Connect with us

Movie Reviews

Timothée Chalamet Strums the Right Chords as the Young Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown”.

Published

on

A Complete Unknown is a prelude into Bob Dylan’s (Timothée Chalamet) career and it begins when Dylan arrives in New York City to visit his folk music hero Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), an American singer-songwriter and composer, who is hospitalized at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital due to a neurodegenerative disease that left him mobility impaired. Woody is notably known for the song This Land Is Your Land, which we see Pete Seeger (Edward Norton) playing this song during his court trial – for contempt of Congress, which was overturned on a technicality. The song has some deep fascinating history, and Norton did it some justice with his remarkable singing. Later in the movie, Norton sings The Lion Sleeps Tonight while playing the banjo, which was pure enjoyment.

The film also depicts how Pete Seeger is captivated by Bob Dylan’s talent and his easygoing personality that he decides to promote his music career.  Like your typical musician, Dylan finds himself caught in a love triangle with Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) – the one that encourages his song writing and supports him financially, and Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) – the one that introduces Dylan to her audience and boosts his music career. Monica Barbaro’s singing was beyond impressive and heavenly. She hit those high notes so delicately and precise.

Huge praise to Director and Writer James Mangold in successfully illustrating Bob Dylan’s journey in becoming one of the greatest songwriters of all time. James Mangold, known for Walk the Line, included Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook) as Dylan’s motivation for not becoming a novelty act and encouraged him to make a statement and bring out his rebel side regarding change –  Civil Rights Movements, which can be heard throughout the lyrics in the songs, The Times They Are a-Changin’ and Like a Rolling Stone – where he performed it at the Newport Folk Festival with an electric musical instruments, and history was made.

Timothée Chalamet certainly had some big shoes to fill taking on the challenge of portraying the young enigmatic Bob Dylan. Chalamet truly stuns the audience radiating that Bob Dylan 60s folk rock vibe with the symbolic harmonica and those fashion iconic sunglasses. A Complete Unknown will leave you wanting an encore.

Sabrina "Kiddo" is the newest member of Countdown City Geeks and is a contributor of movie and television show reviews. Her passion for film derived from her college days where her rhetoric-writing professor focused on the aspects of screenwriting and music lyrics. She also has a knack for memorizing and repeating movie quotes, catchphrases.

Movie Reviews

Into the Unknown: Reviewing ‘From the Beyond: High Strangeness in the Bennington Triangle’

Published

on

In this video, we take a deep dive into the mysterious and unsettling documentary ‘From the Beyond: High Strangeness in the Bennington Triangle’.

Exploring one of America’s most infamous paranormal hotspots, this film examines eerie disappearances, strange sightings, and the chilling folklore surrounding Vermont’s Bennington Triangle. We break down the documentary’s storytelling, evidence, interviews, and overall atmosphere—does it truly uncover something unexplainable, or does it leave more questions than answers?

If you’re into unsolved mysteries, paranormal phenomena, and high strangeness, this one’s for you.


Synopsis: Since the mid twentieth century, a mysterious section of land in rural Vermont has been the home of untold strangeness. Rumors of UFOs, ghosts, phantom lights and mysterious creatures can all be found there in abundance, while verified reports of odd disappearances – many still unsolved – cast a shadow over Glastenbury Mountain. From the Beyond: High Strangeness in the Bennington Triangle goes beyond the rumors and campfire stories, while daring to ask what may be the most frightening question of all – why is Glastenbury Mountain so inexplicable, and what happened to those who have gone missing?

Continue Reading

Movie Reviews

THE SHITHEADS aka IDIOTS – Sticky, Icky, and Out of Control

Published

on

The Shitheads, now renamed Idiots, was showcased during the 2026 SXSW festival and is scheduled for a theatrical release in August of this year. The film is directed by Macon Blair which he co-wrote with Alex Orr, starring Dave Franco, O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Mason Thames. The plot is driven by a couple of underachievers taking on what should be an effortless task of transporting an affluent teen to a rehab center, but this intellectually predatory teen throws them off course.

It didn’t quite reach the heights it aimed for. I was anticipating this dark comedy to be an exciting adventure, bursting with laughs, but it was frustrating like your car getting a flat tire. The characters are defined by basic emotions-anger and confusion-but nothing beyond that. The movie never explores them, so it’s difficult to empathize. When faced with several misfortunes, they lack impact because the audience has no emotional connection.  The weak characters are just along for the ride, dictated by the script rather than the narrative cohesion, making that “road to nowhere” feel long and exhausting. It spends a lot of time lingering on repulsive comedy scenes that not even a jumbo roll of toilet paper could wipe up this mess. It can get sticky, icky and out of control.

Mason Thames, however, made chicken salad out of… well, you know. He impressed me with his performance, a revelation role of a charismatic irritant-sociopathic, spoiled, privileged brat. Thames could have elevated his character to higher levels and carry the film to the finish line. While critically acclaimed renowned actor Peter Dinklage had a brief cameo, it served as a tantalizing preview of the chemistry he might share with Mason Thames for a future team-up.

There is a much better movie buried somewhere inside the pile of Idiots. The underlying premise has potential, but the film eventually stalls under the coherent thematic arc and inconsistent pacing. It’s not a disaster by any means, but it is a disappointing work of inspired fragments rather than a cohesive narrative that falls short of being essential cinema.

Continue Reading

Movie Reviews

THE SEEING EYE DOG WHO SAW TOO MUCH – A Fun Hidden Short Mystery Gem

Published

on

A 1975 film by Enrico Januzzi The Seeing Eye Dog Who Saw Too Much has been exhumed by Eric Jackowitz who wrote, directed and stars as the Dog Scientist that brings a quirky invention to extract clues from the memory of the victim’s seeing eye dog to solve the mystery of the black-gloved killer at the Rome Symphony. The dog’s facial expression says it all… what the heck is happening here! It’s a short film that gives a fun experience to keep you guessing through the laughs and exaggerated slashing to the whodunit murder mystery.

Jackowitz used the limited time effectively giving it a similar resemblance to a grownup version of a Scooby Doo episode, but with classic cinematic style that blends sharp comedy with serious, dark themes, focusing on eccentric characters. This haunting film is all character driven with the intriguing, unusual suspects and victims compiling the pieces of the puzzle for the grand ruh-roh reveal.

The Seeing Eye Dog Who Saw Too Much had its world premiere at the 2026 SXSW Festival, and to no surprise it won the Audience Award. The small ensemble includes Ethan Edenburg (Maestro), Anna Garcia (Daria), Colton Eschief Mastro (Stelvio), Gabrielle Montes de Oca (Anne), Melissa Villaseñor (Cesar Salad Lady) and Tom Mcgovern (Angelo). Each actor was empowered to explore their roles freely, allowing them to immerse themselves in the joy of character creation making this an outrageously entertaining short film that I consider a fun hidden short mystery gem.

Continue Reading

Trending