Best Movies I Watched
- A Futile And Stupid Gesture (2018)
Synopsis: The life and death of National Lampoon co-founder (and writer of Animal House and Caddyshack) Doug Kenney (Will Forte).
I can understand people writing this off as another tortured-genius-white-guy biopic (and honestly they have a point), but for what it’s worth it’s the funniest movie I’ve ever cried at the end of. A hodge-podge of comedy up-and-comers and mid-career vets make up the mostly-great cast — while few of them are the spitting image of the people they’re playing (with Will Forte, Domhnall Gleeson, and Tom Lennon being the most notable exceptions, and Joel McHale being the most notable non-exception (I mean, geez, that wig is horrendous)) they do generally manage to embody their roles through voice, attitude, etc., and besides which they’re just fun to watch. - Black Panther (2018)
Synopsis: Following the death of his father, the newly crowned King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) must fight for the future of Wakanda, a technologically advanced African nation that has lived in secrecy for generations.
Everything you’ve heard is true. Best superhero movie in a long time, possibly ever. I agree with some of the critiques of the film’s messaging, specifically that it kind of gives short shrift to Black radicalism, though it was unclear whether it was actually trying to give radicalism a fair shake and just failed because of having to fit it in with the other elements of the movie, or whether it always intended to just use it as a foil for the moderate view that ends up winning out. Part of the confusion is that it never really deals with the fact that it’s Killmonger’s radicalism that is at least partially responsible for T’Challa becoming less conservative. But hey, it’s a superhero movie, so the fact that it’s even engaging in the conversation at the level it is is pretty impressive (see Civil War for an example of a movie failing to do that). - Coco (2017)
Synopsis: Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) longs to escape his family’s shoe store to become a famous musician like his hero, Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt)—but after his great-grandmother was abandoned by a musician, music is forbidden in his family. After stealing Ernesto de la Cruz’s guitar in order to play in the talent show, Miguel finds himself on an incredible journey to put the ghosts of the past to rest.
I had a hard time suspending disbelief for the first 20 minutes or so because the generations-long ban on music was just impossible for me to relate to, but after that it was pretty enjoyable, and it obviously looks great. - Con Air (1997)
Synopsis: After years in prison for stabbing a man in self-defence, ex-U.S. Ranger Cameron Poe (Nicholas Cage) is being transferred one last time before his release. What should be a routine operation goes sideways when the other prisoners decide to take over the plane.
This movie is so utterly bad in the best possible way. There are good comedies that haven’t made me laugh this much. And there are so many names—besides random action stars (Ving Rhames, Danny Trejo), 90’s leading men (John Cusack, and I guess Cage?), and well-known character actors (John Malkovich, Steve Buscemi), there’s Dave Chappelle and, receiving top billing (probably only because of order of appearance, but still), Colm Meaney, best known for playing Chief Engineer Miles O’Brien on Star Treks TNG and DS9, seen here barely trying to do a vague East Coast accent. - Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
Synopsis: Kubo (Art Parkinson), a young boy with the power to control origami shapes with his music, was told by his ailing mother (Charlize Theron) to never stay out after sundown. When he disobeys, he suddenly finds himself on an epic quest to locate three magical pieces of armor and defeat the cruel Moon King (Ralph Fiennes).
It’s pretty much impossible not to compare this to Coco (and not just because I watched both of them this year), and while I don’t think either film particularly suffers from the comparison (which is to say, they’re different enough that neither is a substitute for the other), I will say that Kubo grabbed me right from the first line, and is maybe a little subtler with its themes. And good stop-motion is never not amazing. - Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
Synopsis: Plunger salesman Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) finds his life up-ended when a truck drops a harmonium in front of his store. Other stuff happens too, but that’s when it starts.
Okay, so I don’t really care about the plot of this movie. I mean, it’s a perfectly fine plot, with exposition and rising action and whatnot, but it’s not what I love about this movie. What I love about this movie is exemplified in an early scene where Barry is selling plungers in a warehouse. It’s a relatively mundane scene on paper: Barry’s giving a clearly well-practiced sales-pitch while occasionally being interrupted by his sisters calling to make sure he’s coming to a party that night. Slightly hectic, maybe, but Sandler’s performance and the way it’s shot could just as easily convey it as a dull, if slightly frustrating, experience—but then there’s the soundtrack.
There’s something unsettling about the music, something that keeps you from ever really relaxing. It’s this constant undertone of unresolved tension, to the point that the viewer almost feels attacked by the score, and it’s great. Because it makes you feel what the character is feeling, which in this case is near-constant anxiety about relatively mundane things, which is not an experience that I’ve ever seen represented so accurately and compassionately as in this film.
That being said, I have no idea if other people will like it. But I think they should watch it. - Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
Synopsis: SJWs ruin your childhood. (If you haven’t seen this movie then you’re not going to see this movie so I don’t feel like I need to provide a serious synopsis.)
A little too long, and the climax (specifically with regard to the Rebels’ predicament) felt a little contrived, but still a decent movie, and that’s without running on nostalgia/wellitsbetterthantheprequels fumes. Of particular note: the foreshadowing leading up to Luke’s reveal in his battle with Kylo Ren was masterfully done, the anti-reveal and then reveal of Rey’s parents was also executed superbly, Poe actually has an arc (albeit a very overt one), Benicio Del Toro was great (DJ’s “Maybe” really sealed the deal on that character, I kind of don’t want him to be in the next one ’cause I’m sure they’ll ruin it), and the shot of the Rebel flagship going through Snoke’s ship was so beautiful that I literally gasped. Also Yoda was a puppet. Disney could do worse than to let/make Rian Johnson, if not direct, then at least have a hand in the franchise going forward. And by worse I mean J.J. Abrams.
So that (with some light editing and leaving out a couple of my criticisms of the film for reasons I’ll address in a moment) is what I wrote after watching the movie. Since then, Mikey Neumann of the FilmJoy YouTube channel put out his 2-part series comparing how we think of the Star Wars films now to how they were received at the time of release, as well as an in-depth defense of Last Jedi specifically, as did Patrick Willems (among others, I’m sure), all of which I found to be enlightening and convincing. Also since then, controversy around the film has reached absurd levels of vitriol and hatred. So I feel the need to strongly state/reaffirm my support for the choices Johnson made with this movie, and also retract some of my earlier criticisms, specifically of Leia’s use of the force and the way Snoke was handled. That being said, while I understand the defences of Vice Admiral Holdo, I still think her character/role in the plot could have been handled better. - The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017)
Synopsis: Artist Harold Meyerowitz (Dustin Hoffman) begrudgingly prepares for a retrospective exhibit of a career he’s unwilling to admit is over. Meanwhile, his children (Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, and Elizabeth Marvel) grapple with their complicated relationship with their father and each other.
Well, we were due for a good Sandler movie. Along with Sandler’s great performance, Ben Stiller gives his role a surprising amount of nuance with a couple especially good choices, Dustin Hoffman completely becomes his character, Emma Thompson is brilliant as always, and Elizabeth Marvel manages to make her disappointingly underdeveloped character still feel real. And of course it’s always nice to see Judd Hirsch still working. Noah Baumbach’s writing is solid throughout, walking the tightrope of comedy and drama in a way that feels true to life without being as boring as that so often is. - The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
Synopsis: Officer Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) investigates the shooting of his partner, Nordberg (O.J. Simpson), and hijinks ensue.
I don’t know how I’ve never seen this before, it’s Airplane meets Pink Panther, what’s not to like. There were times when I couldn’t tell if the movie was incredibly stupid or incredibly clever, but either way I was laughing my butt off. - They Live (1988)
Synopsis: A guy named Nada (Roddy Piper) stumbles upon an alien invasion already in progress. After roping in his co-worker Frank (Keith David), who he’s known for, like, 2 days, by fighting him in an alley in what is probably one of the most unnecessarily long fight scenes ever, the two join the rebellion to take down the alien aristocracy. Also it’s about capitalism?
HE. NEVER. HAD. ANY. BUBBLEGUM.
Best Movies I Re-Watched
- The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
Synopsis: Dr. David Q. Dawson (Val Bettin), returning to London after a tour of duty in Afghanistan, runs into Olivia Flaversham (Susanne Pollatschek) whose father has just been kidnapped and whose only hope is Basil of Baker Street (Barrie Ingham). Taking pity on her, Dr. Dawson shows her to the detective and, when Basil learns that her father was kidnapped by a peg-legged bat with a hole in its wing (Candy Candido), the three find themselves on a trail that leads to the most notorious criminal in all of mousedom: Professor Ratigan (Vincent Price).
A diamond-in-the-rough from Disney’s post-Classic, pre-Renaissance period, with beautiful animation and charismatic performances from all involved. More than just a Sherlock Holmes pastiche, it’s a delightfully fun romp that jumps right into the action and never loses steam. You can also see its influence in later Disney films, from Beauty and the Beast to Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Honorable Mentions
- Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 (2017)
- Isle of Dogs (2018)
- Mistaken for Strangers (2013)
Certain of Eventual Failure 