Saw this tonight at the first night of the Columbus Film Festival and Columbus local writer/director Colin West has created a stunning film.

Flowing through a beautiful film with a warm tone, West creates a world where dreams are followed, family is important, and the best in human nature ultimately wins out. Marvelous performances from Gaffigan. Katelyn Nacon, and Michael Ian Black (with a short notable performance by Tony Shalhoub) pay off with a heart warming ending that reminds me why I love movies.

There's a lot to digest here as the movie moves though sci-fi and fantasy while depicting typical days in our daily lives. But stick with this film though it's somewhat slow second act for the ending which put a big smile on my face as I walked out of the theater.

I came across this at my theater because I had no interest in seeing Ant Man: whatever sequel we're on for 2023. Instead, the ticket guy recommended this one and says I would be surprised at how good it is. Well, they also said that about Falbelmans and I could have waited for Redbox on that one. Anyhow, once in a while I stumble upon a surprisingly good movie that stays with me and so far this years it's this one.

The movie is sarcastic and full of humor in a setting that's nothing special. In fact, the main character is nothing special either. It's a guy who lives a life he's not very fond of doing a kid's show on public access tv. All our lives we wonder what happened to us when as kids we had such big dreams and high hopes for ourselves. Only we grow up, get married, work for a living, and end up pretty average. It's like the kid in us, that spark disappears when we become adults.

In the movie, a satellite falls in our central character's backyard. Now he's suddenly able to realize that long lost dream he had of growing up to become an astronaut can happen. Through a fun series of events we empathize with him that dreams can be revived if we're willing to keep them alive. If we're willing to hold on to the drive to reach our full potential.

Jim Gaffigan does an excellent job as our hero who's willing to give life another chance at being a little better. Life is what you make it and the world can be as big as you want it to be. Now you have to pay attention once he gets his homemade backyard machine going. There's a scene of time continuum. In summary, this movie is surprisingly touching to go along with some decent laughs and drama. Plus, the science fiction back story isn't so bad either. Turns out life is worth living after all and we're still in charge of the direction we want ours to go.

SXSW 2022 Greetings again from the darkness. For those of us who spend entirely too many hours of our life watching movies, it's always a welcome pleasure to stumble upon one that is creative and innovative and entertaining. The first feature film from writer-director Colin West is all that, plus it's funny and touching and features some science. As an added bonus, it features the always great Jim Gaffigan in a dual starring role.

Mr. Gaffigan stars as Cameron, a middle-aged guy who writes, acts, and films an educational children's science show for Public Access TV titled, "Above and Beyond". Imagine a blend of Carl Sagan and Bill Nye the Science Guy. It's a show he and his wife Erin (Rhea Seehorn, "Better Call Saul") started together, but now she works at the local Air & Space Museum as the two await the finalization of their divorce.

Cameron has been waiting patiently for a preferred time slot, and one day his producer delivers news that's both good and bad. The show is being picked up for distribution, but they have hired a new host. In what is anything but the oddest thing to happen so far in the story, Cameron can't help but notice how much he and the new host look alike - although the personality differences are startling. It turns out the new guy bought the house right across the street from Cameron and Erin, and new guy has a teenage son, Marc (Gabriel Rush), who awkwardly befriends their daughter Nora (Katelyn Nacon).

When a satellite crashes in his yard, Cameron seizes the opportunity to become the astronaut he always dreamt of being by attempting to re-build the tangled mess into a custom rocket ship. Obviously I have left out many details in an effort to avoid spoilers for a story that is at times surreal, and can be best enjoyed going in cold. Other familiar faces appearing briefly in supporting roles include Tony Shalhoub, Amy Hargreaves, and Michael Ian Black. We have seen parallel universe films before, but filmmaker Colin West treats us to something a bit different. It may seem like a low-key affair, but "it's not that simple." Narrative Feature Competition Category - SXSW.