Will & Harper (2024)

I loved this sweet documentary about Will Ferrell's celebrating his long time friend Harper Steele's recent transition from man to woman with a road trip. They met in 1995 when the former Andrew Steele was a writer at Saturday Night Live, starting the same day as Ferrell. Steele went on to work there for decades, winning one Emmy with several other nominations. Chock full of cameos by fellow SNL alums, archival clips, and plenty of public encounters with strangers, the picture is moving and, of course, has laughs befitting the comedic talents of all involved.

Director Josh Greenbaum and editor Monique Zavistovski keep the pace going with music by Nathan Halpern. I can't seem to find any of Halpern's original score online, but Apple Music has a playlist of 24 songs from the movie.

Ferrell was last blogged for Quiz Lady, Steele for co-writing Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga with Ferrell, Greenbaum for Barb and Star Go to Vista del Mar, Zavistovski for Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins, and Halpern for Emily the Criminal.

Rotten Tomatoes critics are proud supporters, averaging 99%, and its audiences are allies at 81. I downloaded it from Netflix to watch on a plane on September 22.

High and Low (1963) and Highest 2 Lowest (2025)

Watching both the 1963 Akira Kurosawa classic and Spike Lee's new adaptation of the crime/police drama within a September week compelled me to combine them into one post. Both are excellent and I recommend them (Jack saw only the new one and liked it a lot).

Both are about a self-made wealthy married businessman with a son. Kingo Gondo is a Yokohama shoe magnate (played by Toshiro Mifune), David King is a Manhattan record company founder/executive (Denzel Washington), and both have chauffeurs (Yutaka Sada and Jeffrey Wright). In both movies, the businessman's son is close friends with the chauffeur's son, and a kidnapper grabs the wrong boy and demands a huge ransom anyway. Each has a creative sequence involving a train. One notable difference is that the Japanese wife Reiko Gondo, played by Kyoko Kagawa, is the only woman in more than one scene, whereas Pam King, played by Ilfenesh Hadera, has a lot to do and is joined by at least a half dozen female characters, played by Ice Spice as a suspect's wife, LaChanze as a detective, and more. Another is that, in keeping with Wright's prodigious acting chops, his chauffeur character is fully fleshed out with a backstory, whereas Sada's is an obsequious, taciturn man. Trivia item: Jeffrey Wright's real life son Elijah plays his on screen son.

The 1959 novel King's Ransom by Evan Hunter/Ed McBain (two of several pen names for the author born Salvatore Lombino) served as source material for both. Hideo Oguni, Ryuzo Kikushima, and Eijiro Hisaita co-wrote Kurosawa's script with him. Alan Fox adapted the other for Lee.

I remember enjoying the soundtracks, although, full disclosure, I watched High and Low on a plane and noise-cancelling headphones can do only so much. I was able to find one jazzy, film noir track by Masaru Sato for High and Low on YouTube. Howard Drossin's Highest 2 Lowest score is available on Apple Music as is a playlist of the songs throughout. In the remake there's a musical performance by Eddie Palmieri's Salsa Orchestra cut into an action sequence. Palmieri (1936-2025) died three days before the movie premiered in Brooklyn.

Ko Kurosawa, grandson of the director, collaborated with Lee on the remake. Asakazu Nakai and Takao Saito gave us the black and white cinematography for Kurosawa, while Matthew Libatique's color photography enlivens Lee's picture. Shout out to production designer Mark Friedberg and his crew for the spectacular decor in the Manhattan apartment, including reproductions of existing art.

I last blogged about Lee for Da 5 Bloods, Washington for The Tragedy of Macbeth, Wright for Rustin, and Friedberg for Paterson, Libatique for Maestro.

Every film student knows about Kurosawa (1910-1998) who is probably best known for Rashomon (1950), Seven Samurai (1954), Yojimbo (1961), and Ran (1985). When I had a favorite movie list in the 1980s [I don't have one now, really!], his Dodes'ka-den (1970), the story of a boy who was "trolley crazy," was on it. Mifune (1920-1997) starred in Rashomon, Seven Samurai, and Yojimbo, among his nearly 200 credits. Sada (1911-2017) worked with Kurosawa many times, and he and Kagawa (now 94 years old) each have about 150 credits. 

Hunter (1926-2005) wrote 119 novels (The Blackboard Jungle (1954) was also adapted into a movie) and four screenplays, including The Birds (1963). Oguni (1904-1996) co-wrote Seven Samurai, Ran, Dodes'ka-den, and more. My blogged movie Living mentions that it was adapted from Ikiru (1954)--directed by Kurosawa and co-written by Oguni. Kikushima (1914-1989) co-wrote Yojimbo and many more. Hisaita's (1898-1976) resume is much shorter at 24, including story credits. Sato (1928-1999) scored Yojimbo, worked on Seven Samurai, and had over three hundred other credits. Nakai (1901-1988) shot Ran, Seven Samurai, and a hundred others. Saito (1929-2014) also shot Yojimbo, Ran, Dodes'ka-den, and a few more.

Hadera had a small part in Lee's Chi-Raq and counts in her resume ten episodes of the series remake of Lee's movie She's Gotta Have It and twenty of Billions. Rapper Ice Spice makes her film debut, and LaChanze, who has a Tony-winning Broadway career as an actor, singer, dancer, and producer, had a small part in The Help, among her dozens of roles. This is Fox's screenwriting debut and Drossin's eighth feature after many video games and shorts.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences are way up there, averaging 97 and 95%, respectively for High and Low. I watched it on September 17 and you can see it on HBO or rent it. For Highest 2 Lowest, Rotten Tomatoes' averages are not quite as elevated but still tied at 84%. We watched it September 23 with our Apple TV+ subscription and can also be rented.

The Naked Gun (2025)

Jack and I enjoyed whiling away an hour and a half with this silly slapstick reboot full of sight gags and puns, just like its predecessors on screens large and small (on TV it was called Police Squad!). Liam Neeson,  Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Danny Huston, and CCH Pounder are just a few of the dozens of cast members, with cameos by Priscilla Presley and 'Weird Al' Yankovic, both of whom have been in all four movies (1988, 1991, and 1994). This is but one of the many trivia items available. And now that the Academy is beginning to recognize stunts, that huge department should get some love next year.

Akiva Schaffer directs and co-wrote the script with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. Lorne Balfe's score is streaming on Apple Music as I type.

Neeson was last blogged for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Anderson for The Last Showgirl, Hauser for Cruella, Huston for Big Eyes, Pounder for Rustin, and Balfe for Ticket to Paradise. Presley's biggest credit is 144 episodes of Dallas (1983-88) and Yankovic is best known for his parodies of pop songs. Schaffer wrote on 116 episodes of Saturday Night Live, directed 68, and directed four other features besides this one. Gregor has co-written four other features and Mand three (all with Gregor).

Rotten Tomatoes' critics are shooting higher, at 88%, than its audiences at 73. We rented it on September 6. Be sure to stay in your seat for the end credits, as there are plenty more jokes.

Superman (2025)

We didn't hate this update of the classic superhero movie with David Corenswet in the title role, Rachel Brosnahan as love interest Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as villain Lex Luthor, heading the cast of over a hundred actors, including Bradley Cooper as the voice of Jor-El AKA Superman's father.

Director James Gunn is credited as the screenwriter, based on the characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Siegel and Shuster were Cleveland natives and Jack's and my favorite element was the Ohio locations featured prominently throughout the movie, particularly the Cleveland Arcade, Cleveland Public Square, Cleveland City Hall, and Cincinnati's Museum Center (its former Union Terminal).

David Fleming and John Murphy's score, which can be streamed on Apple Music and elsewhere, includes John Williams' original Superman theme. Reference to that and much more is included in the trivia, which fan-girls and -boys will enjoy combing through.

Cinematographer Henry Braham does good work here, too.

Brosnahan was last blogged for Yearly Departed, Hoult for The Menu, Cooper for Maestro, Gunn for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Fleming for Hillbilly Elegy (co-scored with Hans Zimmer, who scored the last Superman movie), Murphy for Kick-Ass, and Braham for The Legend of Tarzan. We apparently saw Corenswet in Twisters and eleven episodes of The Politician. But his name just makes me think of "corn sweat," the phenomenon contributing to this summer's midwest heat wave.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics are steely in their support, averaging 83%, while its audiences are even stronger at 90. We rented it on September 2. Do be sure to keep it running for the bonus in the end credits.

Oh, Hi! (2025)

Jack and I enjoyed this quirky dark comedy and not only because we're fans of its star Molly Gordon. It starts with a couple on the road to a romantic getaway and soon (the plot) makes a sharp left turn. Logan Lerman is her seemingly ideal boyfriend, Geraldine Viswanathan is her best friend, and David Cross a funny weird neighbor. Polly Draper has a cameo as Gordon's mom.

This is director/writer Sophie Brooks' second feature. Steven Price's original score can be streamed on Apple Music and elsewhere, and there's a long list of songs by others.

Gordon (best known for fifteen episodes of The Bear) was last blogged for Theater Camp, Lerman for Shirley, Viswanathan for Drive-Away Dolls, Cross for You Hurt My Feelings, Draper (85 episodes of thirtysomething) for Shiva Baby (Gordon was in that with her), Brooks for The Boy Downstairs, and Price for Dolphin Reef and Diving with Dolphins.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences are not greeting this warmly, averaging 63 and 66% respectively. We rented it on August 26.

Milestone alert! I forgot to mention with the last post that I have now written about 1600 movies on babetteflix in the seventeen years I've been blogging! I have an alphabetical index and just linked the blog to a free substack but, as a newbie, I have much to learn about that site/application.

It Ain't Over (2022) and Eephus (2024)

Jack and I loved both of these very different baseball movies: It Ain't Over is a documentary about superstar Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra and Eephus is fiction about a ragtag group of adult recreational players in New England.

It Ain't Over starts with Yogi's granddaughter Lindsay Berra talking about going to games with Yogi (1925-2015) and then features interviews with his sons Dale, Tim, and Larry, his wife Carmen (1925-2014), dozens of admiring celebrities and ballplayers such as Billy Crystal, Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Bob Costas, and so many more, skillfully edited with archival footage.

Director/writer Sean Mullin and his editor Julian Robinson have put together a wonderful movie with music by Jacques Brautbar and John Forest. When the song Bronx Bombers came on I turned to Jack and said, "Why have I never heard this song before now??" because I am a lifelong Yankee fan. Turns out Forest wrote the song specifically for this movie. You can hear the ditty on soundcloud.

"It ain't over" is one of many so-called Yogisms--things he famously said--the full expression is "It ain't over til it's over." During the course of the movie it's explained that early in his career, Berra sat on the ground with his knees out and feet crossed, like a person practicing yoga would do, and the nickname stuck.

Most of the baseball fans among my friends and family have already seen it and loved it, too, regardless of their feelings about the Yankees.

Brautbar was last blogged for Bob Trevino Likes It. Mullin, one of the producers of Bob Trevino Likes It, has directed and written two other features and written one more. Forest has scored one feature before this and Robinson has cut a few dozen TV series and one of Mullins' movies. One of the producers of this and Bob Trevino told me it took almost five years to make this doc with full support of the Berra family.

It's far from over with Rotten Tomatoes' critics averaging 98% and its audiences 96. We rented it on August 13. There is bonus footage at the end so don't turn it off right away.

Eephus, set in the 1990s, takes place all in one day, when two teams are playing their last game before the field is demolished to build a public school. Arguably the most famous actors in it are not actors at all: 95 year old documentarian Frederick Wiseman provides the voice of radio announcer Branch Moreland (an homage, no doubt, to baseball player, manager, and owner, the late Branch Rickey) and 78 year old former Red Sox and Expo player Bill "The Spaceman" Lee plays a character named Lee. The large cast rehearsed on the ball field and they have a wide variety of skill levels.

Director/co-writer Carson Lund and co-writers Michael Basta and Nate Fisher all make their feature debuts. Eephus is a kind of pitch, a very slow one that often is a success for the pitcher, as explained by a character played by Fisher. And that can describe the movie, too. Apparently Lee used a version of the eephus pitch so many times in his career that it was occasionally called a Leephus.

I see no composer nor soundtrack listing on imdb and elsewhere, other than a mention of the Tom Waits track Ol' 55 from the closing credits. The movie is supposed to be set in New Hampshire, but the shooting location Soldiers Field is in Douglas in central Massachusetts.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics give it a grand slam with a 100% average, but its audiences not so much at 64. We rented it on July 22.

Milestone alert! This marks 1600 movies summarized on babetteflix. 23 of them I saw before I began writing it on September 3, 2008, so the math makes it 1577 that I've seen for the first time since then (actually, at this moment I have two more in draft form and will get to writing about them soon). For the full alphabetized list, see my index. No, I do not have a favorite!

The Wedding Banquet (2025)

We quite liked this updated remake of the 1993 Ang Lee movie, which I saw when it was new. In both versions, a gay couple (Chris and Min played here by Bowen Yang and Han-Gi Chan, respectively) plan a wedding of one of them to a woman to satisfy his traditional parents. In this version, Chris and Min's best friends are a lesbian couple played by Lily Gladstone as Lee and Kelly Marie Tran as Angela, who need money for IVF and Chris and Min agree to pay for it. Youn Yu-jung is Min's mother and Joan Chen is Angela's. In the original, the woman is a single straight woman needing a green card.

Director Andrew Ahn co-wrote the script with James Schamus, who co-wrote the original screenplay with Lee and another writer.

The soundtrack by Jay Wadley doesn't seem to be available online, but there's a long list of songs, some of which are in this playlist.

Interesting trivia: Chen was considered to play the woman needing a green card in the original.

Yang and Ahn were last blogged for Fire Island, Gladstone for her Oscar-winning performance in Killers of the Flower Moon, Tran for Raya and the Last Dragon, Youn for her Oscar-winning turn in Minari, Chen for Didi, Schamus for Indignation, and Wadley for We Grown Now (he also scored Fire Island). This is Chan's second feature after a few TV series.

 

Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences are united in their appreciation, averaging 86 and 84%. We rented it on June 24.