In post-spandex times, where the average superhero uniform comprises tactical gear the color of cement, James Gunn is one of the few directors who understands the allure of a good quirk. When the news of a greenlit Guardians of the Galaxy film hit the presses in 2012 and cynics accused Marvel Studios of scraping the bottom of the barrel, Gunn proved us wrong, turning in a swashbuckling space adventure that doubled as a heartrending found family story. Guardians of the…

Based on Robert Harris’ airport novel of the same name, Edward Berger’s elegant and absorbing Conclave is Dad Cinema™ at its finest. Its premise is rather straightforward: a cardinal experiencing a crisis of faith is tasked with managing the ancient ritual of electing a new pope. Rather quickly, however, Conclave reveals itself to be not so much a film about the Vatican as it is a parable about the failure of traditionalism to uphold the purported functions of the archaic…

— Benito, ¿tú crees que es el momento de estar hablando del rabo de Ulloa?

—— Para mi es importante. ¿Crees que me estoy volviendo bisexual como tú?

— No. Tú eres maricón de nacimiento.

Needed more Lola Dueñas after finishing La mesías, and chose this because it always makes me laugh. Still a problematic fave of mine, sorry. I know it’s low-tier Almodóvar and that there’s no justifying some of the ~choices~ in his script, but the heart wants…