Movie Reviews

The Long Game (2024) – Movie Review

Published

2 years ago

April 9, 2024

The Long Game, 2024.

Directed by Julio Quintana.
Starring Jay Hernandez, Dennis Quaid, Cheech Marin, Julian Works, Jaina Lee Ortiz, Brett Cullen, Oscar Nunez, Paulina Chávez, Gregory Diaz IV, José Julián, Christian Gallegos, Miguel Ángel García, Gillian Vigman, Richard Robichaux, Jimmy Gonzales, Michael Southworth, Mykle McCoslin, Chet Grissom, Boo Arnold, Larry Jack Dotson, Mariana Alvarez, and Heather Kafka.

SYNOPSIS:

In a segregated Texas, five Mexican-American teenage caddies were prohibited from playing at the country club where they worked. Against all odds, they formed their own team, built a one-hole course in the fields, and won the 1957 Texas State championship. Based on a true story.

Golf is a significant focus in director Julio Quintana’s period piece, racially-charged sports drama The Long Game. It’s also not the game that the title is referencing. That would be more of a mental game of when to pull ahead and when to play nice with insecure, racist white people that is, sadly, as relevant as it is today than it was in the mid-1950s for the true story of a scrappy Mexican-American high school golf team who went on to win a Texas state championship.

In a time for sports when minorities were either considered a humiliating form of entertainment or thankless help, this complicated reality at least one of the boys, Joe Trevino (Julian Works), is aware of (and has further reinforced unto him by his father) almost prevents him from joining the team entirely. What good could come from trying to compete with white teens on their turf when the rules will be bent and broken to stack the deck against talented minorities, anyway? Yes, these are sports clichés despite being an unfortunate, unfair true-to-life past, but the filmmakers (which includes a screenplay from Paco Farias, Julio Quintana, and Jennifer C. Stetson based on the novel by Humberto G. Garcia) smartly stay focused on these mindsets.

For one, it’s frustrating that there are minorities here who either feel the need or are talked into playing nice with white people and told that further stoking their flames will only provoke more drama and violence. There is a key moment here where a white teenage golfer is practically saying every racist thing imaginable to one of the Mexican-American players, begging to be punched in the face. We want to see it happen, but when that character is told to stand down, not let the nastiness get to him, and let his actions on the course speak for itself, it’s probably the right call for this era even if we still desperately want to see this kid knocked on his ass. In 2024, however, there would be no excuses or reason to let that racial harassment fly, with the consequences for such a scuffle possibly feeling more balanced. Or maybe I’m talking out of my ass, and the world hasn’t changed all that much. Nevertheless, The Long Game succeeds at inciting such conversations.

It is those smaller, thought-provoking political moments that compensate for what is otherwise a straightforward sports movie about an underdog team of likable kids trying to find their footing in life. Even the presence of Dennis Quaid here as war hero Frank Mitchell with connections and a key to allow his former military squad mate turned high school superintendent JB Peña (Jay Hernandez) access to the golf course for the team to practice is wise enough to never stick with his perspective for too long and go down the dreaded white savior path. The character has a thing or two to learn about complicity in prejudiced behavior and some wartime guilt, none of which overwhelms the rest of the experience.

As for JB, his motives initially aren’t entirely pure. At first, he puts together the team as an alternative punishment for giving teenagers community service, following the recognition that they had thwacked a golf ball through his car door windshield while he was on the road. He sees talent in them, but he also sees an opportunity to coach on the same segregated golf course that denied him a country club membership. From there, he bonds with the kids and enters into several discussions on race relations with them, most of which make up the most engaging aspects of the film. Each kid shows some distinct personality, with one romantic subplot, although those personal elements to the narrative here are less satisfying.

The second half of The Long Game leans into the sporting aspect and golf tournament, although there is still a surprising amount of edge for this film that somehow got away with a PG rating despite numerous instances of harsh language and racial slurs. In the best way, it feels like the PG rating of yesteryear, where movies were allowed to be authentic and challenge younger audiences. It’s moving and inspiring in the expected ways, but also a smart examination of race relations for the time that can be traced to today for further analysis, a time where it’s hopefully okay to punch a racist in the face.

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

Movie Review: SUPERGIRL – Assignment X

Published

6 hours ago

June 27, 2026

Press Room

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN / Staff Writer

Posted: June 26th, 2026 / 08:03 PM

Rating: PG-13
Stars: Milly Adcock, David Corenswet, Eve Ridley, Matthias Schoenaerts, Diarmaid Murtagh, Jason Momoa, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham
Writer: Ana Nogueira, based on characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster
Director: Craig Gillespie
Distributor: Warner Bros./DC Studios
Release Date: June 26, 2026

The new SUPERGIRL doesn’t have that “Eureka! This is how you do this now” spark that galvanized its immediate franchise predecessor, last year’s SUPERMAN. Director Craig Gillespie and screenwriter Ana Nogueira, basing the film on characters created by DC Comics’ Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster, probably wisely, aren’t going for that.

Instead, the SUPERGIRL makers are intent on providing a lively adventure, getting to the point quickly and letting the action unspool with unquestionably strong motivation, abetted by plenty of punch-ups, kicking and frequent explosions.

Supergirl, aka Kara Zor-El (Milly Adcock), is from the now-dead planet Krypton, just like her cousin Clark/Kal-El/Superman (David Corenswet). However, where Clark has chosen to remain on Earth, where the yellow sun gives him superpowers that allow to help Earth’s residents, Kara likes to party on planets that have a red sun, where she has no unusual abilities.

This is because Kara seems to have taken to heart a dictum from a different comic book universe – with great power comes great responsibility – and decided the inverse is true: with no power comes no responsibility.

We get insight into exactly why Kara is so duty-averse over the course of SUPERGIRL, and it’s probably not a spoiler to say that she re-examines some attitudes as events unfold.

Kara plans to celebrate her twenty-third birthday on a backwater red sun planet. The bar where Kara chooses to drink is entered by preteen Ruthye Knoll (Eve Ridley), whose family has been murdered by brigands, led by the horrendous Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts). Ruthye is out for revenge. Kara thinks Ruthye is a bit young and pure-hearted to be on a murderous quest.

Even on a planet with a red sun, though, Kara is still handy with fists and feet. Ruthye sees what Kara can do and concludes she is the ideal ally. Kara absolutely refuses to help. Then something occurs that credibly rouses Kara to do whatever it takes to achieve her aims, which sort of line up with Ruthye’s.

No explanation is needed for why Kara feels such urgency, which we easily share. Her concern for Ruthye is understandable and her connecting to larger purpose is shown rather than spoken.

Intriguingly, the aesthetics of SUPERGIRL are largely those of STAR WARS, with some MAD MAX and BLADE RUNNER thrown in. The filmmakers have a good time with all sorts of utterly nonhuman alien people and figuring out how to make interplanetary versions of familiar items like vending machines.

The pace is pleasingly brisk and the structure doesn’t require much exposition. When they hit a hard-to-answer question like why Kara is Supergirl while Clark is Superman, they acknowledge it and then get out from under without irritating anybody.

For anyone wondering about the veracity of the recording from Superman’s parents that appeared in SUPERMAN, a quick line of dialogue here confirms it (sorry, Jor-El supporters).

There is the expected amount of CGI involved, including a great motion-capture performance by Kara’s dog Krypto (modeled upon executive producer/SUPERMAN director James Gunn’s dog), but a lot of the stunts and makeup appear gratifyingly practical.

Adcock is fine in all of Kara’s moods, from wasted to resistant to determined, with a delightful reaction to feeling her body’s response to the yellow sun. Ridley is an appealing young hero, and Corenswet offers wholesome support. Schoenaerts lets Krem revel in his own soft-spoken vileness, and Jason Momoa enthusiastically portrays an intergalactic bounty hunter. David Krumholtz is affecting as Kara’s scientist father.

SUPERGIRL isn’t going to redefine superhero movies, but it’s a perfectly enjoyable example of the form.

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Movie Reviews

Film review: ‘Tuner’ mixes classical music, crime, and Dustin Hoffman | The Jerusalem Post

Published

16 hours ago

June 26, 2026

Press Room

Film review: ‘Tuner’ mixes classical music, crime, and Dustin Hoffman | The Jerusalem Post

Tuner, now playing in theaters throughout Israel, is an offbeat, interesting drama and crime caper, with some funny moments.

It co-stars Dustin Hoffman in a story of a young piano tuner, Niki (Leo Woodall), a former music prodigy with perfect pitch who suffers from hyperacusis, a condition that makes him extraordinarily sensitive to loud noises.

In a series of events that are a bit improbable but that seem quite credible while you’re watching, Niki discovers his finely tuned hearing gives him a great talent for safecracking, which brings him to the attention of a crime gang.

It features a clever, often surprising screenplay, co-written by its director, Daniel Roher (who won an Oscar for the documentary, Navalny) and Robert Ramsey. There are also wonderful performances from the cast, which also includes distinguished actress Tovah Feldshuh of Nobody Wants This and Fauda star Lior Raz.

DUSTIN HOFFMAN (behind) and Leo Woodall in ‘Tuner.’ (credit: Forum Films)

The characters have a nice, funny raport

When Tuner opens, Niki is working in a piano-tuning business in New York with a former musician, Harry Horowitz (Hoffman).

The beefy, laconic, young man treats the garrulous, wisecracking Harry with respect, listening patiently to all his jokes and stories about the good old days when he worked with jazz greats.

These two have a nice rapport, as Niki drives Harry all over the New York area in an old van and eats in diners with him.

Niki does the work while Harry sits on a sofa, critiquing him.

The two stick out like sore thumbs in the many mansions where they work on spectacular pianos that haven’t been played in decades, for clients who ask them if they can also repair toilets and modems.

Harry, who never made much of a living despite his talent, has fallen on hard times, and he and his wife, Marla (Feldshuh), are barely scraping by. Niki is also broke.

Recognizing what a great musician Niki is, Harry tries to cajole him into playing again, but the younger man refuses, living an isolated life and trying not to draw attention to himself.

The three incidents that set the plot in motion

Harry has forgotten the combination to his safe and needs to open it. When Niki goes on YouTube to look at a video on how to do it, he discovers that his sensitive hearing makes him a genius at safecracking.

Harry becomes ill and, due to a mess with Medicare, suddenly falls into a huge debt; and Niki meets Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu), an extremely ambitious pianist and composing student, who is astounded by his perfect pitch.

Soon, Niki’s talent for safecracking draws the attention of Uri (Lior Raz), an Israeli who runs a bogus security company, where he uses his knowledge of his client’s homes and passwords to steal what he contends are minor trinkets, but which add up to big money for his gang, much like Jon Hamm’s character in the Apple TV series, Your Friends and Neighbors.

Raz hams it up as a character who fits the stereotype of the obnoxious Israeli in the US, and lords it over his supposedly bright accomplice, Yoni (Gil Frank), and his much dimmer nephew, Benny (Nissan Sakira).

Much of the comedy in the movie comes from Uri browbeating the two, and if you can understand the Hebrew, it’s even funnier than the subtitles.

Criticisms of Tuner

Niki’s romance with Ruthie, which develops quickly, feels a little convenient at times, though the screenplay paints a realistic picture of the competitive world of high-level music students. You know, for most of the movie, that eventually Niki will reveal to her that he was once a great pianist, and when it comes, it’s something of an anti-climax.

After Hoffman’s character gets sick, he disappears from the rest of the movie except for a couple of scenes, and that’s too bad. It’s great to see Hoffman having fun as Harry, and the scenes where he and Niki banter help humanize the younger man, making him more likable and less self-centered.

Woodall is one of the most in-demand young actors. He played a hunky love interest in both Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy and the Netflix series Vladimir; he also appeared in the second season of The White Lotus.

He has a buff body and conventional leading-man good looks, and generally plays confident, happy-go-lucky guys, which means he is cast against type here.

Niki is the kind of role that might seem better suited for actors like Josh O’Connor, Jeremy Allen White, or Timothée Chalamet. Woodall has to work hard to convince us he is withdrawn and feels out of place in all the mansions where he tunes pianos, but his charm wins out, and soon, you come to accept him in the role.

Mixed music and mixed genres

The soundtrack features a mix of classical music and jazz, and it’s clear it was made by a director who appreciates both.

Tuner settles neatly into a mini-genre of movies that feature plot lines that combine piano-playing characters and crime, that include James Toback’s Fingers with Harvey Keitel, and Jacques Audiard’s remake of it, The Beat that My Heart Skipped with Romain Duris; Francois Truffaut’s Shoot the Piano Player with Charles Aznavour; and Eugenio Mira’s Grand Piano with Elijah Wood. It also recalls the spirit of Bob Rafelson’s Five Easy Pieces, which features Jack Nicholson in one of his best performances; here as a piano prodigy who has rejected his oppressive family and become an oil field worker.

Tuner shares some of the bleakness typical of 1970s films, like Fingers and Five Easy Pieces. At times, the movie moves jarringly between brooding, almost noir-like darkness and scenes with the chatty Harry or the bumbling gangsters.

It might have been a stronger film if Roher had gone in one direction instead of mixing genres, but it would likely have been less entertaining.

Movie Reviews

Movie review: Hero of folklore worse off in ‘The Death of Robin Hood’

Published

1 day ago

June 26, 2026

Press Room

Movie review: Hero of folklore worse off in ‘The Death of Robin Hood’

“Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?” This is one of the culminating lines from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash hit 2015 musical “Hamilton,” but it’s also the animating force behind Michael Sarnoski’s “The Death of Robin Hood,” starring Hugh Jackman in the title role. This legendary figure of English folklore has a specific meaning attached to his name, which is synonymous with the altruistic impulse to redistribute wealth. But in his take on the tale, focusing on the end of his life, Sarnoski suggests that perhaps Robin Hood wasn’t such a good guy, even if he was robbing from the rich to give to the poor. It all depends on who’s telling the story, right?

Sarnoski burst onto the scene in 2021 with his debut feature “Pig,” in which he outfitted Nicolas Cage with a long gray wig and sent him on a dangerous quest (to find his beloved, valuable pet). He does something similar in “The Death of Robin Hood,” outfitting Jackman in a long gray wig and sending him on a quest (to achieve some kind of salvation).

But first, Sarnoski has to establish that this Robin Hood isn’t the one we remember from the movies — he’s not the dashing cartoon Disney fox, or Errol Flynn, or Kevin Costner, or Cary Elwes, or Russell Crowe, or even Taron Egerton. No, this Robin Hood is much worse, sleeping in matted filth on the moors, reduced to a feral life of constant vigilance against murderous revenge-seekers for the years of evil deeds he’s carried out with his compatriot, Little John (Bill Skarsgård).

Now called Edward, Little John has achieved some measure of domesticity, but still, he and Robin go a-murdering once again, resulting in a yet another vengeful attack from a relative of their victims. A wounded Robin ends up in an idyllic priory on a coastal island, tended to by a healer, Brigid (Jodie Comer), learning the ropes from the local leper (Murray Bartlett). In this oasis, Robin’s identity is unknown, and he finds the space to embrace a gentler side of himself, particularly with Little John/Edward’s daughter, Little Margaret (Faith Delaney).

Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer in “The Death of Robin Hood.” (Aidan Monaghan/A24/TNS)

Set on the misty outlying islands of the North Atlantic, with its blend of bloody, brutal violence, primitive spirituality and meditative tone, “The Death of Robin Hood” is situated in the realm of films like David Lowery’s “The Green Knight” and Robert Eggers’ “The Northman.” Cinematographer Pat Scola pulls some arresting images out of the fire and fog, and the score of largely traditional Celtic music by Jim Ghedi is easily one of the best of the year. The film is a fine showcase for a different kind of performance from Jackman, and Comer is always a compelling screen presence.

But “The Death of Robin Hood” isn’t as hallucinatory or weird as it could — or should — be. Sarnoski gestures at bleakness but feints from full existential crisis; he tries and fails to be witchy. Despite all the mud and blood, nothing about this film is particularly earthy or embodied. It ends up as this profoundly dull and utterly pointless commentary on the concept of narrative and mythology. “What if Robin Hood was a bad guy?” OK, what of it? The best concept that Sarnoski presents here is the hell of living in an endless cycle of vengeance, but he allows his anti-hero to escape that all too cleanly and conveniently. This Robin Hood is just an old, tired man who ultimately finds some peace at the end of his life, even if it’s unearned.

As an audience, we’re left wondering what all of this is for, and who it’s for. Why trouble the Robin Hood myth at all, and why now? One can’t help but cynically wonder if the inspiration for this project was merely the convenience of recognizable intellectual property and available financing from Screen Ireland. This theory might be creatively pessimistic, but it is a nagging question, especially when the ones posed by the film are already so stale and tired. Expect no revelations from “The Death of Robin Hood” except the one that’s announced in the title.