Conclave is a drama/thriller about a papal conclave administered by Thomas(Ralph Fiennes) the Dean of the College of Cardinals. He navigates surprises, uncovers deceptions, and manages the personalities and ambitions of the various Cardinals.
Fiennes, as ever, is totally present, totally committed, and absolutely captivating. He elevates and centers what is at times a relatively formulaic mystery(although set not in law enforcement but the Catholic Church) into something that has some emotional dimension, addresses faith in an interesting way, and has a couple things to say. The supporting cast assist in this of course with stacked actors like Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Lucian Msamati, and Isabella Rossellini(among others) but the heavy lifting is done by Fiennes, it is his movie and he delivers.
Filmed in Rome but mostly at a studio the sets and locations give it authenticity, the simple recurring score is incredibly effective, the costuming pitch perfect. All the production elements work together in concert on a relatively modest budget. The story somewhat falters in the third act and there's a tension throughout as to what it wants to be, is it straight drama or is it pulpy mystery, the interplay between the two doesn't always result in a tonal marriage but throughout it remains engaging and entertaining.
A surprisingly potent piece of(increasingly rare) adult cinema. Seemingly destined to be underappreciated in theaters and a hit once streaming.
Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.
Rent It.
Woman Of The Hour is a period thriller about the The Dating Game appearance of serial killer Rodney Alcala(Daniel Zovatto). The movie follows Alcala in a series of flashbacks/flashforwards that depict his murders cut with struggling actor Cheryl Bradshaw(Anna Kendrick) the eventual Bachelorette on the show and the taping itself.
Zovatto is, quite frankly, boring. Kind of a recycle of his character from Station Eleven. Thirty years ago this might have been an acceptable performance but with the proliferation of thrillers and true crime his take just doesn't offer anything unique or as something we haven't seen a hundred times before. Silence of the Lambs and even the more recent Mindhunter exist ie this is a well already deeply plumbed, the psychology/depiction of serial killers is something thoroughly investigated in pop culture and his portrayal just doesn't even register in comparison. There is no nuance or interest in it, it is simply superficially scary because of the situations depicted. Which perhaps would be OK if the focus of the movie was more on Cheryl but its confusingly split. Kendrick is serviceable but this push-and-pull of focus doesn't really give her enough to do and her character as a result is rendered just as a potential victim.
Kendrick as director shows a lot of promise, the film looks good, there's a tightness to it, threat, commentary, but the script confines her to a flawed structure. Despite the title, despite whatever good intent Kendrick and her team had making the movie, the result comes across as about Alcala and simply showing a series of his awful crimes is not only not entertaining it lacks any kind of dimension. Its bleak and bludgeoning, not thrilling or interesting.
Well-made but lacking a pulse.
Currently streaming on Netflix.
Don't See It.
Smile 2 is a horror film, a sequel to 2022's Smile, that follows the path of the cursed entity this time to pop star Skye(Naomi Scott). She is in the middle of relaunching her career after a tragic accident and a year of recovery, with increasing pressure from her label and momager(Rosemarie DeWitt) she struggles to make sense of and survive her mental deterioration at the hands of the titular grin.
Scott is an absolute knockout, bringing raw and deep emotion that grounds the supernatural elements and give them stakes. She's also a thoroughly convincing pop star singing original songs with several full-on dance sequences, and this attention to making this Lady Gaga-esk pop star real again furthers the reality when things get weird. This aspect is more convincing and compelling than the similar device used in this year's Trap you would almost be satisfied if there were no genre element involved and the story was simply about Skye revitalizing her career. DeWitt furthers the texture playing the semi-supportive but clearly manipulative momager and the rest of the supporting cast all give great turns(particularly Ray Nicholson). Its a genre film clearly focused on not only the scares and the gore but equally the characters and they all feel full and real and lived in making all the horror that much more effective.
The film looks great with bold camera work, inventive horror sequences, attention to real and surprisingly good pop music with some solid diegetic performances, and a slowly ratcheting suspenseful score- the production across the board has a thrumming infectious energy. Where it falters is in the pacing, the film is too long, and the script in the final act drags and devolves unable to reach the ambition and talent on display elsewhere. Still. It's a surprisingly fun, effective, evocative, feisty piece of cinema.
A superb Scott helms an electric genre flick that doesn't quite stick the landing.
Currently in theaters.
See It.
The Platform 2 is a Spanish scifi/horror movie, a follow up to 2019's The Platform. We follow Perempuan(Milena Smit) as she is put into The Pit and now there appears to be some self imposed rules in order to have the food shared out as it descends the vertical prison, its implied this is a result of the events of the first film. This soon breaks down and chaos ensues.
The cast doesn't really distinguish themselves because none of them have much of a character to do much with. The potency of the first film was a result of kind of a perfect marriage of metaphor and narrative, the characters were not immaterial but not a focus. The same is true here but the ideas and the set up are basically the exact same as the first film so it becomes clear quickly that this is just a recycle. As a result nothing is particularly interesting, neither the plot nor the characters within it.
Visually it looks like the first one, the score sounds like the first one, nothing really differentiates itself in any way which is a problem, if the movies had been released back-to-back maybe this wouldn't matter quite as much but five years later all it succeeds in is making you want to watch the original. There is a "reveal" about half way through which recontextualizes the when which feels cheap, unearned, and lazy.
A bland, unnecessary, retread.
Currently streaming on Netflix.
Don't See It.
