Category Archives: 2024 Films

2024 Films, Clarence Maclin, Colman Domingo, Drama, Greg Kwedar, Independent, Independent Drama, Paul Raci

Sing Sing-2024

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Sing Sing-2024

Director Greg Kwedar

Starring Colman Domingo, Clarence Macrin

Scott’s Review #1,477

Reviewed April 22, 2025

Grade: B+

Based on the real-life Rehabilitation Through the Arts program at Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison in suburban New York, the film Sing Sing (2024) centers on a group of incarcerated men involved in creating theatrical stage shows through the program.

Inspiring, it successfully paints a positive picture of prison life instead of the tried-and-true prison dramas released over the years. The grit and violence are kept to a minimum, with rich character nuances added in their place.

If theater and prison sound like an unlikely pairing, the film works surprisingly well and provides a few emotional moments while just barely avoiding being labeled as wimpy.

Divine G, played by Colman Domingo, is imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit. He finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men, including a wary newcomer named Clarence Maclin (self-portrayed).

While Domingo is the standout from an acting lens, the most impressive aspect of the film is the use of not only non-actors but an unforgettable ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors.

This provides authenticity and realism to a film that also feels watered down and safe.

Sure, it’s based on real-life events, and the results are uplifting, with teachable moments of resilience showcased, but it’s not exactly edgy material either.

Divine G is a character with humanity and kindness, and this is the message director Greg Kwedar wants to instill in the audience. He doesn’t go for knife fights, drug cartels, or anything overly conflicting other than the theater moments.

In only one scene, when Divine Eye threatens another prisoner with payback if the owed money is not paid, it feels thrown in as a way to remind the audience that the characters are tough guys.

Otherwise, the theater is the main attraction. And this is fine with me.

Nuggets of Shakespearean knowledge are shared with the prisoners and subsequently with the audience.  The theater fellows debate Hamlet and the idiosyncrasies of owning a scene, and compelling the audience to believe in what a character is saying are featured.

Domingo is excellent in the role, receiving his second Best Actor nomination but coming up empty-handed. The delicate nature of the film may have a lot to do with this, and I yearned for more grit from this fine actor.

He is getting roles that Denzel Washington would have gotten ten or fifteen years ago.

His best scene comes when he breaks down in anger at his false imprisonment. Angry yet contained, he powerfully reveals how a wrongly accused man can reach his breaking point.

In satisfying form, the film closes with real-life footage from the RTA program at Sing Sing, featuring the real actors who portrayed themselves in the film, performing in past productions when they were still inmates at the facility.

A lovely reunion between rivals Divine G and Diving Eye wraps up Sing Sing (2024) like a perfect little bow.

Refreshingly different from many prison films, I still wanted more muscle from this otherwise pleasant film.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actor- Colman Domingo, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song-“Like a Bird”

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Feature, Best Lead Performance- Colman Domingo, Best Supporting Performance- Clarence Maclin

2024 Films, Bryan Woods, Chloe East, Horror, Hugh Grant, Independent, Independent Horror, Scott Beck, Sophie Thatcher, Topher Grace

Heretic-2024

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Heretic-2024

Director Scott Beck, Bryan Woods

Starring Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East

Scott’s Review #1,470

Reviewed March 13, 2025

Grade: B+

Heretic (2024) is a terrifying and thoroughly compelling horror film co-directed and written by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. The pair most notably wrote the story for and co-wrote A Quiet Place (2018).

The premise of Heretic is rich in scariness, and the screenplay questions and challenges religion and the expected thought process of organized religion, targeting Mormons. It’s a thinking man’s horror film and hardly superfluous, like many genre films over the years.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much meaning the film had in addition to fantastic, traditional horror elements.

Two young missionaries, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by an initially kindly but ultimately diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant).

They become ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

Things get off to a perilous start when the pair embark on their bicycles for their next stop in a small town in the United States. They are mocked by a group of teenage girls while an impending snowstorm hovers in the sky.

What could go wrong when Mr. Reed offers the girls a warm living room and a wonderfully smelling blueberry pie his wife is baking in an unseen kitchen?

We, the audience, of course know that things will turn grim. It’s a question of when.

At first, Mr. Reed seems nice enough. Engaging the missionaries in innocent questions like their favorite fast food restaurants and stories of rock and roll makes the inquiries deeper and deeper, questioning their religious beliefs.

The most intriguing part of this process is that he makes good points. He educates the girls about the incarnation of the board game Monopoly and that religions are just recreations of other religions kept up to date.

Isn’t it all bullshit?

When he challenges them to choose between two luminous cellar doors things go batshit crazy.

I continue to be impressed when I see the ‘A24’ logo cross the screen. The independent production company specializes in high-caliber horror films with merit, and Heretic is no exception.

The winning formula is that the tension builds slowly and carefully. As the girls go deeper and deeper into the vast house, they have less chance to escape.

When Mr. Reed claims the locked front door cannot be unlocked until morning, the girls and the audience feel dread.

Once the poster boy for cute romantic comedies playing the hero, Hugh Grant has reached an age where he is willing to go full-throttle into character actor roles. His quick British charm and wit make Mr. Reed even more terrifying.

Playing against type, his cheery yet chilly demeanor is scarier than going for full-on crazy. His running tangents about theology scare, confuse, and challenge the girls.

Grant’s charm, gleaming blue eyes, and kind smile make him a creepy villain. He exudes trust, and we want to trust him, so seeing him play maniacal is a delight.

Thatcher and East are well cast as the Sisters, though I’m more partial to Thatcher’s character as she is the more non-believing and has more charisma than East. She’s also the stronger character more willing to stand up to Reed.

Like many horror films, the elements make the movie what it is. The first-hour setup is simply brilliant. The storm, the warm blueberry pie, and the intricately structured mouse maze-like house with creaks, dark stairways, and cellars all come into play.

Religious horror is creepy, and an attempted resurrection propels the story.

Like many horror films, the conclusion isn’t as good as the buildup. The logic involved in the more minor character’s motivations isn’t mainly explained or believable.

Beck and Woods, supported by A24, create a simple yet eccentric tale set in essentially one lonely house on one lonely night. They prove that a lavish budget or bells and whistles can’t replace a gripping, well-written story with intelligent dialogue.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Screenplay

2024 Films, Adrien Brody, Alessandro Nivola, Brady Corbet, Drama, Emma Laird, Epic, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Independent, Independent Drama, Isaach de Bankolé, Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin

The Brutalist-2024

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The Brutalist-2024

Director Brady Corbet

Starring Adrien Brody, Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones

Scott’s Review #1,468

Reviewed March 1, 2025

Grade: A

The three-hour and thirty-five-minute film The Brutalist (2024) captivated me from the first sequence.

Adrien Brody’s character László Tóth, emerges from what is revealed as a ship. He emigrated to the United States after being sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp and forcibly separated from his wife, Erzsébet, and orphaned niece, Zsófia.

As his ship enters New York Harbor, he sees the Statue of Liberty.

The sequence follows László in the dark, and the audience is confused and unaware of what’s happening. His wife reads a Hungarian letter amid the scene explaining the events.

This is a top notch first scene.

The film is very long, so if you can’t watch it in a movie theater, we recommend watching it in miniseries style and digesting the segments slowly.

While The Brutalist initially feels like a studio blockbuster extravaganza, it’s shockingly an independent film made for relatively little money.

It’s brilliant but slow and methodic with rich moments of raw emotion, and graceful humanity. Parts are edgy and artistically creative with a quiet bombast.

Events occur between 1947 and 1958; the conclusion is set in 1980.

Having escaped post-war Europe, visionary architect László is well-respected and admired in his home country. He finds his way to Pennsylvania, where the wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce) recognizes his talent for building.

The central theme of The Brutalist is László’s struggles to achieve the American Dream. While a wealthy client changes his life, it comes at a price. Do we trust Harrison?

An early scene showcases Harrison’s bad temper, and we know this will come into play again, but it does at the expense of László.

There are so many wonderful facets to The Brutalist; some slowly build and reach a dramatic crescendo, and others continue to bubble under the surface, ripe for discussion after the film has ended.

Though sometimes conventional with a heartwarming story of an immigrant’s struggle to succeed in 1950s USA, it is anything but a mainstream film when looked at closely.

Is there an attraction between Harrison and László? Harrison has no wife and seems uninterested in women. László visits a prostitute and cannot perform; he dances with a gorgeous woman and cannot be seduced. He cannot have sex with his wife.

A male/male rape scene is both gorgeously shot and filled with animalistic brutality. It’s the most unconventional rape scene I’ve ever seen in cinema.

László is also addicted to heroin and has bouts of rage. Is his relationship with Erzsébet more a friendship than a romance?

Brady Corbet’s direction is flawless, led by astounding cinematography of rural Pennsylvania. An early shot of a speeding bus with the opening credits shifting sideways brims with fresh style and creativity.

The sophisticated costumes and makeup perfectly fit the era, which is even more reason to give it kudos on such a small budget.

The acting by Brody, Pearce, and Jones is terrific.

We finally meet Erzsébet (Jones) halfway through the film when she makes her way to America. Crippled, due to osteoporosis, she is a brave and confident woman, finding career work as a writer for a newspaper.

Jones enfuses confidence into a role where she could be the victim. In a late scene, she tears down the house in a powerful performance, interrupting a family dinner.

Pearce electrifies in the best role of his career. His sexuality might explain his Jekyll and Hyde personality and bouts of rage. After all, this was the 1940s and 1950s. The actor plays ambiguity so well that knowing what Harrison feels is challenging.

Finally, Brody is brilliant. In a role arguably similar to his character in The Pianist (2002), he is a clever man forced as an immigrant to play the lousy cards he is dealt. With raw emotion, Brody makes every scene real and powerful.

Is he better off in Hungary or Israel?

Corbet, who also co-wrote the screenplay, delves into the experience of an immigrant. He showcases discrimination, preconceived notions, and the hopes and dreams of one man with the cards stacked against him.

The Brutalist (2024) is a beautiful film with much to say. It has soul and grit and perfectly pays tribute to an experience in the 1950s while sadly feeling relevant to the discrimination still facing immigrants in present times.

Oscar Nominations: 3 wins-Best Picture, Best Director-Brady Corbet, Best Actor-Adrien Brody (won), Best Supporting Actor-Guy Pearce, Best Supporting Actress-Felicity Jones, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score (won), Best Production Design, Best Cinematography (won), Best Film Editing

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Director-Brady Corbet

2024 Films, Danielle Deadwyler, Drama, Emma Stone, Fred Durst, Horror, Independent, Independent Drama, Independent Horror, Jack Haven, Jane Schoenbrun, Justice Smith

I Saw the TV Glow-2024

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I Saw the TV Glow-2024

Director Jane Schoenbrun

Starring Justice Smith, Jack Haven

Scott’s Review #1,467

Reviewed February 17, 2025

Grade: A-

I Saw the TV Glow (2024) is a bizarre independent psychological drama/horror film co-produced by Emma Stone and her husband.

It was produced by their Fruit Tree production company and distributed by A24, a brilliant independent film distributor, immediately giving the film credibility and a broad audience.

Writer/director Jane Schoenbrun perfectly depicts teenage angst via a visually cerebral and creative avenue. They sprinkle pink lettering and a colorful, moody aesthetic that is impressive.

The film is more than mysterious; it is hypnotic, with a dark mood evoking the dark underbelly of life in the suburbs.

Delving deeper after my initial viewing, I realized the film is an allegory for being transgender, which I did not know. Having that knowledge makes perfect sense because the characters feel trapped in their skin and fear being buried alive.

Transgender people often feel like the “egg crack,” a term for the moment in a trans person’s life when they realize their identity does not correspond to their assigned gender.

The film depicts bleak life in the suburbs and transitions between 1996 and 2026 when the main character is a teenager and finally a middle-aged man.

Owen (Justice Smith) is trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his older classmate, Maddy (Jack Haven), introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show, a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own.

Both are loners and immediately bond over the young adult television show The Pink Opaque, which follows teenagers Isabel and Tara as they use their psychic connection to fight supervillain Mr. Melancholy, who has the power to warp time and reality.

Enthralled, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.

I Saw the TV Glow is an unusual experience, especially during the 2006 chapter when Maddy returns to town after years away. When she explains that she paid a man to bury her alive, mirroring the finale of The Pink Opaque, the sequence is frightening, macabre, and hard to follow.

I wondered if she was speaking literally or figuratively.

But Maddy is trapped inside her own body, in her case, the wrong gender, and yearns to break out of her coffin. She encourages Owen to do the same, though it’s not clear if he identifies as female, is gay, or is just trapped in suburbia in a dead-end job.

In 2026, we realize that Owen has remained in the small town, mainly at the same job cleaning a movie theater, with his mother and stepfather long dead.

Sadly, he is still trapped inside his own body, aching to come to the surface. He screams out that he is dying and needs help, but nobody ever seems to notice.

He mentions a family, but they are never seen. Are they imagined? Is he living the life of a gay man or a straight man? Owen is mixed race, so what other issues does he face?

I wanted more concrete answers.

Even though the story is focused on a transgender lifestyle, Schoenbrun is never blatant about it.

Growing up in the lonely suburbs, I can relate to the feeling of suffocation at being unable to get out. Many are trapped for decades with the sameness day after day. Young people face this dilemma constantly, so I Saw the TV GLow is an essential film for most.

Debatable is whether I Saw the TV Glow was not overtly marketed as a trans film or even an LGBTQ+ film purposely. At a time in United States history when the trans community is under attack, they need all the support they can get.

The myriad of awards notice and star power (Emma Stone) supporting this film is reaffirming and another reason I love A24 so much.

But I Saw the TV Glow (2024) is a film with many interpretations and meanings.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Feature, Best Director, Jane Schoenbrun, Best Screenplay, Best Lead Performance-Justice Smith, Best Supporting Performance-Jack Haven

2024 Films, Biography, Drama, Fernanda Montenegro, Fernanda Torres, International, International Drama, Political Drama, Portuguese, Selton Mello, Walter Salles

I’m Still Here-2024

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I’m Still Here-2024

Director Walter Salles

Starring Fernanda Torres, Selton Mello, Fernanda Montenegro

Scott’s Review #1,464

Reviewed February 9, 2025

Grade: A-

A powerful political drama led by a riveting performance by Fernanda Torres gives a frightening view of government corruption. Her mother, Fernanda Montenegro, also plays a small yet pivotal role in a double dose of brilliant acting.

Ironically, twenty-five years after Montenegro, Torres was nominated for an Oscar for Salles’s film Central Station (1998). What lovely desserts!

Director Walter Salles showcases a loving family at the forefront that provides empathy for the audience. Events slowly build, so time is spent investing in the characters first so that we care about them before becoming immersed in their peril.

Though the setting is early 1970s Brazil, the stark reality is that corruption still exists in many countries, even the United States of America. While Brazil is now a democratic country, the US is teetering towards a villainous dictatorship. Brazil is also still threatened by the villainous right wing.

This adds a layer of fear that something that happened so long ago can quickly occur again.

The story is true.

Eunice Paiva (Torres/Montenegro) investigates her husband Rubens’ (Selton Mello) disappearance while trying to maintain family stability. Rubens is a former Congressman turned civil engineer opposed to military dictatorship. One night, he is taken away for questioning and never returns.

Most of the early events take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Paiva family resides in a beachfront house and regularly celebrates with neighbors and friends. The kids play volleyball and enjoy life. One of the kids travels to London with family friends, joyfully exploring her obsession with the Beatles.

Salles perfectly exposes this forty-five minutes or so of celebration before turning to the darkness of the rest of the story.

There is a foreboding quality despite the parties, the drinking, the laughs, the many photographs, videos, and quiet moments between family members.

One of the daughters and her friends are stopped by military guards at a checkpoint and harassed. Eunice sees a tank drive by filled with military personnel. Ruben’s best friend needs to flee Brazil before something terrible happens to him.

Even the lighting turns darker once Rubens, Eunice, and her daughter are questioned at a military facility.

Dark sequences feature Eunice being kept in a dimly lit cell for days, dirty and disheveled.

Despite the compelling nature of 1970/1971, I breathed a sigh of relief when events moved to 1996 and, finally, 2014. The lighting became sunnier, the family had moved on, and their lives had a new meaning.

Enough raves cannot be given for Torres’s performance. Instead of giving Eunice a weepy, overly emotional quality, she plays her as strong and confident, always in control. Torres relays the woman’s pain, confusion, and heartbreak through her eyes and facial mannerisms, relaying her agonizing uncertainty.

Montenegro plays Eunice, an elderly older woman with late-stage Alzheimer’s disease, in a short but powerful scene.

Eunice knows her husband is involved in anti-military communications and supports him as a brilliant woman. She is not a simpering weak woman but an empowered, confident one.

Eunice returns to college and graduates law school at forty-eight, becoming an expert on Indigenous Rights.

So, the character and real-life figure inspire women and men to persevere under extreme circumstances. Both Eunice and Rubens are heroic.

As if there was ever doubt, Rubens Paiva’s true fate is revealed during the end credits, amid photographs of the real Paiva family.

Justice was never served.

The film portrays a biography of a man who wants to do the right thing and surrounds himself with allies and intellectuals who share his beliefs.

In the terrible state of United States politics in 2024, I’m Still Here (2024) resonates deeply on many levels. This compelling work teaches me a lesson in standing up for what’s right amid uncertainty and fear and connecting with like-minded people.

I may not need to see the film again, but the message was clear and hit home.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Actress-Fernanda Torres, Best International Film (won)

2024 Films, Bobby Cannavale, Elizabeth Debicki, Halsey, Horror, Kevin Bacon, Lily Collins, Mia Goth, Michelle Monaghan, Moses Sumney, Slasher, Sophie Thatcher, Ti West

MaXXXine-2024

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MaXXXine-2024

Director Ti West

Starring Mia Goth

Scott’s Review 1,463

Reviewed February 4, 2025

Grade: B+

MaXXXine (2024) is a slasher horror film lover’s dream. With its 1980s-style filming, peroxide hairdos, and video cassette recorders (remember them?), it’s a sheer delight for genre fans.

Adding tight-washed blue jeans, a 1985 musical soundtrack, and the sunny setting of Los Angeles, California, you’ve got a throwback 80’s film in the best ways.

It is the third installment in Ti West’s X film series and a direct sequel to X (2022). The first chapter was called Pearl (2022). Although seeing the others before seeing MaXXXine is unnecessary, it is also fun.

West writes, produces, directs, and edits the vehicle, so the project is his creation. His muse, Mia Goth, who has starred in all three films, makes a return appearance and is co-producing.

Rumor has it there may be a fourth.

In the film, Maxine sets out for fame and success in 1980s Hollywood and is targeted by a mysterious killer, who is assumed to be the aptly nicknamed real-life Night Stalker.

But is this a red herring? Maxine’s friends are systematically eliminated, leaving the poor girl and the detectives to wonder if she could be the next target.

Could it be someone from her past? Or is someone jealous of her impending film success?

The film gets off to an intriguing start when a videotape shows a young Maxine dancing for her father, who appears to be coaching her and determinedly telling her never to settle.

Adult Maxine brilliantly auditions for a new horror film called Puritan II despite her only credits being in adult films. She shows she has raw talent and emotion and is unafraid to prance around topless.

She speeds away in her sports car with vanity plates reading ‘MaXXXine’.

We quickly learn that Maxine is not to be messed with. When she is accosted at knifepoint, she channels her inner Aileen Wuornos and pulls a gun on her attacker, makes him strip, puts the gun in his mouth, and forces him to perform fellatio on it before stomping on and crushing his testicles with her boot.

She snickers and walks away.

West wants MaXXXine to be entertaining, and he largely succeeds. It’s a fun film not to be taken seriously, but the female-empowering message impressed me.

The Puritan II’s director, wonderfully played by Elizabeth Debicki (The Crown’s Princess Diana), warns Maxine of the sharks and predators in La La Land, and an early quote by legendary actress Bette Davis states, ‘You’re not a star until you’re viewed as a monster.’

In MaXXXine, one is allowed to be a badass bitch and take no prisoners.

The final act is uneven, with a hokey explanation for the killer’s motivations for wanting Maxine dead amid the palatial Hollywood hills. The showdown is a generic extravaganza where the killer’s circle of henchmen is taken down conveniently to let him and Maxine square off.

Earlier, there are real-life clips of Christian wackos accusing heavy metal artists of devil worship and protesters foolishly carrying around signs objecting to the Puritan II, which is a significant clue to the whodunit.

Bobby Cannavale and Michelle Monaghan play detectives who lack great dialogue and are the film’s comic relief, and Kevin Bacon goes over the top as a private investigator.

However, a delightful cameo by Lily Collins (TV’s Emily in Paris) is a big win.

I suppose one could approach MaXXXine (2024) as dissecting the artificiality of Hollywood or the overindulgence of the 1980s excess (cocaine use is prevalent in the film). Still, I took the film as celebrating 1980s horror magnificently.

And I was a happy participant.

2024 Films, Daniel Craig, Drama, Drew Starkey, Jason Schwartzman, Lesley Manville, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, LGBTQ+ Romance, Luca Guadagnino, Romantic Drama

Queer-2024

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Queer-2024

Director Luca Guadagnino

Starring Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey

Scott’s Review #1,462

Reviewed January 20, 2024

Grade: A

Daniel Craig sheds his James Bond (007) image for a more nuanced and challenging role in Luca Guadagnino’s film, Queer (2024). His layered and complex character must have been a dream role for the actor reportedly frustrated with the one-note Bond character.

Guadagnino, well-known for the similarly LGBTQ+-themed Call Me By Your Name (2017), trades Italy for Mexico and later Ecuador in his latest and darker project.

The film is a winning ticket and on an even keel with Call Me By Your Name, although I prefer the latter by a smidgeon. Queer is an exceptional film given the fabulous combination of elements like muted color tones, unrequited love, and the 1950s time period.

The sex scenes are pretty delicious and leave nothing to the imagination, providing titillation and appetite.

I was impressed by the unique incorporation of 1990s grunge band Nirvana in various sequences, including a beautiful rendition of ‘All Apologies’ by Sinead O’Connor as the film opens.

The funky, crisp blue/purple credits, which appear handwritten, are cool and modern, adding to the visual pleasures to come.

Events begin in 1950 when we meet William Lee (Craig), an American expatriate living in Mexico City, passing time by bar hopping and indulging in sexual activities with younger men.

One evening, he catches sight of Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey), a young GI who is also an American expatriate. Lee becomes obsessed with Allerton and pursues him across various bars, hoping to gain his affection.

The men develop a relationship, but Eugene maintains an emotional distance from Lee. Despite Lee’s interest in a full-time connection, he is often seen with a mysterious red-haired woman.

As time marches on, Lee’s dependency on drugs and alcohol deepens, and the pair take an exotic and hallucinogenic trip to Ecuador to visit a wacky female doctor (Lesley Manville).

Will Lee and Eugene forge a dangerous same-sex relationship? Or will they go their separate ways as merely two ships passing at night?

The character of Lee is reportedly based on William S. Burroughs, a famous American author during the Beat Generation (a literary subculture of the 1950s).

His 1985 novella, Queer, is adapted.

Craig is dangerously good as Lee, invoking loneliness and hopefulness seemingly interchangeably in a given scene.

He’s relatively out of the closet, miraculous given that the gay rights movement would not happen for almost twenty years, but this begs the question of the progressive culture of Mexico City.

The audience realizes that Lee is yearning for a connection with another man and has repeatedly been unable to find it. Sure, he pays for the services of male prostitutes, but it’s not about the sex for him.

It’s a more profound desire.

As Lee embarrassingly admits his feelings for Eugene in a drunken confessional, Craig flawlessly reveals Lee’s pain. The actor rises way beyond the heights of James Bond in an acting extravaganza.

I adore the texture that Guadagnino films in. The gloomy streets and the fuzzy colors add the proper setting of emptiness and fulfillment.

Lee’s artist apartment is, in one way, calm and, in another way, bleak and shrouded with unhappy experiences. It’s littered with empty bottles and discarded drug paraphernalia.

The moments when Lee and Eugene are together in a movie theater or out to dinner when Lee imagines the pair embracing or stroking the young man’s face, are both tender and sad.

While the film doesn’t end happily, anyone familiar with Call Me By Your Name shouldn’t be surprised. Instead, Guadagnino showcases the reality and desperation of what being gay was like a long time ago.

It will not satisfy everyone, and the story teeters off course toward the end when the men get to South America, but the score and dazzling visuals make up for this.

Thanks to superior direction and a lead performance of excellence, Queer (2024) is a grand achievement in humanity and the complications that emerge when faced with emotions and desires that are not fulfilled.

2024 Films, Best Film of the Year, Coralie Fargeat, Demi Moore, Dennis Quaid, Horror, Independent, Independent Horror, Margaret Qualley, Satire

The Substance-2024

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The Substance-2024

Director Coralie Fargeat

Starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid

Scott’s Review #1,461

Reviewed January 18, 2025

Grade: A

Demi Moore takes her languishing career by the reigns in a risky role, leaving any glitz and glamour by the wayside in the wacky horror film The Substance (2024).

She also sheds her mainstream blockbuster image for darker cinematic territory, propelling her into a fresh new image.

Respectability.

The film received widespread critical acclaim, a gaspy crowd reaction, and buzz during awards season, making it the most talked-about film of the season.

Moore portrays a fading celebrity, Elisabeth Sparkle, wired by her producer (Dennis Quaid) on her fiftieth birthday due to her age.

She decides to use a black-market drug that creates a much younger version of herself (Margaret Qualley) with unexpected side effects.

As she drives home after being fired, she is involved in a car accident. At the hospital, she meets a handsome young nurse who casually advertises a new product. He boldly tells her that it changed his life.

It creates a younger, more beautiful, more perfect you. The catch is that you share time, one week for one and one week for the other—an ideal balance of seven days each.

What could go wrong?

The film begins with a weird shot of a camera looking down at the creation of a famous star on Hollywood Boulevard, where anyone who’s anyone has their name in a star on the famous street.

The sequence reveals that Elisabeth was once a big star. Workers sand her name on the sidewalk amid the celebration, and people stop in awe of her name. As the years go by, people comment that she was in some movie they can’t remember, and then someone callously spills garbage on her name, thinking nothing of it.

The story has powerful meaning about the societal pressures on women’s bodies and aging, especially in the media spotlight.

But this isn’t simply about women. Anyone of any gender or humanity can reflect on the insecurities of aging, whether in the corporate world or being cast aside for a younger person in any way.

I found The Substance incredibly relatable.

Besides the story, Coralie Fargeat, a French director I’d like to see more of, directs The Substance very well.

She bravely incorporates snippets of Stanley Kubrick’s work, adding her funky weirdness and creating an insane experience for viewers.

Kubrick famously created long shots of hallways, which Fargeat brilliantly borrows. Elisabeth watches her producer and team rapidly walk towards her and reminds her that ‘pretty girls always smile,’ reinforcing ridiculous stereotypes attractive women are ‘supposed’ to follow.

Fargeat counterbalances the long shots with several close-ups, mainly of Moore staring at herself in the mirror. Seeing every wrinkle and blemish, she becomes increasingly obsessed with the younger version of herself.

The film does so much with very little dialogue, allowing Moore to deliver a performance of a lifetime.

As the film progresses, it becomes wackier and wackier in only the finest of ways as the older version becomes obsessed with her younger self. As she decays, she becomes a bald hunchback, unrecognizable.

At a diner, she runs into the older version of the young nurse, who admits that the process gets worse with each transformation.

The finale, set on New Year’s Eve, when Elisabeth is set to host events for millions to see, becomes horrific as her monster is set loose. A weird combination of human being and lumpy clay emerges on stage as Elisabeth begs the crowd to accept her.

The result is a moment that combines 1931’s Frankenstein with 1976’s Carrie as a horrific and quite bloody witch hunt ensues.

The film also reminds me of 2the 2000sRequiem for a Dream in style and addiction.

Fargeat, who directed, wrote, and produced the film, creates a feminist message that is awe-inspiring.

Combining unique camera angles that infuse a futuristic feel, astounding makeup work, and an exceptional performance by Moore makes The Substance (2024) the year’s surprise hit.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Director-Coralie Fargeat, Best Actress-Demi Moore, Best Original Screenplay, Best Makeup and Hairstyling (won)

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Feature, Best Lead Performance, Demi Moore

2024 Films, Billie Lourd, Brenda Song, Dave Bautista, Drama, Gia Coppola, Independent, Independent Drama, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jason Schwartzman, Kiernan Shipka, Pamela Anderson

The Last Showgirl-2024

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The Last Showgirl-2024

Director Gia Coppola

Starring Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista

Scott’s Review #1,459

Reviewed January 12, 2025

Grade: A

The Last Showgirl (2024) is a powerfully acted and beautifully written story about an aging Las Vegas showgirl who struggles to find relevance and retain her identity after her show closes.

Pamela Anderson’s career-highlighting performance leads the film, featuring stellar acting from Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista, Billie Lourd, and Kiernan Shipka in supporting roles.

The story showcases a disenfranchised and easily dismissed group of Vegas performers like Boogie Nights (1997) did for the adult film industry and The Wrestler (2008) for the professional wrestling community.

Gia Coppola, granddaughter of legendary director Frances Ford Coppola (The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, 1972-1974), has talent in her blood as she creates the proper mood and the setup to showcase outstanding performances and the underbelly of the Vegas glitz and glamor.

Coppola uses handheld cameras and mostly close-up shots, which could distract some but allow for the rawness and blatancy of seeing Anderson, mainly sans makeup.

The film is a poignant story of resilience that anyone troubled by the aging process regarding their career and livelihood can easily relate to.

Pamela Anderson is a revelation as Shelley, a showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a thirty-year run. She is proud to be in Le Razzle Dazzle, a classic French-style revue at a casino on the Las Vegas Strip, and views the show as glamorous art rather than a nudie show.

Her co-stars in the show include several younger women, including Mary-Anne (Brenda Song) and Jodie (Kiernan Shipka), who view Shelly as a mother figure.

Shelly’s older best friend, Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis), is boozy and has a gambling addiction, yet maintains a close relationship with Shelly. Years ago, she was ousted from the show and now works as a cocktail waitress.

Anderson, for years known as a sexpot, blonde bombshell femme fatale type who dates rockstars and keeps in the headlines, gives a stunning acting performance.

I was floored.

With her baby voice and kindness, the character of Shelly allows Anderson to give a refreshingly raw and dramatic performance. Usually there for everyone else, she faces an uncertain future, leaving her exposed and vulnerable.

A side story involves Shelly’s estranged daughter, Hannah, played by Billie Lourd. Shelly’s attempt to reconnect with her is interesting but not as effective as the loss of her show and her struggle with identity.

Anderson’s best scene occurs at the beginning and end of the film when she is forced to audition for a modern and sexy stage show. Shelly is confident and insecure as she struts around the stage to a 1980s Pat Benatar song, clumsily revealing her time capsule world with her song choice.

Ridiculed and brutally given honest advice by the director, she nonetheless champions herself, boldly describing herself as ‘fifty-seven years old and beautiful.’

One can’t help but see Anderson stripping off her defenses and applying makeup for herself and her character, Shelly.

Curtis gets better and better with age and now accepts supporting roles with grit and mustard rather than genre roles that define her. Annette wears dated blue makeup and a hairstyle she has undoubtedly had since the 1980s but cannot be held back; she is proud of who she is.

Former professional wrestler Bautista is amazing as Eddie, the revue producer.  Having succeeded at wrestling, he has now brilliantly forged into acting with stellar results. He gives a heartwarming performance.

The Last Showgirl (2024) left me mesmerized, teary, and pondering life and the reality of getting older. It does what great films are supposed to do and left me thinking long after the credits rolled.

Thanks to several awards season nominations for Anderson and Curtis, the small film receives proper exposure and word-of-mouth credibility, encouraging many cinema fans to see it.

2024 Films, Biography, Boyd Holbrook, Drama, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, James Mangold, Monica Barbaro, Musical, Musical Drama, P. J. Byrne, Scoot McNairy, Timothée Chalamet

A Complete Unknown-2024

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A Complete Unknown-2024

Director James Mangold

Starring Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning

Scott’s Review #1,457

Reviewed December 27, 2024

Grade: A-

James Mangold, who directs the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown (2024), celebrates the folk singer as a humanitarian and champions Dylan’s dedication and confidence in his art.

Mangold is well known for directing other musical biopics, such as Walk the Line (2005), which focused on the lives and careers of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. He even incorporates Johnny as a prominent character in Dylan’s film, so there is a correlation between the two films.

With A Complete Unknown, Mangold focuses only on 1961-1965 rather than a decades-long approach beginning with the events in New York in 1961.

Set against a blossoming and vibrant music scene and a decade of tumultuous cultural upheaval, an enigmatic nineteen-year-old from Minnesota arrives with his guitar and revolutionary talent, destined to change the course of American music.

He crosses paths with folk greats and his idols, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Joan Baez, and finds a niche within their Greenwich Village circle.

Like them, he is sympathetic to humanity and runs in the same circles as the Civil Rights movement and other humanitarian efforts.

Based on Elijah Wald’s 2015 book, Dylan Goes Electric! The film follows Dylan from his earliest folk music success to the momentous controversy over his use of electric instruments at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival.

Timothée Chalamet is exceptionally well cast. The actor, able to play waifish twinks, a fantasy chocolate maker, or a drug addict, is just as believable as Bob Dylan. His speech pattern is adjusted, and his vocals are convincing as he immerses himself in the folk world. 

He also plays guitar and harmonica frequently during the film.

The best scenes are when Chalamet performs in a dingy open mic club or on the festival stage. The actor performed a mind-blowing forty Dylan songs, so the film was showcased on the music.

The art and set design are pretty marvelous. The plumes of smoke in bars and the cloudy, smoky settings feel true to the 1960s when everyone regularly lit a cigarette or two.

A poet, Dylan knows and loves his craft and doesn’t waver in his notion of shaking up the folk world with an electric guitar, and Chalamet successfully replicates this.

Interestingly, Mangold doesn’t explore the singer’s family life or upbringing but instead focuses on the uproarious switch from acoustic to electric guitar and the stir it caused.

While not a womanizer, he does carry on an affair with Baez (Monica Barbaro) and dates Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) during this time. Russo (changed from Suze Rotolo at Dylan’s request) is a fascinating character since she reportedly influenced Dylan’s work during that period.

The focus is on creating the singer’s famous music rather than any demons or drama he may have faced.

In retrospect, this is a wise move by Mangold, and while the pacing of the film is relatively slow, the focus is crystal clear, and the 1960s revolution is front and center mixed with Dylan’s art.

The film feels fresh and authentic with the knowledge that Bob Dylan gave his approval stamp and served as an advisor or consultant to the finished piece. Since he had a hand in the overall product, there was a feeling of satisfaction knowing that the singer-songwriter was involved.

There are no blowup fights over jealousy, dramatic pieces about unfair songwriting credits, or other backstabbing trials and tribulations. Instead, the film does a great job of reaffirming that Bob Dylan is one of the greatest songwriters ever.

A Complete Unknown (2024) is a pleasing film, and I happily hummed ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ and ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ on the way home from the theater.

I still am.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director-James Mangold, Best Actor-Timothée Chalamet, Best Supporting Actor-Ed Norton, Best Supporting Actress-Monica Barbaro, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Sound

2024 Films, Connie Nielsen, Denzel Washington, Derek Jacobi, Drama, Epic, Fred Hechinger, Historical Drama, Joseph Quinn, Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Ridley Scott

Gladiator II-2024

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Gladiator II-2024

Director Ridley Scott

Starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington

Scott’s Review #1,456

Reviewed December 21, 2024

Grade: B+

Ridley Scott, who directed Gladiator (2000), returns to the fold to direct Gladiator II almost twenty-five years later. Both are epic proportions and center on the barbaric yet luscious Ancient Roman Era.

It’s the type of film best seen in the theater on a large screen with loud surround sound. It’s bloodier than the first Gladiator.

Scott wisely incorporates snippets of the original’s ending to familiarize the audience with the events and ties a significant character to characters from the first film, both dead and alive.

The great thing about Scott directing both films is that despite the long gap between them, they feel very much aligned and have a similar tone.

When the film begins, we are told that Rome is nearly ruinous and led by tyrants. The peacefulness after Maximus’s (Russell Crowe in Gladiator) death is sadly gone.

Rome is now ruled by corrupt twin emperors, Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). They are barbaric and evil and use scare tactics to keep the masses in line.

We meet Lucius (Paul Mescal) when the emperors of Rome steal his home and kill his wife. He has unrelenting rage in his heart, and it’s revealed that he is the rightful heir to Rome and witnessed his father’s (Maximus) death at the hands of his uncle as a young boy.

With the empire’s future at stake, he looks to the past to find the strength and honor needed to return the glory of Rome to its people.

The fact that Lucius is the rightful heir and that his mother, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), is still alive and now remarried to General Acacius (Pedro Pascal) provides immediate rooting value.

Combined with the viciousness of the current regime, we want the good guys to beat the bad guys. The bloody battles and the machismo nature of the story make it a muscular vehicle sure to appeal to a male audience.

It’s that type of film.

However, there is much to see visually to titillate one’s loins. Mescal looks chiseled and cut in his gladiator attire, sweatily and bloodily fighting others to the death. His hunky nature and dreamy blue eyes only make the character a sure crowd-pleaser.

Mescal also looks enough like Crowe to make the heritage believable.

Pascal and Denzel Washington are terrific in supporting roles. Washington, as Macrinus, a motivated leader intent on having the throne for himself, is bisexual, though this is hardly explored other than one line of dialogue.

A rumored kiss between Macrinus and another male character was reportedly scrapped, and shame on the powers that be for that. Too much for mainstream audiences?

The central LGBTQ+ presence is saved for the more unhinged twin ruler in a more stereotypical form.

There is little unpredictability since we know from the start that Lucius will conquer the tyranny and save the Roman people from further chaos.

But, the violent matches between gladiators and vicious beasts and one another are entertaining to watch and enthralling in their violence.

The visuals of a mock Roman Colosseum and palatial dining areas are well constructed and look real enough to transport us to the Roman Era.

Politically, the twins are compared to present-day tyrannical rulers in office and a rogue’s gallery of appointed officials. Although it can be argued that the twins are somewhat played for laughs, the fact that dictators like this rule is scary.

Gladiator (2000) packs more emotional punch than Gladiator II (2024), but watching them in parallel would be fun. From a story perspective, they link well and have the same look and feel.

Oscar Nominations: Best Costume Design

2024 Films, Adriana Paz, Drama, French, International, International Drama, International Musical, Jacques Audiard, Karla Sofía Gascón, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, LGBTQ+ International, Musical, Musical Drama, Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña

Emilia Pérez-2024

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Emilia Pérez-2024

Director Jacques Audiard

Starring Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez

Scott’s Review #1,455

Reviewed December 15, 2024

Grade: A

Emilia Pérez (2024) is a brilliantly unique film that uses musical numbers to tell the riveting story of a transgender Mexican crime lord, her transition from male to female, and her difficult separation from her family.

Jacques Audiard, most known for A Prophet (2009) and Rust and Bone (2012), directs this unique and brave film.

Boldly featuring transgender actress Karla Sofía Gascón in the title role, the film showcases her talents and a needed burst of transgender representation in cinema.

The film also defies genres and expectations. Is it a crime thriller? A musical? An LGBTQ+ film? It’s a bit of each with an operatic spin.

On paper, it might seem jarring to watch a film about a Mexican drug cartel set against musical numbers, but I was immediately captured.

Emilia’s character is a feared cartel leader who enlists a lawyer, Rita (Zoe Saldañato), to help her disappear and achieve her dream of becoming a woman while whisking her clueless wife Jessi (Selena Gomez) and children off to snowy Switzerland.

While officially French, Emilia Pérez feels Latin since it is set mainly in Mexico, and most of the film is in Spanish.

The film follows several women’s journeys in Mexico through liberating song, dance, and bold visuals, each pursuing their happiness. Emilia is center stage, and Rita, Jessi, and Emilia’s later love interest, Epifanía (Adriana Paz), also have their own stories, giving it an excellent ensemble feel.

Rita is an unappreciated lawyer stuck in a dead-end job, Jessi wants to move on from her presumed-to-be dead husband, and Epifanía intends to move on from her abusive husband.

Audiard makes it clear that the women cannot escape the drug cartel world even though they’d like to. Emilia even champions a movement to identify the victims of cartel-related deaths, attempting to give back to others with her new life.

Emilia Perez is a significant victory because it’s so different, and that word kept returning to me. Rather than a straightforward transgender story, it mixes many other genres and creative song and dance numbers.

Could Broadway be in its future?

Each musical number is excellent, but two themes resonate most and support the story best.

When Emilia, now pretending to be her children’s long-lost aunt, puts her son to bed, he confesses he still recognizes her scent (“Papá”). She quietly weeps, knowing he will never see the truth.

The other theme is merged into three musical numbers. After meeting with doctors in Bangkok (“La vaginoplasty”) and Tel Aviv (“Lady”), Rita finds a surgeon who agrees to perform the procedure on Emilia after hearing Manitas’ recollections of gender dysphoria during childhood (“Deseo”).

The numbers explain the transition procedure in graphic detail while reminding the audience of the powerful emotional toll the transition takes on a person.

The film’s final chapter is an energetic and classic crime thriller with a major reveal of the truth to a significant character. A deadly car chase scene culminates in a fiery explosion and a reminder that rarely can anyone leave the drug cartel circuit alive.

The release of Emilia Perez in the year 2024, when there is current United States legislation to limit or exterminate transgender rights altogether, is a powerful reminder of why it’s essential to showcase a film like this.

Fortunately, the film’s slew of year-end award nominations has increased viewership and, thus, awareness of this critical topic.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Picture, Best Director-Jacques Audiard, Best Actress-Karla Sofía Gascón, Best Supporting Actress-Zoe Saldaña (won), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Original Song-“El Mal,” (won) “Mi Camino,” Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound, Best International Film

2024 Films, Ariana Grande, Bowen Yang, Cynthia Erivo, Fantasy, Idina Menzel, Jeff Goldblum, Jon M. Chu, Jonathan Bailey, Kristin Chenoweth, Marissa Bode, Michelle Yeoh, Musical, Musical Drama, Peter Dinklage

Wicked: Part I-2024

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Wicked: Part I-2024

Director Jon M. Chu

Starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande-Butera, Jonathan Bailey

Scott’s Review #1,453

Reviewed December 1, 2024

Grade: A

The extravagant Broadway musical Wicked (2024) is brought to the silver screen with beautiful results. It overtook the nation in hefty box office returns, and many donned witch hats for the event. The production has enough substance to justify the craze.

It is the first of a two-part film adaptation of the stage musical of the same name. The film is loosely based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel, which is based on L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, its sequels, and its 1939 film adaptation.

Part II will emerge in late 2025.

Powerhouse Cynthia Erivo leads the charge as Elphaba, a young woman misunderstood because of her unusual green skin who has yet to discover her true power. When conceived, Elphaba’s mother and her secret beau drank a mysterious potion assumed responsible for her nature.

Elphaba is noticed by Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), the Dean of Sorcerer Studies, and welcomed at Shiz University. Her disabled younger sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) is a new student there.

Ariana Grande plays Glinda, a privileged and ambitious young woman who is jealous of yet enamored with Elphaba and yearns to discover her talent and powers.

Elphaba and Glinda forge an unlikely but powerful friendship. After encountering The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads, and their lives take very different paths.

The film begins with Glinda (the Good Witch of the North) recounting their relationship as Elphaba (or The Wicked Witch of the West) has just died to much celebration.

Whether viewers are familiar with the novels, the 1939 film, or the stage version, the rich history is well-combined.

The colorful sets and visuals are marvelous, with luminous greens encompassing the shimmering Emerald City. The Shiz University is more pastel with muted blue and pink colors.

Aside from the story, there is so much to look at visually. Be sure to glimpse background activity during dancing or celebration scenes to notice even more particulars.

Hints of what’s to come (the Cowardly Lion, a broomstick) also can be noticed.

The second half is the better portion when the action takes off and gets to a darker place. The colors are also darker than in the first half.

Watching the monkeys start to transition and grow wings painfully is a bit scary, especially for younger children.

The side story of animals losing their rights and being caged in the beginning, when they speak and even teach at a university, is complex to watch and represents the current state of the United States.

Director Jon M. Chu and screenwriters Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox wisely replace humans with animals as they remind audiences of groups of people (immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community) targeted by hate.

Sadly, as the Wizard of Oz and Madame Morrible remind Elphaba, the world needs another. ‘ The parallels between animals and humans are readily apparent.

Perhaps to combat the hate, Chu includes gay actors Jonathan Bailey and Bowen Yang in prominent roles.

Chu, most notable for Crazy Rich Asians (2018), delivers a stunning product filled with glamour, bravura, and necessary female empowerment.

The dynamic between Erivo and Grande-Butera is strong, making their rivalry/friendship believable and layered. Erivo gets the showier, albeit in a less attractive role, but she powerfully uses her voice to her advantage.

‘I’m Not That Girl’ and ‘Defying Gravity’ have quickly become favorites.

Wicked: Part I (2024) is an intriguing and spectacular production that raises critical societal questions. Whether you marvel at the visuals or explore gender and repression more deeply, the film has something for everyone.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Picture, Best Actress-Cynthia Erivo, Best Supporting Actress-Ariana Grande, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design (won), Best Costume Design (won), Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Visual Effects

2024 Films, Comedy, Drama, Emma Stone, Independent, Independent Comedy, Independent Drama, Jennifer Grey, Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe

A Real Pain-2024

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A Real Pain-2024

Director Jesse Eisenberg

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Jennifer Grey

Scott’s Review #1,452

Reviewed November 25, 2024

Grade: A-

A Real Pain (2024) is a well-written film about life’s emotions, experiences, joys, and pains. It wonderfully mixes comedy with drama, not one genre or the other but a pot of delicious flavors forming a potent concoction.

Jesse Eisenberg produces, writes, directs, and acts in his creation, making it his own. Kieran Culkin is a revelation as a troubled young man plagued by depression and ravaged by passion.

Emma Stone co-produces.

David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Culkin) play New York Jewish cousins with seemingly minor in common who reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother.

David, a reserved and pragmatic father and husband, contrasts sharply with Benji, a free-spirited and eccentric drifter. Their personalities clash as Benji criticizes David for losing his former passion and spontaneity, while David struggles with Benji’s unfiltered outbursts and lack of direction.

In Poland, the pair meets up with a Holocaust tour group that each shares a link to the Holocaust history.

Emotional honesty among the group members and tour guide occurs during their week-long trip as brutal truths and past tensions surface.

A Real Pain is a character study with flawless writing. Eisenberg delivers an effort reminiscent of a Woody Allen film with punchy moments, neurotic characters, and cheeky humor.

Benji and David, more like brothers than cousins, admire and resent each other. Benji wishes he had what David does- a stable job, a wife and child, and peace of mind. David resents the way Benji lights up a room with his passion, quickly becoming center stage while David is forced to lurk in his shadow.

Together, the film belongs to Eisenberg and Culkin as their dazzling chemistry emulates from the screen.

From the first scene, we sense David’s frustration. He rushes to the chaotic airport, hurriedly leaving voicemails for Benji. But the carefree Benji has been at the airport for hours and dismisses David at every measure.

David is a nice guy who selflessly gives Benji the window seat and first dibs on the shower. But he secretly feels bullied by Benji’s selfishness.

David realizes that people always fall for Benji and give him a pass, which frustrates him. He essentially mocks and calls the tour group assholes but somehow is deemed ‘real’ or ‘honest.’

Benji is tough to like, but Culkin’s wounded blue eyes allow the audience to realize he is hurting and suffering from deep pain.

My only knock is why the tour guide, who is mocked and criticized by Benji, ultimately thanks him for his brutal honesty and more or less snubs David.

Compared to the otherwise honest writing, this scene feels forced and unrealistic.

Eisenberg flawlessly delivers a performance that showcases his range of emotions. Sufferingly patient, he explodes during a dinner scene, letting his emotions spill onto the table.

Eisenberg and Culkin’s great acting is showcased, especially during the scenes where they let their emotions rip. Their best scene together is atop a hotel, where they smoke pot and old wounds furiously come to the surface.

Besides the acting, Eisenberg, the screenwriter, immerses the audience in the importance of Holocaust history.

It’s not for the faint of heart. Powerful scenes of the tour group walking through  Majdanek concentration camp are hard to watch, with the knowledge that thousands were exterminated.

Led by a scene-stealing turn from Culkin and a bevy of creative talents by Eisenberg, A Real Pain (2024) is a powerfully funny, emotionally resonant dramedy that finds him playing to his strengths on either side of the camera.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Supporting Actor-Kieran Culkin (won), Best Original Screenplay

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 2 wins-Best Supporting Performance-Kieran Culkin (won), Best Screenplay (won)

2024 Films, Best Feature- Independent Spirit Award Winners, Best Picture Oscar Winners, Comedy, Drama, Independent, Independent Comedy, Independent Drama, Karren Karagulian, Mark Eidelstein, Mikey Madison, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Drama, Sean Baker, Yura Borisov

Anora-2024

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Anora-2024

Director Sean Baker

Starring Mikey Madison, Mark Eidelstein, Yura Borisov

Scott’s Review #1,450

Reviewed November 3, 2024

Grade: A

Anora (2024) is one of the boldest films I’ve seen in some time and is my favorite Sean Baker film so far. Tangerine (2015) and The Florida Project (2017) are also great works.

Those planning to see the film should do homework and learn what Baker films are about. He frequently directs independent feature films about the lives of marginalized people, especially immigrants and sex workers.

Baker’s films are dirty, dark, and outrageous.

Because Anora has received awards buzz and is classified as a romantic comedy, the audience at my showing seemed slightly overwhelmed by its raw nature. While there are comedic moments, they are shrouded in darkness, and I don’t think my audience quite knew how to respond.

Some cover art captured the main couple, played by Mickey Madison and Mark Eidelstein, happily dancing and depicted them with the caption ‘a modern day Cinderella story’. This is misleading to the gritty nature of the story.

Madison plays Ani (Anora), an exotic dancer and part-time sex worker at a swanky Manhattan strip club. She lives in a Russian section of Brooklyn. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she meets and impulsively marries Vanya (Mark Eidelstein), the childlike son of a Russian billionaire.

When Vanya’s godfather and parents catch wind of the union, they send their henchmen to annul the marriage, setting off a wild chase through the streets of New York. Vanya flees the scene, and the others must find him.

Madison is brilliant. Known for a small role as Susan Atkins in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) and a role in one version of Scream (2022), the young actress comes on as gangbusters.

Her character is tricky. We only know she lives with her older sister, and their mother lives in Florida with her boyfriend. Presumably, her father is absent, and she has had to find work to support herself. She is brassy, savvy, and intelligent. Most importantly, the audience roots for her.

Madison has an aura surrounding her, and she believably plays loving and hysterical with ease. Ani wants love but is also intelligent enough to know love doesn’t come easy and has a price. Madison channels each emotion with seeming ease.

Baker has become a favorite director of mine. He also writes, produces, and edits most of his projects. Although his films are not easy to watch, that’s what I like about them.

His films take marginalized or dismissed groups and provide representation.

Another standout is Russian actor Yura Borisov. Since Ani is the only character worth rooting for, Borisov’s character, Igor, slowly becomes a fan favorite. Assumed to be a henchman, he begins to care for Ani and strive to do the right thing amid chaos.

Borisov provides Igor with warmth and kindness in a world of chaos. I yearned to know more about the character. How did he get to be where he is? Did he need to escape Russia any way he could?

It’s hard to like the other characters, and I wouldn’t say I enjoyed quite a few, especially the wealthier ones. I yearned to leap across the aisles and smack Vanya, his mother, and one stripper who is Ani’s rival.

This caused me to react viscerally to the film and think about my emotions after it ended. Anyone who appreciates good cinema knows that the longer you think about it, the better it is.

Towards the end, Baker incorporates satisfying moments of Ani standing up for herself, especially against Vanya and his mother. This only reaffirmed the passion of her character. Even in despair, Ani remains tough and refuses to be mistreated by anyone.

My favorite sequence is at the end, during a January snowstorm in Brooklyn. A tender moment occurs between Ani and Igor where the writing, cinematography, and camera angles are beautiful.

Anora (2024) is recommended for fans of Baker’s work. He successfully and carefully weaves an emotional and raw tale of adventure, romance, desperation, and the haves versus the have-nots.

Oscar Nominations: 5 wins-Best Picture (won), Best Director-Sean Baker (won), Best Actress-Mikey Madison (won), Best Supporting Actor-Yura Borisov, Best Original Screenplay (won), Best Film Editing (won)

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 3 wins-Best Feature-(won), Best Director-Sean Baker-(won), Best Lead Performance-Mikey Madison-(won), Best Supporting Performance-Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian

2024 Films, Edward Berger, Isabella Rossellini, John Lithgow, Lucian Msamati, Ralph Fiennes, Sergio Castellitto, Stanley Tucci, Thriller

Conclave-2024

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Conclave-2024

Director Edward Berger

Starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow

Scott’s Review #1,447

Reviewed October 17, 2024

Grade: A

I was fortunate to see the Conclave (2024) premiere at our local art theater before most public audiences had. I anticipate those who talk about the ‘twist’ at the end will be stunned. Initially, I was told there was a ‘twist,’ but I did not know what it was, so I wondered.

I’ll say nothing more about the ‘twist’.

Admittedly, the premise didn’t wow me, and I only saw Conclave because of the acclaim and awards season buzz surrounding it.

Heavyweight actors like Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini didn’t hurt.

The end product is well-written, well-acted, and well-produced. Its tinge of push-pull between liberalism and conservativism feels timely and relevant.

It’s based on a 2016 novel written by Robert Harris.

The story is fictional and follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events: selecting the new Pope. Fiennes expertly plays Cardinal Lawrence, who manages this complex process after the unexpected death of the beloved current Pope.

Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders, most eager to be elected the next Pope, have gathered from around the world, Lawrence uncovers a trail of secrets involving the dead Pope, secrets that could shake the foundations of the Church.

They are locked in the Vatican, protected from the outside world until the majority chooses the new Pope.

Edward Berger did a phenomenal job bringing the 1930 epic All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) to legions of audiences and a slew of Oscar nominations. All bets are that he does it again with Conclave.

The screenplay is written by Peter Straughan, primarily a British playwright. The action immediately begins with the Pope’s death, and the rest of the film is a slow buildup, sometimes even a crawl.

Halfway through, I wondered why Conclave was receiving so much notice. After the conclusion, I could not stop thinking about it for days.

Berger and Straughan play their cards close to their pockets throughout the play, toying with audiences who expect a traditional, mainstream affair before the rug is yanked from beneath them.

Dramas or thrillers with a religious theme, mainly centering around questioning the Catholic Church, usually risk dismissal or ridicule. I’m anxious to see how this plays out with Conclave.

In hindsight, more than the obvious, make Conclave worth talking about after the upside-down ride that results.

Lawrence is character-driven. He questions his faith and devotion and doesn’t want to be the new Pope. We’re not exactly sure why he wants to leave the Church. Is he involved in a secret scandal? Could he be in a relationship?

One intelligent scene mentions that a Pope should not be sure of his faith and should question it. Traditions can be tweaked for the times. A conservative leader mocks the Pope for ruining the Catholic Church with whimsical decisions, embracing the current times. Another liberal leader doesn’t think he went far enough.

It’s easy to see that Berger/Straughan/Harris have Pope Francis, who was elected in 2013, in mind. Having strongly brought more progressive thought to the Catholic Church, it’s easy to see the representation.

Fiennes gives a powerful performance as a decent man who tries to do the right thing without favoritism or conflict. He is subdued but strong-willed, and the performance is understated. He gives so much to a role that could be mistaken for too little.

Volker Bertelmann composes the score, which is reminiscent of All Quiet on the Western Front. It has a soft tone, is not bombastic, and slowly increases intensity during scenes. The buildup is tense and magnificent.

Conclave (2024) is a human story about humanity and imperfection. It’s also about human complexities, mistakes, and kindness. It magnifies the scope of the Catholic Church and reminds audiences that those shrouded within its wall are not without imperfections.

It also reminds us that even the Catholic Church has corruption.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Actor-Ralph Fiennes, Best Supporting Actress-Isabella Rossellini, Best Adapted Screenplay (won), Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score

2024 Films, Arkasha Stevenson, Bill Nighy, Horror, Nell Tiger Free, Ralph Ineson, Sônia Braga

The First Omen-2024

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The First Omen-2024

Director Arkasha Stevenson

Starring Nell Tiger Free, Ralph Ineson, Bill Nighy

Scott’s Review #1,441

Reviewed September 26, 2024

Grade: B

Having six and a half hours to kill on a late-night international flight to Europe, I eagerly desired some good horror to pass the time. What better way to while away the minutes than some religious treachery?

In truth, I accidentally thought The First Omen (2024) selection was the recent The Exorcist: Believer from 2023. Further, I thought the film was a solid ninety minutes, but I was wrong again. The running time is an unwieldy one hundred and nineteen minutes, a lifetime for a horror film.

So, The First Omen had much going against it before I was even ten seconds into the film.

While not a great film, primarily due to a corny and far-fetched story, The First Omen is memorable for its moments and the stylistic approach to camerawork. 

I love watching films by first-time directors partly because they may become the next Quentin Tarantino, Alfred Hitchcock, or Greta Gerwig. Sometimes a blueprint is served up for what’s to follow in said directors career.

Arkasha Stevenson must have studied films by Italian horror director Dario Argento, the devilish late 1960s horror classic Rosemary’s Baby, or both.

The film has a gothic look, and it was shot on location in Rome, providing authenticity. What better backdrop than the city the Roman Catholic Church is most associated with?

The costumes are excellent, specifically the clothes worn by the nuns. They represent the 1940s or the 1950s even though the film is set during the 1970s, and somehow this works.

For fans of the classic The Omen from 1976, The First Omen serves as a prequel with a couple of satisfying tie-ins to that great film. I can think of two examples incorporated simply because the filmmakers wanted to please moviegoers watching this film because of the original. 

There were sequels made in 1978, 1980, 1982, and 1985, but those must be forgotten entirely.

When a young American woman named Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) is sent to Rome to work at an orphanage before she begins a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her faith.

Along with the kindly Father Brennan (Ralph Ineson), she uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.

You see, Brennan explains that radicals within the church, desperate to regain power against the rise of secularism, seek to bring about the Antichrist to create fear and drive people back to the church, with a young orphan named Carlita (Nicole Sorace) intended to be his mother.

There is little need not to reveal that the Antichrist is Damien, the little boy adopted in The Omen (1976) who wreaks havoc.

The standout moments are pretty good. One day, Margaret spots Carlita showing a nun named Anjelica a drawing of a pregnant woman being restrained; moments later, Anjelica self-immolates and hangs herself after she proclaims, ‘It’s all for you.’

This moment is a fantastic ode to a similar scene in The Omen, and I nearly got goosebumps recalling that epic, frightening sequence.

There’s another where Margaret runs into Paolo, a man she may or may not have slept with, who tells her to “look for the mark” before being struck and cut in half by an oncoming truck.

The final climax, which mostly resembles Rosemary’s Baby, is so convoluted that I stopped trying to make sense of the story and instead appreciated the incredible visceral birthing scenes, which were controversial.

The film looks authentically like it’s from the 1970s, which is another win for Stevenson. It could easily be watched right before watching The Omen.

I’m intrigued by Stevenson’s direction and wonder what else she’ll do in the future.

The First Omen (2024) is a quality religious horror film sure to scare religious zealots and somewhat please fans. It’s not great, but it has enough going for it to deserve a watch.

2024 Films, Alex Wolff, Denis O'Hare, Djimon Hounsou, Horror, John Krasinski, Joseph Quinn, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael Sarnoski

A Quiet Place: Day One-2024

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A Quiet Place: Day One-2024

Director Michael Sarnoski

Starring Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Djimon Hounsou

Scott’s Review #1,440

Reviewed September 24, 2024

Grade: B+

I was skeptical about watching A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) since the John Krasinski and Emily Blunt team do not appear (on screen anyway). And let’s be honest, the third in a horror film series is not usually a revelation and is more often than not a money grab.

Be that as it may, I thoroughly enjoyed the film, and Krasinski does serve as a producer who invests in quality over convention.

It’s a prequel to the surprise hit A Quiet Place (2018), which once again brought the horror genre credibility, so it more or less sets the stage for what’s to come later in the events.

The setting of New York City is great. The loud and bustling city complements the hearing-infused theme and counterbalances the necessity for quiet, as viewers already know.

Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, who is having excellent success in the horror genre after appearing in Jordan Peele’s Us (2019), stars alongside an adorable cat who is a hell of an actor.

Nyong’o plays a terminally ill cancer patient named Sam, living out her days in a hospice facility. Depressed, she yearns for a trip to the Big Apple to live again, remembering how she would accompany her pianist father for pizza and a concert as a child.

When she goes on a field trip to see a puppet show in Manhattan with her primary nurse, the shit hits the fan. Frightening creatures appear out of nowhere to attack and terrorize the city.

Casting Nyong’o is a wise move for credibility. She’s an Oscar-winning actor and a great talent. Since the film requires silence, the actors must use facial expressions and body language to reveal emotions, which Nyong’o does well.

Sam experiences shock, horror, and wonderment as she glimpses the monsters and realizes the wrath of terror they are on. Nyong’o is up to the task.

She pairs well with actor Joseph Quinn as Eric, whom we know little about except that he is kind. The pair slinks around the city, doing their best to avoid death by a monster, and their relationship is tender but not predictable.

In a standard film, they would escape and conquer their foes, or a tepid romance might be added, but Sam is dying and intends to save Eric and her darling cat by any means necessary.

As a cat lover, I was immediately captured by Frodo’s incorporation. Not only does it make sense for a terminally ill cancer patient to cling to a furry friend, but the scenes of Sam losing Frodo and finding him again had me in tears.

How many horror films have that effect?

Suspension of disbelief is required in certain scenes. There is no way a cat would passively agree to be cradled by its owner underwater, especially in a sewer or the Hudson River. But it’s fun to pretend.

Despite being a good movie, A Quiet Place: Day One has few surprises from a story perspective, and A Quiet Place (2018) is the best of the trio of films.

However, this film sets up the events in the others and has a better story angle than merely continuing where Part II left off.

In a nice nod, Djimon Hounsou reprises his role from Part II, so we know where the character originates, but he has little to do. Perhaps if there is another installment, it may center around him. 

The visual and special effects marvel and provide jumps and frights in the right places. Thunderous outbursts of mayhem balance the ‘quiet’ moments.

For a third installment, A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) keeps the story character-driven as we follow a day in Sam’s life and her journey. This is the key to the success of these John Krasinski-created films.

2024 Films, Alyla Browne, Horror, Kiah Roache-Turner, Ryan Corr

Sting-2024

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Sting-2024

Director Kiah Roache-Turner

Starring Alyla Browne, Ryan Corr

Scott’s Review #1,436

Reviewed August 18, 2024

Grade: B-

Sting (2024) is a lightweight but suspenseful late-night horror flick. It takes a bit to get going, and at only one hour and thirty minutes, it’s too long for it to take off and have a satisfying effect.

The set designs are the best part as the wintery Brooklyn, New York atmosphere pairs well with the dingy and stuffy walk-up apartment complex where the action occurs, and a family lives.

The dusty rooms, creaking floors, and walls are well-done thanks to dim lighting and a secluded vibe. I bought it because the family lives this way, but it feels cozy, thanks to these trimmings.

As with most modern horror films, the plot makes little sense and is not plausible.

To compare Sting to other films, it plays like Arachnophobia (1990) with a dash of Alien (1979) thrown in, but it is inferior to those films because it lacks either the campy humor or the wonderful special effects.

The film is not scary but, at most, thrilling.

Sting reintroduces a spider as the protagonist with marginal success. The spider starts innocently but grows into a sinister carnivore with human beings as its desired menu item.

Events surround twelve-year-old Charlotte (Alyla Browne), who obtains a pet spider who becomes her pride and joy and whom she names Sting. Once she realizes that Sting plans to eat her entire family, Charlotte goes into protector mode and must fight for their survival.

Directed by Kiah Roache-Turner, an Australian director unknown to me, she uses Australian actors primarily.

Sting starts well with a scene involving an elderly tenant named Helga. She begins to hear noises in the walls and assumes they are rats, so she calls a local exterminator.

Helga has dementia, and the audience quickly realizes she has already called an exterminator but has forgotten. The investigating exterminator is snatched by an unknown force and dragged into the wall canals of the old building.

Then Roache-Turner takes us back to four days prior.

This point immediately made me invested in the film, especially when other characters are introduced, and we learn about Helga’s connection.

What’s going to happen in the next four days?

Unfortunately, Sting loses steam from this point, introducing marginally exciting characters. Charlotte, her overworked stepfather, Ethan (Ryan Corr), her clueless and frazzled mother, Heather (Penelope Mitchell), and her creepy German Aunt Gunter (Robyn Nevin).

Stock characters like a boozy Spanish neighbor, the weird Asian kid upstairs, and the comical black exterminator are included.

Hey, at least diversity was added.

The only likable character is Ethan. He struggles to connect with the bratty Charlotte through graphic novels and the demands put upon him by Heather’s family, who do not like him for some reason.

The poor guy serves as the building superintendent, works a day job, attempts to do creative work by night, and is a surrogate father. Sounds like a hero to me.

The family drama’s point only adds filler to the already slow-paced film and has nothing to do with the main event of Sting eating the family.

Charlotte is quite unlikeable, and I rooted for Sting to turn on her and make her its next victim. She mostly pouts and broods and has a sense of entitlement. I’m not sure why Roache-Turner made the character this way; she should have softened her.

Events do pick up towards the end, when a character is finally killed, and the others are accosted and put into webs, presumably to be dined on later.

This was anticlimactic since Charlotte is the character we are supposed to root for, and I hated her.

Predictably but also clever is how a perfect sequel setup occurs at the end. I’m not sure Sting is good enough to warrant a sequel, but box office receipts will determine this.

Sting (2024) is entertaining and fun, but it’s not much more. I’ve already started to forget about it.

2024 Films, Austin Butler, Boyd Holbrook, Crime Drama, Drama, Emory Cohen, Jeff Nichols, Jodie Comer, Michael Shannon, Norman Reedus, Tom Hardy

The Bikeriders-2024

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The Bikeriders-2024

Director Jeff Nichols

Starring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy

Scott’s Review #1,431

Reviewed July 1, 2024

Grade: A-

The Bikeriders (2024) immediately informs the audience of the time and place the film will be told. A dry and dusty midwestern USA between 1965-1973 is the window explored and the defiance of the characters drawn.

This period is the Vietnam War, Civil Rights, assassinations, Woodstock, and many other historical moments. Dangerous, the culture and people were changing and very rebellious.

Director Jeff Nichols, who also wrote the screenplay based on ‘The Bikeriders’ by Danny Lyon, wonderfully presents a time capsule of a group of bikers who forged their subculture away from the uncertainty of the rest of the world.

After a chance encounter at a local biker bar, strong-willed Kathy (Jodie Comer) is drawn to handsome and mysterious Benny (Austin Butler), the newest member of the Midwestern motorcycle club, the Vandals, led by the enigmatic Johnny (Tom Hardy).

Much like the country around it, the club changes with time, transforming from an essential gathering place for local outsiders into an underworld of violence. This forces Benny to choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club.

The most vital parts of The Bikeriders are the beginning and end, with portions in the middle section, making it drag and lowering a potential ‘A’ rating to an ‘A-.’

But the other sections are so rich with characterization and events that they usurp the dull parts.

Nichols, who has also directed Take Shelter (2011), Mud (2012), and Loving (2016), likes to focus on the decade of the 1960s in America with conflicted characters. He likes to work with Michael Shannon, who has a small yet pivotal role as a man who ponders life.

We meet Benny in a bar, where he sips a drink. Two local thugs hastily tell him to remove his biker jacket. After a bloody fight in the parking lot, we realize how much the biker club means to him and what it symbolizes.

It’s a club where the vermin, weirdos, undesirables, and those cast aside by society find a place and are cared for by one another. That is until the years pass and things change by meaner and less loyal bikers.

The symbolism resonates with all because time never stands still, and good things always come to an end.

The Bikeriders is told from Kathy’s perspective through interviews with her friend Danny (Mike Faist). He is the real-life author of the book on which the film is based.

Comer is outstanding in the lead female role. She is strong and resilient, attracted to the dangerous lifestyle and the bikers, but only has eyes for Benny and will not be taken advantage of.

She chronicles specific events like fights, death, and rape in painful yet thoughtful detail, inviting the audience into her dark world.

Butler and Hardy are also terrific. Arguably co-leads, Butler’s Benny is childless and more accessible than Hardy’s Johnny, a family man. Johnny sees Benny as the next leader of the Vipers, but Benny wants none of that.

Comparisons to the club and life outside the club torture both men. During a long homoerotic scene, Johnny and Benny are dangerously close to kissing as Johnny discloses the reasons why Benny should lead the club.

The scene is smoldering as the unspoken connection can be felt in raw form. Nichols doesn’t dare to make the film into anything LGBTQ+ related, but the nuances and subtleties exist.

Besides the acting, the gritty environment oozes with richness. The soiled biker bars, sticky floors laden with blood, beer, and vomit, emit from the silver screen.

You can almost smell the environment.

The bad teeth, foul language, and tacky Midwestern accents all portray the loneliness of these characters and their clinging to the club for dear life.

Nichols and the author Lyon depict a fresh look into the world of motorcyclists and the culture they lived and died in for a brief time. The Bikeriders (2024) presents violence mixed with brotherhood and loyalty, which is fascinating to watch.