“Black Bag”

(Drama/Mystery: 1 hour, 33 minutes)

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett and Pierce Brosnan

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Rated: R (Strong language including some sexual references, and violence)

Movie Review:

Something seriously sexy exits “Black Bag,” a spy versus spy movie set in London. The notion is not because the cast is a group of beautiful people who are all talented actors. This espionage movie involves a stylishly dramatic soap opera plot superbly directed by Steven Soderbergh.

George Woodhouse (Fassbender) and Kathryn St. Jean (Blanchett) are married British intelligence agents in London. Others in their organization wonder how the happy couple maintains their marriage, considering their field consists of constant subterfuge to protect their government’s secrets. However, the couple manages effectively.

Who is the culprit responsible for stealing a top-secret government device within their clandestine organization and planning other acts of sabotage? Five agents are suspects. George Woodhouse’s task is to determine which of the five, which includes his wife, is the traitor responsible for the major breach of national security. He must go on a black bag op, a covert mission to breach a place to uncover information. In this case, his mission is to penetrate the agency that employs him.

The cast is a talented group led by Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender. Regé-Jean Page, Naomie Harris, Tom Burke and Marisa Abelam join. They all offer something to this movie. They make you like and distrust their characters simultaneously because you know they all have secrets. Yet one cannot look away from them. These people are interesting characters portrayed by an exceptional cast.

Their secrets drive Soderbergh’s movie. There is a mystery to solve, and it keeps the audience constantly guessing. The plot takes place roughly a week. Each day offers something intricate regarding the mystery at hand. This is a good spy movie that should have your full attention. The advice is not to take a restroom break or concession stand run. When you return, you may have missed the entire day within the movie and something integral to the plot.

Grade: B (It’s in the bag.)

“The Rule of Jenny Pen”

(Horror/Thriller: 1 hour, 43 minutes)

Starring: John Lithgow, Geoffrey Rush and George Henare

Director: James Ashcroft

Rated: R (violent content including sexual assault, and strong language)

Movie Review:

“The Rule of Jenny Pen” is intriguing because it stars two seasoned acting veterans, Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow. This horror is based on Owen Marshall’s short story. It is not the typical horror movie with frights for scares. Instead, the movie creates a creepy atmosphere inside a nursing home for seniors. Though, the nursing staff is missing in action when needed.

Confined to a secluded rest home and trapped within his stroke-ridden body, a former judge must stop an elderly psychopath who employs a child’s puppet to abuse the home’s residents with deadly consequences.

Geoffrey Rush plays stern Judge Stefan Mortensen. After collapsing in court from a debilitating stroke, the jurist is partially paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair at Royal Pine Mews Care Home. There, he encounters Dave Crealy (John Lithgow). Crealy is a jovial but maniacal resident who bullies the other tenants at the nursing home with deadly consequences while wearing a child’s puppet named Jenny Pen. Mortensen, while not being a pushover, becomes a major target of Crealy psychopathic actions.

Horror movies set inside nursing homes and involving senior citizens are rare. Aside from the funny “Bubba Ho-Tep” (2002) that starred Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis and the more recent supernatural horror “The Manor” (2021) with Barbara Hershey, this genre rarely involves a primarily older cast.

“The Rule of Jenny Pen” casts actors, leading and supporting, who appear their age. Some of the characters have severe ailments and handicaps that limit what they can do. This makes Crealy’s bullying tactics even more intense. He tortures people who cannot fight back or are too afraid to act. Lithgow appears to have fun playing the role. He revels in his character’s deviousness.

Meanwhile, Academy Award recipient Rush plays the grumpy judge well. His portrayal easily transmits that he hates the care home and its residents. Rush plays his conceited character well.

Together, Lithgow and Rush, along with seasoned actor George Henare, who plays Rush’s genial roommate and legendary athlete Tony Garfield, make a formidable trio. The men enjoy their dark roles, and their intense portrayals are contagious.

Still, one must wonder why a modern nursing home never checks cameras or provides better security. This is especially evident after one dementia suffering resident escapes. James Ashcroft and his fellow cowriters apparently wanted to keep this movie confined mostly to the senior members cast. It is the “Peanuts’” Charlie Brown theory at work, only involving adults, in this case, the care home’s staff, when necessary.

Grade: B- (Follow the rules for eerie entertainment.)

“Opus”

(Drama/Psychological Thriller: 1 hour, 44 minutes)

Starring: Ayo Edebiri, John Malkovich and Juliette Lewis

Director: Mark Anthony Green

Rated: R (Violent content, gore, strong language, sexual material and graphic nudity)

Movie Review:

“Opus” is a weird movie by director-writer Mark Anthony Green, his feature directorial debut. It stars John Malkovich in another eccentric role, a type of character he plays well. The problem is his character and the one by lead actor Ayo Edebiri are the only two characters that matter. The others are just there for fodder. Even more, this could be a great horror movie, but Green dulls the thrills by seldom showing the actual violence done to characters or awkward moments that could induce terror.

John Malkovich plays reclusive legendary pop icon Alfred Moretti. After years of silence, he debuts a new album. He invites six journalists and critics to experience his art at his cultlike resort run by his devotees. The resort setting is more like a church where the people all wear the same colors and idolize Moretti. Young journalist Ariel Denise Ecton (Edebiri) calls Moretti’s people sycophants. She soon finds the group disturbing and wants to leave.

A good question is why it takes her so long to realize that.

Stop reading here if you do not want to know a key element of the plot. “Opus” is a grudge movie against critics. Yes, Malkovich’s character believes critics taint the work of artists and deserve to be murdered. As a critic, I should have found this movie disturbing as I watched it in a dark theater, alone. It is not creepy, nor does it cause any trepidation. “Opus” is just plain bizarre.

Mark Anthony Green is on the verge of creating something cerebral with his screenplay, but he never quite gets there. In the mode of “Midsommar” (2019) and “Apostle” (2018), Green creates a creepy mystery to experience, but he never accompanies scenes with the fear and violence associated with this type of genre. His work is timid. He emerges as scared of cinematic violence and being radical.

Critiquing anything is an art. Critiques of this movie should indicate that it is lacking on multiple fronts, despite the performances of Edebiri and Malkovich. They have jovial experiences not afforded to their audience.

Grade: C- (Do not harm the messenger, but this is an incomplete opus.)