The Old Man (Season Two on FX) * *

 

Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Lithgow, Alia Shawkat, Amy Brenneman, Joel Grey, Navid Negahban

The first season of The Old Man was terrific.  It told the story of former CIA operative Dan Chase (Bridges), who is forced out of hiding by assassins working for an Afghan warlord Faraz Hamzad (Neghban) looking for personal payback.  It turns out Dan fled Afghanistan with the warlord's wife and baby daughter Parwana, who grew up believing she was Dan's biological child.  The mother passed away and Parwana (Shawkat) goes by the name Abby Chase but also Angela Adams when she is working for the FBI under Harold Harper (Lithgow), who aided Chase in smuggling Hamzad's family out.  

The finale of season one saw Parwana/Angela/Abby kidnapped successfully by Hamzad and brought to his village where he controls a lucrative lithium mine in Afghanistan.  Parwana doesn't put up much of a fight in her acceptance of the villainous Hamzad and her family she never met.  Soon, Parwana's concern for her family outweighs her loyalty to Dan and Harold as they travel to Afghanistan to rescue her.   The first season's complicated history between Dan and Harold was in the forefront and it crackled.  In the second season, they bicker like Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in Grumpy Old Men, but that is the depth of their relationship. 

Season two meanders often, with Dan and Harold trying to save Parwana (who isn't exactly jumping for joy at the prospect of being saved), and then uncovering a conspiracy involving Russians trying to usurp control of the mine and wipe out the villagers.   This involves a visit to their mentor Morgan Bote (Grey), who is pulling the strings behind the scenes, although how he is doing so isn't fully explained.  Morgan has Dan's lady friend Zoe (Brennaman) with him when Dan and Harold drop in.  Was she kidnapped?  Did she go willingly?  There is no explanation on that either. 

Bridges and Lithgow shine even if the plot and subplots weigh them down.  I feel Lithgow is the heart of the show, acting as Dan's conscience while seemingly one step behind the plot as we are.  Harper halfway still believes in institutions like the FBI and CIA, even while seeing their handiwork firsthand.  The first three episodes drag, with endless dialogue and Parwana's monologues about how she found what was missing from her in Afghanistan.   Things perk up occasionally after that, and who knew being kidnapped could be such a positive experience?  

 

Conclave (2024) * * *

 

Directed by:  Edward Berger

Starring:  Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini, Carlos Diehz, Sergio Castellitto, Lucian Msamati

You wouldn't expect the conclave to elect a new pope would be the backdrop for a suspenseful thriller, but Conclave operates quite well within those parameters.  In the opening scenes of Conclave, the pope is on his deathbed and surrounded by the cardinals who aspire to take his place.  Among them is Dean Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Fiennes), who is put in charge of the conclave which will elect a successor.  

Lawrence himself is not campaigning to be pope, but he has his supporters.  He is as close to saintly as one could be, perhaps naively believing everyone in the Vatican is there to serve God and only God.  He will learn the hard way that this isn't the way things are.  Various cardinals jockey for position to win the title of Pope.  Among them are Cardinal Tremblay (Lithgow), the last cardinal to meet with the pontiff when he was alive, and may or may not be involved in a financial scheme while also allegedly trying to besmirch Cardinal Adeyemi (Msamati) with issues from his past.  Tremblay fervently denies wrongdoing, but we know better than to take him at face value.

Also in the running is Cardinal Tedesco (Castellitto), a conservative cardinal who laments the direction the church has taken and wishes to restore more traditional values, Cardinal Bellini (Tucci), who is against all of Tedesco's ideas and is Lawrence's best friend, and the newest member of the conclave, Cardinal Benitez (Diehz), who arrives secretly at the behest of the late pope.  As the daily voting takes place, candidates gain and lose ground, while others steadily climb.  Lawrence uncovers each cardinal's secrets, and navigates the territory while trying to keep his faith in the system.  Fiennes, a brilliant actor, is a sympathetic lead we can most identify with.  

The cast, of course, is stellar and how could it not be?  They could make reading a phone book compelling (if there are any of those anymore).  Conclave operates on the level of suspense and behind-the-scenes negotiating, bickering, and politics which make up this process.  Is it realistic or accurate?  I have no clue, but what's here is compelling.  The ending may appear to be a swerve for swerve's sake, but it raises questions about not only the direction of the Catholic Church, but about how many strings the late pope was pulling even from beyond the grave.  Would Catholics dismiss the movie out of hand for being "anti-Vatican" or would they follow it and be entertained?  I found myself siding with the latter point of view.  

Venom: The Last Dance (2024) * *

 

Directed by:  Kelly Marcel

Starring:  Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Stephen Graham, Rhys Ifans, Peggy Lu, Alanna Ubach, Andy Serkis, Clark Backo

Venom: The Last Dance is the third in this Marvel trilogy of a symbiote from another planet which co-inhabits the body of Eddie Brock (Hardy).  After three films, the two have a funny chemistry which isn't explored enough.  Instead, the movie concentrates more on an alien invasion which had to be explained and from what I could see, they're here to take over the world somehow and the symbiotes that are being studied in a lab below Area 51 can stop them.  The plot itself is a mess, but Hardy redeems the movie somewhat. 

I don't know if studied is the correct word.  They hang in suspended animation in large jars with doctors marveling at them, while another is inside a prisoner (Graham) who tells the doctors and military commander Rex Strickland (Ejiofor) of an imminent invasion.  Meanwhile, Eddie and Venom are on the run from the government for events from the second film which I can't remember to save my life.  I gave Venom: Let There Be Carnage a positive review, mostly because of the solidified relationship between Eddie and Venom.   This third and tired installment doesn't even choose to fall back on that positive development.  

Hardy is up to the task of giving us a sympathetic Brock who has learned to how to co-exist with Venom and vice versa.  There is even a scene in which he dons a tuxedo to get into a Vegas casino with a strict dress code.  This is likely a tip of the cap to the persistent rumors that Hardy is running to play the next James Bond.  He looks the part, although, like Venom, the Bond series should rest in peace.  

We Live in Time (2024) * * 1/2

 

Directed by:  John Crowley

Starring:  Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh, Adam James, Grace Delaney

We Live in Time takes us on an unconventional romance between Tobias (Garfield) and Almut (Pugh) after Almut hits Tobias with a car.  It sure was a violent, shocking strike, but all is forgiven and the two engage in a years-long relationship in which Almut battles cancer twice.  The second diagnosis causes Almut to ask Tobias a question with no correct answer.   Do they put Almut through one year of chemo hell with no certainty that the cancer will remit?   Or live the rest of her life treatment-free and try to enjoy the moments, which may last roughly six months?  Tobias surely had to think long and hard about this, and who could blame him?

Tobias and Almut are nice enough people, but not memorable like Oliver and Jenny from Love Story, which is similar in story arc to We Live in Time, but more impactful.  Garfield and Pugh invest as much into these people as they can, and it's their performances that almost carry the movie over the finish line.  However, I watched We Live in Time and didn't feel there was much conflict or much to play against.  There is a brief interlude in which the two break up temporarily over Tobias' desire to have children, but that feels tacked on, and the reunion seems just as arbitrary.

Almut, a restaurant owner, also secretly engages in rehearsals for a prestigious European chef competition in place of her treatments, which also lacks a satisfying emotional payoff, even though it really tries to have one.  The entire movie is an exercise in a near-miss emotional experience.  

Smile 2 (2024) * *

 

Directed by:  Parker Finn

Starring:  Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Kyle Gallner, Lukas Gage, Drew Barrymore, Peter Jacobson, Raul Castillo, Dylan Gelula

Smile 2 is the follow-up to 2022's Smile, a horror tale of an invisible parasite which takes over your mind and drives you insane to the point that, when it's time to die, your mouth upturns into a malicious smile and you kill yourself.  If you happen to die in front of someone else, that person will now carry the parasite.  

I recall nothing about the original Smile.  I looked back and saw I applied a negative review, but I couldn't pass a quiz on it.  Smile 2, however, starts out with promise and Naomi Scott's performance is indeed terrific, but the horror aspects kick in and turns the movie into a mess.  Scott is Skye Riley, a pop superstar on the comeback trail one year after nearly dying in a car accident which killed her boyfriend.   Skye is recovering from substance dependency and is planning a nationwide tour kicked off on The Drew Barrymore Show.   However, the psychological and physical scars remain, and one night after a painful rehearsal, Skye visits her former drug dealer (Gage) in hopes of scoring painkillers. 

The dealer, though, acts erratically and is soon wearing the telltale smile before staring into Skye's eyes and smashing his own face with a barbell.  Skye leaves the scene and is haunted by troublesome visions which question her own reality.  Her mother (DeWitt) manages her career down to her sleep schedule, but soon is worried about Skye's erratic behavior which alienates her fans, her record label, and her best friend Gemma (Gelula), whom Skye hasn't spoken to in a long time.  Skye attempts to rekindle her friendship with Gemma, but soon we have to question what's even real. 

If Smile 2 were a drama about the life of a troubled pop star, it would've been compelling, but Smile 2 wasn't made to document Skye's life.  It was meant to be a horror film with gotcha moments and jump scares.  There are plenty of these to go around and would satisfy those who attended for scary moments, but soon Smile 2 flies off the rails to its inevitable ending, wiping out whatever goodwill the first half provided.  But, it's surely an improvement over the first film, for what that's worth. 

Jimmy Hollywood (1994) * *

 

Directed by:  Barry Levinson

Starring:  Joe Pesci, Christian Slater, Victoria Abril, Jason Beghe, John Cothran

Jimmy Alto (Pesci) is getting a late start on becoming an actor in Hollywood, but he doesn't lack confidence.  Like so many before and after Jimmy, he believes superstardom is one call away.  He even takes out a trade ad on a bus stop bench advertising himself.  When the phone rings, however, Jimmy is usually found hanging out by the pool of his apartment complex with his best friend William (Slater).  William is as quiet as Jimmy is loud and loquacious.  Most of Jimmy's dialogue is in fact a monologue, with William nearby just to lend his ears.   If William weren't around, Jimmy would be seen as someone who talks to himself or an actor reciting dialogue.  Sometimes, it's hard to tell the difference.

Jimmy Hollywood, written and directed by the usually top-notch Barry Levinson, has such a strong setup, but it is sad when it degenerates into a crime story where Jimmy becomes a vigilante in order to gain fame and stop crime (in that order).  One night, Jimmy learns his live-in girlfriend (Abril) was mugged and later his car broken into.  He decides to wait for the thieves to come back and then have William videotape what happens.  The thief returns and Jimmy throws him into the trunk, depositing him in front of a police station with a note signed "S.O.S." which William thought was the initials for Steven O. Selznick, who he thinks was producer of Gone with the Wind.  It was David O. Selznick, but close enough.  Jimmy then names his vigilante "group" Save Our Streets, and because he can't resist the spotlight, he sends videotaped messages to the police as Jericho, the shadowy leader of the S.O.S. 

The first thirty minutes of Jimmy Hollywood are full of vibrant energy, mostly due to the wired Pesci performance.   Abril and Slater are much quieter and provide balance, especially Slater as Jimmy's disciple who hangs on Jimmy's every word.  But, then the plot kicks in, and the performances are lost in the shuffle.  However, the end credit sequences featuring Harrison Ford are not only funny, but an insider's view of moviemaking that would've served Jimmy Hollywood better than the vigilante plot. 

To Die For (1995) * * * 1/2

 

 

Directed by: Gus Van Sant

Starring:  Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon, Joaquin Phoenix, Dan Hedaya, Illeana Douglas, Casey Affleck, Alison Folland, Maria Tucci, Buck Henry, George Segal, Wayne Knight

Suzanne Stone (Kidman) is destined for bigger and better things than being married to a regular guy like Larry Maretto (Dillon)...in her own mind.   She begins to resent her husband, who does nothing wrong except maybe only wanting to open his own restaurant while working long hours at his family's establishment.   Her resentment and ambition turns to a murder plot where she recruits three teenage losers to stage a home invasion and murder Larry.  One of them, Jimmy (Phoenix) has an affair with Suzanne and is convinced they are in love.  Suzanne's only love is herself, as if we really had to be told that.

To Die For is a study and satire of a quest for fame run amok.  Suzanne is a looker and works as the weatherperson for a local New Hampshire station.  But her dreams include a network role someday, and she believes with all of her heart that a documentary on high schooler opinions on various topics will be just the ticket.  The station manager (Knight) is astounded by her work ethic and even more by her overly ambitious nature.  She won't take no for an answer.  

It is obvious in social settings that Suzanne and Larry aren't a match.  His family thinks something is off about her.  She speaks like she just attended a self-fulfillment seminar and uses all the buzz words associated with it.  Her mind is always on work or her own narcissistic needs.  Everyone else is a means to an end.  Her most important relationship is with her dog, Walter.   Written by Buck Henry and directed by Gus Van Sant, To Die For is funny and challenging.  Most of the characters aren't especially likable, except Larry, played by Dillon with a regular-guy quality.   They operate for their own ends.   

The movie's tone is satirically based on a true story in which an overly ambitious femme fatale like Suzanne hires her teenage lover to kill her husband.  You might think people like Suzanne don't exist in the real world, but To Die For recognized this personality type long before Instagram and Facebook.  Could you imagine what Suzanne would be like on those platforms?   I shudder to think about it.  

Saturday Night (2024) * * 1/2

 

Directed by:  Jason Reitman

Starring:  Gabriel LaBelle, Cooper Hoffman, Willem Dafoe, JK Simmons, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Dylan O' Brien, Matt Wood, Nicholas Braun, Robert Wuhl, Matthew Rhys

Saturday Night could have benefited in the early going with an onscreen introduction to the numerous writers, producers, production team members, and assorted people running around backstage ninety minutes before the first Saturday Night Live episode was set to air on October 11, 1975.  Creator Lorne Michaels (LaBelle) puts out one fire after another in his quest to ensure the show aired, while NBC executives led by Dave Tebet (Dafoe), who is not shy about telling Michaels a Tonight Show rerun is ready to be played in Saturday Night's place if Michaels can't get the show's act together.

Saturday Night jumps from one problem to another for the ambitious Michaels to solve at a frenetic pace which is sometimes difficult to keep up with.  Having an insider's knowledge of the early days of the show doesn't hurt either.  The actors playing the Not Ready for Primetime Players are spot-on and not merely impersonators.  We sense the angst that the erratic John Belushi (Wood) causes everyone, and he refuses to sign his contract to boot.  Michaels is forever trying to talk him off the ledge, and we get the feeling he would have to do this numerous more times in the ensuing years.   Chevy Chase (Smith) is already seeing himself as the next big Hollywood star and SNL will be a stepping stone for that.  Host George Carlin (Rhys), high on cocaine, is not thrilled with the writing and sees hosting the show as a step backward for his career.  

There is so much more and it's impossible to recap, but LaBelle is a steadying influence with whom we sympathize.  He has a lot to carry on his shoulders and most members of the audience wouldn't want his job for all of the tea in China.  Michaels' boss, executive Dick Ebersol (Hoffman), supports Michaels but like everyone else wonders if the show will ever make it to air and if it does, what will it look like?  How will it play with audiences?  As SNL begins its fiftieth season, history has told the tale.  The movie Saturday Night has a correct sense of time and place.  It feels like the era of post-Vietnam 70's and even more about a period when late night television was all the rage, but the overall effect is one of good moments that don't make up a satisfying whole.  

Mr. McMahon (2024) * * * (Streaming on Netflix)

 

Directed by:  Chris Smith

Starring:  Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Paul Levesque, Dwayne Johnson, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Shane McMahon, Mark Calaway (The Undertaker), Tony Atlas, Bruce Prichard, Eric Bischoff

It was a curious move for former WWE head Vince McMahon to ask viewers to "keep an open mind" when watching Netflix's new documentary series, Mr. McMahon.  The documentary itself consists of interviews with Vince McMahon, colleagues, family members, friends, and enemies recorded beginning in 2021 before Vince's ouster from WWE due to lawsuits and sexual allegations with former employees.  

Mr. McMahon takes us through the billionaire wrestling promoter's life from an abusive childhood which he doesn't talk much about to his rise to power in the WWF (which later became WWE following a lawsuit by the World Wildlife Fund).  McMahon did not meet his biological father, Vincent J. McMahon, then-owner of WWF until he was twelve years old.  Vince then followed his dad into the business and after buying him out circa 1983, he set his sights on nationwide expansion in an era dominated by territorial wrestling organizations.  It was a gentleman's agreement between promoters that they would not run shows in other areas, but Vince wasn't interested in being a gentleman.  As he states more than once, "I don't fight fair,"

Hulk Hogan was essential in aiding the WWF in becoming a worldwide phenomenon and he features heavily throughout many of the episodes, including being a witness at Vince's federal steroid distribution trial in which McMahon was found not guilty.  There is also extensive time devoted to New York Post columnist Phil Mushnick, who has it in for McMahon and the WWF for reasons not made clear, but whose steroid accusations paved the way for the government to file charges.   McMahon is no stranger to lawsuits, indictments, or accusations.  

Mr. McMahon serves the target audience, those who grew up enjoying professional wrestling, very well.  As a history of WWE, covering the famed "Montreal Screwjob", Wrestlemania, and the Monday Night Wars with WCW which nearly put WWE out of business, Mr. McMahon is well-crafted and thorough.  However, those wanting to learn the inner workings of Vince McMahon won't find much here that they don't already know.  McMahon is cagey in how he protects himself, like the magician who is reticent to reveal the secrets to his tricks.  We learn how he feels about certain things, but only superficially.  But, it's fun to take a look back in history anyway.  Then, the scandalous lawsuits happened, and McMahon cancelled the remainder of his interviews.  Mr. McMahon could've been renamed History of WWE and no one would've noticed any difference.  Anyone expecting insight into the wrestling mogul has come to the wrong place, but Mr. McMahon is a comprehensive look at the palace that he built. 

The Bear (Season Three) * * 1/2

 

Starring:  Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Oliver Platt, Olivia Colman, Matty Matheson, Jon Bernthal, Abby Elliott, L-Boy, Liza Colon-Zayas, Molly Gordon, Jamie Lee Curtis

The Bear sizzles when it depicts the grind of running a top-flight restaurant.  "Every second counts" is the mantra and a few lost moments can be the difference between a happy customer and a bad review.  The pressure to produce great food is intense, and the pressure to earn a profit even more so.  Chef Carmen Berzatto (White) orders the most expensive butter around to make his dishes stand out, but Uncle Jimmy (Platt) sees his investment and any chance of recouping his money flying out the window.  Is something wrong with Land-O-Lakes?  

Then, there is the other side of The Bear, in which characters engage in looooong conversations which certainly cause this viewer's attention to wane.  The episode in which Natalie (Elliott) is in labor is one extended conversation between her and her estranged mother (Curtis).  The acting is superb, but the incessant talking is not.  A balance between the two would bring The Bear back to the quality of the excellent first season.  The last two seasons, while they've had their moments, have not been able to match season one.  

The Bear is now open for business.  The first episode consists mostly of elliptical flashbacks and Carmen beating himself up for being locked accidentally in the walk-in refrigerator during opening night.  Usually, you have to wait until mid-season to see the filler episode, but The Bear gets it out of the way early.  Carmen has two expressions:  Mopey and more mopey.  He carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, triggered by past trauma and verbal abuse by the head chef (a terrific Joel McHale) of the New York restaurant where he worked.  When Carmen has a chance in the season finale to confront this demon, it doesn't disappoint.   

We also witness the continuing evolution of Richie (Moss-Bachrach), who in season two learned under Chef Andrea (Colman) how to become a maitre-d and under his steely, shifting gaze, sees all in the restaurant and of course finds himself wanting to strangle Carmen more than once.   In the middle is Sydney, whom Carmen wants to make a partner but receives a tempting offer to be head chef at a friend's upstart restaurant.  She is tormented by the decision and the internalized pressure.  

Despite its strengths, The Bear's third season is a mixed bag.  The strong aspects are very strong, but then we have whole sequences of talk-a-thon conversations which lull us into boredom.   When we think they're over, they drag on.  I like these people and their camaraderie is infectious, but look out when they start expounding on things.