Tuesday, December 24, 2024
Sunday, December 22, 2024
Friday, December 20, 2024
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Trailers From Hell - CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN (1943)
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
Sunday, December 15, 2024
The Bloody Pit #207 - BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974)
Thursday, December 12, 2024
What I Watched in November 2024
Until the final credits rolled I was unaware that CONCLAVE
(2024) was based on a novel by Robert Harris but it did not come as a shock. I
have been impressed by previous adaptations of his work such as FATHERLAND
(1994), ENIGMA (2001) and especially THE GHOST WRITER (2010) so if had known
about the source material I might have seen the film sooner.
My enjoyment of CONCLAVE (2024) rests on three sturdy pillars. First, the gripping performances from a cast that seems nearly perfect at every turn. Both the big emotional moments and the dozens of smaller more nuanced things that need to be quietly communicated are handled brilliantly by the veteran ensemble of international actors. It was, in fact, the cast list that primarily drew me to the theater for this dramatic thriller in the first place and it was a joy to revel in their fine work. Second, the gradual mystery at the heart of the story that is only slowly revealed is fascinating and, cinematically, felt like a classic Hitchcockian careful build of tension. I went into this viewing with no knowledge of the high stakes mystery at the heart of the film’s story. I was under the impression that the movie was a straight drama about political intrigue so when the main character shifts into Sherlock Holmes mode I was surprised and pleased. (Have movie-goers been cheated of a potential excellent Holmes performance from Ralph Fiennes? Asking because I want it!) And third, my outsider’s curiosity about the hidden rituals and ceremonies of the Catholic Church. Having been raised in a much less structured church I find the complex details of older religious denominations to be a strange window to another world. This film allows a vision behind the scenes of one of the more organized and controlled processes of Catholicism. Few events both capture the attention of the entire world and serve as an example of the highly systematized form of religious leadership choice. I suppose I’ve always known that such circumstances would be rife with warring factions and larger decisions about the direction of the billion strong Church but this dramatization shows the battle in colorful strokes. I’m sure CONCLAVE is a simplified version of the wrangling that goes on when choosing a new pope, but the dark complexity of inescapable human nature gives the story a feeling of verisimilitude.
The List
DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN (1971) – 4 (Al Adamson’s sloppy, silly monster mash)
THE HAUNTING OF ROSALIND (1973) – 7 (TV movie of Henry James ghost tale)
CHILDREN OF THE CORN II: THE FINAL SACRIFICE (1993) – 5 (less bad than the first but still not good)
A WOMAN’S VENGENACE (1948) – 7 (noir tale)
THE SCREAMING SKULL (1973) – 6 (TV movie)
CHILDREN OF THE CORN III: URBAN HARVEST (1995) – 4 (awful but the ending monster scene has to be witnessed)
CHILDREN OF THE CORN IV: THE GATHERING (1996) – 4 (wastes three good actors)
CONCLAVE (2024) - 9
CHILDREN OF THE CORN 666: ISSAC’S RETURN (199) – 4 (just nothing going on here)
ACID - DELIRUM OF THE SENSES (1968) – 5 (drama/documentary on acid use)
EXTRACTION II (2023) – 8
I WAS A SHOPLIFTER (1950) – 7 (tight little noir)
FERRYMAN MARIA (1936) – 6 (German original of Strangler of the Swamp)
STRANGLER OF THE SWAMP (1946) – 7 (rewatch)
THE VULTURE (1966) – 6 (rewatch on YouTube)
BATTLE OF THE CORAL SEA (1959) – 6
THE WEB (1947) – 8
THE BAT (1926) – 8
ODDITY (2024) – 8 (rewatch)
THE ADVENT CALENDAR (2021) - 8 (rewatch)
PENNIES FROM HEAVEN (1981) – 8
LARCENY (1948) – 7 (noir with a great cast)
THE BAT (1959) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)
HERETIC (2024) – 8
KISS THE BLOOD OFF MY HANDS (1948) – 5 (very mediocre noir)
TOMIE (1998) – 7 (Japanese horror tale that spawned many sequels)
ABANDONED (1949) – 7 (solid noir about a sordid crime)
THE MURDER OF DR. HARRIGAN (1936) – 6 (fast murder mystery)