“Oh what a gorgeous book. Sad, but we all know I love a bit of that. It was a perfect mix of heartbreak and joyful moments. The author explores a lot of complex topics; depression, trauma, brain injury and death and although the writing does feel more on the YA side (just my personal thought), it is perfectly suited to the story and its characters. I thought it did an excellent job of showing the world through Brendan's eyes and the way we tackle things when we are younger. You could feel the sense of loss and how life will never be the same again but the love within the book jumps off the pages and how a tragedy can also bring so many people together. Most young people want to go out with their mates and not have a care in the world but Brendan is different. He devotes all his time to his best friend, working at the funeral home and making sure everyone else is ok, he was an absolute sweetheart and a character I won't forget in a hurry
There were some unanswered questions but for once l DID NOT CARE because the reason behind it was so special and I thought it was brilliant why the author did this.
A little bit of a wait for this one guys as it doesn't publish until June 2026 but it is an absolute must to have on your preorders if you love a coming of age story that will pull on your heart strings.”
colin morgan as edmund tyrone in long day’s journey into night
firstly, i just want to acknowledge that it was such a privilege to be able to have the chance to see this film, especially after the news that it was dropped by its original distributor. i know how hard it usually is to be able to see colin’s films and shows as he chooses more independent projects. so i just wanted to share my thoughts for everyone who hasn’t been able to see it yet and may not for quite some time now
the film starts off with colin’s character, edmund tyrone, narrating the setting of the story, leading up to seeing him laying in bed - a nice close up of colin’s face to start things off. i thought it was a nice allude to his prolific narrating skills and how much emotional range and character depth he is able to convey with just his voice.
this initial scene is quite dark and foreboding but then you’re immediately taken to the morning, where you see just how bright and colorful and vivid the house is. vibrant yellows and greens really give the scene such a quaint feel, but as the story goes on, and if you know what entails, this slowly seems to be an allusion of pretense - a facade of beauty and perfection covering what truly lies beneath. as the story unfolds, the scenery gets darker and more intense, the weather rougher, the waves more violent. these initial vibrant colors were incredibly picturesque though - there’s a wonderfully stunning shot a few moments later of edmund sitting beneath a tree with vibrant yellow leaves. can’t wait to see shots and gifs of that in hd 💛
at this point, some latecomers arrived and i had to miss a lot of dialogue for a minute as we stood up to let them pass. but this initial scene sets up the dynamics of the family relationships between all four characters; something i really enjoyed in this film was that edmund has lengthy important one-on-one scenes with all of the other members of the family - mary (jessica lange), james (ed harris) and jamie (ben foster) - and colin has fantastic chemistry with each of them, but especially jessica, with whom we see him have a multitude of tender, emotional mother-son scenes together. for me, the two of them were the standouts in the film and i believe will be strong oscars contenders if it gets released before the cut off date. the film itself is a shoe-in for an oscar nomination, in best film and best production design, in my opinion
and while i’m here i just want to gush over colin’s talent. his trademark microexpressions were off the charts in this film. one scene in particular stood out to me, where we see edmund’s change of expression so slight but so defined and sudden, when confronted with the truth of his father by his mother. i also think of this quote from one review - “the subtle ways in which mr. morgan indicates how he has heard their songs before and loves them regardless of the pain they cause is really very special”. his accent was also decent - i’m not familiar with a connecticut accent but he matched ben’s pretty well. and colin just looked so. good. especially if you know about his [major spoiler - revealed below the break]… he looks incredibly fresh and pretty - a combination of john armstrong and chris keller. a few scenes in particular i can’t wait to see gif’d - 1) a moment where he’s in black, next to james, in the dark and only lit by a desk lamp, 2) the cutest smile he gives to jamie during their one-on-one scene in the fields and 3) a tender moment between jamie and edmund, where jamie kisses the top of his head, seeking forgiveness for hurtful words spoken. and honestly… all of the edmund/mary scenes
the humor in this film was quite funny too and kept the audience engaged and interactive. there was a lot of initial talk about the length of the film and how short it is compared to the play. i felt like it worked just fine, honestly - but i’d only watched the original film prior. this version also had a few additional background characters
the rest of the film is a turmoil of suppressed feelings and thoughts rising to the surface, suspicions confirmed, and the anxiety that seeps through everyone’s minds - the loom of death, of relapse, of loss. there were definitely some lull moments where dialogue and quiet scenes dragged on too long - you could see the audience losing focus at points. i think we could’ve seen more of jamie and mary’s relationship in exchange for less of these low points. maybe even some private moments of edmund dealing with his [major spoiler]. overall, i really enjoyed it though. it was such a nice treat to be able to see colin in such a considerable and meaty film role after so long and i hope everyone else can soon
so here’s hoping they find distributors soon! at this point, a trailer even…it will give colin so many more opportunities as well in the industry, and this film owes him that, if it is in fact true that mgm studios hid a clause in his contract that prevented him from taking other major roles (i’m starting to believe it was true as all his film roles since then have been incredibly minor, requiring no promo.. but we may never know for sure). this film has had a few major setbacks from losing funding as filming started to now being dropped by distributors. i hope its luck turns around very quickly 🤍🤍🤍
here are some photos of the theatre where the film had its north american premiere
Dreamland Studio - July 25th, 2025 1pm
Nantucket Performing Arts Center - July 28th, 2025 7pm
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SPOILERS:
edmund suffers from an ailment the entirety of the film, spends several moments throughout the film coughing rather violently. he gets diagnosed with consumption halfway through the film and there is the high possibility of him dying. colin’s role of edmund is a portrayal of the playwright himself, eugene o’neill. another reviewer’s thoughts really resonated in these scenes - “morgan’s edmund, poised on the brink of consumption, articulated the fear of mortality with reluctant grace”
This series is my pride and joy. Would anyone be interested in a little book of these fairies plus the sketches of the fairies that never came to be? There’s a handful.
I’ve already made calendars of them and have prints so IDK if that’s too much weapon fairy stuff haha
I just love Merlin loving magic, those moments are the best ones for me. The dragon out of fire, the butterflies, the horse out of smoke, the flying lights…it’s just so Merlin, and it makes your heart ache how badly he just wants to make pretty things
It’s so great to see how happy magic makes him, and how badly he wants Arthur to feel that too (and not only Arthur)
It’s what’s so good about his character, he stays optimistic and good, despite all this hate and murder. Even in season 5, yes. The fact that when he gets his magic back he could do whatever he wants, and he chooses to create butterflies
This particular scene makes me sad. Look at him
Merlin doesn’t have a whole lot of opportunity to use his magic for fun really, you can see how badly Merlin wants to be free. It’s something tragically beautiful.
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