Finding Nicole, 2025.

Directed by Harley Wallen.
Starring Kaiti Wallen, Sean Whalen, Richard Tyson, Mari G, Shawntay Dalon, Debra Lamb, Vida Ghaffari, Michael James Alexander, and Blanca Blanco.

SYNOPSIS

Nicole combats domestic violence to reclaim herself and her children and finds a way to begin thriving.

Domestic violence has always been a difficult subject to cover in cinema. The most hard-hitting approaches tend to have some grounding in truth, such as Gary Oldman’s Nil By Mouth, based loosely on his own upbringing with an alcoholic and abusive father. To say it was uncomfortable viewing would be an understatement, but it drove its point home. The other approach is to take it as a platform to build a far-fetched thriller on top of it, in much the same way as seen with Sleeping With the Enemy. 

Finding Nicole is very much in the former camp, staying very true to the real-life story (turned into a book) of Nicole Beverly, whose marriage descends into years of abuse until her life (and those of her children) are put under threat. It’s not the cheeriest of subjects, but it rings sadly true at a time post-COVID with a world in economic turmoil, where domestic violence is on the rise once again. So whilst portraying true life events that befell Beverly (who also co-wrote and co-produced this film), it also highlights what many people are still facing. 

As played by Kaiti Wallen, the film starts in the present and then works its way back there with a timeline of the relationship, intercut with courtroom scenes. What’s interesting here, and that does ring true from many experiences with the benefit of hindsight, is how quickly the warning signs come with Warren (Mary G.). He shows fragile masculinity and volatility very early into the relationship, with a growing adeptness at gaslighting. Nicole’s initial instinct is to excuse it, see the best in Warren, and overlook the glaring red flags until he crosses a line into violence. At which point the story shifts to Nicole’s attempts to rebuild her life, only for Warren to continually try and force (occasionally with horrible violence) back into her life. Even when Warren’s actions resort to murder plots, this could easily have taken too much dramatic license and veer off into Sleeping With the Enemy territory, but sensibly, they maintain the real drama without doing a disservice to that real experience.

Coming from such a harrowing true-life tale, and with Nicole Beverly directly involved in production, the film has a lot of sincerity. Kaiti Wallen delivers a heartfelt and powerful performance as Nicole, whilst Mari G. is also skin-crawlingly convincing as Warren. It’s the two roles most key to making the film work and not diluting its message. Elsewhere, there’s a good supporting cast, with Richard Tyson popping up as the Judge and Sean Whalen highly effective as Warren’s (atypically) sleazy, moralless defence lawyer. Shawntay Dalon and Debra Lamb are also very good in support. 

There’s not a great deal of gloss or polish here, and the lower budget does show, but this isn’t a glamorous big-screen thriller. Whilst those rough production edges are clear, Harley Wallen keeps the blocking simple and just lets the cast do their thing. There’s no obtrusive filmmaker’s flights of fancy that might otherwise have pulled attention away from Kaiti Wallen and co, and potentially dilute the impact. That in itself is an impressive directorial skill to serve the story first and foremost. 

Overall, this effective drama repeats elements we have seen before, but not often with this level of honesty. Finding Nicole reminds us not to ignore an ugly truth that’s still prevalent, and a committed cast (particularly Kaiti Wallen) hammer home that message. 

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

Tom Jolliffe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=embed/playlist

Story: Titan: The OceanGate Submersible Disaster raises urgent questions about accountability in the wake of the Titan submersible’s catastrophic implosion during its ill-fated 2023 expedition to the Titanic wreck. It focuses on the decisions of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush and examines the series of oversights and warnings that preceded the tragedy.Review: Three English words are among the most recognized globally: Coca-Cola, God, and Titanic. The Titanic, in particular, has long fascinated the world—not just because of the historic shipwreck itself, but also through the many narratives, films, and myths that have kept its legacy alive. So it’s no surprise that an exclusive, costly underwater tour to view the Titanic’s wreckage would capture immense attention. Yet, tragically, this modern voyage mirrored the doomed fate of the ship it sought to honor.It has now been two years since the OceanGate disaster claimed five lives: British explorer Hamish Harding; British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman; renowned French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet; and Stockton Rush himself—the CEO and face of OceanGate. The documentary effectively conveys the unimaginable horror of their final moments.Through interviews with former employees, experts, and whistleblowers, the film pieces together how this disaster was not a freak accident, but the result of a series of ignored warnings and questionable choices. Central to this is the story of David Lochridge, OceanGate’s former Director of Marine Operations, who raised serious concerns about the Titan submersible’s safety—particularly its use of carbon fiber for the pressure hull, a material unproven at the extreme depths intended. Instead of addressing these concerns, Stockton Rush fired Lochridge and pursued legal action against him.The documentary highlights how OceanGate strategically bypassed stringent regulatory oversight. By operating out of Newfoundland, Canada, the company avoided U.S. Coast Guard scrutiny. There are unsettling revelations about the sub’s safety record—out of approximately 80 dives attempted between 2021 and 2022, only 13 were deemed successful. This statistic alone underscores the inherent risks that were overlooked or downplayed.Mark Monroe’s direction ensures that the documentary is both informative and engaging. He balances technical details with emotional depth, though the pace suffers somewhat due to extended introductions of various individuals connected to the incident. These sections could have been tighter, as the narrative only gains true momentum about a third of the way in. Nonetheless, the patience viewers invest pays off as the documentary unpacks the gravity of decisions made and opportunities missed.A particularly impactful element is the inclusion of rare footage and audio recordings that offer a chilling window into the Titan’s operations and the moments leading up to its destruction.What becomes painfully clear is that Stockton Rush’s ambition—to be mentioned in the same breath as Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos for pushing boundaries—ultimately drove him to cut corners. His desire for innovation and fame overshadowed caution, and his wealth and privilege perhaps fed a dangerous overconfidence. In the end, the documentary positions Rush’s choices as the core reason behind this preventable tragedy.If you’re drawn to real-life cautionary tales where human ambition collides with nature’s unforgiving power, Titan: The OceanGate Submersible Disaster is well worth your time. It’s a stark reminder of the cost of hubris beneath the waves.

This image released by Lionsgate shows Ana de Armas in a scene from “Ballerina.”
| Photo Credit: AP

Following her stints in action films like No Time to Die and The Gray Man, Ana de Armas gets to bring bullet-spewing, flame-throwing, grenade-exploding mayhem upon a gazillion men in Ballerina. Still, it seems her most formidable triumph comes from the fact that her character Eve Macarro refuses to be just a ‘female John Wick.’ Female assassins aren’t really hot commodity for studios at the moment (must one blame Black Widow?), but Lionsgate persistently selling it as a John Wick film (‘From the World of John Wick’ prefixes the title) isn’t unjustified either. The Babayaga casts a long, unmatchable shadow, which is why it’s quite something to see Eve end up standing on her own feet. Could we say the same about the film? Unfortunately, Ballerina may not survive that face-off.

Ballerina begins by telling us who Eve is, and the film justifiably takes the necessary time for this crucial backstory. After Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne), the vicious leader of the Cult, killed her father, a young Eve (Victoria Comte) trains to become a ballerina assassin with the Ruska Roma in New York, under the care of the Director (Anjelica Huston, reprising her character from John Wick: Chapter 3) and Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster), a mentor at the establishment. 12 years later, Eve is a killing machine who, as one would expect, crosses paths with the Cultists who killed her father and seeks vengeance, a quest that introduces us to an unknown world where it seems like Eve might be out of her depths.

From here, director Len Wiseman’s film, written by John Wick 3 & 4 scribe Shay Hatten, goes full throttle as we flip through some grand action set pieces. Be it the fight sequence inside The Continental (where we are introduced to Norman Reedus’ Daniel Pine, whose story further pushes Eve to seek vengeance) or the long climactic sequence in a snowy riverside village, there’s seamless and innovative action choreography. However, what truly sells this action is how Armas’ Eve is written.

Right at the beginning, Nogi teaches Eve to embrace her slight frame and the weaknesses she naturally carries. And so, Eve relies upon speed, spatial awareness, fluid body movements and impeccable accuracy. While she struggles to best her enemies initially, she finds her peak momentum during a spectacular fight at an ammunition store, and it’s quite riveting to see an assassin who grows into herself. It also helps that Armas plays Eve with a perceptible wide-eyedness. A ballerina key toy becomes a symbol of how Eve looks at her life under the Ruska Roma. She yearns for freedom and to win over her fate, as she tells John Wick in a scene, but also to seek the truth of what happened to her father (interestingly, her Latin tattoo translates to ‘Light amidst darkness,’ while her father’s tattoo denoted self-conquest). 

The issue with Ballerina is that, in attempting to stay true to the world of John Wick while also carving an identity of its own, the film falls in line with the notion many confuse John Wick to be: a trigger-happy adrenaline junky’s wet dream. John Wick is more; these were narratives propelled by the rage, grief and world-weariness behind Keanu Reeves’ sulky, cold eyes. There’s very little of that going for Ballerina, as Armas’ character is thrust into action set pieces even before she can hold control of the frames.

While it is unfair to wish Eve fit like a glove in a world John took four films to get accustomed to, Ballerina’s attempts at establishing the dynamics between the protagonist and the secondary characters, like Winston, the Director, or even the Chancellor, are hardly effective; all we get are some juvenile exchanges.

This image released by Lionsgate shows Ana de Armas in a scene from “Ballerina.”
| Photo Credit:
Murray Close/Lionsgate

Surely, one cannot pit a two-hour film against a three-episode series when it comes to character development, but the thought of characters from The Continentaldoes arise, especially when you meet the present-day Winston (Ian McShane) and Charon (the late Lance Reddick). Also, if that series moved away from Chad Stahelski’s John Wick films, Ballerina attempts to be at the more pulpier extreme.