An Actor Ponders: My Quick Review of Noah Baumbach's JAY KELLY

When I think of the works of Noah Baumbach, my mind always goes towards scrappier indies like The Squid & the Whale or Frances Ha...and even if it may have had a bigger budget, Marriage Story fit right in line with the kinds of themes he often tackles. 

His last film, 2022's White Noise, which was based on a Don DeLillo novel, was a bigger scale departure for him that had a lot of people scratching their heads...even though I actually liked it quite a bit. 

Now that we've reached his latest effort, Jay Kelly, I feel like we have him diving back into a territory that seems more on brand for him, but the scale still seems a lot bigger. I keep talking about "the scale" and perhaps it may seem like I am on the brink of insulting his path of branching out to films that are not of his old indie vibe.

If there is any issue with Jay Kelly, it isn't the budget but rather not necessarily responding much to the script...but I am getting ahead of myself.

George Clooney plays our titular character, an actor who has been very beloved by the public for decades and he is reaching something of a breaking point when director Peter Schneider (Jim Broadbent), who gave him his first big break back in the 1980s, passes away. On top of this, he also struggles with the fact his youngest daughter is now 18 and preparing to go off to college. Considering he was always busy with work (something that affected his relationship with his eldest daughter a lot more), he is feeling a bit concerned about losing her without getting to connect with her.

After Peter's memorial, Jay has an encounter with Tim Galligan (Billy Crudup), a former friend he went to the same acting class with. While at a bar, Tim expresses an opinion about their past that leads Jay to finally spiral. Despite a film shoot beginning just around the bend, he insists to his loyal longtime manager Ron (Adam Sandler) and his publicist Liz (Laura Dern) that he is going on an excursion to Europe to try to connect with his daughter Daisy, who is going on a backpacking trip there before going off to college. 

Jay Kelly is the kind of film that feels like something that might've been more embraced had it come out 20+ years ago, but it does seem to be getting less of a positive response than many hoped for. I would say that I am definitely mixed on the final product. 

I viewed Jay Kelly as Noah Baumbach's (and co-writer Emily Mortimer's) modernish take on a Fellini film. While this film was nowhere near as surreal or exuberant as the work of Federico Fellini, I single out the legend because was a master at creating films around tortured souls (frequently artists) who were in the midst of a crisis. 

I certainly see elements of 8 1/2 and La Dolce Vita here, but I have to stress that I am not putting Jay Kelly on that level. As a script, I don't know if I truly got enough out of Jay's history to actually GET him or, frankly, even care. On top of that, we get Sandler's Ron having an arc as well which I would argue is maybe a tad more effective...but on the flip side, they do try to create a past between Sandler's Ron and Dern's Liz, but I am honestly amazed at how underutilized Laura Dern is in this film. She barely gets anything to do and when her character departs the narrative, I was like "Wait...is that it? Is she coming back?"

We do get to be witness to several flashbacks from Jay's life, with Jay watching them and relieving the happy times and also the difficult ones. To be fair, a lot of these are very well done and it must be said that this is film that does have fleeting moments of being truly engaging but for the most part, the interest level mostly remained at a level of mild interest. 

If I can commend the film for anything, it is the fact that an actor like George Clooney is the perfect choice to play our lead because he IS that beloved. He IS that charismatic. He IS someone who lights up the screen in a way very few actors can. I am not saying I would nominate him for an Oscar, but if the film has any real strength in getting you through, Clooney is the reason.

I would say Adam Sandler also does well here. I wasn't wowed by him in the same way I was with his work in Punch Drunk Love or especially Uncut Gems, but I do think one of these days, he will get the right vehicle to lead him to Oscar glory. I just don't think this role is it, but he could very well get his first nod with it.

Although the one I really need to single out is Billy Crudup, who is only on screen for maybe 8-10 minutes and manages to get the engine running for the film in a lot of ways as his big scene is the catalyst that leads to Jay snapping.

 I won't go too deep into spoilers here, but Crudup's Tim is no longer acting and had been presented as being the potential star of the class as he was the one who liked to be "method". Honestly, the flashbacks involving the acting class and the audition were maybe the most effective for me in the film and I actually wish we could've had more of Clooney and Crudup together.

To reiterate another point from earlier, I am so baffled by how little Laura Dern had to do in this. It wasn't like her role was as small as Crudup's, but it just felt truly thankless and a waste of her talent. 

As it stands, Jay Kelly was an easy enough watch, but I would argue that it's a concept I love more than how Baumbach brought it to light. It felt as though something was missing that made a lot of the emotion feel a bit too hollow.

I wouldn't say it is one you have to rush to watch, but if the concept of this storyline sounds intriguing, I would recommend checking out the two Federico Fellini films that I felt this film tried to flirt with: La Dolce Vita and 8 1/2.

JAY KELLY

Rating: 6/10

"Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" - My Review of Yorgos Lanthimos' BUGONIA (w/ major spoilers)

*This review will contain SPOILERS*

There are certain filmmakers that when you hear a new work of theirs is soon to arrive, you can't help but get hyped up. I think we officially have a very strong entry in that group of artists with Yorgos Lanthimos, the man who has given us the likes of Dogtooth, The Lobster, The Favourite, and Poor Things.

While Lanthimos has written some of his films, such as Dogtooth and The Lobster, he often will work with other screenwriters to bring their vision to the screen. With his latest film Bugonia, he works with writer Will Tracy, a brilliant satirist who had been a previous editor for The Onion and has worked on such shows/films as Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Succession, and The Menu.

Tracy adapted Bugonia from Jang Hoon-hwan's 2003 Korean film Save the Green Planet back in 2020 with the intention of Jang coming back to direct this remake. Tracy still tried to keep this script as more of a standalone prospect than a beat-by-beat rehash, which also including the producing opting to swap the gender of the central character from a man to a woman.

When Jang dropped out due to health concerns, that is when Yorgos Lanthimos joined the film and brought along his muse Emma Stone to play the lead and Jesse Plemons to play the film's main antagonist.

Stone plays Michelle Fuller, a highly renowned and influential CEO of a pharmaceutical corporation known as Auxolith. When arriving back to her very sleek and modern mansion outside of Atlanta, she is kidnapped by two men: Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and his autistic cousin Don (Aidan Delbis, in his feature debut). They are convinced that Michelle is of an "Andromedan" alien species that has been terrorizing the earth for decades with the goal of eventually destroying humanity...with a particular focus on "Green" terrorism: killing honeybees. 

As a means to prevent Michelle from contacting her "mothership", they shave her hair as a means and cover her in an antihistamine cream as these are considered signal blockers in their eyes. Teddy wants to have a meeting with the Andromedan emperor and wants to use Michelle as a means to negotiate that meeting. His goal is to have their ship enter the Earth's atmosphere dealing a lunar eclipse so it will go undetected. 

*Sidenote: I love that when we see the Earth in the time elapsed interstitials, it appears flat. It seems wholly fitting for the subject matter and people we are dealing with. 

 Teddy is also revealed to be working for Auxolith in their shipping warehouse, and he actually has a direct connection to Michelle beyond the fact he works for her company. Via flashbacks, we learn that Teddy's mother (Alicia Silverstone, in a random cameo) was taking part in a clinical trial of one of Auxolith's new drugs and it leaves her all but catatonic and eventually comatose. 

With the plot in place, what did I think of Bugonia?

In the case of Yorgos Lanthimos, it is clear that with the content he makes, he is bound to leave a lot of people cold. I get the sense that Bugonia is not gathering a lot of passion compared to the likes of The Favourite or Poor Things. If I am being completely candid, I would rank as his 5th best film behind The Favourite, Poor Things, Dogtooth, and The Lobster...but that is no direct slam on Bugonia. It just means that Lanthimos has a pretty high bar and some films just won't reach that high.

Considering even Save the Green Planet! had something of a mixed response despite some passionate fans, it isn't shocking that Bugonia would face a similar fate. I still very much enjoyed it and appreciated the darkly sinister comedic tone that fits so snugly into the worlds that Lanthimos loves to take us into. 

As for the performances, Stone continues to work well as Lanthimos' muse as this is her 4th film with him...although if the film is stolen by anyone, I would argue it is Jesse Plemons as Teddy.

As something of an offbeat actor who has a truly unique screen presence that has made people take notice since his infamous and volatile turn as the villainous Todd on the final season of Breaking Bad, I feel like we are witnessing his best performance to date in Bugonia. I have already made comments like this for other performances, and I will do so here, too. There is still a good chance Plemons could slip into some acting races this year, but it does seem like he might be on the cusp considering Best Actor this year is far more competitive than it's been in a long time. I think it's a shame he doesn't seem to be more in the running as I would totally nominate him for this.

I also want to single out Aidan Delbis as Don. Much like how Stone's character was a gender-swap, so was Don. In the original, this character was a girl who had a very heated and passionate personality, and she took a liking to her partner in crime. Here, they made him a follower of his cousin whom he loves dearly and both Lanthimos and Stone (who served as a producer on the film) hoped to find someone who hadn't acted before to play the role. After his audition and screen test, they adored what he brought to the table and made sure he had all he needed to feel comfortable making his debut. His character is what you could argue is the heart of the film in many ways and considering the fact he is on the autism spectrum, it never felt like were forced to pity him. 

One thing I do appreciate about Tracy's script combined with the direction and performances is how well they work to trick the audience of the film's eventual reveal. 

Everything about a film like this screams that Teddy and Don are crazed conspiracy theorists who kidnapped an innocent woman...but thanks to the conviction of both Stone and Plemons and Delbis in their roles, there are times where you begin to wonder who is right and who is wrong. 

Stone does some of her best work towards the end when she does discover that Plemons' Teddy has captured and murdered multiple people whom he believed to be Andromedans. After pouring over all of his "work", she gives very passionate and descriptive monologue about the history of Andromedans and how they actually caused the mass extension of the dinosaurs and out of guilt, they are also the ones who created humanity and have tried for years to protect humans as a result...and it makes you wonder: is she somehow coming up with this on the fly based on his work she looked over or...was Teddy right all along?

Even the idea of her portal being in her office closet with a calculator being the means of making a signal seems preposterous...only made more convincing as such when Stone's performance screams of a person trying to be convincing that she is telling the truth but isn't. All that is further enhanced when Teddy reveals he is wearing a suicide vest that accidentally detonates and decapitates him. The image of Stone getting knocked unconscious by Teddy's flying head is a sight to behold.

However...Teddy WAS right, and we learn that she is, indeed, an alien.

Not only was he right, but even his spaceship model that he built is eerily similar to the actual ship. We see Stone teleport back to her ship and as she said to Teddy in her monologue, she feels they failed. Humans are, in their eyes, a disaster...so with the pop of a clear dome bubble, she kills human existence...with only animals remaining alive. We get a darkly humorous sequence where see humans lying dead around the world: kids in classrooms, people bathing on the beach, a couple mid coital, car pile-ups on highways...but dogs are roaming free which...yay for them living!

All the while, we get Marlene Dietrich's glorious rendition of the folk song "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" while we see that honeybees are now alive and thriving again.

I don't know...I frankly was pretty pleased with the film. It wasn't perfect, but I do appreciate films that can take on these cynical but humorous tones and succeed. 

Oh, and do I have to call out the score of Jerksin Fendrix who also did the score for Poor Things and Kinds of Kindness. This is another epic piece of work by him that alternates between melodic and glorious to otherworldly and epic. Lanthimos gave him three words for inspiration: bees, basement, and spaceship...and with this, he came up with motifs that worked perfectly. I really hope he gets a Score nomination this year!

So yes, I was rather pleased with Bugonia! It is by no means a masterpiece, but it will likely end up being one of my favorites of 2025 at the very least.

---------

BUGONIA

RATING: 8.5/10 

Dream a Little Dream of Trees - My Quick Review of Clint Bentley's TRAIN DREAMS

*There will be some mild spoilers throughout* 

One thing I kept hearing about Train Dreams as reviews kept pouring in was how much the style of the film was invoking the vibe of Terrence Malick.

While I would admit that Malick's recent output hasn't been of the same level as films he's made in decades past, I do hold Malick's work in high regard: Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line, and The Tree of Life are all truly stellar works and he manages to weave the most fascinating of stories; even turning something of a Harlequin Romance into a work of art (Days of Heaven).

Coming out of Sundance back in January 2025, Train Dreams was the follow up of writer/director Clint Bentley and his partner Greg Kwedar, who were behind one of my favorite films from 2024: Sing Sing. 

One word I keep hearing regarding the vibe of Train Dreams is that it's a "meditation", and yes, that is very much apt. These are films that can drive up passionate fervor with people saying it "broke me" and it left them thinking about their life...while others might say, "this is absolutely the most nothing and boring movie I've ever seen in my life".

There is even one review on Letterboxd I read that more or less conveyed that last thought above and then added: "So of course, it will likely win Best Picture!"

I am here to tell you that Train Dreams, great film or not, will not be winning Best Picture this year but there is a chance it could slip into the final 10. However, do I actually feel that it would be worthy of such a placement?

Here comes the contrarian, but no. I am not here to fully bash Trains Dreams, but I was sadly not as moved by this one.

Set in the early 20th century (with a significant portion of the film occurring around the timeline of the previously mentioned Days of Heaven no less), we follow the life of Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), a man who had been orphaned as a child and had an aimless young adulthood until he meets a woman named Gladys (Felicity Jones). They get married, build a cabin along the Moyie River in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, and eventually have a daughter named Kate.

In order to support his family, Robert begins working for the Spokane International Railway but becomes a bit unnerved when he sees a group of white men throw a Chinese immigrant over the bridge for seemingly no good reason. He begins having nightmares and visions of this man while also dreaming of getting hit by a train.

Robert then takes up seasonal work as a logger, which does take him away for long periods, but he is still shaken by the danger of the work and also when of his close colleagues Arn (William H. Macy) is eventually killed by a falling branch. 

I will leave the synopsis there, but the film does proceed throughout the many years of Robert's life but admittedly, I found myself not feeling as invested as I would've hoped. I am willing to watch as many moody and quiet and delicate and meditative films that come along...as I often state, my favorite filmmaker is Ingmar Bergman after all...but there is a fine line to making subject matter like this pop.

In terms of visuals, the cinematography is gorgeous, and I will say that Joel Edgerton does some truly beautiful work here. It might even be my favorite performance he has given, so to be fair, the film isn't without its high merits. I would even argue I feel a tad more positive about it now compared to immediately after I watched it a couple of days ago. 

I will say though that the film does have one aspect that I found particularly grating: a narrator. Bentley and Kwedar use character actor Will Patton as a narrator simply telling us the story of Robert but a lot of the time, I feel like the narration became intrusive or unnecessary. In many ways, I felt the scenes on screen spoke for themselves and it also seemed like an insult to Edgerton who didn't need the unseen Greek Chorus to convey to us what was going on in his mind. Even if the narration was to explain a bit more about his life leading up to adulthood, there were ways to do it without resorting to that trope. 

I do have to wonder if this is a film that would grow on me over time, because I did even admit that I feel a tad more positive towards since viewing it. However, I am just not sure this one was much of a success...but I will also gladly own up to the fact that I seem to be in the minority here.

I would recommend watching it for that reason because I do think films like this should be embraced even if they don't always work. At the very least, you get a truly wonderful Joel Edgerton performance to guide you and some of the best visuals you'll see in a film this year. Then again, film isn't just about pretty visuals...but thankfully the film does offer a little more than that.

TRAIN DREAMS

Rating: 6.5/10

If I Only Had Some Legs! - My Quick Review of Mary Bronstein's IF I HAD LEGS I'D KICK YOU

When one claims to be a film buff like me, you are prone to be more accepting of certain films than the general public. I get a great deal of excitement in a film that can elicit a true stark reaction out of me, and there can be nothing more thrilling than a film that challenges you even if in the end, you may admire it more than you actually love it...and odds are you'll never watch it again.

While not something I would even consider putting on the level of a film like Come & See, it is hard for me to think of many films in recent years that left me feeling as stressed or as tense as If I Had Legs did. 

Do I think the film itself was successful? Mostly...I guess?

The film revolves around Linda (Rose Byrne), a therapist who lives in Montauk and is caring for her daughter who is suffering from some kind of illness that is never addressed, although it seems to be causing her to have an aversion to eating. She is trying her best at juggling the routine to care for her while her husband Charles (Christian Slater) is away on a two-month work trip that seemingly grants him a lot of free time. As therapists need to do, she attends her own therapy sessions with her supervisor (in a rather surprising though solid piece of casting, Conan O'Brien) but the tension between them is rather uncomfortable.

Things take another drastic turn when Linda has to take her daughter to stay at a motel when a massive leak floods their apartment leaving a gaping hole in the ceiling. The motel's superintendent is James, who in another interesting bit of casting is played by rapper A$AP Rocky and he takes something of a peculiar interest in Linda and how she seems to erratically navigate her life.

I am not going to spend as much time on this one, and I apologize if that seems like a bit of a copout. 

As a film, I do greatly admire the ambition of Mary Bronstein, who also acts in the film as Dr. Spring. I do think the film is worth checking out for Rose Byrne at the very least because she is doing some truly strong work here.

Considering the amount of stress and tension that Byrne's Linda is feeling, Bronstein does a great job of making you feel that claustrophobic environment. It's as if you are breaking out into a cold sweat at times as the film flirts with being something of a fever dream. 

I do think the film is also very successful at making you understand her frustrations as her young daughter, whose name we never learn, and we spend most of the film not even seeing her face, is rather insufferable. Truthfully, this film made me glad that I don't have children and I wouldn't be shocked if it makes others go "Yeah, I will pass on that".

Although, I will admit that saying that is a bit harsh and also sells the ideas of the film a little bit short. This following paragraph will contain a SPOILER so if you haven't seen it and don't want to know certain developments, please skip to the next paragraph. Rose Byrne has an amazing scene...which is redundant considering how strong she is throughout the whole film...but perhaps her best scene is when she confesses to her unnamed therapist (O'Brien as you may recall) that she had an abortion when she was younger, and she struggles with it not so much because of the grief specifically but rather the fact she questions if she perhaps aborted the wrong kid and therefore totally deems herself unworthy and unfit to be a mother. 

Considering the kind of career Rose Bryne has had, it feels earned and long overdue for her to have a film vehicle like this. She was so dynamic acting opposite Glenn Close on Damages and was also a great comedic villain of sorts in Bridesmaids. She can do comedy, and she can star in a production of Medea at BAM. In that regard, I want to see her get more weighty film roles like this because she is, in some ways, a very underrated actress.

As it stands, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You succeeds in achieving that uncomfortable goal and for giving Rose Byrne a showcase that is worthy of Oscar consideration...not to mention the creative use of Conan O'Brien and A$AP Rocky...and it is certainly worth checking out. I wouldn't say either of the two men are giving an Oscar nomination worthy performance but at the very least, they do well with the material they are given. I would actually argue that A$AP Rocky had a better ability of blending in with reality, whereas with O'Brien, it still felt so unusual to see him in this setting. 

If I Had Legs will be a bit of a strain if you aren't in the best of moods...and I do admit that if I had watched it on a different day, I likely would've had a harsher reaction to it.

IF I HAD LEGS, I'D KICK YOU

Rating: 7.5/10

A Cold-Hearted Squeak - My Review of Jafar Panahi's IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT

*THERE WILL BE SOME SPOILERS IN THE PLOT SETUP, BUT I WILL NOT DISCUSS THE ENDING*

Back in 2010, Juliette Binoche won the Best Actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival for her work in Abbas Kiarostami's Certified Copy. During her speech, she shined a light on another Iranian filmmaker by the name of Jafar Panahi, who had begun his career working as an assistant to Kiarostami.

Panahi has been seen as a bit of a rebel for challenging the Iranian regime to the point where his films have been banned in Iran for their themes of challenging oppression and social injustice. Binoche brought Panahi up as he was imprisoned by the Iranian government even though he was supposed to be that year's Jury President.

Flash forward to 2025. Binoche is now the Jury President. Jafar Panahi had entered a film into the Cannes' competition called It Was Just an Accident, which he made in secret out of safety despite the fact that the bans had been lifted on him making films. 

Binoche and her jury made their statement. Panahi won the Palme D'or after many years and caused a bit of a rumbling in the film community as many suspected the top prize might've gone to the Norwegian film Sentimental Value. 

I think rewarding a film like It Was Just an Accident and a filmmaker like Panahi was a very strong choice. Not only was it a film of great artistic merit, but it also served a very savvy political purpose. However, it comes as no surprise that potential mainstream success will come to him as this is undoubtedly his most accessible film in many ways. 

Panahi's films always took on a scrappier approach that felt more in line with the Neorealist era and filmmakers like Roberto Rossellini or Vittorio De Sica. He was always willing to challenge the horrific oppression within Iran, such as in films like 2000's The Circle which goes into the sadistic treatment of women in Iran or 2003's Crimson Gold, in which a man is driven to madness by class disparity and turns to crime as a result. 

While Panahi does indeed dip into an accessible style with It Was Just an Accident, this is a perfect example of giving the audience an intense story and introducing them to a filmmaker who loves shining a light on the horrors of his country.

The film begins with a family driving in a car. The husband (Ebrahim Azizi) along with his wife, who is pregnant, and their young daughter. The road they are on is fairly dark and he ends up hitting a stray dog, which traumatizes the young daughter and leads to her mother telling her "It was just an accident". 

The husband takes the car to a mechanic, but this mechanic named Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri) seems to recognize the man by the sound of his voice and the squeak of his prosthetic leg. Vahid ends up stalking the man, captures him, and prepares to bury him alive in the desert. 

And why might you ask? Vahid is convinced that this man is "Eghbar" (Iranian for "peg leg"), a man who tormented him and many others while he was in an Iranian prison. However, when the man pleads that he is not the man he thinks he is, Vahid begins to have doubts but doesn't want to let him go. In order to be sure, he seeks out other people who were in prison with him and suffered at the hands of this man.

It Was Just an Accident is something of a revenge film, and I do think it takes the idea of that subgenre and gives it such a refreshing take. Panahi, despite his clear disdain for the Iranian politics, gives this ensemble the opportunity to express their beliefs and morals and concerns. One of the big themes that is brought up is if they actually want to fight violence with violence while others couldn't give a flying fuck about that high road.

I have stated in the past that nothing used to thrill me more than a good revenge story. I practically salivated watching Oldboy back in the day, and there was certainly an element of intrigue watching this story unfold and seeing if this man is who they think he is or if it would devolve into chaos because Vahid made a hasty decision with tragic consequences.

I think if there was any justice, these actors will get an Ensemble nomination at the upcoming SAG Awards (or Actor Awards as it will soon be called), because as a group, they are truly compelling. I actually want to single out two of the supporting players: 

Miriam Afshari, who plays a photographer named Shiva

Mohammed Ali Elaysmehr as Hamid, the resident hothead of the group

Both of them stood out to me as potential people I would personally nominate for an Oscar, but I do feel as an ensemble, they deserve to be recognized. 

I will admit that when the film began, it started to lose me a little bit. It felt a bit too plodding, but if you do have that feeling watching it, I highly suggest you try to keep going because once it picks up, the pacing and the structure and how Panahi builds the tension is sublime.

It is a literal example of a snowball rolling down a hill, but it never feels overstuffed or bloated. This film is only an hour and 40 minutes long, and it doesn't try to outstay its welcome. Panahi keeps everything taut and swift once the action truly hits and with that, he manages to imbue such dynamic character interactions.

I said I wouldn't discuss the ending, and I won't spoil it here if you haven't seen it, but...yeah. I could see certain people having some thoughts about that, but I personally loved the choice.

All in all, I would say that It Was Just an Accident is a success in so many ways, and I love that we will likely see the film and Panahi nominated for multiple awards. Considering what that man has gone through, I am definitely grateful that he never gave up and still insists on giving us such thought-provoking work.

IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT

Rating: 9.5/10

_______________________________________

ONE MORE COMMENT:

It was announced on December 4th, 2025, that Jafar Panahi was sentenced to another year in prison due to him making It Was Just an Accident. He has been on a bit of an awards blitz campaign having picked up prizes at various critics' organizations such as NY Film Critics and Gotham. 

I would recommend reading the following article from Variety to learn more but talk about absolute bravery and determination from this man!

Jafar Panahi Sentenced to One Year in Iranian Prison