Did ‘Blue Moon’ Make Me Swoon?

November 5, 2025

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

CREDIT: Sony Pictures Classics/Screenshot

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale, Andrew Scott, Jonah Lees, Simon Delaney, Patrick Kennedy

Director: Richard Linklater

Running Time: 100 Minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: October 17, 2025 (Theaters)

Was I born under a blue moon? Well, considering how much I enjoyed the movie Blue Moon, I would have to answer “yes.” Is that how these things work?

Anyway, I didn’t know a whole hell of a lot about Lorenz Hart before I watched this biopic about him, other than a general awareness that he was a significant contributor to the Great American Songbook. But I did know that I’m a fan of watching Ethan Hawke do whatever he does on screen, whether or not he’s collaborating with Richard Linklater. And I also had a strong suspicion that him teaming up with Margaret Qualley would result in some crackling chemistry. I wish she had been in more of it, but the parts without her were capably filled by other quip-throwers, like Bobby Cannavale and the guy playing E.B. White (Patrick Kennedy).

Should I now move into a house and nickname it the Blue Moon? I think it would fit me nicely.

Grade: Living Up to the “Blue” in Its Title in More Ways Than One

Watch Out!* Here Comes ‘The Phantom of the Open’! (*I Should’ve Said ‘Fore,’ Obviously)

June 6, 2022

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The Phantom of the Open (CREDIT: Sony Pictures Classics/Screenshot)

Starring: Mark Rylance, Sally Hawkins, Rhys Ifans, Jake Davies, Christian Lees, Jonah Lees

Director: Craig Roberts

Running Time: 102 Minutes

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: June 3, 2022 (Theaters)

Twice while watching The Phantom of the Open I violently kicked my leg forward as a reflexive response to some frightening golf shots. Luckily nobody was sitting in front of me, and the theater had been recently renovated so the seat had no trouble surviving the impact. On the first occasion, Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance) missed a close putt (and then three more immediately afterwards!), and in the second case, his ball hard-sliced right into a camera lens. Those are the kinds of moments you expect in a biopic about a guy who somehow managed to play in the oldest golf tournament in the world despite having basically zero previous golf experience! But you don’t necessarily expect those moments to be thrilling and so satisfying. And yet that’s what they were, as they helped to peel away the suffocation of the game’s exclusivity and assured us that it would all end up okay.

Grade: 100 Bogeys out of One Birdie (Attempt)