REVIEW: Sovereign (2025), the Tragedy of My Buddy, Apple Should Buy Warner Bros., and the Week in Physical Media
Wherever I go, he goes...
Welcome back to the lobby! This week, we have a review of a new drama thriller starring Nick Offerman and Jacob Tremblay, the sad demise of an ‘80s toy failure—and the horror icon who took its place, my thoughts on who should buy Warner Bros. (and TCM), and of course, the week’s recent physical media releases.
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Review: Sovereign (2025)
2025 seems to be the year of generational trauma at the movies. From Wolf Man's estranged father-son relationship, to The Monkey's macabre commentary on what we pass on to our kids, the sins of the father certainly do seem to be laid upon the children. Which brings us to the latest entry in this micro-genre, Sovereign.
Directed by newcomer Christian Swegal, Sovereign is a heavily dramatized and somewhat fictionalized retelling of the very real 2010 shooting of two police officers in Arkansas by father and son Jerry and Joe Kane.
The film begins with young home-schooled son Joe, played by Jacob Tremblay, greeted by a couple of local cops and a representative from the bank. Joe's house is going to be foreclosed on in 30 days due to lack of payment. As he goes about his day, picking up trash around the house and cleaning up the front yard, his father, Jerry, played by Nick Offerman, pulls into the driveway.
Jerry has been traveling, giving lectures to small groups of disenfranchised American citizens in church basements. And when his son presents the paperwork from the bank to him that night, he tosses it aside. Jerry claims he has not officially "received" their communications and therefore, whatever contract they believe they have with him over the ownership of the house is null and void.
Jerry is always "educating," always lecturing Joe and his disciples on his beliefs. Listening to the way he speaks, it's easy to dismiss his dialogue as over-the-top and written to pop off the screen, but the scary truth is much of what he says is ripped from the mouths of actual members of the Sovereign Citizen movement.
If this is your introduction to Sovereign Citizens, just know they're a group of anti-government activists who traffic in conspiracy theories and pseudo-legalese in order to abstain from what they perceive as government overreach.
Jerry eventually heads back out on the road, this time with Joe tagging along to record his father's grassroots TED Talks, both men clad in white suits like a pair of evangelical preachers. And in a way, that's exactly what Jerry is. Offerman paces the floor, a dozen beleaguered men and woman listening intently as he explains what kind of paperwork they need to file with their county clerks in order to assert ownership over their homes, or regain restitution from improper police interference in their lives.
Even his son passes around a collection plate, accepting hundreds of dollars from people who only minutes earlier had told his father they were unable to pay their own mortgages.
But here's the rub--this snake oil salesman actually believes in the snake oil he's selling. He doesn't just talk the talk. He screams at government employees, gets combative with police, and constantly rattles off laws he doesn't understand in an effort to assert dominance over a system he has deemed unfit for the public.
Offerman's performance here is nuanced and understated. One moment, he's a good dad teaching his son how to fix the lawnmower and the next, he's screaming to a packed courtroom that his own charges are dismissed because the judge has walked away from the bench. But the key scenes are where the façade and bravado break.
Offerman's character can be captivating and charming. He doesn't get up at the pulpit and shout to the heavens. He's reserved. Logical. Stoic. So much so that even I started to believe him every now and then.
But throughout the film, we see him pushed closer and closer to the edge. At first he's meek, compliant…until it gets to be too much…and that façade can't stay up anymore.
In one scene, Joe watches as his dad yells at a cop who has pulled him over, only for him to cower and plead as he's wrestled to the ground and handcuffed. He tells Joe to listen to them and comply--a far cry from the man who had just taken him to a shooting range and fired at targets in the shape of police officers. Tremblay is mesmerizing here, as a young man struggling between adhering to his father's zealotry and forging his own path.
Joe just wants to live his life. He wants to go to a real school and talk to real kids. He craves connection with people his own age. After his father is hauled off to jail for the night, Joe is placed in a youth facility where he gets to attend a class the next day--and he thrives. He smiles and the audience gets to breathe a little easier, hopeful that this might be a turning point for him.
Meanwhile, there's another storyline following a young cop played by Thomas Mann, whose father--Dennis Quaid--is an older member of the force who has been training his son to wear the badge. But we're not drawn into their lives because they're cops. Quaid is both a father and a grandfather to Mann's bouncing baby boy, barely a month old. And Mann is trying to be a better father than the one he had--the one who would let him cry alone in his crib until he fell asleep in order to "toughen him up."
The portrayal of law enforcement in this film is almost equally as negative—and realistic—as its depiction of Sovereign Citizens. The cops don't try to de-escalate or reduce conflict. They're quick to anger and quick to arrest and we see thier brutality in a training montage just before Mann’s character graudates from the academy. Though, if you've ever seen a real Sovereign Citizen argue with the police on YouTube, the encounter tends to go on for 20 minutes until the officer finally decides enough is enough.
And that's the thing about everyone in this movie--none of them are heroes. Mann and Quaid are part of a system that infringes on Americans' rights every day. Jerry and Joe belong to a movement that claims independence from the United States to absolve them of any responsibilities. In the end, there's no one to root for. It feels less like a movie and more like an observation of life.
Now, what I'm about to say, I don't say lightly: both Offerman and Tremblay deserve Oscar nominations for their performances. Some critics are going to refer to Jerry as an even crazier version of Ron Swanson--Offerman's beloved libertarian character from Parks & Rec. But the actor isn't playing this for laughs. His tongue is nowhere near his cheek at any point. This character feels lived-in. Sovereign should do for Nick Offerman what Sideways did for Paul Giamatti--elevate him beyond funny side character status to leading dramatic actor territory.
And Tremblay is heartbreaking as a boy who just wants to be a kid and do kid things, but can't because he's been drafted into a war only his father is fighting. When he screams, we want to scream. When he loses his grasp on those fleeting moments of joy, we feel the loss, too.
My one complaint about the film is that it drags in the middle. I don't mind a slow burn, which this is, but the pacing stumbles a bit.
And don't let the action-packed posters fool you. Sovereign is a tightly wound family drama and coming-of-age story, not a Falling Down-style thriller. It takes its time and comes to a satisfyingly unsatisfying end. You'll see what I mean when you watch it.
I'm giving Sovereign 4.5 out of 5 stars. It comes out Friday, July 11th. My thanks to Pixel Scene Media for the early screener.
What Happened to My Buddy?
If you were a child of the '80s like me, you probably had one of these guys.
This is the My Buddy doll, released by Hasbro in 1985. It was created to teach little boys about friendship and empathy.
Welcome to the Lobby. I'm Harry Marks, a classic film host and historian, and if you enjoy movies and movie history, give me a like and a follow.
My Buddy was exactly that--a best friend who went with you everywhere and did everything you did, clad in red overalls, a rainbow striped shirt, and the de-facto hairstyle of the era--a bowl cut.
It also had one of the best jingles ever.
My Buddy sold pretty well and even spawned a girls' version called Kid Sister. But, looking at this foot-and-a-half-tall plastic best friend, you probably know where I'm about to go. My Buddy as it existed didn't survive past the '80s. By the end of the decade, sales tanked and Hasbro ceased production and gave the property to Playskool.
And I'm sure you can guess why. With those overalls and striped shirt, it's clear that My Buddy was at least one major inspiration for another famous doll: Chucky the Good Guy, Andy Barclay's birthday gift of choice from the 1988 horror film, Child's Play.
According to series creator Don Mancini, Chucky was inspired by the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls that had parents trampling over each other at Toys R Us, but he later revealed that My Buddy also had a big influence on Chucky's look--and honestly, it's impossible to ignore.
So what about you? Did you have a My Buddy or Kid Sister growing up? Did Child's Play affect your memory of it?
Warner Bros. is for Sale…and Apple Should Buy It
What I'm about to say might shock you, but I think Apple should buy Warner Brothers.
It's a giant jump for the tech company, but it actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it. For one, it was announced earlier this month that David Zaslav, CEO of the Worst. Decisions. Ever. was splitting up the movie and TV sides of Warner.
Now, Apple is in a unique position. They have more money than god, they could buy any company they want, and they seem to desperately want a foothold in Hollywood. Their latest movie, F1, just came out to solid reviews and Coda--a film they bought the rights to after the film aired at Sundance--won an Oscar.
Now, Apple has had some misses--the Gorge being one, Fountain of Youth being another, but their television offerings are surprisingly great across the board. Severance, Silo, Ted Lasso, Shrinking, and The Studio have become pretty big hits for them. But Apple has a problem, because every time they announce a new show, they get a large contingent of users who watch it and then cancel the service until the next thing comes out.
They lack a back-catalog.
But Warner has one. And not only that, they have DC Comics. Apple could become the home of Superman and Batman. And we'd see those IPs across their products as well, like in wallpapers, or new Apple Watch faces and other tie-ins. And before you comment saying that it would be crazy for Apple to own DC, remember that we all thought it was impossible for Disney to own Marvel.
Finally, and I think the reason I want this most to happen, is because Apple can afford to steward a brand like Turner Classic Movies into the streaming age. One of my biggest concerns amidst all the turmoil at Warner is that in a few years, TCM will be shuttered. It'll probably be folded into HBO Max as just a hub for a few classic films the company decides to showcase. But the hosts, the introductions, the history--those will disappear.
Apple could prevent all that. Apple could make TCM a crown jewel in its back catalog--a library of beloved classics alongside the West Wing, Sex and the City, the Newsroom, the Wire, Oz, and more.
It's a pipedream and probably won't happen, but I think of all the companies that could save Warner from turning into MGM, Apple might be our best hope. What do you think?
The Shelf Life
Hello and welcome to The Shelf Life—a weekly run-down of all the new old movies coming to Blu Ray and 4K from across the physical media landscape.
Criterion (Barnes & Noble 50% Off Sale Going on RIGHT NOW)
Sorcerer (1977)
Format: 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
Warner Bros.
High Society (1956)
Format: 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
Splendor in the Grass (1961)
Format: Blu-ray
His Kind of Woman (1951)
Format: Blu-ray
The Enchanted Cottage (1945)
Format: Blu-ray
Executive Suite (1954)
Format: Blu-ray
The Citadel (1938)
Format: Blu-ray
A Date with Judy (1948)
Format: Blu-ray
The Lord of the Rings (1978)
Format: Blu-ray
Grand Prix (1966)
Format: Blu-ray
Sony
St. Elmo’s Fire (1985)
Format: 4K Ultra HD + Digital 4K
Experiment in Terror (1962)
Format: Blu-ray
Radiance Films
The Tale of Oiwa’s Ghost (1961)
Format: Blu-ray
The Bride from Hades (1968)
Format: Blu-ray
The Ghost of Yotsuya (1959)
Format: Blu-ray
The Snow Woman (1968)
Format: Blu-ray
Black Tight Killers (1966)
Format: Blu-ray
Severin Films
Jack the Ripper (1959)
Format: 4K Blu-ray
Unknown World (1951)
Format: Blu-ray
Last Cannibal World (1977)
Format: 4K Blu-ray
Slave of the Cannibal God (1978)
Format: Blu-ray
Eaten Alive! (1980)
Format: 4K Blu-ray
Kino Lorber
Rustler’s Rhapsody (1985)
Format: Blu-ray
Made in New Jersey: Films From Fort Lee (1909-1935)
Format: Blu-ray
Powerhouse Films
The Ship That Died of Shame (1955)
Format: 4K Blu-ray
The Gentle Gunman (1952)
Format: 4K Blu-ray
A Day at the Beach (1970)
Format: Blu-ray
Fascination (1979)
Format: 4K Blu-ray
The Shiver of the Vampires (1971)
Format: 4K Blu-ray
Miscellaneous
Time to Die (1966)
Format: Blu-ray
Label: Film Movement
Breaking Glass (1980)
Format: Blu-ray
Label: Fun City Editions
The Invisible Swordsman (1970)
Format: Blu-ray
Label: Arrow
Mysteries/Pastorale 1943 (1978)
Format: Blu-ray
Label: Cult Epics
The Blood of Jesus (1941)
Format: Blu-ray
Label: Film Masters
The Great Chase (1975)
Format: Blu-ray
Label: Neon Eagle
Action: The October Crisis of 1970 (1974)
Format: Blu-ray
Label: Canadian International Pictures
And that’s what’s new this week on physical media. Anything bought using the Amazon links above also contributes a small commission fee to me with no additional cost to you, so please consider supporting Let’s All Go to the Lobby by buying your movies (and anything else) using those links.
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