Today on "Words On Film", Dan Burke reviews "The Bikeriders", "Ghostlight", "Nyad", and "The Boy in the Boat". Mr. Burke also gives a spoken word preview of movies subject to being released into theaters for the week of June 24th - 28th, 2024.
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Words On Film
[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. >> Who are this show? I have two brand new movies to review for you. And by brand new, I mean ones that were released into theaters on or around June 21st, 2024. The other two are new-ish, but they've been out for a couple of months. And I didn't get to review them until now. The reason that I'm reviewing them right now is because I didn't get to see a ton of new movies this week, but I will try to make up for that on next week's show. The first movie I'm going to be reviewing for you is The Bike Riders. This is sort of based on a true story. It takes place in the mid to late 1960s to early 70s, approximately 1965 to 1973. And it definitely has a very iconic look to it similar to movies like Easy Rider. After which this movie was undoubtedly inspired. It's written and directed by Jeff Nichols. And it is inspired by a photo book of the same name by Danny Lynn, which depicts the lives of the Vandals MC, which is an outlaw motorcycle club founded in the late 1960s. Now even after watching this film, I still don't quite know what the difference is between a motorcycle club or a motorcycle gang. Maybe the terms are interchangeable, I don't exactly know. But I can tell you that The Bike Riders premiered last year at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2023 and was released nationwide, at least in the United States, on June 21 as I previously stated. And it's interesting because I can't exactly say that this is a brand new film, but it's new enough I should say. I mean, I think at this point there are going to be some films that come out here and there that are going to be credited as coming out in 2023. Now chances are this one will maybe eligible for Oscars because it definitely has some very good acting in it. But the main story here is about a headstrong woman from the Midwest whose name is Kathy, who's played by British actress Jody Comer, who is drawn to Benny, who's played by British actor Austin Butler. And even though they're both British, they play Americans. And Benny is a member of the Midwestern Motorcycle Club, the Vandals. And as the club transforms into a dangerous underworld of violence, Benny must choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club. And that synopsis right there might make you think that the movie is focused primarily on the characters of Kathy and Benny. After all, Jody Comer and Austin Butler respectively are given first credit. But the movie's weakness is that it pivots in terms of its focus on particular characters. I think the movie would have been stronger if it had focused primarily on Jody Comer's character, Kathy, who may not be a person in real life but is undoubtedly inspired by some people who were drawn to certain outlaw motorcycle clubs for the thrill of it. And that was just the time, well, I suppose that kind of curiosity is timeless. But the movie does jump around in terms of showing the motorcycle club from various people's perspectives. And sometimes that works in a movie and sometimes it doesn't. A lot of time is actually spent on the character of Johnny, who is the head of the Vandals, or the leader of this motorcycle club, and he's played very well by Tom Hardy. And Tom Hardy, also a British actor along with Austin Butler and Jody Comer, plays an American here. And he does have a very interesting way of speaking. The sound of his voice, I think, is very iconic. And Tom Hardy could have screwed this part up and damaged the credibility of his character. But no, I think that Tom Hardy had this voice, which is certainly very unique, but it also became core to his character. And there are also some other interesting characters in this film, like another biker by the name of Zippko, who's played by Michael Shannon. And I did mention this last week on my segment, What's Coming Up Next. But what Michael Shannon and Austin Butler have in common is they've both played Elvis in a movie. Austin Butler, of course, played Elvis in the Boz Lerman directed film of the same name. And Michael Shannon played him in the movie Elvis and Nixon, where Kevin Spacey, before he was canceled, played Richard Nixon and played him very well. But I just thought I'd put that in there that really doesn't have to do with the rest of the film. But there's another interesting character played by Mike Feist. He plays a character by the name of Danny, who's not a member of the motorcycle club, but who is a journalist who is following this club as they're going from town to town and wreaking habit while also keeping order in the way that they do. Mike Feist's character is undoubtedly inspired by Danny Lyon, who wrote or who published the photo book, The Bike Riders, upon which this movie was inspired. And I actually kind of think that the movie might have been stronger if it had just focused on Danny. And Mike Feist is an excellent actor. He's not a household name yet, but given his very strong performances in movies like West Side Story, the remake, the Steven Spielberg remake, and also the film earlier this year challengers. Mike Feist is going to be, I think, probably the millennial or the Gen Z equivalent of Marlon Brando. He is that good. And certainly the scenes where he's interviewing anyone, be it Kathy or Benny or anybody, is really good. And I would have liked for this film to have taken an outsider's perspective in looking into this motorcycle club, kind of like Donnie Brasko, except Donnie Brasko wasn't a journalist. He was undercover, or his real name, Joseph Pistone. But the point is that I do think if this movie was based on a photojournalism book, the perspective should have been from the photojournalist himself. And maybe the love story between Jody Comer and Austin Butler's character could have taken a back seat. I still think it would have been intriguing, but here it felt very distracting. And it almost seemed like the movie was less interested in the love story here and more interested in Tom Hardy's character and some of his adventures and misadventures. And that would have been fine if the movie was solely focused on Tom Hardy. If he was given top billing, which I think given how people know who Tom Hardy is, he's not exactly an A-lister, but he's got enough acting credibility where one great starring role could make him an A-lister probably instantly. I think the movie almost lost its focus when it kept jumping from character to character's perspective. And I think there could have been a more clever way to do this, but the way that writer Jeff Nichols and maybe some other people who didn't get credited who doctored the screenplay had this movie as a result definitely messed it up a little bit. But I did enjoy the bike riders for its acting. I especially love the performances by Jody Comer, Tom Hardy, and Mike Feist. I think they definitely added a lot to it. I think the set design, the costume design is also excellent, but I do give the bike riders my rating of a check out. It's still a good film and it still has that rebellious quality that made Easy Rider the modern classic that it ultimately is, but I do think that if the movie had trusted itself a little more and focused more on one character or showed the film from the perspective of one actor, probably preferably an outsider like Jody Comers or Mike Feist's character, it would have been stronger. But it still is very thrilling to watch most of the time. Welcome back to Words on Film, the spoken word showed 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 Ghostlight. This is an independent film that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this past year on January 18th, 2024 and was released into theaters nationwide on June 14th, 2024. Here in Nashville, however, it was released on June 21st and I got to see it at my favorite theater in Nashville, which is the Belcourt Theater. And I'm gonna plug the Belcourt as many times as I can, but of course this week I only saw one movie at Belcourt, but undoubtedly I will see more throughout the time that I'm hosting the show and I live in Nashville. But Ghostlight is directed by Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson based on a screenplay written by Kelly O'Sullivan and it is not a true story, but it definitely feels real. It's a movie about a construction worker who unexpectedly joins a local theater's production of Romeo and Juliet, the drama on stage starts to mirror his own life. And the construction worker in question is a man by the name of Dan, who's played by an actor by the name of Keith Kupfer. And Keith Kupfer has been in a lot of things, a lot of big productions, mostly in very small roles. For example, he was in the movie The Dark Knight where he played a heckler. He was in Sam Mendez's Road to Perdition where he played Needy's Henschman and he's been in some other films as well where he's played bit parts. And here, it's actually an asset to him that he is a relatively unknown actor, certainly not up to the A-list or even B-list standards because I think if somebody who was well-known like John Goodman for example, who not only has acted for decades but whom everyone knows, was in this film, it might damage the credibility of the film a little bit because the construction worker Dan in this film is somebody who has no acting experience or doesn't even have any interest in acting. So he enters this local troop of actors who are putting on this unusual but sincere production of Romeo and Juliet with no acting experience whatsoever. And Keith Kupfer does have a lot of acting experience himself and is probably known for being more of a working-class actor, not one who has a mansion in the Hollywood Hills, but somebody who goes to auditions just like literally thousands of other actors, if not tens of thousands of other actors and just puts it out there. But here, he not only has no experience acting, his character doesn't, but he also has no initial interest in acting and is only brought into this local theater troupe from another experience actor who had experience on Broadway by the name of Rita who's played by Dolly De Leon. And as you learn as the movie progresses, Dan has a lot going on in his life, a lot that is probably more than most people can handle. He has a daughter by the name of Daisy who's on the brink of being expelled from her school, but with Dan's persuasion, Daisy is reduced to a two-week suspension, but even the troubles with Daisy don't stop there. And he is married to a woman by the name of Sharon who's played by Tara Mallon, and their marriages lasted several decades, but a lot of factors are in play that are challenging that marriage, including the fact that they had one child who was alive before but isn't alive now. Now, you're probably asking yourself, who is this child? How did he die? Why did he die? And that is explained gradually through the movie, but for me to even tell you how he died and the circumstances beyond that would take the magic, I think, away from this film, not to mention a lot of the drama. And Keith Cufferer does a great job here playing someone who is new to acting, and that's largely because he doesn't make you think at any point, except when he's on stage or when he's rehearsing, that he's acting. I mean, he goes through a lot of these struggles that virtually every actor does when they first start out, but most especially someone who is reluctant to enter into acting, even if it's not professionally or it's kind of not a day job because he's not getting paid for it, but more of a night hobby. And the movie has a lot of dynamic character arcs, both primarily with Dan, but also with his daughter Daisy, who was actually played by Keith Cufferer's real-life daughter, Catherine Mallon Cufferer. And the movie didn't need to have the two of them being related in order to play father and daughter, but still, you take what you can get in terms of assets. But Ghostlight is a film that is funny at times, but overall it is darkly dramatic and in a way that will make you very uncomfortable, especially where there is a court deposition involved in the film towards the end, right before the play that's put on by these amateur actors is being put on. So the movie has the elements of being one of those feel-good films. It's not exactly feel-good in some respects, but it's one of those films where life gives you some hard lessons and you don't always get what you want, but a lot of times you get what you need. And I think this film demonstrates that very well, which is why I give Ghostlight my rating of a knockout. This is a film that is unlikely to be released in a multiplex near you, but check out your local independent theater to see if this movie is being played, because this is a movie that I could believe to be a dark horse candidate for being nominated for maybe one or two Oscars, especially best actor in a leading role for Keith Cufferer, because he anchors this film incredibly well and even more astonishing. He does it while making you forget that he's acting, because a lot of these big actors, who I mentioned who are household names, probably have not for a long time played someone who a) lacks confidence and b) is new to acting, so they kind of have to start all over again by forgetting what they learned. And maybe Keith Cufferer went through the same ordeal here by forgetting what he learned. But in forgetting what he learned, he demonstrates being a reluctant and amateur actor in this film incredibly well, not to mention a dedicated family man whose life is spiraling out of control, and some of that is his fault. Ghostlight is an incredible film, and it's one of my favorites of the year so far. Welcome back to Words on Film, the spoken word showed 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 Niaad, which came out on Netflix on November 3rd, 2023, and select theaters in October of that year, and it was nominated for two Oscars, one for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and the other for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Jody Foster. And this went right under my radar, primarily because it was released on Friday, November 3rd, which happens to be my birthday, and I was particularly busy that weekend. I was out of town, and while I had time to go to the movies, I didn't actually have the time to sit down and watch a Netflix film. So Niaad went right under my radar until I found out it was nominated for those two Oscars that I just mentioned, at which point I said, "I'll probably watch this film by the time the Oscars happened," and it never really did. But I did find time to watch it recently, and especially when last week I reviewed Young Woman in the Sea, starring Daisy Ridley, which is also based on a true story, and also based on a woman doing the impossible dream that involves swimming, I decided to review it for you for this show, in addition to the fact that I had a shortage of new films that I saw this week, and so I wanted to fill the time somehow without twiddling my thumbs and humming songs for which I would probably have to pay royalties for using, unless I was very careful and decided to hum songs that I know are in the public domain. But anyway, you don't want to hear that. You want to hear me talk about movies, presumably. But anyway, Niaad is the remarkable true story of athlete Diana Niaad, who, at the age of 60 and with the help of her best friend and coach, commits to achieving her lifelong dream, which is a 110 mile open ocean swim from Cuba to Florida. And you would think that getting to Cuba would be the hard part, but no. Cuba is not the easiest country to enter, but it's easier than it used to be, say, in the 1960s. But Annette Benning plays Diana Niaad, who is a real swimmer, and what I found very interesting is not only is Diana Niaad, an American woman of Greek descent, i.e. her father was Greek, but the word Niaad actually means water nymph. So naturally, Diana Niaad was destined to be a competitive swimmer. And what's also interesting is that Diana Niaad, when she was in her athletic prime at the age of 28, tried to swim from Cuba to Florida and didn't make it all the way. But what's amazing is not only that Diana Niaad had this dream that stayed with her into her 60s, but she also actually seriously considered achieving this dream, which literally no other person before Diana Niaad, not man or woman, had ever done. Many other swimmers who were younger than Diana Niaad did try to make this swim, which is 110 miles and does not take less than a day. It takes more than a day. And presumably you'd have to stay in water while you're still swimming to Florida, but even still. There are a lot of other challenges besides the distance. For instance, there's the current, there's also the oceanic wildlife like jellyfish, which of course, no human should ever experience coming in contact with a jellyfish, but it does happen, especially when you have such an ambitious swim like Diana Niaad has. And Diana Niaad has a friend in Bonnie Stahl, who's played by Jody Foster in this film. And a net betting in Jody Foster, I don't believe had ever been in a film together at this point, but they had such amazing chemistry in this film, not only during the good times, but also during a lot of the hard times that these actresses made me believe that they were lifelong friends. And what's also interesting is that Diana Niaad and Bonnie Stahl are both lesbians, but they're not in a relationship, or they weren't in a relationship when this film takes place. I don't exactly know the personal lives of the real life people. I only know what I see on the screen, but I actually really appreciated the fact that I think maybe some other Hollywood executives could have furnished this and made it into a love story. And I'm glad it didn't go that way, and I'm also glad that it mainly stuck straight to the facts. Plus, I admire the hell out of the real Diana Niaad for doing this at the age at which she does. Is this a dream that I have? No, not particularly. And sometimes I think about some people who swim this distance that no other person had swum before, or they run marathons, or they literally climb the highest mountain. And I always think to myself, why do they do that? And the answer is relatively simple, because the pain is worth it to these people, and I can appreciate that. But rest assured, if I thought to myself, I could swim this distance that's more than five miles, I would probably spend the night before embarking on this journey panicked, and also probably kissing the dry land on which I am walking and sleeping because it's going to be a long time before I see that dry land. But I also really liked that the movie demonstrated how ambitious a task this is, and not just with the obstacles, but also the fact that when Diana Niaad was swimming, yes, she had a boat next to her to make sure that she was safe and to take her in if there were any emergencies like jellyfish, or like swallowing too much salt water. But I also appreciated that Annette Benning as Diana Niaad actually spelled out for some people who are watching her embark on this journey, and therefore vicariously the audience, what she actually has to do to maintain this swim as she's in the water. For example, the boat next to her not only has to make sure that she's safe, but they also have to feed her, give her fluids that aren't salt water, and also when it comes to relieving yourself, i.e. going to the bathroom, you can't stop to do that. You actually have to do that in the water, including defecating, which I could not imagine doing, especially when you let that go and it stays in your bathing suit, oh boy. Well I've discussed with you already, but this is something that someone who makes this swim actually has to do, and they have to be prepared for that. But on top of that, as I'm getting older and being a critic in my early 40s, I can appreciate people over the age of 30 who embark on an ambitious goal, despite a lot of the world telling them that they're too old to do this. And I appreciate Diana Nayed's tenacity and stubbornness in getting this goal achieved. And as I was watching the film, I was totally on board with Diana Nayed by way of Annette Benning. And I do think this is one of Annette Benning's most admirable performances. I don't know exactly how much swimming Annette Benning actually did. She probably didn't do the swim that takes place in this movie, but rest assured, she got herself in enough shape to make you believe that she could do this swim credibly. Not to mention her acting in just about every stage, including some of the setbacks, is indeed incredible. So I'm sorry I missed Nayed during my review of movies from last year, but as I say during my best and worst of show, there are a lot of great movies out there. I don't get to see everyone, but now that I've seen Nayed, Nayed gets my rating of a knockout. I think that Annette Benning and Jodi Foster work incredibly well together. I also think that Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Varsarhili, by forgiveness if I butchered that name, direct this film very well based on a script by Julia Cox, based on the memoir written by Diana Nayed herself. It is an incredible true story, and whether it's accurate or not to real life, it's one of those films that you watch and you become more inspired to do just about anything from watching it. Maybe not necessarily swimming, but any goal you have in mind, this movie when you see it will get you pumped. [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 The Boys and the Boat. And like Nayed, this is a film that I'm getting to very, very late. First of all, because I saw it around the time it came out, and I never really got around to reviewing it. I had a backlog of movies that I had to talk about on Words on Film first. And this movie was released in the United States on December 25th, 2024, and it is certainly like Nayed, a film that is very ambitious and talks about very ambitious people doing incredible things. And it is based on a true story as well. The movie is directed by George Clooney, and the screenplay was written by Mark Smith based on the book of the same name and also the true story, but the book was written by Daniel James Brown. And The Boys and the Boat takes place in the mid 1930s, where it centers on the University of Washington's rowing team from their depression era beginnings to little bit of a spoiler alert winning gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. So there, I just told you how the movie ends, but the journey to winning that gold is really what sells this film to a certain extent. And the focus on the film is one of the members of the University of Washington rowing team, who is a man by the name of Joe Rance, who's a college student who's played by Callum Turner. And Callum Turner, unlike George Clooney, is not a household name, but he's been in a few movies recently, like, for example, he was in Fantastic Beasts the Crimes of Grindelwald, where he played Thesis Commander. He's also been in movies like The Only Living Boy in New York, Green Room and Assassin's Creed, but this is his first film where he is arguably the lead role. But the first billing is actually given to Joel Edgerton, another well-known and very excellent actor who plays the no-nonsense crew coach, Al Ullbrickson. And Joe Rance joins the University of Washington crew team because he is a struggling student, not struggling academically necessarily, but struggling financially. He's a college student during the Great Depression. So even though he can attend classes, when he goes home, he doesn't go home to his parents or to a dorm, he goes to a shanty town to sleep and also to do his homework. And that, of course, is not easy. But he joins the University of Washington crew team because when he joins, he's able to get some more scholarship money in order to stay in school. But as the University of Washington's second rowing team becomes better and becomes more qualified for the Olympics, that's when Joe Gantz ambitions, excuse me, Joe Rance ambitions, begin to change. He goes from just making money to get by to ultimately being part of a team of champions. And this is a formula that we've seen before, even though it is based on a true story. There is the underdog team who nobody thinks is going to make it to the Olympics, let alone win gold. And they're coached by a known nonsense coach who doesn't take giving up or not being a team player for an answer. And of course, that's what every great coach should do. So there is that familiar cinematic trope. But in a movie world where there are very few movies about crew, or at least ones where crew is the central plot point, the movie's biggest strengths are the races themselves. And particularly the sound effects that go with the racing, not to mention some of the cinematography, because when these men are rowing and they are trying to achieve a certain goal, whether it be making this row in a certain time or winning their respective race, yeah, the heat is on. And also the sound effects that you hear when the rowers are rowing the boat, you think when you hear every creak and every slam, that something's going to break. Or at least it seems like that from time to time. And certainly this team, like probably virtually every other team that competes in big tournaments, let alone the Olympics, have their struggles, both physically and also mentally. And I think the movie does a good job demonstrating that. But the races are where I was watching this film in theaters and I declined my reclining chair and literally sat on the edge of my seat, because the way the scenes were filmed or the races were filmed was absolutely incredible. And of course the climax happens during the gold medal race, where actually this was 1936 the Berlin Olympics and Adolf Hitler himself was in the stands watching this Olympic event. And of course, it being a movie where Americans are competing against other fascist countries at the time, there's nothing more satisfying than seeing the Americans win against smug Germans. But the Germans that are actually on the team, the on the crew team are not characterized as much. But it's a thrill to see Adolf Hitler storm out of the stands when the Americans win. I don't know if that actually happened in real life. It's reported to have happened in various events at the German Olympics in 1936 when the Americans won their respective events, especially when Jesse Owens won gold at his track event. But I don't know if it actually happened. That's what it's reputed to have happened. But it does make a very satisfying climax at that point. Maybe I spoil a little bit of earlier on, but the end is actually not the point. It really, the movie does focus on the process. And I loved the boys in the boat for that reason, which is why I give the boys in the boat my rating of a check out. It's a high check out, but the reason it's not a knockout is because we've seen this kind of story before where it's a team of underdogs that are coached by someone who is no nonsense and doesn't wear their heart on the sleeve, but at the end of the day, he believes in them. And also maybe making the Germans a little too smug might have damaged the credibility of this film a little bit. Certainly American audience who watched the film are going to be intrigued by it as well as thumbing their nose at the Nazi regime. And that's all well and good. But I also think that one of the things the boys in the boat could have done, but they didn't do was in the very end, it didn't detail what happened to some of the people who were in the race or some of the people who took part in it. You don't hear about what happened to Joe Rance, for instance. You do get some sort of narrative framework being tied in here, but I would have liked to have seen an epilogue in text, which actually gave you some sort of closure. And the boys in the boat didn't quite have that. But again, like Nayad, which is a better film than the boys in the boat, but just saying that the movie is a great film to watch if you want to be motivated, especially if you're taking part in a sporting event. Or if you really like history, the boys in the boat is good for that too. Welcome back to words on film, the spoken word show 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 for the week of June 24 through 28, 2024. And this is the week before the 4th of July week. And there are some huge films that are coming out on July 4 weekend. And that probably shouldn't come as any surprise because July 4 weekend, kind of like the weekend before Thanksgiving or the week of Thanksgiving, is usually a big week for movies. So at least there's one or two huge films that are coming out that weekend. But I'm not going to reveal what those films are just yet. That's going to be next week. That is, if I have a show next week, which I probably will, but you never exactly know what's going to happen. But anyway, on June 27, 2024, there are two films that are subject to being released in American theaters. The first one is called Calki 2898AD, and this is a film that looks like a Bollywood film or at least an Indian film. And it is about a modern day avatar of Vishnu, a Hindu god, who is believed to have descended to earth to protect the world from evil forces. So the actors in this film are all Indian or from that part of the world. And they include Prabhas in the lead role, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Hasan and Deepika Padukone. My forgiveness if I screwed up any of those words, it looks like a very ambitious film, but I don't know if this film is going to be coming to a theater near me. Amazingly, this is one of those films that's three hours long. So chances are I probably won't see this film, but if I do, I'll let you know what I think on a future show. Another movie that is subject to being released in theaters on Thursday, June 27th, 2024, is a film that looks like it's going to be one of those Fathom Events movies that's only going to be released in theaters for one day. The movie is called Something to Stand for with Mike Rowe, and this looks to be a docudrama where the synopsis of the film is as follows. And the synopsis is not based on my opinion, I'm just reading it. Join America's favorite storyteller on an epic journey to the heart of Washington DC. This cinematic tour de force will take viewers to the front lines of the American Revolution, World War II, the Civil Rights Movement, and more. Now I will say that I admire Mike Rowe and his show Dirty Jobs, which was on the Discovery Channel, was an excellent show, and it certainly makes you appreciate some of the jobs that people have that don't make the front page, but it's their jobs that A are dirty and B, somebody has to do them. So I admire Mike Rowe for that in addition to the fact that he covers corners of the United States that not a lot of other people, let alone reporters, cover. There are some instances where Mike Rowe's politics don't necessarily align with mine, but I do admire the guy, but this film might be a film that I will see, and I certainly admire Mike Rowe and will watch anything that he hosts, even if it's a TED talk. That's a film I might see though. If I do, I'll let you know what I think on a future show. But on June 28th, 2024, there is an onslaught of films that are subject to being released in theaters that day, which is a Friday. The first film that I'll cover for you is a movie that's called Kinds of Kindness, and this is a comedy drama that has a big all-star cast, including two-time Academy Award winner Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Academy Award nominee, Willem Defoe, and Margaret Qualley, amongst other people. There are also some other actors like, for instance, Academy Award nominee Hong Chao, who's also in this film. And very much like one of the films that earned Emma Stone her second Oscar, this movie is co-written by and directed by Jorgos Lanthimos. Now I'm not sure how long after his last film that Jorgos Lanthimos directed this film, but it is incredible, A, that he directed a film that came out the year after poor things. And I just temporarily forgot that name, but now I got it back. And also that he was able to recruit Emma Stone and Willem Defoe, both of whom acted in poor things to be in this film. So this movie, Kinds of Kindness, is about a man who seeks to break free from his predetermined path, a cop who questions his wife's demeanor after a return from a supposed drowning, and a woman searches for an extraordinary individual prophesies to become a renowned spiritual guide. So the synopsis of this film makes it kind of sound like an anthology, but I don't know if it actually is, I don't have that information yet. I do know that this film is ambitious, I mean, look at the cast that I just told you. It's also two hours, 44 minutes, so it could be an anthology film, I don't exactly know. But after Jorgos Lanthimos directed poor things, it wouldn't surprise me that he would direct an anthology film after this, but I'm not going to go as far as to say that this is an anthology film, but it is most certainly an ambitious film, whether or not it's good, I don't exactly know, but I will see it and I'll let you know what I think on a future show. There is another movie that is subject to being released in theaters on June 28th, 2024, and this one, while I haven't seen the previews for it, I actually did see a story on CBS Sunday morning a couple of weeks ago about not only this film, but about the series of which it's apart. And this film is called Horizon and American Saga Chapter One. Now, I mentioned previously that it's dangerous to suggest that a movie is going to be your first movie. So even if you're kidding and calling it part one, or you're serious and you're calling it Chapter One, you're setting people up for sequels that may or may not come. However, this movie, which is directed by and starring Kevin Costner, might be the exception to that rule because regardless of whether bombs are not, we are probably going to see a second chapter. And the reason that I say that is because this film series was funded by Kevin Costner himself. And there are some people in show business who say never fund a movie or a play or anything artistic with your own money. But Kevin Costner clearly broke that rule and he is, yeah, putting his money where his mouth is. And for that reason, even though I've never had anything against Kevin Costner, like many of his movies, I do respect him for doing that. But this is part of a proposed double feature, but the first movie we're going to get on June 28th, the second movie is subject to be released in theaters on August 16th. Of course, subject means that it might not actually be released that time. But anyway, Horizon in American Saga, what is it about? It chronicles a multifaceted 15 year span of pre and post civil war expansion and settlement of the American West. Now this film is three hours, one minute long, and I'm going to try my darndest to see this film in theaters by next weekend. The movie not only stars Kevin Costner, but it also costars Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jenna Malone, Danny Houston, Giovanni Ribisi, and a lot of other noteworthy actors. And some of the Native American actors who star in this film include Owen Croshoe and Tatanka Means, amongst other people. And I think that Tatanka Means might be related to Russell Means, who I also know is a noteworthy Native American actor, or should I say, indigenous actor, either way, you know, there's that bloodline. I don't know for sure. I'm going to have to look that up. But Horizon in American Saga is a movie I will most definitely have to plan to see, because three hour movies are not easy for me to plan nowadays, especially when I'm working a full time job and two part time jobs in addition to doing this show, just letting you know. But it is a movie that I will eventually see and I will review it for you on a future show. I will try to make that next week's show, but no guarantees. But another film that is subject to being released in theaters on June 28th, which has a lot of competition, which gives Horizon in American Saga chapter one, a lot of competition is a quiet place, day one. This is a prequel to the very successful quiet place movies that were directed by and co-starring John Krasinski. And this film is not directed by John Krasinski. He actually did another film earlier this year that I saw the movie F, which was a very different film from the quiet place movies. But this film was directed by Michael Sarnoski, who also co-wrote the screenplay, along with John Krasinski and Brian Woods. And the stars of this film include Joseph Quinn, Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong'o, Alex Wolfe, and Jaimin Hunsou, amongst other people. And those four actors, I actually don't know who Joseph Quinn is. I'm sure I've seen him in a movie from time to time, but I don't know him the same way that I know the other three actors. But it's still a very impressive starring roster of talent. And Lupita Nyong'o in particular on the poster looks terrified. And Lupita Nyong'o is undoubtedly a great actor, as there's no doubt about that. And she is especially amazing at looking terrified. I don't think anybody looks better terrified than Lupita Nyong'o does. But also, Lupita Nyong'o was excellent in the film Us, which was Jordan Peele's second directorial effort, which unlike Get Out was nominated for zero Oscars. And I think that Lupita Nyong'o should have at least been nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role for that film. So whenever Lupita Nyong'o is in a film, I'm always rooting for her not only to give an amazing performance, but giving one that the Academy will hopefully recognize. Will that be a quiet place day one? I don't exactly know. The fact that it is a more commercial movie might serve a bit as a liability for Oscar voters, but I'm going to give this film a chance and I will let you know what I think on a future show, presumably on next week's show, but that is of course no guarantee. Another film that is subject to be released in theaters on June 28th, 2024 is a movie that's called Janet Planet. And when I hear the name of this song, or whenever I hear the name of this movie, I automatically think of that Schoolhouse Rock song, Interplanet Janet. This movie is not related to that song or that cartoon from Schoolhouse Rock, but when I hear that name, automatically the jingle pops into my head and I won't sing it for you on this podcast because I don't want to pay any royalties for any music, let alone songs that I love. I'm tempted to sing it, but I'm not going to. But Janet Planet is a movie that takes place in rural Western Massachusetts, where 11-year-old Lacey spends the summer of 1991, 23 years ago at home, enthralled by her own imagination and the attention of her mother, Janet. As the months passed, three visitors enter their orbit, all captivated by Janet. So I don't know why the movie is called Janet Planet. Maybe there's something interstellar or scientific that happens here, I don't exactly know. But Janet is played by Julianne Nicholson, Lacey, her daughter, is played by Zoe Ziggler, and the movie also co-stars Luke Philip Bosco, June Walker Grossman, Abby Harry, and Will Patton, amongst other people. So there are some familiar names here and there. I don't exactly know if this movie is what I'm going to be seeing. I do know as a fact that I will be seeing this film at the Belcourt Theatre, my favorite movie theater in Nashville, Tennessee. I know it's coming out around this time here in Nashville, but I can't guarantee if it's going to be coming to a theater near you. But if it does, I'll let you know what I think on a future show. And there is one last film that I'm going to tell you is subject to being released in theaters on June 28th. I don't exactly know for sure though. But this movie is called Revival 69, the concert that rocked the world. Is it about Woodstock? No, it isn't. It is about another concert that took place in 1969. And apparently this concert featured John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Little Richard, The Doors, Chuck Berry, and other legends who unite for the 1969 Toronto Rock and Roll Revival Music Festival. So I don't know if John Lennon performed in this concert or if he just organized it, I don't exactly know. But you hear a lot more about other concerts from 1969, like Woodstock and the Ultimate Freeway concert, one of which was a legend, the other which is notorious in the bad kind of way. You don't hear about the Harlem Arts Festival as detailed in the documentary for which Quest Love won an Academy Award as much, but that was an amazing documentary. But I forgot the name of it, but I do remember it was one of my favorite films of 2021. But Revival 69 has a lot of great archive footage in it and I am very intrigued to see this. I don't exactly know if this is going to be coming out of the theater near me, but I'll see it or I will eventually try to find it and 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 word showed dedicated to moving pictures and I am your host of 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 of 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. (upbeat music)