Does ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ Have the Power to Wake All of Us Up?

December 9, 2025

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Where is this man on the scale of Awake to Dead? (CREDIT: Netflix)

Starring: Josh O’Connor, Daniel Craig, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, Thomas Haden Church, Jeffrey Wright, Annie Hamilton, James Faulkner, Bridget Everett, Noah Segan

Director: Rian Johnson

Running Time: 144 Minutes

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: November 26, 2025 (Theaters)/December 12, 2025 (Netflix)

You will believe a man can be resurrected! That’s the tongue-in-cheek promise of Wake Up Dead Man, the latest Knives Out mystery. As a lifelong practicing Catholic, I was especially primed to appreciate Benoit Blanc venturing off to an off-the-beaten parish on Easter Weekend to help the new young priest (Josh O’Connor) figure out the death of the firebrand monsignor (Josh Brolin). And ultimately, Rian Johnson very much succeeded in helping to restore my faith. That’s not to say that I had completely lost my faith, and it’s also not to say that any character literally comes back to life. (Although in the interest of avoiding spoilers, I’m not not saying that either.) Furthermore, I’m also certainly not saying that you have to be Catholic to enjoy this movie (nor that all Catholics will automatically enjoy it). But it did convince me anew of believing in the stories we tell ourselves, and that is a blessing.

Grade: 10 Awakenings out of 7 Crypts

‘Queer’ Bounces Around 1950s Mexico City and Then Heads Down to the Jungle

November 27, 2024

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A still from the movie Queer, accompanying a review of the movie Queer (CREDIT: Yannis Drakoulidis/A24)

Starring: Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey, Jason Schwartzman, Lesley Manville, Drew Droege, Henrique Zaga, Omar Apollo, Ariel Schulman, David Lowery

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Running Time: 135 Minutes

Rating: R for Explicit Sex and Explicit Drug Use

Release Date: November 27, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Sharp-dressed 1950s man-about-town William Lee is hanging out in Mexico City, since his status as an opioid addict makes him a criminal back in the United States. True to the title of the movie he’s in (and the William S. Burroughs novella it’s based on), he whiles away his days looking for other men to hook up with (when he’s not otherwise occupied by getting high or downing tequila). One strapping young lad named Eugene Allerton (Drew Stareky) particularly catches his attention. He’s a little different than the other guys in the city’s queer community, but soon enough, he and Lee are inseparable, and then they head down to the jungles of South America to find a doctor who can open up their mind to the possibility of telepathy.

What Made an Impression?: Constant Intoxication: Queer is divided into three chapters and an epilogue; the first is easily the most plotless, though it’s not without its charms. It would have you believe that the Mexico City of 70 years ago was made up entirely of bars that exclusively catered to American gay men, alongside the occasional movie theater. This means that we get to see Daniel Craig attempt a few awkward dances of seduction before fully dropping trou on multiple occasions. The sex scenes are much more explicit (and passionate) than the average theatrically released American movie (regardless of the orientation of the characters), so that’s worth noting if you’re worried that cinema has lost its horny edge. But if you’re like me, you might start to wonder if this is what the entire movie is going to be non-stop for two hours and 15 minutes. Fortunately, some other stuff happens eventually as well.
Vipers and Vegetation: As Lee and Allerton knock on the door of the doctor in the jungle (a barely recognizable Lesley Manville), they’re greeted by an angry snake who nearly rips their heads off. And it’s at precisely this moment that reality becomes more or less fully altered. Lee’s dreams of telepathy aren’t exactly realized, but everything does become about a thousand times more psychedelic. The two traveling companions vomit out what appear to be their own hearts, and Lee later encounters a snake that’s crying while eating its own tail. I don’t know what it all means, but I enjoyed digesting the visual feast! (Perhaps someone more well-versed in the oeuvre of Burroughs can explain the symbolism to me.) All in all, Queer is a heartfelt, playful, and adventurous journey that could open up your heart and head a bit if you’re willing to let it in.

Queer is Recommended If You Like: Snazzy eyeglasses, Orpheus (1950), Sweat-stained faces

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Centipedes

It’s Not Time to Die, Because It’s Time for a Review of ‘No Time to Die’

October 5, 2021

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No Time to Die (CREDIT: Nicola Dove/© 2020 DANJAQ, LLC AND MGM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

Starring: Daniel Craig, Léa Seydoux, Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Ana de Armas, Rory Kinnear, Billy Magnussen, Christoph Waltz

Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga

Running Time: 163 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Spy Violence with the Bloodiest Moments Artfully Obscured

Release Date: October 8, 2021 (Theaters)

The Daniel Craig version of James Bond carries the weight of his previous chapters: the physical scars, the emotional scars, all the expectations of the world. Ergo, the conclusive entry No Time to Die really goes out of its way to tie everything together and put a nice little bow on the whole affair. That was also actually kind of the case six years ago with Spectre, but that earlier film had a lot of viewers going, “Wait-wait-wait, hold on, you don’t have to tie ALL of these seemingly disparate threads together.” But now that I’ve seen No Time to Die pull it off, I appreciate the effort, and I can confidently say that the Craig Era is fully synthesized with a satisfying emotional resolution.

As we check back in with Bond, he’s hanging out with Léa Seydoux’s Dr. Madeleine Swann in Italy, and they appear to be a full-fledged item. I preferred him with Eva Green’s Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, but she’s dead now. She’s not forgotten, though, as James makes sure to set aside some of his time in Italy to visit her tomb. At this point in his life, he’s really trying his damnedest to get out of the spy game once and for all, and Madeleine can be a chance for him to do that, but he doesn’t fully trust her. Besides, go-to evil organization SPECTRE is still causing plenty of chaos, and new foe Safin (Rami Malek) has dangerous world-altering plans that James and Madeleine eventually get caught up in. There are a bunch of motivations working at cross-purposes here.

The most satisfying element of No Time to Die is the bonhomie. Everyone at MI6 respects each other as colleagues. Some of them would even go so far as to call each other friends. James is given the space he needs to be retired, but when it’s time for him to spring back into action, everyone is happy to have him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Q, Moneypenny, and Felix Leiter more pleased and honored to be in the company of their fellow agent. Even Lashana Lynch as the newly designated 007 has nothing but mutual respect to offer James. Ralph Fiennes as M, meanwhile, just looks eternally stressed out. He obviously has to answer to a multitude of masters, but I’m sure he appreciates his agents in his own way.

Anyway, Safin has this whole plan involving poison that’s going to usher in a new world order or something like that. I’m not entirely sure how the mechanics of it work, but I’m happy that it underscores (instead of getting in the way) the emotional resonance. James Bond is no longer just the uber-cool guy with the tuxedos and the gadgets and the martinis. Now he’s also a true part of our parasocial family.

No Time to Die is Recommended If You Like: The emphasis on character and continuity in this Bond era

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Missiles

Jeff’s Wacky SNL Review: Daniel Craig/The Weeknd

March 8, 2020

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CREDIT: Rosalind O’Connor/NBC

History shall remember that on March 7, 2020 (and in the wee hours of March 8), Daniel Craig hosted Saturday Night Live for the second time and The Weeknd performed as the musical guest for the third time. The last time March 7 fell on a Saturday, in 2015, Chris Hemsworth hosted and Zac Brown Band were the musical guest. And the last March 7 Saturday before that was in 2009, during which Dwayne Johnson hosted and Ray LaMontagne was the musical guest. (I was studying abroad in Australia at the time.) An encore presentation of that episode aired in the SNL Vintage time slot last night. Interestingly enough, Dwayne Johnson hosted once again on March 28, 2015, the very next episode after the Hemsworth/Zac Brown one. But right now, we’re here to discuss the Craig/Weeknd show. Let’s get to it!

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Movie Reviews: With ‘Knives Out,’ Rian Johnson Can Add the Whodunit to His Collection of Filmmaking Merit Badges

November 25, 2019

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CREDIT: Claire Folger © 2018 MRC II Distribution

Starring: Ana de Armas, Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, Christopher Plummer, Noah Segan, Edi Patterson, Riki Lindhome, K Callan, Frank Oz, Raúl Castillo, M. Emmet Walsh

Director: Rian Johnson

Running Time: 130 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for A Few Explosions, Possible Poisonings, and (Attempted?) Stabbings

Release Date: November 27, 2019

If you’d like to dust off a musty old genre and guide it to unexpected new depths, then you might just want to call Rian Johnson. He’s already shown what new joys await in a neo-noir mystery, a time-travelling actioner, and the biggest franchise of all time, and now with Knives Out, he moves on to the whodunit, and the answer to that question is, “By golly, Rian Johnson has done it once again!”

Since every whodunit needs a murder victim and a set of suspects, Knives Out has a bounty of them. The recently dead man is super-wealthy mystery novelist (wink, wink?) Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), and the folks who might be responsible or maybe know something consist of his mother Wanetta (K Collins), his daughter Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis), Linda’s husband Richard (Don Johnson), their son Hugh Ransom (Chris Evans), Harlan’s son Walt (Michael Shannon), Walt’s wife Donna (Riki Lindhome), their son Jacob (Jaeden Martell), Harlan’s daughter-in-law Joni (Toni Collette), her daughter Meg (Katherine Langford), Harlan’s housekeeper Fran (Edi Patterson), and his nurse Marta (Ana de Armas). While his employees generally get along with him, his family members all have reason to resent him (and they also keep mixing up which South or Central American country Marta is from). Naturally enough, there are also a couple of police detectives on hand (Lakeith Stanfield and Noah Segan) and an idiosyncratic private investigator named Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), who has been hired under mysterious circumstances.

CREDIT: Claire Folger

The trick that Knives Out pulls is that within twenty minutes, it reveals everything (or nearly everything) that happened in thorough detail. Harlan’s death is initially ruled a suicide, and we are shown pretty much unmistakably that he sliced his own throat, and everyone’s presence at that moment is accounted for. Done deal, then? Well, there’s still nearly two more hours of running time left. The script keeps itself honest thanks to one particularly telling character quirk: Marta’s “regurgitative reaction to mistruthing.” That is to say, whenever she lies, or merely even considers lying, she spews chunks. Thus, there is no other option than for the truth to similarly spill out, and there is no room for contrivances to keep the audience in the dark. But that having been said, information can be obscured and unknown unknowns can take some time to make themselves known. Ergo, Rian Johnson gives us the simultaneous joy of being let in on a little secret while also playing the guessing game.

CREDIT: Claire Folger

In addition to Knives Out‘s masterful mystery machinations, it additionally offers plenty of keen observations of human nature. There is the ever-timely message of the tension that emerges when the haves and have-nots bump against each other, as well as the chaos that can reign when fortunes swing wildly. Furthermore, there is an astute understanding of the difference between truth and honesty, and how the latter can help you survive when the former is hidden. All of this is to say, motivation matters a great deal in cinema, and in life.

Knives Out is Recommended If You Like: Agatha Christie, Hercule Poirot, Logan Lucky

Grade: 4.5 out of 5 Colorful Sweaters

This Is a Movie Review: Steven Soderbergh and the ‘Logan Lucky’ Crew Pull Off a Heist at the Biggest Race of the Year

August 18, 2017

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Credit: Claudette Barius / Fingerprint Releasing | Bleecker Street

This review was originally published on News Cult in August 2017.

Starring: Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Riley Keough, Daniel Craig, Katie Holmes, Dwight Yoakam, Seth MacFarlane, Jack Quaid, Brian Gleeson, Katherine Waterston, Hilary Swank

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Running Time: 119 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Improvised Explosives and Slapstick Violence, Often Involving a Prosthetic

Release Date: August 18, 2017

If you follow the sports world, you will have noticed lately the several examples of the wonders that taking significant time off does towards extending a career. Roger Federer and Serena Williams, perhaps the two greatest tennis players of all time, have taken months-long breaks and at ages 36 and 35, respectively (ancient by athletic standards), they are still somehow in the primes of their careers. The physicality of sports and filmmaking are not exactly the same, but both can be similarly taxing. So while it is right to question the accuracy of Steven Soderbergh’s claim that he was retiring from directing, it is not right to question the wisdom of what he was actually doing, i.e., taking a nice, long, relaxing break, as Logan Lucky is the type of film that you make only when you are bursting with energy.

Logan is Soderbergh’s first directorial effort since 2013’s Side Effects and the HBO film Behind the Candelabra, but in premise, it most obviously brings to mind his Ocean’s trilogy. Recently unemployed West Virginia coal miner Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum) recruits his one-armed Iraq War vet bartender brother Clyde (Adam Driver) and hairdresser sister Mellie (Riley Keough), along with incarcerated bleached-blonde demolitions expert Joe Bang (Daniel Craig) and Joe’s supposed computer expert brothers Fish (Jack Quaid) and Sam (Brian Gleeson), to rob the cash deposits at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the Coca-Cola 600, the longest annual race on the NASCAR calendar. So it is basically a hillbilly Ocean’s 11 (Logan’s 6, if you will), and that connection is referenced head-on with a sneakily well-timed joke. Now, don’t let that description fool you into thinking that this film looks down on the people that populate it. Its particular strength is how thoroughly and empathetically each character is rendered, despite their colorful personalities offering an easy temptation for stereotypes.

Accordingly, every actor is given plenty of opportunities to stretch, with Soderbergh guiding them along to their best instincts. Keough shines in her accounting of the West Virginia highway system, Driver is wholly convincing with his unassuming one-armed bartending prowess, Seth MacFarlane is Snidely Whiplash-levels ridiculous as a luxuriously coiffed, arrogant driver, Farrah Mackenzie (as Jimmy’s young daughter Sadie) charms enough to somehow make pageant culture a little less nauseating than usual, and when Special Agent Hilary Swank shows up, she makes an all-business demeanor just as much fun as criminality. But the biggest praise is rightfully reserved for Craig, who is delightfully unhinged in the friendliest way possible, as well as Dwight Yoakam, as a warden whose loss of control of his prison amazingly involves the most hilarious taking to task of George R.R. Martin I have ever witnessed.

The conflict of heist movies is such that their cool vibes always goad you into rooting for the criminals. While these robbers typically are not violent, and often target the most powerful and greediest, they are in fact still criminals. The fact that these are just movies should be enough to remove any feelings of moral crisis. But in case you want more than that, there is a Robin Hood-style resolution. Your mileage may vary on what that means in terms of ethical implications, but there is no doubt that it contributes to the good vibes.

Logan Lucky is Recommended If You Like: Heist Films, Southern-Fried Flavor, Feeling Pumped When You Walk Out of the Theater

Grade: 4 out of 5 Painted Cockroaches

SNL Recap October 6, 2012: Daniel Craig/Muse

October 7, 2012

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Cold Opening – Debate
I admired the tactic that they chose of Obama being distracted by forgetting his anniversary and the elevation.  But the execution didn’t match the premise. B

Daniel Craig’s Monologue
I admired this premise of an unusual monologue and appreciated Craig’s enthusiasm.  But the pacing was bizarrely off.  Didn’t he kill anyone in Layer Cake? B

Construction Workers
Oftentimes in scenes in which someone has trouble with saucy language, the joke is that he is unfamiliar with the subject.  But Craig’s character seemed familiar with lady parts; it’s just that his phrases were so strangely arranged.  It was something to make someone with a love of language swoon.  Bobby’s face was hilariously frozen in response to one of Craig’s lines.  The flashback to Dad getting shot was incredible. B+

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