My dear reader(s), thanks to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday last Monday, I was able to tick off some entries from the "My Stuff" section of the various streaming services. No explicit reveals here, but if you like going into a movie cold, best to read after watching. Forewarned is forearmed.
Third place in holiday movie-thon goes to A Different Man (2024), in which Sebastian Stan stars as an aspiring actor who undergoes an experimental procedure to alter his appearance, then discovers that looking like Sebastian Stan isn't all it's cracked up to be. (An extremely unlikely premise!) Regular reader(s) will know I have worshipped at the altar of Sebastian Stan for more than 15 years, and will be unsurprised that I found him exceptional in A Different Man. I was less thrilled with the rest of the film. It’s uncomfortable, which I'm pretty sure it means to be, but it's also a bit patronizing. The supporting cast is decent, and the story takes enough turns to remain interesting, but the ending isn't much of an ending. Since the movie isn’t likely setting up a sequel, mostly it feels like the filmmakers got bored and stopped...which is what I wanted to do at least 30 minutes sooner.
A Different Man clocks in at 112 minutes and is rated R for "sexual content, graphic nudity, language, and some violent content."
A Different Man is a messy message film that sadly misses its mark. Of a possible nine Weasleys, A Different Man gets five.
A Different Man is now streaming on Max.
The runner up on my holiday movie podium is to Conclave (2024), starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, and John Lithgow as Catholic cardinals at the center of the process of electing a new Pope.
Like most movies about electing a Pope, Conclave plays like a political thriller. I always imagine the politics of religion must be very disheartening to believers, and this doesn't tiptoe around anyone's faith; all the ugliness is on full display. Conclave is beautifully acted, visually stunning, and methodical in its storytelling, but it culminates in a twist that is equal parts shocking and so unlikely in the circumstances as to seem absurd. For a film that strives for so much gravitas, it feels like someone accidentally tacked on the ending of a different movie.
Conclave runs 120 minutes and is rated PG for "thematic material and smoking."
Conclave is a decent thriller with a doozie of a finish. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Conclave gets six.
Conclave is now streaming on Peacock.
Finally, the gold medalist in my MLK Day movie marathon is a little documentary called What the Hell Happened to Blood Sweat & Tears? (2023), the unlikely story of how a rock group at the height of its popularity was conscripted into a "cultural exchange" program that saw them become the first American band to perform behind the Iron Curtain.
Here, dear reader(s), I must admit that I knew nothing of this absolutely mad tale until this documentary popped up in my feed over the weekend. Against the soundtrack of some of the era’s best tunes plays tale of intrigue and political machinations. New interviews with band members and assorted adjacent individuals are cut with historical photos and footage, but most of the material filmed by the crew that accompanied expressly to document this historic event was hidden from the world and seemingly destroyed. The film is a sobering reminder of the Cold War, but the tone remains upbeat, mostly thanks to the members of Blood Sweat & Tears. The band would have every right to be bitter about the tour and its effect on their careers, but they recount even the worst moments with surprising good nature.
What the Hell Happened to Blood Sweat & Tears clocks in at 112 minutes and is unrated, but since it’s about a rock band you may assume the occasional coarse language and drug use.
What the Hell Happened to Blood Sweat & Tears is a fascinating but cautionary snapshot of the most unlikely of bedfellows. Of a possible nine Weasleys, What the Hell Happened to Blood Sweat & Tears gets nine.
What the Hell Happened to Blood Sweat & Tears is now streaming on Prime Video.
Until next time…
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