifty hand Edmond (Armie Hammer).
The unique and specific dynamics that emerge between Merrick and the five strangers shapes the storytelling going forward. A big reason it works is that Mills invests time in those dynamics. Psychological chess matches between characters leads to rising tensions. And unease sets in as motivations gets sketchier and trust evaporates. Soon it becomes obvious that their inner conflicts are more dangerous and threatening than the Apache.
Image Courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment
While the script impressively balances honoring classic Westerns and subverting them, its dialogue doesn’t always make things easy for the actors. The stilted dialogue can be as short and silly as “Is something amiss?” or as long and ungainly as “I fear the smells of this area may effect my constitution.” My personal favorite may be, “You purchased for us the merciless black wrath of the Apache!”. In fairness, this isn’t a crippling issue by any means, nor is it prevalent throughout. But it can be distracting.
Reminiscent of a slow-boiling crime thriller, “Frontier Crucible” steadily builds towards an explosively violent final act where all the tensions reach their breaking point. But even it isn’t handled in a conventional way. While not everything in the last twenty minutes gels, it’s nice to see filmmakers playing around with genre rather than being shackled to it. That creative freedom is what keeps “Frontier Crucible” from being just another trip to the Old West.
Keith & the Movies 