Movie Reviews
Ghostlight (2024) – Movie Review
Ghostlight, 2024.
Directed by Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson.
Starring Keith Kupferer, Dolly de Leon, Katherine Mallen Kupferer, Tara Mallen, Hanna Dworkin, Dexter Zollicoffer, H.B. Ward, Tommy Rivera-Vega, Alma Washington, Matthew C. Yee, Marlene Slaughter, Bradley Grant Smith, Lia Cubilete, Cindy Gold, Charlie Lubeck, Francis Guinan, Sarab Kamoo, Charin Alvarez, Anthony Lee Irons, Deanna Dunagan, Jaci Williamson, and Santino Craven.
SYNOPSIS:
When a construction worker unexpectedly joins a local theater’s production of Romeo and Juliet, the drama onstage starts to mirror his own life.

With every small revelation (each one feels like a piece to a puzzle), it feels as if filmmakers Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson are like Icarus, flying the narrative of Ghostlight too close to the sun regarding what it’s doing with its Romeo and Juliet meta-spin. The magic trick pulled off here is that it never actually feels too much or like it’s being laid on too thick, and that’s primarily because the emotions within the Shakespearean-like melodrama feel authentic. Everything stings more with each new detail we learn about the family at the center of the film, how the tragic loss of their son/brother has affected them, and the circumstances of his death.
Dan (Keith Kupferer, Vulnerable and explosive in equal measure, delivering a magnificent pained performance that would probably generate awards buzz if he were a bigger star, if the film was being released by a larger distributor, and the release date was closer to that season)) is the blue-collar Illinois construction worker trying to hold the family together, which consists of his wife Sharon (Tara Mallen) and rebellious, foul-mouthed problem child Daisy (Katherine Mallen Kupferer), both of whom are played by his real-life wife and daughter.

He hasn’t given him or the family the time and space to grieve properly yet, preparing for a lawsuit being filed against the son’s girlfriend’s family, implying that she was partially responsible for his death. More importantly, Dan is angry inside with a short fuse, just as quick to lash out as a heckling driver annoyed by his construction work as much as he is comfortable verbally blowing up on his wife and daughter, which they seem to think is a defense mechanism from dealing with reality.
Dolly De Leon’s Rita notices Dan’s on-the-job meltdown and decides to casually invite him into the local theater group she participates in, which is preparing their faithful but middle-aged take on Romeo and Juliet (the film excels at tackling the nature of storytelling and the act of putting oneself inside someone else’s shoes.) Even though his daughter has put on a few school performances, Dan is somewhat lost, doesn’t know how to project his voice, and doesn’t quite grasp what it means to play a character who says and behaves differently from oneself or how stage performance can provide catharsis. Nevertheless, he finds himself reciting lines in the car on the way home and conversing with Daisy about Romeo and Juliet without telling her what he has gotten into.

In what could have become a cringeworthy, manipulative, tasteless gimmick, aspects of Romeo and Juliet play into what this family has recently gone through. It also causes Dan to retreat or blow up once those parallels become more apparent in the rehearsal process. Once Dan discovers Romeo and Juliet die at the end (one of many odd contrivances here that don’t drag the story down too much considering how gripping and real everything feels despite that), his natural reaction is flipping out and requesting the ending be changed, condemning Shakespeare in the process.
Eventually, the whole family gets involved, with this scrappy production and its emotional resonance possibly able to save this family from collapsing. Dan has been arguing with Sharon frequently, who hasn’t been given a chance to grieve her son. Daisy struggles with authority and finds herself nearly expelled (rather conveniently once she enters the play and begins rehearsing), having also lost her passion for the arts before this. Katherine Mallen Kupferer is also given room to deliver a sometimes loud and brash performance, which gives her troublemaking antics the feel of a sitcom character and can sometimes feel at odds with the more serious-minded storytelling at hand, but nevertheless delivers a winning performance.

Naturally, there is strong, believable chemistry between all family members. Also tender is the dynamic between Dan and Rita, as the latter imparts wisdom on the power of the arts while also opening up about her life and what getting the chance to play Juliet means to her, even if the rationale of young love doesn’t align with two older performers in the titular roles.
Ghostlight uses this artistic exercise to build to catharsis and acceptance gradually; it’s powerful in concept and execution with terrific, lived-in performances. Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson are smartly doing something Shakespearean outside of the on-screen Romeo and Juliet performance, dialed into the right tone that the material needs to register as emotionally bruising rather than an eye-rolling melodramatic disaster. It’s a daring and audacious balancing act that doesn’t seem like it is going to work until each soul-stirring moment lands as intended.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
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Movie Reviews
8News Reel Talk: ‘Toy Story 5’ movie review
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — In this episode of 8News Reel Talk, Julia Broberg sits down with Hekla Petursson and Catori Ryan to talk about “Toy Story 5.”
The hosts gave their reviews and provided the following star ratings:
Catori: ★★★★
Hekla: ★★★★★
Julia: ★★★★.2
To watch more livestreams and digital video content, head to the WRIC+ Originals page. You can also watch full on-demand videos on your smart TV using the WRIC+ app.
Movie Reviews
Mark Jenkin’s ‘ROSE OF NEVADA’ – Movie Review – PopHorror
Rose of Nevada is a genuinely poetic movie that pushes the boundaries of the Groundhog Day-style time-travel narrative while carving out an identity completely its own. Rather than relying on the familiar mechanics that audiences have come to expect from the genre, the film approaches the concept through a more reflective and emotional lens. The result is a movie that feels thoughtful, ambitious, and surprisingly moving.
It makes a huge on-screen presence felt through its cast, particularly George MacKay and Callum Turner, who both deliver performances that elevate the material beyond a simple science-fiction premise. Combined with breathtaking visuals and a strong directorial vision, Rose of Nevada becomes something far more memorable than many of its genre contemporaries.
George MacKay continues to prove why he is one of the most compelling actors working today. Following his acclaimed work in 1917, he once again demonstrates an ability to carry a film through sheer presence and emotional authenticity.
Every scene feels grounded because of his performance, even when the story ventures into more abstract territory. Alongside him, Callum Turner delivers what could easily be viewed as a breakout performance. The chemistry between the two leads helps anchor the film, allowing audiences to connect with the characters even as the narrative challenges conventional storytelling expectations.
One of the film’s greatest strengths is its visual presentation. The cinematography is nothing short of earth-shattering. Nearly every frame looks like a carefully crafted painting, capturing both the beauty and mystery of the world these characters inhabit. There is a dreamlike quality to the imagery that perfectly complements the film’s themes of time, memory, and destiny.
The camera lingers on landscapes just long enough to allow viewers to soak in their beauty without ever slowing the pace. It’s the kind of cinematography that demands to be appreciated on the largest screen possible.
Director Mark Jenkin continues to establish himself as one of the most distinctive voices in modern British cinema. Following the atmospheric and haunting Enys Men, Jenkin once again crafts a story that feels deeply connected to folklore and place.
The British backdrop becomes a character in itself, with rugged coastlines, open landscapes, and isolated locations contributing to the film’s unique atmosphere. His direction never feels showy or excessive; instead, he trusts the audience to absorb the experience and interpret its deeper meanings.
What makes Rose of Nevada especially fascinating is how it recalls classic time-travel films without simply copying them. There are moments that evoke the spirit of The Final Countdown, particularly in the sense of wonder and uncertainty surrounding the temporal elements.
Yet the film remains firmly rooted in its own identity, focusing more on emotion and introspection than spectacle. It invites viewers to engage with its ideas rather than simply consume them.
This is also one of those rare films that benefits from reflection after the credits roll. It is not a movie designed to provide easy answers. Instead, it lingers in the mind, encouraging discussion and interpretation. The more time you spend thinking about it, the more rewarding it becomes. Much like a fine wine, Rose of Nevada continues to improve with age, revealing new layers and details upon reflection.
Overall, Rose of Nevada is a beautiful, ambitious, and visually stunning piece of filmmaking that deserves to be experienced on the big screen. Powered by exceptional performances, remarkable cinematography, and confident direction, it stands as one of the more unique takes on time travel in recent memory.
Overall Grade: 4/5 Stars
Movie Reviews
‘Supergirl’ review: DC Studios serves up a second less-than-super movie
James Gunn isn’t exactly crushing it.
Named co-chairman and chief executive officer of the newly formed DC Studios in 2022, the “Guardians of the Galaxy” filmmaker wrote and directed the division of Warner Bros. Discovery’s largely disappointing “Superman,” released last year.
This week, DC Studios’ second big-screen affair, “Supergirl,” lands in theaters with similarly underwhelming results.
‘Superman’ review: James Gunn gets DCU off to rocky, overstuffed start
Starring Milly Alcock as the movie’s namesake Kryptonian heroine — who also goes by Kara Zor-El and is the cousin of David Corenswet’s Superman/Clark Kent/Kal-El — “Supergirl” isn’t distractingly zany the way its 2025 sister film was. Instead, it’s tonally boring, a chore of a movie chock full of thinly drawn characters and increasingly bombastic and violent.
To be clear, Gunn isn’t at the helm for “Supergirl.” Instead, it’s the typically dependable Craig Gillespie (“I, Tonya,” “Cruella”), working from a script by Ana Nogueira, making her less-than-impressive feature-writing debut.
This planet-hopping adventure in the new DC Universe isn’t a complete space wreck, however, thanks largely to the spunky performance by Aussie Alcock, best known for portraying the younger Rhaenyra Targaryen in the early episodes of HBO’s “House of the Dragon.”
When we catch up with Kara, she’s basically as we left her late in “Superman”: a super-sized mess. She’s out with her beloved, rambunctious dog, Krypto — the peppy and powerful pup having already been a major player in “Superman” — and enjoying a 23rd-birthday pub crawl among planets under a red sun. (Quick reminder: Supergirl, like Superman, draws her incredible powers from a yellow sun, like Earth’s, so she’s at least vaguely normal under a red sun and, importantly, can become intoxicated. The color of suns is a major factor throughout “Supergirl,” and it’s the movie’s most inventive narrative element.)
It is on such a world where a drunken Kara encounters 13-year-old Ruthye Marye Knoll of the Danastia Clan (Eve Ridley), whose family has just been brutally slain by the ruthless Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts). Understandably, Ruthye wants revenge against Krem — leader of the Brigants, a band of male pirates and traffickers — and can think of little else.
She’s offering anyone who will help a sword made by her family of skilled weapons makers. The beyond-buzzed Kara isn’t interested, but she gets involved when a scumbag type tries to take the sword. She continues to do her best to fend off Ruthye’s subsequent pleas for assistance in her quest to kill Krem, but when the baddie — in the process of stealing her floating RV of a spaceship — shoots a charging Krypto with a poison dart, Kara has designs on punishing him, too. In fact, she needs to retrieve the specific antidote Krem carries with him to save her four-legged bud.
And so the gals are off to other worlds, initially traveling via the space equivalent of a beat-up Greyhound bus, on which they run into a trio of pillaging Sklarian Raiders. The sequence in which Kara retrieves stolen possessions and extracts information from them is as zany as “Supergirl” gets.
As their trek through the stars warps on, Kara and Ruthye encounter Lobo (Jason Momoa, seemingly leaving his Aquaman character back in the defunct DC Extended Universe), a rough-and-tumble, motorcycle-riding bounty hunter. They team up — sort of, eventually — but their alliance of convenience is one of the flick’s myriad plot threads that fail to tie into a sturdy knot.
The screenplay by Nogueira — an actor who’s penned a pair of plays — attempts to explore why Kara is so jaded by taking us back to her childhood in the Kryptonian city Argo, protected by her father’s tech after the planet’s demise. Of course, that protection proved to be temporary, or she wouldn’t have eventually been sent to Earth like her cousin before her. It’s lukewarm fare, with Kara eventually learning the familiar Spider-Man lesson — with great power comes great responsibility.
Gillespie adds a few nice touches from the director’s chair throughout the movie, but they’re too little to elevate the proceedings.
Again, Alcock — whose credits also include the recent Netflix limited series “Sirens” — does what she can with the material. It’s a demanding role, as she is on screen for most of the movie, and is spirited in it.
Unfortunately, the lesser-known Ridley — making her feature debut following a few television appearances — is given even less to work with. We never learn much about the one-note Ruthye beyond that her family was killed in her presence and that she is really upset about it.
If you’re expecting the always-lively Momoa to save the day, he brings his larger-than-life presence to Lobo, but the demon-like figure isn’t very interesting. A mix between Aquaman and his Khal Drogo from “Game of Thrones,” the longtime DC Comics character isn’t anything you wouldn’t expect here.

If there’s another bright spot in the cast, it’s Schoenaerts (“Rust and Bone,” “The Old Guard”), who brings a touch of nuance to the villainous Krem. You may have expected a bigger name to play the big bad in this second DC Universe big-screen effort, but some of the acting choices the Belgian makes keep things vaguely engaging when he’s within the frame.

Sadly, vaguely engaging is the best “Supergirl” can manage.
We’ll see if Gunn can turn things around, starting with the HBO series “Lanterns” in August and the horror-tinged film “Clayface” in October, before he returns to direct Corenswet, Alcock and the rest of the “Superman” gang in “Man of Tomorrow,” arriving a little more than a year from now.
We’re hoping for super results, but, at this point, it’s tough to say we’re expecting them.
‘Supergirl’
Where: Theaters.
When: June 26.
Rated: PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, action, language, and smoking.
Runtime: 1 hour, 48 minutes.
Stars (of four): 2.
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