Uncertain Age

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye revisit 1997’s “bee” movie Ulee’s Gold, a quietly powerful film that also explores themes of aging, redemption, and family. Directed by Victor Nunez and starring Peter Fonda in one of his most nuanced performances, Ulee’s Gold follows Ulee Jackson, a widowed beekeeper who struggles to hold his fractured family together while tending to his hives and dealing with a messy past. Set in the heart of Florida’s rural landscape, the film weaves a delicate narrative about personal resilience and the price of making peace with one’s choic...

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye take a ride with Clint Eastwood’s 2018 film The Mule. Inspired by a true story, The Mule follows Earl Stone, an elderly horticulturist who inadvertently becomes a drug courier for a Mexican cartel. As he navigates a dangerous underworld, Earl is forced to confront his past mistakes, estranged family, and the unexpected consequences of his choices. With Eastwood directing and starring, the film blends crime drama with a poignant meditation on aging, redemption, and the price of a life lived on the margins. Is The Mule a gripping...

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye gaze lovingly at Paolo Sorrentino’s 2013 cinematic masterpiece, The Great Beauty. Starring Toni Servillo as the charismatic yet world-weary Jep Gambardella, the film explores the lavish decadence of Rome’s high society while contemplating art, memory, and the search for meaning in a fleeting world. With its breathtaking cinematography and melancholic humor, The Great Beautyinvites us to reflect on the passage of time and the illusions of grandeur. Is The Great Beauty an awe-inspiring meditation on life’s ephemeral nature, or does its opulence overshadow its substance? Find out on...

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye dissect the 2023 film Poor Things. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Academy Award-winning Emma Stone, Poor Things is a surreal and visually stunning tale of transformation, liberation, and self-discovery. Stone plays Bella Baxter, a young woman resurrected by an unorthodox scientist, who embarks on an adventure of enlightenment and exploration, challenging societal norms along the way. Is Poor Things a brilliant and provocative reimagining of identity and autonomy, or does its eccentricity overshadow its emotional depth? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or...

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas sharpen their critical shears for the 2022 film Master Gardener, while Dale Basye accidentally reviewed the 2005 film The Constant Gardener. This stuff happens sometimes. Is Master Gardener a compelling and meditative character study, or does it struggle to cultivate a meaningful narrative? Is The Constant Gardener a gripping political thriller that remains relevant today, or does its slow-burn storytelling lose momentum? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co.

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye take on the 2011 film Beginners. Starring Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer, Beginners is a heartfelt drama that delves into themes of love, identity, and late-life reinvention. Plummer delivers an Oscar-winning performance as Hal, a man who comes out as gay in his seventies after the passing of his wife, while his son, played by McGregor, struggles to navigate his own relationships and personal growth. Is Beginners a poignant and beautifully acted exploration of human connection, or does it lean too heavily on sentimentality? Find out on Uncertain Age! A...

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye explore a selection of Alzheimer's-themed movies, analyzing how film portrays the struggles, realities, and emotional depths of living with the disease. From heart-wrenching dramas to thought-provoking narratives, we examine how cinema captures the complexities of memory loss, identity, and caregiving. Learn more on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas, Dale Basye and special guest writer/director/sculptor Howard Goldberg visit The Old Man: the television series starring Jeff Bridges as Dan Chase, a former CIA operative who has been living off the grid for decades. When his past catches up to him, Chase is forced to go on the run, evading both the FBI and powerful enemies who want him dead. Is the two-season show a thrilling and expertly acted cat-and-mouse game, or a tired reworking of The Fugitive-meets-24-meets Homeland? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a...

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye pull up a chair to spend some time with the 2018 David Lowery film, The Old Man and the Gun, where Robert Redford plays a real-life convict who escaped San Quentin to perpetrate a string of heists. Is the film—Redford’s last— a fitting farewell for the legend, or a half-baked feel-good thriller that nobody asked for? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye are DTW (Down To Watch) the 2001 crime classic Sexy Beast, where Ben Kingsley plays pretty much the exact opposite of his Oscar-winning portrayal as Gandhi. Does the film holdup as a gripping thriller of ruthless gangsters reluctantly reuniting for one last heist, or is it a Cockney mess of violence and humor? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye embrace a “cantor-do” attitude and watch the 2024 Nathan Silver film, Between the Temples, where Jason Schwartzman plays a grieving cantor who finds solace and unexpected joy in an unlikely friendship with his childhood music teacher, Carol Kane. Is the film a poignant portrait of grief, loss, and the search for meaning after the death of a loved one, or is it an aimless if well-meaning vehicle for two compelling character actors? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us...

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye mourn the tragic loss of cinema visionary David Lynch by digging deep into what could be his strangest film (at least for him): 1999’s The Straight Story. The movie follows the real-life journey of 73-year-old Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth in his final role) who, with failing health and no driver's license, travels hundreds of miles on his lawnmower to visit his estranged brother (Harry Dean Stanton). Is the film an affecting, expertly made story about a man’s final quest for purpose, or is it an overly-sentimental misf...

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye see if there’s life after Death and Other Details, the 2024 mystery drama Hulu show starring Violett Beane and Mandy Patinkin. Is the show a clever whodunit that keeps you guessing until the end or a tired rehash of genre tropes that will have you praying for a merciful release? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye put up their dukes for Feud, the anthology series created by American Horror Story’s Ryan Murphy that explores the lives and rivalries of famous figures in Hollywood. So is Feud a stylish and campy glimpse into iconic celebrity relationships or is it full of sound and fury, signifying nothing? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye stay in for the holidays and watch The Holdovers, director Alexander Payne’s 2023 comedy-drama where a disgraced English teacher (Paul Giamatti) is forced to spend Christmas break at his elite boarding school with a group of students who have nowhere else to go. Is the film a clever feast of unexpected connection and unlikely bonds, or two hours of dramatic detention? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye knock back the 2013 romantic comedy The Love Punch, where Emma Thompson and Pierce Brosnan play a divorced couple who team up to take back their stolen retirement money.  Is the film a sweet concoction of rekindled romance and intrigue, or a cloy potion of cinematic aspartame that will leave you gagging? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye go through the motions to review the HBO Max show Hacks, the acclaimed comedy-drama series that follows Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), a legendary stand-up comedian at a career crossroads, and Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), a young, struggling writer. Does the show keenly tackle aging, fame, and the evolving nature of comedy, or is it an overrated exercise in schmaltz and cliché? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye join the family for His Three Daughters, the 2023 drama where three estranged sisters (Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, and Carrie Coon) reunite to care for their ailing father in his New York City apartment. Is the film a compelling study of family, love, and loss, or is it a trite vehicle for three otherwise wonderful actresses? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye get real, watching the 2018 documentary Lives Well Lived, which features a diverse group of seniors aged 75-100 who share their insights on life, love, and aging gracefully. Does the movie show the value of making the most of your precious time, or is it time best spent elsewhere? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye bone up on Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Wiser Than Me podcast, where the Seinfeld and Veep star interviews her older female idols. Is the show a candid and often hilarious series of insightful conversations, or is it yet another vanity celebrity podcast best left unheard? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye take a bite into Apples Never Fall: a 2024 psychological thriller miniseries starring Annette Bening and Sam Neill that lifts the rock off of a seemingly “perfect” family to expose the wriggling ugliness beneath. Is the show an engrossing exploration of dark family dynamics or is it a desperate Desperate Housewives-ish whodoneit? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye swallow The Substance: the controversial 2024 psychological body-horror film starring Demi Moore as an aging celebrity who has hit bottom, and is willing to do ANYTHING to regain her youth. Is the film a provocative exploration of the warped funhouse mirror of female aging in modern society, or is it an off-putting mess of cinematic styles and clichés? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye keep their voices down but run the risk of Waking Ned Devine, nonetheless. Yes, your plucky hosts hold vigil around the 2004 Irish comedy/drama where the title character wins the lottery and—spoiler—dies, so his village, desperate for financial relief, hatches a plan to claim the lottery winnings on Ned's behalf. Is the film a heartwarming romp full of charming Irish settings and colorful characters, or is it a movie best left to rest in peace? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie...

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye deviate from the usual format to talk about a film that they actually made together: like, a long time ago but only recently completed, and premiering at the Klamath Falls Film Festival. Get the inside scoop on the looooooooong journey of Famous Agoraphobic Woman Tells All! (the movie) on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye spin The Weasel’s Tale, Academy Award-winning director Juan José Campanella’s 2019 dark comedy where a group of elderly veterans of the Argentine film industry living together in a grand mansion are visited by a young couple with ulterior motives. Is the film a clever, intricate, and hilarious puzzle of intrigue or an attempt to sharpen the Knives Out formula?  Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye pay a visit to Thelma: the 2024 comedy-drama film starring June Squibb in her first leading role as a 93-year-old woman who gets scammed by a phone cheat pretending to be her grandson. Is the film an uplifting, darkly-comic revenge tale, or an attempt to swindle viewers out of their valuable time?  Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye receive some Wicked Little Letters: the 2024 period comedy starring Olivia Colman where a small English town is thrown into chaos when residents begin receiving anonymous letters filled with crude and offensive language. Is the film a witty stab at the starched mores of polite society, or merely a bloated episode of Masterpiece Theatre?  Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye uncover a swarm of Queen Bees, the 2021 comedy-drama film that follows the life of Helen (Ellen Burstyn), a fiercely independent widow who is reluctantly forced to move into a retirement community after a kitchen fire. Is the film “buzz-worthy” or lacking sting? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye take a spin in Gran Torino, the 2008 drama starring Clint Eastwood. The film centers around Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) a gruff, aging Korean War veteran at odds with his changing surroundings and a Hmong immigrant family who moves next door. Is the film a gripping look at racism and redemption, or is it a tired Eastwood vehicle best left in the garage? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye keep their Eye in the Sky: the 2015 political thriller starring Helen Mirren as Colonel Katherine Powell, a UK-based military officer in command of a top secret drone operation to capture terrorists in Kenya. Is the film a taut, complicated look at modern warfare, or is a trite mess that drones on and on?  Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye bask in The Sunshine Boys, the 1975 comedy starring Walter Matthau and George Burns as feuding vaudeville comedians who are reunited for a TV special about the history of comedy. Is the film a blazing slapstick romp or a tired attempt at humor that will give you third degree Burns?  Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye join Quartet, the 2012 film set in a retirement home for former opera singers where rehearsals for the annual Verdi birthday gala stir up memories and rivalries among the residents. Is the film a harmonious ensemble piece or does it hit a bunch of false notes? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye head off to Nebraska, the 2013 film starring Bruce Dern as a stubborn man who is convinced he's won a million-dollar sweepstakes and sets off on a quirky road trip with his son David (Will Forte) to claim his prize. Is the film a touching jaunt through troubled family histories or does it break down on the shoulder? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye have a Senior Moment, which also happens to be a 2021 film starring William “Captain Kirk” Shatner as a retired, hot-headed NASA test pilot who loses his driver's license after a drag racing escapade and finds late-in-life love with a baker (Jean Smart). Is the film a fun portrait of reinvention or does it barely get off the launch pad? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye deviate somewhat from the usual to watch Late Bloomers, the 2023 coming-of-age comedy-drama where Louise (Karen Gillan) struggles to find direction in life after a recent breakup, and meets Antonina (Margaret Sophie Stein) a cranky elderly Polish woman, after a drunken fall puts Louise in the hospital. Is the film a delightful twist on the Odd Couple formula, or are these “bloomers” just a mismatched pair? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at ...

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas, Dale Basye, and special guest film critic and author Justin Tanner take on their biggest case yet: reviewing the 1977 Neo-noir mystery The Late Show. Art Carney plays Ira Wells, a world-weary private investigator nearing retirement, whose world is turned upside down when his partner is murdered, leading him on a search for a missing cat owned by eccentric talent manager Margo Sperling (Lily Tomlin). Is the film the perfect crime or is it just a shot in the dark? Find out on Uncertain Age! Be sure to visit Justin at...

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye pack their bags and head off to Summer Camp, the 2024 film where lifelong friends Nora (Diane Keaton), Ginny (Kathy Bates), and Mary (Alfre Woodard) return to the summer camp of their childhood for a nostalgic reunion. Is the film like reconnecting around a cozy campfire with good friends or more like contracting cinematic poison ivy? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye leave it all behind and watch the 2020 Academy Award Winner Nomadland, the story of Fern (Frances McDormand) a woman in her sixties who loses everything, including her job and home, after the economic collapse of 2008 shutters the factory where she and her husband worked. Does the film deserve to be a Best Picture, or is it a case of Crash 2: Electric Boogaloo? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncer...

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye while away the hours (both of them) watching the 2023 Wim Wenders film Perfect Days. The film tells the story of Hirayama, a middle-aged public toilet cleaner living in Tokyo. Does the film find beauty in the most unlikely of places, or should it be flushed from Wenders’ contemplative oeuvre? Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a movie, show, or podcast you’d like us to review, let us know at info@uncertainage.co!

Welcome to Uncertain Age! This week, AR (Anna) Nicholas and Dale Basye sit still to watch the 2022 dramedy Moving On, starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. The movie tells the story of two estranged friends who reunite at a funeral, bound by the love of their dead friend Joyce, and their hatred of her husband Howard, played by Malcolm McDowell (who stretches his acting chops to play a creepy guy). Is the movie yet another example of that crackling Fonda/Tomlin chemistry, or has their rambunctious rapport run its course?  Find out on Uncertain Age! And if there’s a m...