A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (what to expect)
Scorecard, Watchlist Worthy, New Pod Drop
Some people’s dads buy them a Jeep Wrangler when they graduate high school. David Ellison’s dad is about to buy him his second movie studio this year. Mr. Ellison, if you’re reading this, we will settle for a really cool movie theater stocked with our favorite snacks.
Here’s what we have for you this week:
Concession Stand Scorecard: A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
Watchlist Worthy: Sydney Sweeney is throwing haymakers
New Pod Drop: Three months left of 2025, what movies have our attention?
This week’s movie - A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
Letterboxd Description:
Relive your past. Change your future.
Sarah and David are single strangers who meet at a mutual friend’s wedding and soon, through a surprising twist of fate, find themselves on a funny, fantastical, sweeping adventure together where they get to re-live important moments from their respective pasts, illuminating how they got to where they are in the present… and possibly getting a chance to alter their futures.
Best Watched With
Someone who is a theater kid at heart and your younger self.
End Credit Thoughts
Big Bold Beautiful Journey is a fantastical romance-drama (with a splash of comedy) led by two stars (Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell) that will get us to watch anything. An exploration of life, the decisions we make, and how they manifest in our identities. How much of life is the way it is, laid out before us, and how much is serendipitous? Is life one or the other? Neither? Both? Since watching the first trailer, we’ve had high expectations for this one.
We’ll start with the performances since it was Farrell (David) and Robbie (Sarah) who got us seated in the first place. Robbie has been a star since the beginning of her career and will continue to be one. But we don’t know if this role wasn’t for her (she still does great, because you know, it’s Margot) or if it’s hard to stand out in the shadow of Farrell as a heavy-hearted, sad boy filled with hope, and Irish-accented David that made this duo slightly off balance on the screen.
What works best, and makes this movie, are the technical aspects. With a story that relies on the idea of doors from the characters’ past, this movie needs a cinematographer and a set designer who can match the surrealism. And they deliver.
There are some visually stunning scenes and dreamlike environments—both in what is seen and the human interactions—accompanied by a film score and soundtrack that pairs like red wine and red meat, or Hi-C Orange Lavaburst and McDonald’s Breakfast. As the two say yes to taking a big, bold, and beautiful journey, the filmmakers ensure we are seeing and hearing the grand and the gorgeous that one would expect from a BBBJ.
The movie has something to say and threads the theme of taking risks throughout the film. However, because a lot is going on as David and Sarah move along this GPS-guided mystical adventure, the movie gets stuffy. Some of the messaging gets heavy-handed and on the nose. But when everything is clicking, it makes for a fun watch. There is some light-hearted humor mixed in the existential-laden rom-dram, and we definitely felt the emotions stirring.
Even though the chemistry isn’t advanced placement, and it can be dull at times, at the end of the day, it’s Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie—A students in aesthetics. A lot will enjoy this at home, but we’re going to say watch this on the big screen with some caveats: 1) You have to leave the “that’s not possible” and embrace the surreal and bizarre. The GPS, the world’s through the door frames, the rules of the adventure, they do not make sense. You have to be okay with that. It is weird. 2) It has big theater kid energy (non-derogatory).
So if you can handle those two things, and if what’s written above and what’s shown below is intriguing, we’re giving a slight edge to seeing it on the big screen. This one didn’t meet our high expectations, but the music, visuals, and editing make for a good theater experience.
P.S. We can’t not say that there was one jump scare, and it made Josh levitate half a foot out of his seat and say **** loud enough to traumatize the lovely elderly couple sitting five seats away.
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@ericharrison
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Christy (2025) by David Michôd
There are a lot of strong opinions about Sydney Sweeney, but no matter what you think about her, I respect her for making a movie like Christy. A gritty, artistic biopic that looks like it’s going to cause as much anxiety as a Safdie Brother movie.
I maintain that Ben Foster only plays deplorable characters and it looks like he’s giving us a generational douche bag in this movie. As much as I hate his characters, I love to watch him cook.
-NMD
Letterboxd Description:
Christy Martin never imagined life beyond her small-town roots in West Virginia—until she discovered a knack for punching people. Fueled by grit, raw determination, and an unshakable desire to win, she charges into the world of boxing under the guidance of her trainer and manager-turned-husband, Jim. But while Christy flaunts a fiery persona in the ring, her toughest battles unfold outside it—confronting family, identity, and a relationship that just might become life-or-death.
Also Directed by David Michôd:
The King (2019)
War Machine (2017)
Our Most Anticipated Movies of Fall 2025 #62
🎧 Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
🎥 Watch this episode on YouTube
The guys break down every must-see indie darling and blockbuster film hitting theaters this fall.
Before diving into a massive preview of the movies set to define Fall 2025, Josh and Eric get sidetracked by the important questions in life: soft vs. crunchy beef jerky, the ethics of eating a $9 pint of protein ice cream by yourself, and the polarizing characters of Shrinking.
Once the snacks are settled, the guys unpack a stacked season of upcoming films. They discuss Jennifer Lawrence's return to form in Die My Love, Daniel Day-Lewis's shocking return from retirement for Anemone, and whether Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson can finally prove his acting chops in The Smashing Machine. Get ready for a passionate, hilarious, and exhaustive guide to your new favorite films.
Tune in next week for | One Battle After Another
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