Kerry Condon

F1: The Movie (2025): Joseph Kosinski Puts Viewers in the Driver’s Seat for One of the Year’s Most Immersive Blockbusters

Posted on by Jack Drees

“F1: The Movie” is directed by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick, Tron: Legacy) and stars Brad Pitt (Ad Astra, Babylon), Damson Idris (Outside the Wire, Snowfall), Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin, Better Call Saul), Javier Bardem (Being the Ricardos, Dune), and Tobias Menzies (Game of Thrones, Outlander). This film centers around racer Sonny Hayes, who returns to the track following a long absence to boost his former teammate’s underdog team, all while mentoring a younger driver.

Director Joseph Kosinski has a knack for turning films into experiences. Back in 2010, he directed “Tron: Legacy,” which is one of the prettiest looking neon-infused fever dreams in cinematic history. But like lots of other people, the first film of his that comes to mind when you say his name, perhaps somewhat due to recency bias, is “Top Gun: Maverick.”

I had a blast watching “Top Gun: Maverick.” Is it a perfect movie? No. In fact there are some genuine screenplay problems that have been on my mind ever since I first saw it. That said, when I saw Kosinski’s name attached to “F1: The Movie,” it made perfect sense. If Kosinski can deliver to audiences the same kind of thrilling, high-octane, exhilarating experience that he did with “Top Gun: Maverick,” then I would be quite happy.

I am proud to report that Kosinski’s jump from planes to automobiles is just as exciting, and frankly, has a better story. Though that last part is not saying much. More on that later.

This film is an experience. My pupils dilated beyond their sockets watching this movie in IMAX. Part of this is thanks to the brilliant execution delivered in each shot from cinematographer Claudio Miranda, who previously worked with director Kosinski on “Top Gun: Maverick.” For a great chunk of the film I felt like I was inside the car driving it myself. There are several clever camera angles that gives the viewer the illusion they are moving with the car, whether it is on the side, on top, or while looking at the windshield. Some of these techniques are familiar. But there are select moments where the movie offers a first-person perspective that had me imagining that I was literally the car itself. There is a moment towards the film’s conclusion that is so riveting, so heart-pumping, and so freaking cool to look at that I could not help but glue my eyes to the screen. And it is even better in IMAX because the movie was shot with the company’s digital cameras, which expanded the aspect ratio for the entire film on their screens.

Keep in mind, it is the 1.90:1 aspect ratio, not 1.43:1. In Layman’s terms, it will not cover the whole screen at taller IMAX locations.

Once I saw Hans Zimmer’s name on the opening credits, I knew we were in for something special with the score. And something special we got. Some of the movie’s tunes genuinely got me excited. There is a moment that reminded me of another one of Hans Zimmer’s efforts, particularly “Interstellar,” mainly because the music appeared to be going at 60 beats per minute during one of the races. It seemed to be aiming for that “ticking clock” effect that was present for much of “Interstellar’s” runtime. The percussion in this film’s score is some of the best I have heard since Ludwig Gorranson’s score for “Tenet.”

The soundtrack in this film is not bad either. The film has a fairly rock-heavy soundtrack. There is not a bad track on the lineup. Perhaps the most well-known song on the list is Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You.” There is a pretty good use of it early on in the movie.

The best way I can sum up  “F1: The Movie” is that on the surface, it is the quintessential “dad flick.” It is very much a movie that you can imagine being made for the “dad” crowd. It has fast cars, good looking men and women on screen, it has a good amount of rock music, and it is about someone who is trying to prove himself despite his older age.

I sincerely feel bad for anyone whose first experience of “F1: The Movie” is going to be through Apple TV+. After seeing this film, “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” has got some competition for the greatest technical achievement of the year. This movie cost anywhere between $200-300 million to make, and I honestly can see all the money on the screen. Yes, the film has a well known star in Brad Pitt. But my jaw was on the floor with this film’s look. The colors. The audio. The camera angles. Everything in this film feels dialed up to an 11.

“F1: The Movie” is quite the ride. So, how is the script? It is not bad. As far as Joseph Kosinski’s library goes, this is a step up from “Top Gun: Maverick” in some ways. Perhaps the biggest improvement is that it never mysteriously refers to the antagonist as “the enemy.” What enemy? Who exactly? Who even cares?

The movie can most certainly be enjoyed by F1 fans, but it is definitely written with general audiences in mind. There are broadcaster bites throughout the film, highlighting every little nook and cranny throughout the race. As someone who has never sat down and seen an F1 race on television, I think this is an okay technique to use. The announcer lines are well done and there are quite a few that sound like they would come from a genuine sports telecast, and they also did a good job at introducing me to the rules of F1 that I probably would not have known right off the bat.

The one big negative, to a certain degree anyway, is that the movie is full of clichés. A lot of parts of the script feel been there done that. Though as I have addressed time and time again, clichés are fine as long as they are done well. And they are done well here. In fact, this movie feels like a genuine cousin to “Top Gun: Maverick” not only in terms of its experience, but structure as well. The film involves a race car driver who is trying to prove himself despite being past his prime, and much of the film sees him teaming up with a younger individual who shares his profession and ambitions. The two are off and on with each other, but ultimately have to work together no matter the obstacle.

If anything, “F1: The Movie” reminded me of Pixar’s “Cars,” and not just because both involve racing. But I happened to watch “Cars” a week before catching “F1: The Movie” in theaters and many of the story beats and character traits presented throughout the film felt interchangeable. “F1: The Movie” is kind of like the original “Cars” if someone gave it a bit of a “Freaky Friday” treatment. In this case, the filmmakers took Doc Hudson and made him the main character and turned Lightning McQueen into the supporting character. Additionally, they gave the Doc Hudson wannabe a little bit of Lightning McQueen’s entitlement.

So, maybe the story is generic, but it does not change the fact that I had fun watching it play out. Sometimes a simple story is effective as long as all the elements that make it up are done right. You have an arrogant but likable main character. You have an ambitious supporting character. All the other characters serve the story perfectly. On top of that, you have one of the most cinematic experiences of the year. What’s not to like about that?

In the end, “F1: The Movie” is an exciting race to the finish. You do not have to be an F1 fan to enjoy this film. It is simply an engaging two and a half hours of cinema that gets into gear and never runs out of gas. The script does not reinvent the wheel, but if you like watching wheels turn really fast, it will leave you beyond satisfied. I left this film thinking that this was likely going to have a strong presence in regards to the technical awards at this year’s Oscars ceremony. If “F1: The Movie” is playing in a theater near you, please check it out. You will have a ball. Do not wait for streaming. I imagine some of you are probably looking for an excuse to use your Apple TV+ subscription, but I guarantee the film will not look or feel as epic as it would on the big screen. I am going to give “F1: The Movie” a 7/10.

“F1: The Movie” is now playing in theaters. Tickets are available now.

Thanks for reading this review! My next review is going to be for another highly anticipated summer blockbuster, “Superman.” At one point, this was my most anticipated film of the year. Admittedly, with more marketing coming out and other films making their presence known, some of the anticipation has dwindled a bit. That does not mean I was not excited, but I was interested enough to see if this film could truly be something special. I will share more of my thoughts during my upcoming review. Also coming soon, look forward to my thoughts on “Guns Up,” “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” “The Bad Guys 2,” and “Smurfs.” If you want to see these reviews and more from Scene Before, follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account! Also, check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, did you see “F1: The Movie?” What did you think about it? Or, do you ever watch actual F1 sporting events? What’s that like? Let me know down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!

Night Swim (2024): The Best Movie of 2024! Because It Is Unfortunately the Only One I Have Seen So Far.

Posted on by Jack Drees

“Night Swim” is written and directed by Bryce McGuire and this is his feature directorial debut. This film stars Wyatt Russell (22 Jump Street, Overlord) and Kerry Condon as a couple who move into a new house, they settle in with their family, and they quickly become accustomed to their surroundings. Only thing, there is a haunted swimming pool in the backyard.

To start things off, this is my first review of a 2024 film. I just saw “Night Swim” over the weekend. I did not get around to it the weekend before as I was a bit busy. But as we cannonball into this review, I thought the idea for this film had potential of working. There have been numerous titles over the years that have used water environments and turned out to be really scary. Look at “Jaws” for instance. Despite the shark looking fake, that movie continues to make people not want to go in the ocean. Shark movies like that one have been a cinematic staple for years. Not many films have lived up to that 1975 original classic, but I cannot deny that even lesser shark movies understand how to make the ocean or sharks scary.

When it comes to “Night Swim,” it is a much different scenario. There are no sharks, and there is also no ocean. Instead, we have a swimming pool. But again, there is potential. If you learn how to swim when you are young, that can be scary. Sometimes there are cases where people never learn to swim. Depending on the direction those people’s lives lead them, it could induce anxiety. I like a good pool. But I am just saying, the potential to make pools terrifying is there.

And I can confirm something about “Night Swim” was absolutely terrifying indeed. No, it was not the pool. It was the fact that the movie somehow released!

Then again, I should not be surprised that we are getting a throwaway horror film at the beginning of January. This is an unfortunate tradition in cinema as infamously consistent as showing all the funniest parts of a comedy movie in the trailer.

I want to be fair though, because this film is directed by Bryce McGuire, and this is his first feature as a director. He has done a number of short films in the past, and for all I know, he has a knack for filmmaking. That said, “Night Swim” is based on a previous short film he did of the exact same name. As someone who has made short films himself, I have often thought about maybe one day turning them into a feature. I made a short film in college that I am still proud of to this day. I consider it some of my finest work as a creator. But part of me wonders if taking that movie and making it longer would sacrifice some quality. I feel like that is what happened here. It’s not like this is a completely new thing. This is not a short film, but take “The Lion King” for example. The 1994 animation was short and sweet. There was no filler whatsoever. So when I watched the so-called live-action remake that came out in 2019, I was not afraid to point out that one of the biggest critiques I had was that the new material, which extended the movie’s runtime, dragged the product as a whole. Longer does not always mean better.

You might be thinking I am pulling these statements out of my butt. You might be thinking I did not watch the original short film. This link I pulled from YouTube may suggest otherwise. Having watched the film, it is very simple in premise and effective in what it is trying to convey. I think as a horror short, it’s not bad. But this new feature inserts all sorts of concepts that honestly don’t work only to make the runtime somewhat reasonable.

It is not that the entire movie fails to make sense. In fact if you want me to be real, much of the movie’s story and structure derails for me mostly in the second half. The first half is serviceable to some degree. The reason why I enjoyed “Night Swim” is because I feel the film did a decent job at establishing Wyatt Russell’s character, Ray Waller, a former professional baseball player. I like the little hints they drop about his backstory. There is also a part of the film where we see him playing baseball with a bunch of kids and that made for one of the film’s highlights for me. I liked the scene overall. It felt rather wholesome, nostalgic, and fun. But as I am watching this film, I got the sense that Ray Waller probably ended up being the only character I was remotely interested in watching. It is not that the other characters were incomprehensible, poorly structured, or the banes of my existence. It is just that when it comes to putting these characters together, explaining their backstories, and what makes them tick, the movie almost refuses to go above the bare minimum. Even in moments where it feels like it tries to, they just cannot stick the landing.

For example, there was a decent subplot about the character of Izzy, played by Amélie Hoeferle. She, naturally, decides to join the swim team, develops an instant crush on this one boy, and that becomes a driving force of the plot. I think their chemistry is in a word, acceptable. It is a fine depiction of puppy love to some degree. But when I am looking back at these characters, some of them feel cliché. Or, I did not care about them that much to recall everything about them upon leaving the theater.

But characters and story aside, I must ask the million dollar question. Is “Night Swim” scary? Kind of. It’s got a few neat tricks up its sleeve. I think the film gets rather creative with what random ideas they could utilize regarding the pool every once in a while. Sometimes that feels inventive. But again, by the second half of the movie, I just stopped caring. One thing led to another where I lost any and all interest in the plot, the characters, and whatever events could follow. When I reviewed “Godzilla Minus One” a month ago, one reason why I gave that movie such high marks is because it knew what to do with its characters. I said a large part behind why that movie was horrifying was because I cared about the characters and did not want them to get hurt. While the story in “Night Swim” makes sense, its characters kind of go off the rails to some degree by the movie’s end. There is a certain flair that they are missing as the movie progresses.

The film features a character named Kay, played by Jodi Long. Knowing what I am watching, I should be shivering during the moments in which she happens to be on screen. But knowing what is happening in the scene in addition the visuals and sound that could potentially make the scene eerier, I am watching it feeling more annoyed than terrified. It reminded me of when I watched “Midsommar.” I didn’t find that movie scary. If anything I found it annoying in terms of how they went about executing certain scenes. I was not amused. “Night Swim” is the first major movie to release in 2024, and as far as I am concerned, the cinematic calendar this year can only go up from here.

In the end, “Night Swim” dives head first and hits the ground hard. The first two thirds are mildly interesting and somewhat compelling. It is not perfect, but it had my attention the whole time. I like the main dad character, but everyone else took a back seat for me. That said, the film is not that scary. There are occasional scares, do not get me wrong. But at the end of the day, there is nothing to write home about. And by the third act, I tuned out. This film is cliché, tonally inconsistent, and I had my arms crossed for a good portion of the runtime. If you are looking for a good movie at the cinema to start off the new year, maybe pick something from last year. I am going to give “Night Swim” a 3/10.

“Night Swim” is now playing in theaters everywhere. Tickets are available now.

Thanks for reading this review! I want to end this post by saying that you may have noticed something missing from me this year. Specifically, my most anticipated movies of the year list. I do not do one every year, but I did them for 2021 and 2023. Sadly, I am not doing one this year. It is a bit late and when I was making one, my head almost burst open because one movie switched its release date as I was making it and I had no idea. So I am just going to say that my most anticipated movie of 2024 is “Dune Part Two.” I will leave it at that. But if you are interested in knowing my thoughts on the movies of the previous year, check out my countdowns for the top 10 BEST and WORST movies of 2023! If you want to see more from Scene Before, follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account! Also, check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, did you see “Night Swim?” What did you think about it? Or, what movies are you looking forward to seeing in 2024? Let me know down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022): Two Thumbs Up, with All Fingers Intact

Posted on by Jack Drees

“The Banshees of Inisherin” is directed by Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) and stars Colin Farrell (The Batman, Voyagers), Brendan Gleeson (The Tragedy of MacBeth, Assassin’s Creed), Kerry Condon (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Better Call Saul), and Barry Keoghan (Eternals, Dunkirk) in a film where Pádraic Súilleabháin and Colm Doherty, two men connected through lifelong friendship, face individual consequences through ending said bond.

I did not see a ton of marketing for “The Banshees of Inisherin,” but I have been interested in the film since last month, when I started hearing about its many positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, “The Banshees of Inisherin” is currently holding a 98% critic score. Thus far, this is higher than McDonagh’s previous outings like “In Bruges” and “Seven Psychopaths,” both of which also starred Colin Farrell. It is not surprising to see the actor come back to work alongside a director he has become close with. But it would help if the script he was given is strong. Thankfully, “The Banshees of Inisherin” is a script that belongs on the cover of a health magazine. This is one of my favorite movies of the year and another win for Colin Farrell just after he killed it in this year’s “The Batman.”

The concept of “The Banshees of Inisherin,” specifically the dissolving of a lifelong friendship, is intriguing. This is especially true considering that it is the backbone of its story. The ending of a relationship comes off more like side consequence a protagonist goes through somewhere past the halfway point in numerous stories. It is the classic case of taking a protagonist and having them fall to their lowest point. Only that is not the case with “The Banshees of Inisherin,” because as we see, the protagonist, Pádraic Súilleabháin (Farrell) in this case, makes such a big deal out of it that the point practically flies over his head. It is like going to a restaurant, ordering a small pizza, being told that they do not have the ingredients to make pizza, but then going ahead and asking for a large pizza.

Despite this movie being a tale of loss in more ways than one, it is surprisingly funny. There are a number of great lines from multiple characters. Early on in the movie we get one of Colm’s few reasons why he does not find his friendship with Pádraic stable and he references the time Pádraic was talking about what he found in his donkey’s fecal matter. Colm may be onto something, except Pádraic was not talking about that. Pádraic says he was talking about his pony’s fecal matter, which as he puts it, shows how little Colm was listening. One particular confession scene past the halfway mark is also comedic gold. Little things like those make this movie worth the price of admission.

There is more to this simple concept than meets the eye. Because if this movie were about two former friends with differing perspectives as to where their relationship should go, it is possible that the story could get boring fast. Instead, the movie adds a complexity to the breakup that only makes things harder for the individual who declared the friendship was over. For each time Pádraic bothers Colm, he cuts off one of his fingers. Because that is what normal human beings do. This brings stakes to a fairly minimalistic and intimate story that already happens to succeed as both a drama and a comedy. For one thing, nobody wants to lose their fingers. Another thing to consider, nobody wants to see a chopped finger. Therefore, this is a tough situation on both sides. How realistic is Colm’s finger-cutting situation? Hard to say. Plus if I had to give my biggest problem with this movie, why did Colm actually go through with this?

Let’s put it this way. One of the reasons why Colm cut Pádraic from his life is to focus on interests like playing the violin. Last time I checked, unless you live in that hot dog finger universe in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” you might want your fingers for playing musical instruments such as the violin. Sure, this eventually brings a particularly compelling scene during the second half of the movie where Colm utilizes said instrument, but as far as getting the point across to Pádraic, I would imagine the point may have been just as clear had he cut off his toes. It would have been just as gross, and arguably less painful on Colm’s end depending on how you slice it.

…

…

…

..Ignore that last statement, no pun intended, let’s move on.

That said, the movie delivers a fantastic story with the use of chopped fingers so I can forgive this based on how well executed everything happens to be.

One of the great things about “The Banshees of Inisherin” is that even though the protagonist in this case is the one who is dumped, I see both sides in regards to the feelings of the dumper and the dumpee. Pádraic may consider Colm to be an important part of his life, but Colm equally as much shows reasons why he must cut Pádraic from his life. A good movie can get you to root for the protagonist to the end, but there is also a saying that a story is only as good as its villain. While Colm is not a villain, he definitely is not the hero. Given the story and circumstances, Colm is a fantastic antithesis to Pádraic. Yes, Colm has his various reasons why he does not want to be friends with Pádraic, but as the movie reveals, he wants to drift away to focus on certain interests. It reminds me of the scene in “Whiplash” where Andrew dumps his love interest to focus on drumming, except in this case that moment is expanded into a whole movie. It is one’s basic drive to follow their passion, and to do that, they have to trim out certain people from their life.

“The Banshees of Inisherin” reminded me of “The Lighthouse” if the main characters were SpongeBob SquarePants and Squidward Tentacles. In this case, Pádraic is SpongeBob. He is a hyperactive, larger than life individual who always seems to be in the moment. Colm on the other hand, is Squidward. He seems to want more out of life than what he has, and much like Squidward, he is musically talented. While this film has a higher count of locations and characters than “The Lighthouse,” I cannot recall a time I have seen two men descend into madness like the main duo in that film. The chemistry between Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson is some of the finest I have watched in recent memory. This should not be surprising given how the two previously worked together as the stars of another Martin McDonagh movie, “In Bruges.” Never would I have expected to enjoy two people who have such a disconnect spending an abundance of screen time together. Safe to say, I can put a finger as to why “The Banshees of Inisherin” is a great movie.

In the end, while I have seen movies where the main story pulls itself forward by the two main characters not always bonding with each other, “The Banshees of Inisherin” is one of the best stories I have seen in regards to such endless disconnection. It made me happy, sad, and everything in between. “The Banshees of Inisherin” goes to show that sometimes the simplest stories are the most effective. The film is also beautifully shot and has some of the most gorgeous-looking locations of any movie to come out in 2022. Awards season, during which this movie may be a talking point, is getting into swing. And speaking of swings, “The Banshees of Inisherin” is a home run, and a 9/10.

“The Banshees of Inisherin” is now playing in theaters everywhere. Tickets are available now.

Thanks for reading this review! My next review is going to be for the Netflix feature “Slumberland.” I went to a recent press screening for the all new movie which is playing in California, but also set to release on the Netflix platform on November 18th. Stay tuned for my thoughts. Also, once I am done with that review, I will be talking about another Searchlight Pictures production, “The Menu.” Almost every movie I have gone to recently, I saw the trailer for this film. Whether the spree of marketing paid off, is a question that will be answered in the review. If you want to see this and more from Scene Before, follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account! Also, check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, did you see “The Banshees of Inisherin?” What did you think about it? Or, what is a movie that you are looking forward to that you think could be a talking point during the current awards season? Let me know down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!