#Heretic

[@tomdale1335]

I took your advice and watched My Old Ass. Not aimed at my demographic, of course. Great acting, laugh out loud moments and a satisfying ending that was well short of rom-com silliness. And it tells its story in a sensible 90 minutes. Bloody hell, I will be kicked out of the grumpy old fart fraternity at this rate. Oh, and I can totally empathise with her brother's Saoirse Ronan obsession.

[@terrytalksmovies]

Thanks for trusting my opinion, Tom. Glad you liked it.

[@simonglickman4181]

I felt the same way. Surprisingly well done, quite funny and ultimately affecting.

[@inanimatecarbongod]

Never heard of Keeper of the Flame somehow but you've made me really want to see it now. It puts me in mind of an earlier film called Gabriel Over the White House, which came out in 1933 and was also about a fascist takeover of the US, except that in 1933 fascism was still considered a good idea by many-indeed, 1933 was the year of the Business Plot in the US-and the film actually argues FOR it. It was produced by William Randolph Hearst's company and distributed by MGM, and funnily enough Louis B. Mayer seems to have had a lot fewer problems with this film than he did the later one.

[@terrytalksmovies]

Gabriel Over The White House didn't explicitly condemn the wealthy. 🙂

[@peterkarargiris4110]

"Didn't you write Harry Potter?" I nearly spat out my orange marmalade smothered crumpet there Terry, that was so funny ! 'Keeper of the Flame' sounds fascinating, I'll keep an eye out for it. 'All Through the Night' (1942) covers similar ground or at least has the same vibe. Heretic sounds excellent. You're absolutely right that religious ideas get re-cycled over and over again - this was noted as far back as the 18th century by Voltaire.

[@terrytalksmovies]

The intellectual rigour of Heretic makes it even more interesting.

[@jpotter2086]

"The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun." ... someone a few hundred years ago rendering into English an observation from a few thousand years ago.

[@nealepaterson3496]

I like the premise of Heretic, which I haven't yet seen but which I take to be that just because you're right it doesn't make you a good person (and vice versa), and also the inherent creepiness of those who are entirely assured of their own rightness. That's not a theme that is often addressed in films, let alone horror films. The people who are 'right' are normally the heroes...

[@terrytalksmovies]

It's a gutsy movie for that reason. It gives the villain the basis in reality... until he proves he's a total psycho.

[@nealepaterson3496]

@@terrytalksmovies My take is that however right we may be we're all wrong about something...

[@dcdad556]

Glad to see Hugh Grant climb out of the rom-con hell pit. First noticed him shedding his old skin in The Gentlemen.

[@terrytalksmovies]

Check him out in Paddington 2 as well.

[@damianmagee1581]

I was amazed about the Keeper of the Flame when I watched on tv as young teen. I been fan Tracey and Hepburn. Its a underrated film at lest both had the passion continued to do it. Of course at the time there were plans in place millionaires such as Ford and guy in charge of coke overthrow the government. The Hertic does look good.

[@terrytalksmovies]

Heretic is definitely worth it. A24 has produced some bangers in the last few years.

[@RamZar50]

Glad the *Hays Code* ended in 1968. Europeans were making all sorts of cutting edge movies and in the U.S. the Hays Code held us back with self-censorship. Even before that and the advent of MPAA rating system, “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967) lifted the veil.

[@terrytalksmovies]

That gatekeeping infantilised and gralloched American cinema for decades.

[@williamblakehall5566]

Thank you for looking at Keeper of the Flame, a title which I had long noticed. ALso the first genuinely intriguing review I've heard of Heretic. Thanks, Ter.

[@terrytalksmovies]

Thanks, William. Both movies are 100% worth it.

[@adambenton9673]

I had no idea Keeper of the Flame existed and now I'm pissed off they don't teach that movie in history classes here in the US, sounds as vital as it is absent in recent decades. Will track that down. I saw Heretic and loved it overall, the ending isn't as strong as the first hour but the performances are amazing. I missed My Old Ass but it looks good and shrooms are awesome 🤣😵‍💫

[@terrytalksmovies]

LOL. My Old Ass should be on Amazon Prime.

[@angelawossname]

I thought I'd come and check out this video after the comment you got. I haven't watched you for months but the Harry Potter joke reminded me why I love your videos. You might want to add "antisemite" to the list, though, especially after that video game. I'll recommend that movie to my son, who is non binary, and my dil, who is trans.

[@terrytalksmovies]

Thanks so much, Angela. Sal and I will always be allies and if sooks want to complain about my take on things, that's on them. Have a great holiday season, yourself, your son and DIL. ❤

[@angelawossname]

@terrytalksmovies so many claim to be allies but fail to do the bare minimum. I'm always impressed by you and Sally, who go above and beyond. I can't tell you how much your video last year about the referendum meant to me. Now I'm gonna go out and celebrate an early Chanukah with my favourite ND Jewish lesbian and our other queer ND Jewish friends, because she's going to the US on the weekend to spend Chanukah with her daughter and son in law. She's also going to try and convince them to come home. I don't blame her.

[@keithf_]

Nice SFX with those Christmas lights, Terry. I've bnever heard of 'Keeper Of The Flame', and brave for someone to extol the virtues of left wing thinking in 1940s America. 'Heretic' sounds interesting, if I can get past the seemingly contrived way in which the two Mormons get so easily snared. Talking of challenging movies, yesterday I witnessed for the first time the movie 'Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla'. It presented me with several viewing challenges, not least the challenge of deciding just where in my Top 10 list of worst movies I might place it. However, my subsequent research into the story behind the making of the movie proved a fascinating read.

[@terrytalksmovies]

Sammy Petrillo is challenging? 😬😀

[@keithf_]

​@terrytalksmovies not really. But I'd never seen nor heard of him until yesterday. The challenging bit was finding any worth in the movie at all. I failed the challenge.

[@richardhart9204]

Keeper of the Flame is based on an allegedly true story. Google, Smedly Butler, American Coup Plot.

[@terrytalksmovies]

Wow. What a rabbit hole!

[@MiddleAgedGeekGrrrl]

I like Justice Smith, I hope he has a long career. He was also in the Supermassive Games game ‘The Quarry’. I haven’t played that one but good to see him in that format as well.

[@terrytalksmovies]

He's really good in I Saw The TV Glow. It's a challenging role, too.

[@jpotter2086]

Really enjoyed Keeper of the Flame. Interesting time for such a script to be made!

[@terrytalksmovies]

It pissed off all the right people.

[@andreaslermen2008]

Rich people try to turn the USA into a fascist state. Well that is something, that's never gone happen... 2025 will be a year, when I need more hugs from my Siberian. As a German, It feels like we are 90+ years back.

[@terrytalksmovies]

It's like a political disease that recurs every 90 years. Sad and worrying.

[@angelawossname]

We no longer have anyone in living memory. The last holocaust survivor in my local synagogue died 11 years ago. People forget that the Nazis went after the queer people before they came after the Jews. It is no different now.

[@aengusmacnaughton1375]

Thank you! Great t-shirt idea -- "I am an adult, of some sort...."

[@terrytalksmovies]

Honesty is a good quality in a t-shirt. 😀

[@taker68]

Keeper of the Flame was perhaps based on the Business Plot of 1933 (as it's called on Wikipedia). A group of wealth business men wanted FDR out and would put in Marine General Smedley Darlington Butler as dictator with the help of veterans groups. They feared Roosevelt's New Deal changes. Butler declined and testified before Congress, no one was charged and many say it was just talk. One of those forgotten bits of US history most never heard of. Plenty of movies about a coup in the US like Seven Days in May that for years I thought were too far fetched but now seem all too on the nose. I saw Heretic, loved Grant and Thatcher (who i saw in Yellowjackets). Kind if felt the ending wasn't so great, reminded me of Barbarian which I also felt had a meh ending. I don't mind seeing films not made for my demo as long as I hear they are good. I've seen "gay" cinema since the 80s, just watched Drive Away Dolls which didn't really work.

[@terrytalksmovies]

Drive Away Dolls is wonderful. One of my favourite comedies of this year.

[@MarcColten73]

Keeper of the Flame has been a long time favorite of mine. I've always thought that Tracy's message about the importance of the role of journalism had gotten to the American people. Too late now.

[@terrytalksmovies]

It's never too late. You can only move forward.

[@aengusmacnaughton1375]

Trying to track down 'Keeper Of The Flame' now -- I appreciate the rare times that Hollywood has produced a politically introspective film. Have you seen 'Gabriel over the White House'? Interesting 'could have been' tale of the US Great Depression....

[@terrytalksmovies]

I've seen it. Weird, scary and ultimately an imperialist movie!

[@aengusmacnaughton1375]

@@terrytalksmovies -- Yup. Resonates with where FDR (and the US) *could* have gone, with some scary parallels with the odd way that previously (for the most part!) sane US citizens (from the bottom to the top) seem to bend their wills, wit, and their knees to very "unAmerican" leaders.

[@KarlBunker]

I'm tempted to watch _Keeper of the Flame_ for Spencer Tracy's hat alone. 🕵‍♂ 😳😍 Though it sounds interesting on other grounds as well. 😁

[@terrytalksmovies]

Spence was always good value and there's nothing like a decent fedora.

[@d.bcooper7819]

Thanks Terry

[@terrytalksmovies]

Always a pleasure. Check them out. 😀

[@RamZar50]

I thoroughly enjoyed “My Old Ass” especially once her older self showed up with some interesting plot twists. Not the best movie released in 2024 which would be the following: - Wicked - The Seed of the Sacred Fig - Anora - The Wild Robot - The Substance - Dune: Part Two - Transformers One - Juror #2 - Touch - Didi - Conclave - Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

[@terrytalksmovies]

It has been a blockbuster year for interesting, innovative cinema and also for some really shockingly bad movies, too. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

[@RamZar50]

@ What’s your Top 10 best movies of 2024 (preferably in ranked order)? The 2025 Golden Globes nominations will be announced on Monday, Dec. 9th starting at 5:10 a.m. Pacific Time.

[@terrytalksmovies]

No idea. I might do a 'Best Movies I Watched In 2024'. I can be a bit tardy watching new releases.

[@evilpixie96]

i enjoyed heritic

[@terrytalksmovies]

It's an interesting horror movie because it is, partly, about a war of ideas.

[@jackfriend4u]

challenges are good ..in film!

[@terrytalksmovies]

I'll take whatever life throws at me. You roll with the punches and play the odds. 😀

[@jackfriend4u]

ps i think if you enjoyed them, a far as the film makers are concerned, you are absolutely part of the demographic. Haven't seen anything yet where Aubrey Plaza didn't lift the production. Cranberries are nuts?! You are!! heh!! heard of the others but not "Keeper of the Flame-thanks for more good recommendations!

[@terrytalksmovies]

Glad to help, Jack. I love challenging movies. They stop me from fossilising, which I would absolutely hate.

[@TheDanEdwards]

3:29 "cranberries aren't _actually_ berries, they're _actually_ nuts..."

[@terrytalksmovies]

I was misinformed. 😀