Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (2001)

The title of this film has a triple meaning. The most apparent allusion is to barometric pressure. The second-most apparent allusion is to the pressure that our main character and his team is under to accurately forecast the weather on D-Day. But the most concealed allusion is the pressure the audience is under to withstand the tension and excitement. That tension and excitement being produced by, what else, World War II and meteorology.

In respect to all three examples, Pressure amplifies gradually.  In the first twenty minutes, the movie doesn’t feel especially compelling, in fact it feels quite pedestrian, well into “seen it before” territory.  But that seems intentional.  Slowly it builds.  You get drops of genius here and there, followed by a consistent stream of interesting characters interactions, until the levy starts to break and the excitement floods the screen.  By the time you make it to the actual D-Day invasion, you are absolutely hooked.  The combat scenes don’t take up much screen time, but they are the most gripping part of the film, and they are placed in a genius fashion. 

This film is anchored by its performances.  Brendan Fraser is the most famous of those in the cast, playing the most famous character in the film, General Dwight David Eisenhower.  His performance mirrors the film’s pacing: at first it feels somewhat weak, then drips of brilliance drop, followed by a consistent stream of excellence.  It’s no match for his performance in The Whale, but it still compels, especially in moments of anger.  Our actual main character, James Stagg, is played by Andrew Scott, who must have spent an inordinate amount of time preparing for this role as he delivers one of the most convincing performances of 2026.  His character is often reserved, intentionally holding back his emotions, which makes the moments where they leak out that much more effective.  The rest of the supporting cast isn’t quite as notable but still provides ample support, and not nearly enough credit will go to the individual soldiers who play brief but excellent roles in the film. 

So, Ed and Lorraine’s final outing in The Conjuring: The Last Rites is here, and I went in with mixed expectations. After the brilliance of The Conjuring 2, The Devil Made Me Do It felt like a letdown. So when this final chapter was announced, I was excited but cautious. Michael Chaves has directed some of the less strong entries in the universe (The Curse of La Llorona, The Conjuring 3, Annabelle Comes Home), so I wasn’t convinced going in.