This week was my third time attending the Chicago International Film Festival, and I thought it would be a nice little exercise to share the process I go through to see films there during the festival. I stay at with family up in the northwest suburbs in Chicagoland. From there it is a drive from between 45 to 90 minutes, depending on Chicago’s wonderful traffic. The AMC NewCity has a built in parking garage. Once you get your pass validated, it is only $2 for the first 3 hours. So I arrive about 45 minutes early to get in line for a good seat for the screening. I usually am choosing bigger films to see when I am here, so screens have queues to get in. For Ink this week, I got in line 50 minutes before the start and was about 12th in line. At about the 30 minute mark, we are led from the queue to the actual screen. Then it is just taking you ballot and finding a seat. The process is simple and the volunteers that are executing the game plan does a fantastic job. Now, what of the actual films I saw during the Festival? Those reviews are part of the 10 you will find from this week. It has been a week. On to the reviews!
The untold and inspiring tale of one of the most important mountain climbers in history who, with Edmund Hillary, became the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
This film based on the career of Tenzing Norgay, the Nepalese-Indian Sherpa, that along with Sir Edmund Hillary, of New Zealand, reached the summit of Mount Everest in 1953 for the first time in history. Tom Hiddleston is fine as Hillary, and Willem Dafoe was good as John Hunt, but it was Genden Phuntsok that was phenomenal as Norgay. The film really highlights the abilitites of a mountain-climber that came from a location deeming him inferior, yet accomplished something that nobody was able to do at that point in time. It was also great that filming took place in Nepal. By filming at Kathmandu and the Everest region it gave the film a level of authenticity that I really appreciated. Kudos should also go out to Jennifer Peedom, making the shift from documentaries, directing this film. This film first showed up at Telluride in September, then at TIFF the 11 days later. While it is true that if you know history, you know how the film will end going into it, it is to the film’s credit that there is a level of tension at moments that show just a glimpse of how unforgiving Mount Everest was, and still very much is. This is very much worth your time on a streaming platform that I don’t think has had a lot of great options in the past (see the next review…).
When a group of former childhood friends reconnect, their reunion takes a wild turn as they stumble upon a dangerous international plot—and must save the world.
Not a lot to say about this one. Without John Cena or Jessica Biel, this would veer towards being unwatchable. Still there was a level of humor among the friend group that sort of works at times. What doesn’t work here is the nonsense plot that they decided to give a story based on a kid’s toy car line. Is it because they didn’t want to make people think they were copying The Fast and the Furious film series? So make it a spy film with weapon smugglers and rogue CIA factions. Makes sense. It is a wild juxtaposition to watch this right after Tenzing on AppleTV. This is a skip unless you are home sick and running out of things to watch for your movie blog and don’t feel like renting a movie. Hypothetically.
At an elite fundraising gala, celebrities and socialites find themselves in danger when armed activists storm the venue in pursuit of a legendary relic that could unlock supernatural powers.
In a very heavy festival-themed week, this has a had the longest path from festival to release. This film had its premiere at the 2025 Toronto international Film Festival. That it took Netflix a full year to release kind of shows the confidence they had in it, and I sort of get it. This isn’t really an easy film to market. I think it wants to be satire of climate activision, but it is something different. Of our main cast, only Anya-Taylor Joy and Chris Evans work. John Malkovich, Salma Hayek, and Vincent Cassel don’t really do enough to make a difference in the story. At one point, Brendan Fraser was in the Cassel role, and that would have made things more interesting. The absurd premise though really worked for me. I wish we had more of these kind of movies, even if I wish they were a little better than this. I appreciated the storyline even if it was nonsensical at times. I also know I am being a little too forgiving on this and I am more positive than others. I can only apologize for liking what I like I guess.
When a theft goes awry, a veteran pickpocket is sent on a mission through New York to reclaim it.
This film premiered way back in January at Sundance, and has been slowly collecting buzz at festivals throughout the season. Now it is has finally reached the masses, and I thought this was pretty enjoyable film. John Turturro turns in a performance that is among his best, and should be in the converstion during awards season. His Harry is not making the best choices, but you can see he does have his priorities that really endear him to us. What the film really boils down to is how one really bad mistake has the chance to completely ruin your life. The film isn’t interested in coming up with some convoluted scheme to help Harry escape the mob. What we watch instead is a man who has accepted what he has brought on himself. Just a really good performance in a film that isn’t really trying to do a whole lot. There are good performance here from Steve Buscemi, Giancarlo Esposito, Tatiana Maslany, and Will Price, but this is the Turturro show. This film was a quiet, classic charcter study of how a person’s life can change due to the cruelty of life and the choices we make. In simpler terms for the youths: play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
In 1969, as rising media tycoon acquires the daily newspaper “The Sun,” his partnership with editor Larry Lamb turns the paper into Britain’s most influential tabloid.
It has been a bit since a Danny Boyle film really worked for me. I was little down on 2025’s 28 Years Later, and I don’t think I have really enjoyed one of his films since 2007’s Sunshine, So it was nice finally have a film that really drew me in, This was a film that does good job in showing how such an infamous tabloid could rise to become the iconic paper that it became. Jack O’Connell, coming off two 28 Years Later entries, is really great as Larry Lamb. As the film progresses, it is interesting to watch Lamb’s morals slowing deteriorate as the cost of gaining more readers. The relationship he has with Guy Pearce’s Rupert Murdoch is also interesting to watch as Murdoch slowly begins to regret creating the monster that Lamb is growing. I don’t think the person sitting next to me was aware of what Page 3 of The Sun was infamous for, since when we reached the point where the decision to include nudity in the paper was meant by shock and disappointment. What I took from this film was that Boyle isn’t really celebrating the success of The Sun, rather this is a film that shows the quick rise, but then takes some pretty big blows to throw the viewers in opposition to the paper. He also adds a montage at the end that kind of hammers his point home that I don’t think he really needed. This film will be released in select theaters (to make it eligible for possible Oscars) on December 11th, but is you can’t find one of those theaters then in the bigger cities, it will be released on Netflix on January 8th.
An immigrant Romanian family living in Norway is subject to an investigation and faces the scrutiny of the local judicial system.
Of the festival films this year, this film was the one that I had been looking forward to the most. The irony is I saw it between festival films in Chicago since that was a location for its expanded release. For as much as I was expecting, this film blew past that. I was enthralled by it. Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve are so good in this film, and I wouldn’t be surprised if their names pop up in award season. What really grabbed me was the point that will probably be controversial and create conversations. There are two sides to the proceedings. You either side with the parents and their traditions, or Child Protection as they view Mihai and Lisbet’s actions as abuse. We are shown that those actions are as clear as spanking their children, but as the film progresses, starts to attack the family’s religious practices. The film is a bit too heavy handed where the religious sect is met by a cold, secular opposition. It is the feeling of everything falling apart in a no win situation that really propels the film to the conclusion it chooses.
Setting this film in such a small community was good choice. The way the film is shot it creates a feeling of doom at times, and there isn’t too much joy and hope. That isn’t to say that this is a sad, depressing film. It very much isn’t. It is a film though that tests you to think how you would do in that situation, and that shows which side of the film you a:re standing behind. I was left thinking the argument of Child Protection was a little extreme, but I would be interested if I made some research into how this process really happens if I would still agree with that thought. This legal thriller for Romania won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in May, and is the Romanian entry for Best International at next March’s Academy Awards. I will have more to say on this in the near future. This film will stick with me for a bit.
The adventures of Prue McKeel as she sets off to the forests outside Portland to find her kidnapped brother.
I see in some circles that this is the greatest animated film of all time. I’m not sure that is really the case here, but I would agree this is the greatest stop-motion film of all time. What Laika has done here is simply wonderful. The art of stop-motion is one that I will continue to champion, and it is always fascinating to see what five years, and hundreds of puppets, can come together to bring us such a spectacular exhibition of the art. This film was based on a 2011 novel by Colin Meloy, and Laika optioned it for a feature film a week after the novel was purchased. Work didn’t really get going until 2021. As always for these films, we have a voice cast that all fit with the characters they are playing. Standouts are Peyton Elizabeth Lee (Prue, our lead character), and Carey Mulligan (as Alexandra). The story is one that I think will be rewarding in future rewatches. There are moments in the third act that I clocked having roots in the first act, and on a rewatch, those moments will stand out more.
Having said such nice things, I do need to share a light warning of sorts. This is not your usual animated film from the major studios. This is Laila’s first PG-13 film, and this is probably not great for the little ones. This film seems more geared to the older kids and adults. I mean, it’s not that it isn’t appropriate. I found Forgotten Island more questionable than this and that somehow got a PG rating. An honest question going forward: Where does Laika possibly go from here? This seems in many ways their very best effort, and they should be commended for it. They certainly will get their flowers many times over the next few months. This no doubt raises the bar to a level very few have the ability to get to currently. It really is only Laika that can. They seem to be in the Pixar flow that company was in for so long. It’s good to be the king of your genre. Now we just wait for another 5 years or so until we see how they possibly try to top themselves after this superb film.
Two brothers pursue the American Dream but get entangled in a dangerous Russian mafia scheme that terrorizes their family, testing their bond as betrayal becomes possible.
The title for this film is an apt one. The issue though is for the us, and the characters in the film, we aren’t sure who or what the title is referring to. We can gather an educated guess though by the end of the film. Our lead characters both as dealing with different issues to the happenings of the story. For Gary (Adam Driver), it is the hubris of assumption. Gary is a person who is sure he has the resources to handle anything, and be the important person that he portrays himself to be to his family and the community. On the other hand, there is Irwin. His issue is a dangers of obliviousness. By his belief in his big brother, he doesn’t see the problems that he finds not only for himself, but for his family too. Both learn, or at least one of them does, that they are dealing with the emergence of the Russian mafia. Also making an impact on this story on a crushing B story is Scarlett Johansson as Irwin wife, Hester. What James Gray has
A robot girl designed to prevent loneliness tries to save a heartbroken family of humans.
For a brief moment in time, I was always looking forward to new Taika Waititi film. However, Jojo Rabbit was 8 years ago and we have had a couple films from him since then, and yeah. It is almost like Thor broke him from what he did before he became the Director of those two films in the series. That brings us to Klara and the Sun, a film that has taen a bit to finally make it to the screen. What we got was film that barely feels like a Waititi film, for better or worse. It is a strikingly basic film, with only a couple points where things get even a little interesting. Jenna Ortega is good as Krala with what she was given, but it was like Amy Adams was just there. I haven’t read Kazou Ishiguro’s novel this was based on, but I have to thing it was better than the film. For what it is, it is fine though. I just wanted more. Rachel House, who played the housekeeper, just kind of disappears once we get to the third act. I would have liked more from her character. This is just a film I don’t know who this is for. I have feeling it will be like Waititi’s last film, 2023’s Next Goal Wins, which just faded away after a couple week. Well, at least there is his Star Wars film he had been working on. Oh, wait. Nevermind.
A powerful, deeply moving and inspiring story of the actor Ian Charleson who faced incredible odds while preparing to give the performance of his life in Hamlet at the National Theatre in London.
When does almost all the review for the film almost solely go towards one performance? It happens, but very rarely does such an incredible role make a film a must watch. That is the case with this film, and Andrew Scott’s role of a lifetime. His portrayal of the late Ian Charleson is both moving and heartbreaking. He has turned in some fantastic performances in the past, but he takes things to a different level in this film, though I will say playing Hamlet in 2017 on the West End no doubt assisted in those scenes in the film. Elsewhere, Olivia Coleman turns in a very good role as Margaret Johnson, and Billie Piper was very good as Charleson’s friend Pasty. However, this is Scott’s show here and he commands the attention in nearly every scene of the run time. This too premiered at Telluride, and is currently making the festival rounds before it starts a theatrical run late November. That run will be for Oscar eligibility for a chance at Best Picture, but it should already be locked up that Scott is nominated for Best Actor. That is clear even before you leave the first act.
Not a lot of major players going wide next weekend. Does Everest: The Other Side or Christmas with the Kringles catch on and make a little noise? I think we will look at a top 5 very similar to this weekend. Things should change in a couple weeks.
- Clayface
- Wildwood
- You Can See Everything
- Street Fighter.
- Kiara and the Sun
After that full week, I return to a more normal flow to close out the month. Well, kind of. After skipping the back half of the last Screen Unseen doubleheader, I will be hitting both in this next one on Monday. Then it’s a quiet week with Clayface and a quick trip to Canada for the Windsor Film Festival on the weekend.
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