TBR News Media reporter Daniel Dunief recently interviewed Fawzia Mirza, Director and writer of the film “The Queen of My Dreams.” Set across two continents and spanning three decades, the movie, which will be screened at the Stony Brook Film Festival on July 19 at 7 p.m., highlights the similarities and tensions between a Pakistani Muslim mother and daughter during their formative years.
Listen to the episode now.
Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel
The A Quiet Place franchise premiered in 2018. The well-received film followed parents (Emily Blunt and John Krasinski) attempting to protect their children in a post-apocalyptic world invaded by blind monsters with an acute sense of hearing. Krasinski directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Bryan Woods and Scott Beck.
The equally lauded A Quiet Place Part II (2020) gave slightly additional background of the invasion and continued the first film’s timeline, with Krasinski appearing, directing, and penning the screenplay solo. The series will (perhaps?) culminate with the Krasinski-helmed A Quiet Place Part III (scheduled for release in 2025).
In the meantime, the clock has been rolled back for the prequel A Quiet Place: Day One.
For A Quiet Place: Day One, Krasinski turned the reigns over to Michael Sarnoski (Pig), who directs his screenplay based on a story created in collaboration with Krasinski. The film opens at the Little Firs Hospice Center, where Reuben (Alex Wolff), a nurse, negotiates with Sam (Lupita Nyong’o), a terminally ill cancer patient connected only to her cat, Frodo, to go on a New York City outing.
Reluctantly, she agrees, with the proviso that they have pizza afterward. Much to Sam’s annoyance, the field trip is a marionette show. Immediately following the performance, meteor-like objects fall from the sky, unleashing extraterrestrials that attack, murder, and destroy. Within minutes, the City is post-apocalyptic, with burning cars and hollowed-out buildings.
Sam takes shelter in the marionette theatre, along with a handful of survivors. The government bombs the bridges surrounding Manhattan to keep the aliens, who cannot swim, on the island. Since the beings are blind, they track their prey by sound. Silence becomes the sole means of survival.
Announcements via helicopter instruct the remaining citizens to head for the South Street Seaport. A chillingly silent trek of refugees travel downtown. However, as the evacuee number increases, the sound turns the march into a bloodbath.
Soon, Sam meets Eric (Joseph Quinn), a law student from Kent, England. Though hesitant, Sam allows Eric to join her and Frodo as she works her way north to her Harlem home. A series of scenes follow in which the monsters almost catch them. The film relies almost exclusively on the tension built as they navigate any possible action that could create noise.
The plot is simple, and the result is a hybrid of traditional science fiction/creature feature with its requisite jump-out scares and action thriller, containing numerous explosions. The film calls to mind elements of I Am Legend and any number of alien and zombie movies.
Over the three entries, the filmmakers teased bits and pieces of the aliens’ background, but they remain mostly a mystery. (Krasinski has revealed more in interviews about the “Death Angels” than is covered in the films.)
The creature designers used various elements of prehistoric fish, black snakes, and bats to create the monsters. They also referenced “bog people”—cadavers mummified in peat, turning the skin black to create a sagging, leathery look. Somehow, they are more effective in close-up, with their moist gaping maws of sharp teeth, than in the CGI-swarming over buildings and streets.
Two aspects raise A Quiet Place: Day One above the predictable. The first is the extremely taut sound design. Whether it is the overwhelming chaos of New York City or a balloon that pops with the crack of gunshot, the sound—and its absence—is the driving design element. The opening of a tin can, feet on gravel, or the dragging of a suitcase result in well-crafted moments of dread. The filmmakers made a less effective choice with a musical soundtrack that is more intrusive than supportive.
The second piece is the chemistry between the two leads. The film is basically a two-hander, with a handful of moments given to a few briefly seen characters. (As Henri, from A Quiet Place Part II, Djimon Hounsou has a particularly powerful and brutal interaction with shades of the Warsaw Ghetto.)
Nyong’o first came to prominence with her brilliant, raw performance in 12 Years a Slave (2013). Again, she shows she is an actor of rich, resonant truth, who makes every situation visceral and real. Her Sam roils with fear, pain, frustration, and resolve. Glimpses of wry humor peek through her emotional wall. She is the rare actor who conveys a sense of the character’s thoughts, even in the stillest moments.
Quinn makes an excellent partner, a beta searching for guidance, but with a kindness that plays underneath the terror. A highlight is the moment in which they share primal screams masked by thunder. (Special mention must be made of Nico and Schnitzel, the two cats who share the role of Frodo. Somehow, they convey an honest sense of caring.)
While A Quiet Place: Day One offers nothing new, the result is a mildly entertaining ninety minutes showcasing two strong performances in a world of heightened silence—where even a single breath or the slightest inhale means life and death.
Rated PG-13, the film is now playing in local theaters.
Fathom Events and Warner Bros. Pictures celebrate the 40th anniversary of the beloved 1984 fantasy epic The NeverEnding Story by bringing it back to select theaters nationwide on Saturday, July 21 and Sunday, July 22.
The film tells the story of a young boy named Bastian who, on his way to school one day, ducks into a bookstore to avoid bullies. Sneaking away with a book called “The NeverEnding Story,” Bastian begins reading it in the school attic. The novel is about Fantasia, a fantasy land threatened by “The Nothing,” a darkness that destroys everything it touches. The kingdom needs the help of a human child to survive.
When Bastian reads a description of himself in the book, he begins to wonder if Fantasia is real and needs him to survive.
Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Wolfgang Petersen directs this unforgettable adventure starring Barret Oliver, Gerald McRaney, Tami Stronach, Noah Hathaway, and Deep Roy, and boasting landmark practical creature effects and whimsical set designs.
Each screening will include an exclusive introduction by legendary film critic and historian Leonard Maltin, exploring the visionary tale’s enduring appeal that continues to captivate new generations of filmgoers.
Locally the film will be screened at AMC Loews Stony Brook 17, Island 16: Cinema de Lux in Holtsville, Showcase Cinema de Lux in Farmingdale, and Regal UA in Farmingdale.
To order tickets in advance, visit www.fathomevents.com.
WHO: Fathom Events and Warner Bros. Pictures
WHEN: Sunday, July 21 at 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm local time; and Monday, July 22 at 7:00 pm local time.
WHERE: Tickets for the event can be purchased at Fathom Eventsor at participating theater box offices. For a complete list of theater locations, visit the Fathom Events website (theater locations are subject to change).
Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel
Grandparent Scams — often referred to as “Gram Scams” — most commonly take the form of a young man calling with an urgent financial crisis (overdue rent, car repairs, accident, jail bond) and requesting gift cards, a money transfer, or some other mode that does not require identification to collect. Elder fraud has sharply increased, with $3.4 billion in losses in 2023 (up 11% from the year before).
Thelma, the wonderful film written and directed by Josh Margolin, follows 93-year-old Thelma Post (June Squibb) as she embarks on a quest to recover a scammed $10,000. The simple, linear storyline opens with the nonagenarian coached by her loving grandson (Fred Hechinger) on how to scroll through emails. She is simultaneously independent and reliant on the support of her family. When the police cannot help recover her ten grand, she takes matters into her own hands.
A plot of this nature could easily devolve into a series of comic capers, forced hijinks, and geriatric jokes. Instead, Margolin skillfully opts for a quieter, more methodical, and ultimately honest approach. Thelma first attempts to reach out to friends for help and discovers in a montage of phone calls that most are ill or dead. The awareness is one of many beautifully crafted “ah-hah” beats in a film that never skews to the easy choice.
Eventually, she teams up with the initially reluctant Ben (Richard Roundtree), a friend residing comfortably in an assisted living/nursing home. Using Ben’s two-person scooter, their first stop is the home of their friend Mona (Bunny Levine). In one of the most subtlety touching but equally raw scenes, neglect and isolation are brought into clear focus. (Levine is flawless in her few minutes of screen time.)
Running parallel is Danny’s story, with his protective but often disappointed parents, Gail (Parker Posey) and Alan (Clark Gregg). As they hover and worry over Thelma, they also fret about the underachieving Danny, who cannot get his life together. The brittle family dynamic plays an important part of the action and the resolution.
Thelma is peppered with “don’t-I-know-you” encounters that reflect decades of living but also loss. The screenplay is smart, sharp, and wholly sincere without ever being saccharine or sentimental. Lines that would seem predictable or even pablum resonate: “I didn’t expect to get so old” is not a lament but a statement of fact. This approach to reality is a hallmark of the film’s delicate blend of humor and poignancy. And Thelma is truly funny, with many laugh-out-loud flashes but none that ever cross into farce. (The production of Annie, in which Ben stars as Daddy Warbucks, is hilarious but not ridiculous.) The use of cell phones connected to hearing aids seems almost like a bit, but later comes into important play. Nothing in Thelma ever feels less than truthful.
June Squibb’s early career included appearances on Broadway in Gypsy (1959), The Happy Time (1968), and The Public Good (1975). Her first television role was in a 1985 CBS Schoolbreak Special and her film debut was in Woody Allen’s Alice (1990). Her many appearances made her a reliable and recognizable character actor, with a breakthrough in Alexander Payne’s Nebraska, where she played opposite Bruce Dern. She received over two dozen nominations, including one for an Academy Award. With Thelma, she will most likely receive equal accolades and a second nomination if not a win. The 93-year-old Squibb (who cameos as the voice of Nostalgia in Inside Out 2) offers a nuanced, touching, and completely connected performance. She is incapable of anything less than being fully present with each triumph and setback. Squibb’s Thelma is unmatchable and so far one of the year’s strongest performances.
In his final role, Richard Roundtree gives Ben true dimension. Best known as Detective John Shaft from the 1971 film Shaft and its numerous sequels, Roundtree infuses Ben with a mix of insight and melancholy, somehow showing contentment and resignation. He and Squibb seamlessly present the tenuous connection that grows to a newfound affection. In one of the most memorable interactions, a fall leads to a scene of deepest compassion and, even more so, understanding.
As the grandson, Hechinger avoids the usual slacker traps by balancing familial love with barely masked anxiety. Posey and Gregg’s parents come across as slightly goofy, but their palpable concern gives weight to their frustrations. Nicole Byer and Quinn Beswick elevate the minor supporting roles of assisted living staff. Malcolm McDowell offers levels in what could be a one-note performance.
Thelma is not The Golden Girls or the lowest-common-denominator of “Where’s the Beef?” Age is central but not an easy punchline. Thelma is heartfelt and sometimes painful — it confronts hard truths even in its lightest moments. But it is a memorable journey and certainly one worth taking.
Rated PG-13, Thelma is now playing in local theaters.
By Julianne Mosher
A new documentary created by a former producer for ABC News and 60 Minutes, and with the help of different EMS groups across New York State, is heading to Port Jefferson next week for a free viewing of a powerful film that will remind people how important rescue services are.
Michael Presta, deputy chief at Port Jefferson EMS, said he received a LinkedIn message from the film’s director and producer, Bryony Gilbey, asking if her 2023 award-winning documentary, Honorable But Broken: EMS in Crisis, could be shown in the area.
After connecting with the Greater Port Jefferson Arts Council and Theatre Three, Presta was able to help get the film to play on Thursday, July 11 at 6 p.m. — for free — and for the first time on Long Island.
Gilbey, whose three children are EMS workers, developed the film after hearing the stories about what it was like being in emergency services pre, during and post COVID-19, plus the lack of funding these operations receive from the state and federal governments. The documentary was shot on location with EMS crews in Ossining, New York, and Montclair, New Jersey.
“The film has been circling the state for about a year now and it shows the challenges of delivering EMS services to the public,” Presta said, adding that local elected officials have been invited to attend.
“It helps paint a picture to the public and our politicians on what delivering EMS services in 2024 is like,” Presta added.
He noted that the Port Jefferson EMS helps and protects all of Port Jefferson and its surrounding communities including Mount Sinai and the Village of Port Jefferson, while also lending support to other local areas.
When Presta started his career in Port Jefferson almost two decades ago, on average there were less than 1,000 calls per year. Now, he said, they’re around 3,500.
“It’s getting harder with rising costs to deliver EMS, not just here, but everywhere. Funding is needed to support that number of calls,” he said. “This movie will give people insight.”
Narrated by Sarah Jessica Parker, the goal of the documentary is to, “raise awareness of the systemic collapse of EMS and to advocate for change. Shockingly, most states don’t mandate the provision of EMS, so funding is unpredictable and inadequate. There is a critical workforce shortage, particularly in rural areas, which in turn has led to much longer response times.”
The goal, the documentary’s official website says, is to eventually get the film onto a streaming service so everyone can see it. On the film’s official website, people can donate to help fund that endeavor, as well.
And while Honorable But Broken is not part of the Port Jefferson Documentary Series, Kelly DeVine, head programmer of the series, said that when Presta approached her and Allan Varela, president of the Greater Port Jefferson Arts Council, looking for help, both groups jumped to volunteer their resources.
Working alongside Theatre Three, the arts council offered to lend the theatre their personal movie screen so that the film could be played at the venue.
“The Port Jefferson Documentary Series is focused on bringing high-quality films normally only seen at top festivals or art house screens to our audiences and curating those titles to support our community partners and create impactful communal experiences,” DeVine said.
As for other films coming to Port Jefferson, the documentary series is moving to a new venue and day of the week. The Methodist Church on Main Street across from Theatre Three will now show its films on Thursdays starting in September.
Theatre Three is located at 412 Main Street in Port Jefferson. The screening is free and no reservations are required. For more information, call 631-928-9100.
For more information on Honorable But Broken: EMS in Crisis, visit www.honorablebutbroken.org.
By Daniel Dunaief
Films can take us far from our lives, even as they can also bring us closer to truths about our world.
From July 9 to 12, the Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington is presenting a four-day festival that highlights the intersection between politics and Hollywood. The screenings, which cost $16 for nonmembers and $10 for members, will include the films Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Best Man, and The Candidate.
On the first night, former Congressman and the festival’s curator Steve Israel will host a discussion entitled “Campaigning on Celluloid: How Cinema Informs and Reflects Changing Political Communication on Film.”
Israel, who taught a class at Cornell University about politics and film after he left public office, selected the movies.
“I thought it would be interesting and fun to offer a similar series” to the films he discussed at Cornell “on Long Island to the general public,” he said.
Israel describes the film The Best Man, which pits the principled William Russell, played by Henry Fonda, against the populist opportunist Joe Cantwell, acted by Cliff Robertson, as eerily prescient of recent political battles.
“It’s an example of a film in 1964 that was regarded as entertaining and implausible that has been overtaken by the reality,” said Israel.
The Cinema Arts Centre is debuting this series of movies this year and may run another similar program in future years.
Israel anticipates a discussion about how films are a “projection of our times and politics often influences films,” and added that some films seem political, but they aren’t, while others don’t seem political, but they are.
“We are going to explore that dynamic,” Israel explained.
Atticus Finch, the hero in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, served as a role model for Israel, who spent his early time in public service trying to emulate the determined lawyer. “Atticus Finch wouldn’t survive in our current political environment,” Israel said.
The novel is relevant in the world of today, as a modern day Finch would struggle to confront the anger, vitriol and division that defines contemporary society, Israel suggested.
The reality of the modern political environment has surpassed the fiction, making the two satirical novels Israel has written difficult to produce.
“The market for satire is dead because the reality has surpassed the story,” Israel added.
Non partisan
Nate Close, the Director of Marketing and Communications at the Cinema Arts Centre, explained that the mission of the festival is to be nonpartisan.
Indeed, guest speakers come from both parties, with republican Representative Peter King joining Israel for a discussion after Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and political strategist and policy advisor Basil Smikle participating in the post discussion after The Candidate.
The festival hopes to “shine a light on how these two institutions [politics and Hollywood] influence American culture and shape each other,” said Close. “There’s interplay there.”
Films are “more important than ever,” said Israel. “You sit through it, you take in the textures, the characters and the writing” and it “should inspire us to think.
Program Schedule:
Tuesday, July 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Campaigning on Celluloid: How Cinema Informs and Reflects Changing Political Communication on Screen — Lecture with former Congressman Steve Israel
*Postponed to October 7: Wednesday, July 10 at 7 p.m.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington — Film screening and discussion with Rep. Steve Israel and Rep. Peter King
Thursday, July 11 at 7 p.m.
The Best Man — Film screening and discussion with Steve Israel
Friday, July 12 at 7 p.m.
The Candidate — Film screening and discussion with Rep. Steve Israel and Basil Smikle
For tickets, visit www.cinemaartscentre.org. For more information, call 631-423-7610.
Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel
PBS’s Hope in the Water is a three-part docuseries investigating the world of aquafarmers and fishers. The series shows viable alternatives to providing food for an ever-growing population while supporting and sustaining the environment. Unlike many documentaries narrowing on the doom-and-gloom aspects, Hope in the Water leans into its name, celebrating individual and group efforts and emphasizing cooperative undertakings that have already made a difference. Climate change is touched upon but rarely central.
Hope in the Water comes from the multi-award-winning producer David E. Kelley (Love & Death, Lincoln Lawyer, Big Little Lies) in association with four-time James Beard Award and Emmy Award winner Chef Andrew Zimmern and his production company, Intuitive Content (What’s Eating America, Family Dinner, Andrew Zimmern’s Wild Game Kitchen, Feral).
Episode One, The Fish in the Sea, which premiered on June 19, breaks down into three sections. The first details the evolution of COAST—Community of Arran Seabed Trust—a Scottish grassroots movement that set out to “manage the seas on behalf of the next generation.” Inspired by a No-Take zone in New Zealand, COAST “campaigned to stop mobile fishing that damages [their] seabeds, jeopardizing future livelihoods and wildlife.” COAST saw the change and suspension of legal protections and faced governmental roadblocks but ultimately triumphed. The new approach led to a revitalization of the waters as well as a species abundance increase of 102%.
A joyously energetic Baratunde Thurston provides much of the narrative drive in the second section, which takes place in Puerto Rico. Thurston is the host and executive producer of America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston and the creator and host of How to Citizen with Baratunde. The Emmy-nominated hyphenate (host-producer-writer-public speaker) is the ideal cheerleader for issues that intersect technology, politics, and climate.
Devastated by 2017’s Hurricane Maria, the middle of the documentary tells of the founding of the World Central Kitchen (preparing and feeding over four million survivors) and the grants given to fishers for boat repairs, new engine purchases, and repairing the fishing ecosystem. At the heart is the fishing of the diamondback squid. The large sea creature, often up to sixty pounds and fished from depths as deep as 1,700 feet, is almost entirely meat. The shift promotes resilience and moves away from a dependence on imports.
The final segment shows Hawaii’s He’eisa Fishpond, eighty-eight acres and an eight-hundred-year-old location of traditional Hawaiian aquaculture. Here, one indigenous woman strives to grow fish traditionally, keeping one hundred percent of the resources local. (Hawaii is the largest consumer of fish per capita in the nation yet imports most of its seafood. The market economy overturned the long-standing fishpond culture early in the twentieth century.) This third chapter is the most intimate and personal, highlighting the power of the individual to engage the community.
The film is quickly—if often peripatetically—paced, with a constant cutting from interviews to broad oceanic vistas—rarely holding for more than fifteen seconds. (There is a vague sense that creators fear losing their audience.) In addition to an array of talking heads—activists, scientists, environmentalists, fishers, politicians—historical footage, personal photos, legal documents, and newspaper clippings flash and integrate throughout.
Episode One opens with a storm in Puerto Rico, played for dramatic effect. The entire sequence repeats when the narrative returns to this thread with a mostly tacit conclusion, justified with a tag: “These are real people, and the story is dangerous,” which is all “part of the cost of the food that we eat.” These are minor cavils in an otherwise engaging and refreshing boost of optimism. While the film presents a variety of facts—we eat twice as much seafood now as we did fifty years ago—statistics never bog down the film or obscure the story’s humanity.
In a predominantly upbeat approach, Hope in the Water embraces the oceans as the heart of the earth’s survival. The film’s message is not one of “hands off.” It expresses the necessity to be aware of the environment but also acknowledges the “need to feed.” The film is a worthwhile fifty minutes that is a tribute to the strength of community and the power of individuals to make change for the greater good. It “starts with us.”
The series continues on PBS with Farming the Water on June 26, which highlights solutions to the pollution and environmental issues surrounding farmed fish, and concludes with Changing the Menu on July 3, taking up a diversification of seafood. To view the entire series online, visit www.pbs.org/show/hope-in-the-water/.
Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts turns into a movie lover’s mecca when new independent films screen at the Stony Brook Film Festival on evenings from Thursday, July 18 to Saturday, July 27. The popular festival, now in its 29th year, will become a hub for some of the best filmmakers working today, a meeting ground for favorite actors and rising stars, and a showcase of new masterpieces as it pairs memorable short films with an array of features you won’t see anywhere else.
Presented by Island Federal, this year’s lineup boasts 36 films from 19 countries and kicks off with the U.S. Premiere of The Blond Boy from the Casbah, Alexandre Arcady’s semi-autobiographical dramedy about growing up in Algeria before emigrating to France as a teen. Festival Programmer Kent Marks describes the film as a “thought-provoking, unique journey through the past on the surprising path to self-discovery.”
Closing the festival is the U.S. Premiere of the German epic One Million Minutes, an inspiring true story that follows an over-worked family trying to find balance in their lives, starring festival-favorite Karoline Herfurth.
While the films are never chosen with an overall theme in mind, oftentimes, a theme seems to emerge, and 2024 is no exception. “While our goal is to always program the best films we can find, this year, we gave ourselves the added goal of keeping an eye out for films that appeared to be on the lighter side so we could give our audience some extra laughs in their lives — something that we felt many people could use,” says SBFF & Staller Center Director, Alan Inkles.
As festival-goers have come to expect, the 2024 schedule is still peppered with hard-hitting films, compelling dramas, and some very unique science-fiction.
This year’s festival features nine films from Stony Brook Film Fest Alumni. “Filmmakers depend on these festivals to help them get their films distributed so as many people can see them as possible and to gauge how a live audience is responding to their work – Our alumni love returning because we have a large, engaged audience and ensure they get the best showing and hospitality possible,” says Marks. “One of the most exciting parts for me is seeing these films up on the big screen and watching how the audience reacts,” says Outreach Director Paul Newland, “after spending so much time previewing these films, it’s truly exciting to see them have their big premiere in the festival, and our filmmakers love it too.”
One of the key features of the Stony Brook Film Festival is that there is absolutely no other way to see these films.
“Netflix and streaming services are easy and comfortable, and we get that, but these films are not offered on streaming services. They’re films looking to get picked up for distribution in order to stream or play in theaters – a lot of people don’t get that – so this is the prime opportunity to be the first to know and to see some truly incredible films that you cannot see anywhere else,” says Inkles. This year’s festival boasts 17 world, U.S., East Coast, and U.S. premieres of features and shorts throughout the festival.
This year’s festival has a secret film—one that you will only know about if you come in person on July 21. The film—a major motion picture starring well-known Hollywood faces—was produced by a native Long Island filmmaker whose films have previously played the festival. It tells an inspirational true story with an amazing local hook. As with almost all films in the festival, a question-and-answer session between the filmmakers and the audience will follow the preview.
“We are very excited to have filmmakers from all over the world join us for their premiere screenings. Our audiences can gather in a huge theater with Long Island’s largest screen, to see movies the way they were meant to be seen,” said Inkles.
Additional sponsors for the Stony Brook Film Festival include Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP; Suffolk County; Altice Media; and WLIW21.
For a complete description of all of the films, visit stonybrookfilmfestival.com.
Short: Chauncey
Feature: The Blond Boy from the Casbah
Short: Iron Lung
Feature: The Queen of My Dreams
Short: Detox
Feature: Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person
Short: The Hope Chest Has a Secret Drawer
Feature: The Strangers’ Case
Short: Two Cents & A Footlong
Feature: Take A Chance on Me
Short: The Grievance
Feature: SPECIAL SNEAK PREVIEW of a major motion picture produced by a SBFF alumni and Long Island resident
Short: Revived
Feature: Month to Month
Short: Where We Belong
Feature: Marguerite’s Theorem
Short: In the Night
Feature: Excursion
Short: Split Ends
Feature: Free Money
Short: Where Do Ants Sleep At Night
Feature: A Fantastic Relationship
Short: exuvia
Feature: Mediha
Short: [subtext]
Feature: Running on Sand
Short: Mimesis
Feature: Mastergame
Short: Bible Camp
Feature: Daughter of the Sun
Short: The Overlook
Feature: After the Fire
Short: On the paths awakened
Feature: A Real Job
Short: If
Feature: One Million Minutes
9:30 p.m. Presented on stage.
Ticket information
All screenings are held at Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook in the 1,000-seat Main Stage theater. Cinephiles will want to see all 36 films. There’s passes for that. For those who can’t, there are passes for that, too. All festival pass types come with guaranteed priority seating, Q&As with filmmakers, discounts, and other perks at partner locations, including local eateries and breweries, as well as a festival gift.
The Flex Pass is intended for those who aren’t sure about purchasing a 10-day pass. For $75, pass holders also receive entry to any five nights of the festival except for closing night.
A Regular Pass – $100 – also includes entry to all films and the closing night awards ceremony.
The Gold Pass VIP – $250 – also includes entry to all films, VIP First Priority reserved seating, and invitations to the Opening Night and Closing Night parties at St. Georges Golf Club in Setauket and on the rooftop at Curry Club at SaGhar in Port Jefferson, respectively.
Individual tickets of $15 per person, $13.50 for seniors will be available after July 5. Tickets may be purchased at stonybrookfilmfestival.com/pass.
To learn more about the different membership levels and their benefits, call the box office at 631-632-2787 or visit www.stonybrookfilmfestival.com.
This article originally appeared in TBR News Media’s Summer Times supplement on June 20.
By Tim Haggerty & Jeffrey Sanzel
This summer’s movie calendar offers something for everyone, with a great range of genres and a strong blockbuster Hollywood talent.
Probably the most awaited summer film is the sequel to the 2015 animated feature. Pixar’s modern classic followed eleven-year-old Riley and her emotional ups and downs from moving to a new city. Now a young woman, Riley is dealing with a host of new feelings, including Anxiety. Original voices Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, and Lewis Black join newcomers Maya Hawke, Tony Hale, and Liza Laira.
Rated PG · Release date June 14
Construction worker Dan (Keith Kupferer) is drawn into the world of a local Romeo and Juliet theatre production, enabling him to bond with his troubled teenage daughter, Daisy (Katherine Mallen Kupferer). A Sundance favorite, the indie drama from directors Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson, could be this summer’s sleeper hit.
Rated R · Release date June 14
Inspired by photographer Danny Lyons’ book on a real-life Chicago biker gang, director Jeff Nichols splits his focus between the gang’s leader (Tom Hardy) and a younger biker (Austin Butler). The cast includes Michael Shannon, Norman Reedus, Boyd Holbrook, Damon Herriman, Emory Cohen, and Toby Wallace.
Rated R · Release date June 21
Another entry into the ever-popular weather-related genre. Minari’s Lee Isaac Chung helms the film, promising more than CGI Sturm und Drang.
Rated PG-13 · Release date July 19
Yorgos Lanthimos’ follow-up to the Oscar-nominated Poor Things features a trio of stories and an all-star cast (Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Jesse Plemons, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Hunter Schafer, and Mamadou Athie) each playing multiple roles over the three chapters. Kinds of Kindness will surely feature Lanthimos’s signature heightened reality and disturbing absurdism.
Rated R · Release date June 21
Ninety-four-year-old June Squibb is the titular action hero. After being conned in a phone scam, the nonagenarian sets out on a course of revenge, aided by her best friend (the late Richard “Shaft” Roundtree). Parker Posey and Clark Gregg co-star.
Rated PG-13 · Release date June 21
Originally conceived by writer-director Christy Hall as a two-hander stage play, Daddio focuses on a woman (Dakota Johnson) and the cabbie (Sean Penn) who drives her from JFK to her midtown Manhattan apartment. What ensues is an informal therapy session that covers everything from the dangers of romance, commitment, and the difference between the sexes.
Rated R · Release date June 28
Kevin Costner directs and stars in this multi-chaptered Western. Subtitled “An American Saga,” the stories view the shaping of the West from a variety of viewpoints, including the forced relocation of indigenous people. Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Luke Wilson, Jena Malone, Will Patton, Dale Dickey, and a roster of big names co-star.
Rated R · Release date June 28
In this third installment, the series returns to the alien invasion that began with the 2018 debut. Michael Sarnoski, of the Nicolas Cage thriller Pig, directs the prequel that will most likely explain the space invaders’ presence on Earth.
Rated PG-13 · Release date June 28
Detroit detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) returns to investigate the death of an old friend. Having just revisited Coming to America, Murphy unsurprisingly returns to the fish-out-of-water Foley, exposing corruption in local police ranks.
Rated R · Release date July 3
The horror trilogy, which began with X and Pearl, features the lone survivor of the inaugural 1970s-slasher entry. Kevin Bacon, Elisabeth Debecki, Giancarlo Esposito, Bobby Cannavale, Lily Collins, and Michelle Monaghan feature in another outing with deranged killers in the heyday of the infamous Night Stalker.
Rated R · Release date July 5
It Follows’ Maika Monroe is an FBI agent investigating a series of killings that may or may not have some occult leanings; Nicolas Cage is the eccentric who may or may not be solely responsible for the murders. Director Osgood Perkins takes on the familiar federal agent versus the serial killer plot made popular by the Oscar-winning Silence of the Lambs.
Rated R · Release date July 12
This story focuses on a convict (Colman Domingo) and several felons involved in a theater program designed for occupants of the titular penitentiary. While creating an original production, they find solace in treading the boards. Many of the prisoners are played by real-life former members of the prison-based theater groups.
Rated R · Release date July 12
Rom-com meets the Space Race with PR whiz (Scarlett Johansson) and alpha astronaut (Channing Tatum). Best known for his superhero oeuvre, Greg Berlanti directs a cast that includes Ray Romano, Woody Harrelson, and Jon Rash.
Rated PG-13 · Release date July 12
Ryan Reynold’s third Deadpool movie also stars Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, along with Jennifer Garner as Elektra. This Marvel Cinematic Universe/X-Men crossover gives the summer a hyper-doze of superhero power.
Rated R · Release date July 26
Euphoria’s Hunter Schaefer enters the world of horror with a tale of a family vacation at a Bavarian resort, replete with residents who vomit and walk the halls like zombies. In addition to family drama, the owner (Dan Stevens) adds an additional creepy vibe.
Rated R · Release date August 2
Based on the best-selling videogame, the film follows a group of misfits on the planet Pandora on a mission to save a missing girl who holds the key to unimaginable power. Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Ariana Greenblatt, and Jamie Lee Curtis star in this action-adventure.
Rated PG-13 · Release date August 9
Little has been revealed about this new addition to the Alien franchise except that it occurs between the first and second films. Best of all, Aliens’ creature design team developed the look and feel of this entry’s Xenomorphs.
Rated R · Release date August 16
Bill Skarsgård takes on this controversial reboot as a late musician brought back from the dead to avenge the murder of his soulmate. Based on James O’Barr’s comic series, the role is associated with Brandon Lee, and the tragic circumstances surrounding the original 1994 cult movie.
Rated R · Release date August 23
With a mix of comedy, drama, thriller, and pure escape—along with the usual sequels—summer 2024 promises something for every filmgoer.
This article originally appeared in TBR News Media’s Summer Times supplement on June 20.
Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel
Pixar has produced over two dozen animated features. Among the best are Up, Coco, Soul, Finding Nemo, and the Toy Story franchise, which managed to maintain its integrity through three sequels.
The unique and wonderful Inside Out (2015) explored and explained the complicated inner feelings of young Riley and how she reacts to her family’s relocation. The film personified her basic emotions—Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger—in colorful (and color-coded) beings.
Director Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc., Up, and Soul) co-wrote the screenplay with Meg LeFauve and Joshy Cooley. Docter gathered an all-star cast of voices, including Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, Bill Hader, and others. It became one of the year’s most successful films, grossing over eight hundred and fifty million dollars and receiving nearly unanimous critical acclaim.
Inside Out 2, the much-anticipated sequel, picks up a year later with thirteen-year-old Riley. Director Kelsey Mann makes an extraordinary feature debut, working from a beautifully fashioned screenplay by LeFauve and Dave Holstein. (Docter served as executive producer.) It is easy to be hyperbolic. (For example, “This is the worst film ever made.”) However, Inside Out 2 is, quite simply, perfect.
On the verge of entering high school, Riley learns that her best friends and fellow hockey teammates, Bree and Grace, will attend a different school. Seemingly overnight, Riley goes from child to teenager, with mood swings and doubts becoming the norm. That summer, the trio attend a three-day hockey intensive, with Riley hoping success will lead to a place on the varsity Fire Hawks. At the camp, Riley meets her idol, high school hockey star Valentina Ortiz, and decides to court favor with the older girl and her entourage in exchange for her allegiance to Bree and Grace.
Inside Out 2 meets the original material directly and then logically—and brilliantly—elevates it as Riley enters the struggle that is puberty. Joining and fighting to replace Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust are Envy, Ennui, Embarrassment, and, most importantly and most present, Anxiety.
Ultimately, the story is the battle between Joy and Anxiety for control over Riley’s life. This significant metaphor embodies the steps from childhood to adolescence. At the heart is the idea that experiences become memories that generate belief, leading to a Sense of Self. Grappling with the need to manifest a Sense of Self fires the conflict. The ultimate resolution is heartfelt, honest, and cathartic.
Once again, Poehler heads up a terrific company; she mines every bit of humor in Joy but never sacrifices the emotional integrity. Black and Smith return as Anger and Sadness, respectively. Like Poehler, they never lose the heart for the laughs. Lisa Lapira replaces Mindy Kaling as Disgust, and Tony Hale takes over from Bill Hader as Fear. (The sour note surrounds the film as Kaling and Hader ended up in a pay dispute with Disney, being offered only one hundred thousand dollars to Poehler’s five million.) Lapira and Hale both acquit themselves well.
Maya Hawke brings dimension to Anxiety, allowing the emotion’s potential value to weigh against its damage. Ayo Edebiri’s Envy matches Disgust, and Paul Walter Hauser’s almost mute Embarrassment works well. However, the funniest addition is Ennui, with Adèle Exarchopoulos playing the boredom as a beatnik Parisian existentialist. Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan are back as Riley’s parents, and while they have limited screen time, they manage to imbue the parents with the right mix of love and frustration. Kensington Tallman’s Riley (replacing Kaitlyn Dias) truly holds center in a nuanced and wholly believable performance.
The designers and animators (and hundreds of artists and craftspeople) seamlessly shaped two parallel worlds: Riley’s almost hyper-realistic outside (down to the braces and single unmentioned pimple) and the softer, slightly two-dimensional inside (giving the world of emotions a hint of old Disney). The spherical memories, the islands, and the control consuls return, only to be taken to the next step.
The script is smart, and the dialogue is clever, but neither ever becomes self-conscious, finding unique voices for every character. The film does not trade on its predecessor but builds, expands, and matures it. (It also contains one of the greatest puns in any film—but no spoilers here.)
Inside Out 2 offers great truths with remarkable awareness: growing up is messy, change is complex, and everyone is a roiling sea of turmoil. It also shows that every emotion and experience—every color, every shade—lead us to who we are and who we can be. If art’s purpose is to reflect the human condition, then Inside Out 2 is art and much, much more.
Rated PG, the film is now playing in local theaters.
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