The Rule of Jenny Pen (2024)

"Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair."

An esteemed judge suffers a stroke and ends up in a nursing home where he's forced to cede control to others. One of the eldest residents rules over the others with an iron fist covered up by a hand puppet they call Jenny Pen. 

I won't prevaricate. This is low budget psychological horror headlined by two of the best, Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow. It exploits the horrors of being invalid and at the mercy of others. It's straightforward, yet it stays with you.

3½ cognitive tests out of 5

The Accountant (2016)

An autistic man (the Hollywood variety, who is both a jacked expert assassin and also Mensa-level genius) works as a forensic accountant for dangerous criminals while moonlighting as an avenger of justice during daylight hours.

It's basically a neurodivergent superhero flick, which translates to a painfully average action thriller. Nothing too memorable you'll recall by the next day.

2½ stimming techniques out of 5

Conclave (2024)

The Pope has died and it's time to choose a successor. Ralph Fiennes heads this papal mystery-thriller which I would call "beautiful but boring." The votes are split between more traditionalist and liberal minded values, while each of the top candidates appears to harbor a secret that calls their legitimacy into question. The cardinals are unable to come to the majority vote required for successful election, so they are forced to reconvene and argue their case before each new balloting. Were it not for an intriguing final act, I would suggest passing this up entirely.

3 turtles on the papal floor out of 5

Raising Cain: Re-Cut (1992)

A fan-edit (by Peet Gelderblom) of De Palma's film that re-sequenced the existing version in an attempt to "approximate" the director's "original vision" as it was written in the shooting script, an order that was changed in post-production to one that was more or less chronological.
Previously, after the credits we were introduced to Carter Nix (Lithgow). In Re-Cut that's changed to a scene featuring his wife, Jenny (Lolita Davidovich). It's just the beginning of a striking reshuffle that alters how we view the film. The POV shift makes Carter a background figure, characterised more by his wife's feelings and words than by his own. The lengthy flashback as envisioned originally is made real, with the knock on effect of offering up new questions and being suggestive of new reasons for familiar actions.
Brian De Palma saw it and liked it so much that he gave his blessing for it to get an official release as an extra on some editions of the film. If you're open to the idea of a re-cut, it's well worth seeking out.

4 timely counterpoints out of 5

Raising Cain (1992)

Carter Nix (John Lithgow) is a child psychologist, loving husband and concerned father, which is an ideal place to hide the perfect psycho.
It’s so obvious what’s going on in the early part of the film that it’d take you to be paying almost zero attention to suspect otherwise, but knowing really doesn't matter, it’s even arguably beneficial for what comes later.
I'm aware that many people consider the film derivative and/or pure trash, but that's their choice. For me, De Palma proves that he was fit to wear the suspenseful shoes of his biggest influence more than once, most notably during a lengthy scene at a motel (where else?). It's so damn good on a technical level, regardless of what you think of the rest of the film.

4 dramatic exits out of 5

Blow Out (1981)

It’s made clear at the beginning of the film that the senses we use to filter out lies from truth can themselves deceive us. It’s a double-edged reveal that draws viewers into the narrative quickly but makes them aware of the techniques employed to achieve the manipulation. Each person will need to find their own comfortable balance in order to enjoy what comes afterwards.
Jack (Travolta) is a B-Movie sound guy. His trained ear is witness to what may or may not be a murder, but getting others to believe it proves to be difficult.
One of the people he tries to persuade is Sally (Nancy Allen). I like Nancy but she didn't convince me she was the air-head stereotype the script portrayed her as; that's a compliment from the opposite perspective.
De Palma’s trademark 360° camera movement is taken to the next level in one unforgettable scene. Just thinking about it makes me grin.

3½ isolated screams out of 5

Obsession (1976)

Watch any of De Palma’s early dramas and you’ll see his love for Hitchcock unashamedly on the screen. Obsession is that love taken to the maximum level. It’s a re-imagining of Vertigo (1958) penned by De Palma and Paul Schrader. The very idea of remaking a Hitch film fills me with revulsion, but I'm forced to concede that against all the odds it’s an amazing success!
Sticking close to the formula De Palma directs our attentions completely. The old-school techniques sit comfortably alongside a less seasoned but more edgy mechanism, creating a work that feels familiar but new at the same time.
The cherry on top is a classic Hitchcockian Bernard Herrmann score.

4 due wages out of 5

INTERSTELLAR [2014]

Christopher Nolan's latest fanboy's wetdream comes in the form of the colossally sized, yet thoughtful, sci-fi drama Interstellar.
It follows the of a team of inevitably doomed explorers who travel through a wormhole in search of a planet that can be support life to allow the human race to continue to exist.  The frighteningly beautiful photography is both lonely and busy as it dizzies the viewer with an overly complex plotline that overpowers the heart of the story.  Nolan has high ambitions but he bites off just a bit more than he can actually chew.  Although he states that the sound effects and music purposely drown out a lot of the clumsy dialogue it comes off as nothing more than frustratingly distracting.
In the end, it's a spectacular visual feast with a wonderful cast that never ceases to entertain and that's where it's at it's most powerful.

3½ bookshelves out of 5

THIS IS 40 [2012]

Billed as the "sort-of" sequel to 2007's Knocked Up, writer/director Judd Apatow's This Is 40 is a funny and touching comedy about hitting middle age while in a marriage with kids and an "insane" family.  

Gifted with a fantastic charismatic cast, contemplative observations and a heavy dose of funny, the film is unfortunately dragged down by a ridiculously long running time as it wastes it time on a few aimless plot points and minor characters.   In the end, I was left completely satisfied with just being able to laugh for 2 hours and thirteen minutes.  

3½ episodes of LOST out of 5

2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)

Sequel to the seminal 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) that occasionally mimics Kubrick’s style but mostly plays it safe. Like 2001, bugger all happens most of the time; the difference being that when something does happen the danger level is almost non-existent. It seems to exist simply to offer answers to the difficult questions left by its predecessor, robbing it of its enigmatic nature.
Roy Scheider keeps it interesting; without him the two hour running time would feel closer to four.
It’s very close to the novel, with only minor changes, most of which I imagine were for budgetary reasons.

3 fake Russian accents out of 5

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES [2011]

James Franco, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Freida Pinto and Andy Serkis make up the cast to this stunning prequel to the original "Apes" stories from the '60's & '70's.

While it does fall into summer blockbuster action sequences on the occasion (which are still entertaining to watch unfold here), Apes gets itself back on track with interesting situations and relationships that are usually so poorly written in most popcorn flicks.

The film challenges your morales, diminishes your feel good mood that most summer films seem to like to throw at you and gets in quite a few good scares which was a pleasant surprise. While not as good as the original, it is the best thing since.

3 ½ Hidden Charlton Heston's out of 5