Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton
Week of September 8, 2025
The Long Walk
Rated R for pervasive language, grisly images, sexual references, strong bloody violence and suicide
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
In Theaters
For three decades, filmmakers have been trying to bring Stephen King’s 1979 novel to the big screen. From George Romero to Frank Darabont and other talented directors, the rights were acquired and then later expired. Enter Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence (he directed all but the first) who was finally able to pull off what so many before him couldn’t. The story takes place in a dystopian America after a war has left most of the country in a state of economic depression controlled by an authoritarian regime (much like in The Hunger Games). Once a year, 50 young men vie to compete in a walk where the winner takes home glory and riches and is granted one wish. Everyone else dies. There is no finish line in this walk to the death, and if you fall below 3 miles per hour, you get three warnings before a soldier punches your ticket. It’s a brutal ordeal as you can imagine, filled with gripping drama, incredible dialog, a fantastic young group of actors, and gut-wrenching violence. Leading the cast are Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza) and David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus) who start out strangers only to become best of friends as they struggle through their journey. But the rest of the fairly unknown cast proves equally as impressive, giving the audience the sense that they are witnessing a movie like The Outsiders or Goonies, where pretty much every cast member has the potential to be our next generation of A-listers. And the adults aren’t bad either with Mark Hamill as The Major and Judy Greer in her heartbreaking role of the mother who can’t do anything to help her son with his path which has less than ideal chances of survival. The timing of this film couldn’t be more relevant as our current political climate is more oppressive and ominous than hopeful and it’s easy to see a dark future if we don’t course correct. Overall, I was duly impressed with this adaptation and am so pleased that they knocked it out of the park. A
The Baltimorons
Rated R for language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
In Theaters
This film festival favorite stars Michael Stassner as a former stand-up comedian who is trying to make something out of his life after a failed suicide attempt and a severe struggle with alcohol. When he chips a tooth while going to a Christmas party, he finds a much older female dentist (Liz Larsen) willing to see him on a holiday, and through a crazy path of twists and obstacles, manages to begin a relationship with her. Written and directed by Jay Duplass, this is a great little indie romantic comedy that takes you on a surprise journey that you don’t see coming and one which you are okay with just riding along to check out where it goes. The relatively unknown cast gives us believable and strong performances, and the night turns out to be rather enjoyable as we watch two lost souls find themselves and each other, in one unconventional turn after another. B