Crum on Showbiz

By Steve Crum

I love June Squibb. The affair began when I first saw her on screen in 2013. Now 96, Squibb is superb in her second starring role since 2024’s Thelma. As in her Oscar nominated Supporting Actress turn as Bruce Dern’s wife in Nebraska (2013), her every scene is lively and compelling. 

She runs the proverbial gamut in 2025’s Eleanor the Great. Whether the scenes involve deep friendship or crushing sorrow, Squibb delivers. 

Her delivery can be stinging as well as sassy—as befits her role as Eleanor Morgenstein. She is a widow undergoing a major life change following the death of her best friend and roomie, Bessie Stern (Rita Zohar). 

Adjusting to her new lifestyle, Eleanor soon moves in with her daughter Lisa (Jessica Hecht) and grandson Max (Will Price) in New York City. The results are immediately familiar and expected, as told in Tory Kamen’s screenplay. It’s no surprise that the opinionated Eleanor is looking for a new place to stay. Along the way, she stumbles into joining a support group of Holocaust survivors. But there is a major problem inherent. Such is the crux of the plot. 

Adding to the complexity of Eleanor’s challenges is a friendship she acquires with college journalism major Nina Davis (Erin Kellerman) and her renowned TV news anchor father Roger Davis (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Much like Eleanor, he is reeling from the recent death of his wife. Nina wants to write about Eleanor for her journalism class, which Eleanor at first rejects. They become close pals. 

Kamen’s plot lines eventually weave together—sometimes surprisingly, sometimes predictably. Incidentally, Dustin O’Halloran’s subtle and appropriate score is a plus. 

But a big credit for the success of the film goes to renowned actress Scarlett Johansson. She makes her directorial debut with Eleanor the Great. 

At this writing, June Squibb has recently closed a successful play run on Broadway in “Marjorie Prime.” It is hard to believe that she began her career in 1959 on the Great White Way stage in “Gypsy,” playing a singing stripper. 

Moreover, this study in the psychology of grief and loss is what makes Eleanor so great. 

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GRADE on an A-F Scale: B+

By Steve Crum

There have been 469 feature movie versions of  Frankenstein. Most of them at least pay homage to Mary Shelley’s original 1818 novel. (That includes Young Frankenstein’s parody of such. It does not include Jesse James Meets Frankenstein.) 

2025’s Frankenstein, written, directed and produced by Guillermo del Toro, towers among the best—if not THE best– of the filmed versions. The 150 minutes is divided into three parts: Prelude, Victor’s Tale and The Creature’s Tale. After the opening, which covers an ice-stranded Royal Danish Navy ship in 1857 on the way to the North Pole, the action kicks in to a nearby bloody scene. Captain Anderson (Lars Mikkelsen) and several of his crew rescue a near-death Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac). As he is carried aboard their vessel, a lanky figure attacks—repeatedly.

Meet The Creature (Jacob Elordi) we now know as Frankenstein’s monster. 

Segue to Victor’s Tale wherein we survey the future baron’s aristocratic upbringing with a strict and often cruel father (Charles Dance). Victor becomes obsessed with science, particularly creating life through assemblage of corpses’ body parts. (His lab resembles a bloody slaughterhouse.) If you have seen any previous Frankenstein film (or read the novel), it should sound familiar. Add to that characters vital to the plot. William Frankenstein (Felix Kammerer) is Victor’s younger brother…and engaged to Lady Elizabeth Harlander (Mia Goth).  Christoph Waltz portrays Henrich Harlander, Elizabeth’s uncle, who funds Victor’s heinous experiments. More corpses + more body work + a fantastic lightning rod sequence = a living and increasingly verbal man. (This info should not be considered a spoiler.) 

An aside: Do not expect to hear Victor’s famous shouting from James Whale’s 1931 Frankenstein: “It’s alive! It’s alive!”

A friendship develops between Elizabeth and the creature—who is chained within the castle tower. This leads to tragedy, thanks to Victor. 

Circumstances lead to The Creature’s Tale wherein the narrative is spoken through thoughts and actual voice of the “monster” himself. He is on a trek to find the long-gone Victor and seek retribution. On his own now, he discovers friendly creatures of the forest as well as making friends with a blind old shepherd, played by David Bradley.

He also discovers some deadly forest savagery via wolves. The wolf attack sequence is…to die for. Sorry about that one. 

Incidentally, I am not disclosing the huge surprise about the creature’s physical being. It is a major plot point, however. Add to that the story’s rather jarring conclusion.

Along the way, savor Elordi and Isaac’s super fine acting. Makeup, set design, cinematography and music are impressive as well. 

Del Toro’s Frankenstein is grand storytelling.

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GRADE on an A-F Scale: A

By Steve Crum

The year is 1932. Returning to their Mississippi hometown of Clarksdale after seven years of working for Al Capone in Chicago are twin brothers Elijah and Elias Moore (aka the “Smokestack Twins”), terrifically played by Michael B. Jordan. Both “Smoke” and “Stack” have big plans. So begins Director/Writer/Producer Ryan Coogler’s horror film, Sinners. It could also be labeled a musical horror film, since the story includes fine sequences of dance, blues, folk and gospel. Specifically, the brothers plan to open a juke joint on the outskirts of town.

The first half of the film follows their quest of securing food, booze, staff and musicians for opening night. After they discover the talented guitarist and singer Sammie Moore (their cousin) and bring him onboard, they convince a local blues legend/harmonica player Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) to join.

Sammie, a mainstay of the story, is brilliantly played by Miles Caton.

Along the way, however, things take violent turns via white racists and local thieves. Factor in Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), a local who is also Smoke’s estranged wife. It so happens she is also an evil spirit practitioner. Is Sinners a horror movie or not? 

Make no mistake, it is. Without divulging too much more, consider these teasers: Native American police search for a dangerous madman; a trio of white folksingers wants to be part of the nightclub’s entertainment; and then there is that mysterious grave. 

But the focus of the second half of the movie is on an outbreak of bloodthirsty souls—really lack of souls—on the attack. Shades of Night of the Living Dead and From Dusk till Dawn!

Sinners succeeds big time on a visceral level. Gross plus. 

Fans of TV’s The Walking Dead should particularly enjoy it. After all, it seems vampires and zombies are blood brothers and sisters in their cravings. 2010’s Let Me In was the first time I heard of vampires having to be invited into a domicile to wreak their toothy rage. (In 1931, Bela Lugosi’s Dracula just walked or flew in.) 

Ryan Coogler’s major influence seems to be the great work of Jordan Peele, whose horror films (Get Out; Nope; more) are more nuanced and suspenseful than Sinners. But Coogler has a sharp eye for cinematography (via the talented Autumn Durald Arkapaw) and music (Ludwig Göransson). 

Be assured that the film’s 138-minutes concludes with a simple resolution. I lie. Just stay with the happenings until the credit roll…and through the credits to the very end. Surprise. 

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GRADE on an A-F Scale: B+

By Steve Crum

For their 13th film acting together, beginning with 1997’s Good Will Hunting, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon star in The Rip. It’s an action-thriller worth seeing.  

Written and directed by Joe Carnahan (Narc; TV’s The Blacklist), The Rip deals with a Miami-Dade police narcotics team, particularly fellow cops Lt. Dane Dumars (Matt Damon) and Ben Affleck’s Det. Sgt. JD Byrne. After responding to a tip about a possible drug/money tie-in at a nearby house, the two (and three of their deputies) shockingly discover more than expected—way more. 

It is important to add that Dumars and Byrne are more than fellow police. They’ve been friendly rivals for years, constantly taking jibes at each other. Their remarks really establish their camaraderie with each other. That sets the film’s mostly serious tone in counterbalance. It so happens that there are rumors of crooked cops robbing drug houses. And what this unit finds at the house is mind bending. (Let’s just say it involves cash.) The results are immediate, with disguised phone calls threatening them to leave the house or else. Then Byrne and Dumars’ trust comes into play. Is either of them—or their team—honest or on the take? Paranoia reigns.

The majority of The Rip’s 113-minutes playing time is reminiscent of the classic Assault on Precinct 13 (both versions), which includes the tactical unit under fire in the house from unknown outside forces. That “under fire” references gunfire as well as the house being set on fire. 

There is also a subplot of sorts centering on Desi Molina (Sasha Calle), the late homeowner’s granddaughter, who reluctantly permitted the team to search her house. She becomes an active player in the unfolding story since her life is now at risk. 

Other key players, who do fine jobs, include: Steve Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Kyle Chandler. 

What more can a moviegoer want than The Rip’s slam bang finale tagged with a happy ending? 

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GRADE on an A-F Scale: B

By Steve Crum

And the Co-Winner of Crum’s Most Wildly Wordy Film Title of the First Quarter of the 21st Millennium is…One Battle After Another. It ties with 2022’s Everything Everywhere All At Once. But like the latter, One Battle has its own vision driven by its own greatness—including co-producer/writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti. Add tech & stunt crews at their peak. 

This film is stunning, an amazing achievement.

Paul Thomas Anderson has given us movie greatness before, particularly his 2007 work, Let There Be Blood. He has risen to the occasion once again with One Battle After Another, studio labeled as a “black comedy-action-thriller.” Telling the story from the viewpoint of modern day American anarchists, “The French 75,” is unique in itself. By the conclusion, 162 minutes later, plot complexities have enveloped the likes of the federal government, including the military, and a pregnancy that fuels an influential, undercover hate group. 

Is there any reference herein to current events, circa 2025-26? Consider a line spoken by Sean Penn’s military officer, Col. Steven J. Lockjaw, who pursues The French 75: “If you want to save the planet, you’ve got to start with immigration.” Hmm. 

Incidentally, when Lockjaw first encounters the revolutionary Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor), it is the most lewdly hilarious scene in film history. Hands down. 

In a proverbial nutshell, One Battle’s plot opens on revolutionaries “Ghetto” Pat Calhoun (DiCaprio) and Perfidia, who are lovers, as they do what they and their F-25 group do well: set bombs and fires while freeing immigrants from a detention center. 

Segue to 16 years later when Perfidia and Pat’s 16 year-old girl, Willa (Chase Infiniti), are living in a sanctuary city of California. The whereabouts of her absent mother really drives the movie to multiple happenings, so no spoilers here. By this time, dad Pat is a bonafide pot head who has become the ol’ toke at home who lazes around while his kid Willa has become the brains of the family. By the way, for most of the rest of the movie, Pat dresses in the same pajamas and robe—including the many outdoor sequences. 

Re-enter Col. Lockjaw, whose very active military duty still includes chasing down every last member of F-75, a group still active. (Pat is retired, and not on the grid.) Lockjaw is particularly interested in finding Willa, even though they have never met. Fear not, their link is clarified in the film early on. 

Adding fuel to Lockjaw’s violent battles is the inclusion of The Christmas Adventures Club—an organization of wealthy…white men. Enough said. See it to believe it. 

In addition to those mentioned, other particularly good cast members are Benicio del Toro as Willa’s karate teacher and leader of undocumented immigrants; and Regina Hall (Deandra/“Lady Champagne” of F-75. Speaking of names, Anderson’s dark humor seems to include a homage to Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove. Col. Lockjaw vs Gen. Jack D. Ripper, anyone? 

Oscar worthy cinematography, music (unconventional) and production design help tie the bow on this totally unpredictable, epic motion picture. 

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GRADE on an A-F Scale: A