Movies, Films & Flix

I caught Misty Green at TIFF. Wonderful festival.

Quick Thoughts:

• Rosalind Eleazar is a star. She owns the screen.
• Chris Rock has a lot on his mind.
• I wish the TV show Red Eye existed. I’d watch it.
• Eleazar should release an album of 1990s alternative song covers (Her cover of “Creep” is wonderful).
• Rock put together an insanely talented cast.
• Eleazar is the glue that holds together about 43 different elements. Once again, Rock had a lot on his mind.

With a $5 million budget and inspiration from Legally Blonde, Uncut Gems, Frances Ha, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Magnolia, and the city of Los Angeles, Rock wrote a story about an absurdly talented woman named Misty Green (Rosalind Eleazar) who has an eventful seven days. The film opens with Emmy-winning actress Misty Green being woken up by her sugar daddy’s widow (Amy Landecker), who is at the swanky condo to evict Misty. In a funny moment, she recognizes Misty from her work on Red Eye, a universally loved network TV show. Instead of booting her out, she gives Misty seven days to find a new place to live. On top of finding a suitable place to live (that has a beach view), she has to deal with her bipolar brother Jay (Daniel Kaluuya), who is on the verge of another mood episode. Her promiscuous friend Naomi (Anna Kendrick) is also dealing with issues, and her sex-trafficking/drug dealing/producer hook-up Zach (Adam Driver) is back in town, which means late-night partying and bad decisions. She also comes across Jordan (Chris Rock), a director auditioning women for his remake of Dream Girls. It’s a lot, and not all of it works, but it’s always watchable and entertaining because of Rosalind Eleazar.

Misty is a talented actor/singer who should be headlining films, but she can’t handle the politics, racism, ageism, nepotism, and sexism of Hollywood. She also loves to party, snort cocaine, drink, and make bad decisions. She’s a complex human who has picked the worst industry in the world. She lands an in-person read for a film (the lines are horrible), and instead of memorizing dialogue, she meets up with Zach (Adam Driver), does drugs in a club bathroom, and wakes up hungover. Then, after little sleep, she nails the audition (by reading outdated sides) and almost blows it when she argues with the casting director (Tracie Thomas). Over 10 minutes, the audience witnesses her talent, self-destructive nature, and stubbornness. She’s way better than the material, and her “difficult” label prevents her from working with the best in the business. Her long-time talent agent Randy (Topher Grace) doesn’t know what to do with her and is tired of representing the quick-tempered talent.

Rock struck gold when he landed Rosaline Eleazaor, because I don’t know if this movie works without her. She’s 100% believable as a wildly talented, intelligent, funny, angry, self-destructive person residing in a condo funded by her rich sugar daddy. In an interview, Rock mentions that Eleazar refused to audition over Zoom, so she flew to LA and blew everyone away with her audition (like in the movie). During production, Rock stopped, and said “Oh, sh**, she is throwing the f**k down,” and her performance elevated everything in the film. If Eleazar isn’t nominated for multiple awards, it will be depressing.  

Adam Driver and Anna Kendrick signed on because they love the Rock-directed Top Five (which is a good time. DMX!). The semi-retired Daniel Kaluuya signed on because of Eleazar, whom he’d seen on stage and wanted to work with. Misty Green is loaded with talent, and while most of them don’t get enough to do, they work well with Eleazar and have moments to shine.

The mixed reactions out of TIFF make sense, but Misty Green works for me because of Eleazar’s committed central performance. Also, Rock clearly had a lot on his mind, and the film is earnestly told, and you can feel the screenplay’s passion. The elements don’t fully blend, but the overall experience is worthwhile.

Quick Thoughts:

1. Tom Cruise uses every ounce of his acting prowess to make the film watchable. Without him, I don’t think I could recommend it.
2. There’s a wonderful polar bear bit
3. The cast is stacked.
4. It’s a big swing (which is admirable), but sometimes directors should go for a triple instead of a home run. It’s more work.
5. Alejandro G. Iñárritu must’ve watched Roy Andersson’s Living Trilogy before he started filming. The color palette is similar.
6. It’s big, loaded with ambition, and seemingly made to win awards. I like it.
7. It makes sense that Cruise and Iñárritu teamed up. They go for it.
8. Digger is a difficult movie to review because there’s an oilfield of spoilers that don’t need to be spilled.

​Digger focuses on Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise), a super-rich oil tycoon trying to prevent a worldwide catastrophe caused by his money-hungry shenanigans. After ignoring hundreds of emails/calls/texts about the dangers his drilling platform is causing in Greenland, a massive chunk of ice the size of Boston (or five times the size of Washington, D.C.) starts floating towards the coastlines of western Europe. In a state of panic, Digger calls in his chief scientist Ganesh (Riz Ahmed), the United States president (John Goodman – who spends most of the film complaining about “ass cancer”), the vice president (Michael Stuhlbarg), his sister Emma (Sandra Hüller), and a plethora of US officials to help him come up with a plan to save the world. Once assembled in Digger’s opulent (and seemingly never-ending) mansion, the group yells at each other for minutes at a time and does nothing to solve the problem (Let Norway deal with it).

​The highlight is Tom Cruise, who swims through pages of dialogue to keep Digger afloat as it bobs recklessly on cinematic oceans. Wearing prosthetics from legend Kazu Hiro (The Smashing Machine, Maestro, Darkest Hour, How the Grinch Stole Christmas), Cruise shuffles and yells his way through massive sets built by production designers Dennis Gassner (Blade Runner 2049, Skyfall) and Richard L. Johnson (The Truman Show, Pacific Rim). The nice thing about casting Tom Cruise as the world’s richest man is that you actually believe he could be wildly rich. Cruise is charismatic, funny, mean, and all-in, which keeps the film moving. Digger’s best friend is a 30-year-old cat named Maggie, who seems like she hasn’t enjoyed a day in at least 15 years. When the cat isn’t pooping on Digger’s bed, she is carried around the house (by angry maids) and sits in a custom cat bed where she groans for death. Digger has no problem pilfering the world for its natural resources, but he won’t let his beloved cat die.

Despite featuring a shovel-wielding character named Digger, the movie never digs deep into any of its topics. It has a lot to say, but none of it is new or informative (Landman pumps the oil industry more efficiently). Iñárritu built the film around an idea (which happens a lot) that lingered in his brain for close to 10 years, and built it around a charismatic maniac who becomes the most powerful man in the world. In an interview, Iñárritu says he wasn’t interested in the story; instead, he wanted to figure out a way to “say it” to audiences. The way he and the other four credited writers “say it” is similar to an oil pump leak that sprays millions of gallons of crude oil into the air.

​At its core, there’s a lot to like about Digger, but it would’ve been better if Iñárritu wasn’t so focused on making it look like a Roy Andersson film. Digger is such a big film that it must’ve been easy to lose focus on the story when the entire production crew was preoccupied with creating massive sets, intricate prosthetics, animatronic cats, matte paintings, miniature sets, and intricate costumes.

​It’s easy to appreciate the ambitious Digger, and easy to understand how ambition led to its downfall. Overall, Tom Cruise makes the experience watchable because he pumps every ounce of his acting prowess into each scene (the guy has energy for years). Cruise works incredibly hard and has a showstopping monologue that proves why he’s an A-list talent.

Watched at the Toronto International Film Festival

Quick Thoughts

• Jay Baruchel is excellent.
• I like the distinction between “Stunt Driver” and “Daredevil.”
• It starts hot and eventually loses speed. It’s a worthwhile trip, though.
• The Michael Dowse/Jay Baruchel Goon reunion made me happy.
• Ben Foster makes everything better.
• It made me want to rewatch Shoresy. I like knowing Laurence Leboeuf is in it.

When my window opened to get TIFF press tickets, I immediately snagged a seat for the world premiere of The Stunt Driver because I had a feeling the Jay Baruchel/Michael Dowse team wouldn’t let me down. Goon (directed by Dowse and co-written by Baruchel) is one of my favorite films, and I’ve always admired how it’s simultaneously sweet, crass, bloody, and nice.  The idea of Jay Baruchel playing Ken “The Mad Canadian” Carter, a legendary cross-eyed Canadian stuntman who planned to jump a mile-long section of the Saint-Laurent River, sounded too good to miss.

The Stunt Driver focuses on Ken Carter, a famous Canadian stunt driver (who hates being called a daredevil) who attempted one of the most insane/implausible/impractical jumps in human history. His planned Saint-Laurent River jump in a custom rocket-powered Lincoln Continental capable of 280 MPH made worldwide news and was initially intended to screen on ABC’s Wide World of Sports. However,  multiple delays and construction woes (cracked asphalt roads on the giant ramp built for the jump) pushed the jump back a few years. Using footage from the 1981 documentary The Devil at Your Heels, the film is shot in a documentary style that gives us an intimate look at the mayhem of trying to jump a Lincoln Continental over a mile-long gap.​

Whether it’s watching Carter react to his first test drive, which hit 240 MPH, or his bickering with Evel Knievel (Ben Foster – great), the film starts fast and fun, but when the jump gets delayed multiple times, the movie sits idly for large chunks of its running time. It’s always enjoyable, but the relatively short 99-minute runtime feels longer than the one-mile gap Carter plans on jumping. The supporting cast is strong with Ed Helms, Ben Foster, Laurence Leboeuf, Dan Bakkedahl, Joe Cobden, and Marc Beaupré, getting a few memorable moments, but they get lost in the chaos and delays.

Tonally, the film isn’t as successful as Goon. However, Véronique Marchessault’s costume design and Sara Mishara’s cinematography (which juggles three aspect ratios) create a unique look and make the tiny-budgeted film look impressive. It’s also admirable how Dowse turned The Stunt Driver into an interesting experiment blending doc footage with new material to create a neat hybrid film.

Part One Here.

​Here’s part two of my TIFF quick thoughts (part three coming soon). It’s been fun writing these thoughts because it’s finally given me time to sit down and think about all the films I watched during the festival. The four days were a blur, and now I’ve enjoyed learning more about the films and their creators. Enjoy!

Drifter

• Directed by – Sung Kang
• Starring – Sung Kang, Tamara Braun, Gregory Cruz
• Why I watched it – Sung Kang is one of my favorite actors, so when I heard he directed Drifter, I had to see it.

Quick Thoughts

• The racing sequences are gorgeous. DP Bruce Thierry Cheung will be getting a lot of work.
• The opening drifting scene through an abandoned skate park made me very happy
• I love a good underdog story.
• It’s wild that Kang shot the film in 22 days.
• Drifter is my second favorite film I watched at TIFF (Bucking Fastard is #1).
• The racing community showed up for this movie. There are so many professional drivers.
• Filmed in Barstow and nearby California deserts, the on-location shooting adds a welcome authenticity.
• The ending is too tidy (and the drug subplot isn’t super necessary), but it doesn’t detract from the overall enjoyment.

Randon Awards

• Best Set of Three Stoplights Award
• Best Paint Brush Moment Award
• Best 2026 Movie Car Award (Lola is the best)

Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother

• Directed by – Bassam Tariq
• Starring – Mahershala Ali, John Cho, Giancarlo Esposito, Abubakr Ali, Tramell Tillman
• Why I Watched It – Mahershala Ali is an excellent actor, and I wanted to watch him beat people up

Quick Thoughts

• It opens with a bathroom fight, which is always a good sign.
• There’s a recurring bit about furries that got big laughs.
• Your Mother (x3) successfully combines action with religious beliefs.
• The world needs more villainous John Cho.
• After the MCU Blade film fell apart, it’s nice that Bassam Tariq and Mahershala Ali worked together to tell an original story.

Random Awards

• Best Usage of Super Nice Mormon Missionaries Award
• Best Gold Teeth Award
• Best Quest for Breast Milk Award
• Best Henchmen Award

Misty Green

• Directed by – Chris Rock
• Starring – Rosalind Eleazar, Adam Driver, Daniel Kaluuya, Anna Kendrick, Topher Grace, Chris Rock
• Why I Watched It – The idea of Chris Rock writing and directing an A24 film was too good to pass up.

Quick Thoughts

• Rosalind Eleazar is a star. She owns the screen.
• Chris Rock has a lot on his mind.
• I wish the TV show Red Eye existed. I’d watch it.
• Eleazar should release an album of 1990s alternative cover songs (her cover of Creep is wonderful).
• Rock put together a cast loaded with talent. The talent is wild.
• Eleazar is the glue that holds together about 43 different elements. Once again, Rock had a lot on his mind.

Random Awards

• Best 2026 Physical Examination
• Best Purse Brawl Award
• Best Eviction Award
• Best Bit About Casting a Non-Singer to Star in a Musical
• Best Feud With a Casting Agent

I Play Rocky

• Directed by – Peter Farrelly
• Starring – Anthony Ippolito, AnnaSophia Robb, Matt Dillon, P. J. Byrne, Toby Kebbell, Stephan James, Tracy Letts, Jay Duplass as John G. Avildsen
• Why I Watched It – I’m a big fan of Rocky, and I figured the film would be a crowd-pleaser.

Quick Thoughts

• The audience in the packed theater LOVED I Play Rocky. When it ended, someone behind me said: “I love movies.”
• I’m 95.4% certain it will receive a “Best Casting” Academy Award nomination.
• Like Rocky, the film is built to be a crowdpleaser. It succeeds
• Tracey Letts is the best.
• The word of mouth will be massive.
• Toby Kebbell and P.J. Byrne work well together

Random Awards

• Best Ice Skating Laugh of 2026 Award
• Best Learning That an Actor Can’t Box Award
• Best Negotiating Award
• Best Worst Dad Played by Matt Dillon Award
• Best Conversation in a Car Owned by an Unknown Person Award

The Ultra Runner

• Directed by – Mila Aung-Thwin
• Starring – Tiberiu Ușeriu
• Why I Watched It – The documentary looks beautiful, and I’m unfamiliar with the insane world of ultramarathons, so I gave it a shot. It’s wonderful.

Quick Thoughts

• Running provides momentary freedom from worries. I totally understand why Tiberiu runs
• The Romanian locations are gorgeous. I want to walk the Via Transilvanica
• Van Royko’s cinematography is gorgeous.
• Ultramarathon’s are wild. The athletes push their bodies past their physical limits.
• Tiberiu Ușeriu is an ultra-charismatic guy. I enjoyed learning about his life and why he competes in ultramarathons.
• There’s a great line about not remembering beautiful moments because the character was too busy trying to survive day to day.
• Good Stuff.

Random Awards

• Best Toenail Removal Scene Award
• Best Documentary Cinematography Award
• Best Ice Cream Offer Award
• Best Scene Recreations Award
• Best Reason to Not Pick Up Strangers in Romania Award

I had a great time at the Toronto International Film Festival, and I plan to write longer reviews, but I wanted to quickly review the 17 films I watched during the four days I was there. Overall, TIFF was a big success. It was organized, easy to navigate, and the volunteers were wonderful. I caught all the films on my watchlist, met a bunch of cool people, and watched Canadian films that might’ve gone under my radar if I hadn’t attended the festival. I’d love to go back next year.

​Here are my quick thoughts about the films I watched on 09/10 and 09/11.

Fjord (2026)

• Directed by – Cristian Mungiu – R.M.N., (2022), 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007), Graduation (2016)
• Starring – Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve, Lisa Carlehed
• Why I watched it – It won the Palme d’Or at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. Also, I had to see Stan and Reinsve in a film directed by Mungiu

Quick thoughts:

• Fjord is a wildly divisive film that I really enjoyed. It will annoy many people, but I appreciate the lack of easy answers and lingering questions
• It will be interesting to see how well it works for American audiences not familiar with Norwegian and Romanian politics. Fjord is a super European film.
• Between A Different Man and Fjord, I love the Reinsve/Stan duo.
• Once again, DP Tudor Vladimir Panduru does fine work. The Norwegian landscapes look gorgeous and deadly.
• Mingiu’s “balanced” approach works well as progressive and conservative views are shared. Both sides can be infuriating.
• Communication is important.

Random Awards

• Best “Being There” Moment Award
• Most Frustrating Court Case Award
• Best Interruption of Someone Playing Amazing Grace on a Piano Award

Low Lies the Land

• Director – Emanuele Gerosa
• Starring – The Chiappone, Adamo, Agatiello, and Bertolino families
• Why I watched it – A documentary about Italian wine country sounded too good to pass up. I love Truffle Hunters, so I gave it a shot.

Quick Thoughts

• The doc works best when the camera lingers on the work required to keep a vineyard running.
• There’s a moment in which a young man takes off his shoes and places them under the bench he’s sitting on. Then, he grabs another pair of shoes and puts them on. In theory, the moment is meant to create a relaxed realism, but it feels staged and takes me out of the moment.
• Alvise Tedesco’s cinematography is wonderful because it makes the Northern Italian vineyards look gorgeous, daunting, and a bit arid. He captures the beauty and fragility of the vineyards.
• I’ve never wished for rain more while watching a documentary.
• Excellent vine pruning.

Random Awards

• Best “I Won’t Sell my Winery” Moment of 2026 Award
• Best Flower Purchasing Award
• Best Grandma Lecture About Dating Women Award

In the Heart of the South

• Director – Nyla Innuksuk
• Starring – Anna Lambe and Zorga Qaunaq
• Why I watched it – The synopsis sold me – “In the Heart of the South is what Single White Female would be if it were set in Toronto, with an Inuk protagonist and a dash of supernatural elements, starring North of North’s Anna Lambe.”

Quick Thoughts

• Anna Lambe and Zorga Qaunaq are wonderful. I need to watch North of North.
• I need to watch Slash/Back.
• I like how it approaches ownership and perspective. Who owns the story? Who makes money from it? Why do people need to add genre elements to sell a movie?
• Best 2026 avocado toast.
• There’s a horrifying/funny pitch meeting.
• I know it’s satirized, but the Toronto art scene seems like a nightmare.

Random Awards

• Best Avocado Toast Award
• Best 2026 “Punch-Up” Writer Award
• Best Worst Meeting That Ends With a Successful Pitch That Will Prove to be a Nightmare to Write Award

River

• Director – Joshua Giuliano
• Starring – Jane Levy, Jessica Rothe, Max Mattern and Dane DiLiegro
• Why I watched it – Jane Levy + Jessica Rothe + Aquatic Mayhem = Something I needed to see

Quick Thoughts

• Between Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe, and River, Jane Levy has taken a lot of damage in horror movies.
• The on-location shoot in West Virginia adds a nice layer of authenticity.
• Rothe, Levy and Mattern are wonderful.
• River blends horror, humor, and gore really well. You’ll laugh. You’ll jump. You’ll cringe.
• I love cabinet whiskey.

Random Awards

• Best 2026 Beer Can Catch Award
• Best Foot Chase Award
• Best Bicycle Accident Award
• Best Scene Involving Siblings Bonding While One of Them Pees Award

In Alaska

• Directors – Jaap van Heusden and Vinnie Karetak
• Starring – Leo Matthew Temela, Noomi Rapace, Yin Wang, Zorga Qaunaq.
• Why I Watched It – The TIFF synopsis sold me – “When a suicidal Inuk teen accidentally pierces an oil pipeline with a bullet, the FBI launches a full-scale manhunt across the northern wilderness in this drama starring Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and newcomer Leo Matthew Temela.”

Quick Thoughts:

• The film builds to a powerful ending that really connected with me.
• The on-location shoot in British Columbia.
• Noomi Rapace makes some interesting choices for her character, and they work. Her section of the film isn’t necessary, but it’s safe to assume her presence helped the directors find funding.
• Leo Matthew Temela is an actor to watch.
• It’s an interesting watch because the pacing is languid (in a good and bad way), but it builds to something beautiful.
• It features my favorite line of 2026.

Random Awards

1. Best 2026 Snowmobiling Award
2. Best Usage of Rugged Canadian Locations Award
3. Best Raw Fish Eating Award
4. Best Worst Attempt to Plug a Hole in an Oil Pipeline Award

Bucking Fastard

• Director – Werner Herzog
• Starring – Kate Mara, Rooney Mara, Orlando Bloom, Domhnall Gleeson
• Why I Watched It – Werner Herzog wrote and directed it. I needed to see it.

​Quick Thoughts:

1. Werner Herzog loves caves.
2. It won’t happen, but Kate and Rooney Mara should get Oscar nominations.
3. I’m a big fan of Orlando Bloom becoming a character actor.
4. A vacuuming scene made me very happy.
5. Bucking Fastard is my favorite TIFF film that I watched. Pure joy.

Random Awards

• Best Gas Station Scene Award
• Best Fox Award
• Best Cave Award
• Best Tunneling Award
• Best Slippery Soap Award
• Best Courtroom Scene Award

Turtle Island Rap

• Director – Alexandra Lazarowich
• Starring – A$h Da Hunter, Wiidaaseh, and Travis Thompson
• Why I Watched It – I had a good feeling about it. The feeling paid off because the doc is excellent

Quick Thoughts

• I’d love to talk to director Alexandra Lazarowich because her direction is perfect.
• A$h, Wiidaaseh, and Travis are super likable. I like how comfortable and open they are.
• A$H should’ve won the rap battle.
• The cinéma vérité style is successfully employed.
• I want a Spam burrito.
• Watch it.

Random Awards

• Most Likable Doc Subjects Award
• Best 2026 Live Show Award
• Best Worst Vinyl Record Deal Award
• Best Doc I Watched a TIFF Award

The Stunt Driver

• Director – Michael Dowse
• Starring – Jay Baruchel, Laurence Leboeuf, Ed Helms, Ben Foster, Marc Beaupré,
• Why I Watched It – The Michael Dowse-directed Goon is one of my favorite films, so I had to see Jay Baruchel and Dowse reunite for another sports comedy.

Quick Thoughts

• Jay Baruchel is excellent.
• I like the distinction between “Stunt Driver” and “Daredevil.”
• It starts hot and eventually loses momentum. However, the experience is still enjoyable.
• The Goon reunion made me happy.
• Ben Foster makes everything better.
• It made me want to rewatch Shoresy again. I like knowing Laurence Leboeuf is in it.

Random Awards

• Best Headshot Photo Award
• Best Worst Concrete Award
• Best “Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader” Joke Award
• Best Reaction to Driving At Speeds Surpassing 200 MPH Award.
• Best Bank Run Award