Today on "Words On Film", Dan Burke reviews "MaXXXine", "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F", "Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot", "Kinds of Kindness", and "Daddio". Mr. Burke also runs down the movies subject to being released into theaters on July 11th & 12th, 2024.
WBCA Podcasts
Words On Film
Today on "Words On Film", Dan Burke reviews "MaXXXine", "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F", "Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot", "Kinds of Kindness", and "Daddio". Mr. Burke also runs down the movies subject to being released into theaters on July 11th & 12th, 2024.
- Duration:
- 52m
- Broadcast on:
- 08 Jul 2024
- Audio Format:
- mp3
[MUSIC] >> Hello and welcome to Words on Film, the spoken word show dedicated to moving pictures. I'm Dan Burke, your host and movie critic. And you're listening to Words on Film on WBCALP Boston. I will be reviewing some of the newest movies out right now. >> I'm back after the Fourth of July weekend. Actually, technically this is the Fourth of July weekend that I am doing the show. But I had a week off this week and it gave me some time to watch a number of movies old and new. For that reason, I have four brand new movies to review for you and five total films. One of them came out the previous weekend and I didn't get to review it until now. But I'm going to get to that film momentarily. But also, I have a film on Netflix that I'm going to review as well. It's been a while since I've reviewed a Netflix film just because with my schedule, I don't have a lot of time, ironically enough, to sit down and watch a Netflix movie from beginning to end. And that's my preferred way of seeing a film. But I've got a lot of films to discuss so I might as well get into the film that will probably be the most talked about, not necessarily the most seen, but definitely one of the more controversial ones. The first movie I'm going to be reviewing for you is Maxine. And this is Maxine spelled with three X's indicating that Maxine is or implying that Maxine is a pornographic actress, which was definitely shown in the film X, which came out in 2022. And X also had a prequel, which was called Pearl, which I thought was a lot better than X, but I still appreciated X for what it was, which was a really good slasher film. But it seems like it's prequel and it's sequel elevated X to a higher level. As a matter of fact, I saw Pearl in 2022 and absolutely loved it. I thought Mia Goth was amazing in that film and then I went back and saw the movie X. I had seen X first, but I saw it after I saw Pearl and I actually appreciated it a lot more. And Maxine was a film that I've been looking forward to for a couple of years, because if you stayed until the end credits after Pearl, there was a very clever teaser at the end. And even though I avoid seeing trailers, I still really liked how that teaser trailer was made. But I'm getting a little ahead of myself because there is a lot to unpack with the movie Maxine. So the movie takes place in 1980s Hollywood, where Maxine Minx has gone from surviving the ordeal that she did in the movie X to becoming an adult film star and also an aspiring mainstream actress who finally gets her big break starring in the film, The Puritan 2. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past. And by sinister past, it's not just the fact that she acts in pornography, which is already a black mark on many actors and actresses' resumes. Mainly those who have made a name for themselves, although there have been a handful of mainstream actors who in the 70s got their start in porn or just did a porn film because they didn't have a lot of money in the bank, and that hasn't been used against them. But that's another story for another time. But Maxine Minx is going into that uphill battle of going from pornographic movies, which was kind of for her been there, done that to finally becoming a mainstream actress, which not a lot of pornographic actors have done. There are a few exceptions like Marilyn Chambers and Tracey Lords, but even then they didn't become A-listers when they appeared in mainstream films. And some of them even went back to doing porn. But in this story, Maxine Minx actually has a chance. And in addition to Mia Goth reprising her role as Maxine Minx, there are also some other great supporting performances in this film by a number of well-known actors. For example, Maxine Minx's agent is Teddy Knight Esquire, and he's played in a unconventional role by Giancarlo Esposito. There are also some detectives who are trying to trace this killer who is, they believe, indirectly linked to Maxine. And they're played by Bobby Connavale and Michelle Monahan. Both of them have played this kind of role before, but they add a really good twist to it as well. Especially Bobby Connavale when you find out a little bit more about his past and not a bad past, necessarily, but one you would think is typical of people who live in LA, it being an entertainment industry magnet and all that. But it is really Mia Goth who holds this film together, and there are some other supporting characters in this film who meet their fate. I'm not going to tell you who they are, I'm not going to tell you why their deaths are tragic, but they most certainly are. But throughout the film, even though you know there's a slim chance of this actress who made a name for herself in pornography trying to break into mainstream, you're still rooting for Mia Goth. Basically because she plays this role with a lot of zest and also a surprising amount of sincerity, especially given that this movie details what life would probably be like for somebody who acted in pornography in the mid-1980s. I think that the on-location shoots and the set design make this movie feel like it takes place in 1985, and also this movie does not shy away from not only the horror, but also some of the seediness of people who are working in the adults industry, whether it be in film or whether it be working in a strip clubs. I think this movie definitely has the right sort of narrative and also has the right time and place. And this movie, very much like the aforementioned films, X and Pearl, were totally written by and directed by Ty West. And this is reportedly the end of what's known as the X trilogy. And honestly, I actually am kind of sad that it's ending like this, but I really enjoyed Maxine. I thought that a lot of the very gory scenes were very well filmed. There was actually one scene where Maxine almost gets mugged by a guy who at first you assume is the killer, but then Maxine kind of uses her street smarts to show this guy a thing or two. And the way this scene ends, which is in an LA alley, is gruesome, but it's also very funny and I absolutely laughed. I thought the ending tied things up a little bit too cleanly, especially given the context of the film as well as the subject. But that's my only real qualm with the film. I think there could have been room in there for an interesting twist with one of the characters. And that twist was bypassed. But then again, if I saw the twist coming and it happened, I'd probably be even more disappointed. So I'm very impressed with the movie Maxine. I think in a lot of ways it is better than the movie X. It's not better than the movie Pearl. I probably put that as the best of the three in tie West's X series, but Maxine does get my rating of a knockout. And if you're a fan of horror slasher films, you will absolutely love this. If you're somewhat squeamish and faint of heart, you'll probably hate this movie, but I do think that Miyagoth sells this movie again. And it's her and tie West who are working together to create this cinematic universe as well as emphasizing this time and place that makes this movie Maxine as well as the whole trilogy really worth watching. And I can't wait to see what Miyagoth does next, whether it's in horror or not. [Music] Welcome back to Words on Film, the spoken word show dedicated to moving pictures. I'm your host and movie critic Dan Burke. The next movie I'm going to be reviewing for you is Beverly Hills Cop Axle F. This is what some people believe to be the long-awaited sequel to Beverly Hills Cop, or at least the fourth entry in the franchise. And interestingly enough, this movie came out 40 years after the original Beverly Hills Cop and 30 years after the last Beverly Hills Cop movie, Beverly Hills Cop 3, which starred Eddie Murphy of course and was directed by John Landis. But even though it was a modest box office hit, critically it didn't do very well, and Eddie Murphy seems to have stayed away from the Axle Foley character until now. I don't think that the title of this fourth chapter, Beverly Hills Cop Axle F, is a great title. I don't know why they didn't just call it Beverly Hills Cop 4, or Beverly Hills Cop Axle Foley, or even Beverly Hills Cop Axle. I don't exactly know why they just stopped in his last name at the letter F. So my expectations going into this film were somewhat low, particularly after seeing Beverly Hills Cop 3, which didn't exactly impress me very much. But in this film, Axle Foley is still working as a Detroit cop, and he returns to Beverly Hills, hence the name of this movie, after his daughter's life is threatened and works with old pals, John Taggart and Billy Rosewood, who are played by Judge Reinhold and John Ashton respectively, to uncover a conspiracy. And it's not just Judge Reinhold and John Ashton who returned to this film as well. There are also appearances by some other notable Beverly Hills Cop alum, like Paul Reiser and Bronson Pincho, the latter of whom plays the very flamboyantly gay surge, and Bronson Pincho in this film, when he makes his appearance, doesn't feel like retread. He sells his part very well, and he's only in the movie for about five minutes, but he is so funny. He's almost as funny as he was in the first Beverly Hills Cop movie. But there are also some other characters here and some other plot threads, and Axle Foley's daughter here is named Jane Saunders, who's played by Taylor Page, who's not a household name yet, but I've seen her in a number of films and I absolutely love seeing her on screen. And she works here very well with Eddie Murphy's Axle Foley, particularly because she has distanced herself physically and mentally from Axle Foley based on his commitment more to his job than to his family. But Jane Saunders has grown up to become a lawyer in Beverly Hills, so she's obviously doing very well for herself, because Beverly Hills is not a cheap place to live. But her life gets in danger when she defends somebody pro bono, who is in prison for allegedly killing a police officer, which is something that obviously the police are going to frown upon even more than killing somebody else. But she believes the guy didn't do it, but there is an underworld criminal syndicate who wants her to get off the case, and the scene where she is captured, not kidnapped, but captured and her life is threatened is very intense and Taylor Page sells this scene incredibly well. There are also scenes between her and Eddie Murphy that work incredibly well so much to the point that it almost seems like Eddie Murphy raised Taylor Page herself himself, but probably in the way that you would expect a character like Axle Foley to raise a child which is probably very hands off. There's also another fresh supporting performance here by Joseph Gordon Levitt, who plays Detective Bobby Abbott who is also on the case that Jane finds herself defending, and as it turns out, he and Jane have had a romantic past, which they also aborted. But the chemistry between those two is really good. There are some scenes where some characters actually comment on their chemistry, and they don't really need to, but it is kind of funny when they do. And there's also another person who, once you see him on the screen, you know he's an antagonist, and that's Captain Cade Grant who's played by Kevin Bacon. And from all accounts I hear that Kevin Bacon is a nice guy in real life, but he plays evil and smug simultaneously really well. I did not mention Kevin Bacon supporting performance in Maxine, I should have, but I only have a limited time to go over such roles that individuals play. I'd neglected to mention that, but he also played a really good sleaze in Maxine and here he plays a bit more of a polished sleaze, but he plays him also very well and he is the chief antagonist without giving too much away. It's kind of one of those things where once you hear that there's a mole in the police department and once you hear that there's a crooked cop and then you see Kevin Bacon on the screen, you kind of know it's going to be him. But that's not a bad thing because Kevin Bacon plays a bad guy so well. But Beverly Hills Cop Axle F is a film, again, I had low expectations as I selected this film on Netflix, but it is very funny. It made me laugh probably harder than any of the other Beverly Hills Cop sequels, not harder than the original Beverly Hills Cop, but I do think it is a return to R-rated form for Eddie Murphy in a comedy. Now he has done some R-rated films recently over the last couple of years and he's done well in them, but being the older and slightly more mature Axle Foli, he's matured in a way that is certainly believable. He doesn't obviously have the energy that he did playing Axle Foli for the first time in his early twenties, I don't think anybody really does, but he still plays somebody who you would believe to be the original Axle Foli from the original film. And not a lot of other actors who are reprising their roles from 30 or 40 years ago could do the same thing, but Eddie Murphy does have a certain subdued energy, but it is a definite appealing energy nonetheless, which is why I give Beverly Hills Cop Axle F, despite the unoriginal and questionable title, my rating of a knockout. It's a film that had some really good action sequences, somewhere Axle Foli, commandeers, an unusual vehicle, and there's another scene that's a helicopter chase, which is also very well staged and also very funny. But overall, Axle Foli, Eddie Murphy as Axle Foli isn't the only one that shines here. The supporting performances by those who are coming back like Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, and Bronson Pinchot are definitely made the most out of here, and also the newer supporting performances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Taylor Page are also very powerful and also make the film very credible and a lot of fun. So I had low expectations with this being a Netflix film and also the fourth Beverly Hills Cop movie and the first one in 30 years, but fortunately this film exceeded my expectations. [MUSIC] [MUSIC] Welcome back to Words on Film, the spoken word show dedicated to moving pictures. I am your host and movie critic Dan Burke. The next movie I'm going to be reviewing for you is Sound of Hope, the story of Possum Trot, which premiered in theaters on Thursday, July 4, 2024, and that is very similar to another film that Angel Studios released, which was called Sound of Freedom, which was released last year, and was by all accounts, a big box office hit. I saw the film back last 4th of July, and I didn't think it was a great film, but to its credit, on a budget of $14.5 million it made $250.6 million. And that is what we call in the industry a sleeper hit, and the sleeper hit means that it's a film that doesn't get a ton of advertising or certainly not the advertising that the MCU does, for example, when they release a new film, but it still happens to make millions of dollars anyway. And it's one of those films that puts Angel Studios on the map, and they are just getting started, interestingly enough. And when I was seeing this film, I saw the Angel Studios logo that starts in the beginning of the film, and I also saw another logo that didn't quite impress me and might have gotten this film off to the wrong start for me. And that is Daily Wire Plus, which means that eventually this film will also be released on the Daily Wire's website, and their streaming service, Daily Wire Plus. And the reason that rubbed me the wrong way is because Daily Wire, even though it is a very successful media company here in Nashville, also has a reputation. And it's not a particularly good one, especially amongst those who are centrists or left-leaning. As I was watching the film, I was expecting this movie to have some sort of right-wing agenda in it. And fortunately, it didn't, because even though Daily Wire is going to distribute this film, as far as I know, it had no hand in making the film. The film is very well-intentioned, it is very much like Sound of Freedom, very flawed in some instances, but its intentions are very, very good. And also like Sound of Freedom, it is based on a true story, but unlike Sound of Freedom, Sound of Hope actually had a more believable story here. And it didn't seem like one that was particularly fabricated. It did seem like some instances were maybe polished over a bit, but it also dealt with some realities about adoption. Sound of Hope, which is subtitled The Story of Possum Trot, is the true story of Donna and Reverend WC Martin and their church in East Texas, in a town that's called Possum Trot, which is a very southern-sounding name of a town. But this is a largely black town, and it's also a close-knit community where 22 families adopted 77 children from the local foster system, igniting a movement for vulnerable children anywhere. And by vulnerable children, they mean children who are in the foster care and adoption system. So what the people of Possum Trot, Texas, did, especially spearheaded by the efforts of Donna and Reverend WC Martin, is really noble and very good. And I applaud this town for taking on such a task. And it's not easy to adopt children who have experienced things that no children, no child should ever experience, like child abuse, violence, not just domestic violence, but also violence outside their homes. I could go on with the other things these children have had to deal with, but I'd get a little bit preachy here. But Reverend WC Martin here is played by an actor by the name of Demetrius Gross. And Donna Martin is played by Nika King, who's best known for playing Zendaya's mother on the show Euphoria. And I haven't seen Euphoria, I just looked that up before doing this show. And I still thought Nika King made a great addition to this cast. She definitely anchored the film very well. There's also a supporting performance here by Elizabeth Mitchell, who's actually one of the only white people in this movie. She's a social worker by the name of Susan Ramsey. And when I found out that Elizabeth Mitchell was in this film and she's one of the only white people, I initially had a suspicion that they were going to make her an antagonist. But actually, she plays the role of Susan Ramsey, who's not a composite character. She actually was a social worker who set up the people in the small town with adoptions extremely well and extremely nobly. I'm glad that they didn't go the antagonist route with this, which is why this film did not feel as exploitative as I would have expected from a film that is being distributed partly by Daily Wire Plus. This movie is done with a lot of sincerity. It does focus on the Martin family and their struggles with adopting children who came from abusive and neglectful homes. And it particularly centers on one of their adopted daughters by the name of Terry, who's played by Diana Bob Nicova. And she probably experienced the most downsides from the foster care system. And I think probably the most exploitative part of this film was when Elizabeth Mitchell's character visits the last foster home of Terry before she moves her in with the Martin family. And also describes her as one of the higher risk cases. And honestly, when you get an idea of the abuse that Terry experienced, you can see why she's high risk. And I didn't really think that it was entirely bad to be. Well, I think that her being labeled as high risk might have been detrimental to her, but also the foster system does have, I suppose, it's criteria for what foster children experience what kind of abuse and whatnot. So it does seem a little insensitive coming from this movie, but it might be realistic. I don't know. But the film does falter when it focuses a little bit too much on Terry and not so much on the other people in the town who are also adopting children. You get an idea of what the home life of these other children are like, but you also feel like there's something that's not being told to you and something's missing. And granted, this movie can only cover so much. But I feel like the other families who also adopt children, which is also it's told by another character that the entire town decides to do this. And it's not exactly shown until it's a little bit too late. And also, did the Martin family who obviously have a high ranking in this close knit community. Did they influence the other townspeople to adopt children, or did they just say that this is our child we adopted them. It was the good Christian thing to do. And these other townspeople decided to do this by the goodness of their own heart. The movie doesn't really explain that, but I'd still applauded the sincerity of Sound of Hope, the story of Possum Trot, not only because it's based on a very inspiring true story, but also the acting here, especially by Nika King and Elizabeth Mitchell, is very sincere and very heartwarming. So I give Sound of Hope, the story of Possum Trot, my rating of a checkout. I think it is a film that will inspire a lot of people when they see it. It's not a perfect film, but for a film that is faith based, it surprisingly doesn't get too preachy. And I really appreciated it for it. I wish it had a little bit more narrative focus when it came to some of the other children who were adopted besides the character Terry, but I do think it does have its heart in the right place. And if you want to be one of those people who donates money so that other people can see this film as well, all the power to you, just stay until the end of the film for that QR code, and you will be able to do that. I'm sure there's also a website that you can visit, but that's all explained in the movie. [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] Welcome back to words on film, the spoken word showed dedicated to moving pictures. I am your host of movie critic Dan Burke. The next movie I'm going to be reviewing for you is Kinds of Kindness. This is the latest film from Jorgos Lanthamos, and like his last film, Poor Things, as well as some of his previous films like The Lobster. This is an absurdist black comedy, but unlike his other aforementioned films, this is an anthology film that is comprised of three short films, all of which star Jesse Plemons, Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chao, and Mamadou Aethi. In addition to another actor who's less well known by the name of Joe Alwin, but even though he's not particularly well known, he is definitely easily identifiable by his face. Yeah, he's definitely a character, well, an actor that you remember from this film. So all of these three chapters of this film don't seem to come together other than the fact that they're directed by the same guy and have the same cast who have interchangeable roles in this film that are seemingly different from one another, but it's a film that certainly has a very quirky sense of humor that is of an acquired taste, very much like poor things. So if you liked poor things, I can't exactly say that you'll love kinds of kindness, but I think if you appreciated the humor in poor things, which a surprising number of people did, I think if you go into kinds of kindness knowing that it's made by the same people who made poor things, you might not be disappointed. However, coming from me, I was watching this film and I was trying to find the method in Jorgos M. Lanthimos' madness. I did appreciate that actors like Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, and Willem Dafoe, most especially, were going balls to the wall, unhinged insane in some of these roles that they're playing here, but I also didn't quite get the joke here in some of these instances. But I did think that the movies were at least, or the short films were at least worth watching for you to come to your own conclusion. The three films together have a total run time of 164 minutes, so hopefully you won't be disappointed by giving yourself that time to watch this film, which has been described as a triptych fable, which is largely meaning that there are three different stories that are being told here. The first one is called The Death of R.M.F. And in it, Jesse Plemons plays a man by the name of Robert Fletcher, who has a job with a man by the name of Raymond, who's played by Willem Dafoe, and he follows each and every order that's given to him by Raymond. And by every order, it's not just every duty that he has to do from nine to five, it's also what he eats for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and also a very unusual task that he has to accomplish that he's very reluctant to do. And once you see what he actually does, things get a bit weird. And there's also the second chapter, which is R.M.F. is flying. This is where Jesse Plemons plays a police officer named Daniel, who is mourning the disappearance of his wife Liz, who's played by Emma Stone. And Liz is a marine biologist who went missing at sea. Eventually, Liz is found and comes back, but Daniel is very concerned about Liz's change in personality. And he has her do some very strange tasks that no human being should ever do for a person when asked. And for me to spoil what happens in this film would be spoiling the film itself. But I will tell you, very characteristic of Jorgos Lanthimos, it's very weird. And the final category or the final film that's being shown here is another film that's called R.M.F. eats a sandwich. And this is where Emma Stone plays a woman by the name of Emily, and Jesse Plemons plays a man by the name of Andrew. And the two of them are cult members, who I believe are in some sort of platonic relationship, and they are looking for a woman with the ability to reanimate the dead. And Emily remembers a woman who actually saved her from drowning, who's played by Margaret Qualley, who I didn't mention previously, but she was also in the other two films that are in this triptych black comedy, the death of R.M.F. and R.M.F. is flying. And she is trying to find her, and she also encounters a lot of strange practices, particularly in this cult, that's run by Willem Defoe and Hong Chao, or their characters. And she's also coming to grips with her estranged husband and daughter as well, Emma Stone's character is. And the movie goes long stretches without there being very much of a laugh, but you can't help but see the story for itself just to see where it's going. And actually I thought the ending to R.M.F. eats a sandwich is very funny, and probably well worth the trip. But the total running time of 164 minutes did test my patience quite a bit, but Jorgos Lanthamos has largely established himself as a credible Hollywood director. It took him a little while, especially given the strange films that he released before this one, but a lot of people in the mainstream are taking notice. I don't think that necessarily means that Jorgos Lanthamos will direct an MCU film anytime soon. My hope is that he actually doesn't, because he certainly has a vision, and he is not afraid to be weird. But as I was watching kinds of kindness, I was thinking to myself while I appreciated the fact that I didn't know what was going to happen next. And I also appreciated the bold and unhinged performances by Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Defoe, and the other actors who I don't quite have time to mention right now. I was also thinking to myself, is Jorgos Lanthamos trolling me? Does he want me to just give him a good review? Does he just want me to watch a film he intentionally made as messed up so I can come here and tell you how brilliant the film was? Well, maybe, but in my opinion, I think that the film is not as good as Poor Things or the Lobster or any of the other films that Jorgos Lanthamos has done. And I did have some issues with the way that Poor Things was edited, and that certainly took me out of the movie. But I did think that the editing here in Kinds of Kindness could have used a little more work, and I think that probably about 20 minutes of this film could have been edited out, particularly some of the slower moments. And the film would have been, I think, eye-catching at least, but I appreciated it, I just didn't love it, which is why I give Kinds of Kindness my rating of a check out. And it's a film that maybe I'm a little afraid to love it, but it's certainly one of those films that I wouldn't see more than once. I've seen it once, I've kind of gotten what the gist of the film is, and I do find it hilarious in certain parts, but I maybe didn't get it, and maybe I'm just not the intended audience for this film, but I did appreciate how unhinged and how unpredictable it was. [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] Welcome back to Words on Film, the spoken word showed dedicated to moving pictures. I am your host of movie critic Dan Burke. The next movie I'm going to be reviewing for you is "Daddio". This is a film that premiered at last year's Telluride Film Festival on September 1, 2023, and premiered in select theaters in the United States on June 28, 2024. It didn't actually premiere at the theater to which I normally go to see movies, so I had to kind of go out of my way to see this film, but I actually, I'm actually really glad that I went out of my way to see it because it is a surprisingly powerful film. It's about a woman who's played by Dakota Johnson, who takes a cab ride from JFK, and engages in a conversation with the taxi driver, who's played by Sean Penn, about the important relationships in their lives. And this is a film that is directed by and written by Christy Hall in her feature film, "Directorial Debut", and it is pretty amazing that she was able to get Sean Penn for her "Directorial Debut", but I guess some filmmakers are very lucky in that regard. Previously, Christy Hall had developed and written for the show, "I am not okay with this", and she has some other films that are in production and are about to be released as well. And this is a film that actually takes a lot of risks narratively, and the vast majority of the film, without spoiling too much, does take place in this cab. Having been to as many airports I have and having taken rides from the airport to where I was going, usually a lot of things don't happen in a cab ride. You know, sometimes the cab driver or the Uber or Lyft driver makes some very small talk conversation, but largely, I have not had very many prolific experiences having a conversation with a cab driver. This film might actually change that, but maybe if it's a big enough hit, which I don't necessarily think it will be, but it does have a lot of great performances here, and Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn play very well off of each other. Sean Penn is an actor who is excellent at his craft. He doesn't always play the most likable person, but when he does play a likable person, he usually plays that likable person extremely well, and Clark happens to be particularly likable. Now, I could see somebody like John Goodman probably playing this film with playing this role in this film with a lot more hard, but to get a guy like Sean Penn over John Goodman, that's not an opportunity you'd be remiss to pass up. But anyway, and I was wary about Dakota Johnson here, particularly because she's coming off the film, Madam Webb, which is considered so far, one of the worst, if not the worst film of 2024. But here she plays a woman who's only known as girly, and I don't think she ever really, she doesn't introduce herself actually. Sean Penn introduces himself, his character, but the two of them have very revealing conversations about their lives, particularly Dakota Johnson's character who plays someone who went home to Oklahoma to take care of something. And it's ultimately revealed in this film what it was she had to do back in her hometown, which is not nearly as populated or as well revered as New York City is. And there's also some drama about where she's going, why she's going there, and even during lulls and lapses in the conversation she has with Sean Pence, Sean Penn's character, she does engage in a texting conversation with a guy who is presumed to be her boyfriend. And the text that occur between Dakota Johnson's character and her boyfriend whom we don't see actually tells a lot. And there is a bit of a narrative risk having a text conversation being incorporated into a film, and a lot of text conversations aren't very lengthy for one particular reason. You only see text and you don't really get a sense of the emotions behind the text, or they're not necessarily readily as apparent as two people talking. But Sean Penn and Dakota Johnson's conversation that they have throughout this film makes the film worth watching because it is very colorful, it is very dramatic, and it does reach a climax at a particular point up until the point where Dakota Johnson's character reaches her destination. But the movie does have some elements of maybe being a bit cappra-esque, and there are certainly some feel good moments as well as some devastatingly sad moments, but for a film that takes place almost entirely in the vicinity of a cab. That's really amazing that this film can exert as much drama and some comedy as it does out of what could essentially be seen as a bottle episode. And that's an expression for TV shows where it takes place almost entirely in one room for one reason or another, and "Daddy-O" is a film that is a bottle movie. It's certainly not the first of its kind, but it is probably the first that takes place in a cab. But the fact that it is as exhilarating as it is, even though it is essentially a story that could take place on stage as a really good one-act play, it still makes its mark here based on the performances here by both Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn, who make an amazing team in this film, which is why I give "Daddy-O" my rating of a knockout. This is probably, "Daddy-O" is the biggest surprise of this summer for me. It's a very low-budget film, as you can see, but it makes the most out of its dialogue as well as its acting, and I can't recommend it higher enough. [music] [music] Welcome back to Words on Film, the spoken word showed dedicated to moving pictures. I am your host and movie critic Dan Burke, and now that I've reviewed all the movies that I have to review for this show, it's now time for me to get into my final segment, which is "What's Coming Up Next." This is a spoken word preview of movies that are subject to being released in theaters, or if I have time on streaming for the week of July 8th through July 12th, 2024. And I should take this moment to say that I'm actually not going to be doing my show next weekend, so I'll have a lot of movies to review for you for the weekend after. But it is July, and I am going places, but of course I'm here for you right now, so I might as well give you what's coming up next. For instance, on July 11th, there is one movie that is subject to being released in theaters, and it's called "Death in the cul-de-sac." This is a movie about a woman by the name of Anita, whose life has taken a dark turn after moving to an exclusive community. Attracted to the mysterious wives club, suspecting a sinister truth behind the death of a former member, Anita must reveal the club's secrets. This movie doesn't have a ton of people who are well known to this. The star of the film is Aaron Boyce, and the co-stars of the film include Natalie Sharp, Matt Hamilton, and Alana Hawley Purvis. But I'd be interested to see how this is if this movie is coming out of the theater near me, and if it does, I'll let you know what I think on a future show. Another movie, actually, I'm going to get into July 12th, which is this coming Friday in 2024, as of the date I'm recording this show, and the biggest movie that is subject to being released in theaters, or the probably most auspicious film, not necessarily the best, is a film that's called "Long Legs." This is a horror film that stars Micah Monroe, who you might remember from being the star of It Follows, which is a film that came out 10 years ago, and I am so pleasantly surprised that It Follows didn't create a horror franchise, it's kind of a standalone horror film. But chances are they might make a sequel to it later, I'm just kind of amazed, and pleasantly surprised that they haven't made one yet. But Micah Monroe stars in this film, the titular "Long Legs" is played by Nicholas Cage, who I didn't have the inclination would be someone who'd be described as someone who's tall, hence "Long Legs," but who knows what they're going to be revealing here. Also, some other well-known actors like Blair Underwood and Alicia Witt are going to be starring in this film as well. I'm very interested in seeing "Long Legs," I will try to see it, and if I see it, I'll let you know what I think on a future show. Another movie that is probably going to be bigger, as in it makes more money than "Long Legs," because of the simple fact that it's not a horror film, but a romantic comedy, is "Fly Me to the Moon," which is also subject to being released in theaters, on July 12, 2024. This is a movie that stars Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson, although Scarlett Johansson is billed first because she's a slightly bigger name. But, in this movie, Scarlett Johansson plays a marketing maven named Kelly Jones, who wreaks havoc on launch director Cole Davis's already difficult task. And when the White House deems the mission too important to fail, Jones is directed to stage a fake moon landing as a backup. So, this movie definitely spoon feeds conspiracy theorists the idea that the original moon landing was a hoax and a conspiracy theory that was put on by the U.S. government. It is absolutely something that I don't believe. I think people actually did land on the moon, but I'm just going to take this movie for what it's worth. It seems more like a romantic comedy than a film that's a documentary or one that is, one that would spoon feed conspiracy theorists what they want to know. But, in addition to Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, the movie also co-stars Woody Harrelson, Jim Rash and Ray Romano, amongst other people. So, it looks like a funny movie. It's probably one that I will see, and if I do, I'll let you know what I think on a future show, presumably one that is two weeks from now. Another movie that is subject to being released in theaters on July 12 is a movie that's called The Convert. And The Convert is a film that is an action drama, and it's about a lay preacher who's played by Guy Pierce who arrives at a British settlement in the 1830s. What British settlement that is, I don't know, it could be Australia, it could be some other place, but I don't know for sure. But, his violent past is soon drawn into question, and his faith put to the test as he finds himself caught in the middle of a bloody war between Maori tribes. So, I don't know from where the Maori tribes originate, or if I'm pronouncing the word Maori right. But this movie does sound an awful lot like the Martin Scorsese film Doubt that starred Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver, albeit Doubt took place in a civilized society in Japan. And here, it takes place in a society that a lot of people in the western world would consider uncivilized. But it's a film that looks very interesting, and Guy Pierce is one of those actors along with Alan Cumming, who may be in a bad film, but largely he is not bad in the film usually. And I don't think there's any exception to that rule, but The Convert is a film that I might see, I'll let you know what I think on a future show. Another movie that is subject to being released in theaters on July 12 is a film that's called National Anthem, and this is a film that is a drama about a 21 year old construction worker in New Mexico who joins a community of queer rodeo performers in search of their own version of the American Dream. And that's all the synopsis tells me what queer rodeo performers dreams are. I don't know, and what their American dream is. I don't know that either. But the movie stars Charlie Plummer, Eve Lindley, Renee Rosado, and Mason Alexander Park. Charlie Plummer is the actor I know the best, particularly from movies like All the Money in the World, but this is a film that I might see if I see it, I'll let you know what I think on a future show. And the last movie that I will tell you about right now is a documentary that's called Sorry Not Sorry. I don't have a ton of time to tell you about this movie, but it's a movie about Louis CK, who had a gigantic rise about 10 years ago as a stand up comic, particularly when Dane Cookstar started to fall, although Louis CK has been doing stand up comedy for over 30 years. And this movie is an inside look at Louis CK's fall and return to the spotlight. Interviews include fellow comedians and women who spoke up about his sexual misconduct. So Louis CK is one of those people who was famously canceled in 2017. And his comeback is beginning to have people sort of redetermined what it means to be canceled. And I think some people deserve to be uncancelled and some people don't, but I won't get into who or why. But I will say that I'd be very interested in seeing this documentary, and if I see it, I'll let you know what I think on a future show. That just about does it for this episode of Words on Film. Words on Film is the spoken words show dedicated to moving pictures, and I am your host and movie critic Dan Burke, reminding you that the views and opinions expressed on words on film about movies or other topics are solely those of your host and movie critic Dan Burke. They not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of any employees or volunteers who are working at WBCA or the station as a whole. Until I watch a whole bunch of brand new movies, this is Dan Burke saying I'll see you at the movies. [MUSIC] You [BLANK_AUDIO]