This year’s festival has activists, climbers, killers, and animated detectives.
For the past few years, I’ve been traveling to Chicago to celebrate a portion of their 62nd International Film Festival. I’ve seen all “Knives Out” movies, “A Real Pain,” “Belfast,” “The Holdovers,” “Bugonia,” and “May December” within these past years. And this year, I have a selection made by the likes of Tim Blake Nelson (the person in the graphic above this article), Pedro Almodovar, and Jesse Eisenberg, among others.
These are the films I managed to get my claws on at this year’s festival.
“The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd” (Release Date TBA)
Tim Blake Nelson has entered the prisoner genre before with movies like “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou,” “Holes,” and “Just Mercy,” and his latest directing job regards an irredeemable prisoner and a school teacher, who shares a connection. It doesn’t become romantic, but they do share a passion for literature and they do send help messages within. One of them is in an abusive marriage she was too stupid to get out of in the first place, and the other needs the tools to escape.
The movie opens with this “Based on True Events” note, and Nelson did conceive the idea off of the 2015 Clinton Correctional Facility escape. Richard Matt and David Sweat were convicted murderers, who escaped by cutting holes through cell walls and a steam pipe with some tools from two prison employees.
Set in Oklahoma, Amanda Seyfried stars as a former school teacher and unhappily married woman named Karen, who lands a teaching job in the local prison. Her lessons regard reading and writing with Ernest Hemingway in mind. While one student named Vaughn (Kraig Dane) insults her, another named Wilson Shedd (Scoot McNairy) wants to listen to her. And amazing enough, he’s a murderer and rapist.
Told in non-linear order, the movie shows us his prison escape with two other inmates as well as a hostage situation with a Minister (Devyn A. Tyler) and her family (William Jackson Harper as her husband and Xuri Selah and Eric Blount as their two singing kids) that ends tragically. Then, there’s the unfaithfulness and attacks from Karen’s husband Kenneth (Grant Harvey), which is why she stays with her friends (Terrence Rosemore as her co-worker and Wunmi Mosaku as his wife). And finally, we get a look at the prisoner’s execution, which has the preparations, but becomes problematic.
In recent memory, we have two execution cases. One of them in which President Trump cancels the live streaming of the upcoming execution of the Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, and the other regards the botched execution of Colleen Slammer’s murderer Christa Gail Pike, who ended up in the hospital. Those are the two recent examples I have heard about in the news, and I acknowledge that the punishments are well-suited for such unspeakable crimes. Ones I don’t want to delve deep into.
I wish “The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd” examined the teacher chemistry more, which seems to be sidetracked near the end. But it does show the consequences of such a connection between a teacher and a criminal. It doesn’t go for the romantic approach, but rather the character approach. He is a serial murderer, while she is in a bad relationship, and both Seyfried and McNairy are very good in the notion. And the supporting work from Tyler, Mosaku, Harvey, and Rosemore all deliver on the acting-the kind when you know they’re committed to their roles.
Nelson also casts himself as the warden of the prison, who hires the teacher and becomes concerned about her safety when she comes with bruises on her face. But mostly, he directs the film with authenticity and reminiscences of his previous work of the prison genre. And he guides the actors with the right tone, emotions, and development. There are consequences for certain actions, and he refuses to take the easy way out.
“The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd” is not a biography nor a romance. It’s irredeemable, and I believe that’s what makes the film stand out.
“Bob and David Climb Macho Picchu” (Release Date TBA)
We’ve seen Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon taking trips to different countries and trying different restaurants in “The Trip” franchise. We’ve seen Will Ferrell and Harper Steele taking a cross country road trip in “Will & Harper.” We’ve even seen Wallace Shawn having dinner with Andre Gregory in “My Dinner with Andre.” And now, we get to see Bob Odenkirk and David Cross scaling the Inca mountains in “Bob and David Climb Macho Picchu.” And I’m liking this kind of genre, because the celebrities aren’t exploited. They examine each other, and they have good taste in places. Location, location, location.
These are comedy legends who began their careers with stand-up comedy, writing for “The Ben Stiller Show,” and collaborating for their own sketch comedy “Mr. Show with Bob and David” on HBO. Years have passed since they started their own families, and took on different acting roles (David was also seen in the “Men in Black” movies, while Bob regained his success with “Breaking Bad” and “Nobody,” etc.). And now, they reunite to travel to Peru for their famous Machu Picchu trail.
The trip began a few years after Bob survived a heart attack in 2021, and David was beginning to see things differently. He wanted to take the trek with Bob as part of their bucket list. Their journey includes lessons about Inca culture, the high altitude of the mountains, and how each step can be easy and hard. They were told it would be “As Flat as the Indies.” Up those high steps, and you’re guaranteed an “FU” in the mix.
Maybe it should have been a little longer, but still “Bob and David Climb Machu Picchu” shows us a dynamic relationship between the two comedy stars. Bob and David both have the comedic timing and consistency to merge with the long walks, weather, and star power. They have their selfie moments with fans, and even a comical meet and greet segment, but they never let their success become their identities. They already have their own identities.
A few weeks ago, I watched two hiking movies with good friends: “Tenzing” and “The North.” Both movies are gorgeously photographed and know the stakes of scaling trails and mountains in different countries, although I felt that “Tenzing” had more character development than “The North” did. This one is a documentary that sees the character development between Bob and David, as they gone through different stages of their lives: their movies and family lives. And I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but the environment can be identified as a character. Machu Picchu is character allowing these comedy stars to walk across it and listen to their sense of humor.
The audience at the screening was laughing every step of the way, and so was I. Bob and David both know how to kid with each other and other people without being mean-spirited or cynical about it. And they allow their past performances to keep their nostalgia alive. It’s a movie made for fans of their work, and I am one of them. I wonder where they’re going next, but I don’t think they’ll scale Mount Everett.
“Bitter Christmas” (Opens in Select Theaters November 13)
I have seen Pedro Almodovar’s last two entries at this festival. In 2024, it was “The Room Next Door,” and this year, it was “Bitter Christmas,” or as it is known in Spanish as “Amarga Navidad.” So, it feels so authentic to seeing the filmmaker provide stories worthy of being shown at an international film festival like this.
“Bitter Christmas” is something I wanted to enjoy. It has a passion for screenplays and the characters created for them. And it knows how to provide the humor and honesty within them. The funniest is when the main heroine explains the meaning of “cult films” to a nurse. And the sincerest emotions come with the choices of the character development. But I’ve decided against it, because it doesn’t really finish or embrace certain characters or elements. They appear for a good chunk of the first half and begin to fade during the second. Even the fictional director (whom I’ll get to in a second) is commented about that.
Taking place in Spain, the 2004 setting is being written by a celebrated filmmaker named Raul Rossetti (Leonardo Sbaraglia from “Wild Tales” and “Pain and Glory”) in 2025. He believes making movies is his only source of life, and his next film is a passion project named “Bitter Christmas.” He tries not to exploit the issues of the people around him, which is why he changes names and their turmoil a bit. But he is caught between fiction and autofiction, which threatens to overlap one another.
His main heroine and alter ego is a filmmaker named Elsa (Barbara Lennie), who has only made commercials and two cult films and may be on the brink of a third feature. Before we get to that, we see her suffering from what starts off as a terrible migraine and ends up being a panic attack, being in love with her firefighter and stripper boyfriend Bonifacio (Patrick Criado), and respectively helping her friends Natalia (Milena Smit from”Parallel Mothers”) and Patricia (Victoria Luengo from “The Room Next Door”) through different tragedies. Natalia lost her son in a car accident, while Patricia’s husband may have a fling in Paris (It’s a 2000s cell phone picture, so it’s a little blurry, but she can still tell by his jacket).
Back in the 2025 setting, Raul’s assistant Monica (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón from “A Walk in the Clouds” and “Parallel Mothers”) resigns from her duties to help her friend deal with a tragedy. His screenplay gets threatened when she learns who one of his characters is based on. She’s mad at him, no matter how hard he tries to differentiate between the real character and the movie character.
As always in an Almadovar movie, the color palettes are superb. We see Elsa wearing sweaters in blue and then orange, and Raul looks good in a blue shirt, then red, and later in yellow. As he is typing on his computer, we get the end credits having different color rectangular shapes. The interior houses are painted in different colors. And the hospital has aqua chairs, and the walls are in aqua, red, white, and blue.
The performances from Lennie, Sbaraglia, and Sánchez-Gijón are brilliant, sharp, passionate, and often funny. All the qualities that make them ideal Almadovar characters. And there’s a strong sense regarding the developing of a screenplay, and whether or not names would be altered or exploited for entertainment purposes. There’s a distinction of the very notion that we’re able to acknowledge.
I was expecting to like “Bitter Christmas,” and where it was going, but the problem is how it handles the character development in the third act. At least, I think it’s third act if the film is going for that non-chronological order. For example, Patricia’s story doesn’t really justify itself as Natalia’s does, and as Monica comments on, Bonifacio has to get faded away. He starts off as Elsa’s lover and then he gets less and less character development. Break-ups do happen, but the movie acts like it wants to forget him.
There’s something brilliant inside this movie, but I’m not sure if it has an ending or endings.
“Going for Home” (Release Date TBA)
Movies and sports can be used as not only escapism, but also beacons of hope following tragedies. In the case of the documentary “Going for Home,” the tragedy is the Eaton Canyon Fire that killed 19 people and destroyed over 9,000 homes in Southern California. And because of the fires, there may be no baseball season for the Central Altadena Little League. However, in March 2025 following the disaster, the league and coaches decide to recreate the season to Robinson Park in Pasadena.
We listen to the coaches and parents who have lost their homes and loved ones to the fire. The manager of the Altadena Baseball Academy lost his grandmother to the fire, while the mother of one of the young players burst out in tears at what she has seen during the fire. Clips of that are shown, and they are heartbreaking. But it’s their kids who still have hope in life.
And speaking of Robinson Park, which we know has been named after Jackie Robinson, the movie has a small conversation about the segregation in the past, especially the Jim Crow era. And they say that Altadena stands out, because of the diversity that brings out the magic of the people. And it does.
The executive producers are Paul Giamatti and John C. Reilly (who also co-wrote and sings the end credits song), while the filmmaker is Eric Simonson. His background includes directing “On Tiptoe: Gentle Steps to Freedom” and “Topa Topa Bluffs,” and producing shows like “The Man in the High Castle” and “Homecoming.” And while “Going for Home” is a little fast paced with the interviews, and I’m unable to name everyone here, it still is heartwarming and emotional. When tragedies strike, sadness emerges. But whether we’re talking about movies and sports, we need a sign of optimism to look towards the future. It’s mentioned in the movie that the young players need to be prepared for any more tragic events like the Eaton Canyon fire. But that doesn’t mean they can be unhappy forever. They have the freedom to play ball.
This is a sad movie, but I can also be a happy movie if you know these players, their parents, and their coaches can look forward in life. They can find the joy and serenity in running on the fields, even though there are strikes in the outfield. Simonson is a good sport for seeing what they can do and what they can overcome, and he exploits nothing and nobody. Even Reilly’s song raises the high spirits during the end credits. It might sound corny if I say the movie is a home run, but I have to say it is a home run.
“Ink” (Opens in Select Theaters December 11 and Streaming on Netflix January 8)
The only thing shocking about Danny Boyle’s new movie “Ink” is that A.I. was used for 30 seconds in the film. It was used for animated photographs and mice scurrying around The Sunnewsroom. Now that would turn people off, and I’m disappointed that the man who gave us “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Trainspotting,” “127 Hours,” and “28 Days Later,” among others, would resort to something as inhuman as this.
But other than that, “Ink” is filmed with real people and has a certain vibe that reflects on his previous work. The Dutch angles (slanted framework) places the characters with the right ambition and energy, while the actors portraying them have the strong dialogue to back them up. The film also shares a passion for the news world, as movies like “Spotlight,” “All the President’s Men,” and “The Paper.” This is set in the U.K. in the 1960s.
The screenplay for this movie was by James Graham, who wrote the 2017 play that premiered at the Almeida Theatre. This is also his first movie screenplay since “X+Y,” and he sure has a strong passion for journalism as well as the controversy inside it. What to publish, what not to publish, who are the readers, and the strong success it nonetheless garnered.
Jack O’Connell stars as a former Daily Mirror editor named Larry Lamb, and Guy Pearce plays the Australian businessman Rupert Murdock. The latter tells him that he is buying The Sun to make it into the newspaper of Fleet Street, and wants him to be the editor.
The staff includes the crime writer and editor Brian (Brian Gleeson), the Women’s Interests writer and Larry’s muse Jules (Claire Foy), the chief subeditor Ray (Blake Harrison), the sports writer Frank (Christopher Fulford), the deputy editor Bernard (Patrick Kennedy), and the boy photographer Beverley (Angus Imrie). They all do some brainstorming on how the paper can be a major hit with readers. And some of the ideas include the weather being on page 2, the phrase “Win. Free. Love,” and adding the sex and lifestyle guide “The Sensuous Woman” to it.
Later in the film, we see Muriel McKay (Lucy Russell) being kidnapped by two Indo-Trinidadian brothers named Arthur (Shane David-Joseph) and Nizamodeen Hosein (Dee Ahluwalia), because they both thought they were kidnapping the wife of Rupert. When in actuality, they were kidnapping the wife of New Limited senior executive Sir Alick McKay (Jonathan Hyde). The Sun is skeptical about whether or not the publish this kind of news to get help from witnesses, but they go through with it.
I’ll let the 30 seconds of A.I. problem go, and focus more on how Boyle uses his style of filmmaking to represent the news world in a time and place like 1960s U.K. He does it with a lot of freedom and he has O’Connell and Pearce delivering a lot of mad men energy. They’re both entertaining and smart in their portrayals of the real-life characters, and Graham writes them very well. A transition from stage to screen, no less.
Photographed by Alwin H. Küchler (who collaborated with Boyle on “Sunshine” and “Steve Jobs”), “Ink” looks great inside and outside The Sun building. And he and the director capture some fresh shots of the printing machine, as well as the parties, driving, and dangers of the medium.
At times-still ignoring the A.I. problem-the story does get a little crazy, especially with what is a would-be love story between Larry and Jules. But at other times, we’re seeing different angles of journalism and the money it makes with the right promotions and coverages. This review is written by a critic who contributed to his school and college paper, so I know exactly what I’m talking about.
“I Play Rocky” (Opens November 6)
It’s amazing that in the same year he made the awful comedy “Balls Up,” Peter Farrelly of the Farrelly brothers immediately redeems himself by making “I Play Rocky.” He and his brother knew how to make people laugh with comedies like “Dumb and Dumber” and “There’s Something About Mary.” And like “Green Book,” it’s like we’re seeing a completely different director.
Anthony Ippolito is a young actor, whose credits include “Pixels,” “Purple Heart,” and his portrayal of Al Pacino on “The Offer.” I haven’t really heard of his name before, and as I was watching “I Play Rocky,” I was trying to figure out who it was playing Sylvester Stallone, because he is phenomenal in the role. He fits into the posture, voice, hair, and appearance, and it’s literally impossible to see flaws in his portrayal.
The movie focuses on his 1976 break-out role “Rocky,” which he wrote the screenplay in 3 and a half days. Before we get to that, we see young Sylvester (or Mike Stallone as he wanted to refer to himself as) struggling to land an audition, make ends meet and sleeping in the streets with his stray dog Butkus. He finds a lead role on the porn film “The Party at Kitty and Stud’s,” but he doesn’t continue the genre. And working at a movie theater, he falls in love with his co-worker-a photographer and would-be actress named Sasha Czack (AnnaSophia Robb).
Years later, after moving to Los Angeles, we see him working as a valet, and offscreen, he’s subjected to limited roles including “The Lords of Flatbush,” also featuring Henry Winkler. But after watching the match between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner on TV, he gets to writing the screenplay for “Rocky.” He shares the project with producers Irwin Winkler (PJ Byrne) and Robert Chartoff (Toby Kebbell), who are immediately impressed with it, a lot more than the cynical and doubtful studio executive Sandy Maddox (Tracy Letts), who hates boxing movies and has the gall to tell off “The Godfather.” But that doesn’t stop the optimism of the two producers.
However…..everyone is disenchanted when Sylvester insists on being the actor to play Rocky (‘I Play Rocky,” he constantly says), instead of a major star. It’s doubtful because they believe nobody would want to see a movie with an unknown in the lead. And no matter how many negotiations he’s given, he still wants to play Rocky. I guess this is how we’re seeing this movie, an unknown at the time playing an unknown at the time. If the real Sylvester Stallone became famous, then so can Anthony Ippolito.
The collaborators of the filmmaking also include the director John G. Avildsen (Jay Duplass), the actor set to play Apollo Creed-Carl Weathers (Stephan James), and the actress set to play Rocky’s love interest Adrian Pennino-Talia Shire (Kiki Seto). And we also get Sylvester’s tough father Frank Stallone, Sr. (Matt Dillon), a would-be actor, who works as a hairdresser, and would have a dynamic with his son. We should get a little more on the father-son relationship, but it’s still brilliantly acted.
“I Play Rocky” is something made for fans of Stallone and his “Rocky” pictures, as was “Ed Wood” and “The Disaster Artist” were made for people who love their B-pictures, and “The Fabelmans” was made for Steven Spielberg fans. Every scene of filming the most iconic scenes in the 1976 film is shot with authenticity and honoring. The ice skate rink scene has to be filmed, the jogging scene has to be filmed, and the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Arts scene has to be filmed. It actually feels like we’re seeing the young Stallone in those scenes, thanks to the uncanny performance from Ippolito.
Besides the lead, we also get great supporting work from Robb, Dillon, Byrne, Kebbell, Duplass, and Letts. Their dialogue is whip smart and entertaining. And Farrelly and writer Peter Gamble both deliver a biopic that pulls no punches.
“The Debut” (Opens in Select Theaters December 11)
As Jesse Eisnberg’s third directing job “The Debut” begins, it has that musical vibe with the fake city background and Bernadette Peters’ singing. And the minute the credits say: “AND BERNADETTE PETERS,” the audience is applauding. But she isn’t the main star of the movie. That would be Julianne Moore, who owns the screen as Mona Friedman, an average New Jersey housewife with an unmoving husband (Patrick Fabian) and bickering teenage twins (Jonah Diamond and Becca Suskauer). One day, she decides to audition at Brooks Art Center for a stage production, despite the fact that she isn’t an actress, just a former church choir singer.
Before my viewing of “The Debut,” the Chicago International Film Festival gave us fake Playbills which has the fake stage director and stars listed. The fake show “Nosy Neighbors” features romances, plumbing issues, and a blackout. And what was supposed to be the celebrated actress Serena Cherry (Peters), Mona gets the role of the building super Miss Danielle. And the director is Jerry Blankenbuehler (Paul Giamatti)-yes, we know like “Hamilton” choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler (who also does the choreography for this movie)-doesn’t see anything special in Mona, but reluctantly casts her when Serena backs out of the role. And as the rehearsals begins, he pressures her into digging deep inside Miss Danielle.
For some real character development, Jerry takes Mona to an apartment posing as a replacement super, while she starts learning how to pix pipes. She digs into her the character to the point of her losing herself. Now that I think about it, the stage director might be less hostile than JK Simmons as the abusive jazz instructor in “Whiplash,” because even he worries about the stability of the show and cast.
The movie’s cast also includes Halle Bailey, Colton Ryan, Bonnie Milligan, and Eisenberg himself as the actors in the stage production. But it’s mostly Moore and Giamatti were hooked into, because of how they respectively adapt into a genre like. A movie about getting into character and what the director requires for the role to be perfect. And I’ve mentioned how it breaks free from the “Whiplash” formula.
At times, we cringe at some of the behaviors Mona engages herself in during the third act, but Moore gives one of her best performances throughout this whole movie. She engages herself in the film’s sense of humor, which often involves bananas for the sake of potassium and sinks and pipes for the sake her Miss Danielle’s plumbing duties. And there are times when Mona can hear Serena’s voice, and a scene when they end up in the same room. But I can’t tell you when and how, because I want you to react like the audience did at the screening I’ve attended. And Giamatti has a lot of consistency and charisma to channel into a stage director like Jerry. Maybe he’s even reflecting on his “Holdovers” character a bit, especially with his dialogue and attitude.
Eisenberg also wrote the “Nosy Neighbors” songs, which have whimsical vibes. One of the songs is titled: “This City May Have Chewed Me Up (But It Hasn’t Spit Me Out), and it’s sung by Peters in the opening shot and later by Moore. It think it would suit a building super, because of how they would go through life through its lows and at least find some serenity. And I like how the film’s end credits are to the tune of Stephen Sondheim’s “Broadway Baby” and sung by Jayne Houdyshell.
“The Debut” enters a lot of dangerous territory, and as the filmmaker, Eisenberg delivers on the genre. Musicals, theater, comedy, and drama-it all blends well, and the audience is able to adapt to them. And now, it’s time to set the stage.
I couldn’t see every film at the festival, and there are those I will review ASAP, but there are entries that also premiered there that I have seen elsewhere. You’ll get the full reviews for them soon enough.
“Ray Gunn” (Opens in Select Theaters December 4 and premieres on Netflix December 18)
I saw Brad Bird’s brilliant animated feature “Ray Gunn” at the very first screening at the Paris Theater in New York. This was even before it had its world premiere at the London Film Festival. In it, Sam Rockwell does the voice of the title detective, who is in a retro future with humans and aliens co-existing, a femme fatale with the voice of Scarlett Johansson, and dangerous case to crack. Filled with great action sequences and visual effects, it’s proof that Bird has always had a gift in animation (think back to “The Iron Giant,” “The Incredibles,” and “Ratatouille”). Amazingly enough, it took him 30 years just to go get it made, and I’m glad Netflix is the distributor.
“Being Heumann” (Opens in select theaters November 6 and streaming on AppleTV the following week)
The good people who provide my screenings and screeners-New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO)-gave me a special look at Sian Heder’s latest entry. Real life disabled actress Ruth Madeley is great as Judy Heumann, a disabled activist, who leads her fellow protestors to the nearest government building in order to get Joseph Califano (Mark Ruffalo) to sign Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which would protect the rights of disabled people. As she did with “CODA,” Heder gives disabled actors a chance to sign and prove they’re more than meets the eye. And even though she casts some well known names, she exploits nothing.
“Mouse” (Opens in Select Theaters November 6)
This was the Centerpiece of the festival. NYFCO was also kind enough to give me a screener for the latest feature from filmmakers and real life couple Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson, who both gave us “Saint Frances” and “Ghostlight.” Katherine Mallen Kupferer is very good as Minnie, a high school senior, who is distraught over the tragic death of her BFF (Chloe Coleman), while Sophie Okenedo is emotionally great as her friend’s grieving mother. This is another winner for the filmmakers, who specialize in low key entertainment and authentic performances.
“Behemoth!” (Opens in select theaters December 4)
This was the Closing Night feature. I saw Tony Gilroy’s latest entry at the New York Film Festival, and while I admire its passion for composing and the humor and action that comes in, I still felt it was a missed opportunity. Pedro Pascal plays a celebrated composer, who uses his music scores to represent the action and drama in his life. And the weakness regards the undeveloped spouses he has, like Olivia Wilde as a stalker. Gilroy has written and directed brilliant movies like the “Bourne” films and “Michael Clayton,” but this movie isn’t one of them.
As for others like “Wild Horse Nine,” “Tangles,” “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York,” and “Club Kid,” I’ll review them at the next opportunity.