Anora

Anora-Amazon Prime

Anora is a low-budget film ($6m) that tells the heartfelt story of a working girl from Brooklyn who finds herself in a place she could not have imagined. Anora, or Ani as she prefers to be called, is a stripper and sometimes prostitute from Brooklyn. She is introduced to Russian clients at the club since she speaks Russian. This is what sets the film in motion. She is introduced to Vanya, the son of a Russian oligarch who comes from extraordinary wealth. Vanya is a hedonist with the mind of a horny fifteen-year-old in the body of a horny twenty-one man. His sexual exploits are comparable to a rabbit in heat.

Ani is overwhelmed by extravagant wealth. She is Cinderella from Brighton Beach. Vanya lives in a mansion with an ocean view. It is an endless party. The apex of this perpetual partying is a trip to Las Vegas for a quick marriage. From here, the dream turns on Ani.  

Mikey Madison plays Ani. She does an excellent job balancing vulnerability and toughness. As much as she wants to believe in this dream, she is too street-smart to know it will last. Besides her beauty and willowy body, she is a fighter, taking on fellow strippers and the henchmen Vanya’s parents send. She delivers an outstanding performance in this little film.

Mark Edelstein plays Vanya. He is Russian, and so is his accent. He is the stereotype of the uber-self-centered, irresponsible twenty-four-hour party boy. He showers Ani with one extravagant experience after another. Coming from Brooklyn, this is a different reality.

The movie takes a turn when Vanya’s parents send their henchmen to bring Vanya back to Russia. These are not the brutal Russian criminals portrayed in films like Eastern Promises; they are more bumbling. It is enjoyable how Ani kicks their ass and makes their lives miserable.

If scenes of copulation, nudity, or creative use of the F words offend you, this is not your movie.

This film received Golden Globe and Critics Choice nominations and won the Cannes Palm d’Or in 2024. It received a 94% score from Rotten Tomatoes. That’s not bad for Brighton Beach. The film cost $9.99 to watch. Hey, why not?

 

 

 

Gladiator II

 

Gladiator II-Prime Videos

Gladiator II is a typical Ridley Scott spectacle: action-packed, impressive special effects, and a great cast. It continues the first Gladiator movie sixteen years after Marcus Aurelius's death, but this film stands on its own. The story is specific to the gladiator revolt. The movie's prime theme is the liberation of the gladiators and the deposition of the corruption of the twin emperors.

Paul Mescal has the lead role.  He is the hunk of the month, rubbing shoulders with Austin Butler and Glen Powell. He acts as good as his looks. His motivation is revenge and justice. He does not falter from this theme throughout the film, which adds cohesiveness. He is passionate about revenge.

Pedro Pascal is the decorated general who is the target of Mescal’s revenge. Pascal plays a pivotal role in the film, but his role is all too short. His role is mixed as a conquering general, and a conspirator in overthrowing the emperors. His performance is effective in both roles.

Connie Nielson plays Lucilla, a coconspirator against the emperors. She has other vital roles, but if I revealed them, I would be accused of being a spoiler. Her role is pivotal to the plot.

The twin emperors are self-indulgent despots. They stage brutal gladiatorial games for entertainment. Today, they would be considered two spoiled homicidal slackers.

Denzel Washington is a scene stealer. He plays against type; he is evil. He transforms slaves into gladiators. His method is brutal and bloody.  His role is pivotal to the movie, and he relishes the role.

Derek Jacobi briefly appears as a senator. I did not know that he was still alive.

The special effects are impressive, and the reproduction of Rome is authentic. Ridley brought the Colosseum to life, where the gladiator battles take place. The battles are unique, with a charging Rhino and battling gally ships. He threw  in sharks for effect

This is a brutal movie with copious carnage. If bloody scenes bother you, this is not your movie. The movie's box office helped save 2024.

 

  

onclave

 

Conclave

Conclave is a political  thriller in red robes. The pope is dead, the conclave will elect a new pope. The conclave is like any struggle for power. There is duplicity, ambition and various sins. Some also struggle with a crisis of faith. The film moves quickly with one revelation  after another.

There is a stellar cast. Ralph Fiennes is the dean of the conclave. The weight of his responsibility wears heavy on him. He is reflective and makes difficult decisions. He is the central figure of the film. Stanley Tucci ,John Lithgow and the others vie for the position of pope. These pious men are flawed. Averous, duplicity, prejudice, sins of the flesh and a crisis of faith weight on them

Isabella Rossellini is Sister Agnes. Her main role is to smoothly run the conclave. She is strong and  speaks her mind.

The film has some iconic images of the Sistine Chapel and how the conclave is organized. One scene with the cardinals walking in the rain with white umbrellas is beautifully shot.

The ending is a blockbuster, alone justifying going to this film. It confronts several social issues.

The film only cost $20m  since there was no meaningful CGI. It received a 96 rating from Rotten Tomatoes.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

 Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

The original Beetlejuice was 36 years ago in 1988. It was more cartoonish than its sequel and all the action took place in the house. This sequel brings in a more real-life subplot. The script is a bit messy. It tries to be nostalgic but the new characters do not have the same connection to the old ones. It is still a fun movie but does not have the same vibe as the original.

The main returning characters are Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice. He has less screen time than the original but he is the same manic horny character. His lust for  Winona Ryder’s character has not diminished. Along with Keaton are Catherine O’Hara and an older Winona Ryder. Ryder has a daughter played by Jenna Ortega named Astrid.  Ortega played a character similar to Wednesday Addams in the Netflix series. She is not as obsessed with the occult as her mother and does not heed the warning about repeating Beetlejuice's name three times (notice the film title only repeats his name twice).

Justin Theroux plays the fiancé of Winona Ryder. His role is generic and not of import. Monica Bellucci as  Delores is Beetlejuice's ex-wife. Her face and body are held together by stables akin to Frankenstein. She sucks the life force from anyone who gets in her way. Danny DeVito has a brief role before his life force is sucked out. William Defoe is a former B movie actor who is now a ghost detective. His overacting is appreciated. Many other actors are performing in the film.

This is a Tim Burton film, with his trademark melding fantasy with a light touch of the grotesque. Danny Elfin wrote the score which imitates the original. As a homage to Harry Belafonte, they played Day-O (the Banana Boat song) but lacked energy.

Post script-It is killing at the box office

The Substance

 

The Substance

This is the strangest movie of the year. It is grotesque and some scenes are hard to watch but it is a good story. This film won the best screenplay at Cannes for 2024. Demi Moore is the protagonist as Elisabeth Sparkle the host of a popular aerobics show. On her fiftieth birthday, she was fired from the show. The obvious message is beauty is superficial but the film's core is to what ends will you go to stay young and beautiful. The Substance is the fountain of youth from hell.

Demi Moore is the wrong actress for this part; she looks good at any age. A great deal of prosthetic makeup is used to make Moore grotesque. The metamorphosis of her character is symbolic of aging and the Faustian bargain she makes to stay youthful.  Margaret Qualley is the younger version of Moore. The gore is how Qualley comes to be. The film is a subset of horror called Body Horror. The Body Snatchers and the Blob are examples of this genre.

Denis Quad is the producer of the TV show. He overacts the role but is comical. His outfits would make a pimp envious. He is insensitive when he dismisses  Moore and is predatory in his efforts to find a replacement. 

The final scenes of the movie are extremely grotesque and over the top. They combine traits from Carrie, Altered States, and the Elephant Man. There is a copious amount of blood in the final scenes.

The cinematography is interesting. There are extreme closeups of Moore’s face to highlight her fine wrinkles.  The shower scenes are reminiscent of Psycho.

This movie is not for everyone but for its type it is exceptional. Rotten Tomatoes gave a grade of 90%.

Megalopolis

 

Megalopolis

I wanted to see how bad Megalopolis was, and I was not disappointed. It boggles the mind how a renowned auteur can make such drek.  This is a vanity movie. Coppola invested $125 million of his own money to make this film because no other studio wanted to touch it. The plot is convoluted; subplots meander. The acting was awful and contrived. Some screens looked like improv. Besides directing Coppola wrote the screenplay. So, all of this is on him

The film melds the Roman Empire and the futurist utopian city of Megalopolis. Most of the action takes place in a futuristic New York City. There are subliminal messages about the decadence of modern cities but the poor direction muddles the message.

Given the impressive roster of actors, Coppola must have called in some favors. They include Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Shia LeBeouf, Adam Driver Audrey Plaza, and others. These talented actors are wasted on this frivolous film.

Coppola’s body of work assures his stature as a great director. At 85 erasing the stain of this film is unlikely. Hopefully, it will be an asterisk.

Twisters

 

Twisters

Hollywood loves the F word, franchise.  Its predecessor Twister was released 28 years ago and was a blockbuster giving the suits good reason for a sequel. This film is action packed and fast moving. After 28 years the CGI/AI effects are more impressive. Excitement is substituted for scientific accuracy.  The plot is simple and mirrors the original Twister. There are two competing storm chasers. One is a bunch of serious PhD’s and the other are rabble rousers driven by instinct. The cast works well together. Glen Powell leads the motley crew and Anthony Ramos leads the scientific team. There is an inconsequential subplot.

Glen Powell is being pitched as Tom Cruise 2.0. He is ubiquitous starring in Maverik, Any One But You, Hit Man and Twisters. His acting is casual and relaxed. This role is a layup for him playing the cocky character. He has good chemistry with Daisy Edger-Jones. However, the closest thing to sexuality in the film is misty looks at each other.

Daisy Edger-Jones is a scientist with good natural instinct on the behavior of tornadoes. Their disagreement over the tornadoes is the basis of their budding relationship. The rest of the cast lends color to the script.

The plot for Twister and Twisters is the same but with more graphic destruction for the latter. The film is exciting and entertaining. It is a welcome breeze in this heat.