Movie Review: Train Dreams (2025)

~ Liam ~ 4 Comments

Title: Train Dreams
Release Date: November 7, 2025
Director: Clint Bentley
Production Company:  Black Bear | Kamala Films
Main Cast:

  • Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier
  • Felicity Jones as Gladys Olding Grainier
  • Kerry Condon as Claire Thompson
  • William H. Macy as Arn Peeples
  • Will Patton as the narrator 
  • Nathaniel Arcand as Ignatius Jack
  • John Diehl as Billy
  • Paul Schneider as Apostle Frank
  • Clifton Collins Jr. as Boomer
  • Alfred Hsing as Fu Sheng
  • Chuck Tucker as Silent Man
  • Rob Price as Curious Logger
  • Beau Charles as Young Logger
  • Johnny Arnoux as Kootenai Indian
  • John Patrick Lowrie as Mr. Sears
  • Branden Lindsay as Elijah Brown

Synopsis (via Letterboxd):

A logger leads a life of quiet grace as he experiences love and loss during an era of monumental change in early 20th-century America.

My Thoughts:

Train Dreams is a quiet and meditative reflection on the life of an ordinary person.  Robert Grainier of Idaho never travels much beyond the bordering states.  He marries, builds a cabin, and they have a baby.  Robert’s work as a logger takes him away from home for long periods and he meets many men who make an impression on him.  And he witnesses much suffering while surviving tragedies of his own.

Set in the early 20th century, the movie is not divorced from political realities.  Violent activists attack Chinese immigrants and the dangers of wildfire require a federal government willing to take sensible forestry measures. Joel Edgerton portrays Robert as strong, humble, and haunted.  Three actors are also memorable in limited screen time: Felicity Jones as Robert’s wife Gladys, William H. Macy as an wise old logger, and Kerry Condon as a Forest Service agent.

Rating: ****

Theater Review: The Antiquities by SpeakEasy Stage

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The Antiquities

By Jordan Harrison
Directed by Alex Lonati

March 15, 2026: Calderwood Pavilion, Boston, Massachusetts

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Cast

Alison Russo
Kelsey Fonise
Helen Hy-Yuen Swanson
Catia
Jesse Hinson
Tobias Wilson
John Kuntz
Anderson Stinson III
Harry Baker

In a thought-provoking and imaginative play, The Antiquities takes us to the far future when humanity is extinct but we are remembered (with some fondness) by the inorganic lifeforms who replaced us.  The audience members are asked to be explorers wandering The Museum of Late Human Antiquities connecting with specific artifacts and watching as AI actors recreate scenes from humanity’s past.  There are 12 vignettes from 1816 (when Mary Shelley created Frankenstein) to the last days of humanity in the 2240s, and then it goes in reverse chronological order with 12 more scenes that each continue on the first set.  Each scene deals with computing, robotics, and artificial intelligence as well as philosophical ideas of creativity, death, and the meaning of life which the organics refer to as the “messy space between ones and zeros.”

There are nine actors in the show collectively playing over 40 characters and they do an excellent job.  While the 24 segments cumulatively make for a long show, many of the vignettes are short but both the script and the actors do a great job of fleshing out the characters in their full humanity. This may be ironic since they’re supposed to be performed by playacting robots. Alison Russo stands out as the robotic curator who welcomes the audience, Mary Shelley, and in one of the most emotional vignettes, a mother discussing with her son the sickness and death of her brother.

Despite the dark existential themes of the show, it is also very funny.  There are some running gags throughout the show of the AI actors misusing artifacts.  For example, Russo’s mother reaches into a refrigerator and takes out a bottle of shampoo from which she drinks.  Yes, AI gets things wrong, but human curators have also wildly mistaken how objects from ancient times were actually used.  Between scenes, the cast also goes into robotic mode shifting the props around for the next scene.  Some reviews I’ve read said this was grating, but I was amused at how they were committed to the bit.

I think this is one of the best shows I’ve seen so far this year, and one I will be thinking about for some time.  Be warned that in addition the dark themes of the show it contains two simulated sexual acts and a whole lot of profanity, if those things are dealbreakers for you.  The Antiquities continues at the Calderwood Pavilion through March 28.

Movie Review: Sorry, Baby (2025)

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Title: Sorry, Baby
Release Date: June 27, 2025
Director: Eva Victor
Production Company: Tango Entertainment | High Frequency Entertainment | Big Beach | Pastel
Main Cast:

  • Eva Victor as Agnes Ward
  • Naomi Ackie as Lydie
  • Lucas Hedges as Gavin
  • Louis Cancelmi as Preston Decker
  • Kelly McCormack as Natasha,
  • John Carroll Lynch as Pete
  • Hettienne Park as Eleanor Winston
  • E. R. Fightmaster as Fran

Synopsis (via Letterboxd):

Agnes feels stuck. Unlike her best friend, Lydie, who’s moved to New York and is now expecting a baby, Agnes still lives in the New England house they once shared as graduate students, now working as a professor at her alma mater. A ‘bad thing’ happened to Agnes a few years ago and, since then, despite her best efforts, life hasn’t gotten back on track.

My Thoughts:

Agnes is a successful and well-liked literature professor at a university in coastal Maine, but nevertheless is withdrawn and dealing with mental health challenges.  This is due to the trauma of Agnes being sexually assaulted several years earlier.  The film is framed by visits from Agnes’ best friend Lydie who has moved to New York where she lives with her partner.

The heart of the film goes back in time to when they were housemates and in the doctoral program at the same university where Agnes will eventually teach. We see the “bad thing” that happens to Agnes and her recovery over the years.  Now, I’m making this sound like a very serious drama – and it is – but it’s also very funny.  And there are times when I’m not sure I should actually be laughing (the “we are women” line is hilarious despite/because it’s so inappropriately wrong?).

The dialogue in this film is both sharp and bears a verisimilitude to real life conversation.  The structure of the film is also expertly done to reveal Agnes’ story and character.  And it shows he healing power of cats.  This is a truly impressive directorial debut for Eva Victor that feels like the work of a more experienced director.

Rating: ****1/2

100 Years of Movie Musicals: À Nous la Liberté (1931)

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Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the movie musical, and to celebrate I’m embarking on a two-year project to watch 100 movie musicals from 1927 to the present!

Title: À Nous la Liberté
Release Date: December 18, 1931
Director: René Clair
Production Company: Société des films sonores Tobis
Main Cast:

  • Henri Marchand as Émile
  • Raymond Cordy as Louis
  • Rolla France as Jeanne
  • Paul Ollivier as Jeanne’s Uncle
  • Jacques Shelly as Paul
  • André Michaud as The Foreman
  • Germaine Aussey as Maud (Louis’ girlfriend)
  • Léon Lorin as The Deaf Old Man
  • William Burke as The Former Inmate
  • Vincent Hyspa as The Old Speaker
  • Alexander D’Arcy as The Gigolo

Synopsis (via Letterboxd):

In this classic French satire, Louis, a convict, escapes from prison and takes on legitimate work, making his way up in the business world. Eventually becoming the head of a successful factory, Louis opts to modernize his company with mechanical innovations. But when his friend Émile finally leaves jail years later and reunites with Louis, the past catches up with them. The two, worried about being apprehended by police, long to flee the confines of industry.

My Thoughts:

Louis and Émile attempt to escape prison together but get separated from one another.  Years later, Louis is an executive at a phonograph company, and Émile wanders into his factory (in pursuit of an attractive woman rather than a job).  Reunited, the two friends realize their past is catching up with them, and hijinks ensue.  The movie offers a sharp satire of the exploitation of labor and the police being at the service of capital, while offering an alternative in fully automated luxury communism.

As for being a musical, there’s one song but they sing it a lot.  The score is also cleverly arranged to incorporate sound effects and some aural gags.  It’s impressive that René Clair made this movie and the excellent Le Million in the same year! This movie anticipates both Chaplin’s Modern Times and the works of Jacques Tati.

Rating: ****

Movie Review: Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025)

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Title: Spinal Tap II: The End Continues
Release Date: September 12, 2025
Director: Rob Reiner
Production Company: Castle Rock Entertainment
Main Cast:

  • Christopher Guest as Nigel Tufnel 
  • Michael McKean as David St. Hubbins 
  • Harry Shearer as Derek Smalls
  • Rob Reiner as Marty DiBergi 
  • Valerie Franco as Didi Crockett 
  • CJ Vanston as Caucasian Jeff 
  • Kerry Godliman as Hope Faith
  • June Chadwick as Jeanine Pettibone, David’s ex-wife
  • Fran Drescher as Bobbi Flekman
  • Griffin Matthews as Peter La Pierre
  • Paul Shaffer as Artie Fufkin
  • Chris Addison as Simon Howler
  • Kathreen Khavari as Yasmine Farangi
  • Nina Conti as Moira

Synopsis (via Letterboxd):

The now estranged bandmates of Spinal Tap are forced to reunite for one final concert, hoping it will solidify their place in the pantheon of rock ’n’ roll.

My Thoughts:

I initially was not interested in this movie since there didn’t seem to be any point in making a sequel to This is Spinal Tap, but reconsidered after it became Rob Reiner’s final film.  I’m glad I did because it’s a perfectly enjoyable movie, not on par with original but much better than, say, Mascots.  And it turns out that the sequel actually does make a lot of sense.  Back in the early 80s, the first generation of rock stars were approaching middle age and there was a lot of hand-wringing about rock being the music of youth and how embarrassing it would be to still be playing it in one’s 40s.  But somehow as a culture we got past that and now rock stars in their 70s and 80s are still recording, still touring, and more popular than ever. Consider that The Who had farewell tours in 1982 and in 2025.

So shouldn’t a fictional band also still be kicking around?

The mockumentary is set around a reunion concert in New Orleans as Spinal Tap rehearses in a cozy studio.  They contend with Nigel and David’s unspoken tension, auditioning a new drummer, and contending with a sleazy concert promoter who wants them to be dance like a KPop boy band.  There are also appearances by Paul McCartney and Elton John which are played as wry satires of the “celebrity just popping in to say hi” trope.  Also, I got to say that musically, Spinal Tap is really good, perhaps even better than in 1984.

Rating: ***

Movie Review: RSC Live: The Merchant of Venice (2015)

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Title: RSC Live: The Merchant of Venice
Release Date: June 18, 2015
Director: Bridget Caldwell
Production Company: Royal Shakespeare Company
Main Cast:

  • Makram J. Khoury – Shylock
  • Patsy Ferran – Portia
  • Nadia Albina – Nerissa
  • Scarlett Brookes – Jessica
  • Ken Nwosu – Gratiano/Morocco
  • James Corrigan – Lorenzo
  • Jamie Ballard – Antonio
  • Jay Saighal – Solonio
  • Jacob Fortune-Lloyd – Bassanio

Synopsis (via Letterboxd):

In the melting pot of Venice, trade is God. With its ships plying the globe, the city opens its arms to all – as long as they come prepared to do business and there is profit to be made. When the gold is flowing all is well – but when a contract between Bassanio and Shylock is broken, simmering racial tensions boil over. A wronged father, and despised outsider, Shylock looks to exact the ultimate price for a deal sealed in blood.

My Thoughts:

In an attempt to stage one of Shakespeare’s most problematic plays, the RSC chose to go for a bold and abstract modern approach.  The look is interesting, but the play nevertheless feels flat in its performance.  The minimal set is a thrust stage in front of a reflective gold backdrop with a large pendulum swinging throughout.  The clown Launcelot Gobbo makes his first entrance while seated in the audience which is a nice touch.  And the homosexual subtext of Antonio and Bassanio’s relationship is made explicit, although it feels a bit half-hearted.  Makram J. Khoury provides a sympathetic reading of Shylock and is an intriguing casting choice since Khoury is from Israel, but of Palestinian Christian background.  Overall, I felt the cast and dialogue got overwhelmed by the unusual staging.

Rating: ***

Book Reviews: The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

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Author: William Shakespeare
Title: The Merchant of Venice
Publication Info: New York : Washington Square Press, 1992. [originally performed in 1595]
Summary/Review: Image

This is a hard play to review.  Even knowing The Merchant of Venice’s reputation for antisemitism, it’s still shocking how in your face it is about it.  It’s not just that the villain happens to be Jewish but the other characters (the ones we’re supposed to like) repeatedly refer to Shylock as a “Jewish devil” and the like.  Even “Hath not a Jew eyes?” monologue, a plea for shared humanity, is in context a justification for revenge. Granted, he has some good reasons to want revenge.

On a brighter note, this play features an excellent female protagonist in Portia.  Even when bound by her father’s will to accept a suitor who selects the correct casket, Portia bends the game to her advantage.  And of course, disguised as a man, Portia saves Antonio with her clever skill as a lawyer.  Ultimately this is a play that doesn’t make me feel good, but it does make me think.

I got to thinking that if I were to stage this play today, I would riff on reality TV show tropes.  Like the suitors selecting the caskets would be presented like Deal or No Deal, and the asides would be the “confessional” voice overs that reality stars record after the fact.  I don’t know, it could work.

Rating: ***

I’m reading every Shakespeare play, one per month, in chronological order.  Here’s my progress thus far:

  1. The Two Gentlemen of Verona
  2. The Taming of the Shrew
  3. Henry VI, Part 1
  4. Henry VI, Part 2
  5. Henry VI, Part 3
  6. Titus Andronicus
  7. Richard III
  8. The Comedy of Errors
  9. Love’s Labours’ Lost
  10. Richard II
  11. Romeo and Juliet
  12. A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream
  13. The Life and Death of King John

Album Recommendations – March 2026

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I’ve given up on trying to regularly write reviews of new albums, but I still want to share albums I enjoyed.  Below are several new (and new-ish) albums – no ratings, no criticism – just music I enjoy listening to and hope you will to.

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Album: Mandy, Indiana
Artist: Urgh
Genre: Noise Rock
Release Date: February 6, 2026
Label: Sacred Bones
Favorite Tracks:

  • Magazine
  • try saying
  • Dodechahedron
  • ist halt so
  • Cursive

Mandy, Indiana is a fictional midwestern town, but a real band lead by French vocalist Valentine Caulfield and a trio of instrumentalists from Manchester, England. Their sound is described as Noise Rock, but could also fall under Punk, Hyperpop, and/or Electronic. I know I’m not doing reviews, but this is already one of my favorite albums of the year.

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Album: Nothing’s About to Happen to Me
Artist:  Mitski
Genre: Indie Rock
Release Date: February 27, 2026
Label: Dead Oceans
Favorite Tracks:

  • In A Lake
  • Where’s My Phone?
  • Rules
  • That White Cat
  • Lightning

Mitski, a voice of her generation, is back with another collection of melodic and lyrically-complex songs.

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Album: Currently
Artist: Scottish Fish
Genre: Celtic Traditional
Release Date: July 30, 2025
Label: self-released
Favorite Tracks:

  • Annie’s
  • mapnol
  • St. Patrick’s
  • Fleur

The five members of Scottish Fish – Ava Montesi (fiddle), Caroline Dressler (fiddle), Giulia Haible (cello, piano), Julia Homa (fiddle, piano), and Maggie MacPhail (fiddle, piano)  – are in their early 20s, but have been performing together for over a decade!  Growing up in Boston’s Celtic Music scene they’ve become a tight unit performing Scottish and Cape Breton music, which is largely instrumental but with occasional vocalization.

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Album: Cutthroat
Artist: Shame
Genre: Post-punk
Release Date: September 5, 2025
Label: Dead Oceans
Favorite Tracks:

  • Cutthroat
  • Quiet Life
  • After Party

Shame is a post-punk quintet from South London, and Cutthroat is their fourth album.  Shame’s sound is reminiscent of post-punk pioneers The Fall and demonstrates a variety of styles across the album.

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Album: Sibyl
Artist: Sibyl
Genre: Folk
Release Date: February 27, 2026
Label: Gold Bolus Recordings
Favorite Tracks:

  • Witch Wife
  • I Felt a Cleaving In My Mind
  • The Saddest Noise, The Sweetest Noise
  • I’ll Fly Away

I’m a sucker for the close harmonies of siblings and the soprano voices of Chloe and Lily Holgate joined together is quite stunning.  Sibyl’s music sounds both ancient and contemporary, folky and experimental.  Lyrically their songs draw on the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay, Emily Dickinson, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

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Album: Blame the Clown
Artist: Twisted Teens
Genre: Punk Rock
Release Date: February 13, 2026
Label: Jazz Life
Favorite Tracks:

  • Is It Real?
  • Little Seed
  • Who Could It Be?
  • Hurricane

Caspian Hollywell and R.J. Santos are a duo from New Orleans whose punk rock sound includes elements of country and folk rock which Pitchfork calls Southern garage rock.

Theater Review: Lifted performed by Wellesley Repertory Theatre

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Lifted

By Mfoniso Udofia
Directed by Josiah Davis
Music Supervision & Arrangements by Brandon Michael Nase

March 10, 2026: Eliot Hall/Footlight Club, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

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Cast

Dr. Toyoima Ufot (Front-Facing) – Natalie Jacobs
Dr. Toyoima Ufot (Innocent) – Joaquina Kalukango
Dr. Toyoima Ufot (Wrath) – Denise Manning
Adiaha Ufot – Lorraine Kanyike
Abasiama Ufot – Chavez Ravine
Dr. Anthony Umanah/CPS Chair – Paul Pryce
Iniabasi Ekpeyoung – Aneisa Hicks

This isn’t going to be a review so much as a few comments on a play that is still in process.  Lifted is the seventh of nine plays in playwright Mfoniso Udofia’s Ufot Family Cycle.  I saw Kufre N’ Quay (5 of 9) last summer but have not seen any of the other plays.  Unfortunately there’s no way to bingewatch live theater if you’ve missed previous installments.

This performance was an open rehearsal in a workshop style with the cast members reading from their scripts.  The script is not yet complete and Udofia said that she’s delivering 60-80 pages to the cast each day with the goal of having a complete script by March 29.  Despite being an in-process work, the cast are doing a really excellent job in their readings.  As music is key to the show, it’s also impressive at how well the cast harmonized.The story itself is about Dr. Toyoima Ufot facing a disciplinary hearing at her university for plagiarism.  The intriguing thing about this play is that Toyoima is played by three actors simultaneously (tethered together) representing different aspects of her personality.

After the production, the cast and creative team took questions and comments from the audience that will inform their upcoming performances.  Lifted will be presented again at the Footlight Club on March 12 and 14, at Huntington Theatre’s Maso Studio from March 24-28, and at Wellesley College on March 29.  You can expect that it will be very different with each iteration!

Movie Review: Next to Normal (2025)

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Title: Next to Normal
Release Date: May 9, 2025
Director: Michael Longhurst, Austin Shaw
Production Company: Anonymous Content | PBS | Liberator Film Productions  |The WNET Group
Main Cast:

  • Caissie Levy – Diana Goodman
  • Jamie Parker –  Dan Goodman
  • Jack Wolfe – Gabe Goodman
  • Eleanor Worthington-Cox – Natalie Goodman
  • Trevor Dion Nicholas – Dr. Fine/Dr. Madden
  • Jack Ofrecio – Henry

Synopsis (via Letterboxd):

A mother struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managing her illness has on her family. The PBS Great Performances recording of the West End Transfer (from Donmar Warehouse) in 2024.

My Thoughts:

The Goodman family of suburban U.S.A. have their problems.  Mother Diana has worsening bipolar disorder and delusions.  Father Dan is exhausted from dealing with Diana’s mental health, and is kind of a control freak about it.  Daughter Natalie overachieves at school but feels neglected at home.  And son Gabe is [SPOILER ALERT] dead.

This rock musical has a devoted following in the musical theater community but I have mixed feelings about it.  At first it felt like “white people problems” but the point of the story grew on me as it went on.  I also found that that music didn’t gibe with me, while recognizing that the cast put in some spectacular vocal performances. Caissie Levy (who I recently saw in Ragtime) stands out for her emotional range.  I also like Eleanor Worthington-Cox whose vocal style is so similar to Levy’s, a mark of excellent casting for a mother and daughter.

Depicting mental illness on stage and screen is trick business, and the whole concept of Gabe appearing to Diana as a teenager (although he died as an infant) is challenging.  It’s particularly strange that he sometimes acts almost as if he were a demon feeding on her energy.  This production was filmed on stage in the West End in 2024, and despite my mixed feelings I’d like to see this show in person should I ever get the chance.

Rating: ***