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Organisers of the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival – celebrating global stories and Cardiff charm are thrilled to announce the final six awards from this year’s festival. The awards were presented by Michael Karam this evening (27 November) at The Atrium Theatre, University of South Wales. The Closing Credits event was an opportunity to look back at the festival highlights and thank our partners and sponsors who made Iris 2025 such a fantastic success. It […]
The gaming industry is influential in many ways, but when it comes to cinema, it’s had a major impact in recent years. This impact is so major that they have undoubtedly made changes to the industry itself, both in cinema and online. Here are the main ways, both clear-cut and surprising, that gaming has introduced […]
Spotlight Presentation of the 61st Chicago International Film Festival
IS THIS THING ON?— 5 STARS
At the beginning of Bradley Cooper’s comedy Is This Thing On?, a middle-aged married couple played by Laura Dern and Will Arnett are readying themselves in the bathroom. While she is brushing her teeth and he is getting out of the shower, she drops the line, “We need to call it, right?” Within the same beat, he answers, “I think so too.” We don’t know the full context yet, but a bigger decision has been made than we realize, especially when they leave the bathroom and a small, shared exchange about hotels and sleeping on couches is interrupted by a child coming out of a bedroom to be consoled after a bad dream.
Now we pick up on where Is This Thing On? might be heading, and it is toward what the legal community might call a “decree nisi.” Right in the first four minutes of the movie, we witness the mutual resignation of this moment. It’s treated by these two characters with frankness, where we suspect this isn’t the first time they’ve paused to make this assessment of their marriage. Typically, once the kid is soothed and dispatched, a larger and deeper conversation might follow to finally give voice to that unseen context.
Not this time.
Our duo of Alex and Tess Novak finish getting ready and hit the city to go to a couple’s party hosted by Christine (The United States vs. Billie Holiday Oscar nominee) and Balls (Bradley Cooper himself, and more on that guy momentarily), or, as Alex labels it, “Our last hurrah.” They leave the party sharing reactions to people’s behavior, bites of a swiped pot-infused cookie, giggles over arguments, and last-minute checks of whether each other is OK before parting ways at the subway station.
Once that title card appears with Alex on the train platform, the tone of how Is This Thing On? is going to treat the prospect of divorce has been chosen. There are no social media announcements or relationship status changes. No one is pausing a party with a public speech to family and friends beginning with something like “Hey, everyone, can we have your attention?” Skipping those typical public expectations, Alex and Tess re-enter the world as the working parents and respectable people they need to be.
LESSON #1: KUDOS TO THE LEGITIMATELY AMICABLE SPLIT— Alex and Tess are separating before they hate and resent each other. They aren’t waiting until the wheels fall off and the family vehicle catches on fire, igniting one dumpster fire of bad decisions after another. The two understand the future, yet still enjoy and value each other’s company and well-being without spite—probably like we all should. With that, kudos to a legitimately amicable split being portrayed in a movie. Normally, we’re getting volatile fireworks and acidic spoken arguments instead of unguarded and refined maturity.
That lesson and quality alone make Is This Thing On? one of the most refreshing breaths of bad air anyone could hope so in these circumstances. Alas, divorce is never that simple. New conversations and necessary context are necessary, and the story is only beginning to get interesting for all involved.
Right after the Is This Thing On? train platform title drop, Alex finds himself wandering Manhattan looking for a stiff drink to cut the stoned buzz reeling through him. He arrives at the famed Comedy Cellar below the Olive Tree Cafe near Greenwich Village. Alex doesn’t have cash for the cover charge at the door, but finds out that if you put your name on the list to perform as part of the evening’s open mic, you get in for free. He drops the fastest signature ever, thinking only of the libation.
Once his name is called and the complete, unprepared noob gets up on stage with the lights gleaming and timer running, a new spark ignites in Alex Novak. He hears the advice of “Just talk to them,” and does exactly that, divulging his pride-destroying new relationship status—bathed in self-deprecating humor—to the paying customers. He survives his set with a smattering of laughs and applause. Lifted from being mortified and out of his element, Alex is enlivened to a state of happiness he hasn’t found in years.
LESSON #2: FIND YOUR OUTLET IN BETWEEN RELATIONSHIPS— In a stroke of entertaining movie kismet in Is This Thing On?, Alex Novak discovers what every active adult—let alone a newly single person coming out of a long-term relationship—needs: a constructive outlet. Granted, let’s be honest. For this guy (and any guy), it should be therapy, but, hey, whatever blows your hair back. Inspired by the life of British comedian John Bishop, who left the corporate world at 40 to pursue comedy, here’s a man opening up and speaking out about his demons and doubts to strangers, and that’s better than no one at all.
Contrary than watching a trainwreck of a classic sad sack in a trope-filled divorce movie, Is Thing On? offers an empathetic stroll of keen reassessment and charming revitalization. While Will Arnett is the lead focus shown honing his stage craft and immersing himself in the backstage lifestyle, Laura Dern’s Tess is granted her own confident strides towards new prospects. Ceasing to be relegated solely to the schedules and constraints of being a stay-at-home co-parent to Irish twin 10-year-old sons, Felix and Jude (newcomers Blake Kane and Calvin Knegten), the former high-level volleyball player has made inroads to start coaching at the college level, bringing—just like Alex—private new goals to her life.
LESSON #3: THE PERFECT AMOUNT OF SOUNDING BOARD— Splitting the narrative into those divergent fronts, director and co-writer Bradley Cooper makes his impression on Alex’s side in Is This Thing On? Arriving with one of the best possible stage introductions, his doltish character of Balls (how about that character name) is a starving artist and world-class recreational drug aficionado, a cat completely different than anyone else on-screen. Cooper plants the dude in here-and-there to be the right amount of buddy foil and sounding board to make a hilarious impression, yet knows precisely when to get out of the way, unselfishly keeping his own character from turning into a preening scene-stealer. His proportion of involvement and laughs-per-minute rate couldn’t be more perfect.
Continuing as a director and storyteller using material far smaller and more approachable than the mega stardom examined in A Star is Born and Maestro, Cooper allows his two leads scenes for their characters to fend for themselves and rise to their own occasions with intriguing peaks and valleys. In what might surprise many, Will Arnett, while being a beyond-notable funnyman, does not have roots in stand-up comedy. Believe it or not, he’s a graduate of The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. Is This Thing On? grants Arnett the chance to display the true acting chops necessary to convey the raw nerves of staring down the barrel of a hot microphone. For Laura Dern, enjoying a five-decade career, this and Jay Kelly grant her another rock-solid performance that sweetens her post-50 resurgence, crowned by an Oscar for Marriage Story. She is, once again, deserving of awards attention for her bustling work.
The tantalizing dramatic irony for the audiences of Is This Thing On? is the anticipation of two shoes dropping for Alex. Just wait until his kids find out he’s doing stand-up comedy, and, even better, just wait until Tess finds out. In Tess’s case, picture the worst and most embarrassing way possible for that truth to come out. There’s a good chance Bradley Cooper delivers a knee-slapping and jaw-dropping moment better than your imagination.
LESSON #3: THE LENGTHS AND LIMITS OF REKINDLING LOVE— Defying anticipated plot beats once again, Is This Thing On? has those proverbial shows drop, and the revelation dramatically changes the cordiality between Tess and Alex. Instead of being the ultimate final straw and wedge to cleave their hearts, the excitement draws them back together with the glimmer of rekindled “It’s scary, but fuck, it’s fun” passion. That development is a blast to observe because it is so positive at the same time that it is precarious. Rather than showcasing the aforementioned big “what do we do now” conversation about getting a divorce, this film broaches those heavy talks about the prospect of Tess and Alex making another go of their relationship.
LESSON #4: HAVING THE PROPER BIG CONVERSATIONS— Venturing into this version of the admittedly terrifying and therapeutic unknown, Is This Thing On? asks incredible and intelligent questions that actually get chewed on with civility and dignity, ignoring the urge to shout hot drops of dialogue to the rhetorical rafters solely meant to let an actor show off. The intimate immediacy—provided often by the floating in-your-face camerawork of three-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer and Bradley Cooper good luck charm, Matthew Libatique—of these stellar conversations lets loose stern answers and bold examinations about relationships. Nothing is simple. Things are still messy, but nothing is irrecoverable, no matter if you’re together or apart. Those beautiful traits put Cooper’s film on a special level.
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There's a quiet revolution happening in home design. It's not about granite countertops or spa bathrooms; it's about "Aging-in-Place." This is the simple, powerful desire for people to live in their own homes and communities safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age or ability level.
As we plan for our "forever homes," we often focus on the obvious: adding grab bars, creating zero-threshold showers, and ensuring main-floor living. But one of inaccessibility's biggest culprits, the staircase, is often the last to be addressed. This is where wheelchair lifts become a transformative tool in the aging-in-place toolkit.
While many associate these lifts only with wheelchair users, their role is much broader. They represent a proactive plan for future-proofing a home, ensuring that a change in mobility doesn't have to mean a change of address.
1. Proactive vs. Reactive: Planning for Future Mobility
Most home modifications are "reactive", they are installed after a fall, a surgery, or a new diagnosis. A person has a health event, comes home from the hospital, and suddenly the bedroom staircase is an impassable mountain.
Aging-in-place design is "proactive." It anticipates future needs. Even if a person is fully mobile today, they may face challenges tomorrow.
Knee or hip replacements can make stairs painful and dangerous.
A reliance on a walker makes navigating steps impossible.
A progressive condition like arthritis or MS can slowly erode one's ability to climb.
In this context, a lift is not just for wheelchairs. It's for any condition that makes stairs a risk. Installing wheelchair lifts (or even planning the space for one) is one of the most significant steps a homeowner can take to guarantee full use of their entire home, forever.
2. More Than Just a Ride: The Benefits of a Lift
The role of a lift in an aging-in-place design goes far beyond simple transportation.
Safety & Fall Prevention: For seniors, falls are the leading cause of injury. Stairs are one of the highest-risk areas in the home. A lift eliminates that risk entirely. It replaces a daily, dangerous climb with a safe, stable, and secure transfer.
Independence & Autonomy: A lift prevents a home from being "zoned." It ensures a person isn't confined to the first floor, cut off from their bedroom, a favorite hobby room, or their spouse. It provides the autonomy to go where you want, when you want, in your own home.
Caregiver Support: Aging-in-place often involves support from family or professional caregivers. Manually assisting someone up and down stairs is a leading cause of injury for caregivers. A lift protects the health of the caregiver, making their job sustainable and reducing physical strain.
Utility & Convenience: A lift can do more than carry a person. It can be used to safely transport heavy laundry baskets, luggage, groceries, or cases of water between floors, reducing strain and risk for everyone in the household.
3. How to Integrate a Lift into Your Home
The "best" lift for aging-in-place depends entirely on the home's layout.
For New Builds (The "Future-Proof" Plan): If you are building a new home or planning a major renovation, the best approach is to "stack the closets." By designing closets of the same size and shape (roughly 5x5 feet) directly on top of each other on each floor, you are creating a ready-made shaft. For years, it can just be a closet. But when the time comes, the space is ready to be converted for a vertical platform lift or a small home elevator with minimal structural disruption.
For Existing Homes (The "Retrofit" Plan): This is where wheelchair lifts truly shine.
Inclined Platform Lifts (IPLs): This is the most common and least disruptive solution. The lift's rail system mounts directly to the existing staircase. It preserves the home's layout, and when folded, it's inconspicuous. It's the perfect solution for connecting a main living area to the second-floor bedrooms.
Vertical Platform Lifts (VPLs): If a home has a small, two-story open area (like an atrium), a VPL can be installed. More commonly, it's used to access the home from the outside. A VPL in the garage that lifts a person to the main living floor is a hugely popular and effective aging-in-place solution, bypassing garage steps and the front porch steps.
4. The Invaluable Psychology of "Home"
A home is more than its walls; it's a repository of memories, a place of comfort, and the center of a person's life. The emotional and mental health benefits of remaining in that familiar environment are immeasurable.
The role of a wheelchair lift, then, is profound. It's not just a machine. It's the key that keeps the door to your own home open. It's the difference between "I have to move" and "I get to stay." By planning for accessibility before it's a crisis, we empower ourselves to age with dignity, safety, and independence, right where we belong.
Pablo Trapero’s English-language debut, & Sons, adapts David Gilbert’s acclaimed novel into a sharp, tender portrait of a fractured clan orbiting a famous, reclusive patriarch: writer Andrew Dyer (played by Bill Nighy). Facing a personal crisis, Dyer summons his two middle-aged sons to his home, with a secret that could upend everything. We sat down with Trapero […]
As Netflix releases its adaptation of Lawrence Osborne’s Ballad of a Small Player, viewers and critics alike are questioning whether this brooding, psychological character study will resonate with the casino-interested audience segment. Set against the shadowy backdrops of Macau’s high-stakes gambling scene, the film balances literary noir and socio-cultural commentary, inviting not only those with […]
