That’s a quote from a member of an organization called Love Has Won in a new HBO docu-series, entitled “Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God.” The group is, by most accounts, a cult that grabbed headlines in April 2021 after the mummified remains of its leader, Amy Carlson, known as Mother God, were found in a sleeping bag wrapped in Christmas lights near Crestone, Colorado.

But that was hardly the first time Love Has Won ended up in the news. Over the course of a decade-plus, the group gained exposure by spreading its message by live-streaming on platforms such as YouTube and Facebook. In 2020, Love Has Won fled Hawaii under police escort after Carlson’s claims to be the deity Pele sparked outrage among locals.

HBO’s docu-series chronicles the life and death of Carlson through interviews with current and former members, footage from the group’s extensive online archive and conversations with her family members, including the two children Carlson left behind when she moved to Colorado on a whim to – in her words – chase her life’s mission.

The three-part documentary is well worth a watch, but for those who don’t have three hours to dedicate to it, here’s a quick primer on the Love Has Won cult.

What are the beliefs of Love Has Won?

As the leader of Love Has Won, Carlson was believed by her followers to be the mother of all creation and a living god who energetically processed all the world’s traumas on behalf of Earthly people. Members of the cult referred to her as Mother God and believed she lived numerous past lives as Joan of Arc, Cleopatra and Marilyn Monroe.

Many of the group’s beliefs relied on metaphysical elements, such as energetic vibrations, five dimensions of reality, a galactic council and starships. They believed Carlson did not die but rather “ascended,” meaning she left her physical body, to save humanity. In preparation for achieving their own ascensions, members of Love Has Won ate and slept very little. They often consumed drugs and alcohol.

The group was also known to repeat political conspiracy theories that aligned with QAnon, such as the baseless belief that cannibalistic liberal pedophiles run a global child sex trafficking ring.

What is the group’s connection to Colorado?

Love Has Won set up a “mission house” near Crestone, technically in the town of Moffat where they lived, and conducted live-streams and business for several years.

Additionally, the group rented a large cabin in Salida, where the most devoted followers lived and where new recruits were brought upon arriving in Colorado. The group moved between California, Oregon and Florida at various times.

How did the group make money?

Love Has Won raised donations while live-streaming online, offered services such as “etheric surgery” sessions for a fee, and sold house-made supplements, including colloidal silver. They made hundreds of thousands of dollars this way, according to the HBO series.

How did Amy Carlson die?

Carlson died from natural causes after years of alcohol abuse, opioid use, anorexia and chronic ingestion of colloidal silver, according to an autopsy report from the El Paso County Coroner’s Office.

Members of Love Has Won believed she suffered from cancer and was paralyzed from the waist down; however, she never visited a doctor or a hospital to confirm those diagnoses.

Seven members of the cult were arrested in connection with her death, but the charges were ultimately dropped.

Is Love Has Won still active?

After Carlson’s body was found, Love Has Won rebranded and reemerged under the moniker 5D Full Disclosure. Its members still publish videos, podcasts and other content.

How to watch the docu-series

The three-part docu-series, “Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God,” is available in full on Max.

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The house, at 10221 Fairgate Way, will compete on ABC’s primetime holiday special “The Great Christmas Light Fight,” with hosts Taniya Nayak and Carter Oosterhouse, on Sunday Dec. 3.

“The series features four families each week as they transform their homes for the holidays, in hopes of winning the $50,000 prize and the coveted Light Fight trophy,” ABC said.

House owner Walt Hazard has been decorating his home with 20,000 red, white and green lights, twinkling stars and snowflakes, and much more for going on 20 years. “It takes him 125 hours and he starts the day after Halloween,” The Denver Post wrote in 2015.

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There will be time to breathe in January.

Now, though, as the fall rush gives way to the early-winter avalanche, we offer this look at much of what’s coming, from Academy Award hopefuls to fanciful films the studios hope will appeal to your whole family around the holidays. (As always, dates are subject to change.)

“Leo” | Nov. 21 | Netflix >> Adam Sandler’s latest film for the streaming giant is an animated tale set during the last year of elementary school — as seen from the eyes of the class pet. Sandler (“Hotel Transylvania”) voices the titular 74-year-old lizard, who’s been stuck for decades in a Florida classroom with a likewise glassed-in turtle (voiced by Bill Burr). When Leo learns he has but one year to live, he plots his great escape.

“Genie” | Nov. 22 | Peacock >> In this Universal Pictures holiday fairytale penned by Richard Curtis (“Love Actually,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Notting Hill”), Melissa McCarthy portrays a genie trapped for more than 2,000 years in a jewelry box. Now free, she must grant wishes to a man (Paapa Essiedu of “I May Destroy You”) who’s been so busy working he’s neglected his marriage.

“Good Burger 2” | Nov. 22 | Paramount+ >> Keenan Thompson reprises the role of inventor Dexter Reed, who reunites with his old co-worker Ed (a likewise returning Kel Mitchell) in this sequel to the 1997 comedy. The cast also boasts Lil Rel Howery and Jillian Bell.

“Napoleon” | Nov. 22 | Theaters >> After seeing endlessly prolific director Ridley Scott’s historical effort about French figure Napoleon Bonaparte (Joaquin Phoenix) — which focuses on his rise through the military ranks to become the country’s leader, as well as his complicated marriage to Josephine (Vanessa Kirby) — you understand why it may see a four-hour cut when it lands on Apple TV+. Even at about two and a half hours and containing several battle sequences, the expensive Apple production — distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing — feels as though it’s leaving plenty of meat on the bone. The screenplay is by David Scarpa, who penned Scott’s 2017 film “All the Money in the World.”

“Saltburn” | Nov. 22 | Theaters >> Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) directs what’s being described as a cross between a psychological thriller and a black comedy about a struggling student at Oxford University who gets sucked into the world of a charming and aristocratic classmate for a summer. The cast boasts Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike and Richard E. Grant.

“Wish” | Nov. 22 | Theaters >> This latest offering from Walt Disney Animation Studios, coming as the company celebrates its 100th-anniversary year, leans heavily into the idea of wishing upon a star, which is synonymous with the House of Mouse. Gifted singer Ariana DeBose (“Hamilton,” “West Side Story”) voices the film’s appealing heroine, 17-year-old Asha, who seeks to retrieve the wishes of her friends and family members from a sorcerer-king (Chris Pine) who, well, wishes to keep them for himself. “Wish” is co-directed by Chris Buck (“Frozen,” “Frozen II”) and Fawn Veerasunthorn, making her feature directorial debut. Speaking of “Frozen” and its sequel, the writer of those films, Jennifer Lee, co-wrote this screenplay, as well.

“Candy Cane Lane” | Dec. 1 | Prime Video >> Hoping to win a neighborhood contest for the best-decorated house, Eddie Murphy’s Chris Carver makes a deal not with the devil but with an evil elf. (Ugh, sounds even worse.) Chris must then rise to the occasion to ensure his friends and family don’t suffer for his mistake.

“Silent Night” | Dec. 1 Theaters >> Expect violence to speak louder than words in the latest effort from veteran action director John Woo (“Face/Off”). Joel Kinnaman (“For All Mankind”) portrays a father out for vengeance after his son is killed by a gang’s crossfire.

“Archies” | Dec. 7 | Netflix >> This Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age musical is set in 1960s India in a town called, you guessed it, Riverdale. Says Netflix: “Seen through the lens of the unique Anglo-Indian community, ‘The Archies’ explores friendship, freedom, love, heartbreak and rebellion.”

“Maestro” | Dec. 8 | Theaters >> Bradley Cooper pours his heart and musical soul into this highly anticipated biopic about Leonard Bernstein from Netflix, which streams Dec. 22 following a theatrical run. After directing, co-writing and starring in 2018’s well-received remake of “A Star Is Born,” the crazy-talented Cooper pulls the same duties in this biopic, which is more interested in the famed composer and conductor’s unusual marriage to his beloved wife, actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan), than it is in, say, how he wrote “West Side Story” with Stephen Sondheim. With the help of topnotch hair, makeup and costuming work, Cooper disappears into the role of Bernstein, a creative genius who loves to be around people — especially young men.

“Merry Little Batman” | Dec. 8 | Prime Video >> Batman (voiced by Luke Wilson) is having trouble juggling being a father to young son Damian (Yonas Kibreab) and crime-fitting — an issue that looks to be complicated when he gets a call from the Justice League. This holiday offering appears to have some of the irreverence of Max’s “Harley Queen” while also being kid-friendly, unlike that hilarious animated DC series.

“The Boy and the Heron” | Dec. 8 | Theaters >> The U.S. version of the latest fantasy from anime master Hayao Miyazaki (“Princess Mononoke,” “Spirited Away”) features voice work by Gemma Chan, Mark Hamill, Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Florence Pugh and Dave Bautista, with Robert Pattinson as The Grey Heron. The lesser-known Luca Padovan voices the titular boy, Mahito Maki.

“Leave the World Behind” | Dec. 8 | Netflix >> Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke and Myha’la Herrold (“Bodies Bodies Bodies”) star in this adaptation of Rumaan Alam’s enthralling and unsettling novel about two couples being thrown together during what is, perhaps, the end of the word. We can’t wait to see how director Sam Esmail, the gifted creator of “Mr. Robot,” takes this story from page to screen.

“Poor Things” | Dec. 8 | Theaters >> You can’t take your eyes off this mind-blowing film from the wildly creative (and often frustrating) director Yorgos Lanthimos (“The Lobster,” “The Killing of the Sacred Deer”). For this adaptation of Scottish author Alasdair Gray’s awarding-winning 1992 novel, “Poor Things: Episodes from the Early Life of Archibald McCandless M.D., Scottish Public Health Officer,” Lanthimos reteams with the star of his acclaimed 2018 film, “The Favourite,” Emma Stone. We don’t want to say much about Stone’s Bella Baxter — at least not until we write our full review — but know that Stone gives what could be characterized as an above-and-beyond performance. Supporting players include Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe, both of whom add much to the highly unusual proceedings.

“American Fiction” | Dec. 15 | Theaters >> Starring Jeffrey Wright, this drama helmed by Cord Jefferson in September won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Wright portrays frustrated writer Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, who, frustrated by the establishment profiting from Black entertainment, goes on an unusual journey in this adaptation of the 2001 novel by Percival Everett,

“Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” | Dec. 15 | Netflix >> Peter Lord and Nick Park, the stop-motion animation duo behind the delightful “Wallace and Gromit” adventures, as well as 2000’s “Chicken Run,” have passed the baton to director Sam Fell for this sequel, although Lord is around as a producer. Fell is the director of 2006’s “Flushed Away,” another film from the studio behind these movies, Aardman Animations, so the chickens should be in good hands. Voice work is turned in by Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi, Bella Ramsey, Imelda Staunton and others.

“The Family Plan” | Dec. 15 | Apple TV+ >> Mark Wahlberg plays a former assassin whose old life catches up to him after he’s moved on to domestic life. On a family trip, he tries to stop his enemy while keeping his past secret from his family.

“Wonka” | Dec. 15 | Theaters >> Timothée Chalamet stars as a young Willy Wonka in this musical fantasy, which tells the origin story of the eccentric chocolatier from Roald Dahl’s beloved 1964 novel, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” Paul King, who helmed the adored “Paddington” films of the mid-2010s, directed and co-wrote this film. We don’t think you’ll need a golden ticket — a regular ol’ movie ticket should do — to gain entrance to the theater.

“All of Us Strangers” | Dec. 22 | Theaters >> After a chance encounter with his mysterious neighbor (“Aftersun” star Paul Mescal) leads to a relationship with him, Adam (Andrew Scott, “Sherlock”) has reason to believe his parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell) are living, just as they were on the day they died, three decades ago. The dreamy-looking film is written and directed by Andrew Haigh (“Weekend,” “45 Years”).

“Anyone but You” | Dec. 22 | Theaters >> Sydney Sweeney (“Euphoria,” “The White Lotus”) and Glen Powell (“Top Gun: Maverick,” “Hidden Figures”) play a couple faking togetherness — after an actual hookup — to get out of a couple of jams. It appears the Will Gluck-directed affair has yet to receive a rating from the Motion Picture Association, but we’re getting DECIDEDLY R vibes from a trailer.

“The Iron Claw” | Dec. 22 | Theaters >> This biographical drama about the Von Erich family of professional wrestlers, written and directed by Sean Durkin (“The Nest”), features Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White (“The Bear”) and Harris Dickinson as brothers Kevin, Kerry and David Von Erich, respectively.

“Migration” | Dec. 22 | Theaters >> Elizabeth Banks, Kumail Nanjiani, Awkwafina and Keegan-Michael Key lend their voices to this animated adventure — about a Mallard family that finds itself in the big scary city on the way to Jamaica — from Illumination, the Universal Pictures affiliate responsible for the “Despicable Me” and “Minions” movies.

“Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire” | Dec. 22 | Netflix >> Sofia Boutella leads an ensemble cast that also includes Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou and Michael Huisman in this tale of galactic conflict from director and co-writer Zack Snyder of “Justice League” fame. Bourtella portrays Kora, a one-time member of the dastardly Imperium of the Mother World who attempts to lead a revolution from the moon Veldt. The recently released trailer looks promising, and Snyder (“300,” “Army of the Dead”), whatever his faults, knows how to do spectacle.

“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” | Dec. 25 | Theaters >> Given the talents of director James Wan (“Saw,” “Furious 7”), 2018’s “Aquaman” was disappointingly uneven. Wan is back, as, of course, is star Jason Momoa as the regularly under-the-water titular hero, aka Arthur Curry. Also returning to give Auqs another hard time: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Black Mantis. Patrick Wilson and Amber Heard, as Orm Marius and Mera, respectively, return for a second swim, as well, as Arthur works to protect Atlantis.

“The Boys in the Boat” | Dec. 25 | Theaters >> After jumping in front of the camera to star alongside fellow longtime movie star Julia Roberts in last year’s easy-breezy “Ticket to Paradise,” George Clooney, director of films including “The Ides of March” (2011) and “The Tender Bar” (2021), is back at the helm for this dramatization of the story of Olympic rowers from the University of Washington who competed in the 1936 summer games in Berlin. The cast is led by Callum Turner and Joel Edgerton.

“The Color Purple” | Dec. 25 | Theaters >> This big-screen adaptation of the 11-times-Tony Award-nominated musical is, like director Stephen Spielberg’s 1985 acclaimed drama, based on the 1882 novel by Alice Walker about challenges faced by African-American women trying to exist in the South in the early years of the 20th century. The cast boasts Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson as Shug Avery, Danielle Brooks, Corey Hawkins and Colman Domingo, while the film is directed by Ghanaian filmmaker and musician Blitz Bazawule. Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey, a star of his film, are among the executive producers.

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Wednesday’s deal between striking actors and studios and streaming services won’t immediately restore filming to its full swing. That will take months.

But the tentative agreement — which both sides say include extraordinary provisions — means that more than six months of labor strife in the film and television industries is drawing to a close. Soon, tens of thousands of entertainment sector workers could get back to work. And popular franchises, like “Deadpool,” “Abbott Elementary” and “The Last of Us,” will be a step closer to returning to screens.

Hollywood loves a happy ending. The actors strike deal might provide that — though there’s still the chance of strike sequels in the months ahead.

Here’s some of what will happen next:

Picket lines are suspended and the only rallies on the horizon are the celebratory ones that the actors union is promising.

There are a couple of steps that need to happen before the deal becomes official. On Friday, the national board of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists will review the agreement and could approve it. Then, the agreement’s details will be released and the guild’s full membership will vote on it.

But when striking screenwriters — who started picketing May 2 — reached their deal in September, their guild allowed writing work to resume before full ratification of the contract was complete.

While it’s possible those votes scuttle the deal, the union’s negotiating committee unanimously approved the deal and called off picketing.

The exact terms of the deal won’t be released until later this week, but a few highlights are known.

The union says the deal is worth more than $1 billion and they’ve “achieved a deal of extraordinary scope” that includes compensation increases, consent protections for use of artificial intelligence and actors’ likenesses and includes a new “streaming participation bonus.”

The negotiation arm of the studios also says the deal includes historic provisions. The Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers said Wednesday the “tentative agreement represents a new paradigm.”

It said the companies are giving “SAG-AFTRA the biggest contract-on-contract gains in the history of the union, including the largest increase in minimum wages in the last forty years; a brand new residual for streaming programs; extensive consent and compensation protections in the use of artificial intelligence; and sizable contract increases on items across the board.”

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s executive director and chief negotiator, told The Associated Press the gains made the long strike worth it.

“It’s an agreement that our members can be proud of. I’m certainly very proud of it,” Crabtree-Ireland told the AP in an interview.

The strike put an immediate stop to “Deadpool 3” with Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, as well as Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator” sequel. Those are likely among the first films that will resume production.

The resolution of the writers strike allowed script work to resume on shows like “Abbott Elementary,” “The White Lotus” and “Yellowjackets.” That head start might help those productions get back on the air sooner once their stars are cleared to work.

Television moves faster than movies, which still face a lengthy editing and promotional process once filming ends.

In recent weeks, more shows and movies announced delays — Kevin Costner’s final episodes of “Yellowstone” won’t air until next November and the next “Mission: Impossible” film also delayed its release.

Actors, lots more actors, will be talking about their work again. Splashy premieres will resume with their stars, as well.

Movies like “Killers of the Flower Moon” and this week’s big release, “The Marvels,” have been without their stars to promote the film. Strike rules forbid actors from promoting work done for the major studios, which kept Leonardo DiCaprio, Brie Larson and many other actors from doing interviews.

That’s prevented many performers, like “Killers of the Flower Moon” breakout Lily Gladstone, from having some big celebratory moments. (For more examples of performances that didn’t get as much attention due to the strike, check out this list.)

Some projects have gotten exemptions, such as Michael Mann’s upcoming racing drama “Ferrari.” That freed stars Adam Driver and Patrick Dempsey to attend the Venice Film Festival — and also allowed Dempsey to do an interview with People when it named him its Sexiest Man Alive.

But as Hollywood heads into its awards season, expect to see more glamorous red carpet shots and interviews with stars.

Well, it’s definitely back on, and it’ll be supercharged.

One of the dual strikes’ ripple effects was to push the Emmy Awards from September into January. It’ll now join the Grammys, the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Oscars in Hollywood’s traditional awards season. Those shows will all air between Jan. 15 and March 10.

Plans for the Emmys, and the SAG Awards, which will appear on Netflix, were in jeopardy as the strike got closer to 2024.

Still in limbo is the Golden Globe Awards, which is trying to reinvent itself after years of scandal, but doesn’t yet have a U.S. broadcast partner.

Another actors strike — this one by video game performers — is possible. Negotiations for that contract are ongoing, but a strike has been authorized.

Actors who work on video games range from voice performers to stunt performers. They, too, have expressed concerns about the use of artificial intelligence in their industry.

The studios in 2024 will also be negotiating with set workers and their guild, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. From building sets to controlling the lighting and even creating effects, IATSE members are crucial to film and television production. They have been severely impacted by the filming shutdown and have turned out on the picket lines to support the writers and actors.

One key element behind the actors and writers strikes has been how much streaming has upended the industry, which could also be a key point in the set worker negotiations.

And other sectors of the industry have moved to unionize while this year’s strikes played out. Some reality television workers are calling for a union, while visual effects artists who work on Marvel films voted to join IATSE.

___

For more coverage of the actors and writers strike, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/hollywood-strikes/

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The affably grumpy Gaffigan, 57, is a Denver favorite who typically sells out a show of any size in the metro area, from arenas to the relatively intimate 1,865-seat Paramount. And on Wednesday, promoter AEG Presents Rocky Mountains said Gaffigan is meeting demand by adding a whopping seventh show to his Jan. 10-14, 2024, run there.

It’s very likely the longest run, and largest number of shows, for a touring artist’s visit to the downtown venue, according to industry sources, as well as a Denver Post review of various historical calendars for the venue. At the very least, it would appear to be a 21st century record.

It’s no small achievement. The Denver icon, built as a Publix (no, really) movie house in 1930 and designed by local architect Temple Buell — he of the nearby Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre — is internationally beloved among mid-tier and larger comedians, as well as those taping albums and video specials, such as Amy Schumer and Kathleen Madigan. Cerebral comic Demetri Martin this week announced an April 3, 2024, taping at the historic venue, and more are likely in the coming months.

Schumer, in fact, had an impressive run at the Paramount Aug. 27-28 last year, with a total of four shows over two nights. Anthony Jeselnik played the same number there last month. Gaffigan has nearly double that amount.

Adding a concert or two to an existing run of dates is common. Comics do it all the time, and in-demand artists often leave a day or two open in their strongest markets to add more shows, which can then be trumpeted alongside the sold-out date(s). Comics are also known for performing at least a couple sets per night at most venues, if sales warrant, and making the most of their visits.

Denver, with its geographic isolation and central role in Western tour routing, is a great place to add these marathon and revenue-generating sets. But more importantly, we’re a nationally renowned comedy town, with smart and laugh-ready audiences, the High Plains Comedy Festival, national names such as Josh Blue and Adam Cayton-Holland, and the towering Comedy Works club — easily one of the country’s top stand-up spots (or A rooms, as insiders call them).

That’s why ’90s sketch super-group The State plotted its first reunion tour date in Denver, and why it’s a good middle ground for performers too big for clubs and too small for arenas.

The Paramount, which sits on the National Register of Historic Places, is another notch on many touring belts, whether for musicians, stand-ups, chefs, drag queens, filmmakers or political rallies. As one of the city’s most recognizable facades, The Denver Post last year called it “as cozy as it is immaculately preserved” among the city’s 10 Best Venues.

And yes, it’s entirely possible Gaffigan will announce an eighth show at the venue, which since 2002 has been owned and maintained by Kroenke Sports and Entertainment.

Tickets for the new, 5 p.m. Jan. 14 Gaffigan show, are on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 10 for $50-$90, plus service charges, via ticketmaster.com. It’s all ages.

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Perhaps it’s that it’s the rare big-budget action affair — superhero-centric or otherwise — that doesn’t overstay its welcome, clocking in at well under two hours.

Or, you know, it could just be that “The Marvels” is pretty fun.

Directed and co-written by Nia DaCosta, the 33rd big-screen affair in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a pedal-to-the-medal and often humorous adventure that serves as a sequel to both the 2019 movie “Captain Marvel” and the 2020 MCU Disney+ series “Ms. Marvel.”

It brings together the namesake heroines from those projects, Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers and Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan, respectively, along with Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau, who form a powerful, if also initially awkward, trio. (While Monica is introduced as a child in “Captain Marvel,” she is portrayed as an adult by Parris and gains her power in the first MCU-Disney+ series, 2021’s “WandaVision.” So you can consider “The Marvels” a follow-up to that, as well.)

“The Marvels” begins by reintroducing us to each of the three in their respective spaces — Kamala in her bedroom in her family’s Jersey City home and Carol and Monica in, well, space. The latter two aren’t together, however; Carol was so close with Monica’s late mother that she is considered Monica’s aunt, but theirs has become an estranged relationship, as Carol has spent most of the last several years away from Earth and out of Monica’s life.

Soon, though, the powers of the three become quantumly entangled and they begin to switch places when they try to use those powers, the movie returning us to a scene we saw at the end of the DaCosta-directed “Ms. Marvel” finale.

The first act of “The Marvels” is a frenetic fest, with DaCosta whipping the characters from here to there and folding in the ongoing conflict between two alien races familiar to the MCU faithful, the Kree and the Skrull. The Kree Supremor, Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton of “Velvet Buzzsaw), obtains a powerful object — which happens to be identical to Kamala’s bangle, the mystical family heirloom she wears on her wrist — and has designs on robbing planets, including the one inhabited by the Skrull, of their natural resources and transfer them to the dying Kree homeworld.

After a lot of excitement, we — and the characters — finally catch our collective breath as Carol, Kamala and Monica come together in one space.

While Monica isn’t so happy to see Carol, that couldn’t be further from the truth with Kamala, a Captain Marvel superfan with the comic book doodles to prove it. Hardly surprising given her work in “Ms. Marvel,” Vellani is a joy as the constantly star-struck Kamala — the character’s first encounter with Samuel L. Jackson’s gruff good guy, Nick Fury, is a blast — who’s understandably delighted to be working alongside her idol. She’s also thrilled to find out Fury and Monica have a file on her on a futuristic tablet.

“Can you believe it?” she says excitedly to her family. “They have intel on me!”

An unfortunate byproduct of “The Marvels” being so short — we get only about 90 minutes of actual movie — is there isn’t time for Kamala to have much in the way of an arc. Her protective parents (Zenobia Shroff and Mohan Kapur) and brother (Saagar Shaikh) are brought along for the adventure to come, but it doesn’t all add up to anything emotionally impactful.

Fortunately, the screenplay — by Megan McDonnell, Elissa Karasik and DaCosta — does a bit better when it comes to Monica and Carol, the latter eventually revealing why she has chosen a largely solitary existence in space. (That she has come to be known by the Kree as “The Annihilator” is a hint.)

Once the three women are working together, making the most of their quantum entanglement, “The Marvels” settles into a solid groove. Before they get into the thick of the fight with Dar-Benn — a disappointingly lightweight baddie as MCU villains go — we are treated to a reasonably entertaining sequence in which the trio visits a planet where the unusual citizens have come to know Carol quite well.

With its fast pace and science-fiction-heavy narrative, “The Marvels” will be a hold-on-to-the-bar ride for viewers not all that interested in ideas such as space travel via jump points and a potentially catastrophic rip in space-time.

And for those who haven’t seen the aforementioned Disney+ series, the movie does what it can to catch you up but be prepared to feel a little out of the loop.

Overall, “The Marvels” is solid work from DaCosta (“Candyman”), who finds a tonal balance that allows for some lighthearted fun even as the stakes of the story are fairly high.

This may indeed be a challenging time for Marvel Studios, but with “The Marvels” it seems to be going full-steam ahead, sticking to the MCU tradition of teasing some of what’s to come in its final moments — including in the middle of the credits.

THE MARVELS

Rated: PG-13

Running time: 105 minutes.

Stars (of four): 2 1/2

Where: In theaters

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The owner of Aurora’s popular Banh & Butter Bakery Cafe, at 9935 E. Colfax Ave., had already been turned down by a competition show two years prior, and “I was heartbroken when they sent me home without warning,” she said.

But when Nguyen got the call last spring to hop a plane to Burbank, California, and film the first episode of season 10 of Food Network’s “Holiday Baking Championship,” a baking competition hosted by former Bachelor and NFL quarterback Jesse Palmer, her hesitation dissipated.

“I’ll do whatever I need to bring some attention to my team and business, even put myself on national television in a vulnerable spot to secure their livelihood and jobs,” Nguyen said.

The first episode aired on Monday, Nov. 6., when Nguyen, who opened Banh & Butter last year, competed against 11 other bakers in two challenges. For the Pre-heat challenge, the bakers had to create cinnamon rolls inspired by seasonal coffee flavors.

“Once I walked into that kitchen, I felt like an amateur baker,” she said. “I felt like it was anyone’s game, no matter how much experience you have.”

Nguyen’s flavor was a smoked butterscotch latte, and she decided to showcase her Asian culture with a milk bun with a coffee-flavored diplomat cream filming, a smoked butterscotch glaze and chocolate on top.

“I really wanted to think outside the bun, since I knew everyone would make a cinnamon roll. So for the first dessert I had to bring on my Asian-fusion twist as an introduction for the judges,” she said.

The Englewood native scored high praise from the celebrity judges – chef Carla Hall, pastry chef Duff Goldman and chef Nancy Fuller – for her creativity. But she fell short as the winner.

Next up, the bakers had to create a Thanksgiving-themed Swiss roll. Nguyen’s Swiss roll used chocolate cake and a spiced berry jam filling, which she said was inspired by the cranberry jam she makes for her sisters every Thanksgiving. She decorated the yule log with turkeys made out of choux pastry dough, but they ended up looking more like swans, according to the judges.

This dessert was less successful for the judges, who said the cake was a bit too crumbly for their liking. Fuller added that the jam was too tart. And it nearly sent Nguyen home.

“I focused too much on the execution, and it came back to bite me,” Nguyen said. “I probably would have done more of a chantilly cream filling with the cranberry, but I wouldn’t have changed the jam, even if it was too tart for Nancy Fuller.”

Nguyen ended up in the bottom two for her Swiss roll, but evaded elimination in the end. “The judges’ criticism had nothing on what I’ve heard from my family,” she joked. She will go on to compete against the remaining bakers, but wouldn’t spill any spoilers on whether she makes it through all seven of the next episodes, which air every Monday.

“I would have hated to be the first to be eliminated and not be able to showcase what I know I can do well,” Nguyen said. “I know that I’m more than one bad execution, and I have a lot to offer. There’s so much more I wanted to share in this competition.”

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Related: A chilling Colorado tale of buffalo slaughter jumps from page to screen in Nicholas Cage’s latest movie

But while there’s been plenty to see, there’s nothing quite like the Denver Film Festival, arguably the largest and most audience-friendly film event in the region. There are competitive one-offs and world premieres at this year’s 46th installment, but cinephiles will also have the chance to check out features and documentaries they’ve been hearing about since debuting at Sundance and other industry-standard events in Telluride and Toronto earlier this year.

Here’s what you need to know going into this year’s Denver Film Fest, produced by the nonprofit Denver Film, which runs Nov. 3-12 at venues around the Mile High City.

• This year features more than 180 titles including narrative features, documentaries and shorts. Tickets for individual screenings are on sale now, and some events are sold out. Single tickets to regular screenings are $17, special presentations are $30, panels are $10, and parties are (generally) $25. See the full lineup and buy passes at denverfilm.org/denverfilmfestival/dff46.
• The fest-headquarters is at the Sie FilmCenter, 2510 E. Colfax Ave., with validated free parking on-site. Buy tickets there or call 720-381-0813. The Sie’s cozy lobby is the place for various events and mixers. The festival is also screening titles at the AMC 9 + Co 10, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver Botanic Gardens, MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater, and Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s recently renovated Infinity Theater.

• In addition to red carpet presentations of “American Fiction” (Nov. 3), “Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story” (Nov. 7), “The Boy and the Heron” (Nov. 8), and “I.S.S.” (Nov. 11), there will be a special focus on Italian cinema, a robust lineup of documentaries and shorts, Q&As and workshops, panels, and the annual Colorado Spotlight program.
• Denver Film Festival is usually less about star power and more about deeply curated screenings and discussions with directors, producers writers, and actors. But this year still has some notable guests at in-person screenings and awards ceremonies. Just announced is the creative team for the blockbuster “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” accepting the fest’s first 5280 Award. Expect writers and producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, executive producer Bob Persichetti, producer Christina Steinberg and senior animation supervisor Humberto Rosa in-person after a screening of the movie on Nov. 7 at the AMC 9 + Co 10.

• More notables include Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon (“The Flash,” “George and Tammy”), Emmy-winning comic and writer Larry Wilmore (“The Daily Show,” “The Office”), director Andrew Haigh (“All of Us Strangers”), writer/director Anthony Chen (“The Breaking Ice”), and director Gabriela Cowperthwaite (“Blackfish,” “I.S.S.”).
• Awards-season watcher should be sure to check out titles that have won acclaim and/or are premiering in Denver, including “American Fiction,” “La Chimera,” “Eric Larue” (Michael Shannon’s directorial debut), “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt,” “Perfect Days,” “Dream Scenario,” “The Great Divide,” “Cypher” and “Blood for Dust.”
• The event also includes a focus on Denver Film’s mini-fests, with movies related to CineLatinx, CinemaQ and Colorado Dragon Boat, and Women+Film, as well as the Sheila K. O’Brien Spotlight on U.K. & Ireland Cinema.

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Seminal novelists of the genre such as Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour had already idealized the American Frontier in hundreds of best-selling books and stories. But Williams, a University of Denver professor for 30 years, took a darker view of U.S. expansion, one that dissected the heroic myths of archetypal cowboys, ranch hands and outlaws.

Director Gabe Polsky, who fought for more than a decade to turn “Butcher’s Crossing” into a movie, said he “never really connected with the genre.”

“Never. I tried to watch (Westerns) a little bit and just kind of disconnected because it was about searching for the Indians and bank robberies and revenge and all of that.”

In 2022, Polsky’s cinematic version, which stars Nicholas Cage, debuted on the film festival circuit, and is now in theaters.

As a novel, the coming-of-age story was arguably the first Western to subvert the genre’s morally certain, decades-old formulas. Williams preceded giants of the revisionist and anti-Western such as Cormac McCarthy (“No Country for Old Men”) and Larry McMurtry (“Lonesome Dove”), although his influence is only lately appreciated by critics and readers.

Williams, who also wrote 1965’s literary masterpiece “Stoner,” invests in the emotional lives of his characters as “Butcher’s Crossing” depicts a thrilling, stomach-churning buffalo hunt. Harvard dropout — and naive Ralph Waldo Emerson devotee — William Andrews trades Boston for the Kansas frontier in an effort to expand his horizons. There he joins buffalo hunter Miller (just one name), whose epic, money-making quest involves finding and skinning a legendary herd of Colorado buffalo to secure his biggest payout yet.

Like the book, the film — which stars Fred Hechinger (“The White Lotus”) as Andrews, and a fearsome Cage as Miller — is set in the early 1870s when Colorado was still a territory riven by murderous land grabs and precious-metal rushes.

“They’re hunting buffalo, but they’re also going out on this crazy sort of ‘Moby Dick’ search,” Polsky said of the movie, which was shot in the Blackfoot Nation in Northwest Montana due to the size and availability of the tribe’s buffalo herd.

In addition to Moby Dick, reviews have likened it to “Apocalypse Now” as it traces Miller’s mental unraveling on the cursed trek to claim and offload more buffalo hides than anyone actually wanted. “It’s an American tragedy, almost like ‘Death of a Salesman’ in a way,” Polsky said.

The movie hit theaters on Oct. 20, less than a week after the release of the new Ken Burns documentary, “The American Buffalo.” They cover roughly the time period in U.S. history, when the American bison population plummeted from about 60 million in 1860 to fewer than 300 in the span of just 20 years, Polsky said. The movie doesn’t shy from the horror, eschewing special effects and showing real animal skinning on screen.

“It was shot on Blackfeet land near Glacier National Park, and we promised we’d show them the movie before it came out,” said Polsky, whose team made good on the promise. “To do it with them really made a lot of sense because of their history with the animal and how important the animal is to them. We did a lot of ceremony with them before we shot, and they gave us lessons on skinning. Everything was real.”

Blackfeet representatives “loved the movie and were profusely thankful and talked a lot about it,” added Polsky, who pointed out that there are no Indigenous people on screen. “They understood right away you don’t need Native Americans to have these clichéd scenes in there with them. It says everything you need to say with what the hunters did. The (Indigenous people) are lurking. They’re watching. These hunters are self-destructive. Nature will correct you.”

Like Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” a historically based feature about the racist savagery and murder of Indigenous people (in this case, 1920s Osage people whose land contained oil), it’s part of a re-examination of the evil wrought by ambitious men.

Despite its Montana shooting location, Polsky said the film remains rooted in Colorado.

“Montana had better (production) incentives, but the story is based here and I wrote it here,” he said. “I rented an apartment and mainly wrote the film at the Basalt Library. It was the first draft, so I took the book and started page by page trying to mold it into something cinematic. The novel has so much detail.”

Securing Cage to star afforded it Hollywood appeal. Polsky and his brother/business partner Alan first met Cage while producing 2009’s wild “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,” which starred Cage as an amoral police officer with severe substance use disorders.

“I don’t know many A-list people on a first-name basis, but (Cage) was the first guy I thought of,” Polsky said. “He’s got that mysterious intensity, and believe me, on set he was even more intense. No one wanted to get near him. I don’t want to say he was a dark force, but he had electricity going through him at all times and everyone was just like ‘Ah! I don’t want to get shot.'”

Cage’s version of Method acting paid off in his performance, but he was also a consummate professional whose deep knowledge of the script and creative ideas during filming helped Polsky see it in a different way.

“He actually brought that buffalo coat he’s wearing on screen,” Polsky said. “He got it online. The glasses, the shaving-his-head thing — those were his ideas, too. He understands that the drive and ambition that created this country were also very destructive. It’s not a happy story all the time, and these real-life guys were individual forces of nature themselves.”

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Nonfiction ski and snowboarding movies, along with the Warren Miller extreme-sports docs cranked out on a regular basis, continue to sell the idea that anyone can embark on solo exploration in soft powder — but only the best of us can jump out of a helicopter on a custom snowboard. (It’s expensive to be a free-skiing genius, you know.)

Related: The Warren Miller ski movie brand isn’t dying a slow death after all

Most fictional movies depict our slopes and backcountry as places for romance, disaster and comedy. Few of these productions have had solid budgets and, predictably, not all of them were filmed here.

As with our role as a favorite setting for apocalypse and horror stories, as well as copy-and-paste Hallmark one-offs and holiday tales, Colorado’s ski movies take liberties with landmarks and lore, if they’re mentioned at all. Here are a few summits of the genre (and even more yard sales) among the dozens that have slipped out over the decades.

“Downhill Racer” (1969)

This kinetic drama captures both the thrill and nitty-gritty of skiing with first-person camera work and technical expertise. While much of it takes place in Europe, Robert Redford’s role as tunnel-visioned Olympic racer David Chappellet is reportedly based on Steamboat Springs’ own Buddy Werner. A few scenes of Redford’s character in the off-season were filmed at Potts Field at the University of Colorado in Boulder, according to University of Colorado Athletics, although the interiors of Chappellet’s boyhood home in Idaho Springs were filmed at Paramount Studios.

Despite its troubled background and rough timing — it came out one month after Redford’s now-classic “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” — the sturdy “Downhill Racer” has come to represent the best of snowsports drama in narrative features. Plus: Gene Hackman!

“Snowbeast” (1977)

Forget the 2011 Canadian B-movie of the same name and seek out the 1977 TV movie “Snowbeast,” which was lovingly christened as a local turd-classic by the now-defunct Mile High Sci-Fi riffing show (think “MST3K,” but live). It may be a low-budget Colorado horror outing, but it’s also a blind spot (in my experience) for people with good and serious cinematic tastes. So here’s a pitch: What if Bigfoot was a serial killer menacing Crested Butte (where this was actually filmed) and the people around him were all idiots?

Low-rent cinema hero Bo Svenson plays Olympic skier Gar Seberg, who soon must fight for his and others’ lives after returning to his hometown in the Rocky Mountains. Spoiler: Ski poles are great for impaling monsters before they fall off cliffs.

“Avalanche” (1978)

Modern audiences may have seen this B-movie thanks to Netflix’s excellent revival of “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” where its entertaining deficiencies flower from roots of pure manure. Exploitation legend Roger Corman produced the star-studded (Rock Hudson, Mia Farrow, Robert Forster) but deeply troubled disaster flick that was shot at Purgatory Resort north of Durango over eight weeks, according to The Guardian.

Indoor scenes of people trapped in the titular avalanche were shot at The Lodge at Tamarron, south of Purgatory, The Durango Herald reported. Durango’s Gaslight Movie Theater, where one of the real-life premier showings of the film was held, can also be seen in the background at one point, according to the American Film Institute. The plot’s animating ski competition does not, sadly, get a chance to finish.

“Copper Mountain” (1983)

A 21-year-old Jim Carrey stars in this loopy Canadian throwaway about skiing and picking up women at Summit County’s crowd-pleaser resort area, subtitled “A Club Med Experience.” Our pre-“In Living Color” Carrey is joined by soon-to-be TV dad Alan Thicke, of “Growing Pains,” for a typically ’80s (which is to say, horny and misogynist) depiction of ski culture. At least it’s shot in Colorado, even if it’s fundamentally an advertisement for Club Med.

It’s also roughly a decade before Carrey would revisit the slopes of Aspen — i.e., Estes Park doubling as that ski town — in 1994’s “Dumb and Dumber.” This mish-mash of contrived slapstick and random musical performances makes that movie look like “The Shining.”

“Aspen Extreme” (1993)

One could argue the only thing extreme about Aspen is how unaffordable it is, but in 1993 the town was still enjoying its shine as a rich-folks playground — at least on the surface. In this relatively nuanced drama, buddies T.J. Burke (Paul Gross) and Dexter Rutecki (Peter Berg) live out a story based loosely on writer/director Patrick Hasburgh’s own experiences as a ski bum.

There are gorgeous slope and backcountry shots, but also drugs and sex and ski lessons and class conflict. It often falls short of the gravitas it so desperately strives for, but at least much of it was filmed on location in Aspen, with more ski sequences shot in the Canadian Rockies’ Monashee range in British Columbia, according to Disney’s D23 site.

“Dumb and Dumber” (1994)

People tend to remember a lot of skiing in this cult comedy from directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly (the creators of “There’s Something About Mary” and “Kingpin”), but in reality, it’s only nominally a ski movie. And yet its slopeside sequences are as memorable as any in late-20th century film history (seriously), with endless relatability for beginners in the chunky, elaborate costumes and gear required to take part in respectable ski culture.

The way “Dumb and Dumber” rang a bell for Aspen and Colorado culture at large continues to reverberate, with pro skier Cody Townsend rating it as his favorite ski movie of all time in Outside Magazine. Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels’ broad, gross-out performances (as the dim-witted Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne, respectively) contrast with the crisp, coiffed slopes and interiors of Aspen — here with Estes Park and Breckenridge doubling for that frequently depicted town. If you didn’t laugh, you’re truly frozen inside.

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