At The Movies

Anora & The Brutalist

Looking back on the 2025 Academy Awards ceremony, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano devote this podcast episode to its two biggest winners. "Anora" won five Oscars: Picture, Director for Sean Baker, Actress for Mikey Madison, Original Screenplay for Sean Baker and Editing for Sean Baker. Marie and Mike agree that the central performance is strong, as is the basic story about a Manhattan stripper forming a personal relationship with a wealthy Russian client. However, they agree that the 139-minute running time is excessive, and the film also is excessive in all sorts of other ways. In short, they think "Anora" is overhyped.
"The Brutalist" won three Oscars: Actor for Adrien Brody, Cinematography for Lol Crawley and Music for Daniel Blumberg. Marie and Mike praise Brody's performance as a Holocaust survivor who resumes his architectural practice in America, and they also admire how beautifully crafted this film is in terms of cinematography, music and production design. The big however here, of course, is that the film has a bloated running time of 3 hours, 20 minutes (plus a 15-minute intermission if viewed in a theater). Marie observes that many scenes go on longer than they need to, and Mike quickly agrees lest he go on too long in their fast-paced podcast.

Nickel Boys & The Room Next Door

Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel has been adapted to the screen by director and co-screenwriter Ramell Ross, and "Nickel Boys" proves to be as compelling on screen as it is on the page. In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano share their admiration for a film that adroitly handles tough subject matter about a notorious Florida reform school that itself was in serious need of reform. Marie and Mike especially like how the director's point-of-view camerawork facilitates sharing the vantage point of the teen characters portrayed by Brandon Wilson and Ethan Herisse.
Marie and Mike also discuss Spanish director Pedro Almodovar's first English-language feature, "The Room Next Door," in which the characters played by Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore evaluate their friendship and mortality-themed issues. Although Marie has reservations about the film's flashbacks, she and Mike agree that it's really nice spending time with these characters in a to-die-for house in the woods.

A Complete Unknown & Nosferatu

Bob Dylan arguably remains "A Complete Unknown" in this impressive biopic about the iconic and, yes, enigmatic musician. HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano devote much of this podcast episode to sharing their admiration for Timothee Chalamet's performance as Dylan. As with others in the cast, he did his own playing and singing. They also praise Edward Norton for his portrayal of Pete Seeger. Although Mike points out ways in which this dramatized treatment of Dylan's early career takes some liberties with actual events, he immediately adds that director James Mangold has referred to the film as a fable. Marie and Mike also talk about director Robert Eggers' remake of the 1922 vampire classic "Nosferatu." This remake stars Bill Skarsgard, Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult and Willem Dafoe. Marie and Mike agree that the film is gorier than it needs to be, but this is a skillfully made and very effective film.

Wicked & Gladiator 2

The 2003 Broadway musical "Wicked" has been turned into a movie musical, but the cinematic "Wicked" is just Part I and Part II arrives a year from now. Although HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano agree that the 2-hour, 40-minute run time of Part I is excessive and, indeed, Mike grouses about franchise expansion, they also agree during this podcast episode that this movie has crowd-pleasing appeal. Yes, there is special effects-driven spectacle in Oz, but the movie is really driven by the central performances by Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. Marie and Mike also discuss "Gladiator II," a much-belated sequel to the 2000 "Gladiator." Director Ridley Scott is now 87 and yet he brings a youthful vigor to this immersion in decadent imperial Rome. Although our critics agree that "Gladiator II" has some dramatic shortcomings, they concur that there is much to savor in this sword and sandal epic.

Conclave & We Live in Time

As a papal thriller, "Conclave" is a very entertaining film. HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano talk about it during a podcast episode in which they are careful not to reveal any spoilers in the intrigue-laden plot about cardinals gathering at the Vatican to elect a new pope. There are excellent performances by Ralph Fiennes, Isabella Rossellini, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and others; and you can't go visually wrong with all of those red-robed cardinals in the foreground and religious artwork in the background. Although the plot twist-fueled story may be borderline-ridiculous at times and the whole film only plumbs the thematic surface, it sure is fun to watch. Marie and Mike also talk about the weepie "We Live in Time," whose romantic pairing of Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield is nearly ruined by a nonlinear editing strategy that is slightly confusing and, in any event, does not enhance our understanding of their characters. There are other films more deserving of your time.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice & The Substance

It's daunting to realize that Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice" was released as long ago as 1988, but he now returns to that ghostly material in the aptly titled "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice." In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano agree that it's nice to have actors including Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder back again, as well as the visual cleverness one expects from this director. Although Mike is not exactly a fan of such creative recycling and also complains about the film often seeming aimless and desperately busy, he did enjoy this Halloween-appropriate experience. Marie and Mike also talk about "The Substance," in which Demi Moore plays an aging actress who takes a mysterious substance that produces a younger version of herself. Our critics really disagree about this film, because Mike thinks that an intriguing premise is squandered by a lack of logical development while Marie thinks the aging metaphor is well-developed here. Well, as Mike would be likely to point out, audiences have a 140-minute running time and plenty of gross out moments in which to contemplate that premise.

Alien: Romulus & Blink Twice

On this episode of At the Movies, our hosts Mike and Marie discuss sci-fi franchise thriller, 'Alien: Romulus' and Zoe Kravitz's directorial debut feature film 'Blink Twice'. The two tackle new ideas revolving around AI's role in cinema, discuss whether or not the Alien franchise has lost its once terrifying shock factor it became so popular for back in 1979, and also give their opinions of optimism and critique of a first-time director.
 
*100% Spoiler Free*

Deadpool & Wolverine and MaXXXine

"Deadpool & Wolverine" is an R-rated superhero movie that breaks the fourth wall and makes fun of itself. Although Marie loves it and Mike thinks it quickly wears thin, they agree that "Deadpool & Wolverine" knows how to really please an audience. Marie and Mike also discuss "MaXXXine," which is a sequel to "X" and "Pearl." This grungy installment follows Maxine Minx, an ambitious young porno actor who is trying to achieve mainstream stardom. It's a tough movie to recommend, but Marie and Mike admire how well it captures Hollywood circa 1985. As film geeks, they especially like all of the time spent on the backlot of Universal Studios. Hey, it's the house from "Psycho"!

A Quiet Place: Day One & Kinds of Kindness

Audiences sat in rapt silence as aliens attacked humanity in "A Quiet Place" (2018) and its 2021 sequel. HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano agree that the prequel, "A Quiet Place: Day One," is justified and that it is anchored by a strong performance by Lupita Nyong'o as a sick woman trying to survive on the devastated streets of Manhattan. Marie and Mike also discuss Yorgos Lanthimos' "Kinds of Kindness." They really dislike this film, but they do have a few kind words for a cast including Willem Dafoe, Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons. 

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes & The Fall Guy

Considering that this franchise goes all the way back to 1068, the latest installment, "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," still remains an interesting sci fi exercise in a near-future world in which the apes are civilized and the humans are, well, rather primitive. In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano discuss a movie that will satisfy its fans in both technical and thematic regards. Marie and Mike also discuss "The Fall Guy," which they agree squanders its interesting premise about stunt workers in the film industry. Although there is some worthwhile footage of behind-the-scenes action, too much of this movie is given over to an unconvincing melodramatic storyline. Not even Ryan Gosling can save it from falling down.