With the advent of streaming, quality older-audience fare in theaters has become less commonplace. As times change, it has become harder to make a crowd-pleaser due to audience fragmentation and an underabundance of originality in today’s cultural climate. Black Bag, a classic spy slow-burn flick with high-profile talent, is a high-stakes yet simplistic caper that entertains through craft, not flashiness.

In the 2023 Oscars, Netflix’s All Quiet in the Western Front got 4 awards - Best International Feature, Best Score, Best Production Design, and Best Cinematography. While the opinion on the film itself was mixed, the director, Edward Berger, was soon launched into relevance among critics and cinephiles. His new film, “Conclave,” is a smart political thriller with noteworthy ideas, accompanied by refined performances, tensionful writing, and elevated cinematography.