Cheat Work Thursday

I love Vatican movies . And Conclave is my new favourite -- superb score, stunning cinematography, regal wardrobe, perfect lineup, chef's kiss acting, gasp-inducing twist. But is it possible for us to get a different plot in the future -- you know, other than this usual electing-a-new-pope thing -- like an elaborate affair or a legal thriller or a post-apocalyptic chaos or a romantic comedy inside the Vatican? I mean, will it be tricky with the approval ? Do these movies need to be approved ? So, Conclave starts with the death of the pope. Three weeks later, the College of Cardinals, led by the Dean, Thomas Lawrence, gathers to elect a new pope. The main contenders in the beginning are Bellini, a liberal; Tremblay, a moderate; and Tedesco and Adeyemi, two conservatives. I never knew that the candidates for the pope are identified by these political ideologies. It's like watching the US presidential election all over again. “If we liberals are not united, Tedesco w...

MUST READ: THE FIRST TWO The Judge's List (2021) Lacy Stoltz from The Whistler is back. She's contacted by Jeri Crosby, who wants her to investigate a Florida circuit judge whom Jeri's certain is a murderer with multiple victims. One of the victims was Bryan Burke, Jeri's father. The case was never solved, and it happened 22 years ago. Burke was a retired law professor, and the judge in question was one of his students. And the motive is insane: apparently, this man felt humiliated by a heated debate he had with Burke in class, which led him to have an episode of mental breakdown. Jeri has no proof to back up her claim, but from two decades of investigating her father's murder, she has identified five other victims along the way, and they were all connected by two things: they were killed by a hit on the head, then strangled by the same type of rope, and they all had wronged this judge in some way. Lacy later figures out that the judge is Ross Bannick. And ...

MUST READ: THE GUARDIANS AND CAMINO WINDS This is my customary annual attempt to come back to this space 😅. Let's pick up where we left off. The Guardians (2019) Guardian Ministries is a non-profit legal foundation focusing on innocence, forgotten cases. It was started by Vicki Gourley after a young man convicted for murder by the jury she was on was later proven not guilty. The outfit employs two lawyers, Cullen Post and Mazy Ruffin, and a freelance investigator, Frankie Tatum, who was also its first client and exoneree. Operating on grants and donations, it's safe to say this is a poor organization – the number of cases is limited, and the process is far from speedy. Post is also an ordained minister. When he signed on with Guardian, he says, he also took a vow of poverty. The story follows Post and his work for Quincy Miller, Duke Russell and Shasta Briley. Quincy is sentenced to life imprisonment and has been incarcerated for 22 years for the murder of his di...