The Runner

Running on (Damn Near) Empty

(this title inspired by a Jackson Browne song)

Reviews and Comments by Ken Burke

I invite you to join me to see how my responses to current cinematic offerings compare to the critical establishment, which I will call either the CCAL (Collective Critics at Large) if they’re supportive or the OCCU (Often Cranky Critics Universe) when they go negative.  However, due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns on my part I’m focusing on streaming these days with limited visits to theaters.  (Note: Anything here in bold blue [or near purple] is a link to something in the above title or in the review.)  This blog’s been operational since mid-December 2011, often with ridiculously-long reviews from me, but other ongoing responsibilities now require me to be very brief in order to have time to post anything each week, although I’ll include links to informative sites for useful enhancement.

My reviews’ premise: “You can’t please everyone, so you got to please yourself.”

(from "Garden Party" by Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band, 1972 album of the song’s name)

However, if you’d like to know more about rationale of my ratings visit this explanatory site.

11/13/2026—In recent postings I’ve noted weeks where other tasks forced me to be quite brief in my compromised-intention of already-concise reviews.  Sadly for me, who yearns for an expanded trove of photographs and paragraphs, that situation has now generally become constant so I’m afraid Film Reviews from Two Guys in the Dark will continue until further notice as a sort of CliffsNotes on current cinema with links to help better fill in what I’d prefer to say myself.  There may also be some weeks that I’ll post later than Wednesday/Thursday or have to skip entirely, so if you miss finding something new from me just please be patient because I’ll return just as soon as I can,

                                The Runner (Kevin Macdonald)

                                        rated PG-13   84 min.

Here’s the trailer:

        (Use the full screen button in the image’s lower right to enlarge its size; 

        activate the same button or use “esc” keyboard key to return to normal.)

  London lawyer Maia Martin (Gal Gadot) faces an important trial later today as her star witness will testify a mob boss is guilty of murder, but while she’s on a morning run she gets an ominous call (voice of Damian Lewis) her young son’s been kidnapped, will die after an hour unless she runs a great distance to the hotel where the witness is secured, then kills him.  Most of the rest of this movie deals with the difficulties she encounters on her fraught mission; however, you'll have to go to this site to explore the details of her intense journey (beware of Spoilers). The Runner came to life on Amazon Prime Video on September 2, 2026 where it’s free to existing subscribers (or they have a 30-days-free policy, then continue at $8.99 monthly if you like); the ICCU would tell you not to waste your time, though, with the Rotten Tomatoes positive reviews at a miserable 11% (56 reviews), the Metacritic average score (higher for once, but still not supportive) at 28% (14 reviews—most critics couldn’t be bothered to even watch it seems).  It wasn’t easy finding supportive commentary with even the attempts of something good to say still coupled with distain, as evidenced by Scott Collura (MC 50) of IGN: “Gal Gadot does everything she can to keep things, well, running, and director Kevin Macdonald does imbibe his film with some decent set pieces as Gadot’s character becomes increasingly desperate in her mission. But the wrap-up of the story is unsatisfying, and Damian Lewis is underused in his role as the enigmatic Caller."  Lukewarm at best.

 More common are comments such as those from Peter Travers of The Travers Take (MC 25): “All becomes clear in the risible twist ending that is so hard to swallow you might choke on it. If someone asks you to watch ‘The Runner’ with them, go with a two-word answer: hard pass.”  Yet, naïve me found it to be exciting, generally satisfying entertainment (even as it does get somewhat repetitious at times), which given its price and running time I wouldn’t consider it a waste of your viewing options even if it’s not as fabulous as a long-ago tale of another woman running desperately to prevent a tragedy, Run Lola Run (Tom Tykwer, 1998 [this one would get 5 stars from me if I were actually reviewing it]).  The Runner is about the challenge of near-constant movement for an ultimate purpose, but it’s also about the enforced trauma of time (and distance, making me sound likes it’s a velocity formula, as if I know much about physics anyway) so for my closing Musical Metaphor I’ll choose Pink Floyd’s "Time" (1973 The Dark Side of the Moon album) with relevant lyrics like “And you run, and you run / To catch up with the sun, but it’s sinking / And racing around / To come up behind you again.”   There’s a lot more to the song, yet even just this aspect reminds me why I find some value in The Runner that most in the OCCU don’t see as feasible.  The choice is up to you,

 (In this photo Pat on left, Ken on right.)  If you’d like to know more about the Two Guys “wisdom” in this blog you can go here for links to our past reviews, our homepage, our Facebook page, sign-up for a Google account to reply to us, & Ken Burke’s email address if you want direct correspondence.

          

OUR POSTINGS PROBABLY LOOK BEST ON THE MOST CURRENT VERSIONS OF MAC OS AND THE SAFARI WEB BROWSER (although Google Chrome usually is decent also); OTHERWISE, BE FOREWARNED THE LAYOUT MAY SEEM MESSY AT TIMES (not our fault).

                 

Finally, Google says that over the past month the total unique hits at our  Film Reviews from Two Guys in the Dark site were 81,566.  (We thank all of you for your support with hopes you’ll continue as or become regular readers.)  Below is a snapshot of where those responses have come from within the previous week (appreciation too for the unspecified “Others” also visiting Two Guys’ site):

Late Fame

Poetry in Commotion

Reviews and Comments by Ken Burke

I invite you to join me to see how my responses to current cinematic offerings compare to the critical establishment, which I will call either the CCAL (Collective Critics at Large) if they’re supportive or the OCCU (Often Cranky Critics Universe) when they go negative.  However, due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns on my part I’m focusing on streaming these days with limited visits to theaters.  (Note: Anything here in bold blue [or near purple] is a link to something in the above title or in the review.)  This blog’s been operational since mid-December 2011, often with ridiculously-long reviews from me, but other ongoing responsibilities now require me to be very brief in order to have time to post anything each week, although I’ll include links to informative sites for useful enhancement.

My reviews’ premise: “You can’t please everyone, so you got to please yourself.”

(from "Garden Party" by Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band, 1972 album of the song’s name)

However, if you’d like to know more about rationale of my ratings visit this explanatory site.

1/5/2026—In reference to this blog’s current limitations as noted in the red announcement just above, this week’s been especially busy for me so I’ve got to keep the contents of this posting even shorter than usual which is a shame because Late Fame is quite a strong film with another outstanding performance from Willem Dafoe in an unusual topic, so I encourage you to delve into the links I’ve provided (with Spoilers I admit) to get a much fuller understanding of what transpires here.

          Late Fame (Kent Jones)   Not Rated    97 min.

Here’s the trailer:

        (Use the full screen button in the image’s lower right to enlarge its size; 

        activate the same button or use “esc” keyboard key to return to normal.)

 

 The basic plot here is Ed Saxberger (Dafoe) has lived in NYC for 50 years, in the 1970s he was among the local bohemian poets, published one book of his work—Way Past Go—then faded from that scene, now works a routine job sorting mail at a Lower Manhattan post office.  Suddenly, he’s rediscovered by a group of wannabe art influencers who invite him into their circle, show him great respect, want to revive his career which both fascinates and frightens him; for extensive plot details you can go to this site.  Late Fame opened in a limited number of domestic (U.S.-Canada) theaters on August 7, 2026, has grossed a mere $560 thousand ($593 thousand worldwide)—maybe it’s a bit too esoteric for a wider audience—is now available through streaming where you can rent it for just $5.99 from Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV.  The CCAL is enthused about this film as the Rotten Tomatoes positive reviews are at 94%, the normally-lower Metacritic average score is 77% (one of their best results for something they and I have reviewed in quite awhile, I'll gladly say).

 

 Among its admirers is Owen Gleiberman of Variety (MC 90): “One of the common observations about filmmakers like Jean Renoir, Robert Altman, and Jonathan Demme is that they see the humanity of everyone onscreen. That’s abundantly true of Kent Jones […] What’s driving that camera, in a word, is curiosity.”  Of course, I always try to find you a dissenting opinion to help in making your watching decision, but this time such rejection was hard to come by so even as I cite Anna Smith of TimeOut (MC 60) she still has supportive comments: “Much like its hero, Late Fame drifts towards a conclusion rather than following a clear sense of purpose, but it does so with grace. Like the poetry, it’s sure to find an appreciative audience.”  While you’re deciding your interest, here’s my brief (in keeping with the reality of this review) Musical Metaphor, the Simon & Garfunkel "Bookends Theme" (1968 Bookends album) with the thought that, unlike today, Ed’s much-earlier life was “A time of innocence / A time of confidences.”  Now, neither of those seem real.

 (In this photo Pat on left, Ken on right.)  If you’d like to know more about the Two Guys “wisdom” in this blog you can go here for links to our past reviews, our homepage, our Facebook page, sign-up for a Google account to reply to us, & Ken Burke’s email address if you want direct correspondence.

        

OUR POSTINGS PROBABLY LOOK BEST ON THE MOST CURRENT VERSIONS OF MAC OS AND THE SAFARI WEB BROWSER (although Google Chrome usually is decent also); OTHERWISE, BE FOREWARNED THE LAYOUT MAY SEEM MESSY AT TIMES (not our fault).

            

Finally, Google says that over the past month the total unique hits at our  Film Reviews from Two Guys in the Dark site were 81,566.   (We thank all of you for your support with hopes you’ll continue as or become regular readers.)  Below is a snapshot of where those responses have come from within the previous week (appreciation too for the unspecified “Others” also visiting Two Guys’ site):

Love of Your Life

After Tragedy Other Difficulties Remain

Reviews and Comments by Ken Burke

I invite you to join me to see how my responses to current cinematic offerings compare to the critical establishment, which I will call either the CCAL (Collective Critics at Large) if they’re supportive or the OCCU (Often Cranky Critics Universe) when they go negative.  However, due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns on my part I’m focusing on streaming these days with limited visits to theaters.  (Note: Anything here in bold blue [or near purple] is a link to something in the above title or in the review.)  This blog’s been operational since mid-December 2011, often with ridiculously-long reviews from me, but other ongoing responsibilities now require me to be very brief in order to have time to post anything each week, although I’ll include links to informative sites for useful enhancement.

My reviews’ premise: “You can’t please everyone, so you got to please yourself.”

(from "Garden Party" by Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band, 1972 album of the song’s name)

However, if you’d like to know more about rationale of my ratings visit this explanatory site.

                           Love of Your Life (Rachel Morrison)

                                          rated R    109 min.

Here’s the trailer:

        (Use the full screen button in the image’s lower right to enlarge its size; 

        activate the same button or use “esc” keyboard key to return to normal.)

  Love of Your Life is a romantic drama, emphasis on that phrase’s first word in its early going followed by a shift to the second word as the plot unfolds.  We follow the life of current/then former Boston ER nurse Maya (Margaret Qualley) over 11 years as she happens upon Charlie (Gabriel Basso) with whom she has an instant connection (he also easily becomes a “best bud” with Jason [Patrick Schwarzenegger], Maya’s platonic friend from their college years) so they soon marry where Maya finds great comfort with her mother-in-law, Ruth (Catherine Keener).  Yet, in case you’d think all of this idyllic love will just continue for the near-2 hour-running time you’re suddenly slapped back to reality when Charlie contracts COVID-19 and dies (not truly a Spoiler because it comes so relatively early in this narrative).  Heartbroken Maya shuts herself from everything and everyone—including Ruth—as much as possible as her grief is enormously deep.  Three years later we find her in Lisbon, Portugal (a place she and Charlie often talked of visiting) where she supports herself with a telehealth job, attempts to drown her ongoing sorrows with lots of drinking and one-night stands until she once again happens upon a fulfilling encounter with Felix (Aaron Pierre), a divorcé from London.  They fall into a passionate romance with a seaside trip, then on to London for both of them.  At a restaurant one night, though, Felix happens upon them, wants to fully catch up with Maya, but she acts as if they’re just casual acquaintances which angers him greatly (later we learn she didn’t want to reveal a lot of her past to Felix which gives us reason to wonder what she truly hoped to share in a relationship with him).  There’s quite a bit more to Maya’s story; however, my arbitrary choice of space for these postings leads me to refer you to this site to find more (lots of useful details, Spoilers as well).  You might be hesitant to see it if you’ve had any bad COVID experience (I lost a long-time friend) or you might not support some of Maya’s decisions, but if you can get past such hindrances I think you’d find a lot to appreciate about all these human depictions.

 Love of Your Life was released to “select theaters” on October 7, 2026 (which means no report on box-office revenues) but is more easily found via streaming where it’s free on Amazon Prime Video (if you’re a subscriber or just want to take advantage of their 30-day no-charge policy, after which you could remain for $8.99 monthly),  I found this to be an engaging story as did the overall CCAL where Rotten Tomatoes positive reviews are at 81% while the Metacritic average score is lower (as usual) at 62%.  Among those who join me in recommending is my local guy in the San Francisco Bay Area, Randy Myers (3 of 4 stars), in The San Jose Mercury News: (scroll down to his third review here) “Romantic dramas that focus intricately and sensitively with weighty matters such as moving on from a tragic event don’t get produced as often as they once did. […] filmmaker Rachel Morrison successfully fills that void with a soulful character study […] Qualley and screenwriter Julia Cox (‘Nyad’) make Maya a brittle, fully realized character with brains and issues. […] this film succeeds because of Qualley’s mercurial and tone-rich performance, the gorgeous cinematography from Todd Banhazl and a nuanced protagonist confronting both exterior and interior hardships.”

 

 Of course, those critic-compilation totals include negative responses as with Jourdain Searles (MC 40) of The Hollywood Reporter:  “Maya insists that Charlie was the special one, the one who made life easy and fun. But she seems to float through the world as a beautiful damsel who tries to disappear but can’t seem to avoid being the center of attention. […] Maya’s fear of commitment mirrors the film’s fear of showing us anything truly ugly or grappling with the idea that our heroine is one of many, many people who lost someone during a society-shattering number of years.”  Obviously, I'm more with the supporters (even as the story’s resolution evokes ambiguity), but I’ll leave the watching choice to you.  My choice for a closing Musical Metaphor focuses on Maya’s situation of somehow remaining connected to Charlie so I give you Bob Dylan’s early tune "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" (dates from 1963; found on Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits Vol. II [1971]) where she’d also say “But none of these and nothing else can touch the beauty / That I remember in my true love’s eyes” (even as you must change gender references in the song from female to male).

 (In this photo Pat on left, Ken on right.)  If you’d like to know more about the Two Guys “wisdom” in this blog you can go here for links to our past reviews, our homepage, our Facebook page, sign-up for a Google account to reply to us, & Ken Burke’s email address if you want direct correspondence.

       

OUR POSTINGS PROBABLY LOOK BEST ON THE MOST CURRENT VERSIONS OF MAC OS AND THE SAFARI WEB BROWSER (although Google Chrome usually is decent also); OTHERWISE, BE FOREWARNED THE LAYOUT MAY SEEM MESSY AT TIMES (not our fault).

           

Finally, Google says that over the past month the total unique hits at our  Film Reviews from Two Guys in the Dark site were 87,411.  (We thank all of you for your support with hopes you’ll continue as or become regular readers.)  Below is a snapshot of where those responses have come from within the previous week (appreciation too for the unspecified “Others” also visiting Two Guys’ site):