Step inside Vatican’s secrets in ‘Conclave’; ‘Wolf Man’ disappoints
(Feb. 14, 2025) — Not many are privy to the inner workings of a conclave at the Vatican. When the pope dies, the rest of the 100+ cardinals from around the world seclude themselves away for secretive votes until a new pope emerges.
The masterful film “Conclave,” from director Edward Berger, gives viewers a look behind the scenes of a decision with global ramifications.
Ralph Fiennes looks old. I guess he’s in his mid-60s now, so I am not sure how much aging makeup he needed for this film. That aside, he is fantastic as Cardinal Lawrence. The first minute of the movie lets us know the pope is dead. Lawrence is designated to organize and run the conclave. He is stressed because not only is it a monumental task, but he had intended to retire prior to the pope’s death.
Lawrence also has to deal with many types of personalities among the cardinals, such as the ultra-conservative Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), the ambiguous Tremblay (John Lithgow) and the overreaching Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati).
Lawrence must work hard to also quell several rumors that began swirling immediately prior to the pope’s death. At least he has a few friends in Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci), Monsignor O’Malley (Brian F. O’Byrne) and Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini). His biggest salvation, however, may lie in the recently arrived enigma, Cardinal Benitez (Carlos Diehz).
“Conclave” has a lot of plot threads to follow, but they never confuse the viewer. Berger keeps things focused on the endgame. The journey there is thrilling. A
Computer whiz can’t save ‘OBEX’
For my yearly Sundance Film Festival online viewing, I chose “OBEX,” written, directed and starring Albert Birney.
He plays Conor, a video game nerd in the late 1980s. His only job of note seems to be to use his Apple IIC to create primitive computer-generated images of people’s children for $5 a pop. He is a bit of a computer whiz as the images come solely from letters, numbers and symbols on the keyboard.
He spends most of his down time in his house playing computer games or hanging out with his loving dog, Sandy. One day, Conor gets a secretive invite to play a new game called OBEX. Already dealing with difficulty sleeping and low-level anxiety, Conor seems to get literally sucked into the game.
He wakes up inside the game, and his dog has been kidnapped. He must save poor Sandy from the clutches of the evil wizard. Along the way, he meets a guy with a TV for a head among other random characters.
The movie has some charming aspects, especially for those who played computer RPG games in the late 1980s and early 1990s. However, the actor cannot carry the film alone as he just does not have the acting chops. The best scenes are when he gets to play off other characters, which does not happen enough. B-
Tense ‘Wolf Man’ is no ‘Invisible Man’
Werewolves have always been a tough cinematic sell, particularly a singular “wolfman.” Not as hip as vampires and not as iconic as Frankenstein, they don’t attract the moviegoing public – “Twilight” nonsense notwithstanding.
I was intrigued when I heard the director of 2020’s excellent “The Invisible Man” also helmed this year’s “Wolf Man.” Leigh Whannell wrote the original scripts for “Saw” and “Insidious,” two of the most important horror films of the century. He absolutely nailed the atmosphere of “The Invisible Man” with brilliant camera angles, exquisite lighting and an impeccable script. While there are some likeable aspects to “Wolf Man,” it does not live up to Whannell’s previous efforts.
The film opens with a flashback to a young boy and his father hunting in the Oregon woods. Terrific cinematography and tension make this a highlight of the film. Flashforward a few decades and the boy, now a man (Christopher Abbott), struggles to make his family work. His wife and daughter do not get along much, and they are hoping this trek to the cabin of his recently deceased father will bring them together.
Along the way, they encounter something in the road. It turns out to be a beast who stalks them while they hole up in the cabin. This werewolf with immense power seems to be courteous enough to only attack anyone when they go outside. There are several ground-floor windows it could easily go through. Yet, it does not even go in when the daughter keeps ludicrously sleeping on the couch right next to a window.
Some of the scenes are pretty tense, and the soundscape is well done. The film is shot almost entirely at night, but scenes are never overly dark. However, the characters are rather boring, and the ending is telegraphed 15 minutes into the film. Still, pretty solid for a January release. There are hundreds of worse horror films out there. B-
Jeff Mellinger
Jeff Mellinger is a screen writer and film buff. He holds a BA in Film Studies and an MFA in film production. He lives in Concord.