Events
San Diego International Film Fest 2024 Opening Night presents ‘Conclave’: Strap on your miter and cast your vote!
Based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Robert Harris – when the Pope passes on, the college of Cardinals from all over the world convene in Rome to elect the new Pontiff, as shocking revelations and disturbances from the candidates come to light.
One wouldn’t think that a film about the election of a new Pope, even with star powers like Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini in the films roster, would be anywhere near as good as Conclave turns out to be. But the film is, truly, a marvel, a wonder, perhaps even an actual miracle of drama to behold. And so, let’s grab our rather dusty zuchetto (the skullcap worn by Cardinals) and dive into this!
So, the Pope (Bruno Novelli) has left this earthly plane without naming a successor, and like any good leader of millions upon millions of the faithful, he kept many secrets. The Dean of the college of Cardinals, Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), is forced to hastily shove aside his genuine sorrow at the Pope’s passing and gird his vestments to prepare to deal with the influx of Cardinals coming to Rome for the election of a new Pope. Immersed in ancient traditions that date back centuries for how to deal with a deceased Pope and the ensuing election of the next, Lawrence nevertheless finds himself bemused at also being surrounded by modern security measures, as they prepare to lock down the whole place and all the people in it until the election is satisfied.
Most of the Cardinals find themselves chagrined at the arrival of a fellow Cardinal they’ve never heard of before, a man who dared to bring the faith to dangerous places like Cabul, Archbishop Benitez (Carlos Diehz). And while Lawrence is unnerved too, he has far more on his plate to deal with. After an initial ballot to determine the front-runners for papal election, Lawrence begins researching into the backgrounds of the candidates with the most number of votes. Including, somehow, the unheard-of-before Benitez.
First up is Tremblay (John Lithgow), growing more desperate to hide the fact that, just days before the Pope’s demise, he was sacked for “gross misconduct”. And while Lawrence is keen to find out why that came about, information on the other Cardinals is coming at him from all directions and so Tremblay has to be tabled for now.
Next up is Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), and this is a Cardinal of the old-fashioned hellfire and brimstone against the unbelievers variety. Tedesco is a man who, when confronted with violent protests going on just outside the college of Cardinals, shouts that, “We need a Pope who fights these animals!” Referring to other religions, especially the apparently hated by Tedesco faith of Islam, one can almost see Tedesco itching to speak the forbidden words, jihad or holy war. And we’ve had plenty of that in history already thank you.
Lawrence’s good friend Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci) is a man beleaguered by the Pontiff election too, almost as much as Lawrence himself. Yet Bellini is a good man, a kind and understanding and willing-to-listen type of Cardinal, who also finds himself struggling with ancient traditions versus the need for modernity of faith here in 2024. Bellini finds himself reluctantly recruited to help Lawrence maintain his sanity, and secrecy as these horrific skeletons of other Cardinals come to light, even while being in the running for Pope himself. If for no other reason than to make sure these other candidates don’t get it.
Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati) is a Cardinal absolutely desperate to win the election, as it would be an incredible coup to be the first Black man ever to be elected to what is arguably the highest office of faith in the known world. And while the man (gender bias for Pontiff is something they fixed back in the time of Pope Joan) elected for Pope is still a man with a man’s shortcomings, the man who is Pope really needs to have either as few skeletons in his past as possible, or find a better way to keep them secreted and hidden forever. So when a serving Nun drops a tray in shock at seeing Adeyemi and through his research Lawrence finds out exactly why that happened and the past events that led to it, his past sadly takes Adeyemi out of the running for Pope too. Adeyemi’s remorse at such news seems genuine, as he tearfully asks Lawrence to pray with him, but the Deans word on this matter is effectively law and so his “ruling” stands. And really, from the way Bellini described Adeyemi as a sidebar, we don’t really want Adeyemi to win anyway.
Lawrence has realized a clear advantage he has after recruiting the disapproving Nun Sister Agnes (Isabella Rosellinni) for help in his searches into the many Cardinals pasts, and it’s pretty clear Sister Agnes enjoys getting all these men in their funny ancient cassocks and faith beanies to shut the heck up when there’s things they all really need to hear, and know. Like, the revelation that Tremblay’s gross misconduct involved simony, a giant no-no as far as the college of Cardinals, and perhaps especially the office of the Pope, is concerned. So Tremblay is now totally out of the running too.
But that leaves whom? Bellini may be a good man and good Cardinal, but he’s too progressive in his thinking and ways to want to fight for an office that, while it may be full of power in theory, also comes with arguably the heaviest responsibility on the planet. To be the Voice of God elected on this earthly plane to lead millions upon millions of faithful Catholics on the right path would be daunting to me, too. Tedesco is somehow still in the running, but as he loudly demonstrates during one of the latter-stage ballot discussions turned arguments, he would be a Pope who wants to go back to the old days of smiting infidels (meaning effectively anyone not Catholic) and we clearly cannot have that happen. Lawrence is made to realize that, despite his reluctance, he himself may have to take the office of the Pontiff, if, again, for no other reason than to make sure none of these other men got it. And most of these Cardinals in their arguments seem to have completely forgotten the newcomer Benitez, until he makes a speech towards the end that shames every last zuchetto-wearing man in the room.
The film is a bit of a slow burn in the beginning, yes, but things pick up rapidly as the former Pope’s body cools and the men scurrying frantically to replace him speed up their lies, tactics, and calculating moves, even against each-other. Powerhouse performances are drawn from every single last actor, most especially Ralph Fiennes as Lawrence and Isabella Rosellinni as Sister Agnes. There is a giant reveal at the end and the entire theater audience, myself included, gasped as one when it came out – that’s how you know, you’ve made an excellent film. Cast your vote at the end for who is truly deserving to be the new Pope, see Conclave in theaters now!
The much-anticipated film Arjun S/O Vyjayanthi, produced by NTR Arts and Ashoka Creations, is all set to unveil its official teaser on March 17, 2025. Featuring Nandamuri Kalyan Ram in the lead role and veteran actress Vijayashanthi making a powerful comeback, the film is expected to deliver a gripping action-packed family drama.
The Arjun S/O Vyjayanthi teaser launch event is scheduled for:
Date: March 17, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM IST
Venue: AAA Cinemas (Screen 1), Hyderabad, India
Fans who cannot attend in person can watch the teaser across YouTube, Twitter (X), and other social media platforms, as it will be released online simultaneously.
Pre-Teaser Hints at High-Octane Action
Ahead of the teaser launch, the makers released a gripping pre-teaser, which showcased Kalyan Ram in an intense look—seated on a boat, shirt bloodied, signaling an impending storm of action. Complemented by Ajaneesh Loknath’s electrifying background score, the clip has already generated significant buzz online.
Directed by Pradeep Chilukuri, Arjun S/O Vyjayanthi promises to blend action, family drama, and strong emotional elements, making it a highly awaited release for Telugu cinema fans. With Vijayashanthi portraying a powerful IPS officer, the film is expected to bring a strong narrative backed by stellar performances.
Nandamuri Kalyan Ram’s New Action Avatar Vijayashanthi’s Comeback in a Fierce Role High-Quality Production Backed by NTR Arts Intense Pre-Teaser That Has Raised Expectations
Stay Updated on Arjun S/O Vyjayanthi For the latest updates, teasers, trailers, and exclusive insights into Arjun S/O Vyjayanthi, follow NTR Arts’ official pages and stay tuned for March 17!
Multiple Primetime Emmy- and Writers Guild Award-winning film and television writer, director, and producer Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) has been named the recipient of the WGAW Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement. The award is presented to a Guild member who has “advanced the literature of television and made outstanding contributions to the profession of the television writer.” Gilligan will be honored at the WGAW’s 2025 Writers Guild Awards ceremony on Saturday, February 15 at the Beverly Hilton.
“‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,’” said Gilligan. “Cribbing from a better writer is about all I can think to do right now, preoccupied as we all are by what has happened to beautiful Southern California. But this award is a true honor, and I appreciate it deeply.”
Gilligan was born in Richmond, Virginia, and raised in Farmville and Chesterfield County. While attending NYU, Gilligan won the Virginia Governor’s Screenwriting Award in 1989 for his screenplay Home Fries, which was later made into a movie starring Drew Barrymore and Luke Wilson. This award led Gilligan to land an agent and enter the industry. He wrote 1993’s Wilder Napalm before joining season two of The X-Files in 1995. In addition to writing nearly 30 episodes, Gilligan went on to become an executive producer of The X-Files. He was one of the creators and executive producers of the spin-off series The Lone Gunmen.
In 2008, Gilligan created Breaking Bad, widely considered to be among the greatest television shows of all time. It was one of the most-watched cable series in history during its run and it is currently the highest-rated show on IMDb.
Gilligan went on to co-create the Breaking Bad prequel Better Call Saul in 2015 with Peter Gould. Together, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul were named “TV Programs of the Year” ten times by the American Film Institute and won four Peabody Awards, sixteen Primetime Emmy Awards, and nine Writers Guild Awards. In 2019 Gilligan wrote and directed the film El Camino, a coda to the Breaking Bad finale from 2013.
Named after one of the most influential writers in entertainment history, the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement is the WGAW’s highest award for television writing. Past Television Laurel Award recipients include Linda Bloodworth Thomason, Yvette Lee Bowser, Merrill Markoe, Jenji Kohan, Diane English, Aaron Sorkin, Steven Bochco, Susan Harris, Stephen J. Cannell, Shonda Rhimes, David Chase, Marta Kauffman & David Crane, Larry David, Garry Marshall, and Alison Cross.
So our Rookie (Gingle Wang) hasn’t been dead terribly long as other ghosts would describe it, and isn’t terribly familiar with the big business that the haunting and urban legend celebrity ghosts perpetuate. When the offerings at a ghost’s grave or shrine begin tapering off and especially if they stop, for any reason or none at all, the ghost in question has 30 days to either obtain an official haunting license or glitch out of existence, basically forever. And for some reason, our Rookie isn’t ready to do that just yet.
The rivalry between the two main celebrities of our ghostly world, Catherine (Sandrine Pinna) and her haunted hotel versus Jessica (Eleven Yao) and her horde of fakes, is just like the smiling poison you’ll see between live celebs on any reality TV show today. Catherine has her tried and true methods that work most of the time, while Jessica seems intent on trying out a bunch of new methods to take her haunting mythos worldwide, though neither of our lady poltergeists are impressing the Chairghost (Di-yang Huang) terribly much at the moment. And our Rookie is trying rather desperately to follow in either of their footsteps, inevitably resulting in hilarious if not pathetic shenanigans.
Like any rookie out hunting a job, our Rookie attends a ghostly seminar and performs miserably, but she manages to meet Catherine’s self-proclaimed manager Makoto (Chen Bolin), and gets taken back to the hotel for some professional haunting lessons from the legend herself. Spectral hijinks ensue, as Catherine and Makoto try so very hard to find a talent, a haunting niche, something that can give our Rookie recognition in the ghost world so she doesn’t go poof forever!
The problem is, is that our Rookie just doesn’t seem to be good at, well, anything. Like any ghost, she actually has unfinished business and that’s why she’s still stuck on this earthly plane, but the how and why of her death, and the very real rage and sorrow she still feels because of it, is something we the living can actually all relate to as well. As she dutifully dons schoolgirl garb and Jack Skellington makeup to repeat her chosen phrase, “I hate this world!”, our Rookie is building her own urban legend to rival even Catherine and Jessica, but even in this she feels herself a fraud. Makoto and the others helped her basically put this whole thing together, and while it might save her spectral butt from glitching out, it doesn’t address her personal grievances, which is kinda the whole point of ghosts.
The leading ghosts are about to compete in a ghost-off for the Golden Ghost Awards, its all being dead-broadcast amongst the dead talents society and the competition is totally fierce, yo! But even as she gamely tries to continue the urban legend she began with help, our Rookie finds herself realizing that she doesn’t have to be declared special or hugely popular, to deserve to continue to exist. No, her death wasn’t fair at all, and to make our Rookie continue to struggle for acceptance, recognition, and to be seen in the afterlife, isn’t fair at all either. No wonder that even in the beginning, our Rookie had decided to use, “I hate this world!” as her catchphrase.
Full of heart and sympathy for the struggles of recognition that both the living and the dead can totally understand, Dead Talents Society boasts plenty of jump scares and ghostly gore but from an adorably jaded behind-the-scenes point of view!
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