My View: Venom: The Last Dance (2024) PG-13 In Venom: The Last Dance, Eddie and Venom (Tom Hardy) are on the run, being hunted by both of their worlds, and about to be caught. The duo will have to make a devastating decision that will end their partnership forever. I liked the first two films of the series, especially the second one, which was much darker than the first film. Eddie and Venom's back-and-forth dialogue has always been enjoyable in the Venom series, as they have gradually mastered the kinks of working together to become superheroes. Venom still eats people’s heads, so there’s that. However, I did not enjoy this film as much as the first two. The film is slow to develop, with the duo deciding to ditch Mexico and go to New York. The problem is that they are on the run from the government, with Eddie’s face plastered on TV, and now there is a new evil force looking for them, some super-aliens that want to capture Eddie/Venom. I can appreciate Tom Hardy wanting to have a long goodbye to a character that he cares about (Hardy produced and co-wrote the storyline for the film) and we get lots of scenes of Eddie and Venom having fun as they travel across the country (they don’t get very far due to everyone trying to capture them). The plot looks pretty slim, and the interactions with the bad guys (both human and alien) are a little too few and far between to help move the film along. Juno Temple is wasted as a scientist who wants to understand Venom and his fellow aliens and not kill them. It's a part with a sappy backstory that doesn't fit the overall feel of the film. The ending feels a little rushed and predictable, making the film feel a bit of a letdown from the first two films. I will still miss Eddie and Venom. They were a fun couple of guys to go on adventures with. By the way, there are two bonus scenes in the credits, one in the middle of the credits and one at the very end of the credits that you will want to stay around for. My Rating: Bargain Matinee Venom: The Last Dance Website Now playing in theaters nationwide.
My View: Conclave (2024) PG Conclave begins when the Pope has suddenly died, and Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) has been given the task of leading the secretive and ancient voting process of selecting a new Pope. Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have convened, Cardinal Lawrence discovers a trail of secrets left in the dead Pope’s wake. These secrets have the potential to destroy the Church. Conclave is a very different film than what I thought I was getting from watching the trailer. It’s not a bad thing; I just had to adjust my thinking a bit as the film went along. It’s still a bit of a mystery film, but it is more about politics and the attempts to grab power by any means necessary. The film is still a thriller, with lots of twists and turns, as things are slowly revealed to Cardinal Lawrence as he tries to guide the conclave to find the right leader for the church. Politics is at the core of the film, as we see how things can quickly change, where one candidate looks like a sure thing but then things are revealed. Conclave is a captivating film that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end. My Rating: Full Price Conclave Website Now playing in theaters.
Indiefest: My Name is Alfred Hitchcock (2023) My Name is Alfred Hitchcock is a documentary where a fictional Alfred Hitchcock (voiced by Alistair McGowan) gives a lesson on filmmaking the Hitchcock way. The film's use of an actor to give voice to the late Alfred Hitchcock takes some time to get used to. However, once you get used to Alfred talking directly to you (and sometimes to sound guy) it becomes a fascinating look at one of the greatest filmmakers in cinema history, giving us example after example of his genius. The film is broken down into six themes that provide insight into how Hitchcock made films and how he used the camera to create the world he wanted us to see and experience. The film demonstrates how Hitchcock mastered the techniques to create the feel and style of a movie. This film is a Hitchcock fan’s dream of a film, as it shows us films from not just his notable Hollywood films but also extensive scenes from his silent and early talkies done in England. It’s fascinating to see how things he used in the 1920s could still be used in films from the 60s, like Psycho. What I have always appreciated about Hitchcock is that even in his lesser films like Marnie or Torn Curtain, there is always something that he amazes you with. That is what this film shows us: Hitchcock was a master filmmaker who knew how he wanted to tell a story in the most amazing and impressive way possible, giving us thrills and chills every time we watched one of his films. My Rating: Full Price My Name is Alfred Hitchcock Website Now playing in select theaters.
Indiefest: Your Monster (2024) R In Your Monster, life has gone from bad to worse for Laura (Melissa Barrera), as she is just getting over cancer surgery, and her boyfriend (Edmund Donovan) has broken up with her and taken the musical they wrote together away from her. Just when things are going horribly wrong, she meets a terrifying but charming monster (Tommy Dewey) living in her closet. Could this be love…with a monster? The film lets Melissa Barrera, who we all loved in the last two Scream movies and as Vanessa in In the Heights, show off both her comedic talents and her singing. Barrera is charming as lovelorn Laura, who can't believe her boyfriend broke up with her and isn't allowing her to participate in his musical she helped develop. Into her life comes Monster, someone who used to hide in her closet or under her bed, which Laura used to be afraid of when she was a little girl. At first, Monster wants Laura to leave the house, hurt that she hasn’t had him around for all these years. They soon become friends and then start falling in love with each other (think Beauty and the Beast), but Laura still has feelings for her old boyfriend, so things then get messy. I must warn you that the ending is very unexpected (24 hours later, I’m still in a little bit of shock over it) and may not be quite what you were thinking when you started watching this film. I will tell you it was a big hit on the film festival circuit. Your Monster is a film that will probably stay with me for a while, and my review of it might change in time. Right now my review is: My Rating: Bargain Matinee Your Monster Website Now playing in theaters.
My View: The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (2024) PG-13 The documentary The Remarkable Life of Ibelin is about Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer who loved the World of WarCraft games. Mats succumbed to a degenerative muscular disease at the age of 25. His parents mourned what they thought had been a lonely life until they started receiving messages from his online friends. It turns out that Mats had been leading a life full of friends and adventure on the internet. Get out your tissue box, a big one, because you are going to need it. However, while you are going to shed a few tears, the story of Mats Steen and his alter-ego Ibelin is a story that will make you proud of his parents and of this remarkable young man. A young man who used a computerized world to make friends and spread warmth, happiness, and understanding to people from around the world. The first thirty minutes is about Mats’ life, and how his parents and sister saw him through the years. It’s a touching story of a young man who never got to do most of the stuff that boys and young men get to do. And then his parents discover that the gaming world that their son spent so much time in was a world where he could be someone without limits and make friends that he never thought he could in the real world. The film does a remarkable job of recapturing the conversations that Masts had as Ibelin in the World of WarCraft game. The Remarkable Life of Ibelin is a stunning and thoughtful portrayal of a life that his parents believed would never materialize. It’s a tale of love gained and lost, of friends made and sometimes betrayed, but mostly, it’s about a young man who found a place where he could be something he always aspired to be. Just a young man without limits. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again The Remarkable Life of Ibelin Website Now playing on the Netflix platform.
My View: Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (2024) The documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the preparations Springsteen and his band made to get ready for their 2023-2024 World Tour. I first saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at the Drum (RIP the Special Events Center) in Austin, Texas, on December 7, 1978. It is, to this day, the greatest concert I have ever seen. So, you could say I’m a fan. This film was fantastic and gave a glimpse into the process of putting together a tour after 6 years of not being on the road. We get to see rehearsals, both small and large, along with all the work that goes into making a tour happen. What was interesting to me was that Bruce created a set list and stuck to it throughout the tour, something he has never done before. There are some great interviews and a look back at some of the bandmates that have passed. There are lots of songs, and you get a feel for what it was like in both the smaller venues in America and the big, outdoor stadium venues in Europe. The film has some cool scenes from the past, but mostly Road Diary is about this tour and how the band put together a show that was fun, touching and unique. Much like the man himself. My Rating: Full Price
Road Diary Website Now playing on the Hulu platform.
Forgotten Film: The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea (1976) R Anne (Sara Miles) and her son, Jonathan (Jonathan Kahn), live in a small, English seaside town. Anne lost her husband four years ago, and both the mother and son still mourn his passing. Jonathan has joined a secret society of young boys, ruled with a sadistic hand by a boy named Chief. Into Anne and Jonathan’s lives comes an American sailor named Jim (Kris Kristofferson), who becomes romantically involved with Anne. Jonathan initially sees Jim as a father figure, but things go badly. This was a mild hit in 1976, primarily because of the sex scenes between Miles and Kristofferson and the ending, which is pretty shocking (even by today’s standards). The film is beautifully shot and I always enjoy watching Kris Kristofferson on the silver screen. A word of caution: some later versions of the film released on DVD have been badly edited, cutting out some of the sex scenes and cutting down the ending. My Rating: Bargain Matinee The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea Info The film is available to rent/buy on screening services.
Weird Credits: From the credits of Conclave: Hair Truck Driver
Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Blitz (2024) PG-13 Blitz is about nine-year-old George (Elliot Heffernan), who is sent by his mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) to the countryside via train to escape World War II in London. Defiant and determined, George leaves the train and sets out to return to his family in a city being attacked by constant bombing. The film is from filmmaker Steve McQueen, who won an Academy Award for 12 Years a Slave (2012). Blitz Info The film will be in select theaters on Friday, November 1, 2024, and streaming on Apple TV+ on Friday, November 22, 2024.
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