Late Fame, a reintroduction to a poet

 

2025 -1h 36m

Trailer: https://youtu.be/FI_7PobKjt0?si=0grLklgYXtfoWe92

Director

Kent Jones

Writers

Samy Burch, Arthur Schnitzler

Stars

Willem Dafoe, Greta Lee, Edmund Donovan

Screened at TIFF 2026 - Toronto International Film Festival

Late Fame follows Ed Saxberger (Willem Dafoe), a New York man who was once a poet and had published a book of poetry. Despite receiving some critical acclaim, he never believed he was good enough, eventually giving up on writing and fading into obscurity. He settles into a stable, routine life, working at the post office and spending time at a local bar with his coworkers. It is far from the vibrant, poetic life he once imagined. His friends know nothing about his past as a poet.

A chance, or perhaps carefully orchestrated, encounter with the preppy and privileged student Myers (Edmund Donovan) changes everything. A devoted admirer of Saxberger's work, Myers is persistent in introducing him to a group of quirky young artists. Most of the group knows his poetry, and all are fascinated by his former literary reputation. Myers continually encourages him to start writing again.

Saxberger, as the group calls him, is not convinced he is up to the task and believes his days of creating poetry are long behind him. One group member, Gloria, is beautifully portrayed by Greta Lee. She is flirtatious, unpredictable, and carries an air of mystery. Saxberger gradually warms to her, but before long, he realizes he does not truly fit into this eccentric circle. Unable to handle the expectations they place upon him, he retreats to the comfort of his longtime friends and returns to his predictable, safe life.

Dafoe delivers a quiet, restrained performance, conveying a great deal of emotion with very few words. Greta Lee's character is the complete opposite: outgoing, attention-seeking, and impossible to ignore. Meanwhile, Donovan brings an infectious enthusiasm and determination to Myers. The rest of the ensemble rounds out the film with a variety of delightfully geeky and eccentric personalities.

This is a quiet, reflective story about life in New York, the fleeting nature of fame, and learning to let go of what no longer serves you.

You can rent the film on AMAZON PRIME.

Once upon a time in the Middle East-the power of food and kindness

                2026 | 141 minutes | China | Mandarin, Arabic, English with English Subtitles | Color | Not Yet Rated

Directed by WEN MUYE
Written by WEN MUYE, LANG QUNLI and ZHONG WEI
Executive Produced by NING HAO

 

Starring SHEN TENG, JIANG QIMING, OMAR SHERIF, LI ZHITING, SHERIF SOBHY

Website: Once Upon A Time In The Middle East | Official Movie Site | Watch Online

IN THEATERS ACROSS THE U.S. AND CANADA

OCTOBER 9, 2026

Trailer Link: https://youtu.be/iHDNxZF7LRw?si=VEBgZmVCs_duOGOO

I am not very familiar with the Chinese film industry or its popular actors, but apparently one of China's biggest stars, Shen Teng, stars in this film. From this film, I can certainly see why he is so popular.

This is the story of Xu Fu (Shen Teng), a Chinese chef deep in debt. To help his family, he accepts an offer to travel to the Middle East to work at the Dragon Restaurant, a Chinese restaurant that has seen better days.

He is picked up by the restaurant manager, Ma Junsbeng, who becomes his ride-or-die friend. Things go well, and together they transform both the food and the clientele of the restaurant, achieving great success. But success never lasts, and Xu Fu soon finds himself trying to save orphans from the Iraq War while also protecting himself and his best friend from the restaurant's owner, who has a hidden identity and agenda.

Xu Fu tries everything he can to stay out of the violence and keep everyone safe. He is a smart man, but he cannot save everyone or everything.

What was supposed to be a short-term job to earn enough money for his daughter and mother turns into a harrowing series of events that keeps him away from his family far longer than he ever bargained for.

The restaurant becomes a refuge for many people, and he is able to save lives and change the course of some of their futures.

He eventually escapes his captivity and makes it back home. Years later, he returns and discovers that his efforts were not in vain.

This is a great example of how one life, lived with integrity, can change the lives of many for generations.

Inspired by real-life events during the Iraq War, this film takes place somewhere in the Middle East in the early 2000s.

The film is well cast, and the characters are richly developed and interesting.

Even though it is mostly in Chinese, I did not struggle to understand what was happening. The film strikes a good balance between action, drama, and heart.

This story is similar in some ways to, though not exactly like, some of the films I saw at TIFF this year.

The level of filmmaking coming out of Asian countries is really starting to shine through among the millions of other films I have seen over the past year.

I'm so late with this review, but I hope you are able to find this film and watch it soon. And I really hope you enjoy it.

Bonus for foodies: the way the food is shot in this film is mesmerizing.

The saying that food fills the soul and saves lives really comes to life in this film.