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.

The Menu (HBO Max)

 

The Menu (HBO Max)

The Menu leaves a bad taste. It is described as a dark comedy horror thriller. What passes as humor are uncomfortable moments for the characters and the viewers. The problem with the movie is a lack of back story to give content to the film. The film takes place on a private island for an exclusive dining experience at the Hawthorn restaurant. What ensues is random mayhem and butchery.

Ralph Fiennes is the celebrity chef Slowik. Fiennes plays the role with controlled emotion which eventually erupts. The dinner is by invitation and the guests are specifically chosen. They have history with the chef, and he has scores to settle with them. Working for chef Slowik are a group of sous-chefs who dutifully prepare the meals and commit atrocities as easily as cracking an egg. One scene was brutal and unexpected.

Anya Taylor-Joy plays Margo who was not a designated guest accompanying Taylor played by Nicholas Hoult. Taylor-Joy gives a strong performance. She is not immersed in the epicurean experience and dares to criticize the overly complex food plates. Hoult is the opposite, even as chaos ensues, he is transfixed by the food and lofty preparations.

John Leguizamo is a second-rate actor who in the past insulted the chef. He was not funny or irreverent, a waste of talent. Hong Chau is Elsa, the maître d’hôtel. She is more gestapo than maître d’ enforcing rules and punishing non-conforming guests. There are other characters with ties to the chef.

Some scenes are there for shock value, and they hit their mark. Without some set up the relevance of the scene is obscure. As the story unfolds plot lines tie things together. The film would have been more effective with background. Cause and effect balance a movie, here there is more effect with cause lacking. In full transparency Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a rating of 89%.

Spectre

I have been in Milan for fifteen days and needed a fix, badly. I went to the local cinema and BUENA FORTUNA, Spectre was playing. I bought the ticket and rushed to make the two o’clock show. And, and the movie is in Italian! What the hell! This is an American movie with English stars. After calming down I rationalized this may not be a big deal. Basically, in Bond movies, James kills every one and get laid. Bada Bing Bada Boom.

Let’s put the Monica Bellucci thing to bed. Her screen time was about five minutes and the simulated (not stimulated) sex was about one minute. She is an attractive fifty year old women with fifty year old hands and fifty year old eyes. Any man would be proud to have her on his arm. But time and gravity are unforgiving.

Bond movies still remind me of when I was a kid. The opening credits and music are exciting. This movie does not disappoint. After Sean Connery, I think Daniel Craig is the best Bond. His cold blue eyes, pursed lips and his Walter PPK make him a remorseless killer. The movie is filled with action and Bond continually survives near death situations (Dah). One scene is painful to watch but at least the screaming was in English. The movie has some of the best aerial stunts involving inverted helicopters and wrecked airplanes. There is also the requisite pyrotechnics on a massive scale.  

Ralph Fiennes reprises his role as M and has a more muscular role in this movie. He is in front of the desk shooting bad guys. Ben Whishaw is the mop headed gadget wizard Q, is also targeted by bad guys. The new Bond girl is Lea Seydeoux. She blond and tall and not the sexist Bond girl wearing high heels. She is French with an English veneer making her crinkly. There is a new henchman, Mr. Hinx who is reminiscent of Oddjob, both in bulk and dearth of acting ability. Luckily, Mr. Hinx had no dialogue.

The gadgets were always a big draw for the Bond movies. Aside from the Omega watch which does more than tell time, the new Austin Martin DB 10 is one of the sexiest stars of the show. For fun they include some retro accessories into the car. Regrettably these are the only two gadgets of note.

My biggest regret is not hearing Christoph Waltz's lilting German accent. No dubbing does him justice. He is the villain, Franz Oberhauser, head Spectre and their goal is either world domination or destruction, whichever comes first. Waltz has a clam approach to evil; soft spoken and utterly ruthless. Fighting Spectre is a throwback to the Connery movies. They even reprised the white fluffy Persian cat Blofeld use to stroke.

What I missed most without dialogue are the glib one liners characteristic of these movies. Having seen all twenty three Bond movies I have some idea of the plot sans dialogue. I will be delighted to see it in English to fill in the blanks, big ones. This movie will do big box office and I recommend you see it. As good as this movie is I think Casino Royal is the best of the new Bond movies.

Regrettably my Italian only served me well asking where the location of the bathroom. Mi dispiace!

n.b. In Italian movie theaters they assign seats. I realized this after the show (there were only about 15 people in the theater).

In the middle of the movie they have a five minute intermission. Not knowing any better when the lights went on I dashed to the nearest by emergency exit.