Welcome back to Flick Picks, your twice-monthly movie fix. This installment invites you to imagine eternity, savor a sharply crafted murder mystery and take guilty pleasure in a gloriously over-the-top ’90s disaster romp.
Now playing
If you could choose any place to spend your afterlife, where would it be? In a casino where you always win? On a beach gazing out at a flawless ocean and sky? In a world where you can smoke as much as you like? (You can only die once, after all.)
Such are a few of the choices facing Joan (Elizabeth Olsen), a woman who’s just died and arrived at a waystation of sorts, where she must choose her eternal destination, in the newly released “Eternity.” She’ll want to take her time because she’ll be locked into her decision forever once she makes it.
Choosing won’t be easy. The two men she married in life – including her husband of 65 years and a fiery, all-consuming love that ended in tragedy early on – are waiting for her. And each wants her to choose to spend eternity with him.
It’s a terrific setup, one that writer and director David Freyne milks for all it’s worth, shifting nimbly between comedy and wrenching indecision like a dancer nailing a difficult routine. At the heart of the film is Olsen’s performance, which sweetly and emotionally anchors viewers in themes of female agency, finding meaning in life and the sacrificial nature of love. It’s a lot to carry, but whenever Olsen is onscreen – which is much of the time – it never feels heavy.
As I watched, I felt as if I were viewing an old movie, the kind of wholesome, emotionally direct fare that used to air on American Movie Classics. Eventually, I realized why: Olsen speaks and carries herself like one of the actresses from Hollywood’s golden age and her hair, wardrobe and lighting reinforce the effect. Whatever Freyne’s intention, the result is disarming. It strips the film of modernity and gives it a timeless quality, as though Joan is wrestling with dilemmas that first beset Adam and Eve.
“Eternity” is packed with simple pleasures, from the booths and pamphlets advertising various humorous destinations, to the Archives where visitors can view reenactments of their memories, to Miles Teller’s performance as the younger version of an old but lovable crank. Things unravel a bit toward the end, when the film bends some of its own rules to get everyone where they need to be before the credits roll, but that’s a forgivable sin.
Ultimately, “Eternity” asks a timeless question – not “Where would you like to spend your afterlife?” but “What’s your heart’s desire, here and now?” For me, it might be sitting in a theater, watching Olsen channel the movie stars of a distant past: tearing up like Katharine Hepburn in “Bringing Up Baby,” laughing like Carole Lombard in “My Man Godfrey” and firing off rapid dialogue like Rosalind Russell in “His Girl Friday.”
That sounds like a small slice of heaven.
New on streaming
Unless I missed something, the new Benoit Blanc detective thriller, “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” doesn’t feature a single knife in the commission of a crime. There’s an ostensibly fatal spike involved, but beyond that, sharp objects are in conspicuously short supply.
Fortunately, the twisty murder-mystery wit and clever dialogue that are the hallmarks of creator Rian Johnson’s now trilogy are firmly back after a slightly shaky second installment (the still entertaining “Glass Onion”). The result is the kind of mystery that invites you to curl up on the couch, warm cup in hand and disappear into it.
Yes, you’ll be watching “Wake Up Dead Man” from your couch rather than a movie theater seat. Netflix, in its corporate wisdom (read: greed that might yet prove the killing blow for cinema), gave the film only a perfunctory theatrical release before dumping it onto streaming.
No matter, I suppose. The scale is smaller this time, centered largely around a modest but beautiful church where the priest – Josh Brolin, in yet another terrific performance – is something of a monster. He holds an iron grip on what one character humorously describes as a “calcified congregation,” though calling the small ensemble that turns up for each mass a congregation might be generous.
A well-meaning younger priest, eager to guide the lost to Christ, arrives after punching out a sharp-tongued superior and soon finds himself a suspect in the priest’s murder – a killing that takes place in the middle of mass and appears impossible to pull off.
I’ll limit myself to a few observations. Daniel Craig returns as Blanc and is as good as ever in what is essentially a supporting role. As before, it’s the other characters – not Blanc – who serve as the film’s narrative center. The tone is noticeably more serious than the first two installments, a refreshing shift, and Johnson has once again crafted a mystery worthy of the word.
As a bonus, Glenn Close delivers a memorable turn as an uptight church secretary, brilliantly reminding us why we’ve been watching her for decades without ever growing tired of it.
I could happily watch one of these films every year. They’re smart, absorbing and unlike anything else currently being made. Here’s hoping Johnson keeps them coming.
From the vault
There’s an idea that some movies are so bad they’re good. What this really means is they’re so poorly made – or so unabashedly cheesy – that their very awfulness becomes entertainment. As Exhibit A, I give you an ooey-gooey serving of ’90s cheese: “Dante’s Peak.”
Despite its 1997 release, I managed to dodge this film until Nov. 22, 2025, when I was outvoted on the evening’s entertainment. (Note to self: Never propose a movie night when your stepdaughter is visiting. She and her mother vote as a bloc.) While initially disgruntled, I soon found myself swept up in a molten river of joyous ridiculousness that makes “Dante’s Peak” a must-watch.
The film takes place in the fictional town of Dante’s Peak, perched at the foot of the titular volcano – a massive, oddly rendered mountainside that looks more like a Photoshop experiment than part of the natural world. As volcanologist Harry Dalton (Pierce Brosnan) arrives to investigate some subterranean rumblings, the locals are busy celebrating their recent distinction as the second-best small town in America.
Dalton quickly pieces together a series of clues and announces that the volcano is about to blow its top. Naturally, no one believes him – not even his boss. Fortunately for Harry, his frustration is softened by a spontaneous, mutually convenient attraction to the town’s mayor, played by Linda Hamilton of “Terminator” fame. The romance materializes because a studio executive likely insisted the movie needed a romantic subplot to keep female viewers engaged between scenes of the volcano boiling skinny dippers, burying the town in ash and belching magma.
One of the great pleasures of watching “Dante’s Peak” is marveling at the terrible decisions made by otherwise smart people. Would a volcanologist drive a passenger vehicle into rushing water so deep it covers the windshield? Would he gun a pickup truck over hot magma, knowing full well it would melt the tires? Even after the rubber ignites and the wheels turn into fireballs, the truck somehow retains enough tire tread to carry Harry and company through the rest of the film.
My theory: Dalton – not the volcano – is the true antagonist, considering how often he places the mayor and her children in mortal danger.
Other baffling choices abound, all presented with complete sincerity – such as the mayor’s preteen son, who’s never driven a car in his life, racing up an ash-covered mountain in a station wagon to rescue his grandmother. I could go on, but you get the idea.
But just when you think you’ve fully gotten the idea, the movie tosses in fresh, delightfully silly twists. In its final volley of foolishness, Dalton and the mayor and her children become trapped in a collapsed mine for two days – Harry with an open fracture in his arm. When rescuers finally break through, he emerges smiling, free of sepsis, shock or even mild discomfort.
Then, as the music swells and Harry and the mayor share their first kiss, every rescuer crowds around them, beaming and applauding. The Academy Award for Best Participant in a Movie Coda Celebration that year must have went to the man on the far right of the frame, who seal-claps with such enthusiasm his head bobbles like it’s on springs.
Why did I wait so long to watch this?
Streamed on Prime Video
Rolling out the snacks
Since you’ll clearly be watching “Dante’s Peak” during your next movie night, might I recommend prepping a bowl of lava popcorn to complete the experience? Simply toss freshly popped kernels with melted butter and a splash of hot sauce, creating fiery red streaks that look like flowing magma. For extra flavor and a smoky “volcanic ash” effect, sprinkle on a little smoked paprika or chili powder before serving.