6. Didn’t Knock My Socks Off, but It Was Still Pretty Good
This is probably the biggest category. There's nothing really wrong with these, and I liked them okay, but they didn't have much of an impact on me (at least, not as much as other films this year).
Blinded by the Light
This is from the director of Bend It Like Beckham and Bride & Prejudice, and it shows (in a good way!). It especially resembles Beckham in its depiction of a young person carrying a secret passion for something they have to hide from their family because of cultural and gender expectations. The use of Springsteen’s music is great in this, mostly heard through our hero’s headphones, but there’s a traditional musical number to “Born to Run” that works without turning the movie into a full-blown musical (nothing wrong with those, of course, I’m just not sure it’s the right fit for Springsteen). I don’t love this as much as others seem to, but it’s still quite enjoyable. (Available to rent on most streaming services.)
Deathcember
A holiday horror anthology movie, this is 24 (well, technically 26) stories that have no connective tissue whatsoever. As such, it’s hit and miss. There are only a few of the shorts that I genuinely loved and a couple that flat-out offended me (no thank you forever to “Crappy Holiday”). Still, there’s a good bit to enjoy. I did like the device of the advent calendar doors that led to each tale, and that tied neatly into the first story of a boy obsessed with advent calendar chocolate. There were also some unexpected recognizable names among the filmmakers -- Ruggero Deodato (director of Cannibal Holocaust) directed one of the shorts, as did Lucky McKee (director of May). And another of the shorts features legend Barbara Crampton, which made my horror-loving heart very happy. (Not yet released. This seems like something Shudder might pick up.)
First Love
Solid, middle-of-the-road Miike flick. I mean, the guy has made over a hundred movies in just under three decades and they can’t all stand out, but I did like this. I do think the title is doing an awful lot of the movie’s work for it in defining the relationship between the two central characters. But it’s a compelling premise (it reminded me a bit of Smokin’ Aces), even if at times it’s difficult to discern what’s going on. By the end, though, you’re genuinely invested in these characters and their survival. (Available on home video in February.)
Frozen II
I like the story of this movie maybe even more than the first one, but I wish they hadn’t tried so hard to make this fit the Disney formula (yes, I know that’s asking the impossible of literally the biggest brand in movies right now). There’s just such a pull to have the requisite number of lighthearted, funny moments that feel slightly out of place in what another studio could have turned into a dark, emotional masterpiece. The songs are great, though there’s not a juggernaut like “Let It Go” in here (but holy mackerel, are they trying to make “Into the Unknown” that song — it is not, and I’m sorry, but it’s the least interesting song in the movie to me). I like Olaf’s song, which has a surprisingly melancholy streak, but the best ones for me are the ethereal “Show Yourself” and ESPECIALLY “The Next Right Thing,” which is such a beautiful portrait of climbing your way out of depression and grief step by step. (In theaters.)
Glass
I liked this more as a follow-up to Split than as part of the Unbreakable-verse, but I did love seeing Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis back as these characters, and even Spencer Treat Clark as Bruce Willis’s son. The reveal is … okay, but I kind of like that the “twist” is not such a huge thing like it is in Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. You can only spend that nickel so many times. (Available on HBO; for sale but not to rent on most streaming sites.)
Harriet
I think this is a classic case of a subject that everyone was too precious about to make into a great film. It was the first film ever about Harriet Tubman, which is crazy, and it seems like everyone involved was too afraid to alter details to make it into a movie that works beyond a simple history lesson. And even the details they *did* change outraged people, so they might as well have gone a bit further to actually say something that’s not in a hundred history textbooks. Director Kasi Lemmons is a phenomenal filmmaker — when she’s not constrained. If you haven’t seen her film Eve’s Bayou, you should get on that immediately. I wish she had felt more empowered to put her unique stamp on it and make it a little weirder. I don’t dislike what she made here, but I think it could have been more powerful if it had been a little less reverent. (Still in some theaters.)
Honey Boy
This movie had one of the most pretentious trailers I’d ever seen and, not being a huge fan of Shia LaBeouf, I wasn’t terribly excited about this and mainly went to see it because so many critics raved about it. But it won me over. Shia is really good in it, playing his own father (I think the marketing and press blitz maybe oversold how “brave” a performance it was, but I’m sure it was emotionally tough, perhaps even cathartic, and can’t have been an easy task). Noah Jupe (also in this year’s Ford v. Ferrari) is the star here, though, playing a version of Shia, and he’s definitely the heart of the movie. Having said that, when you have a good child performance, it’s almost always at least partly because they have a good adult to work off of. (Still in some theaters.)
The Hustle
Not to be confused with Hustlers (the one with JLo). This is the Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson-starring con-woman movie. I liked it for the most part, but I’m getting tired of Rebel Wilson’s size being used as a punchline (even though a good deal of that is likely her own idea). The friendship and competition between the two leads is great, though, especially the contrast in their respective styles. I was just typing that it reminded me a lot of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels when I did a quick Google and yep, it’s definitely a remake, with Hathaway as Michael Caine and Wilson as Steve Martin. (Available to rent on most streaming services.)
It Chapter Two
Not as strong as the first, but I still feel a strong connection to it, not least because these characters are exactly my age. I did love the additional characterization to Richie as closeted and likely pining for his friend (which I understand was not in the novel) and *especially* that some genius in the costume department gave him that shirt with the cross pattern, which is an almost replica of the shirt worn by Jessie in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2. Also, having never read the novel and not knowing what to expect, I was ridiculously happy with the shipping in this. BENVERLY 4 EVER! (Available on most streaming services.)
Joker
Ehh, I guess? It’s okay? I liked it fine. There’s some admirable filmmaking on display (though it owes a lot to 1970s and 80s Scorsese — Ira Madison said Todd Phillips is “All About Eve”-ing Scorsese, and that doesn’t seem far off the mark). But I find the idea that it’s “dangerous” or “revolutionary” laughable. It’s not news that the world is being destroyed by rejected entitled white dudes. We got that memo. I also think the movie is weakest when it’s tying itself to the Batman canon, which it occasionally does. Joaquin Phoenix is very good, but the *best* Joker ever? I’m not sure (I’m also not sure I even like that being some competition). I loved that Robert DeNiro plays the Johnny Carson-esque character, almost as if his character Rupert Pupkin from The King of Comedy finally made it. But it only reminded me how much better an expression of this idea The King of Comedy is. This whole movie feels like that “for those who didn’t catch the reference” meme. No, yeah, we got it. Thanks. I did like this movie. But incendiary it is not. (Still in some theaters and available to buy on streaming services.)
Judy
This is an okay movie with a GREAT performance at its center. I do appreciate that it’s not just a “greatest hits” of Judy’s life and that it centers on one specific period (with some flashbacks). Renee Zellweger, deservedly at the forefront of the Best Actress conversation, sounds nothing like Judy Garland, but she embodies her so thoroughly that it’s unnerving. There are moments when you look at her and she just IS Judy. You can tell Zellweger feels a kinship with Garland, beyond just being a huge fan. And this is a part of Garland’s story that I suspect a lot of people would never have imagined could happen to someone like her (I know I didn’t) — to be broke and have to literally sing for her supper. I kind of wish the movie was as grand as this performance, but then again, that might have been too much. (Still in some theaters and available on streaming services.)
Pet Semetary
I kind of can’t stand the original, so I was low-key excited for another version of this story where I didn’t want to strangle basically everyone in the film. I did end up liking this better (John Lithgow was especially well used, I thought), and I liked the switch of having the little girl be the one brought back to life (#feminism). The cat is pretty iconic and I love that those pics of it on the red carpet went viral. My main take-away, though, was that I really want to read the novel now, as I understand that neither film is an adequate adaptation and that it’s not really possible to adapt it effectively at all. (Available to buy on streaming services.)
Ready or Not
This was great fun, and I really enjoyed it, but I’m not sure it’s the game-changer people thought it was going to be. I like the premise, I like the iconic image of a woman in a bridal gown toting a shotgun, and the ending is pretty satisfying, but it doesn’t entirely add up to me. Mainly, the groom’s motivations and actions are totally inconsistent, to the point of being a plot hole. And I feel like I saw this story told a bit better in You’re Next. Samara Weaving makes a great final girl, though. And I’m loving this year’s theme of “screw rich entitled (usually) white people.” I’m sure this would make a great party movie, perhaps in conjunction with a game night. Maybe even a double feature with last year’s Game Night! (Available on most streaming services.)
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
This is a solid anthology(ish?) horror, though I guess it’s not technically an anthology. I felt like the stories themselves were a bit short and simplistic (though the sequence with the Pale Lady is a standout), but the wrap-around story is the main story anyway. Good kid performances, a good bully comeuppance, and some memorable monsters (not to mention some body horror). (Available on most streaming services.)
Toy Story 4
This shouldn’t have worked, but it does and I really liked the message. Some really great adventure sequences, which we’ve come to expect from this franchise -- everything with Gabby Gabby and those hella creepy antique toys is EXCELLENT. There are incredible new characters -- Forky, Duke Kaboom, Ducky and Bunny, Gabby Gabby (hello, character arc!), and OMG the impossibly adorable Giggle McDimples are stars, every one. And I love the examination of what it means to know what your place is and what happens when that place doesn’t really exist for you anymore. Still, please let’s be done with this franchise. It’s perfect as it is. This was great, but don’t topple the tree by putting too much stuff on it. (Available on streaming services; not yet on Disney+.)
VFW
My only real problem with this was that it was so dang dark. Like, Battle of Winterfell dark, with lots of purples and blues — my old-ass eyeballs couldn’t see a thing. Other than that, I liked it a lot. It feels a lot like a Larry Cohen / Fred Williamson joint, and not just because Fred Williamson is in it. It reminded me a lot of Cohen’s last film as a director, Original Gangstas, where a bunch of “old guys” are the action heroes against a malevolent group of young street thugs. It also reminded me of Assault on Precinct 13, in that it’s a zombie movie without actual zombies. The “zombies” in this case are kids hopped up on some superdrug (possibly a commentary on the opioid crisis?) that makes them essentially braindead mutants. Good action and it’s great seeing all these older-generation actors (Williamson, William Sadler, Stephen Lang, Martin “sweep the leg” Kove, David Patrick “Warriors come out to play-y-ay” Kelly, and even George “Norm!” Wendt) kicking ass and taking names. Just wish it weren’t so hard to look at. (Opens February 14.)
VHYes
This was a fun one from Jack Henry Robbins (son of Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon). I think this actually qualifies as a found footage film, as the premise is that we’re watching home movies and weird late-night television shows that have been recorded over the main character’s parents’ wedding tape. So we get all these weird snippets intercut with short clips of the wedding, where you can already see cracks starting to form in the parents’ marriage. I wish this was less self-aware than it is, but it’s still great fun. I also wish some of those shows were real (especially "Painting With Joan" and its spin-offs). (Opens January 12.)
Why Don’t You Just Die!
This was an enjoyable bit of Russian ultraviolence if you’re into that kind of thing. Our protagonist, Matvei, goes to an apartment armed with a hammer, his intent being to kill his girlfriend’s father. Cue a flurry of failed murder attempts, flashbacks, reversals, and more mayhem than seems possible for such a closed setting. Add in some excellent song choices and you have a really good revenge stew with elements of Tarantino, Sion Sono and Sergio Leone. Good stuff, and a surprisingly apt title, but VERY violent. Be warned. Biggest downside -- it has an especially terrible use of my least favorite trope (rot13 for spoilers - ylvat nobhg orvat encrq). (Not yet released, except in a few European countries; no date set yet.)
No comments:
Post a Comment