Mike’s Fearless Oscar Picks for 2025

As always these are who I think are going to win on Sunday night, not who I think should win.  If I have a Spoiler listed, it's a film that I think has a chance to win

Winners in Green.

Best Picture:  Anora                                              Spolier:  Conclave

Best Director:  Sean Baker - Anora                                  Spoiler:  Brady Corbet - The Brutalist

Best Actress:   Demi Moore - The Substance

Best Actor:  Adrien Brody - The Brutalist                Spoiler:  Timothee Chalamet - A Complete Unknown

Best Supporting Actress:  Zoe Saldana - Emilia Perez

Best Supporting Actor:  Kieran Culkin - A Real Pain

Best Adapted Screenplay:  Conclave

Best Original Screenplay:  Anora                                   Spoiler:  A Real Pain

Best Cinematography:   The Brutalist

Best Costume Design:  Wicked

Best Film Editing:  Conclave                                               Spoiler: Anora

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:  The Substance            Spoiler:  Wicked

Best Production Design:  Wicked                                   Spoiler:  The Brutalist

Best Score:  The Brutalist

Best Song:  El Mal - Emilia Perez                                       Spoiler:  The Journey - The Six Triple Eight

Best Sound:  Dune: Part Two                                             Spoiler:  Wicked

Best Visual Effects:  Dune: Part Two

Best Animated Feature:  The Wild Robot                     Spoiler: Flow

Best Documentary Feature:  Porcelain War                 Spoiler: No Other Land  

Best International Film:  Emilia Perez                           Spoiler:   I’m Still Here 

Best Animated Short:  Yuck!                                            Spoiler:  Wander to Wonder

Best Documentary Short:  I Am Ready, Warden     Spoiler:  The Only Girl in the Orchestra

Best Live Action Short:  The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent         Spoiler:  A Lien

Top Fifteen Films of 2024

                                       

1. The Brutalist (2024)  R   The Brutalist begins in the aftermath of WWII when visionary architect László Toth (Adrien Brody) and his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) flee post-war Europe to restart their lives. When László begins working for a wealthy client, Harrison Van Buren (Guy Pearce), he little realizes how much his life will change. Director Brady Corbet brings us a tale of greed, art, and sacrifice. It’s a story where artistic vision clashes with new world money, with both sides unwilling to back down. László Toth is an architect who left his wife behind to find freedom and maybe even fame in America. He is an artist who sculpts with buildings, creating incredible structures that dazzle the heart and mind. Harrison Van Buren is a wealthy man who wants to build a tribute to himself in his hometown. It’s a monument to a man whose ego is almost as big as László’s, but the difference is that László has talent. Harrison only has money to back up his ego. This is a film that spans years, as we follow László through some tough times until he is given what becomes his cross to bear, Harrison’s massive building. László is not a perfect man. His and his wife's experiences in the Holocaust haunt him, causing him to develop a heroin addiction to numb the past. Adrien Brody gives us a powerful performance of a man tortured by both the past and the present as Harrison keeps changing the plans for the building, cutting costs. Brody's performance is extraordinary, full of fire and wonder, but also filled with heartbreak and sorrow. He is a man consumed by his work and nothing else. Brody is matched by Guy Pearce, who portrays Harrison, a man who is certain that his vision for greatness is always right, no matter what the facts tell him. Pearce gives us a man who likes to push people to the edge and has no problem with those people if they fall off that ledge as long as he gets his way. Their scenes together are a master class in acting, chess-like, with one making a move that is countered by the other. Brady Corbet has given us an epic film following a man on a journey to achieve what only he can imagine and who will do anything to make it come true.  Note: This film is 3 hours and thirty-five minutes long, not including the 15-minute intermission at around the two-hour mark. I have seen a host of films that have been extremely long in 2024, and many have felt their length. This film never felt long while I was watching it in a theater. It is that captivating.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  The Brutalist Website   Coming to theaters in January. 

2. Anora (2024)  R   Anora (Mikey Madison), or as she will tell you, Ani, is a sex worker from Brooklyn who meets Ivan (Mark Eidelshtein), who hires her for the weekend. The weekend becomes something more when the two impulsively marry. Little does Anora know that Ivan is the son of an oligarch, and when his family finds out about the marriage, Anora and Ivan are in big trouble. Mikey Madison gives us a performance that knocks you right out of your seat as the take no bull, just trying to survive anyway she can Ani. It's a stunning, take no prisoners display that will make Madison a star and maybe even get her a deserved Oscar nomination. Anora is from award-winning filmmaker Sean Baker, who gave us Tangerine, The Florida Project, and Red Rocket. As with his previous movie, Red Rocket, sex plays a vital role in the plot and how Ani sees herself and her world. Now, at first glance, you will fall in love, as does Ani, with Ivan, played by the beautifully hyper Mark Eidelshtein. However, there is a secondary character that will steal the film from everyone except for Madison. Igor, played by the amazingly low-key Yura Borisov. Borisov, as the muscle in the film, is able to make us follow him as he barely says anything, but his part becomes more important as the film moves along. The film slows down a bit in the last third of the film, but that allows us to see the little things that go on between Ani and Igor. I and my fellow critics were blown away by the final scene of Anora at a screening. We all sat there in silence, watching all the credits roll by, not wanting to break the mood of what we just watched. It's possible that you will do the same. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Anorna Website  The film is available to buy on Amazon and iTunes and is still in select theaters.

3. 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  The film is available on Peacock. 

4. Sing Sing (2023)  R  Devine G (Colman Domingo), a man in jail for a crime he did not commit, survives by acting in a theater group with other inmates. This is a powerful and emotional film about a group of men in a hopeless situation who find comfort and power in the theater. Led by an incredibly moving performance by Colman Domingo, we see how inspired the men are to find an outlet for their emotions and thoughts. The cast is made up mostly of former convicts who were in the theater program. Because of the casting, we see how moving and powerful acting is to let the men get in touch with their feelings and emotions in a system that doesn’t always allow you to do so. We get to see the men start the process of finding a play, in this case, written for them, that melds Shakespeare with modern spoken word to significant effect. I was struck by how much this cast made us feel what they were going through, giving us an inside look at a world we can only imagine. Sing Sing is a film about healing, no matter what you have done in the past, and using the power of theater and acting to find that way.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Sing Sing Website  The film will released again in  select theaters Jan. 17th, 2025. 

5. Wicked (2024) PG Wicked is about Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), a misunderstood young woman who has been looked down upon because of her green skin. Glinda (Ariana Grande) is a spoiled rich girl who is a little boy crazy. At Shiz University in the Land of Oz, they find themselves becoming unlikely friends. We are about to learn that there are always two sides to a story. Wicked is a perfect example of what film can do with an adaptation of a Broadway musical. Take the music and story from the stage and flesh the story out, giving us more about the characters than what we get just from a song. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande shine in this adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical. Both are award-worthy performances and, like the two characters, the performances of Erivo and Grande are different but still both fantastic. Grande is perfect as the vain Glinda (pronounced with a hard G, by the way), who knows she is something special and loves the attention she gets just walking in the room, always looking perfect. Grande shows impressive range in her songs and commands the screen in every scene she is in, which is hard when your cast-mate in many scenes, Cynthia Erivo is equally compelling and commanding. Wicked is Elphaba’s story, and Erivo runs with the role, making us fall in love with her character from her first song. It’s an impressive and multi-level performance that gives us insight into what Elphaba thinks and feels as she discovers she isn’t a freak with green skin but someone who can have friends who care about her. The musical numbers range from some solos for both Erivo and Grande to big production numbers that are inventive and fun to watch. The musician number which takes place in the school’s library where the love interest of the film, Jonathan Bailey, as Prince Giyero, does a rousing number that has people dancing upside down that will blow you away. For fans of the Broadway musical, this will be a wonderful addition to a story they love. To the rest of us who haven’t seen it, it’s a beautiful film anchored by two terrific performances and a set design that is truly out of this world. I don’t know if there are any songs you will be humming as you walk out the theater door, but I know that you will be looking forward to part two.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again.  Wicked Website  The film is in theaters and is available to buy or rent on Amazon and iTunes.

6. Flow (2024)  PG   In Flow, when a cat’s home is devastated by a great flood, it goes on an adventure to find a new home. Along the way, the cat must team up with other species to find this new world. One of those species is a dog. The best way to describe Flow is Homeward Bound in an alternate universe, where the cat and its friends don’t know where they are going; they just know that they have to do this together in order to survive. While this is Latvia’s nomination for the ‘Best International Feature Film’ category of the 97th Academy Awards, there aren’t any spoken words in the film, only animal sounds (all recorded with real animals). You will fall in love with the plucky cat, who is living a good life in an abandoned house with a ton of green space for the cat to explore and find food. Other than having to hide from a pack of local dogs, things are good until a flood that makes it impossible to stay turns the cat’s world upside down. The cat (we never know if it is male or female) finds a boat to climb aboard, and wouldn’t you know it, a dog is also on the boat. The adventure then starts from there, as we follow the cat and the boat, finding more friends along the way to join on in the journey. Flow is a magical film with animation that must be seen in a theater to appreciate its beauty. As we root for the cat to survive, your heart will beat a little faster at some of the troubles the cat gets into, and a few tears will be shed along the way. Flow is a film not to be missed, and though it is animated, I’m not sure small kids will be as interested as the teens and adults as the adventures go on with our cat and its rag-tag friends. I was stunned by how quickly this film moved and was sad that it ended. I wanted more with the cat. And I’m not a cat person. There is a small bonus scene at the end of all the credits. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Flow Website  The film is currently not available but will be on streaming services soon. 

7. Challengers   (2024) R   Challengers tells the story of Tashi (Zendaya), who was a tennis prodigy about to set the tennis world on fire before she suffered a devastating injury she couldn’t recover from. Now, years later, she is a coach and married to a former champion (Mike Faist) who is on a losing streak, and the question is how far Tashi is willing to go to get him back on his winning streak with her husbands best friend (Josh O’Conner). Challengers is a movie that appears to focus on sexual relationships, but actually revolves around who has the upper hand and how they can maintain it. This is a film that has so many twists and turns that you almost become dizzy as the three leads vie to land that winning serve, only to have someone else return the serve just as hard. If Zendaya wasn’t a lead in a film before this, she is now. Zendaya is breathtaking as a woman who was at the top of her game, only to have it taken away in an instant, and now is playing through her husband (and he’s not dominating as he should be). It’s a powerful performance that gives you chills it’s so good. I hope this film isn’t being released too early for Academy Award members to forget about this performance because it deserves to be nominated. This is a film in which you will not like any of the characters (ok, maybe the daughter), and you will still be enthralled by all the head games that are being played (keep an eye out for a certain t-shirt that makes a few appearances as an example). For a film that is based on sex, there isn’t a lot in it, which surprised me. Instead, this is about three people who act as they are caring but inside they are all out for themselves. How fragile they are when the stakes are so high, and all the participants are there to win. So take a few practice swings with your racquet and be sure to do some stretching because you will need to be warmed up and limber to handle this film.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Challengers Website    The film is available on Amazon Prime and on Blu-Ray.

8. The Fire Inside  (2024) PG-13  The Fire Inside tells the story of Claressa ’T-Rex’ Shields (Ryan Destiny), a boxer from Flint, Michigan, who, with the help of a local gym owner, Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry), trained to become the first American woman in history to win an Olympic gold medal. Claressa realizes that a gold medal doesn’t matter when you’re trying to support your family. The Fire Inside is an outstanding movie based on a real woman, about beating the odds, not just in the ring, but in life as well. Ryan Destiny gives a powerful and moving performance of a young woman who is determined to fight her way to success but is crushed when her success in the ring doesn’t translate to real life in Flint, Michigan. Destiny plays a young woman who doesn’t have the best of home life, is battling the idea that women can’t and shouldn’t box, and the fact that she trains in a gym with limited means but has dreams to one day become an Olympic champion and bring her family wealth and fame. It is rare in a movie when the goal is met halfway through the film as T-Rex, against the odds, wins the first gold medal ever for the American women’s Olympic team (this isn’t a spoiler; it’s in the trailer). But things don’t change for T-Rex when she comes back, and she has to deal with all the problems she had before she won gold. Brian Tyree Henry plays Jason, who reluctantly lets Claressa train at his gym, only to realize she might be the real deal, a woman who can box. Henry was nominated for his role in the 2023 film Causeway, and he just might get another nomination for this role. It is a magical performance of a character who is willing to risk it all for a young woman who has dreams he wants to help come true. There is a scene near the end of the film between Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry that is brilliant between two actors that are bringing magic to the screen. Move over Rocky, there is another rags-to-riches boxing story told here and it's The Fire Inside. It just takes a little longer to come true.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  The Fire Inside Website  Now playing in select theaters. 

9. The Wild Robot (2024) PG    The Wild Robot takes place when a robot named Roz (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o) crashes on Earth and is stranded on an uninhabited island. Roz’s survival depends on her wits and newfound animal friends, including an orphaned baby goose. Roz is going to learn a lot about life and the importance of friends. I will tell you right off the bat that this is not only the best animated film of 2024, but right now, it’s the best film of 2024. This is that rare film that the whole family will fall in love with right from the start. We follow Roz as she learns how to survive on her own, make friends, and become a mom to an orphaned baby goose. The Wild Robot is a film about learning to adapt to your surroundings, how to parent, and how to live your life to its fullest. The animation is gorgeous, the voice cast is brilliant (especially Pedro Pascal as the sly fox), and the story will have you laughing one moment and crying tears the next. The plot is fast-moving, and I loved that there are even a few moments of dark humor thrown in. Lupita Nyong’o is perfect as the voice of Roz, making her a robot with a heart and a mind willing to learn, especially from mistakes. The Wild Robot is a magical tale of a parent’s love for a child, wanting to do everything so that the child can eventually leave the nest and have the tools to go out into the world on their own. The Wild Robot is a stunning film that dazzles with its charm, wit, and heart while wowing us with animation that comes to life. And I can’t wait to see it again on the big screen! My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  The Wild Robot Website    The film is currently available to buy on Amazon and iTunes and will be back in theaters for a limited time starting Jan. 17, 2025.

10. Nosferatu  (2024)  R  Nosferatu tells the tale of an obsession between a newly married young woman (Lily-Rose Depp) who is haunted by her dreams and a master vampire, Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), who is so infatuated with her he travels across the ocean to be near her. I am a massive fan of films from the silent era, and one of the best is the 1922 film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, directed by the great F. W. Murnau. You have probably never seen the movie, but I can guarantee you that you have scenes from the film as it has constantly been used in music videos and commercials, notably the Queen/David Bowie music video for ‘Under Pressure.’ Now filmmaker Robert Eggers put his stamp on a remake of the silent film that unquestionably delivers the dark gothic feeling from the original film. Nosferatu is a film about desire, and how that desire can take hold of you, making you do things you would never think you would do in the right frame of mind. Lily-Rose Depp plays Ellen, a newlywed to Thomas (Nicholas Hoult), both eager to start their lives together. Ellen is a woman who has had vivid nightmares since her younger days, some of which cause her to sleepwalk, and those nightmares have recently returned in frequency and intensity. Unfortunately, Thomas has been given a great opportunity. If he completes the sale of a castle to a foreign buyer, he will get a huge promotion. However, Thomas must leave his wife behind and travel a long distance to a remote castle to conduct the paperwork in person. Little does Thomas know that this is a trap, and the man he is to see is the one who has been invading Ellen’s dreams, Count Orlok. The Count is intent on moving near Ellen and taking her for his own. Nosferatu is a brilliant gothic horror film, where Eggers takes the source material and makes it his own. The original Nosferatu is known for its groundbreaking cinematography and set designs. Eggers, known for his films The Witch (2015), The Lighthouse (2019), and The Northman (2022), puts his own look and feel on the tale while also harking back to the shots that Murnau gave us. It’s an impressive-looking film, with tons of dark passages, lonely streets, and a woman’s bedroom that becomes the focus of a madman driven to find a woman he has been desiring for years. Bill Skarsgård plays the Count, and it’s a performance infused of evil and lust. Eggers and his cinematographer, Jarin Blaschle, don’t let us see the full features of the Count until near the end of the film when the horror that has been building comes to a head. Nosferatu is a masterful work that lovers of gothic horror will thoroughly enjoy. And it has an ending that will keep you talking about long after you have walked out of the theater. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Nosferatu Website  Now playing in theaters.

11. Kneecap  (2024)  R Kneecap starts on that fateful day in West Belfast when a disillusioned music teacher JJ met two self-confessed ‘low life scum’ and decide to create a band. That band, Kneecap, will change the sound of Irish music forever. The first glimpses of this film give you a sense that this is not an ordinary bio-pic. Instead, you discover very quickly that you are in for an in-your-face, funny, and bold piece of filmmaking, all the while feeling that sometimes you are taking the same drugs the guys in the band are. If big-time Hollywood tried to sell you on this film’s plot, you would go, ‘It never could happen.’ What’s fantastic is that it did, and this hip-hop group, using Irish lyrics instead of English to show their independence and creativity, became a success. Even more impressive is that the three leads are portraying themselves. They bring such energy and honesty to the film that it makes the film flow (though with a whole lot of profanity). Naoise (Móglaí Bap) is dealing with a mother who hasn’t left the house since her husband, presumed-dead IRA operative, disappeared years ago. His best mate since childhood is Liam (MO Chara), who is up for anything. Then, you have JJ, the music teacher (portrayed by DJ Próvai), who became part of the band but must hide his identity on stage to keep his job and his relationship with his girlfriend. Added to the mix is that almost everyone, including the local police and a local political underground gang, wants the guys to stop making music. Adding a mysterious and infamous father (portrayed by the always amazing Michael Fassbender), you have a movie with just about everything, including a rousing end. Turn up the volume and prepare to crowd surf with Kneecap. Maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to speak some Irish by the end of the film.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Kneecap Website The film is available on Netflix.

12. Sugarcane  (2024) R    The documentary Sugarcane tells the story of the St. Joseph Mission, where, in 2021, unmarked graves were discovered, bringing out long-buried stories of how Indigenous children were mistreated for years, all in the name of Christianity. The Canadian government forced Indigenous children to attend boarding schools run by the Catholic Church. The film focuses on a team of investigators led by members of the tribe who were housed in the school. Their mission is to discover what happened to so many missing children through the years and why. What they uncovered is a story that will shock and horrify you as we get first-hand interviews with the children (now full-grown adults) who went through what can only be called a house of horrors. What makes this different from a lot of documentaries is that we see how not only the investigators but also the survivors keep working to uncover the horrific conditions that the children went through. For years, the community has been trying to bring attention to what went on in the school. We see how some survivors cannot even talk about what happened; the pain is still too overwhelming to handle. However, there are some who want to find answers, and we follow several survivors as they try to piece together what happened to themselves and others they knew. The community's love and support make it possible for them to continue. As mysteries are solved, pain starts to heal, and an organization that was supposed to spread joy and happiness but only gave heartache is brought out into the light. Sugarcane is a remarkable documentary that will cause you to feel angry, but it will ultimately be replaced by hope. Hope that the pain will lessen with the knowledge of what happened is finally being told. It’s a story of a people who, through their reliance on each other and the rituals of their forefathers, can begin a process of healing. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Sugarcane Website  The film is available on Hulu and Disney+.

13. Ghostlight  (2024)  R   Ghostlight is about Dan (Keith Kupferer), a construction worker struggling to deal with life after a family tragedy. He is not talking to his wife, Sharon (Tara Mallen), and has no idea how to relate to his troubled daughter, Daisy (Katherine Mallen Kupferer). Dan finds comfort and community after he stumbles upon a misfit company of amateur actors rehearsing Romeo and Juliet. When Dan joins the company, he realizes that confronting his buried emotions is crucial to becoming the actor he aspires to be. As a former theater kid, I always enjoy watching films that showcase the behind-the-scenes stories of putting on plays, particularly when it's a local production. That’s what we get in Ghostlight, a film that follows Dan, a father who isn’t dealing well with a traumatic event that has affected him and his family. Dan is having trouble sleeping and isn’t communicating well with his wife. Almost every time he tries to connect with his daughter, Daisy, she becomes hostile. Things change a bit when Dan stumbles upon a local community theater group, and they convince him to join their group. What makes this film work so well is the performances of Keith Kupferer and his real-life wife Tara Mallen and daughter Katherine Mallen Kupferer. The performances are outstanding and feel so touching, as all three characters are trying to deal with the tragedy in their own ways. Even when Dan's daughter Daisy tries to bring him into her therapy sessions, he has chosen not to talk about it. Daisy is always angry, and Sharon is just trying to keep the family going while also trying to keep a lawsuit the family has filed on track. Ghostlight is a heartfelt and moving story that lets the cast take us on a journey of discovering and healing, as Dan learns to get in touch with his emotions through his work as an actor. Ghostlight is a film that examines the power of art to aid in healing and comprehending our emotions and feelings. So, study your lines and help Dan and his family put things back together, maybe in time for a performance of Romeo and Juliet.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Ghostlight Website  The film is available to rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.

14. The Girl with the Needle  (2024)  R   In The Girl with the Needle, Karoline (Vic Carmen Sonne) hasn’t heard from her husband in years after he left to join the fight in WWI. She becomes desperate and homeless, but all is not lost when she meets a woman named Dagmar (Trine Dyrholm), who promises to help her if Karoline will do something illegal and possibly dangerous. Karoline is a lost soul, just trying to survive in 1919 Copenhagen, and she keeps getting knocked down. Whenever things seem to be going her way, she gets knocked down again. Vic Carmen Sonne's performance is both gritty and bold, giving Karoline a backbone that prevents her from completely succumbing to the misery. Shot in absolutely stunning black and white, the world that director/co-writer Magnus von Horn and cinematographer Michal Dymek have created is a stark one, where every corner seems to decay right before our eyes. Each scene creates a feeling of despair and growing suspense, as we sense something is not right but can't put our finger on it. Karoline's survival is the focus of the first half of this film. The film's second half becomes more of a Gothic tale of suspense and mystery. In the end, it transforms into something entirely unexpected and shocking. The Girl with the Needle is a film that will have you on the edge of your seat, with an ending that will stun you. Be aware that this is a tough watch, not suitable for the weak-willed. Like Karoline, you will have to face tough times to reach the end of the journey.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  The Girl with the Needle Website  Now playing in select theaters. 

15. Woman of the Hour  (2023)  Woman of the Hour is about Cheryl Bradshaw (Anna Kendrick), a struggling actress who gets a job to appear on a hit national dating show in 1978. Cheryl is unaware that behind the gentle facade, Bachelor Number 3 is a serial killer. Woman of the Hour is a brilliant first directorial achievement from Anna Kendrick, who also stars in the film. It is rare, especially in these days of seemingly constant releases of documentaries and podcasts on true crime stories, that a film concentrates not on the person doing the killing but on the women that he is murdering. Kendrick weaves the story (sadly, it is based on a true one) around Cheryl, who is trying to make it as an actress in L.A. She doesn’t have lofty sights as a star, just as a working actress. So we follow her as she goes from another failed audition to sleeping with a neighbor she can’t seem to get rid of to a call from her agent that she will be on a nationally televised game show. While we are seeing her life, we are also seeing the life of a serial killer, Rodney (Daniel Zovatto), who meets his victims by posing as a photographer. He is the type of guy who says all the right things, with an easy, non-threatening way about him, that makes women trust him. And then he kills them. We see a number of his victims, all trusting him until it’s too late, but Kendrick, the director, does a service to the women that he has killed, not showing them as they die. We just hear things as the camera concentrates on something else. It’s that respect for the women that this horrible person killed that sets this film apart from a lot of serial killer films. The film builds the suspense as we follow Cheryl onto the game show set, and we realize Bachelor Number 3 is the serial killer. Will Cheryl figure him out, or will she become the latest victim?   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Woman of the Hour Website  The film is available on Netflix.

Honorable Mention: Nickel Boys, September 5, Thelma, Inside Out 2, All We Imagine As Light, My Old Ass, Daughters, Deadpool & Wolverine,  The Seed of the Sacred Fig, A Complete Unknown, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, Memoir of a Snail, Dahomey, Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, Dune: Part Two, Hard Truths, Heretic, Hit Man, The Outrun, The Fall Guy, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Babygirl, Super/man: The Christopher Reeve Story.

Venom: The Last Dance

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. 

Until Next Time!