Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

In 1990, 19-year-old Courtney Solomon purchased the film rights to the definitive RPG, Dungeons & Dragons. Solomon was forced into the director's chair in 1997 after several directors turned it down. The end result was a total dud released in 2000. That didn't stop a few made-for-TV sequels from coming out. But only now has the franchise returned to the big screen. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves isn't perfect, but it's a good cinematic campaign. 

Why isn't it perfect? Like Warcraft, the film banks on its audience already familiar with the game's lore. The sear number of concepts and creatures exposited can confound the unfamiliar. A lot of it is exposited during the long prologue, where thieves Edgin the Bard (Chris Pine) and Holga the Barbarian (Michelle Rodriguez) tell their story to a parole board. They're serving time after their last heist went wrong. Edgin wants to get back to his daughter, Kira (Chloe Coleman), and the parole board is sympathetic. But they still escape with the unwilling help of a tengu board member.

Thier old crew member Forge the Rogue (Hugh Grant) is now the Lord of Neverwinter City. He's also Kira's guardian and is lying to her that Edgin never loved her. At the root of it is the MacGuffin, a one-use tablet that can bring back the dead, like Edgin's wife. She was killed by a Red Wizard, the evilest kind around, and one of them, Sofina (Daisy Head), is Forge's advisor. Edgin and Holga decide to steal back the tablet to win back Kira. They're joined by their other old crew member, Simon the Wizard (Justice Smith) and newcomer Doric the Druid (Sofia Lilis). They'll have to hurry as Forge and Sofina plot to use the upcoming Highsun Games to turn the city into an undead army.

Everybody got that?

Unlike Warcraft, its cast is anything but stiff. In fact, the main party is a likable band of misfits. Pine and Rodriguez have great chemistry as Edgin and Holga. Individually, Edgin is a fun rogue and Holga's punch-first approach is amusing. Their relationship with Kira is endearing, and the finale is almost moving. Almost, once you remember the tablet. Simon gets a good character arc as he learns to improve his magic. Doric's ingenuity is as outstanding as her shapeshifting abilities. Together, they get their best moment when they commit to stop Sofina. Forge is an entertainingly loathsome villain, while Sofina is sufficiently creepy. There's one more cast member I'll get to when I describe the tone.

Directors and writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Game Night) basically conceived this as "Guardians of the Galaxy in Middle-Earth." Basically, modern wise guys in a high fantasy setting.  One scene has the party exhume, revive and interrogate several dead barbarians. They can only stay alive for five questions, which leads to hilarious difficulty. The party is joined for a bit by Xenk Yendar the Paladin (Rege-Jean Page), who amplifies their chemistry with his strait-laced demeanor. His portion features them chased by an overweight dragon, which is both funny and terrifying. You'll instantly realize what Sofina's masterplan is once Forge hints at it. How the party thwarts her involves some ingenious subterfuge.

There's an impressive technical party on this campaign. A good blend of CGI and animatronics conjures up the game's bestiary. A few highlights include Doric's shapeshifting - including her preferred Owl-Bear form - and Sofina's ghastly spell. The highlight is the trippy dimension Simon visits with the Helmet of Disjunction (another MacGuffin). The production design by Raymond Chan conjures up some neat locales. The most impressive of them is the shifting maze in the Highsun Games. I must note that one set of competitors are actually the cast of the 1983 D&D cartoon. It's an amusing gag made possible by costume designer Amanda Monk's spot-on recreations of their attire. And finally, there's another outstanding score by Lorne Balfe to accentuate the action.

Its exposition maybe dense, but Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves will help you through it. It does so with its affectionate parody spin on the high fantasy genre. The main party is worth watching for their excellent chemistry alone. They're up to the challenge against formidable adversaries during the film's 134 minutes. It's worth seeing on the big screen at any price. That's it for my 800th review. It's time to prepare for next month.

Boston Strangler

We now go to a real crime story in Boston Strangler. A savvy reader may recall that the infamous crime spree, attributed to one Albert DeSalvo (played here by David Dastmalchian), was also covered in 1968's The Boston Strangler, where DeSalvo was played by Tony Curtis. That film and the Gerold Frank book it was based on were certain that DeSalvo was the genuine article. This film not so much.

The crime spree begins in 1962 with three victims. The Boston PD initially considers them nobodies. It isn't until Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley) and Jean Cole (Carrie Coon) of the Record-American start investigating that the city realizes there's a serial killer. Their articles highly annoy the Boston PD for calling out their disinterest the case. Their editor, Jack (Chris Cooper), is mostly supportive, but feels the PD's pressure. Someone, perhaps the killer (Pat Fitz), harasses Loretta. That's more than enough pressure for her and Jean to find him out. Whoever he is.

Director/Writer Matt Ruskin actually begins in Ann Arbor during a similar murder in 1965. That's the first of Ann Arbor's similar strangler spree, which actually began in 1967. The killer here drowns out his crime by turning up the TV real loud. The song playing, Nowhere to Run, is a rather on the nose choice. But the film does a good job at building dread. We first see the Strangler's POV when he stalks his first victim. We know right away that he's a boogieman waiting to strike. We're on edge when he uses his handyman act to approach the first victim and all subsequent ones. We're spared from seeing the worst of it, but we certainly hear it.

Now for the story. Loretta instantly notices the Strangler's pattern, gets Jack's reluctant support, joins forces with Jean, gets the PD on edge, and coins the Boston Strangler (initially the Phantom) name within a surprisingly fleet 32 minutes. Where do we go from here? Loretta and Jean uncover the Boston PD's apathy in helping other PDs investigate similar sprees. Loretta's mysterious stalker is a minor nuisance who only pops up in two scenes. There's a tense scene where Loretta walks into the home of strangler suspect Daniel Marsh (Ryan Winkles). That perfectly creepy scene livens up the film's otherwise routine distillation of history. The ending's only bright spot is that DeSalvo was ultimately connected to the 13th and last murder. It's also amusing in hindsight that the epilogue said that third suspect George Nassar (Greg Vrostos) is still in prison: news broke yesterday that he died in 2018.

There's a good cast here. Cooper as Jack isn't always supportive of the investigation, but his reasons are usually sympathetic. Alessandro Nivola is great as Detective Conley, the most supportive member of the force. Bill Camp is good as the obstructive Commissioner McNamara. Dastmalchian and Vrostos are sufficiently creepy as DeSalvo and Nassar. Knightley and Coon are both compelling leads. Knightley gets some of her best scenes with Anne Samans (Patricia Jayne Morgan), the mother of a strangler victim, and the film's most sympathetic character. Coon's best moments are when she meets the friend of another victim.

The Boston Strangler maybe a routine distillation of history, but its presentation got me interested in reading more on the case. I'm even interested in reading Frank's book, even if its thesis is in doubt. Stream it on Hulu now and you might get that interest too. As for me, I'm ready for my 800th review. That's coming very soon.

Luther: The Fallen Sun

I'm getting closer and closer to my 800th review.

Those capsule reviews really helped. Here to help further is Luther: The Fallen Sun, a theatrical follow-up to the BBC series created by Neil Cross. The titular John Luther (Idris Elba) is a London DCI willing to get his hands dirty to apprehend truly heinous criminals. As depicted in the fifth season finale, and expanded here, Luther is finally arrested for his misconduct. 

Luther's arrest wasn't actually altruistic. His misconduct was leaked by David Robey (Andy Serkis), a depraved billionaire who runs a snuff film operation. He gleefully taunts Luther during his incarceration. Luther breaks out during a prison riot - with help from his police friends - and looks for Robey. New DCI Odette Raine (Cynthia Erivo) and Luther's old boss Mr. Schenk (Dermot Crowley) look for Luther. They'll have to hurry as Robey is about to livestream his biggest snuff event yet.

Elba is a charismatic antihero as Luther. I find him morally honest but ethically gray. Sure, there's the misconduct, but he's repulsed as he listens to Robey's first victim's last moments. We never doubt that he's on the right side or not after that. We stay invested in him even as the film drags its heels. Erivo is fine as Raine; she's great as a determined detective, and frustrating when she drops the ball. She drops the ball hardest when she prioritizes arresting Luther over subduing Robey, who has a man at knifepoint. But she keeps it when she fends off Robey's henchman at the climax.

Serkis as Robey is such a perfect hate sink. He lures his victims' parents to their bodies and sets the room on fire. The parents survive and he has the gall to befriend one. And he's just getting started. We almost sympathize with him when we see his disfigured wife, Georgette, but he rebuffs it by being abusive. He keeps us clamoring for his comeuppance and we're rewarded with a karmic climax. His overdone pompadour is initially distracting, but by the end, we're easily fixated on his vile villainy.

The film maybe overlong, but the set pieces work thanks to editor Justine Wright. A few memorable moments include the aforementioned riot and a mass suicide orchestrated by Robey. Robey abducting his first victim is also memorably creepy. Cinematographer Larry Smith renders nighttime London as an alluring nightmare, which is perfectly punctuated by Lorne Balfe's score. There's also some great production design, the best of which is with Robey's icy fortress. Overall, there's a great technical crew on the case here.

Luther: The Fallen Sun is a good introduction to the series. It's got some slow spots, but its 129 minutes are still thrilling, overall. Its great antihero and depraved villain make the whole affair worth it. You won't be lost if you go in blind. You can Netflix and chill with this one, though there may be a theater playing it near you. Whichever options are fine. The next film I'll get to is a real-life crime story. And I actually saw it before this film. That review is coming soon.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

I've teased it twice, and now you'll get it. Shazam, aka the first Captain Marvel, aka anything else his juvenile alter ego Billy Batson can think of, is back for round two. Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a decent sequel to a great superhero film. Here's what else I thought about it.

Billy (Asher Angel/Zachary Levi) and his foster "Shazamily" poorly defend Philadelphia from catastrophe. They open the film saving people from the collapsing Benjamin Franklin Bridge but fail to save the bridge from collapsing. Billy frets about aging out of the Shazamily once he turns 18, while his siblings pursue other things. Billy's fears are compounded by Hespera & Kalyspo (Helen Mirren & Lucy Liu), two of the daughters of the Titan Atlas, one of the six sources of his SHAZAM powers. They want their powers back.

We also get some subplots. Foster Brother Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer/Adam Brody) falls for the youngest of Atlas's daughters, Anthea (Rachel Zegler). The Wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) is somehow still alive. The Daughters use his staff to depower the Shazamily. Billy has a crush on Wonder Woman. There's also a Golden Apple that Kalypso, especially, really wants. Of course, she could use the tree it spawns to revive her realm, but she uses it to wreck Philadelphia. Billy and the Shazamily have to get it together to save the Earth.

Director David F. Sandberg and writer Henry Gayden are joined by new writer Chris Morgan for this sequel. The Shazamily dealing with one of their "benefactors", or their descendants, is a good concept. The elder Daughters view the Shazamily as thieves by proxy. Yet, Billy doesn't counter with how his powers were forced upon him by the Wizard. The Wizard's lack of guidance in the first film is addressed now that he's alive. But it doesn't address how he is alive. The Wonder Woman subplot pays off at the end when she's the literal deus ex machina. It's kind of silly, but it's fine. The same goes for how the Shazamily tames a herd of unicorns in Act 3.

It's still a fun time thanks to its cast. It's impressive how both sets of Shazamily actors play their parts cohesively. The adults feel like kids rather than adults trying too hard. It's easy for Grace Caroline Currey, who actually plays both versions of Mary, while it's seamless for Meagan Good and Faithe Herman (Darla). They're quite likable, which makes the finale nearly moving. I say nearly because of Wonder Woman. Freddy's chemistry with Anthea is fine, while his bickering with the Wizard is funny. Hespera and Kalypso are good villains, and they get the best laughs when they read, in all seriousness, the Shazamily's rambling letter to them. 

A close second in humor comes from how the Shazamily redecorated the Rock of Eternity. That's the best bit of an overall decent production design. The Shazamily's costume flourishes from last time are gone, but Anthea's golden attire is striking. The best visual effects come from Kalypso's steed, the dragon Ladon, whose roar is unsettling. Kalypso and Hespera's opening attack on the Acropolis Museum is perfectly unnerving and is a good introduction to Christophe Beck's formidable score. Kalypso's powers of persuasion are punctuated with some creepy sound design. We also get a few great heroic themes along the way.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a harmless superhero movie. Its fun tone and cast compensate for its imperfect story. That story decently moves along at 130 minutes. You'll have a good family matinee even if it's not as strong as its predecessor. Its end credits promise a returning foe and his new ally. It would be a shame if this movie flops, or its continuity reboots, or those two are treated as a joke in the next film, because all three options are plausible. I guess we'll know once The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom debut this year. That's it for now.

Creed III

 It's time to get back in the ring.

I skipped out on Creed II partially due to my packed schedule in 2018. But I'm back to commentate on Creed III, in which Michael B. Jordan not only returns as boxing champ Adonis "Donnie" Creed but directs it himself. What can you expect from a Rocky movie without Sylvester Stallone? A lot.

This time, Donnie retires from boxing to become a family man. His wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson), retired from singing due to her hearing loss, while their daughter, Amara (Mila Davis-Kent) was born deaf. In the meantime, Donnie is now a boxing coach, whose star pupil, current champ Felix Chavez (actual boxer Jose Benavidez Jr), is about to face Donnie's former foe Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu). What can go wrong?

Enter Damian "Diamond Dame" Anderson (Jonathan Majors), Donnie's former best friend, who went to prison after he saved Donnie from a beatdown. Dame, an aspiring boxer, wants his own one-in-a-million title shot for the heavyweight championship. Donnie is forced to consent after Drago is randomly assaulted. Dame brutally KOs Chavez and later mocks Donnie in public. This leaves Donnie no choice but to come out of retirement to take on Dame.

Any relatively minor gripes come from the defining incident. In the prologue, Donnie recognizes a man named Leon, and immediately beats him up. Dame pulls a gun on Leon's friends when they clobber Donnie. Donnie ran and left Dame to face the cops. Bianca later comforts Donnie during his emotional low point and tells him it's not his fault Dame did what he did. But Dame did what he did to save Donnie. Donnie did what he did because, as we find out, Leon was abusive. All in all, it's a tragedy of impulsiveness, and is more morally gray than the film realizes. I'll talk more about the fallout next paragraph.

Chavez and Dame enter their fight with the bravado of pro wrestlers. Dame, in particular, is greeted like a heel, and believe me, Dame is a spectacular heel. When he first appears as an adult, he and Donnie greet each other like old friends. Dame's request for a title shot is quite sincere. His nice guy attitude gives way to ego once the fight happens. He's still polite when he slugs Donnie in public. He's such an egotistical heel that we wait anxiously for Donnie to throw down. Our patience is awarded. Still, while Dame is vindictive, we understand his vindictiveness. It's nice to see them reconcile at the end.

Now for the star. As Donnie, he's got a great relationship with Amara, who starts taking after her dad. Their first scene together is quite funny as he plays tea-party. On a serious note, his relationship with adopted mom Mary-Anne (Phylicia Rashad) is tested by a plot twist, though they reconcile on her death bed. He still proves himself a determined hero when he takes on Dame. Behind the scenes, Jordan's technical crew prove their mettle. The boxing scenes are excellently edited by Tyler Nelson and Jessica Baclesse. Dame vs Chavez is legitimately brutal, while Donnie vs Dame turns stylish with some mid-fight hallucinations. Who can forget Donnie pulling a plane during his training montage. Donnie's LA mansion is quite stylish, while his ultimate victory is perfectly punctuated by Joseph Shirley's use of Gonna Fly Now. 

Creed III keeps a steady pace during its 116 minutes. Its star proves himself as great a director as his frequent collaborator, Ryan Coogler, who co-wrote the film with his brother Keenan, and Zach Baylin. You'll be on edge during its fights both in and out of the ring. Its central conflict is morally gray, though we both sympathize with the hero and villain. It's a great Rocky movie even without the Italian Stallion. Hurry up and see it in theaters. It won't be there forever. 

Living

I said I was done with this year's Oscar slate. 

I mean it this time.

The last film on my 95th Oscar docket is Living, in which director Oliver Hermanus and author Kazuo Ishiguro transplant Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru, itself a transplant of Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich, to London. The biggest obstacle to me renting it was its $19.99 rental tag. I paid it, but I'd rather not pay that price that often.

Mr. Williams (Bill Nighy) is the stuffy head of the London County Council in 1953. The other council members notice his humdrum life, particularly Ms. Harris (Aimee Lou Wood), who nicknames him Mr. Zombie. That life is cut short once Williams gets diagnosed with stomach cancer. He only has six months left. He takes a holiday by the seaside, where he spends a night on the town with local writer Mr. Sutherland (Tom Burke). It isn't until he meets up with Ms. Harris, who left the bureaucracy in his absence, that he regains his passion for life. He still needs to make a difference, like with a playground project he keeps putting off. 

It's no surprise that Williams eventually dies. What may surprise you is that he dies during the last half-hour. He sets out to build the playground and it goes to his funeral. We see in flashbacks how he got the project going. That's similar to Ikiru's structure, but it's still a bit of a slog to the finish line. Ikiru's Watanabe (Takashi Shimura) dies just under 93 minutes out of 143. This film is 104 minutes long, and that last half-hour felt just as long. It was still good to see his co-workers discuss how to honor his legacy, even if they give up immediately. It's more moving to see one of those co-workers, Mr. Waekling (Alex Sharp), talk to the constable who last saw the old man alive. It's also nice to see Waekling and Harris get together at the end.

Nighy himself makes the film worth it. Once Williams gets the diagnosis, he sits alone at home as his son, Michael (Barney Fishwick) and daughter-in-law, Fiona (Patty Ferran), walk in. He clearly wants to break the news to them, but he can't bring himself to do it. It's a strong scene that surely helped Nighy get his first Oscar nomination. A later scene where Williams rehearses another attempt is equally effective. The film isn't all doom and gloom, though, as we see Mr. Williams get to enjoy life. His chemistry with Ms. Harris is endearing, while his night with Mr. Burke is enjoyable. We're not really sad when Mr. Williams goes, for he's quite content in his last scene.

So, what happens in the last scene? Mr. Williams simply swings in the snow at his playground. The snowy cityscape photographed by cinematographer Jamie D. Ramsay is alluring. In fact, Ramsay's work is impressive throughout the film, including in its old-time opening credit sequence. Those scenes are punctuated by a melancholic, yet soothing score, by Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch. We also get some impressive sets in its recreation of old London. The council headquarters, for example, embodies their stuffy bureaucracy before we see it at play. The playground site is quite impressive before and after the construction.

Living is a bittersweet movie that leans towards sweet. Its main character dies, but he finally lived a happy life, while a few others learn to do so as well. That main character and his last scene make the slow and steady plot worth it. This is a great movie to end this year's Oscar checklist on. I now wait for the results as I prepare for this year's upcoming films. Time to live.

EO

Here's that International Feature contender I promised.

This would be EO, Poland's entry into the Oscar race. This is a remake, sort of, of Robert Bresson's Au Hasard Balthazar (Balthazar at Random), helmed by one of Bresson's contemporaries, 84-year-old Jerzy Skolimowski. What can you expect out of it? A weird sampling of sadness in a tight 88-minute package.

So, who is EO? As with the earlier Balthazar, EO is a donkey. EO starts the film as a circus animal trained by the kindly Kasandra (Sandra Drzymalska). EO and the other animals are confiscated when the circus is foreclosed. EO finds himself on a farm or two. He eventually escapes to try to find Kasandra. He finds himself in a petting zoo, a horse stable, a fur farm, a junkyard and even a countess's (Isabelle Huppert) estate. He even finds himself the accidental mascot of a soccer team. It doesn't end well.

EO lacks an internal monologue for its titular character. Instead, Skolimowski and cinematographer Michael Dymek let EO's adventures speak for themselves. We get a few chuckles from EO's ignorance, such as his disinterest in his stint as a beer garden mascot. But we recoil when EO witnesses, and is subjected to, man's cruelty. Take the soccer episode, for example. "His team's" victory party is crashed by sore loser hooligans who take their rage out on him. He finds himself on the fur farm after rehab. All the scared foxes in cages will make you reconsider investing in fur. Don't get me started on the time he meets a wolf. He soon wanders into the one place he shouldn't be. Let me reiterate. It doesn't end well.

The weirdness comes in when we get his POV. His POV scenes are surreal sequences filtered in nightmarish red. The film gets us going with one such sequence during a circus act. The weirdest part of all comes when he wanders after the hooligan attack in the form of a robot dog. The surreality is compounded by Paweł Mykietyn's imposing score. On a positive note, the film's unfiltered views of the Polish countryside are stunning, and editor Agnieszka Glińska does a good job disguising the fact that EO is actually six different donkeys (Ettore, Hola, Marietta, Mela, Rocco, and Tako).

What about the humans? Drzymalska is likable as Kasandra, which gets our hopes up in seeing them reunited. The soccer team that "adopts" EO are likable, too. You'll hate the opposing hooligans with a passion when their screentime is done. There's also a trucker (Mateusz Kościukiewicz) who gets a bit of a subplot before he's randomly murdered. Perhaps the most significant mini-subplot belongs to the countess and her nephew, Vito (Lorenzo Zurzolo). You'll also find it the oddest when it's done.

I think you can tell by now that this isn't a happy movie. Overall, EO is a sad film about an animal's experiences with cruelty before his life, and the film, abruptly end. But we are spared from seeing the worst of it all other than the trucker's murder. But we hear it. I won't blame you if you seek something else. As for me, while I promised that this would be the last of this year's slate I'll look at, I'm suddenly inclined to check out Living. Despite its $19.99 rental tag. 

Tick tock, tick tock.

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

Good news: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is about to premiere on HBOMax.

Bad news: It premieres on the 19th, one week after the Oscars. That doesn't sit well for anyone hoping to keep up with the contenders.

Good news: It's available to rent now.

Bad news: It's not free.

Good news: I went ahead and rented it. At long last, the review:

Laura Poitras's latest documentary chronicles photographer Nan Goldin. Goldin narrates her life story, starting with her close relationship with her sister, Barbara, and her suicide (the title coming from a line in Barbara's psychology report). She tells us how she fell in with "transgressive" subcultures and how she honed her craft photographing them. We see much of her work, including the components of her famed slideshow, The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, throughout the film.

Her works were displayed at museums sponsored by the Sackler family, the owners of Purdue Pharma, perhaps the biggest contributor to the Opioid crisis. She realized this after her near fatal overdose on Oxycontin. The film chronicles her founding of P.A.I.N. (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now) and their protests of Big Art's collaboration with Big Pharma. Their work helped bankrupt Purdue.

Anyone unfamiliar with Goldin's work will get a great introduction. Her photography will impress the unfamiliar with its sublime intimacy. Whether it's an AIDs patient in their last days, or herself after her then-boyfriend's abuse, Goldin's work lets us know the subjects as people. For a more specific example, there's one of her muses, Cookie Mueller, a favorite of John Waters, who we see at her wedding and funeral. Those photos help emphasize how painful her death, as well as many others, whether to AIDs or Opioids, were tragic losses.

Her own story is captivating. Her life in suburbia, her relationship with Barbara, Barbara's "mental issues" and her suicide are all powerful stories. Her early years with the LGBTQ community and the New York underground are as intimate as her work. Her friends dying was compounded by government apathy. Worse than apathy, further lies, as exemplified by a tacky Purdue commercial we see. All that, and her overdose, made her fight with the Sackler's personal. We hear a devastating 911 call made by the parents of an opioid victim during a deposition near the end. She knows that could've been her. While Sackler's losses seem minimal, we still join Nan's triumph as museums reject Sackler grants and their name. 

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed's compelling story of an artist and activist easily earned it a place in this year's Oscar lineup. There's less than a week left, but I think I'm done with this year's Oscar slate. I have one more film, one of the International Feature contenders, before I sit back and wait for the results. Any of the four documentaries I've seen this year could take the prize in the end. This film is particularly involving. See it soon only if you want to stay ahead of the Oscar crowd. 

Tick tock, tick tock.

Demon Slayer: World Tour

 How should I explain this?

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - To the Swordsmith Village - World Tour isn't actually a movie. It's literally the last two episodes of the anime's second season (The Entertainment District Arc) paired with the hour-long premiere episode of the upcoming third season (The Swordsmith Village Arc). That means you get to see the credits at least six times. I jokingly thought to myself "show's over, time to go home" every time the end credits played. So, I was legitimately surprised when it was the end.

At least the short film packages I reviewed are all unrelated films.

Unlike Mugen Train, which was split into the second season's first seven episodes, this one brings those who came in late up to speed. Our demon slaying heroes, Tanjiro, Inosuke and Zenitsu, along with Tanjiro's demon sister, Nezuko, are sent by the high-ranking slayer Tengen Uzui to infiltrate Yoshiwara, Edo's "Entertainment District." After many shenanigans, our heroes confront the sibling demon duo, Daki and Gyutaro.

And as the first of these episodes, Never Give Up, opens, they are losing badly. But eventually, Tanjiro and a gravely wounded Tengen, join forces to slice Gyutaro's head off. Zenitsu and Inosuke, likewise, join forces to decapitate Daki, despite her very long neck. The next episode, No Matter How Many Lives, is a long flashback of Daki and Gyutaro's human lives as they disintegrate.  Also, Tengen lives and retires from demon slaying.

The main event, Someone's Dream, begins with supreme demon Muzan Kibutsuji and his best minions reviewing their situation. Meanwhile, on Tanjiro's side, he awakens from a two month-long coma. He needs a new sword, so the slayers send him off to the Swordsmith Village for a new one. He gets involved with two other top slayers, Mitsuri Kanroji and Muchiro Tokito, and goes looking for a MacGuffin. And then it ends. Also, Tanjiro dreams of a flashback involving characters who become relevant much later in the manga.

Despite any gripes, the show's animation looks great on the big screen. The battles are still spectacular and tense. The slayers' breathing attacks are as vibrant as they were in Mugen Train. The entire portion with Muzan and his minions is the animation standout, as it's set in a castle that would amaze Escher. It helps to be at the front when you're watching the show. Perhaps an advantage of seeing these episodes again is to hear a great sound mix and score from your theater's speakers.

Our returning heroes are still a likable quirky bunch. Nezuko gets her best - and funniest moments - when she easily heals Tengen and Inosuke of a nasty poison. Those who didn't tune into the Entertainment District Arc on tv, like me, will get a few new memorable characters here. Gyutaro, like Mugen Train's Enmu, is loathsome as he mocks Tanjiro's weakness. But once you see his backstory, especially what led him to take on his persona, you'll sympathize with him. He and Daki argue as they disintegrate, but it's nice to see them make up in the afterlife. Doma, the demon who inducted them into Muzan's ranks, is a sly and fun new villain. Mitsuri's cheerful personality is a delight, through and through.

Those who want to see a tv show on the big screen will get their money's worth. Others might want to wait for the official premiere. It's still fun to see this animation style and these characters on the big screen. A little editing could have streamlined the whole experience. After all, the Gundam franchise made an art form out of re-editing tv shows into feature films and those usually turn out great. But from what I've seen, Demon Slayer: World Tour's got me a little interested in catching up on the show. 

Women Talking

I was avidly waiting for Sarah Polley's fourth film as a director and writer, Women Talking, to debut theatrically. But its "wide release" was appallingly slow. So, when it popped up to rent on Amazon, I pressed play Friday.

The same week it debuted at a theater near me. 

My schedule was already packed.

Polley adapts Miriam Toews's 2018 novel, which was loosely based on a grisly crime spree at the Mennonite Manitoba Colony in Bolivia. Between 2005-09, numerous women were raped at night by men armed with cow tranquilizers. The elders dismissed them as "wild female imagination," or the work of ghosts, until the very real and earthly perpetrators were caught. Ten men were convicted, including the doctor who supplied the tranquilizers, and most were sentenced to 25 years. The story actually takes place in another, unnamed Mennonite colony (Molotschna in the novel), but the backstory is the same.

In Toews's "reaction through fiction," the men head to town to post bail for the attackers. The women are given two days to forgive their attackers, lest they be excommunicated. A few of them meet at a barn to debate whether they 1.) do nothing, 2.) stay and fight, or 3.) leave. Since the women can't read or write, schoolteacher August (Ben Whishaw) is asked by his childhood friend Ona (Rooney Mara), whose attack left her pregnant, to record their meeting. 

A few highlights. Scarface Janz (Frances McDormand, one of the producers) sticks to the first option. Salome (Claire Foy), who tried to murder her daughter's attacker with a sickle, advocates for the second. Mariche (Jessie Buckley), whose husband is abusive, votes for the third, though she struggles whether to forgive them or not. August and Ona rekindle their friendship. They debate, argue and even find time to laugh. Time is of the essence, especially when Mariche's aforementioned husband, Klaas (Eli Ham), comes to town.

When I read the novel, I thought that its main plot would translate exceptionally well to the stage. Thankfully, it also translates exceptionally well to the screen. Its ensemble holds your attention as they discuss the merits of their options. Salome, for example, wants to fight, but is also scared of her capacity for violence. Those that vote to leave know how badly they have it there. But how would they know what's out there without a map? You'll understand their viewpoints rather well. The film expands beyond the barn for flashbacks; the aftermaths of these attacks are appropriately shocking.

What else can I say about the cast? Plenty. Mariche makes quite an impression as she snipes at her fellow attendees. Her mocking her sister Mejal's (Michelle McLeod) PTSD episode isn't endearing. But we still understand her pent-up rage soon enough. It's quite a strong moment when her mother, Greta (Sheila McCarthy), apologizes to her for making her forgive Klaas. It's also quite moving when the other elder present, Agata (Judith Ivey), addresses another victim, a trans man named Melvin (August Winter), by his name. Ona and August's relationship is endearing, and their final farewell was a bit devastating. Salome's fury and personal conflicts are quite captivating. The youngest members, Autje and Neitje (Kate Hallet and Liv McNeil), provide some great comic relief as they fool around during the meeting.

Marc Montpellier's near-grayscale cinematography fits the grim subject matter. However, its second to last shot, where we see the women's road ahead, is uplifting. I feel similarly about Hildur Gudnadottir's score. For example, the main guitar theme is soothing, while its opening chimes are creepy. There's also some great production and costume design to create the film's Mennonite colony. I'd bet the only reason they weren't nominated for Oscars was because the competition was strong.

Women Talking's strong debate is argued by a compelling cast of characters. They'll keep you invested for each of its 104 minutes. It's coming to physical media on Tuesday. So, if it's still not playing near you or if you lack streaming, that's another option. But any option is fine to see this powerful moral drama.