Two Witches Take an Unlikely Friendship Towards Destiny

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in "Wicked"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

In 1995, author Gregory Maguire wrote the first novel in his “Wicked Years” series, “Wicked,” which told the story of the early life of the “Wonderful Wizard of Oz” main villain, the Wicked Witch of the West.  Filled with elements both fantastical and political, the novel delivered a detailed backstory to one of children literature’s most enduring classics, albeit with more of an adult audience in mind.

Then, in 2003, playwright Winnie Holzman brought Maguire’s story to the Broadway stage with music and lyrics from the legendary Stephen Schwartz.  With eye-popping sets, colorful costumes, iconic songs, and an engaging friendship at the center of the story, it’s not hard to figure out why the show has lasted for as long as it has.  To this day, it’s the only Broadway musical that I’ve seen twice.

Now, 21 years later, “Wicked” comes to the big screen with part one of a two-part adaptation.  Boasted by exuberant direction from Jon M. Chu, lavish technical achievements, and a perfect duo of lead performances, “Wicked: Part One” gives the long-running musical the cinematic treatment that such an epic, humorous, and emotional story deserves.

Before the events of “The Wizard of Oz,” the Wicked Witch of the West was just Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo), a student enrolled at the prestigious Shiz University.  While there, she meets Glinda Upland (Ariana Grande), who’ll later become the Good Witch of the North.  While they couldn’t be more different at the start, the two eventually develop a friendship that will put them on a course towards a fate that neither could’ve imagined.

Erivo delivers a beautiful performance as Elphaba, exhibiting someone who has gone through her whole life being ridiculed for circumstances beyond her control, but showing an ability to let the gawking and insults roll off of her and know how to handle the derision.  She brings out someone who knows what she’s capable of during her joyous rendition of “The Wizard and I,” but is also aware of her limitations with the quietly sad “I’m Not That Girl.”  There’s a hopefulness and poignancy that Erivo brings to her character that presents Elphaba as someone who wants to find her place in the world, a world that seems to not want anything to do with her.  With that, Erivo masters Elphaba’s emotional evolution that culminates in her triumphant rendition of the film’s closing song, “Defying Gravity,” a sequence that perfectly sets the stage for what’s to come for Erivo’s turn as the Wicked Witch of the West. 

For Grande as Glinda, there couldn’t have been a better choice for someone who can exhibit the bubbly, queen-bee persona of this character.  Grande delivers one of the most fun performances of the year, portraying someone who’s the total opposite of her co-lead.  She floats and gently glides through her performance, bursting with life and relishing the chance to bring this character to the big screen.  With her character’s signature scene being when she sings “Popular” in trying to give Elphaba a makeover, you see the absolute charm and humor that Grande brings to her portrayal of Glinda, showing an actress who’s having an absolute ball with a role that’s a perfect match of actress and character.  In the middle of all of Glinda’s pep, Grande also instills moments of warmth and understanding with her character as she starts to bond with Elphaba, adding some true emotion to Glinda that will have a significant impact in the second film.

As a leading pair, Erivo and Grande dig into the wit of their characters’ initial opposition, such as in the musical number “What Is This Feeling?,” and the dramatic apex of their arc with “Defying Gravity.”  Both actresses portray their characters to full emotional and comedic heights that create a tremendous dynamic that pairs well with the grandness of the sets and visual effects that we see on screen.  Between their talents in singing and acting, Erivo and Grande make every moment of their shared screen time soar as they transition from bitter enemies to best friends.

Jonathan Bailey, who plays Prince Fiyero Tigelaar, a transfer student and love interest of Glinda, brings an abundance of suaveness to his role.  In his song, “Dancing Through Life,” Bailey is the very definition of the life of the party as he encourages his fellow classmates to toss away all of their cares and instead have a night of revelry at the bustling Ozdust Ballroom.

Other entertaining supporting performances include Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, the Dean of Sorcery at Shiz; Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz; Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Elphaba’s little sister; Ethan Slater as Boq Woodsman, a Munchkin and Shiz student who’s in love with Glinda; and Peter Dinklage as the voice of Dr. Dillamomd, a talking goat who’s a history professor at Shiz.  All of these cast members inhibit the humor and/or drama that their characters need, adding their own little bit of color to a movie that’s already overflowing with it.

The screenplay by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox captures the strong character dynamics just as in-depth as the show and the novel.  While Maguire’s book goes deeper into the social and political problems facing Oz compared to the Broadway adaptation, Holzman and Fox’s script maintains the show’s balance between the “Wizard of Oz” sense of whimsy and the darker themes of the novel, without having the latter feel like it’s been watered down, thereby crafting a story that could be appreciated by both children and adults.  Despite the movie being two and half hours, which is just about the length of the full Broadway show, the runtime is more than justified.  It allows us to take in the world of Shiz University and Oz and the characters that inhabit those settings, while also further exploring the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda, which will face bigger challenges in part two.  

Chu, who directed the film adaptations of the Broadway musical “In the Heights” and the novel “Crazy Rich Asians,” knows how to utilize expansive sets and colorful visuals to immerse his audiences in his storytelling.  Just as he did with “In the Heights,” Chu shows his talents for filming complex musical sequences, this time using sets that are even more intricate and working well with special effects to bring Shiz and Oz to its full vibrancy.  Right from the opening scene of “No One Mourns the Wicked,” it’s clear that Chu is going to capture the full cinematic potential of this musical.  He re-teams with “In the Heights” cinematographer and editor, Alice Brooks and Myron Kerstein, respectively, to create song-and-dance sequences that deliver on the drama and spectacle of the Broadway show.  Each musical number is made with the utmost care to make it come alive on screen, ensuring that people who have experienced this story on Broadway will feel like they’re seeing the show again for the first time.

Chu and his accomplished cast and crew have gifted us a superb musical that will surely amp up the excitement for part two, “Wicked: For Good,” which is scheduled for release on November 21, 2025.  With the “Wizard of Oz” stories that have been told through books, film, and Broadway, “Wicked: Part One” now has a place in a legacy that’s as long as the yellow brick road.

Grade: A

Without Words, a Universal Message

"Flow"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

When it comes to animation, presenting a story without dialogue can make it that much more impactful.  While it doesn’t happen that much these days, we’ve had some superb examples of wordless storytelling over the last couple of decades in the animation genre.  In the moments when animation deals with non-human characters, it’s easier to give yourself over to such a story that’s told in that form of the medium, as it somehow seems to fit.  Walt Disney Feature Animation did this with the opening sequence of “Dinosaur”; Pixar has done it with their animated shorts and the opening third of “WALL-E”; and, a few months ago, we got the latest example with writer-director Pablo Berger’s masterful “Robot Dreams,” an animated feature that didn’t have any dialogue, but was able to convey a humorous and poignant story nonetheless.  It was the latest testament to what animation can do with just the power of its images.

Now, Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis accomplishes such a storytelling feat with his film “Flow.”  Bringing us wonderful animation and a beautiful narrative about survival, Zilbalodis delivers one of the best films of the year and THE best animated film of the year.

In a world that’s in ruins from an environmental disaster, a black cat, a Labrador Retriever, a capybara, a secretary bird, and a ring-tailed lemur try to stay alive as they traverse dangerous terrains.

Since there isn’t any dialogue, the animators did superb work in making the animals as expressive as possible.  Through the use of actual animalistic noises (which were recorded by sound designer Gurwal Coïc-Gallas) and the way the characters interact with each other, both in subtle and direct ways, you can see what’s going through their minds as they attempt to navigate a world that poses several deadly threats.  Without the animals talking, we’re encouraged to pay even closer attention to them as we watch and analyze their body language in the quieter moments and the bond between the five of them deepens.

The screenplay by Zilbalodis and Matīss Kaža may seem simple on the surface, but they offer many layers to a story about these unlikely friends and what they do to survive.  Every scene brings a new danger or a new character, leaving you absorbed in how this adventure will unfold.  With the story taking place in an unspecified country, this allows for the screenwriters to include animals from different parts of the world and incorporate a universality to the film’s message by having these species group together.  There are so many things that the writers allow us to read into and ponder the meaning of, leaving it solely up to the images instead of dialogue to get their points across, and the screenplay is all the more meaningful for it because of the chance to let us meditate on everything.

As a director, Zilbalodis makes sure that his animation stands out from what we usually see these days.  While most animated films typically use the most up-to-date 3D computer animation, this movie was constructed on an open-source software program called Blender.  The animals and environments are three-dimensional, but not in the glossy way that we see in most modern animation, but that’s not a complaint.  What we do see is something that shows you what can be done in animation without the biggest and brightest tools.  Here, we see the hard work that went into putting this movie entirely on the software.  The way in which Zilbalodis creates the visuals sweeps us away every bit as much as what you would see in any Pixar movie.  Between the movements of the animals and the details of the environments through which they travel, Zilbalodis keeps viewers invested in the adventure as we travel through forests, sail on rising waters, and visit crumbling civilizations.  During the film, Zilbalodis employs many single takes as he brings us across the different terrains of the film, allowing us to feel absorbed in the settings as we walk, run, swim, and fly with the characters.  Through all of this, he maintains an enchanting, yet tense tone that has us entertained by this unlikely fellowship, but also fearing for their survival.

Through its engaging visuals and minimalist, yet impactful sorry, “Flow” is a wordless movie that speaks volumes.

Grade: A

More Than Two Decades Later, Ridley Scott Takes Us Back to the Arena

Paul Mescal in "Gladiator II"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

In 2000, director Ridley Scott gave moviegoers a brutal and emotional historical epic with “Gladiator,” starring Russell Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius, a general-turned-gladiator who fights to avenge his family’s death.  This was made-for-the-big-screen filmmaking for which Scott had become known, and with a powerful lead performance, a sweeping story, and intense battle scenes, Scott delivered one of the most iconic movies of the 2000s and remains one of his most notable.

Now, nearly a quarter of a century later, Scott brings us back to Rome with his long-gestating sequel, “Gladiator II.”  Despite some good performances and the director’s knack for mammoth cinema being very much on full display, this continuation comes up fairly short of Scott’s enduring modern classic.

Sixteen years after the death of Marcus Aurelius, his grandson, Lucius Verus Aurelius (Paul Mescal), has been living in the North African kingdom of Numidia after his home was invaded.  Following a defeat in battle, Lucius is enslaved and taken as a slave to flight as a gladiator in Rome, which is ruled by the tyrannical twin emperors, Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger).

While it’s difficult to perform in the shadow left by Crowe, Mescal does what he can to provide a performance of grit as someone who’s forced to fight for his freedom.  He has the physicality that Crowe brought to his role as Maximus, showing a commitment to performing the ferocity of the gladiatorial fights and exhibiting a spirit built on valor that’s needed in order to survive.  As Mescal has shown in movies like “God’s Creatures,” “Aftersun,” and “All of Us Strangers,” he’s proven to be a capable dramatic actor, and when the story gives him a little bit of depth with which to work, his talent shines through.

Just like Mescal, even though there’s not much to the characters on the page, the supporting performers still try to make something out of what’s given to them.  There’s Denzel Washington, who brings his infallible charisma as Macrinus, Lucius’ mentor; Pedro Pascal as Acacius, a conflicted army general; Connie Nielsen returns as Lucius’ mother, Lucilla, who tries to maintain her strength in the middle of arduous political strife; Quinn and Hechinger as bloodthirsty rulers; and Alexander Karim as Ravi, a gladiator-turned-doctor for wounded fighters.

The screenplay by David Scarpa offers some enticing political intrigue that adds a little bit of depth to the characters, but for several of them, you really don’t feel like you get to learn much about them that sticks out.  With the first “Gladiator,” you spent much of the first third getting to know the characters after the opening battle sequence and before Maximus gets enslaved as a gladiator.  Here, the narrative goes into the gladiatorial fights not long after the film’s big opening, as if assuming the viewers will be impatient to get to that aspect of the story.

Even though none of the character arcs are fleshed out, and without giving away plot details, it’s clear that the one involving Acacius and Lucilla had the most potential and should’ve been the main plot of the story, instead of the movie trying to follow a lot of the same beats as the first film.  When you have a big-scale historical epic such as this, you need characters who are as grand and layered as the setting they inhabit, and what we saw in that in terms of the 2000 film unfortunately doesn’t carry over to this film.  Given the 24-year wait for this sequel, we should’ve had a story worthy of the wait, one that can match the emotional impact of the original.  Unfortunately, that part of the original’s magic is missing.

Ever since the original “Gladiator,” Scott continued with a string of epics like “Kingdom of Heaven,” “Robin Hood,” “Exodus: Gods and Kings,” “The Last Duel,” and last year’s “Napoleon.”  While the quality amongst these films was very inconsistent, it’s hard to deny the work ethic that Scott exhibits in bringing these stories to life.  Despite some very shaky visual effects throughout “Gladiator II,” Scott still brings out the craftsmanship that we’ve come to expect from him.  Assisting with this is John Mathieson, who has provided the cinematography for several of Scott’s films, including the original “Gladiator” (which was his first collaboration with the director) and offers his typically grand camerawork to transport us away back to this era.  Scott and Mathieson do well with the grand views of battle in the opening sequence, while also delivering imposing, yet stunning views from inside the Colosseum.  Even though the story is the weakest part of the film, the movie is somewhat redeemed by the thrilling, epic-scale imagery of the gladiatorial fights.  Mathieson has worked with Scott for over two decades, and it’s clear that  they still have a strong partnership when it comes to making their technical ambitions evident on screen.

Scott remains one of today’s notable big-name directors, so it’s easy to understand the irresistible feeling of wanting to see a long-awaited sequel to one of his most popular films.  It has its ups and downs, and while the emperor gives his thumbs up or down to determine the fate of a gladiator, you’ll probably find yourself bringing it halfway.

Grade: B-

In a Strange House, a Test of Faith

Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, and Chloe East 
in "Heretic"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Many classic horror films have dealt with religion in one way or another.  Whether it’s classics like “The Exorcist,” “Rosemary’s Baby,” and “The Omen,” or modern examples like “The First Omen,” “Immaculate,” or “The Vigil,” the genre has tackled this subject in fascinating ways that have shown how the characters view their faith and how their beliefs play into the wider scope of the different horror narratives.  These movies have had an impact because of how much religion plays into the everyday lives of countless people.

Writers-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods have now made their stamp on religion-themed scares with their psychological-horror thriller, “Heretic.”  Boasting a devilish lead performance, a thought-provoking story, and an enticing setup, Beck and Woods bring us a horror film that delivers on emotion, smarts, and chills.

Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) are Mormon missionaries trying to look for new converts.  On one of their outings, they visit the house of Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), an enigmatic, yet seemingly kind individual.  However, Barnes and Paxton soon realize he has trapped them in a dangerous game, one that will test just how strong their beliefs really are.

While we saw Grant go against his good-guy type and play a humorous villain in “Paddington 2,” he maintains some of his usual bumbling wit near the beginning of this film, only to go somewhere deeper on the spectrum of villainy this time around.  Here, he portrays an individual who has an unsettlingly affable and very calculated way of presenting himself as he tries to keep Sisters Barnes and Paxton ensnared in his trap.  You can see him absorbing the situation as the Sisters enter his house and he plans what comes next, and Grant’s disquieting performance always keeps you on edge as you watch him make the steady shift from his familiar Hugh Grant-persona to something more on the malevolent side.  All of this makes for one of the year’s finest performances as Grant’s sense of menace grows stronger and his character brings the Sisters deeper into his game.  For someone who almost always portrays nice-guy characters, Grant looks like he’s relishing this opportunity to slowly shed the charming persona we’ve come to know through decades of him being in romantic comedies.  Grant will certainly make a believer out of you with what he can do when portraying a villainous character, and I can’t wait to see in which genre he does this next.

Thatcher and East have terrific chemistry as they show a believable naïveté as they walk into what seems like a benign situation.  When they become more and more aware of what’s happening, Thatcher and East are engaging to watch as they try to take in their surroundings and be on their guard for what Mr. Reed might have planned for them.  They provide great work in exhibiting how they try to understand this danger that breaks their sheltered view of the world, and Thatcher and East show a thrilling increase in prowess and resilience as they try to beat Mr. Reed at his own game.

The screenplay by Beck and Woods creates a slow-burn story that’s all the more nerve-racking because you wait to see what kind of move Mr. Reed will spring next.  While this movie is a great horror story, it’s also an intriguing and in-depth view of the characters, with each section of the movie revealing things about them that drive the next section of the film.  There’s a good deal of the runtime that’s dedicated to the immersive dialogue, but the tension never falters because of how well the narrative constructs a scenario that has the characters question their beliefs.  Aside from this, the narrative boasts a clever setup of different parts of the house acting as figurative states of living, being in purgatory, and being dead, and it offers fascinating viewing to see how the faith of the characters plays into each section.

Beck and Woods created unbearably tense situations as writers on the first “Quiet Place” movie, and as directors, they translate that screenplay talent when taking the directorial reins of “Heretic.”  With just a limited cast and location, they’re able to maintain the apprehension throughout as we’re placed in close quarters with the characters, having us experience the layers of the discussions that the characters have, while also giving us an unease of being trapped with a stranger.  For this sense of closeness and claustrophobia, Beck and Woods get help from cinematography by Chung Chung-hoon.  In terms of lensing the interiors of an odd house, his talents come through, calling to mind how memorably he photographed the Neibolt house set-piece in “It: Chapter One.”  Here, he captures the details by framing the sections of the house in such a way that encourages us to move our eyes across the screen to take in every detail and figure out what it means in the overall scheme of Mr. Reed’s treacherous game.  He employs a slow and smooth camera that eases us into the situation and maintains such movements to keep that simmer going as you remain on the lookout for clever visual clues.

2024 has had its share of superb original horror films, like “The Substance,” “Oddity,” “Longlegs,” and “Late Night with the Devil.”  Now, “Heretic” can easily join their company.  With this film, Beck and Woods show that they can be a great filmmaking pair when contributing to the intelligent horror that we pray for.

Grade: A

Across a Vast Distance, an Unbreakable Sibling Bond

From left: Grace Pudel (Sarah Snook), Percy 
Pudel (Dominique Pinon), and Gilbert Pudel
(Kodi Smit-McPhee) in "Memoir of a Snail"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

When it comes to animated films, it seems like most of those that come from American studios these days are films from established properties.  Although some of those movies can be great, such as last year’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” there’s something about seeing an original animated film because of how that format of storytelling can allow a filmmaker’s imagination to run wild in the story and characters that they create.  A lot of times these days, if you want to see something truly original in terms of animated films, it’s best to look overseas and see what kinds of narratives those filmmakers have to offer. 

One of the latest international animated films to be released hails from Australia with writer-director Adam Elliot’s stop-motion tragicomedy, “Memoir of a Snail.”  With wonderful voice performances, a beautiful and poignant story, and visuals that bring Elliot’s ideas to full effect, this is an animated world in which you can lose yourself.

In 1970s Melbourne, Grace Pudel (Sarah Snook) and Gilbert Pudel (Kodi Smit-McPhee) are twins who are inseparable.  However, following the deaths of their parents, they’re sent to different foster families at opposite ends of the continent.  As the years go on and the hardships never seem to end, they’ll try to get by with the hope that they’ll see each other again.

Snook and McPhee have superb chemistry as siblings whose love for each other transcends the vast distances that are placed on them.  You can feel the everlasting bond in their voices as they miss each other more and more over the years.  There’s a sadness to both of them when they continue to lose time that they could’ve spent together, but there’s also a resilience within them as they face many challenges that threaten to crush their spirits, which gives them the strength they need to make their reunion possible.  There’s so much emotion and warmth that Snook and McPhee put into their performances, and the power that they give to their work in this film won’t leave you anything less than absorbed in their journey that shows how strong the connection between siblings can be.

While the film has several good supporting performances, the standout is Jacki Weaver as Pinky, a neighbor of Grace’s who befriends her.  Weaver exhibits a lot of wisdom in the voice that she gives her character, displaying someone who has been around the world and has seen it all.  Pinky is a joyful character throughout the film who’s always there to give Grace the help that she needs to make her day-to-day life more bearable.  Weaver instills Pinky with a personality that’s humorous and loving, giving the viewer a sense of reprieve from the difficulties that Grace encounters.

The screenplay by Elliot provides a dark, fanciful Roald Dahl-esque story that invests you in the characters and the unfortunate situation in which they find themselves.  It’s a narrative that’s imaginative, witty, heartbreaking, and uplifting, bringing audiences into a bittersweet fairy-tale that captures what it means to be a sibling.  As Elliot goes through the story, he tackles themes concerning the cages that are thrust upon us from outside forces vs. the ones that we set up ourselves, while also focusing on what it means to be hurt by the things that tend to give us comfort.  Through these themes, we get to learn the emotional depths of Grace and Gilbert, with Elliot instilling small, clever details throughout the film that emphasize the different aspects that go into their personalities.  Elliot creates engaging story threads for each of the two main characters, ensuring that both will keep you immersed in the poignant drama as the narrative brings you back and forth between the siblings.  While most of the film obviously unfolds after the death of Grace and Gilbert’s parents, Elliot offers plenty of insight into what their life was like beforehand, a life that was tough, but had a lot of love.  By showing this, we’re able to have a greater sense of the loss that they face once they become separated.

As a director, Elliot constructs beautifully strange visuals that transport you to the lives of the characters both before and after the inciting event.  While maintaining a tone that deftly mixes wit and heartache, Elliot highlights that blend of sensibilities to bring us imagery that dances between whimsical and dour, and the wonderful score from Elena Kats-Chernin helps emphasize the sense of wonder that’ll you experience during the movie.  There’s a richness in Elliot's animation that offers so much for us to look at and get a better understanding of his distinct vision of Australia.  The pain-staking detail that Elliot brings to the images matches what he brings to the film in terms of the screenplay, showing a filmmaker who does what he can to make sure the viewer is immersed in this journey from beginning to end.

Within a deep story about the power of the familial connections that sustain us, “Memoir of a Snail” captures what it means to be closed in, only then to finally break free.

Grade: A

A Love Story Between Two Classes

Mark Eydelshteyn and Mikey Madison in "Anora"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

We’ve all seen stories like those, stories about two people who fall in love from different worlds, despite the restrictions that their social and economic stations have on them.  Given how long this type of narrative has existed, there’s a template that such stories follow, and we know where they’ll end up before the credits roll.  Despite the familiarity that we’ve come to expect, there are some cases where we’re not taken along the route that we expect, and this can make the story all the more impactful because of how much it tries to be more truthful to life.

Writer-director Sean Baker accomplishes this for his romantic comedy-drama, “Anora.”  It’s a love story unlike any that you’ve seen in a long time, one that washes over you with its zeal, laughs, emotion, and electric lead performance.

Anora (Mikey Madison) is an exotic dancer at an upscale Manhattan strip club.  When she meets the son of a Russian oligarch, Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), the two begin a relationship and get married soon after.  When Ivan’s parents threaten to travel from Russia to get the marriage annulled, Anora and Ivan face increasing complications that put their love in jeopardy.

Madison jolts the screen to life with her star-making performance that shows both her character’s strength and vulnerability.  There’s so much vigor to her character as she makes it through the rough patches of her day-to-day life, showing someone who seems to roll with the punches and try to keep her tough exterior intact.  Madison’s commitment to her character does excellent work in absorbing you in Anora’s life, offering a chance to get to know her as she steps into a life of luxury and then has to hold onto it and make that happiness last as long as possible.  Madison provides Anora with the type of streetwise grit where she’s not afraid to take control of a situation and stand up to those who get in her way.  This is a performance that comes with humor, joy, sadness, tension, and so much else, and Madison does whatever she can to make sure that you’ll remember her, whether it be in the heart-to-heart talks between her and Ivan or the chaotic highs into which she ventures later in the story.

The film comes with several performances from actors who may be unfamiliar to American audiences, but they leave an impact nonetheless in how much they inhabit their characters.  Eydelshteyn is terrific as a throws-his-money-around individual who never seems to grow up; Karren Karagulian is a lot of fun to watch as Toros, Ivan’s handler who tries to do his best to maintain the film’s increasingly messy situation; and Vache Tovmasyan and Yura Borisov as Garnick and Igor, respectively, Toros’ two henchmen, the latter of whom delivers one of the film’s most surprising performances in terms of where his arc goes.

All five of these performances coalesce incredibly well throughout the movie as everything unravels and they go further into disorder.  The way in which the cast members bounce off of each other to bring as much vivacity as possible to every scene is what makes this one of the finest casts of the year.  This is especially true in the movie’s tense, nearly-half-hour home-invasion scene where everyone gives whatever they can to the craziness of the sequence, all of which sets the unpredictable tone for the second hour of the film.

The screenplay from Baker takes a simple template and creates something invigorating, making a story that’s both a complex romance and a fast-paced thriller.  While most of the first half of the movie is a wonderful look at the main character and what could be her first real shot at love, it soon goes into a wild ride that takes you around New York City as Anora’s relationship meets one hurdle after another.  In the middle of the narrative’s kinetic location-hoping, we have a view of Anora and how other people see her, offering a depth to her character as she tries to have people see that she’s more than what they assume.   

With this movie’s NYC settings, as well as a segment that takes place in Las Vegas, Baker makes sure to capture their sights with cinematography by Drew Daniels.  Throughout the film, Daniels uses handheld camerawork to have us feel the energy that the characters experience, while also utilizing immersive long takes that allow for dialogues and emotions to unfold, a method that’s the most impactful in the movie’s final scene, which helps it become one of the best endings of the year.  Between Daniels’ photography and Baker’s screenplay and direction, the movie has the haywire energy of NYC-based movies, like Josh and Bennie Safdie’s “Uncut Gems” and “Good Time," with characters talking over each, being on the move for most of the time, and being followed by a dynamic camera that manages to keep up with the action.

It’s always exciting to see a filmmaker upend a certain type of story that has made its foundations through countless movies, and with what Baker does to the girl-meets-boy structure in “Anora,” you’re in for something that breaks those rules and creates a bold and exciting whirlwind of a romance.

Grade: A

In the Vatican, an Election with Several Possible Outcomes

Ralph Fiennes in "Conclave"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

In 2022, director Edward Berger delivered a harrowing war epic with his remake of “All Quiet on the Western Front.”  Using a sprawling scale of the battlefields and trenches to bring us the horrors of war, Berger visualized a story of the tensions and bloodshed of which men are capable under the most dire of circumstances.  It was an emotional and ambitious movie that had me looking forward to what Berger would bring us next.

With his latest film, Berger deals with tensions amongst men on a smaller scale, yet one that impacts the world, nonetheless, in his mystery-thriller, “Conclave,” which boasts a quiet, yet galvanizing lead performance, tense direction, and a story that’ll have you leaning forward at each twist and turn.

When the pope passes away, the Vatican is in a race to install a new leader for the Catholic Church.  Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is put in charge to lead the conclave to choose the next pope.  As the election unfolds, he deals with candidates who want the position more than anything, as well as the secrets that some of them are hiding.

Fiennes delivers one of the best performances of his career as a man tasked with finding a leader.  He brings out his character’s sense of duty, but also shows the burden of having such an assignment.  Fiennes displays the gravity of what this task entails, presenting his character’s views of what such a decision means for both the church and the world.  This is a performance that thrives on how subdued it is, with Fiennes bringing forth a man of faith who’s also bothered by some questions that he has for the church that he serves.  His work in this film is superb throughout, but one of his most memorable scenes is one at the beginning of the voting process where he gives opening remarks about faith and uncertainty.  It’s a speech that captures his character’s viewpoints, all of which have complexities added to them when he doesn’t want the papacy himself, despite thinking that those best fit for power are those who don’t seek it.  It’s a fascinating depth that this role carries, and Fiennes is absolutely magnetic with how he grips your attention as you anticipate the decisions that Cardinal Lawrence will make.

Backing up Fiennes are some superb supporting performances from Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, Lucien Msamati, and Carlos Diehz as cardinals who are in the running to be the next pope, and Isabella Rossellini as a Sister and the cardinal’s head housekeeper.  All of these cast members add their own bit of intrigue in the way that they approach their characters, having you wonder who’s hiding what secrets and what it’ll mean for the conclave as it commences.

The screenplay by Peter Straughan, which is based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris, offers a tantalizing mystery that gets you hooked from the first scene.  From there, like all great film puzzles, it doles out details little by little as we become more wrapped up in the goings-on behind the Vatican’s walls.  The narrative is populated with characters who have their own goals for who they want to be in the church and what they want the church to be, and it’s never anything less than intriguing to see these clashes of views as the pool for the papacy successors becomes shallower.  All of this leads up to one of the most surprising conclusions I’ve seen in a movie recently.  “Conclave” is one of those occasions where I’m glad I didn’t read the book first because the last 10 minutes had the people at my screening murmuring in surprise with what it reveals, offering an electrifying experience of communal discovery that feels rare these days with theatrical releases.

Just as Berger did with the vast settings of “Western Front,” he’s able to bring us the fullest details of the more enclosed settings of the Vatican, giving off a strong sense of intrigue as we try to guess what’s going on within.  To accomplish this, he collaborates with cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine, who works on a level that he did with his work on Pablo Larraín’s 2016 film, “Jackie.”  Similar to how Fontaine gave us a look into the inner layers of the White House for that historical drama, he does the same with the Vatican in “Conclave.”  Fontaine not only has a talent for photographing places where people in high positions of power operate, but also when these places are in a period of transition.  With the pairing of Berger and Fontaine, they pull back the curtain on areas that many don’t get to see in real life, taking us through the courtyards, hallways, and private rooms of the Vatican.  Whether we’re in a scene with a character alone in a room finding out a secret, or a scene with many characters where there’s voting taking place, Berger maintains the thrills of the story no matter where he takes us on the Vatican grounds.  Helping to highlight these thrills is composer Volker Bertelmann, who worked with Berger on “Western Front,” and here, he provides music that emphasizes stringed instruments to maximum effect to have us feel the tightly-wound tension and weight of what’s happening around the characters.

“Conclave” is the type of fast-paced thriller that offers an equal abundance of suspense and narrative depth that cements this as one of the best films of the year.  While Cardinal Lawrence holds uncertainty as a virtue, you’re certain to be enthralled with this captivating mystery.

Grade: A