Movies, Films & Flix

Quick Thoughts:

1. John Malkovich delivers an all-time performance.
2. Parker Posey!
3. The on-location shoot at Rapa Nui gives the film an authentic vibe. I love that director/writer Martin McDonagh loves shooting on-location.
4. Between Wild Horse Nine, Seven Psychopaths, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Sam Rockwell and McDonagh have created a wonderful “numbers” trilogy.
5. Best 2026 usage of moths.
6. There’s a great bit about a sandwich.
7. You’ll learn a lot about global cheese production.
8. Fun research – While writing the screenplay, McDonagh wrote “GUILT” and “REGRET” at the top of page one. Makes sense.

John Malkovich makes everything better, and his performance in Wild Horse Nine is an absolute showstopper. He’s great in Being John Malkovich, Shadow of the Vampire, Red, Dangerous Liaisons, In the Line of Fire, Con Air, and Rounders, but he hits another gear in Wild Horse Nine. Director/writer Martin McDonagh and his screenplays draw out excellent performances from excellent actors, and he’s been on a roll with his last two films. The Banshees of Inisherin and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri received seven Academy Award nominations for acting, and early odds suggest Malkovich and Sam Rockwell are a lock. Wild Horse Nine is the total package with a crackling screenplay, on-location filming at Rapa Nui, Ben Davis cinematography, and dedicated work from Malkovich. He has stiff competition from Matt Damon (The Odyssey) and Andrew Scott (Elsinore), but it would be lovely to see him recognised for his thrilling work in Wild Horse Nine.

Wild Horse Nine focuses on a long-time CIA employee named Chris (John Malkovich) enjoying one last vacation with his friend/CIA partner Lee (Sam Rockwell) before his cancer-riddled body fails him. During their trip to Rapa Nui to see the “big heads,” Chris plans to record his memoir, which could prove disastrous for the CIA because he was in Dallas the day JFK was assassinated. Understandably, the secretive agency doesn’t want him to unleash state secrets, so the South American CIA bureau chief MJ (Steve Buscemi) tasks Lee with destroying Chris’s tape recordings.

With death on the horizon, and a morphine-addled brain, Chris worries that the 68 people he killed (and countless coup d’etats) will give him a one-way ticket to hell (McDonagh loves tackling religion). He also wonders if dinosaurs have souls and hopes rain doesn’t hurt the moths he rescues from his hotel room. Despite his morphine-caused memory issues, Chris is still hyper-observant, very dangerous, and suspicious of MJ, who may or may not be addicted to heroin. To prepare for the role, Malkovich and Rockwell rehearsed scenes endlessly, and their work paid off because their line readings feel organic and in the moment. In the hands of lesser-trained actors, McDonagh’s dialogue can come across as over-written and inorganic, but Malkovich, Rockwell, Parker Posey and Mariana di Girolamo ensure McDonagh another Oscar nomination.

Shooting for six weeks on Rapa Nui, the isolated island gave Sam Rockwell and John Malkovich plenty of time to mull over the script and devise a dynamic that plays well on andoff-screen. During a long-distance call between Lee and his wife Marge (Parker Posey), they stop sniping at each other to discuss Chris and his health issues. Mentioning John Malkovich’s character softens the conversation and gives the married couple a moment to empathise (and not scream at each other). It’s not often that you can have empathy for a CIA-spook who has murdered 68 people and destabilised many governments – but you do, because Malkovich is so good.

Wild Horse Nine is only the second film to shoot on Rapa Nui, and cinematographer Ben Davis(Layer Cake, Seven Psychopaths, The Banshees of Inisherin) frames the famous moai statues in gorgeous wide shots that give Rockwell and Malkovich time to walk among them while talking about cheese or moths. Davis shot with an Arri Alexa 35 digital cinema camera, and the footage was expertly graded to look like it was shot on Ektachrome, a popular film stock from the 1970s. Shooting on film on the isolated island was impractical, so it’s neat they shot on an Arri and relied on color grading to make it seem like it was shot in the 70s. A nice touch is the focus on the color red, which pops on Ektachrome and creates a unique colour palette on the lush green island.

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Mark and Lisa discuss the 2005 horror sequel Saw II. Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and starring Donnie Wahlberg, Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, and a needle pit, the movie focuses on what happens when a serial killer wants to play another murderous game. In this episode, they also talk about memorable traps, hidden numbers, and angry cops. Enjoy!

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Quick Thoughts:

1. Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim have crafted a thrilling documentary that will make A24 a lot of money.
2. Elizabeth Holmes is more of a mystery now.
3. Hopefully it teaches doc filmmakers to be fluid, dogged, and able to pivot. I love where this doc goes.
4. You might see everything or nothing.
5. Best 2026 usage of Abbott and Costello.
6. Watching Nathan Fielder attempt to understand Holmes is a 2026 highlight.

You Can See Everything features everything great about documentaries. Laser-focused topics, interesting subjects, total access, twists/turns, and an evolving narrative. Directors Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim planned to film Elizabeth Holmes and her husband Billy Evans for 34 days in 2023; their plans derailed when the infamous Theranos founder and her squirrely husband took them on a ride they never expected. This isn’t surprising considering Elizabeth Holmes is an absolute cypher who swears she’s never told a lie in her life (amazing scene) and also claims she didn’t defraud investors who bought her Edison blood-testing device. Elizabeth Holmes is an anomaly, and the more time you spend with her, the less you know. In a recent interview, Fielder talks about how he still isn’t sure what he experienced during the 34 days before Holmes surrendered herself to a Texas minimum-security prison, because despite getting complete access to his subjects, they say nothing real and are walking contradictions. In a memorable moment, Fiedler screens Abbott and Costello’s famous “Who’s on first?” routine for Holmes, and she has no idea why the bit is funny (they talk over each other?). So, she is smart enough to build a ruthless empire and gain influential backers, but can’t comprehend why the cheeky comedy routine is so funny. Is she misunderstood? Is she always lying? Is Billy pulling the strings? Are they working together? The answer seems clear, but the more time you spend with the couple, the more questions you have.

You Can See Everything doesn’t leave you with concrete answers, but it’s an interesting journey into the mind of a man who really wants to understand Elizabeth Holmes. Fielder seems genuinely protective and cautious of Holmes, whose unblinking stare and miles of contradictions make for an interesting documentary subject. Holmes dropped out of Stanford and built a secretive empire by acquiring a league of influential backers who believed in her mission to make healthcare more affordable. She and her partner, Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, were eventually charged with defrauding $700 million from investors, and Holmes was sentenced to spend 11 years in a minimum-security prison.

The first third of the documentary primarily focuses on Fielder trying to wrap his head around Holmes and Evans. Evans is a controlling person who grabs bowls from Elizabeth’s hands to finish whisking eggs (she does it wrong), and is quick to direct the doc, which causes conflict with Fielder and Oppenheim. Later in the documentary, Evans calls himself “pretty strategic and well-resourced,” adding a menacing element to the Silicon Valley bro (and heir to a hotel empire) who listens to podcasts at 2x speed and lets cameras capture him in the shower. It’s wild that Holmes and Evans reached out to A24 about a documentary, and it’s really difficult to understand why they didn’t want a fluff piece about Holmes’ innocence and their attempt to create a Theranos 2.0. Everything they do seems strategic, but they’re so cagey that it’s impossible to understand their motives (or maybe it’s clear as day).

We never get the answer, but it’s fun to watch. The documentary continues long after Elizabeth turns herself in to prison, but what follows shouldn’t be spoiled. It isn’t a spoiler to say that David Bolen’s (Primetime, The Python Hunt) cinematography is incredible, and the near-constant close-ups give audiences countless opportunities to count Fielder’s pores and blackheads. The close-ups work especially well with Holmes, whose gigantic unblinking blue eyes resemble a black hole of mystery.

Final Thoughts – Watch it in theaters.

Quick Thoughts:

1. I love when Renny Harlin and Samuel L. Jackson team up. The Long Kiss Goodnight, Deep Blue Sea, Cleaner, and The Beast are a good time.
2. It’s the best Renny Harlin-directed action film since 12 Rounds.
3. There’s a wonderful bit about how Jackson says “mother****er”
4. Joel Kinnaman and Samuel L. Jackson put in a good shift.
5. Wonderful railgun moment.
6. The world needs more 90-minute (without credits) movies.
7. I like the RoboCop (2014) reunion.
8. Between the super SUV in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the “rolling armored white house on wheels” in The Beast, Jackson loves an armored vehicle.

At a brisk 99 minutes, The Beast is an expertly crafted high-concept action film that lets Samuel L. Jackson shine (and blow up mercenaries). It also lets Renny Harlin do what he does best: direct a visually interesting action film that punches above its weight. Filmed in Spain, Renny and crew spent 18 days shooting in an XR virtual studio with LED screens, and the result is solid-looking VFX that never detract from the action. Cinematographer Jacques Jouffret (American Primeval, Novocaine, Gran Turismo) does a fine job of finding interesting shots within the badass vehicle, preventing a claustrophobic/repetitive look. Overall, it’s a technically polished low-budget action film that wants to be nothing more than a good time.

The film opens with Joel Kinnaman’s character, Agent Taft, battling a masked mercenary inside a rolling armored white house on wheels nicknamed “The Beast.” The two bulky men tussle inside the spacious backseat as President Oscar Paladin (Samuel L. Jackson) drives through a warzone between a well-stocked militia and overmatched Secret Service agents who are mowed down in the chaos. During the fight (which ends with a beautiful explosion), Agent Taft is shot three times while kicking his opponent out of the vehicle, which knocks him out of the action and forces Paladin to drive the car, save Taft, and escape a highly organized militia who’ve unleashed a coordinated attack around the world.

Between the plane crash in Deep Water and the meat-and-potatoes action (this is a compliment) in The Beast, Renny Harlin seems rejuvenated and able to recapture the action magic he created in Cliffhanger, 12 Rounds, and Die Hard 2. In true Renny Harlin fashion, he signed on for The Beast after director James Madigan dropped out (Renny takes a lot of gigs with little prep time). Thankfully, his relationships with Jackson and Kinnaman let him jump into the project successfully. You can tell that Jackson feels comfortable with Harlin because he is lively, funny, and fully committed. Jackson also has solid chemistry with Kinnaman, who spends 100% of his screen time bleeding out in the back of the rolling tank. The two drink whiskey, and talk about Waylon Jennings, crunchy snow, bread cast, and how to say the word “motherf****er.”

The screenplay by Umair Aleem (Kate, The Beekeeper 2) is a bit clunky in that it saddles Jackson’s character with PTSD-esque symptoms from his days as a soldier, which conveniently manifest during the crisis. This means that Jackson has to survive the unidentified soldiers and control the “beast” inside him to help save the world. Since it takes place almost entirely in a vehicle, extra subplots make sense, but you can tell Harlin is better at staging fun action scenes than at handling a man learning to deal with trauma. That being said, Aleem deserves credit for writing a high-concept action film that moves propulsively and gives Jackson a chance to crush a lead role.

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.