THERE ARE EVEN SCENES IN A MOVIE THEATRE!!!!

Yeah, I finally got to watch; "Conclave" (2024).

Not least because of the conspiratorial discussions over who everyone's going to vote for, set in a movie theatre, I stand by my assessment that it was a cheap shot at the Catholic Church. Using them as nothing more than a coded euphemism for the lobbying and politicking of Awards Season.

It must be said that it is a very good movie though. I don't think there's a weak acting performance in it. Amid lots of really beautifully composed shots which made me regret seeing it on a small, rather than big screen.

Ad-free streaming has conditioned my attention span to around 45 minutes. After that my mind starts to wander, regardless of what I'm watching. When the movie was interrupted half-way through by an intermission ad I was genuinely surprised to discover that an hour had passed.

That said though, the plot is utterly absurd. So absurd it could have been set anywhere.

As if an Islamist bombing would inspire people to choose the femininity of Benitez over the masculinity of Tedesco. Leading to an improved standing for women throughout the organisation(!)

Of course Isabella Rosselini used to be quite the sex symbol on her youth. At the age of 73, amid the Ozempic craze, she still hasn't completely disappeared.

That's what I was doing Friday/Saturday.

https://news.sky.com/story/democratic-republic-of-congo-at-least-34-people-killed-after-islamic-state-backed-rebels-attack-catholic-church-13402556

So we're all surprised that Trump hasn't already surrendered to them.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/4/rwanda-president-unsure-if-drc-peace-deal-will-hold-warns-against-tricks