Today on "Words On Film", Dan Burke reviews "Here", "Anora", and "Time Cut". Mr. Burke also runs down the movies subject to being released into theaters for the week of November 4th - 8th, 2024, and gives a special message about the 2024 Presidential Election.
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Words On Film
[MUSIC PLAYING] 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. For this show, I have three brand new movies to review for you. Two of them hit theaters on November 1, 2024. And one of them hit Netflix on Wednesday, October 30th. And if you're asking if I did something for Halloween, well, no, I didn't. Halloween's not that big a thing for me right now. I stopped trick-or-treating nearly 30 years ago. Actually, the last time I went trick-or-treating was 30 years ago. And for a 41-year-old man to go trick-or-treating, yeah, that's kind of weird and maybe even a little pathetic. But regardless, I still did things as an adult on Halloween. It was really no big deal. Yeah, I did go to see a movie. And I'll tell you about that later on in the show. It wasn't a scary movie, so it didn't really feel like Halloween in that regard. But there weren't a lot of scary movies out there. I'm going to get to the movie that's probably going to be the biggest and the most talked about for this week, although I would probably say that Venom, the last dance, is still breaking some box office records. But it is a film that I've already reviewed last week. So let's get into it. The first movie I'm going to be reviewing for you is "Here." And this is the latest film starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright and "Like Forest Gump," which also starred Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, excuse me. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis and co-written by Eric Roth and Robert Zemeckis. And it's actually based on a graphic novel that came out in 2014 that was-- well, actually, it was a 304-page graphic novel that came out in 2014 written by Richard McGuire. But it was actually a six-page comic story originally written by Richard McGuire in 1989. And McGuire later expanded that 25 years later. And that's pretty amazing that he did. And he stuck to the story, not to mention when ultimately Hollywood buys the rights for it and puts it in a movie starring Tom Hanks. That is a really big deal. But other than the fact that it has the stars, the director, and the screenwriter of "Forrest Gump," it doesn't have a ton in common with "Forrest Gump," although there can be some other comparisons besides the roster of talent behind the scenes of this film. But here is a very unique film, very much like "Forrest Gump," but it's told in a nonlinear fashion, but that's not the main premise of the film, and that's not particularly what makes it unique. It actually covers the events of a single spot of land and its inhabitants spanning from the Mesozoic era, i.e. the era of the dinosaurs, to the present and just about everywhere in between. Surprisingly, though, this film is only one hour 45 minutes, which is pretty short for Robert Zemeckis, because to give you a comparison, "Forrest Gump" was two and a half hours long. And my guess is there was a lot of missing footage that was on the cutting room floor of this film. But the film's main plot line revolves around the young family, originally led by Alan Rose, who buy a house in 1945 after the conclusion of World War II, and the youngs raise three children in the house, Richard, Elizabeth, and Jimmy. And Richard becomes the character who's played ultimately by Tom Hanks. And it's pretty amazing because a lot of the AI technology that's put into this film makes Tom Hanks look significantly younger. They show Tom Hanks' character here at 14, as well as when he is in his early 70s, presumably. And he and Robin Wright go through a lot of changes, not to mention that the father, Al Young, who's played by a barely recognizable Paul Bettany, also shows age, as well as the mother, Rose Young, who's played by Kelly Riley. And the movie shows the young family getting through post-World War II, and particularly Richard growing up to be an aspiring artist, and also developing a relationship with a young woman by the name of Margaret, who's played by Robin Wright. The two of them meet in their teens, and they do a little more than meet, which is how they ultimately get married in the early 60s and have a child. And there are a lot of plot threads and a lot of character development that happens in this film. And I am actually very amazed that this film is only one hour, 45 minutes, because you learn a little bit about the characters that you see, particularly the young family, but you also get a great sense of what their lives are like outside of the one corner of their living room from where you see time and space basically develop right in front of your eyes. As a matter of fact, I feel like here is one of those films, rather than it being a Blu-ray or a 4K release, which it will ultimately become, I can see a museum like the Smithsonian ultimately taking the footage that was shot for this film, but not used in the final film, and using it as an interactive exhibit. And honestly, that's an interactive exhibit that I would love to see, where you take a timeline, you're able to go back to prehistory, and then ultimately to the 1950s to the 1990s, which is where most of this film takes place. But there are also some other characters in this film that live in this house after the young family who are showcased here, and they have a few scenes. I would have loved to have known more about them, but at the same time, you do get a sense of the character arcs and also the life cycles that these characters go through as you're seeing the film. And here is certainly a very ambitious film. It probably won't go down in histories being a classic the same way that Forrest Gump has. And it's a movie that people still keep coming back to 30 years later, and are pretty amazed at the technological advances, as well as the really good story that's being told there. I mean, 30 years later, Forrest Gump is still being shown on TV. It's considered a modern day classic. I guess modern day is relative depending on how old you are, but to me, it's a modern day classic. I don't see here getting that same sort of long-term appeal, but then again, maybe I could be wrong, but I thought the acting was really solid. The special effects, particularly the use of AI to make some of these characters younger were more than just novel, and I really related to a lot of the characters. And if I didn't relate to them, at least I could sympathize with them and some of their struggles. And to say what their struggles are would most certainly be a spoiler, but I will give here my rating of a knockout. It's a film that certainly is very ambitious. It probably won't be nominated for best cinematography, considering it takes place in one corner of a room, but it does show you that almost kind of like a security camera, it tells you a lot despite not showing too much else besides the point of view from where this film ultimately began. Although the very end does show some variety in cinematography, but that might be spoiling a little bit as well. What I won't spoil for you is the characters or the development of their lives and their stories. I will say that there are some scenes here that are very funny, there are some scenes that certainly tug at the heartstrings, especially when some of these characters go through some life changes that aren't quite so pleasant. But a lot of that feels very real, very poignant. And I appreciated here for that reason. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) 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 "Anora." And this is the latest film that was written by and directed by Sean Baker. And even though Sean Baker is not a household name, he's been directing for over 20 years, and he's directed such celebrated movies as "Tangerine," "The Florida Project," and "Red Rocket." The Florida Project I saw back in 2017, and it almost made my list of one of the best films of the year, didn't quite make it, but I still appreciated it very much. And "Red Rocket" was a film that came out in 2021. I remember seeing that around New Year's Day 2022, and actually being very impressed by it. And initially, I didn't think very much of it, considering that the star of the film was Simon Rex, who used to be on MTV, and also was in movies like "Scary Movie 3" and "4." So I didn't have high expectations, but the movie definitely surprised me. With "Anora," I had higher expectations considering some of the talent in front of the camera, not to mention Sean Baker's made some excellent raw movies before this. And Sean Baker certainly makes a film here that is very raw, and one that you probably expect to be more raw than "The Florida Project," which takes place in Orlando, Florida. Because with Orlando, you'd think "Habbiest Place on Earth." Well, that's Disney World that's the happiest place on Earth, which it just may be, but the happiest place on Earth has to end somewhere. Here, "Anora" takes place at first in a strip club, and we're introduced to "Anora," who goes by Annie, who is a young sex worker, who is a native of Brooklyn, and you can most certainly tell by her accent. And she meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch who is from Russia. And once the news reaches Russia, her fairy tale is threatened as his parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled. And the titular "Anora" in this film is played by Mikey Madison, another actress who is not a particularly big household name, but she is probably best known for having played Susan Sadie Atkins in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon Time in Hollywood." And Mikey Madison wasn't exactly miscast as Susan Atkins, but I can say that Mikey Madison is a lot prettier than the real Susan Atkins was, but that's beside the point. She still acted well in that role, and she certainly was probably as scary, if not scarier than the real Susan Atkins. But she shares a lot of scenes in this movie with a young man by the name of Yvonne, who is played by Mark Eidelstein, who I'm not actually familiar with, but the two of them had really good chemistry. But as you learn in this film, Yvonne is 21 years old, he is filthy rich, and he knows how to have a good time. And he shows "Anora" a good time as they are meeting. As a matter of fact, they travel by way of private jet from Brooklyn to Las Vegas, and the two of them impulsively decide to get married. And at first, you're kind of tied into this film of thinking this is gonna be kind of like Pretty Woman, where not a prostitute, but a sex worker, a stripper and an exotic dancer meets somebody who's wealthy. They meet up and she puts the past behind her. Well, as it turns out, his family, as well as some of the minions who work for this wealthy family, see the danger in Yvonne's impulsive decision. And that's where things go right off the rails. As a matter of fact, there are henchmen in this film who try to pacify "Anora" as she is desperately trying to get this marriage to be unenulled. And ultimately, one thing leads to another and phone calls are made. Certain people call other certain people. And things become a lot more complicated and a lot messier in ways that I won't reveal. However, this movie is really well acted. Mikey Madison has what I believe to be her first leading role and she does amazing in this film as somebody who is certainly forced into this low level sex work, which isn't glamorous, but it also isn't exactly sad either. It's just a 23 year old girl from Brooklyn who presumably doesn't have a college degree or very many other visible means of income and is trying to make the best life for herself. And she ultimately finds a way out, jumps for it. And ultimately, she gets caught up in a romance that may or may not be the real thing. And whether or not you think this relationship getting annulled is the right thing to do for the character, Anora, or not, the movie does give a non-judgmental view of the decisions that Anora and Yvonne make, some impulsively others, not so much, but most certainly impulsively, as well as seeing that Yvonne has a lot of freedom and a lot of financial support that he may or may not have earned himself. But this movie not only centers on the lives of these people who make very impulsive decisions in their early 20s that may or may not be good for their ultimate future, but it also shows a lot of beauty and grace in the world in which they live and also shows that whether or not they're making the right decision, it is certainly a very fascinating ride in the good part of it and also the good romantic part of it and also the bad part of it where the consequences of Yvonne's actions in particular have rippling effects on everyone he knows, including Anora. But this is most certainly a Nora's story. It's told almost entirely from her point of view and it is certainly very fantastic. And Kudos to Sean Baker for making another film that is seemingly low budget and also has that sort of fiery independent film spirit. He could have ultimately directed a film in the MCU, but he's still sticking to his storytelling intuition and making films that seem to be true to him even though he probably wouldn't exactly empathize with a Nora's situation. I don't know if this film is even biographical or what the basis of this film ultimately is and Sean Baker certainly has a knack for telling stories about people who are in precarious situations in their life and also there are themes about working in the underground sex industry that are very similar to the main characters in the Florida Project and Red Rocket and some of the consequences of their actions, although the Florida Project and Red Rocket deal with the aftermath of some of these character's decisions as they're in their late 20s, early 30s and maybe even their early 40s as well as the case of Simon Rex's character in Red Rocket. But a Nora is a film that certainly would fit into the trilogy of the Florida Project and Red Rocket if there is such a trilogy. I can't exactly say the same about Sean Baker's other films like Tangerine, Starlets and Prince of Broadway, largely because I haven't seen those films so I can't get an objective observation of what kind of underlying themes are in Sean Baker's overall repertoire as a director and as a writer. But I do know that a Nora is fantastic and continues a very impressive hot streak that Sean Baker has in his filmography, which is why I give a Nora my rating of a knockout. It certainly is a great vehicle for Mikey Madison who is a woman in case you couldn't figure that out from her name, but she is electric here as the titular Nora and the scenes she shares, particularly with Mark Eidlstein, are also fantastic, unexceptionally. And there are some other surprisingly poignant scenes including one with a henchman by the name of Nick who's played by Paul Weisman who is that is surprisingly very deep as well. And sometimes the ending of the film feels a little long. After all the film, a Nora does have a total running time of two hours, 19 minutes. But I didn't feel like any of the scenes should have actually been cut. There have been some films that I've seen that have been over two hours and sometimes leading to three hours where I think, yeah, seen here could have been trimmed here and there, but even though some scenes particularly towards the end are long, they are crucial towards some of the characters, character development, especially that of Mikey Madison's character, a Nora. But, a Nora is one of the best films that I've seen so far this year. I can't exactly say where I would rank it, but it will probably be in my top 10 by the end of the year. And if it doesn't make it, that means there are many more fantastic films in 2024 to come. (upbeat music) (upbeat 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 Time Cut. And this is a film that is not advertised as a Netflix original, however it did premiere on Netflix on October 30th, 2024. And it's about a high school student who accidentally travels back to 2003 from the year 2024 and decides to stop the serial killer who murdered her sister. So this is a slasher horror film, a teen horror film, and it also intersects with the time travel, science fiction genre as well. And the movie doesn't have a ton of people who are particularly well known. As a matter of fact, the star of the film is Madison Bailey, who is a young actress who actually bears somewhat of a resemblance to Zendaya. Although I try to get away from any kind of comparisons to people who are doppelgangers here, but she is someone who is part of Generation Alpha, I think, she's a high school student in 2024. And back in 2003, before she was born, her sister, whose name is Summer, who's played by a very beautiful actress by the name of Antonia Gentry, is murdered by a knife-wielding serial killer who we see in a mask, but we don't actually see his face. And that is typical of slasher films because if we see the face of the slasher, then basically the thrill of the movie is over. And the director and co-writer Hannah McPherson knows this very well. And 2003, if I were to get transported back there, would already be nightmarish because 2003 was a really bad year for a number of reasons. I was a freshman in college back then. It wasn't because I was in college that it was a bad year, but that was the year where the economy wasn't doing particularly well. George W. Bush was president. He started the war in Iraq. Osama bin Laden still hadn't been caught. There were a lot of things that went wrong that year, but you could actually make a time travel comedy about somebody who transported back to 2003 or 2004 and realized what a bad year and a bad decade that was. But I remember that not so fondly because I was in my late teens and early twenties around that time, but there are people who are growing up and are entering the workforce who were born in that decade and raised, born and or raised in that decade. And remember some of the nostalgia of that decade, a lot more fondly than I ultimately would, but that's where nostalgia really plays tricks on you. But rest assured, if you grew up in a community like the Minnesota town in which this movie takes place and your town was at one point terrorized by a serial killer who wore a mask, you might not remember things particularly fondly, but then again, I guess you never know. There were some things in this film that made me laugh, particularly where Lucy travels back in time. She has her smartphone with her presumably an iPhone and she doesn't get any service from it because there were no cell phone towers that could accommodate even 3G back in 2003. 3G I think was probably in its experimental phase, but most definitely wouldn't have reached a small town in Minnesota like the one in this movie. But there's another scene where Lucy befriends an acquaintance of her older sister Summers, whose name is Quinn, who's played by Griffin Gluck, and Quinn, who is a science nerd, is asking Lucy all about the future. He asks her, "Is Arnold Schwarzenegger president?" And Lucy replies, "No, it's much worse than that." Ultimately made me laugh. And then Quinn says, "Is Paris Hilton still hot?" And Lucy says, "That's your second question?" My question probably would have been, was Paris Hilton ever hot? I get to go on a tangent about how one of the things I don't want to revisit from that decade lasting from 2000 to 2009 was how Paris Hilton was constantly in the media and on supermarket tabloids. And I got sick of hearing about her and no doubt other people got sick of hearing about her too. But my personal feelings about Paris Hilton, I'll probably save that for another time. But the movie is good when it actually gets into some of the differences between 2003 and the year in which we live right now, 2024. But ultimately when this character played by Madison Bailey, Lucy goes back to 2003, the way the camera work occurs, you see how she's kind of marveling at some of the fashions that took place in 2003 that are kind of Passay in 2024. Although maybe it's me not having an eye for fashion, but I couldn't really tell the difference between the fashions of 2003 and 2024. Not the same way, for example, in Back to the Future, you could most certainly tell the difference between the fashions of 1985 versus 1955 because the difference was absolutely jarring. Of course, the difference between 1955 and 1965 would probably be as jarring, maybe not as much as 1985, but I'm just saying that I don't exactly know. I don't remember a lot of trends in fashion from the aughts versus this decade right now, but maybe a teenager has a better eye for that, and maybe me being 41, I just don't have that eye for it. But there are some other scenes where she's seeing people who are talking on flip phones, which I would most certainly take notice of now. I did have a flip phone in the aughts. I remember when the iPhone first came out and I definitely couldn't afford to have one of those. I also remember the MP3 players and the CD players. I remember all that very well, and I actually am kind of fond of those kinds of technological trends from the aughts as opposed to now where everything's on a smartphone. But as for the horror element of it and the slasher parts, I didn't think that was particularly good in this film. I kind of thought the emergence of the serial killer was probably the least noteworthy or the least appealing of the plot elements here. And they also were the least scary. In addition to that, I also thought the actors in the film, once they encounter the slasher, didn't act particularly convincingly scared. And they also did some things that almost set them up for being slashed. Not as much as in "The Strangers" chapter one, which is one of the worst films to come out in 2024. And we'll most certainly make my list of films of 2024 that were among the worst. But I still didn't like this slasher part of it. And I've also seen a few films already and films that for that matter weren't that great, that also incorporated time travel with slasher films. Like, for example, "Happy Death Day." It's sequel "Happy Death Day to You." And last year's "Relatively Forgettable," it's a wonderful knife, which I remember primarily because of the dad joke that encompassed the title of that film. But "Time Cut" is a film that isn't bad, but it's largely forgettable, which is why I give it my rating of a strikeout. It's a film that I suppose would probably be good for viewing around Halloween. And if you're still kind of in the Halloween spirit in early November, as of the date of the show, you might get a kick out of it, but you won't exactly get any thrills or any chills from watching this film. And there are better horror films and slasher flicks, not to mention better films about time travel out there. I feel like "Time Cut" had some well-worn territory here. And even though there is a twist that you might expect, especially when the slasher in this film wears a mask, which isn't particularly original, but is par for the territory, I don't think "Time Cut" contributes very much to any of the genres that it ultimately covers. It has some good moments, but not good enough to recommend. (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) 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 that is about movies that are subject to being released in theaters and/or on streaming for the week of November 4th through November 8th, 2024. And there are a few movies that are subject to being released in theaters in the middle of that week, November 4th through November 8th. And I'll go through those very quickly because they are, they're films that I am very unlikely to see. For example, on November 6th, 2024, which is a Wednesday, there is a film that is subject to being released in theaters that's called "Starring Jerry as Himself." And this is a biography, crime, documentary thriller. So you have a lot of intertwining genres here. It sounds like a very interesting premise, but I would be surprised if I saw this in a theater near me. It's about an ordinary immigrant dad retired in Orlando who is recruited to be an undercover agent for the Chinese police only to discover a darker truth. That's the synopsis that's being given to me. This is a movie that's directed and co-written by La Chen, and it is kind of funny how it's a film about law enforcement and the person who is directing and co-writing in the film has the first name, "Law," but I will call that a coincidence. But the movie stars Nick Bailey, Joanne Byrne, Zhang Chai, and Rachel Canton amongst other people. There are a number of Chinese actors that are in this film, none of whom I recognize, but this sounds like one of these films that, if it's good, might develop a cult classic. But I don't exactly know, and it's a film that I will unlikely see in theaters, but if I do, I'll let you know what I think on a future show. On November 7th, 2024, there's a movie that's titled, "Josephine Baker," which is presumably a film about, you guessed it, "Josephine Baker." And, like "Josephine Baker," the actress who plays her, Unice Chewesi Goldstein, is very attractive, but the movie isn't giving, or rather, the synopsis here is not giving me a plot, even though I presume this is a film about the life of Josephine Baker. It's also not giving me any co-stars or anybody who was behind the camera for this film. So, I can't say anything about it, and I highly doubt that this is a film that will be coming out in a theater near me sometime soon, but although, wow, given Unice Chewesi Goldstein's appearance, I'd love to see it based on that, but maybe that is my something else other than my brain dictating my actions. But anyway, on November 8th, that's when a number of films will be premiering in theaters, and not a ton of films, because I think November 15th is the time when a number of movies that a lot of people are looking forward to seeing, including one that's holiday themed, is coming out. I will talk about those films on next weeks, what's coming up next, but this week, I'm going to restrict it to November 8th, or the week of November 4th, to November 8th, as I said, but November 8th is the day, a Friday, where a number of big films will be coming out, including the biggest one, presumably, which is called "Heratic." And this is the latest film starring Hugh Grant, and unlike most Hugh Grant films of late, "Heratic" is actually a psychological horror film, not a comedy, or most especially a romantic comedy, as we're used to seeing from Hugh Grant. So Hugh Grant is actually playing against Type here, and he's playing somebody who's probably more dramatic than somebody we've seen in a long time, especially considering the other light-hearted comedies that Hugh Grant has done over the years, including but not limited to four weddings in a funeral, love actually, and "Pattington 2," the latter of which was fantastic, and Hugh Grant, even though he played the smug villain in "Pattington 2," was a ton of fun in that film. And there's another "Pattington" movie coming out. Hugh Grant probably won't be in that one, but judging from how much I loved the first two "Pattington" films, I'm looking forward to seeing that film as well, but onto the subject of "Heratic." So "Heratic" is about two young religious women who are drawn into a game of cat and mouse in the house of a strange man. Now, how they got into the house of the strange man? Why they went there? I don't exactly know. But considering that they're young religious women, you could presume that they're Mormons or maybe Jehovah's Witnesses who go from house to house and preach their respective books. I don't exactly know. But there is a character here that's known as "profits," so maybe they are part of the Mormon Church or the Jehovah's Witness Church, or they might be part of another cult. Who knows? But Hugh Grant plays somebody by the name of Mr. Reed, who, judging from the title of this film, is presumably not religious. And the two young women, the religious ones here, are played by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East. And there's also a supporting performance here of "Topher Grace," who plays a character by the name of Elder Kennedy. And for those of you who are curious, the character of Prophet is played by a woman by the name of El Young. Now, "Topher Grace," I've seen in all gamuts of his acting. I've seen him play genuinely nice guys, or I've seen him play people who are kind of smug, but you can tell instantly that they are the antagonists of the story. So "Topher Grace" has that kind of advantage, like Kevin Bacon does. He can either play a genuinely nice guy, or he can play somebody who is very villainous, mostly because he's smug, same with "Greg Keneer 2." And it's kind of amazing that "Topher Grace" hasn't gotten more roles because of that. But, "Heratic" is a movie that it will be at the top of my list. It's a film that I can guarantee I will see, and I'll let you know what I think on a future show. Another movie that is subject to be released in theaters on November 8th is a movie that's called "Small Things Like These." And this is a film that stars Killian Murphy. This is his first film that I know of that's released after last year's Oppenheimer, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor. And I think it was deserved, even though I probably would have liked to have seen Paul Giamatti win, but I'm not going to get into that topic just yet. So this movie takes place in 1985, where Killian Murphy plays a devoted father by the name of Bill Furlong, who discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent and uncovers shocking truths of his own. So this sounds a bit like a horror film, it's not. It is described on IMDB as drama and history, and it's directed by Tim Milance and written by Edna Walsh and Claire Keegan. The other stars of the movie besides Killian Murphy include Eileen Walsh, Emily Watson, and Claire Dunn, amongst other people. And I can't see anyone else in the roster of actors who I would know right off the top of my head. But this movie looks like it has a number of British and Irish actors in it. I don't know if it takes place in Ireland, judging from some of the few clips that I've seen, it might, but "Small Things Like These" seems like one of those films that would ultimately pull me in. And it's gonna be near the top of my list, not as high as "Heratic", but if I see it, I'll let you know what I think on a future show. Another movie that is subject to the release in theaters on November 8th, 2024, is a movie that's called "Bird". And "Bird" is not to be confused with the 1989 film that starred Forrest Whitaker as Charlie Bird Parker, which was directed by Clint Eastwood, and was a really good biopic, although one that is quite underrated right now. But when Clint Eastwood eventually dies, it will probably be a little bit more celebrated than it is now. But this movie, "Bird", from 2024, looks like an independent film. It's about somebody named Bailey, who lives with her brother, Hunter, and her father, Bug, who raises them alone in a squat in Northern Kent. Bug doesn't have much time to devote to them. Bailey looks for attention and adventure elsewhere. So that doesn't tell me a ton about this movie, and Northern Kent, I don't exactly know where that is. Maybe somewhere in the British Empire? I don't exactly know. I can't tell you, however, that this film is written by and directed by Arnold Anderson, and stars, Nikia Adams, Franz Rogoski, who plays the titular bird, Barry Keegan, who plays Bug, that actor I do know, and Jason Buddha, amongst other people. So Barry Keegan, I think, would be a very young father, considering that the actor is presumably in his 20s or 30s, but maybe that drives the plot of this film a little bit. But this is a film that certainly has some intrigue for me, and it is a film that looks like it has a lot of independent hutzpah and a lot of spirit to it. I don't exactly know, but "Bird" is a film that I might see, and if I do, I'll let you know what I think on a future show. Another movie that is subject to Real Eastern theaters on November 8, 2024, is a movie that's called "Weekend in Taipei." And this is an action film about a former DEA agent and a former undercover operative who revisit their romance during a fateful weekend in Taipei, unaware of the dangerous consequences of their past. So you don't see a lot of films that take place in Taipei, which is the capital of Taiwan, which is also known as the Republic of China, and that is the China that is democratic, as opposed to mainland China, which is the People's Republic of China. I just gave you a history lesson. You're welcome. But the movie stars Luke Evans, Sun Kang, Loon Mi Gui, and Wyatt Yang, amongst other actors. And Luke Evans is obviously an American who is playing American in this film. He is, after all, a former agent of the Drug Enforcement Agency. I won't say the initials for that again, because it sounds like my voice is dragging. I don't know if I'm going to exactly see this film. I don't know if it's going to be coming out in the theater near me. But if I see it, I'll let you know what I think on a future show. Another movie, the subject of Real Eastern theaters on November 8, is a movie that is just in time for the holiday season, and people are already getting ready for Christmas right now, and there's nothing wrong with that. And one of the indicators that Christmas is coming is the YouTube video that comes out, released by Mariah Carey, now every year, where she has this Halloween theme and then ultimately something changes from October 31st to November 1st, and she sings, "It's time!" Although, at a far higher register, then this 41-year-old man can ever even dream of reaching. But anyway, you can tell from Mariah Carey's YouTube and maybe even TikTok video. I don't know, because I don't watch TikTok on a regular basis, but either way, that to me is the emergence of the holiday season, and I'm pretty excited about that. But, as for films, the one film that is subject to being released in theaters on November 8th that is Christmas-themed is a movie that's called Christmas Eve in Miller's Point. And this film takes place on Christmas Eve, as you might expect from the title, and it's when a family gathers for what could be the last holiday in their ancestral home. And as the night wears on and generational tensions arise, one of the teenagers sneaks out with their friends to claim the wintry suburb for her own. How exactly they're going to claim that? They don't exactly know. But this movie is a comedy drama holiday comedy drama. Those are the three genres that IMDB is giving to me right now. The movie is directed by Tyler Taeormina, who also wrote the film alongside Eric Berger. And the stars of the film include, but are not limited to, Maria Dezia, Michael Sarah, Elsie Fisher, and Ben Shankman amongst other people. And I'm just looking briefly down the roster of actors who were in this film. Michael Sarah is the one that I know the best, and he ultimately plays an officer by the name of Officer Gibson, not a member of the family. But, Christmas Eve in Miller's Point looks like a film that is fairly unpredictable, although it does touch on some movie and TV themes, like, for example, spending time with family with whom you might not exactly be crazy, and that I can most certainly relate to. Even though I love spending time with my immediate family, my parents, my brother, my sister-in-law, my niece, all the rest, yeah, my extended family is a little bit more complicated than that. But I don't want to draw enemy lines, so I'll just leave it at that. But Christmas Eve in Miller's Point looks like a film that I would jump at the chance of seeing, and if I do see it, I'll let you know what I think on a future show. Another movie that is simply released in theaters on November 8th, 2024, this is the last one I'll cover for now, because it looks like I'm going into select theater territory, is a film that's called Overlord the Sacred Kingdom, and this looks like an anime. And it's about a character by the name of Mamongo, who is now known as the Sorcerer King Ains Ulgaon, who rallies the Sorcerer Kingdom and its undead army to join the fight alongside the Sacred Kingdom and the slain Theocracy in hopes to defeat the demon emperor, Jaldai Bawth. So this is obviously a fantasy, it's also anime, it's a completely animated film, and this looks like it is the topic of very subjective tastes. I can't see any English actors who are the voice of these characters, only presumably Japanese characters, and this film is touted as being only in theaters on November 8th. Now, to be honest with you, I'm not against anime, but anime is generally pretty low on my list if it falls into the fantasy or science fiction categories, anime that's made more for children or for families, like films that come out that are released by Studio Ghibli are a bit higher on my list of films for which I make a priority to see. But as for this one, I think it's the one I'm probably going to skip, but if you're interested in seeing it, it is supposedly going to be only in theaters on November 8th. [Music] Welcome back to Words on Film, the spoken words show dedicated to moving pictures. I am your host and movie critic Dan Burke, and I usually dedicate this part of the show if I have a shortage of movies to review, and I also have some time to reveal the movies that are being released on streaming, or a subject to being released on streaming for the next week as of the date that I'm doing this show. But I'm going to hold off on doing that. And the reason is because Tuesday, November 5th, we're going to have a very important election, and many people are saying this is the most important election of our lives. And that is a bit redundant to say because every election is important, but this election already is arguably more important than the one that's going to happen in 2028. But once this election is over, the next election or the next four-year election, nationwide for president, in 2028 will also be very important as well. And I want to encourage all of you to get out there and vote if you haven't already. Now, a lot of states have been opening up times to vote early, and I most certainly have taken advantage of that. Here in Tennessee, where I record my show, the early voting started on October 16th and ended on October 31st, 2024. On October 16th, during my lunch break from my day job, I went to a local high school and submitted my ballot there and never looked back. Now, for many of you out there, it is too late to vote early. However, mark my words, it is not too late to vote. If you haven't already, I urge you to get out there and vote on November 5th. No matter how long the lines are, get out there and vote because everyone who is registered to vote and who is of age and all the rest are entitled to one vote. Do not let this election pass you by. Now, I can't say very much for other presidents who have had bad reputations like Martin Van Buren, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, and others who I'm sure are on the list because they weren't president during my lifetime, and I haven't done the research for them. However, Donald Trump has been most certainly the worst president of my lifetime, and there are so many reasons that Donald Trump should not be president that I can't even think of any reasons why he should be president and no one has been able to effectively tell me even one good reason why he should be president. Did he do good things when he was in office? A couple, I suppose, but the bad most certainly far outweighed the good. And there were times where he acted especially on presidential, and I'm not even talking about the times for which he was impeached, for which he should have been impeached by the way. You know, and he is the only president who has been impeached more than once. And that already should be a disqualifier, but in 2024, the majority of Republicans ultimately decided that it wasn't a disqualifier. But here's the primary reason why Donald Trump should not be president. And the best reason is from a quote from Aristophanes, who was a Greek playwright who once wrote, according to the movie, The Emperor's Club, roughly translated from Greek to English. Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown. Ignorance can be educated and drunkenness sobered, but stupid lasts forever. Thank you, Kevin Klein, for bringing that quote to my attention. And if you want to look it up for yourself, there is a clip on it on YouTube, and maybe even a clip of it by now on TikTok as well. When Kevin Klein said that line to Emile Hirsch's character, who looked to be partly inspired by George W. Bush, Donald Trump makes Emile Hirsch's character look noble in comparison, by the way. But my point here is this. Donald Trump may not have been drunk at any point in his life. That's probably one of his better characteristics. But he is most certainly stupid. And he is stupid because he revels in his own ignorance, and he does not want to be more educated. He thinks that he has all the answers. And if you don't believe me, think about when he was president. Look back to some of the news footage about when he was president, how he would call up the people on Fox and Friends, and while he was in the White House, speak for 45 minutes ranting and raving about some of his grievances. And you're thinking, put down the phone and do your job. And if Donald Trump is elected again, he won't do his job, and there are people who are far more nefarious than him, who will take his presidency in the wrong direction. I guarantee it. But anyway, I'm just saying, go out there and vote. 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 sometimes 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 do 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)