There’s an Oscars Class at KSU – and I Got to Speak to the Students!

I spoke with the Academy Awards class taught by Dr. Amber Hutchins at Kennesaw State University this week to discuss a variety of topics about the very volatile 2025 Oscars!

Sundance Film Festival Documentary “Speak.” Showcases Peak Performance

High school speechmakers demonstrate the power of the podium in Jennifer Tiexiera and Guy Mossman’s moving documentary Speak. (A). By telling the behind-the-scenes stories of a quintet of top-ranked students in the national speech and debate category called “original oratory” in which they deliver the teenage equivalent of TED Talks, viewers get an insider look at the purpose and passions of the next generation. Chronicling nearly a year of one of the world’s largest and most intense public speaking competitions also means a fascinating glimpse into the family dynamics, lives and loves and heartland hobbies driving these talented young people. Snippets of some of the subjects’ best original works prove very inspiring. The race to the championship may not match the pace or profit of high school sports, but the impact proves undeniable after watching these kids in action.

Stephen Brown’s Oscars Eve of Nomination Day Predictions

Oscar nominations are tomorrow morning. Here are my predictions for what will make the Academy’s nomination list in all categories for 2024 movies being honored March 2, 2025. Can’t wait to be wrong on some choices! Then phase two of voting will commence!

THE BEST PICTURE TEN
All We Imagine is Light

Anora

The Brutalist

A Complete Unknown

Conclave

Dune: Part Two

Emilia Pérez

September 5

The Substance

Wicked

BEST DIRECTOR
Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez 

Sean Baker, Anora 

Edward Berger, Conclave 

Brady Corbet, The Brutalist

Coralie Fargeat, The Substance 

BEST ACTRESS

Cynthia Erivo, Wicked

Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez

Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths

Mikey Madison, Anora 

Demi Moore, The Substance 

BEST ACTOR
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist

Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown

Colman Domingo, Sing Sing

Ralph Fiennes, Conclave

Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Michele Austin, Hard Truths

Jamie Lee Curtis, The Last Showgirl 

Ariana Grande, Wicked 

Isabella Rossellini, Conclave

Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain 

Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown

Guy Pearce, The Brutalist

Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice 

Stanley Tucci, Conclave

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

A Complete Unknown 

Conclave 

Emilia Pérez

Nickel Boys

Wicked

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Anora

The Brutalist 

Hard Truths

A Real Pain

The Substance 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

The Brutalist 

Conclave

Dune: Part Two 

Nickel Boys

Nosferatu

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Conclave

Gladiator II

Nosferatu

The Substance

Wicked

BEST FILM EDITING

Anora

The Brutalist 

Conclave

Dune: Part Two 

Emilia Pérez 

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 

A Different Man 

Nosferatu 

The Substance

Wicked

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Brutalist

Conclave 

Dune: Part Two

Nosferatu 

Wicked

BEST SCORE
The Brutalist

Challengers

Conclave

Emilia Pérez

The Wild Robot 

BEST SONG
“El Mal,” Emilia Pérez

“The Journey,” The Six Triple Eight

“Kiss the Sky,” The Wild Robot 

“Never Too Late,” Elton John: Never Too Late

“Sick in the Head,” Kneecap

BEST SOUND
A Complete Unknown 

Dune: Part Two

Emilia Pérez

The Substance

Wicked

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Better Man

Dune: Part Two

Gladiator II

Twisters

Wicked

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Flow

Inside Out 2

Memoir of a Snail

Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

The Wild Robot

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Daughters

No Other Land

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat

Sugarcane

Will and Harper

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Emilia Pérez 

Flow

I’m Still Here 

Kneecap 

The Seed of the Sacred Fig 

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
A Bear Named Wojtek

Beautiful Men 

A Crab in the Pool

Wander to Wonder

Yuck!

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Death by Numbers 

I Am Ready, Warden 

Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World 

Once Upon a Time in Ukraine 

A Swim Lesson

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

Anuja

Dovecote 

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

The Masterpiece

An Orange from Jaffa

Atlanta Jewish Film Festival Celebrates 25 Years: Feb. 19 – March 16, 2025

The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (AJFF) will present 50 films celebrating the diversity of Jewish experiences around the globe for its 25th year. From curated feature films with unexpected titles such as Guns & Moses and Sabbath Queen to documentaries about the likes of controversial German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl and Oscars original song favorite Diane Warren, there are movies of a variety of genres in this year’s lineup.

The festival’s opening night event includes the Atlanta premiere of the NYC-set ensemble screwball comedy Bad Shabbos at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Special guests include stars Kyra Sedgwick, Jon Bass, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Milayna Vayntrub, Meghan Leathers and Theo Taplitz along with director and writer Daniel Robbins and producer Adam Mitchell.

This year’s lineup includes the world premiere of Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause and the North American premiere of Eid, the critically-acclaimed first major dramatic feature by a Bedouin-Israeli filmmaker. Highlighting themes such as LGBTQIA+ stories, women’s empowerment, world conflicts and intersectionality, the festival explores the global Jewish experience and its connections to diverse communities, welcoming audiences from all backgrounds.

The AJFF Closing Night & Awards Show March 5 at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center will include Jury Award presentations, noshing over a dessert reception and the Atlanta premiere of Brazil’s life-affirming road trip movie Cheers to Life with director Cris D’Amato and producer Julio Uchoa in attendance.

The 2025 festival also celebrates iconic star Jerry Lewis with screenings showcasing his artistic range: the Southeast premiere of the documentary From Darkness to Light, which explores the troubled production of The Day the Clown Cried, the notorious lost Holocaust movie that haunted him for years; and a digital restoration of 1960’s The Bellboy. Jerry’s son, Christopher J. Lewis, will join Q&As and book signings, offering a personal glimpse into his father’s life and lasting influence.

The festival will return to venues across Atlanta, also including Springs Cinema & Taphouse Georgia Theatre Company Merchants Walk, the historic Plaza and the Tara Theatre. An additional 10-day streaming window from March 7-16, 2025 offers access to 21 features and 14 short films, extending reach to all Georgia residents.

Founded in 2000, the AJFF is one of the largest cultural events of its kind in the world, celebrating the power of film to foster understanding, dialogue and collaboration.

Tickets are now on sale to AJFF members and available to the general public Feb. 5. Visit AJFF.org or call the box office at 678-701-6104 for details on all the movies, talk-backs, events and guests planned for the festival.

“I Saw the TV Glow,” “The Substance” Lead LGBTQIA+ 2024 Dorian Award Noms

GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, consisting of over 500 entertainment critics, journalists and media icons (including yours truly), announced the group’s democratically chosen nominees for its 16th Dorian Film Awards. The Dorians go to both mainstream and LGBTQ-themed content, celebrating what the group calls “the expert Q+ eye on entertainment.” 

Leading with an impressive nine nominations is writer-director Jane Schoenbrun’s thought-provoking horror tale I Saw the TV Glow, a film overlooked by many other kudos groups considering 2024’s theatrical and digital releases. Star Demi Moore’s thriller of a comeback The Substance is a close second, with 8 Dorian nods. 

From there, the genre-defying trans mobster musical Emilia Pérez and tense ménage-à-trois dramaChallengers each hold six nominations, and Dorian-nominated director Brady Corbet’s artful epic The Brutalist makes more than good with five. Other movies GALECA anointed with multi-nominations: AnoraNickel Boys and Wicked all with four nods each, and Problemista and Queer with three apiece. 

In the per-studio counts, A24 has a whopping 25 nominations. Other outfits posting impressive scores: Amazon MGM with 13 nominations, Netflix: (11) and Mubi (10).  

Some notable titles in the group’s trademark races include the inventive slapstick comedy Hundreds of Beavers vying for Unsung Film of the Year, Madame Web and Trap looking at Campiest Flick honors, and The BrutalistNosferatu and Dune: Part Two among the cinematic dazzlers aiming for Visually Striking Film. 

The group’s Timeless Star career achievement honoree will be named when the winners are announced Thursday Feb. 13. GALECA’s members are tentatively scheduled to toast winners and nominees in a brunch the following Sunday.

Along with its film nominations, GALECA announced it is donating $1000 to The Los Angeles Press Club’s emergency relief fund, the amount earmarked for entertainment journalists directly affected by the historically devastating wildfires that have destroyed vast swaths LA, leaving thousands of residents homeless. Professional journalists whose main livelihood involves entertainment criticism, editing and/or reportage can apply for help at lapressclub.org. Additional donations may be made there as well. 

GALECA: THE SOCIETY OF LGBTQ ENTERTAINMENT CRITICS
16TH DORIAN FILM AWARDS LIST OF NOMINEES 

FILM OF THE YEAR

Anora (Neon)
Challengers  (Amazon MGM Studios)
I Saw the TV Glow (A24)
Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)
The Substance (Mubi)

LGBTQ FILM OF THE YEAR

Challengers (Amazon MGM Studios)
Emilia Pérez (Netflix)
I Saw the TV Glow (A24)
Love Lies Bleeding (A24)
Queer (A24)

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

Brady Corbet, The Brutalist (A24)
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance (Mubi)
Luca Guadagnino, Challengers (Amazon MGM Studios)
RaMell Ross, Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)
Jane Schoenbrun, I Saw the TV Glow (A24)

SCREENPLAY OF THE YEAR  (Original or adapted)

Anora (Neon)
Challengers (Amazon MGM Studios)
Conclave (Focus Features)
I Saw the TV Glow (A24)
The Substance (Mubi)

LGBTQ SCREENPLAY OF THE YEAR

Challengers (Amazon MGM Studios)
I Saw the TV Glow (A24)
Love Lies Bleeding (A24)
Problemista (A24)
Queer (A24)

NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR

All We Imagine as Light (Sideshow / Janus Films)
Emilia Pérez (Netflix)
Flow (Sideshow / Janus Films)
I’m Still Here (Sony Pictures Classics)
The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Neon)

LGBTQ NON-ENGLISH FILM OF THE YEAR

Crossing (Mubi)
Emilia Pérez (Netflix)
Queendom (Greenwich Entertainment)
Vermiglio (Sideshow / Janus Films)
All Shall Be Well (Strand Releasing) 

UNSUNG FILM OF THE YEAR
—To an exceptional movie worthy of greater attention

Didi (Focus Features)
Hundreds of Beavers (Cineverse, Vinegar Syndrome)
My Old Ass (Amazon MGM Studios)
Problemista (A24)
Thelma (Magnolia)

UNSUNG LGBTQ FILM OF THE YEAR

Femme (Utopia)
My Old Ass (Amazon MGM Studios)
National Anthem (Variance, LD Entertainment)
The People’s Joker (Altered Innocence)
Problemista (A24)

FILM PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

Adrien Brody, The Brutalist (A24)
Daniel Craig, Queer (A24)
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing (A24)
Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez (Netflix) 
Cynthia Erivo, Wicked (Universal)
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths (Bleecker Street)
Nicole Kidman, Babygirl (A24)
Mikey Madison, Anora (Neon)
Demi Moore, The Substance (Mubi)
Justice Smith, I Saw the TV Glow (A24)

SUPPORTING FILM PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

Michele Austin, Hard Truths (Bleecker Street)
Yura Borisov, Anora (Neon)
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain (Searchlight Pictures)
Ariana Grande, Wicked (Universal)
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)
Brigette Lundy-Paine, I Saw the TV Glow (A24)
Clarence Maclin, Sing Sing (A24)
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist (A24)
Margaret Qualley, The Substance (Mubi)
Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez (Netflix)

DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR

Dahomey (Mubi)
Daughters (Netflix)
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Netflix)
Sugarcane (National Geographic)
Will & Harper (Netflix)

LGBTQ DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR

Chasing Chasing Amy (Level 33)
Frida (Amazon MGM Studios)
Merchant Ivory (Cohen Media Group)
Queendom (Greenwich Entertainment)
Will & Harper (Netflix)

ANIMATED FILM OF THE YEAR

Flow (Sideshow / Janus Films)
Inside Out 2 (Disney)
Memoir of a Snail (IFC Films)
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Netflix)
The Wild Robot (Universal, DreamWorks)

GENRE FILM OF THE YEAR
For excellence in science fiction, fantasy and horror

Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros.)
I Saw the TV Glow (A24)
Nosferatu (Focus Features)
The Substance (Mubi)
Wicked (Universal)

FILM MUSIC OF THE YEAR

The Brutalist (A24)
Challengers (Amazon MGM Studios)
Emilia Pérez (Netflix)
I Saw the TV Glow (A24)
Wicked (Universal)

VISUALLY STRIKING FILM OF THE YEAR

The Brutalist (A24)
Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros.)
Nosferatu (Focus Features)
Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)
The Substance (Mubi)

CAMPIEST FLICK 

Hundreds of Beavers (Cineverse, Vinegar Syndrome)
Madame Web (Sony)
Megalopolis (Lionsgate)
The Substance (Mubi)
Trap (Warner Bros.)

“WE’RE WILDE ABOUT YOU!” RISING STAR AWARD

Jonathan Bailey
Vera Drew
Karla Sofía Gascón 
Brigette Lundy-Paine
Mikey Madison
Katy O’Brian
Drew Starkey

WILDE ARTIST AWARD
To a truly groundbreaking force in entertainment

Colman Domingo
Luca Guadagnino
Coralie Fargeat
Jane Schoenbrun
Tilda Swinton

GALECA LGBTQIA+ FILM TRAILBLAZER
For creating art that inspires empathy, truth and equity

Vera Drew
Cynthia Erivo
Luca Guadagnino
Jane Schoenbrun
Julio Torres

Formed in 2009, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics honors the best in film, television and Broadway/Off Broadway, mainstream to LGBTQIA+, via the Dorian Awards. A 501 c 6 nonprofit, GALECA serves to remind bigots, bullies and our own beleaguered communities that the world looks to the informed Q+ eye on entertainment. The organization also advocates for better pay, access and respect for its members, especially those in our most underrepresented and vulnerable segments. GALECA’s efforts also include the Crimson Honors, a college film/TV criticism contest for LGBTQ women or nonbinary students of color.  See members’ latest reviews, commentary and interviews, along with looks at entertainment’s past, on Bluesky and elsewhere @DorianAwards. GALECA’s YouTube channel features the group’s past Dorians film and TV Toast awards specials, video chats with filmmakers and performers, plus talks with members about their latest books and more. Find out more at GALECA.org. GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment journalists is a core member of CGEM: Critics Groups for Equality in Media, an alliance of underrepresented entertainment journalists organizations. 

Outreach director Jim Farmer and Silver Screen Capture’s Stephen Michael Brown among panelists discussing queer cinema of 2024:

“September 5” a Sturdy Look at Real-Time News Judgment

Similar stylistically to the way the under-seen Saturday Night movie chronicled the manic real-time energy and high-stakes high jinks of the first SNL telecast circa 1975, Tim Fehlbaum’s authentic historical drama September 5 (B+) showcases pivotal broadcast news events with panache and expert detail; and in this case the stakes aren’t laughs but lives. This sturdy thriller transports viewers to the titular day in 1972 Munich, Germany, when an ABC Sports crew found itself the makeshift coverage team for a terrorism act in progress as Palestinian militant group Black September kidnaps and threatens the lives of Israeli athletes in Olympic Village. Peter Sarsgaard, equipped with the rapier wit and studied precision he leverages for many of his film characters, artfully plays the president of the TV network’s sports division; he’s at the center of the ensemble, but there are at least three others who make a big impact in their roles. John Magaro is a standout as the head of the control room. Leonie Benesch is authentic and dialed in as the intrepid translator for the crew who singularly understands both German and Hebrew. And Ben Chaplin as the wily head of ABC operations is such a cantankerous chameleon in his role he’s fairly unrecognizable from his bumper crop of ’90s performances. Every detail in the movie feels lived-in: the rows of rotary phones, the coveted “bird” for satellite feeds, the darkroom for printing photos, block letters applied by hand to identify talking heads on the newscasts and lots of black coffee and cigarettes. Real footage is wisely integrated when appropriate for the you-are-there vibe. The film’s topics deeply resonate today as many of the geopolitical conflicts presented certainly still loom large. It’s also an instructive showcase of news judgment; as each imperfect executive, segment producer, camera person or anchor makes tough calls in real time, viewers see the consequences play out before their eyes. The drawback to this format is that you’re not in the room where the real events are happening; but Fehlbaum makes a case for the thrill of the race to go live and to “follow the story where it goes” via the voyeurism of live cameras and a feed to the world. For a film largely set in rooms with men talking and outcomes many will know from real life, Spielberg’s 2005 Munich or the 1999 documentary One Day in September, it’s an engrossing crackerjack production.

“The Last Showgirl” Has Good Heart But Doesn’t Hit its Marks

Pamela Anderson’s lived-in, wistful and sometimes heartbreaking performance as a veteran dancer in a Vegas spectacular is the standout in the otherwise fairly pedestrian production of Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl (C). The long-running “Razzle Dazzle” show is closing after years on The Strip, which means the protagonist must tie up lots of loose ends with characters played by Dave Bautista as the show coordinator, Jamie Lee Curtis as a friend and cocktail waitress and Billie Lourd as an estranged daughter. Anderson’s character has let the lure of beads and feather boas and life on the wicked stage eclipse her sense of direction, but she often proves the emotional center of a ragtag surrogate family. The screenplay doesn’t give others in the ensemble a whole lot to do, which stunts the story’s momentum. Coppola intermingles the backstage and apartment domestic drama with sun-drenched montages of the film’s women interspersed with Sin City’s decaying landmarks, giving the film an occasional veneer of indie aesthetic; but she doesn’t land much of a thesis about what viewers should surmise from the experience of her characters in transition. Many events unfold predictably, and only Anderson’s elegiac and often moving performance survives as a strong takeaway.

Reverse-Hallmark Card Ensemble: “Hard Truths” an Apt Reminder to Be Good to One Another

It’s hard to get a word in edgewise versus the toxic female powder keg at the center of this family drama: and by bringing to life one of his film catalogue’s most indelible personalities, director Mike Leigh and muse Marianne Jean-Baptiste create a character for the ages and an instantly relatable series of events. Hard Truths (B+) centers on middle-aged British mum Pansy played by Jean-Baptiste and how, stricken by grief, she verbally abuses everyone within shouting range. At first the effect is jarring then a little funny and mostly sad or appalling, depending on the set of characters around her. She’s winning the battle of words, no matter the situation. The actress is incredible in absolutely embodying this woman and still providing shades of gray to make her a character and not a caricature. Kudos to the full ensemble, especially David Webber and Tuwaine Barrett as her long-suffering husband and son and Michele Austin as her sister and cheery polar opposite. These characters are often simply left to wear devastated reactions on their faces and do so with expressive aplomb. Leigh has something to quietly say here though about the simple ways people can treat each other to diffuse or elevate situations and to turn down the temperature when interactions get heated. Because so many of the sequences in the film are dialed up to a delirious decibel, the scenes of quiet and generosity are fittingly touching and sometimes heartbreaking. The movie is as delicate as the flower Pansy is not and quietly observational in its brisk running time about how depression can overwhelm and constrict. While lovely, Gary Yershon’s melancholic music felt a little on the nose for generating the film’s off-kilter mood, but overall this was an effective and absorbing character study with something to say to anyone in the world with that emotional glass half empty or full.

“Better Man” Biopic a Kong Day’s Journey into Trite

Bad boy Britpop singing sensation Robbie Williams has been such a party animal through much of his adulthood, it’s no wonder director Michael Gracey takes the wild swing of rendering his character as an anthropomorphic allegorical ape for the biopic Better Man (C+). And the ups and downs of fame, self-loathing and addiction prove it’s hard out here for a chimp, even if behind his big hairy audacious goals of showbiz superstardom, he’s achieved oversized celebrity in the UK and cult admiration here in The States. The film shines in big production numbers scored to such hits as “Rock DJ,” “Angels,” and “The One” with clever, kinetic choreographed sequences punctuating lesser passages. Behind-the-music style beats comprising much of the bloated story don’t shed much light on the interior life of the simian songster played with CGI motion capture by Jonno Davies. Rise to fame, romance, rap sheets, rehabilitation, reconciliation and more are on display, along with tiresome hallucinogenic alter egos laced through concert crowds to cast doubt. The film’s occasionally meta presentation wins points with wry, often profane quips but reveals very little about what motivates the character at its center. After a long time in the wilderness hibernation of what can only seem like Cocaine Bear has invaded Pink Floyd’s hotel room, there’s some tidy and redemptive sentiment to cleanse the palette. More cautionary mental health tale than rhythmic romp (a far less fun Rocket Man?), this murky movie monkey business wears out its welcome.

“Queer” Film Conjures a Lived-in Magic

Faithful to its source material about Beat Generation postmodern author William S. Burroughs’ self-imposed exile to Mexico, Luca Guadagnino’s Queer (B) casts Daniel Craig in the central role of the controversial author cruising for sex and coping with a lifelong heroin addiction as he nurtures twin obsessions with romance and magical drugs promising extrasensory perception. Guadagnino is undoubtedly the right match for the off-kilter material, with sumptuous historical period art direction and an uncanny knack for capturing mood. And Craig proves to be a bit of a revelation in a role cast against type from his James Bond image; as “Lee” (a stand-in autobiographical nickname of the author), his every turn of phrase feels like inventing a peculiar new language. The loose, limber and impressionistic narrative gets even more opaque as the film changes venue and the Naked Lunch type imagery gets increasingly surreal. Drew Starkey is solid as the object of the protagonist’s affection. Jason Schwartzman is also memorable as a schlubby fellow bar denizen. There are moments of incredible sensuality and sentiment and many others which may leave casual moviegoers scratching their heads. The film is a must for fans of the iconoclast writer and a sterling showcase for a daring lead actor.

Crass Menagerie of “Mufasa” Leaves This Viewer Scarred

Talk about a circle of lifeless! It’s tough to detect evidence of the artisan touch of acclaimed director Barry Jenkins in a CGI animated prequel that could have actually been improved with AI. Mufasa: The Lion King (C-) tells some backstory of the Simba-verse with an extraneous framing device to ensure all members of the intellectual property can participate, including Timon and Pumbaa. The story follows young Mufasa (voice of Aaron Pierre) who is displaced by flood from his family and adopted into a rival pride with a surrogate brother (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) taking him under his mane. The only improvement on the film’s all-CGI predecessor is more expressive faces on the animals as brotherly rivalry ensues. The production patches together some rousing elements of past Lion King scores and doesn’t showcase Lin-Manuel Miranda’s new songs very well except one romantic ballad. Most of the movie is a tedious and far-fetched adventure including into inexplicably snow-capped parts of the African setting versus a villainous white lion (Mads Mikkelsen). This origin story doesn’t successfully open up or illuminate any special elements of the legend. Some of the nature settings are pretty. Mostly this installment is forgettable. 

My “FilmThirst” TikTok review: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTY3wxFYa/

Indie “Ghostlight” Spotlights Power of Theatre to Cope with Grief

In the spirit of CODA and Sing Sing, here’s a sleeper indie about how performing arts can rescue a life sliding out of control. Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson’s Ghostlight (B) focuses on a burly construction worker (Keith Kupferer) coping with tragedy. The actor’s real-life wife and teenage daughter Tara Mallen and Katherine Mallen Kupferer play his similarly struggling and idiosyncratic family, and Dolly de Leon (always a delight) is the leader of a theatrical troupe conveniently located beside our protagonist’s work site. Soon a role in a Shakespeare play becomes its own form of therapy. Too many on-the-nose moments of convenience in the first reel bog down the story, but patient viewers will find this is an extremely emotional and fulfilling work. All three actors in the grieving family are superb, and there’s a lead actor performance here worthy of awards. The music is good too, with some nice use of several “Oklahoma!” chestnuts. The colorfully drawn and authentic characters and several engaging final reel subplots help transcend the formula.