Rapid-Fire Review Catch-Up (Sinners, Mickey 17, Conclave, & More)

More Than a Few Late Reviews

So, as I mentioned in my last post, I’ve still been watching movies despite not being able to write and post full reviews. Admittedly, I’ve also spent quite a bit of time preoccupied with playing Baldur’s Gate 3 over the last two weeks. I figure that now is a good a time as any to finally catch up, though some of these will be pretty short given that there are so many to get through. Also, I didn’t realize until I went back through them that I’ve seen three films this year with actors playing dual roles, which is an odd coincidence. After this, I’m hoping to get back to our regularly scheduled programming, starting with a full review on Anora (hopefully soon) and also my retrospective essay on the 20th anniversary of David Foster Wallace’s “This Is Water” (still in progress). Anyway, on with the show.

2025 Catch-Up:

Sinners - The Devil Went Down to Mississippi to Listen to the Blues

Michael B. Jordan as the Smokestack Twins.

If you’re a movie person, you’ve probably heard about this one, and possibly even seen it already. Sinners is Ryan Coogler’s (Creed, the Black Panther movies) first original film since Fruitvale Station, and it’s a genre-bending mix of musical, period drama, and horror. Michael B. Jordan stars in dual roles as the Smokestack Twins: Great War vets who have returned to the Mississippi Delta in 1932 after having worked for the mob in Chicago during Prohibition. They buy an old sawmill and enlist their cousin, aspiring blues musician and preacher’s son Sammie, in order to create a juke joint for the local black community. However, a charming Irish vampire has other plans for the night.

Overall, Sinners is an intelligent, well-crafted, and wildly entertaining original film. The bits and pieces of all the disparate genres blend together really well, and the movie is just as much about music and culture as it is about vampires. There’s been a lot of discussion online about one scene in particular involving music through the ages and how it all connects, and if you’re a musician, it will resonate with you. I’d even say it was my favorite scene in the movie. I think the first half, which is more of the period drama and blues setup, is probably more effective than the second half when it turns into a southern From Dusk Till Dawn (with horniness to match), but even then the second half is still a lot of fun and has some great moments even if it’s not particularly scary and feels a bit rushed. The music, score, and sound design are excellent and I wouldn’t be surprised if they manage to catch some award nominations later on. The performances also very strong from most of the actors. While Michael B. Jordan and Miles Caton (Sammie) are great, I think Delroy Lindo as Delta Slim is my favorite character. He and Jack O’Connell as Remmick, the devilish Irishman, are both a joy to watch. I’m also happy to see that the film is doing well at the box office. WB took a chance and spent $90 million on Sinners, and it shows in the quality of the film. Go see it in theaters while you still can.

Score: 8/10

Mickey 17 - Bong Joon-ho’s Follow-Up to Parasite is a Messy But Fun Sci-Fi Satire

Robert Pattinson as Mickeys 17 and 18.

A lot of people (including me) were curious to see what Bong Joon-ho would do next after his previous film, Parasite, won multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Six years and multiple delays later, I saw Mickey 17 in the theater. It’s been divisive among audiences and movie fans, but I actually really enjoyed it despite some of its flaws.

In 2050, Mickey (Robert Pattinson) is none too bright and down on his luck. Desperate to escape a sadistic loan shark, Mickey signs up to be an “Expendable” on a one-way mission to an ice-planet called Niflheim. However, he hasn’t read the fine print of what it actually means to be an an Expendable, which involves being cloned and forced to do extremely dangerous labor and undergo cruel experiments. When he inevitably dies, a new version of Mickey is printed.

Like the rest of Bong’s movies, Mickey 17 is a loose adaptation of the source material (the novel Mickey7 in this case) and a shotgun blast of scathing social critique. From the disposability of the working class, to the obvious Trump analogue played by a zealous Mark Ruffalo, to a strong environmental message that feels inspired by Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, the film winds up being a little scattershot. Again, this is nothing new for Bong’s movies, but anyone expecting the thematic focus and perfection of Parasite may be disappointed. The story is also a little uneven and has some wonky pacing in places. But don’t get me wrong, I love sci-fi and I love dark comedy and I love weird, messy movies, so this one was right up my alley.

Robert Pattinson was spectacular in multiple roles, and really sells the idea that despite being cloned from the same DNA, Mickeys 17 and 18 are distinct characters with vastly different personalities. The supporting cast does a good job of filling out the Niflheim colony as a band of misfits, though not all of them feel like they’ve been sufficiently explored. But the humor in the movie was mostly on point and the alien Creepers were adorable (I really need to find a plush of one). I was also pleasantly surprised that the film ended on a brighter note. I’m all for dark and poignant finales, but Mickey felt like he earned his happy ending. I’m not shocked that the movie didn’t find a wider audience and wound up flopping given that it’s not connected to any recognizable IP and is weird as hell and rated R. But I do still think it’s worth watching and I had a great time with it.

Score 7.5/10

The Monkey - Oz Perkins’s Stephen King Adaptation is Campy and Entertaining, But a Bit Forgettable

Christian Convery as young Hal.

Should I do a ranking of Stephen King adaptations at some point? It sounds like it would be fun. There are several great ones, and more than a few terrible ones. For me, The Monkey falls somewhere in the middle. I’ll be honest, while I like Oz Perkins as a director, I almost forgot to include this movie in my post. It was fun, but not super memorable. Perkins’s other films The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Longlegs (which I did a review of last year, if anyone is curious) are moody, atmospheric and very slick and stylish. The Monkey, on the other hand, goes in the opposite direction as a goofy and gory horror comedy. I’ve seen the term “splatstick” used to describe Evil Dead before, and I think it applies here.

Two twins (played by the same actor as both kids and adults in dual roles) rifle through their deadbeat airline pilot dad’s belongings and find a creepy toy monkey. Every time its key is wound, the monkey plays its drum and someone nearby dies in gruesome (and often hilarious) fashion. That’s it. That’s the movie. Now, there are some underlying themes about family, fatherhood, and inherited trauma under the surface, but really it boils down to more than a few wince-inducing kills and some laugh-out-loud dark comedy. Don’t go into this one with expectations of anything serious, and you’ll most likely enjoy it. I’d probably buy and rewatch it, but then again, only if it was on sale, and I rewatch a lot of movies.

Score: 6/10

Companion - A Solid Horror Comedy Debut

Jack Quaid as Josh and Sophie Thatcher as Iris.

Okay, so Companion is pretty difficult to discuss without spoiling the first major twist. It’s similar to Abigail from last year in that the marketing gave away a major plot point, so if you’re interested and aren’t already aware of what it’s about, then I would advise going in blind. It’s a pretty good horror comedy. To just give the most basic description, Iris is a young and pretty woman who’s very much in love with her boyfriend Josh. Together, they travel to a remote lake house for the weekend, but everything isn’t what it seems.

Without giving away the twist, this was a fun little sci-fi thriller, and it had several laugh-out-loud moments as well. It’s the director’s debut film, and I was impressed at how well it came together. Sophie Thatcher is great as Iris, and Jack Quaid plays a very believable douche as Josh. Also, I’m always happy to see Harvey Guillén (Guillermo from the What We Do In the Shadows TV show). It’s already streaming out on streaming, so I recommend checking it out.

Score: 7/10

Hundreds of Beavers - This Is the Best Comedy In Years, Full Stop

Ryland Tews as Jean Kayak.

Yes, I know this one isn’t from 2025, but I did finally get to see it in January when my copy from Vinegar Syndrome arrived. Last year, my friend

orb_muse

did a wonderful write-up on Hundreds of Beavers (I highly recommend taking a few minutes to read it), and based on that and other reactions online I was very excited to see it. It’s sort of like if you mixed The Revenant, Buster Keaton movies, and Looney Tunes together, and is one of the most ridiculously Midwestern movies I’ve ever seen. It’s also one of my new favorite comedies.

This is pure slapstick nonsense filmmaking at its absolute best. In the 1800s, an applejack salesman named Jean Kayak (Ryland Tews) is left homeless in the harsh winter after two beavers destroy his giant kegs. He then begins an odyssey to not only find food and survive, but also to become a fur trapper skilled enough to win the heart of a merchant’s daughter by killing hundreds of beavers. The gags are hilarious (seriously, I laughed harder at this one than I have at any other movie in a long time) and it’s amazing what Mike Cheslik’s team did on such a small budget. It’s in black and white with surprisingly great special effects and is unapologetically silly. It’s probably not for everyone, but for me, it’s an instant classic and I plan on rewatching it next winter, hopefully with a group of friends.

Score: 100Beavers/10

2024 Leftovers:

Wicked: Part 1 - The First Act of the Adaptation Captures the Magic of the Beloved Musical

Ariana Grande as Galinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba

It’s not easy being green.

In case you’ve been living under a rock (or a fallen house) for a while, Wicked is a Tony Award-winning musical adaptation of the novel of the same name, which in turn is a reimagined prequel to The Wizard of Oz. Despite the stage show’s smash success, the adaptation went through several attempted iterations and languished in development hell for over a decade. Initially, I had my reservations about going to see it as I’m not really a fan of musicals (and particularly film adaptations of them), but I did have the opportunity to see Wicked years ago in Chicago and enjoyed it a lot. When the rave reviews rolled in, I figured I should give it a shot, and I was not disappointed.

Wicked follows the origins of the Wicked Witch of the West, named Elphaba (played by an excellent Cynthia Erivo), as she goes to school and attempts to master her magic powers. Along the way, she becomes unlikely friends with Galinda (who eventually becomes Glinda the Good) and becomes entangled in the Wizard of Oz’s scheming. Adapting a musical is tricky, and often falls flat due to a lack of understanding of what makes each medium work in its own way. One of my most hated movies is the adaptation of Rent, and you need to look no further than the disaster of Joker: Folie à Deux last year for how difficult it is to make an original musical work in film and connect with a wider audience. But Wicked succeeds where these fail. It captures the fun of going to a live musical without sacrificing a compelling story or fleshed-out characters.

The movie works in no small part thanks to Erivo in the lead role, alternating between witty and abrasive to vulnerable and powerful, but the real surprise for me was Ariana Grande as Galinda (emphasis on the “Ga”). I was worried that I’d only see the singer onscreen, but she quickly disappears into the character. Her comedic energy and chemistry with Elphaba is infectious, not to mention that her spin on the classic songs like “Popular” is just a delight. Jonathan Bailey was also a standout as the smooth but secretly intelligent Fiyero. Jeff Goldblum is Jeff Goldblum and is amusing as always. He’s a perfect fit for the smarmy, deceitful Wizard, though it does feel like his performance is playing well within his range of snarky smart guys. I love Michelle Yeoh as an actress, but to be honest, she sticks out like a sore thumb in this movie as Madame Morrible. She’s fine as the character but it is very clear that she’s not a good singer.

The movie is a bit long, but it didn’t really drag much in my opinion. The original parts helped elaborate on some of the thinner sections of the musical’s plot, and made it feel like a more complete story despite only being the first half. I also got a good laugh at the flying monkeys living to terrify yet another generation of young children. All in all, it was a good time at the movies, and I’ll be seeing Part 2 later this year (though the retitling of it as Wicked: For Good instead of mirroring the onscreen title of Part 1 still makes my eye twitch).

Score: 7/10

Conclave - Ralph Fiennes Gives an Excellent Performance in This Vatican Drama

Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence.

There’s a big difference between a religious movie and a movie about religion. The former calls to mind the God’s Not Dead series and others of its ilk. The latter includes films from auteurs ranging from Bergman to Bresson to Scorsese. Conclave, an adaptation of Robert Harris’s novel of the same name, is the latter. On the surface, a film about choosing the next Pope didn’t sound particularly interesting to me (my first thought that it might be Oscar bait akin to 2019’s The Two Popes). However, when I dug a little deeper, it became apparent that Conclave is less of a straight drama and more of a political thriller set in one of the oldest and most complex political theatres on the planet: the Catholic Church.

A beloved Pope passes away, and the College of Cardinals convene at the Vatican to elect a successor. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), must lead the Conclave despite his recent crisis of faith. As the Cardinals are locked in to make their secret votes, the various factions of the church maneuver for power and Cardinal Lawrence discovers that all is not what it seems surrounding the late Pope’s final hours.

It’s rare to find a PG drama as effective as this one. The plot twists and turns (including one at the end that I had no idea was coming) and the actors make a film mostly comprised of conversations feel thrilling. The Oscar nomination that Fiennes received and the win for the screenplay are absolutely deserved. On a technical level, both the score and cinematography are fantastic. And now that Pope Francis has passed and a certain demagogue is back in office, Conclave is a timely and poignant watch. It’s impressive when a film can explore the meaning and value of faith without feeling too preachy or making a filthy heathen like me roll my eyes. It was a pleasant surprise and wound up becoming one of my favorite films from last year. There are a lot of movies that I watch and review that I wouldn’t recommend to everyone based on how strange or inaccessible they are, but I’d say that just about everyone could watch and enjoy Conclave.

Score: 9/10

Poolman - Chris Pine’s Directorial Debut Is a Wannabe Cult Classic That’s More Frustrating Than Funny

Chris Pine as the Poolman, Darren Barrenman.

It’s always interesting when an actor jumps up to the director’s chair. Chris Pine took a big swing with his directorial debut, Poolman, in attempting to create his own entry into the niche LA “stoner noir” (also sometimes called “slacker noir”) subgenre. The result, unfortunately, was a disaster.

In Poolman, we’re introduced to Darren Barrenman (played by Chris Pine), a pool cleaner in LA who also works tirelessly as an Erin Brockovich-inspired social activist, advocating for the people of the city to a largely indifferent local government. He’s approached by a mysterious femme fatale who enlists him to uncover a plot of corruption and bribery by LA landowners and politicians. Darren embarks on a twisting and silly journey to find the truth while also finding meaning and joy in his own life along the way.

Man, I wanted to like this one. I really did. Chris Pine is a talented and charming actor, and I was hoping that would translate into this movie, but it just doesn’t. Poolman is mostly dull and painfully unfunny. I mentioned stoner noir earlier, and the short version is that it’s a subgenre inspired by classic noir and neo-noir films like The Big Sleep, The Long Goodbye, and Chinatown, and parodies them by taking their intricate plots and placing inept (and often stoned) protagonists at their center. Good examples would be The Big Lebowski, Inherent Vice, and Under the Silver Lake, all of which are really good films in, like, my opinion, man (I may wind up doing a full piece exploring it). A lot of them have also developed cult followings both online and in the real world. Poolman feels like Chris Pine trying desperately to create a new cult classic of the subgenre and failing miserably.

I think the script is the main issue, and that problem manifests in multiple ways. Movies like The Big Lebowski and Inherent Vice may be about dumb and stoned characters and have plots that don’t really make sense, but their scripts are actually very smartly written, and that’s where Poolman falls flat. Its mystery is haphazard and never really comes together, and its “satire” has no teeth and nothing real to say. It uses the detective tropes without really understanding or subverting them. Darren’s character feels like he’s been recycled from other, better movies. None of the plot points feel fresh or interesting and there’s nothing for the audience to grab onto. Coen and Pynchon characters are insane and memorable, while Pine’s characters are incidental and annoying. The comedy is the other major issue. Since the script isn’t smart enough, the humor just doesn’t work. Pine tries to emulate Robert Altman’s (The Long Goodbye, Nashville) “everybody talking over everyone else” manic energy, but it just comes across as shrill and irritating. And the cast, which is stacked with great actors like Annette Bening, Danny DeVito, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Pine himself as well as several others, does not live up to its collective talent.

It was a chore to make it through this one. What was most frustrating to me, though, was that there were a few glimmers of a better movie scattered throughout. There were a few genuinely funny moments, including Darren writing letters to Erin Brockovich and using her as a confessional/diary and one character being involved in a Golden Girls drag show. The film does have heart, and you can feel it in places, particularly at the end. Despite the grating movie surrounding him, Darren is still a character that you want to root for. Maybe it’ll grow on me if I ever decide to revisit it, but I’m doubtful. I hope that Chris Pine manages to get another project made, because I feel like he’s got the potential to make something good.

Score: 3/10