Kraven's complex relationship with his ruthless father starts him down a path of vengeance, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared.
Director: J. C. Chandor
Kraven's complex relationship with his ruthless father starts him down a path of vengeance, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared.
Director: J. C. Chandor
Father Gabriele Amorth, chief exorcist for the Vatican, battles Satan and innocent-possessing demons. A detailed portrait of a priest who performed more than 100,000 exorcisms in his lifetime.
Director: Julius Avery
Cast: Russell Crowe, Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essoe, Franco Nero, Laurel Marsden, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney
Release Date: April 14, 2023
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rated R for violent content, language, sexual references and some nudity
Runtime: 1h 43m
Review:
The Pope's Exorcist is a flashy, kinetic bit of mindless exorcism horror that's elevated by a particularly committed performance from Russell Crowe. Julius Avery direction is capable and engaging as he sets up a funhouse ride through a series of clichéd exorcist tropes. Avery and the script doesn't seem all that interested in bringing anything new to the subgenre so there aren't many surprises in store. The film telegraphs most of the big moments but Avery does stage these sequences with an effective edge and energy that keeps the film from being boring. Still, none of it would be as entertaining if not for Russell Crowe's fully engaged performance. Crowe makes the film far better than it deserves be with a nuanced and surprisingly fun and layered turn as Father Gabriele Amorth. He single handily carries the film the way only a real movie star can by making his character more interesting than what's on the actual page. While this story is almost entirely fictional, if you are interested in the real father Amorth I'd suggest watching 2017 documentary The Devil and Father Amorth by William Friedkin, it does lay the groundwork set up an ongoing franchise similar to The Conjuring. I'd personally love to see Crowe take another turn as the character with some slightly more inventive takes than The Pope's Exorcist.
C+
Director: Taika Waititi
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Jaimie Alexander, Taika Waititi, Russell Crowe, Natalie Portman
Release Date: July 8, 2022
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Music, Romance, Sci-Fi
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, language, some suggestive material and partial nudity.
Runtime:1h 59m
Review:
Taika Waititi's Thor: Love and Thunder, his follow up to Thor: Ragnarok, is a chaotic unfocused kaleidoscope that struggles to find the consistent fun and charm that made the previous film so enjoyable. Waititi's delivers some truly impressive set pieces the majority of which are colorfully opulent but one monochromatic fight sequence is likely to leave the biggest impact. You get the sense that he's poured his mind onto the screen like a visual trek through his stream of conscience. It works in spots, but it never finds its footing consistently due to sizable tonal shifts throughout the film which makes for some noticeable dead spots. The script, written by Waitit, tries to include some heftier emotional depth to the whole thing but it never connects the way it should. Additionally, the humor here never feels as organic as it did in the previous entry making for more chuckles than laugh out loud moments. The film relies heavily on Chris Hemsworth's charm, and he carries the film with relative ease that shouldn't come as a surprise since the character is like a second skin by now. He's clearly having a great time and that energy is the driving force for the film. Natalie Portman returns to the fold but there is a strange lack of chemistry between her and Hemsworth. Her bulked up frame makes for a great visual when she's in her Thor attire but her performance is noticeably stiff reminiscent of her turns in the Star Wars prequels. Their relationship is the central part of the story but there is a disconnect which hurts the film overall. Tessa Thompson returns but isn't given all that much to do outside of a few quips and action sequences. Likewise, Christian Bale's villain is underutilized for the better part of the film which is a shame because the character's story is intriguing. There are moments where you get the sense that Bale is trying to give his character more depth but the film never gives him enough time to fully realized it. It's an issue with the film overall, there are plenty of solid ideas but very few of them are allowed to blossom organically due to its frantic and scattershot approach. As such, Thor: Love and Thunder is all candy colored empty calories with very little actual substance.
B-