Conclave

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Conclave is an adaptation of the Robert Harris novel of the same name and follows the conclave that transpires after the death of a Pope. This is framed as a political/religious thriller with the cardinals vying for what is a position of power, while Cardinal Lawrence attempts to solve the skeletons that are starting to tumble out of closets.

I love a good thriller script that leaves you guessing. There are significant points in this film where I wondered if it might turn into a murder mystery. However, the tale being told here is far more complex and engaging than the mystery of a dead man. Rather, this is a collection of cardinals who hold great ambition for the papacy, but many of them are trying to hold back secrets that would prevent them from getting voted in. The deceased Pope had a selected head of the Conclave, which falls to Cardinal Lawrence. Lawrence is a very steady and calm man, not outspoken but with a clear moral code and as an audience, we learn to trust him early on. It's really interesting to see Lawrence take it upon himself to ensure the best possible man to be Pope is selected, even compromising some of his values as the film forges on to do so. It's a film that raises the moral question of who deserves to be Pope and how can we be assured political ambition isn't the driving motivation behind this seat. Conclave handles a flow of narrative twists and turns extremely well, offering some great surprises and suspenseful scenes. I even reached a point where I lost trust in Lawrence, which shows the layers this thing brought to the screen. This is a whirling thriller that leaves you unsure who is right, and hoping that Lawrence is a man we can put our trust in. The pursuit of that outcome was great, the runtime of this feature just flew by.

Edward Berger really is one of those grand directors, he is becoming the sort of name I would be looking out for in a cinematic release. The visual style of Conclave is so reverent of the majesty of these deep-seated religious spaces, while also capturing the mundanity of them. That human element that permeates it with cigarette smoke, the latest iPads and designer suitcases. The intense close-ups and mid-shots peppered throughout to drum up the suspense and mystery are very effective. the score used throughout is swift and flitters through, it evokes grandeur in the right moments and inner anxieties in others.

Lucian Msamati, who played Adeyemi, is a real powerhouse in this; Msamati is one of the charismatic greats but has an enormous scene in which he has to capture loss so beautifully. Stanley Tucci, who played Bellini, is a very resolute figure who consistently sticks by his principles; I like that Tucci is so outspoken in this while also simultaneously proving to not be the fighter everyone wishes him to be. John Lithgow, who played Tremblay, is quite a gentle figure for someone so suspicious; I loved how Lithgow played his whole world dropping out from under him later in the film. Thomas Loibl, who played Mandorff, is a more quiet and restrained role but he stood out to me; an aide figure to Fiennes who is at the centre of delivering information that incites the mystery. Isabella Rossellini, who played Sister Agnes, is a very mysterious and distrusting character; her big scene of support for Fiennes in front of the other cardinals is a favourite of mine. Sergio Castellitto, who played Tedesco, is quite an amusing character for such a despicable figure; Castellitto balances moments of charisma with moments of belligerent narcissism. Carlos Diehz, who played Benitez, is a very goodly character that stands for principles many of the other roles fail to employ; Diehz really makes a role that feels humble and sincerely likeable.

However, the best performance came from Ralph Fiennes, who played Lawrence. This is one of those great awards-worthy leading roles. It is a masterclass in what an actor brings to a film when they understand the script and know how to enrich it. Fiennes has always been a master of the craft and this demonstrates that more than most. Lawrence is a calm and balanced figure at first, fraught with his grief over the death of the Pope. Yet Fiennes lends duty to him well, crafting a stalwart figure determined to oversee a worthy conclave. There are scenes of passion where he allows Lawrence to speak from his heart, to earnestly pursue his morals that I adored. Yet what I most found interesting was his frantic descent into achieving what is 'right'; discovering the right man for the papacy. Fiennes takes Lawrence down a wild, and stressful investigation that leaves the viewer questioning his place in all this. There were even times I questioned Lawrence and his ambitions. To evoke a character with that level of complexity is unparalleled, and I sincerely applaud Ralph Fiennes for achieving it.

I do wonder if the last twist delivered in the final act was necessary. It is an important topic that almost trivialises the ending more than it needed to. I would have loved a film that discussed this issue but to give discussion to a small scene at the end with only a little set-up felt undeserving and clouded the conclusion for the film. Conclave just wanted to point out one last time that all these characters carried secrets, but I am not convinced evoking this big of a topic right as the curtain was closing was the appropriate move. I also felt this film lost its grounding in the religious setting at times, even pushing the boundaries of realism around what this Catholic space might look like. It held the aesthetic in places, but I often found myself wondering if it lost sight of the Catholic bearing the film was rooted in.

The editing for this film could really have been tighter, it often lingered a bit too long on a shot and while the script moved at a captivating pace the cutting didn't always match up.

Jacek Koman, who played Wozniak, portrays a very simple and over-the-top form of grief; Koman's role is a desperate figure of intrigue but he fails to excite or engage the audience.

This film really had so many engaging twists and turns, all led by the incomparable Ralph Fiennes. I would give Conclave an 8/10.

Nosferatu

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Nosferatu is a remake of the 1922 silent film of the same name, which was inspired by/adapted from Bram Stoker's Dracula. In this film, Ellen Hutter finds herself plagued by an undying man who will bring ruin to London until the pair fulfil their desire for one another.

I don't think you can adapt the Nosferatu story much better than this. The film ties itself deeply to Ellen, how she was sexually assaulted at a young age, the internalised shame she carries from this and her sexual appetites that she is growing into depicted as both monstrous and frightening. The horror of this film is foreboding, the sense of something coming. A dark, lustful thing that destroys and wishes to ravage Ellen. We get to see a haunted Ellen wrestle with two sides of herself, the woman who wishes for the love her life holds and the one who teeters upon being consumed by this darkness. It is an interesting conflict externalised by Ellen's moments of possession, but also the way the setting of London descends and steadily becomes more depraved and sick. While a more minor harbinger, I point to Knock, who starts as the head of a property business and ends the film in a coffin dreaming himself the King of Rats. I liked the idea of the more noble love story in Thomas and Ellen versus the darker relationship of Ellen and Orlok. Watching Thomas first struggle his way to meeting and working with Orlok, fearing him and attempting to kill him was a wild act of repulsion; but as Thomas comes to fight for Ellen more on his return to London we see them both champion their love for one another. Ellen facing the darkness and choosing not to be consumed by it but to triumph over it makes for a tragic but powerful ending. A young woman consumed by the wrongs done to her, but defeating this selfsame darkness on her own terms.

Robert Eggers' has improved more and more with his style as his career has progressed. I think this might simply be his most potent film to look at yet; the visuals are unreal. Thomas' journey to Count Orlok's castle is an intrepid feast for the eyes, the crossroads shot is remarkable. I love how this film blacks with the blacks and the whites, it makes shadows and silhouettes into moments of real artistic expression. I also thought the visual effects where applicable in this film looked quite clean, I think to moments like the wolves or the effects enhancement on Orlok's form. Robin Carolan is gonna be really busy after this one, he should be composing forever and ever. The film doesn't build with such rich tension without the incredible tracks Carolan weaves through here.

Lily-Rose Depp, who played Ellen Hutter, gives one of her finest performances to date; I was most impressed by her physical performance and how she depicts a character ravaged by possession. Nicholas Hoult, who played Thomas Hutter, is entirely phenomenal as this steadfast and noble husband; Hoult is really showing a range here of a man displaying absolute terror right through to incredible feats of bravery. Willem Dafoe, who played Prof. Albin Eberhart von Franz, immediately embodies this mysterious yet goodly man of wisdom; Dafoe shines in this as a master of the occult and any scenes he shared with Depp were great emotional beats. Ralph Ineson, who played Dr. Wilhelm Sievers, is a very stoic and pragmatic figure; Ineson's role teeters on what he knows as fact and the mystery of the occult world. Simon McBurney, who played Knock, really lays it all out there for Nosferatu; McBurney delivers a man who appears of good station and descends into raving madness.

However, the best performance came from Bill Skarsgård, who played Count Orlok. It is very interesting to watch Skarsgård disappear into these monstrous roles; I think of his infamous portrayal of Pennywise immediately. But this is a role that shows how he has grown as a performer, it is a very grounded creature that still feels ancient, mystical and cursed. Orlok's voice is a distinctive heavy accent, lost under a gasping drawl. Skarsgård's character sounds extremely powerful and he holds himself as such to, there is a blazing intensity in his expressions that will not leave you. Any time he acts across from Depp it feels like you are watching two people who lust and hate each other circling, either longing to embrace or to choke the life from one another. Skarsgård breathes very real longing into this rotting vampire, he is a horrific creation that will set the bar for horror in 2025.

I have never been a great fan of Robert Eggers, his directed works have never particularly impressed me (though The Northman was decent). I find he muddles around in style in a few ways; the one I can never quite cope with is his depiction of the perverse. An Eggers production always tries to push the limit in regards to sex, gore or perturbing actions. Nosferatu is probably the tamest one we have had so far, but it doesn't mean the film doesn't cross the line in a few odd scenes to being unnecessarily unpleasant.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who played Friedrich Harding, feels a little lost in this production; I never felt particularly immersed by Taylor-Johnson and he seems to struggle with his place in such a serious period horror. Emma Corrin, who played Anna Harding, is really lost in the crowd with this one; Corrin feels an ill fit for the doting and meek housewife.

I am delighted to have finally found an Eggers' film that I really connect with and adore. I would give Nosferatu an 8/10.

The Best and Worst Films of 2024

 

In 2024 I watched over 110 films I had never seen before, according to my Letterboxd diary. This is about thirty less than the previous year but I'm still taking it as a win. Somehow, against some awful moments (this year saw me give one of my first 0.5/10 scores) I found excellence in cinema. In fact, looking back on last year's rankings I have five more films viewed in cinema and five more films positive than the previous year. The 114 films I watched over the year comprise my 65 in cinema and additional recommended watches from those who want to share their own movie loves. It is always a privilege to engage in the latter and this year, I connected with the horror genre more than ever.

The past year has felt busy, just as a year but also for me personally. When we go through great moments of responsibility it can be hard to know when you have shouldered too much or if you're not shouldering enough. I found the thing that helped me a lot is the power of listening, which might sound silly. But it is the voices of others who taught me what I needed to improve and it is others who lift you up via words of encouragement or wisdom. Going and sitting in front of a film is a lot like that; as is a play or a song or a poem. It weaves a story and if you listen hard enough, you might just learn something or improve a part of your character. I thought the whole year long about the sort of man I want to be after watching The Iron Claw.

After all the writer's strikes, actor's strikes, AI fears and giant pressures placed on special effect companies and animation studios, it's no surprise the smaller releases shone brightly this year. Those human moments or stories where we look up to the screen and see a part of ourselves. I'm a massive fan of superhero blockbusters but I've enjoyed some distance from them this year. It has challenged how varied I am as a viewer and led to some watches that I never would have expected from myself years ago (*cough* The Substance *cough*). This year felt like a chance for cinema to take risks again, and not cower behind 'surefire' box office successes. Superman is flying back in 2025 and the Jurassic World dinos are stomping back too, so this period might be brief. But for now? I have enjoyed wandering off the beaten trail.

Overall, this year has been pretty memorable and a chance to explore material I otherwise wouldn't have engaged with. I'm a firm believer in breaking from your comfort zone with stories, you never know what bright new discovery you might make. I feel the highs really strongly belong on this list, while the worst I won't be watching them again. Without further ado, let's dig into the films of 2024, starting with my Top 5...

The Best:

5. The Iron Claw - 8.5/10

The Von Erich family and their wrestling history is a story I didn't really know a lot about going into this. But I was floored by the time we cut to credits, barely holding back the waterworks. This was a film I watched all the way back at the start of 2024 and it has stayed with me ever since. This is nothing short of a tragedy, in which the unforgiving (and often unrealistic) expectations of a family patriarch lead to moments of addiction, depression, mutilation and death. It's a biopic, and a lot of this really happened which is unbelievable. This is a career-best performance for Zac Efron and clears him far beyond his time supporting light musicals and tongue-in-cheek comedies. It's gritty, it's gorgeous, and it is a film that will stay with me for a long time.

Check out my The Iron Claw review! 

4. Challengers - 8.5/10

This film was wild and electric, like a shot of adrenaline that had me on the edge of my seat. If you ever wonder what I mean when I say actors do or don't have chemistry in a review, then watch this. The leading performances presented by Donaldson, Zendaya, and O'Connor are some of the best leading ensemble performances of the year. The aesthetic of this thrilling film is jaw-droppingly good; I was dazzled by the way a game was captured but also intimacy via extreme close-ups. The musical score for this got into my bloodstream or something because I rarely listen to film scores and I listened to it for a couple of weeks afterward. This film defines some unique character relationships, invests you in them, and then pulls it all together into a confrontation so riveting you won't be able to blink. 

Check out my Challengers review!

3. Deadpool and Wolverine - 9/10

Deadpool and Wolverine is the exception to my disappointment in superhero media this year, this is the sort of superhero blockbuster I hang out for. Ryan Reynolds pours his whole self into the Deadpool franchise but it is so clear he can achieve a lot more now that he's out from Fox. This film takes two tremendous personalities who haven't crossed over since X-Men Origins: Wolverine and gives the fans what they've been craving. Deadpool and Wolverine, together as they should have been. I felt like that kid in the comic store watching big heroes and villains seamlessly being brought together in some incredible moments. The humour was the best it has ever been in a Deadpool film, they really were allowed to just let loose. I saw it in the cinema five times and I never once tired of it. (Also I feel really bad for Joseph Quinn having to top that Human Torch performance).

Check out my review for Deadpool and Wolverine

2. Wicked - 9/10

Last year I called Wonka a film that beat the odds for being a top-five film and being a musical. I should have called it a precursor to the genre making an exceptional comeback. Wicked manages to honour the Broadway musical with great care while taking advantage of the cinematic medium to define itself. I loved looking at the production of this; the sets feel like stages in a very intentional manner. Practical effects are turned to wherever possible, just look at that train design. The music for this film is so memorable, that there are several instant favourites at hand. Mine was 'The Wizard and I' sung by the legendary Cynthia Erivo. I'm holding a lot of space in my heart for this one, it meant a great deal to me.

Check out my review for Wicked!

1. Better Man - 9/10

I cannot believe this. I actually cannot believe this. The CGI monkey Robbie Williams film is my number one. I feel half mad. But you know what? It was beyond my wildest expectations and I hope everyone gives it a go. The use of a CGI figure to ease the telling of a story tackling themes of addiction, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts is a little ingenious. It's a musical biopic and somehow managed to chase all the Wicked songs out of my brain, suddenly leaving me with 'Rock DJ' and 'Come Undone' instead. It's a pretty raw and honest film, there's a lot of sincerity to go in hand with the creativity. I sat there with tears streaming down my face on Christmas Day watching this, it was a really perfect moment. Watch for his performance of 'Angels', I saw it twice for that alone. I want to go again...

Check out my review of Better Man!

It was wonderful to have some really strong, emotional heavy-hitters in the top five this year. I'm also so surprised and delighted that the musical genre made a comeback. It's a tough one to nail; but when it does, you're in for a treat. Now let me hit you with some films that were decidedly not treats. My bottom five...

The Worst:

5. The Beekeeper - 3/10

This was the second film I watched in 2024 and I predicted back then it would be bottom five, here we are. The Beekeeper is yet another clunky, shallow action film about a man with a shadowy past - an organization with agents so tough and deadly they operate "outside the system". But not to worry, he's retired. He's off the grid. He's a beekeeper. What could possibly bring him out of retirement? An elderly woman being scammed over the phone. Cue an hour-and-a-half action montage that is riddled with easy sequences and bee puns. Seriously, the big line of the final act is "to bee or not to be". Jason Statham was on my bottom five last year with The Meg 2, here's to 2025 I guess.

Check out my The Beekeeper review!

4. Venom: The Last Dance - 2/10

Man, I have hated the Sony Marvel spinoff films. They made a perfectly alright blockbuster with the first Venom and ever since we have been off the rails. In 2024, there were three Sony Marvel films of note, none of which were very good: Kraven the Hunter, Madame Web and of course, Venom: The Last Dance. This was the big send-off to Tom Hardy's titular role, the end of the trilogy and it felt remarkably hollow. This is perhaps the worst long-running project Hardy has attached himself to and it is hard to feel anything as he stumbles towards the Statue of Liberty to the tune of Maroon 5 at the end. This is a threequel that banks everything it has on setting up an antagonist we barely see, and who likely won't be used by Sony in the next five years. A strong reminder that just because you can make a superhero blockbuster, doesn't mean it's going to be a hit.

Check out my Venom: The Last Dance review!

3. Argylle - 2/10

Matthew Vaughn used to be one of my favourite directors, he made one of my favourite X-Men films and Kingsman is acclaimed for a reason. However, while his style is all over this, the film itself is a bit of a mess. This is a film that just tries to do too much and could have been done with a bit of simplicity. It has a nice concept in an author being pulled into her fantasy world, but then it balloons into much more than that. This film doesn't stop adding plot twist after plot twist, developing a thoroughly tedious and slow-paced narrative. There is a whole cast of 'book characters' acting out their scenes, which leads nowhere and the sleeper secret agent story is a hard sell at every point of the journey. I say again, I love Matthew Vaughn. But we didn't need Argylle in the state it's in, and we certainly didn't need it to be a set-up for yet another Kingsman property.

Check out my Argylle review!

2. Trigger Warning - 2/10

Was this supposed to be a Jessica Alba comeback vehicle? Her John Wick? It feels like the low budget, poorly written Netflix exclusive action film that it is. Alba plays a remarkably bland character who goes through no change in this film and takes a beating before killing the antagonists. The whole film never really settles on what it wants to be. It starts out with a military focus but this is more to just establish Parker can 'fight'. It seriously sets itself up to be a murder mystery but doesn't lean on this too well either. Even the love triangle at play here is entirely unnecessary and not very well realised. As a whole this is a script that it feels like someone wrote over a week and got pretty proud of, yet it is riddled with factually incorrect material, exposition galore and the dullest action protagonist of 2024.

Check out my review of Trigger Warning!

1. Borderlands - 0.5/10

When I wrote my review for this film I called it soulless, and I damn well meant it. I don't think I have ever given out a 0.5 on my blog before and this is the sort of worthless blockbuster that does everything it can to earn it. I don't know what Eli Roth has going for him as a style, but going off this you might consider the worst implementation of CGI in a major motion picture, the inability to film action and the most obvious display of sound staging I've seen in recent years. I couldn't tell you who this film is for, I can barely tell you anything about the film between the minutes-long narration and third-act flashback sequences. Newcomers are going to be a bit lost if you don't know anything about Borderlands as a series in the first place, while fans are going to recognise barely anything beyond a base aesthetic. The internet tore the casting to shreds before this film came out and I patiently waited, expecting some of the talent in that line-up to prove people wrong. But this was not the sort of movie that actors shone despite, this movie sucked performers in and spat them out. When I say this was the year in which blockbusters really took a back seat I can think of no better example than this waste of time.

Check out my Borderlands review!

So another year comes to an end! I'm really looking forward to 2025, and know that the January line-up is already packed with some exciting features. To see where all the films I watched placed this year, I have them ranked below:

1. Better Man – 9/10
2. Wicked – 9/10
3. Deadpool and Wolverine – 9/10
4. Challengers – 8.5/10
5. The Iron Claw – 8.5/10
6. A Quiet Place: Day One – 8.5/10
7. The Wild Robot – 8.5/10
8. Love Lies Bleeding – 8/10
9. The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan – 8/10
10. The Three Musketeers: Milady – 8/10
11. Speak No Evil – 8/10
12. Transformers One – 8/10
13. Alien: Romulus – 8/10
14. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – 8/10
15. The Bikeriders – 8/10
16. Sonic The Hedgehog 3 – 8/10
17. The Critic – 8/10
18. Moana 2 – 8/10
19. Blink Twice – 7.5/10
20. Spaceman – 7.5/10
21. Boy Kills World – 7.5/10
22. The Fall Guy – 7.5/10
23. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire – 7.5/10
24. Am I Ok? – 7.5/10
25. Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes – 7/10
26. Civil War – 7/10
27. Dune: Part Two – 6.5/10
28. Freud’s Last Session -6.5/10
29. Gladiator II – 6.5/10
30. Mean Girls – 6.5/10
31. The Substance – 6.5/10
32. Ferrari – 6/10
33. The Convert – 6/10
34. Kinds Of Kindness – 6/10
35. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim – 6/10
36. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – 6/10
37. Longlegs – 5.5/10
38. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – 5.5/10
39. I Saw The TV Glow – 5.5/10
40. A Mistake – 5.5/10
41. Red One – 5.5/10
42. Bad Boys: Ride Or Die – 4.5/10
43. The Watchers – 4.5/10
44. Damsel – 4.5/10
45. The Crow – 4.5/10
46. Woman Of The Hour – 4.5/10
47. Force Of Nature: The Dry 2 – 4/10
48. Trap – 4/10
49. IF – 4/10
50. Mea Culpa – 4/10
51. Joker: Folie à Deux – 3.5/10
52. Kraven The Hunter – 3.5/10
53. The Problem With People – 3.5/10
54. Madame Web – 3/10
55. The Beekeeper – 3/10
56. Venom: The Last Dance – 2/10
57. Argylle 2/10
58. Trigger Warning – 2/10
59. Borderlands – 0.5/10