Movie Reviews
Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Daddio’ on Netflix, a contrived but enjoyable actor's duel between Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn
Daddio (now on Netflix) is what you call a good ol’ two-hander, a single-setting drama consisting of one drawn-out conversation between two people. Some consider My Dinner with Andre to be the benchmark for this storytelling method, which ends up being a test for all parties involved: Can the filmmakers put together a compelling narrative with just dialogue? Will the actors make the most of the intense focus on their performances? And will the audience hang with the minimalist structure and presentation without being tempted to go back to the streaming menu and find something with a little more physical movement? Writer/director Christy Hall and stars Sean Penn and Dakota Johnson are hopefully up for the task.
DADDIO: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The Gist: We never learn her name, but the credits call her – I dunno, should we cringe at this? – Girlie (Johnson). She hops in a cab at the airport, destination Midtown New York City. It’s nighttime. The taxi is an old-school, battered yellow cab, not a Tesla or a Subaru driven by some Uber part-timer. No, behind the wheel is Clark (Penn), a weathered and lightly salty seen-it-all Noo Yawker type who heavily peppers his speech with profanity. He grumbles at another cabbie who honks at him, beefs about the Uber guys (“These f—in’ apps”), tells his passenger, “You f—in’ won, sweetheart, you did.” Ugh. Travel and the airport suck the life outta you and now you gotta listen to Mr. Chatty Cabbie here, going on about how people always stare at their phones, so if you pick up your phone you’re all extra self-conscious about looking at it instead of engaging in conversation you might not want to have.
At least Clark isn’t boring, or too boorish. (OK, maybe he’s a little boorish. But it’s forgiveable.) He isn’t a talk-about-the-weather-or-that-new-Netflix-show kind of guy. No, he waxes about how an increasingly cashless society means he gets smaller tips these days, how salt and tea used to be currency – and how “Girlie” strikes him as someone who can “hold her own.” He’s right about that, because she doesn’t shrink away from his crass tone, and if she’s initially a little annoyed by his blahblahblah, she soon leans into it, realizing that this might not be the usual dull conversation between two people who only seem to have basic biology in common.
Now, I’m not saying Clark could be the star interrogator for the homicide squad, but he notices the details (a variety of cues tell him that “Girlie” is coming home to New York rather than visiting) that allow him to ask relevant questions (“Where’d you go for a visit?”). She shares that she visited her half-sister in Oklahoma, where they grew up, which leads to the story about how she ended up in New York and who her parents are and to the “daddy issues” that Clark sniffs out like a drug dog that just found a brick of cocaine in a pile of luggage. Meanwhile, she texts with an unnamed lover who seems rather needy and desperate to see her – and then sends her a dick pic, because all he wants is sex, it seems. Clark sniffs that out too, including the little fact that her desperate lover is married. He knows these things, because he was the guy who’s been married and had things on the side. And now this conversation is interesting, not, as the lady once put it, the usual mindless getting-to-know you chitchat.
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Locke was more of a one-and-a-half-hander, since Tom Hardy spends the entire movie in his car making phone calls (of increasing urgency, I might add).
Performance Worth Watching: In a movie that encourages a degree of performative acting, Johnson is a degree or two less performative than Penn. Johnson, winner of Saddest Eyes in Hollywood five years running, makes the most of a movie heavily stocked with studious closeups.
Memorable Dialogue: “Girlie” puts an edge on her end of the convo after Clark makes a comment about her “lifting her leg” on things in order to claim her territory: “I don’t mind squatting.”
Sex and Skin: A few brief over-the-shoulder shots of “Girlie”’s sexting yields female toplessness and graphic male underwearlessness.
Our Take: How much one enjoys Daddio depends wholly upon one’s desire to spend 100 minutes in tight quarters with Penn and Johnson, to the point where you can almost smell their breath (and are thankful for the moment when Clark shares a stick of gum with his passenger). Save for a standout extended cameo in Licorice Pizza, Penn’s output has been marginal for a decade, and it’s good to see one of the most intense actors in the game sink his teeth into a meaty, character-driven role, even if he leans into some of the contrivances of the stagey setup. Quietly becoming one of the upper-tier actors of her generation, Johnson avoids such temptations, holding back a little more, playing her character coy without cliche, and maintaining a run of strong performances including Cha Cha Real Smooth and The Lost Daughter (not to mention the surely intentional comedy of the Madame Web press tour).
You may need to forgive the film for its tendency to play out in a predictably quasi-literary fashion, where the dialogue is overly thick with metaphor and double-entendre, and the characters are heavily fortified with irony. Clark comes off like the overconfident older not-a-gentleman who likely masks some insecurities, “Girlie” is surely more worldly than she seems, and when they talk about the “ones and zeros” of her computer-programming career, they’re obviously talking about more than just computer programming. But Penn and Johnson make sure these prickly, but endearing characters aren’t privy to simple definitions, and while Hall’s script tends to feel more capital-W Written than natural, and not particularly profound in its observations of Men And Women And What Makes Them Tick, the two actors find enough pathos in their exchanges to make the film feel, if not cathartic, at least moderately satisfying.
Our Call: Daddio is no game-changer, but a lot less has been done with a hell of a lot more than one setting, two talented actors and a rock-solid script. STREAM IT.
John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Film Reviews
Soy Frankelda
Director: Arturo Ambriz, Roy Ambriz
Cinema Fantasma, Netflix
Streaming on Netflix: 06.12.2026
People have given their diatribes and waxed poetic about the dread of AI in creative fields. The ever-increasing push to implement it into our lives is disheartening to say the least, but even more so, it kills a piece of our soul by encouraging us to replace imagination and artistry with prompts.Why go through all the time and effort of bringing your vision to life when a program can do it in less than a fraction of a second? It disconnects us from the aspects that enrich our inner worlds. Still, people are fighting back by showcasing their creativity. Soy Frankelda is one such ode to human capability and imagination.
The film takes place between our world in 1866 Montevideo, México, and the parallel dream world of Topus Terrenus, where fantastical creatures reside and feed upon our fears. Francisca Imelda, aka Frankelda (Mireya Mendoza), is an aspiring horror writer. Unbeknownst to her, her writing exists and affects Topus Terrenus. However, the parallel dimension is deteriorating due to a lack of fear in the human world. Enamoured by her writing, Prince Herneval (Arturo Mercado Jr.) invites Frankelda to his world in the hopes that she can become the new nightmare-teller and reinvigorate fear in humans through hert stories. This does not go well with the current nightmare-teller, Procustes (Luis Leonardo Suarez), who plots to overthrow the royal family and establish himself as the new ruler of Topus Terrenus by stealing Frankelda’s work and passing it off as his own. What ensues is a dazzling musical journey of stop -motion charm and spooks.
To be honest, I am very biased when it comes to talking about this movie. Animation, to me, has always been one of the most versatile and passion-driven mediums for storytelling, so of course I hold it in such high regard. However, Mexican animation has never truly taken the main stage. Sure, there are American-based animated projects that center Mexican narratives like Coco and The Book of Life, but it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Mexico’s animation industry has been precariously held up by the Huevos franchise and the Leyendas series. While both these series have their merits (I love to rewatch many of the Leyenda movies around Halloween), neither captures a sense of grandeur or is as engaging as Soy Frankelda. Furthermore, I can’t help but feel a sense of pride in knowing that this is the very first stop -motion project produced entirely in Mexico.
To say Soy Frankelda is a work of art would be an understatement. The character models are incredibly detailed and unique, and the settings which they inhabit are ornate and depict a grand sense of scale. The film also isn’t afraid to dip into mixed media. In moments where the characters’ emotions are heightened, other mediums like oil painting or charcoal are used. The film is also acutely aware of its limitations and finds creative workarounds. These little decisions give the film a sense of earnestness and not only bring liveliness to the world, but also tangibility. Guillermo Del Toro was the directors’ mentor during the production of this film and his fingerprints can be seen throughout. The level of craftsmanship is akin to the work he does with all his creature designs. Still, it’s obvious that the stop -motion in this film hasn’t reached the same level of smoothness as a Laika production, but the roughness and jerkiness of the movements remind you that human hands worked on it and there is a charm to that.
The film’s worldbuilding is also noteworthy, blending fantastical and macabre elements to create a landscape that is equal parts whimsical and spooky. It feels like a true successor to the art style of The Nightmare Before Christmas, just with more color and a variety of textures. The lore is also presented intentionally and connects to the theme of fiction being as real as reality. It all hinges on the sentiment that our ideas have life and that as long as we keep creating, the world will continue to be filled with inspiration and therefore beget more creation. Soy Frankelda encourages the act of creating, the idea that we live to create and to create is to live.
While I have a deep appreciation for this film, it is far from perfect. Namely, the narrative is lacking at some points, especially when it comes to the interpersonal conflict at the climax of the story hinged on a miscommunication. It’s disappointing, to say the least, that a story with this much thought and effort in the presentation of the film would falter when it comes to the script. This also bleeds into the film feeling rather melodramatic at some points. I liken it to watching an animated fantasy telenovela. Frankelda’s extreme emotional shifts are testament to that. Also, while the story does conclude, it still feels unfinished by the end. Obviously this is because Soy Frankelda is actually a prequel movie to Frankelda’s Book of Spooks, an animated anthology series that explores Frankelda’s stories. Nevertheless, the movie still leaves you wanting more.
Soy Frankelda is a landmark film for Mexican animation. In a time when pillars of the industry are encouraging the use of generative AI, it is refreshing to see a film that so succinctly makes a case for human originality and celebrates the art of creating one’s own stories and worlds. —Angela Garcia
Read more film reviews from Angela Garcia below:
Film Review: I Love Boosters
Film Review: You, Me & Tuscany
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Mr. Reset and The Society of Turnbuckle and Bone is a gripping sci fi horror/comedy featuring Vinny Pacifico, who is an ex-Ring of Honor Wrestler. What’s it about? What did we think about it? Read on for our spoiler free review!
But first? Take a look at the trailer!
Synopsis
Former Ring of Honor talent Vinny Pacifico stars as a rising indie wrestler lured by the promise of fame and fortune into a dark world of intense trials and sacrifice.
Rob Ryzin (ex-AEW), Bobby Fish (ex-NXT), Nick “Percy Watson” McNeil (ex-NXT), and Nick “Jamie Stanley” Stuible also star alongside writer-director Jedi Koszewski.
From The Press Release
The spectacle of professional wrestling grapples with psychological dread in Mr. Reset and The Society of Turnbuckle & Bone.
Full of gauzy, gorgeous imagery, a kaleidoscope palette, and themes that blend science fiction, body horror, and dark comedy, the surreal horror film explores a secret society that manipulates the wrestling industry from behind the scenes under the enigmatic Mr. Reset’s watchful eye.
Produced by Audacity Complex Studios, the film strips away the glitz of sports entertainment to reveal its psychological toll, while never shying away from the darkly comic moments that lurk in the industry’s shadows.
“This project holds special meaning for me because it brings together two of my greatest passions: horror and professional wrestling,” Pacifico commented. “Through this story, I’ve had the privilege of exploring authentic experiences within a fictional framework and shedding light on growing up in the entertainment industry.”
Here’s a look at the poster art!
My Thoughts
If you like movies that have a horror/conspiracy feel to them with a hint of creepy, this is the movie for you. The cast did a phenomenal job, and the storytelling was spot on. It also had a touch of breaking the 4th wall in there. This is a great film with a lot of drama, horror, and bad decisions. I will give a PSA to anyone who is sensitive to lights as it switches back and forth a lot. I like the news element to the movie and how it goes from 1st person to 4th person.
Final Thoughts
I wouldn’t recommend this movie to anyone under 13 because of the nature of the film and the tricks it can play on your mind. Also, it has body horror which younger viewers might not be able to handle. The gore and the trauma in the movie play on your mind and is not for the faint of heart. Excellent storytelling and the director did a phenomenal job. I highly recommend this B-list movie with a 9/10 for me based on the bizarreness of it and the great storytelling. Sometimes you need a reset.
Mr. Reset and The Society of Turnbuckle and Bone on VOD now!
The Get Out, 2026.
Directed by Derek Borte.
Starring Russell Crowe, Luke Evans, Aaron Paul, Teresa Palmer, Nina Dobrev, Daniel Zovatto, Kartiah Vergara, Josh McConville, Yasmin Kassim, Benedict Hardie, Christian Perez, Cameron Leonard, Cory Beeston, and Ever Love Hope.
SYNOPSIS:
A nightclub owner is on the verge of leaving his dangerous past behind for retirement. After masked gunmen rob him and he finds himself squeezed by ruthless cartels, a mysterious newcomer arrives with an interest in buying the business.
Before even getting into what co-writer/director Derek Borte’s The Get Out is about, it must be said that if Russell Crowe is in a movie, he is putting on a European accent. Simply put, this is what he does now, and how his fascination with playing Albanians and other nationalities would be more interesting than almost anything in this mostly generic, certainly overcrowded Los Angeles crime tale of fighting one’s way out of that dangerous life to live peacefully alongside a loved one.
To be fair, The Get Out is based on a novel called Strip by Thomas Perry (with screenwriters Derek Borte and Daniel Forte adapting), so it’s possible that the character in that book just happened to be Albanian and that this is actually inspired casting; go get the kooky guy who can’t help himself from playing quirky, offbeat, and violent Europeans (this is essentially the Russell Crowe from Kraven the Hunter). The reality is that, whatever the reasoning behind the decision, it mostly amounts to an otherwise legendary actor (at least he knows Gladiator II sucked and isn’t afraid to voice it) delivering another campy performance that unsurprisingly works even less once the film bizarrely shifts from crime comedy to more grounded action with mostly meaningless stakes (since whatever makes this novel a complex and breathtaking piece of crime fiction isn’t to be found here).
Manco Kapak (Russell Crowe) is a nightclub owner (it was once a strip club but changed to reflect politically correct times, which mostly sounds like a change from the novel and an acknowledgment of that) connected to the cartel (Daniel Zavatto) with a rigid system in place to keep operations functional. It turns out that the only threat to that falling apart is his own physical health, as he suffers a cardiac incident while sexually intimate with his much younger girlfriend, Sunny (Teresa Palmer). This is also what prompts him and her to consider selling the nightclub to an interested buyer, Joe Carver (Luke Evans), leaving that life behind, fleeing the country, and living out the rest of their days in solitude, with no one hunting them down.
Not only do Manco and Joe struggle to come to a financial agreement that feels respectful to the former, but a crooked police detective (Josh McConville) discreetly tasks miserable adjunct professor Jeff (Aaron Paul), who already breaks the law in what he believes to be victimless crimes in writing academic papers to help undeserving youngsters receive a free ticket into prestigious colleges. to mug the nightclub owner and steal the cash that he is carrying to bring to the cartel. The gist is that Jeff failed to get the detective’s son into the college of his choosing, and that, for some reason, the answer is to keep stealing the money necessary from Manco.
Since Manco never takes his gun out of his car’s glove compartment (even after his girlfriend and confidants suggest he start holstering it), getting the jump on him is simple time and again (Jeff is forced to do this on more than one occasion). However, a wrinkle is thrown into all of this when Point Break-obsessed bank teller Carrie (Nina Dobrev) astutely catches on that something is up with his deposits, pushing her way into the con. It also turns out that Carrie is a risk-taker, excited and turned on by crime, which mostly causes Jeff to freak out as he just wants his part in all of this to be over, but is, of course, more than happy to pull over to a motel at Carrie’s request when robbing Manco has made her horny.
The adventures of this mismatched, dopey Bonnie and Clyde are the most fun there is to be had here, with the clashing personalities of Aaron Paul and Nina Dobrev playing off each other well. Their journey takes them in a direction that has less and less to do with Manco and more to do with Carrie getting it over her head, which is amusing and makes for a far more engaging movie than everything else here. She even gets her own blooper reel that might have more laughs in it than the previous 90 minutes.
It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has seen a movie before that all of these characters are on a collision course to face a reckoning with one another and the reckless and questionable choices they have made to hopefully enrich their lives. However, there is far too much happening in The Get Out, coupled with poor characterization and a gradual shift in tone from a comedic playfulness that already doesn’t work, to violence that also doesn’t work because there isn’t much to care about. Again, there is a much more interesting movie in the oddball-comedic Bonnie and Clyde duo. Put Aaron Paul and Nina Dobrev in a Point Break remake, and you have a better movie than that actual remake and The Get Out.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder
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