pjames10

Its one of those films that will have you sitting after the end credits, thinking about what you've seen, the meaning of things, the role of faith and belief and the spaces between what you know and what you couldnt even imagine.

Of late, I've been very hard on christianity. Its felt more of a show... theater for the desperate looking for order. Conclave reminded me that there have been a millenium and more of this ritual, so much so that its as much a part of us as our mother tongue. All the cardinals from around the world bound by one faith and yet all too human and flawed (or perfect in their flawed state).

Its thoughts like these that Conclave stirred in me. This was no light fare, not a netflix and chill movie (unless you are a fan of Umberto Ecco or conversing on the meaning of god on the paths we choose is your pillow talk!).

All actors were great, none were lacking. Shots were fantastic... all the way to the last closing door. Highly recommend.

I didn't have high expectations for this film but I like Hardy, he's okay. Then I started watching and realized its a period piece and I perked up... It really captured the feel of a place. If anything, they could have really taken it back... like the same processing/color correction as a 70s film... hell, they could have made it B/W and it would have been just like the book!

There hasn't been a film to take me to a place and time like this in a while. I had the Danny Lyons book forever and knew i'd like this film within 5 minutes. It's quiet, interspersed with violence. Its beautiful, with sudden hits of ugliness. Its a film about bikeriders that feels thats closer to the source energy of bikes and crews and american violence as bonding than anything I've seen (wait, has there ever been a film like this? Maybe Drugstore Cowboy for period and mood). Anyways, a good watch.

I remember reading about a fellow who said, the times of sarcasm, lazy cynicism, the cheap protections we use in our day to day to buffer us from the pain and disappointments in life must be discarded. This was the first thought that came to me after watching The Holdovers.

I didn't know what to expect when I started watching it. What initially felt like the usual boarding school dramedy, suddenly fell away and left another kind of film that, while still using the cliched "gruff teacher shows callow student his potential", was totally unexpected.

There was something so honest, truthful and innocent here, despite the heaviness of each character's underlying story. It was the stripping away of artifices in a time of upheaval (that is seems innocent in retrospect) that made this a film one to want to live in... pain and all.

PS: Soundtrack is perfect!!!