“Conclave”

(Drama/Mystery: 2 hours, 00 minutes)

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Lucian Msamati and Sergio Castellitto

Director: Edward Berger

Rated: PG (Thematic elements and smoking)

Movie Review:

“Conclave” is a superb dramatic mystery that plays out at the Vatican after the death of a popular but controversial liberal pope. Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Fiennes), Dean of the College of Cardinals, is head of the papal conclave. His task is to lead the secretive ancient selection process for the new pontiff among 118 Cardinals. His position is not an easy one. He must act as a diplomat, constantly negotiating and investigating conspiracies among the top candidates to be the next pope.

A speech Cardinal Lawrence gives to the Cardinals to open the Conclave sets the tone for the entire movie. The speech is about certainty. He suggests that if all matters were certain there would be no doubt; therefore, faith would be unneeded if all things were certain. His speech is foreshadowing. Lawrence wants to make sure the next pontiff is a man worthy of the position, although he has doubts about his duty to lead. His task is more complex because the top contenders all have things in their past or present that deem them unworthy.

Cardinal Lawrence’s duties to his God and the Catholic institution drive this drama, and Ralph Fiennes plays his role well. This movie is from the perspective of Lawrence and how he deals with the ethics of neutrality he brings to his role as Dean of the Conclave.

Fiennes (“The Menu,” 2022) is exceptional as this drama’s lead. He plays a contemplative Cardinal Lawrence who is doubtful about his role, although Lawrence is a man of faith. Lawrence believes doubt and faith go together. Fiennes navigates the man’s duality between doing the best job for a position he does not want. This movie rests on Fiennes primarily, and he is more than able. Fiennes makes his portrayal of Lawrence an introspective view of Catholicism’s hierarchy.

Others of the cast include Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Lucian Msamati, Isabella Rossellini and Sergio Castellitto. They add to this drama’s mystery. The men vying have quirks. One is hard conservative, another is overly arrogant and rude, and one is corrupt. One of these men will become the next Bishop of Rome and leader of the Catholic Church. Each actor plays their role with a sense of nobility and piousness that fits their characters’ religious position. Rossellini, who plays the head nun in charge of women staff at the Vatican plays a steadfast administrator who holds firm duties.

Based on the book by Robert Harris, Edward Berger does a good helming his cast. Berger is a talented moviemaker. His “All Quiet on the Western Front” (2022) acquired four Oscars out of the nine Academy Awards nominations. He and writer Peter Straughan (“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” 2011) do an outstanding job adapting Harris’ novel. They and a seasoned cast create a suspenseful movie right to the very end.

Grade: B+ (A superb council.)

“Venom: The Last Dance”

(Action/Science-Fiction: 1 hour, 49 minutes)

Starring: Tom Hardy, Juno Temple and Chiwetel Ejiofor

Director: Kelly Marcel

Rated: R (Intense sequences of violence and action, bloody images and strong language.)

Movie Review:

“Venom: The Last Dance” feels like a swan song for Eddie Brock and his alternate ego, an extraterrestrial parasite called Venom. Tom Hardy is a co-writer of this photoplay with Kelly Marcel in her directorial debut. She is a co-writer of the 2018 and 2021 prequels. This sequel lacks the intelligent sophistication of the two prequels that came before, but it makes up for it with more action and some earnest, endearing moments.

Eddie Brock (Hardy) is on the run after he and his symbiote Venom are suspected murderers of a New York City police detective from the last movie. Along the way, they discovered two things much bigger than being fugitives. One, the government has other sentient alien beings like the parasitic Venom. Two, Venom’s creator has found him on Earth.

Both story elements lead to plenty of action and a few comical moments. “Venom: The Last Dance” is an appropriate ending for the duo, Eddie and Venom. It ends with a bang with plenty of action and visual effects while lacking character development for new players. The movie also has one of the least interesting and underdeveloped supervillains.

“Last Dance” is entertainment for those who have seen the sequels and are fans. This franchise remains enjoyable, even when far-fetched moments arise in a dwindling plot.

Grade: C+ (An affable last dance.)

“Rumours”

(Drama/Satire: 1 hour, 44 minutes)

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Roy Dupuis and Charles Dance

Directors: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson

Rated: R (Sexual content, nudity and violent content.)

Movie Review:

“Rumours” focuses on so-called ‘highbrow’ satire as an absurdist dark comedy. These varieties of movies can be very far-fetched, so they are either hit or miss with audiences. This dystopian tale should be a miss.

Leaders of the G7 countries, the seven wealthiest democracies, unite to talk policy in Dankerode, Germany. They are left in the middle of a forest region to have dinner and discuss ways to improve the world. The world leaders soon realize they are alone. They wander through a forest area trying to find other people after what appears a dystopian disaster.

An allegory exists at the core of this movie. “Rumours” makes a statement about politicians portraying them wandering in the darkness. The plot has them literally in a remote forest, lost and disconnected from the rest of the world.

Politicians’ detachment from the common man is nothing new. Tell audiences something they do not already assume.

“Rumours” is crude and rarely humorous material. The best way to describe it is plain weird.

The difficulty is believing that several well-known actors lend themselves to this movie. Cate Blanchett is a producer. Such explains her presence in this lackluster movie. The others must have had a quick and easy paycheck with plenty of zeros in the number.

This production has the appearance of a script filmed in about a week and has a feeble cinematic value. The cinematography is subpar. The acting of undeveloped characters is cheesy, and the entirety appears as an idea hatched by an inebriated fraternal group sitting around a campfire.

Three directors were going for something campy with this creation. Instead, they seem like they were wandering around in a forest for a bit too long.

Grade: D- (Rumor is this is plain weird.)

“Your Monster”

(Romantic Comedy: 1 hour, 43 minutes)

Starring: Melissa Barrera, Tommy Dewey, Meghann Fahy and Edmund Donovan

Director: Caroline Lindy

Rated: R (Language, sexual content and bloody violence.)

Movie Review:

“Your Monster” is loosely based on a true-life romantic comedy that briefly borders on being a horror. However, this movie’s indeliberate execution makes that very difficult to believe for this otherwise appealing feature.

Melissa Barrera plays Laura Franco, a young theatre actress. Her boyfriend Jacob (Donovan), director of the stage production in which Franco is part of the ensemble, breaks off their relationship while she is recuperating from cancer treatment. Franco is distraught about the breakup and her ex-boyfriend’s infidelity. She finds herself in a constant depressed mode, but her life and perspective change when she discovers a monster (Dewey) in her closet.

Think of “Your Monster” as a cross between a dark comedy and the Beauty and the Beast fairytale. Director Caroline Lindy adapted this, her directorial debut for a full-length movie, from the 2020 short film of the same title.

It is an enjoyable romance. Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey have a bond, despite their opposite demeanors. The conclusion, while it explains much about internalized rage, is not as gratifying as everything before it.

Grade: B- (Demonstratively, he is all yours.)