This year I watched a number of classic, foundational movies, from the 1920's to the 2020's. I will give some reviews of these movies, as well as the other movies and television series
I watched this year, and hopefully you will discover some new (old) movies to watch!
Battleship Potemkin, 1925
A masterpiece from Russian filmmaker Sergej Eisenstein, from the silent film era. This is the story of the 1905 mutiny on board the Battleship Potemkin, which formed part of the first Russian Revolution.
The plot then takes the sailors to Odessa, where the public support them but where they attract the brutal attention of Cossack regiments and cavalry, who attack unarmed civilians without compunction. The Battleship Potemkin then sails out to meet the Imperial fleet in combat, but are saved when the sailors on the other ships refuse to fire on them.
Eisenstein was experimenting with the limits of film media in this movie, particularly in the use of montage editing to create powerful emotional impacts, and in the depiction of graphic violence. He was essentially inventing new film techniques as they went along, techniques which changed the course of movie-making forever.
Potemkin is propaganda, but it is masterfully done. The scene of the massacre at the Odessa Steps, justly famous, has been homaged and parodied in countless films ever since. (The massacre itself never happened, but has become part of the lore of the 1905 revolution because of the movie, thus showing the power of cinema to shape collective narratives).
A film so good, so powerful, so upsetting that it was banned by several countries for many years.
Duck Soup (1933)
A little over an hour of the Marx brothers doing bits, strung together in a narrative that lampoons the absurdity of warfare and intrigues between nations, as well as tyrannical government. I’ve always found vaudevillian fare a little strange without a live audience laughing at the jokes, but I can imagine how these bits slayed on stage and at the movie’s screenings. It is especially a wonder how this material was being developed and produced just as the Nazis were about to take over Germany and much of Europe. Still pertinent today, especially the sung line, “We got guns, they got guns, all God’s children got guns!” Also, I could see a lot of modern physical comedy and slapstick in these jokes, and essentially everything Bugs Bunny has ever done.
The Third Man (1949)
Classic film noir murder mystery, set in the immediate post-war aftermath of Vienna. Based upon the novel of the same name by Graham Greene, who also wrote the screenplay.
It is the story of Holly Martins, an American hack novelist invited to Vienna by his old friend Harry Lime to participate in his “business.” Upon arriving, Martins discovers that Lime has been killed in a suspicious auto accident. He sets about trying to uncover the clues of the case, much to the annoyance of Limes’ shady friends, his former lover, and the British police force in Vienna. Martins believes there was an unnamed third man involved in the accident, but seems to be getting nowhere with his inquiries, even as he begins to fall in love with Limes’ girlfriend.
There are some well-known set pieces in this movie, notably the scene on the Ferris Wheel and the final sewer chase scene, which surely provided inspiration for movies like The Fugitive. There is also a remarkable use of light and shadow in the film, seeming to highlight the ambiguous moral nature of post-war Vienna. The acting is perfect, especially by Joseph Cotten as Martins, and Orson Welles as Limes. The score is very unusual, all repeated zither music by Anton Karas which functions almost as a character in and of itself. At first the music makes the film seem light and airy, and there are comedic moments, but as it progresses the music increases the sense of paranoia and confusion the characters and the audience feel. Excellent stuff.
Rashomon (1950)
The classic Kurosawa film about the unreliable narrative. A story of a horrific rape of a woman and murder of her samurai husband is retold four times by four different narrators, each with their own “perspective” (ie, lies) that puts themselves in the best possible light.
But where is the truth? Is it the story of the Woodcutter who “found” the body? The Woman who was raped? The Bandit? Or the dead Samurai who told his story through a medium? All three who were involved (samurai, bandit and wife) claim that they were the true murderer/suicide, and that their motives or at least methods were acceptable. The Woodcutter seems most trustworthy as he only observes and does not participate, but he also lied to the court because he did not want to get involved. And even his story leaves out essential elements that would make him look bad.
This movie, justly considered one of the greatest of all time, and the first to bring Japanese cinema into broader international awareness, examines the nature of subjective narratives, the seeming universality of deceit, and the state of a world in which no story can be trusted.
The Priest, who is with the Woodcutter and a Commoner after all this has happened, and as they are retelling the tales, puts it in perspective: “If men don’t trust each other, this world might as well be hell!” The Commoner, who takes the view that all men lie, and that goodness is make-believe, says, “Yes, this world is hell.” But the priest, who earlier said, “This time, I may lose my faith in the human soul,” still holds out some hope, saying “No, I believe in men. I don’t want this place to be hell.” For this he is mocked again by the Commoner, who believes life is simply absurd and hellish. He demonstrates the logical conclusion of this philosophy at the end when the three discover an abandoned baby. The Commoner immediately steals the kimono and amulet that were left with the baby for its protection. When the Woodcutter accuses him of being evil, the Commoner first says he is not as evil as the parents who abandoned the baby, and then says that selfishness is the only way to survive in the world. It is total nihilism on display. In the end, however, there is hope. The Priest wants to protect the abandoned baby, and the Woodcutter offers to take it home and raise it with his other six children. This faithfulness, sealed by a bow, prompts the Priest to say, “I think I can keep my faith in man.”
A masterpiece.
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
The movie that started the zombie craze. It is essential viewing for that reason, and for certain innovations it made in the horror genre. Before this time horror was stuck in a rut, with the “classic” monsters being trotted out more for kids than anything. Night of the Living Dead changed that forever.
Made on a shoestring budget, Romero created a situation where “ghouls” are brought back from the dead and feed on the living. The action takes place essentially in and around one house where a group is brought together after fleeing the monsters. The zombies surround the house and will stop at nothing to get in. All the while the humans inside learn bits and pieces about the situation from the news, and argue violently with one another about what to do next.
It is hard to imagine how scary this movie must have been when it first came out. Now it would be seen as lacking in the special effects and acting departments, but it does not shy away from gore or suspense. And while the zombies are a formidable enemy, the greatest danger still comes from the selfishness and fear of other human beings.
One extremely notable thing about this movie is the quasi-protagonist - really the only person in the group who is of much use at all, the leader and the only survivor of the zombie attack - is an African American man. This came out in the late 60’s right around the deaths of MLK Jr and Robert Kennedy, and this would have been an explosive casting and writing choice. And the well-regulated militia of armed white men at the end mistaking him for a zombie and killing him is a pretty clear moral point.
Solaris (1972)
I read the Lem novel upon which this movie is based, and have also seen the 2002 Soderbergh remake starring George Clooney, which I like. The remake told an emotional story, but pared away the philosophical elements of the book. Tarkovsky’s 1972 Russian opus leaves those in, and offers us one of the most profound and challenging explorations of the meaning of humanity ever put on film.
The setting is first on earth, where a psychiatrist, Kris, is preparing to embark on a mission to a space station orbiting the mysterious planet Solaris. There are bizarre reports that have come back from the station, which only has a crew of three, instead of 85 when the mission was at its peak. There is a belief that the strange sea on Solaris may be trying to communicate with the humans on the space station, but many on earth dismiss that notion. Kris is being sent to discover what is really going on with the remaining scientists, and to determine if the Solaris project should continue. Before he leaves Kris meets with an astronaut who had previously served at Solaris - and who came back a confused, broken and discredited man - and with his parents, who know they will not live to see him return. Kris burns all of his effects before he leaves.
Once Kris arrives at the station he finds it in total disarray, broken down in many parts, and with the crew locked in their rooms. There are only two crew members now; the other scientist, whom Kris knew, has killed himself. But there appear to be other “people” on board the station as well. These are the “guests”, simulacra that were seemingly created by the sentient ocean on Solaris, drawn from the memories or subconscious of the crew members while they sleep. Kris discovers this for himself when he wakes up to find his wife - who had died of suicide ten years previous - in his locked room. He is terrified and immediately takes steps to destroy her. But another version appears when next he sleeps. Kris decides not to destroy this version, and soon falls in love with her, as she tries to understand who she is. This leads to many conversations between her and the scientists about what it means to be human, and to love, and to suffer, and to have mercy. She declares that the other scientists are less human than Kris - and than her - because they keep destroying their “guests”. But it is not long before she can no longer bear the pain of a borrowed existence, and tries in various ways to destroy herself. The movie ends on a very uncertain note, as Kris appears to have entered a dream-like - but possibly Solaris-induced - life on an island in the Solaris sea.
This is an excellent example of what the best science fiction can do. Putting Kris and the crew in an impossible and horrifying scenario, and forcing them to confront the meaning of their existence (which one character derides as fruitless, because the happiest people don’t bother about such cursed questions), gives us the time and space to ask those questions of ourselves. And Tarkovsky notoriously gives the viewer lots of time and space. The movie is characterised by long camera shots, unbroken by edits, focusing on meaning-rich symbols that add to the illusion-like character of the movie.
Solaris, the planet, is unknowable, but appears to be trying to communicate, though its aims are entirely unclear. The humans on board the station, and all of humanity by extension, find themselves no longer at the centre of the story. They are not the ones in charge of meaning anymore, as Solaris is able to pull thoughts from their heads and create “life” from them. This film therefore confronts us with the impossibility of creating our own meaning in a universe so much more vast and lengthy than ourselves. Our illusion of control and meaning is only paper thin, and any encounter with transcendence quickly shreds it to pieces.
Fist of Fury (1972)
Bruce Lee’s first big movie and sort of crossover hit (Enter the Dragon would come a little later). It is set during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, so there is a fair amount of Japanese-Chinese animosity, and some depiction of racist attitudes against Chinese people.
Many long fighting sequences ensue (much longer than most Western audiences can handle), and there are several closeups of angry or concerned eyeballs. Chen discovers the plot against the Teacher and the school, and proceeds to demonstrate the superiority of Chinese fighting styles compared to Japanese fighting styles by straight up killing a lot of people. In between the killing there is a very uncomfortable and entirely unnecessary strip tease scene.
Throughout there is absurd voice over work and seriously over the top acting. The final fight scene against the Japanese boss showed why Michealangelo’s nunchucks are better than Leonardo’s Katana blade. All that said, it is a classic of the genre and many of its scenes and tropes are used by later martial arts movies, including The Matrix. Also features the greatest opening song known to cinema.
Raging Bull (1980)
Incredibly I had never seen this masterpiece. It is the story of Jake LaMotta, the Bronx Bull, a punishing boxer who held the middleweight belt between 1949-1951. DeNiro is magnificent as a man who only really “fits” in the controlled, brutal violence of the boxing ring - outside of it all his relationships fall apart. He cannot control his temper, his suspicion, his envy, his pride. The relationship with his brother/manager, played impeccably by Joe Pesci, is the break that truly causes his downfall. In the end he is left with the scars of the ring and the scars of his ruined family, as he tries to make a go in entertainment.
Brazil (1985)
From the demented, genius mind of Terry Gilliam, Brazil is one of the weirdest, funniest, darkest dystopian political comedies you will ever see.
Set “sometime in the 20th century”, in England (the title Brazil refers to the thematic song that plays throughout) we follow the life of Sam Lowry, a low-level bureaucrat in an all-encompassing, Orwellian state machinery dedicated to the procurement of information and the repression of all opposition (and also making people pay for it). Sam is content enough with his life and seeks no advancement, though his father had been instrumental in setting up the Information Retrieval department. But Sam is having troubling dreams/fantasies about flying and rescuing a beautiful woman, whom he later encounters in real life after a botched government kidnapping and execution.
All this is set against the backdrop of government bureaucracy gone mad, which apparently was a particular bug bear for Gilliam. Everything requires paperwork filled out in triplicate, including the ubiquitous venting system which is constantly breaking down, and which is almost a character in and of itself. The film is a mockery of government oversight and the violence required to sustain it, but also gives no time to fanciful fantasies of overthrowing such systems and creating idealistic nirvanas.
The movie is in some ways dated, but in other ways painfully prescient. And, as with all Gilliam films, it is filled with odd camera angles, constant movement and noise, grotesqueries, and bizarre dream sequences that seem more like drug trips. The world-creating is astonishing. The viewer is immersed in an atmosphere of total mayhem - if you think you have seen mayhem because you watched a Jim Carrey movie, you don’t know what mayhem is. You genuinely never know what could happen in a Gilliam film, and it is a marvel this one ever got made.
Incredibly fun, but also potentially very depressing for some. With wonderful cameos from Jim Broadbent, Michael Palin, Ian Holm, Robert Deniro (!) and Katherine Helmond of television’s Who’s The Boss.
Do the Right Thing (1989)
A day in the life - and a very hot day in the life - of Bed Stuy, New York. Tension bubbles under the surface of every encounter as residents try to make their way through the overheated streets and relationships.
It feels like Lee was attempting to capture the essence of a neighbourhood on one of its worst days, with all the hope, fear, desire, anger and bitterness exploding into a riot at an Italian-owned pizza joint, followed by a brutal police murder and a fiery conflagration.
Falling Down (1993)
Michael Douglas plays an angry, middle-aged, middle class white man (D-Fens) who has a very bad day, and lots of people suffer his wrath.
This movie is billed as a dark comedy, but I did not find it very funny. I mostly found it very sad. There is some social commentary here, telling the story of a man’s descent into increasing levels of violence after the alienation of losing his marriage, his home, and his job. At times the movie portrays him as a kind of everyman hero raging against the banalities and indecencies of modern life, including bad hamburgers, bloated road work contracts, rich plastic surgeons and the price of soda. D-Fens is a man who no longer has a place in the world he thought he knew. He is irrelevant, unwanted, isolated. And dangerous. This comes out through other actions where he is a xenophobic, poor-bashing monster who is terrorizing his ex-wife and child.
The movie’s tone is often unclear as to exactly which of his actions are praiseworthy and which are evil. At the end he realises he is the bad guy, which is something, and there is a scene where a neo-nazi tries to claim him as one of his own, shocking D-Fens. The main character is countered by a cop on the verge of retirement, played by Robert Duvall, whose character arc seems to be concerned with finally standing up to people, most especially his wife. I’m not sure about the messaging there either, to be honest, but Duvall’s character is really an example of another man who is considered largely irrelevant, but is still trying to do what is right.
The Piano (1993)
A very unique and intense romance movie written and directed by Jane Campion. Set in the 1850’s, a young, mute Scottish woman named Ada, played perfectly by Holly Hunter, and her daughter, played even more perfectly by Anna Pacquin, are sent to the frontier of New Zealand where she is to be the wife of a local man, played by Hugo Weaving.
Ada communicates through written notes and sign language, but she conveys her essence and feelings even more authentically and insistently through her piano, which she has shipped with her to New Zealand. Her new husband, however, does not consider its importance and leaves it on the beach, saying it is too difficult to transport through the jungle.
A neighbour, played by Harvey Keitel, is British but has seemingly adopted the Maori way of life and been adopted into their community (the Maori are a powerful presence in the film, serving in a way as the moral compass and spotlight, though they are still only shown on the periphery. One wonders what they were making of the insane European behaviours on display.) He eventually agrees to “purchase” the piano for some land, but his intent is really to be close to his Ada. Herein begins the strange and troubling love story, where he offers to sell the piano back to Ada, key by key, in exchange for, well, “doing some things” while she plays. This somehow blossoms into a type of reciprocal love, but is thwarted when her husband discovers what is really going on in these piano lessons.
The strength of this movie is in the acting, the music and the gorgeous scenery, which is beautiful but also brutal. Ada’s hoop dresses and bonnets, like her character and her piano (and the British), are totally out of place in the mud, rain and jungle of New Zealand. She is trapped in her marriage, her social situation, her muteness, and her only escape is her music, and potentially her adulterous relationship.
Director Jane Campion does an excellent job of portraying all the characters as flawed, but human. They are all desperately lonely, trapped in circumstances that do not fit them, longing for love and connection, and they make poor choices, but they are not simply monsters (even when they do monstrous things). In the end, life is affirmed, but only barely.
Spirited Away (2001)
What a beautiful movie, the kind of animated movie you can’t imagine having been produced in the West. It is the story of Chichiru, a young girl moving with her parents into a new house. But they take a wrong turn and end up exploring a strange world through a tunnel, which seems to be some kind of spirit world wherein an enchantress runs a health spa for spirits.
Chichiru, who is renamed Sen at this spa, has to figure out how to stay alive, how to rescue her parents (who have been turned into pigs) and how to help her new friends, which include a river spirit; a dragon; coal beasties; a man-spider; a giant baby; a No-Face; and Lin. The story is really a coming-of-age tale, in which characters are given the opportunity to become better versions of themselves, Sen included.
The animation is gorgeous, and includes movements that would be overlooked by even the best Pixar movies. And the creative imagination involved in the spirit-world building is invigorating. This movie really sets the bar for what animation can be.
Four Lions (2010)
A movie about five inept would-be mujahideen who are intent on martyring themselves in London. A comedy.
It is hard to imagine this movie, released in 2010, being made today. It is very darkly funny, but at the end also very sad. Starring Riz Ahmed (better known from Rogue One) as the group’s “leader” and Kayvan Novak (better known from What We Do in the Shadows) as his confused but willing friend, they and the rest of a stellar cast dig into the dangers and humour of ideological fundamentalism, especially the rhetorical knots required in order to make what is clearly evil appear good. A crow, a goat, a kebab shop, some cops, a helpful citizen, and a beauty parlour all feel their explosive wrath as the Lions endeavour to reach heaven through the Final Jihad.
A bonkers movie.
Here are the movies from the 2020's that I watched this year, in order of what I predict will become their "essentialness":
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
Another remarkable movie from McDonough, starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Kerry Condon. Set on a small island off of the Irish mainland, during the Civil War (for which the story serves as a type of metaphor), it begins with sumptuous scenery and hauntingly beautiful music - a foretaste of the rest of this gorgeous movie. Every word and shot seems perfect, the writing is hilarious and true to life, the acting impeccable. It is a story of two men, friends, but one decides one day that he can no longer tolerate the other. He wants to create something lasting, something great, and the nice but dull company of his friend is holding him back. This is at the heart of the movie, the tension between being nice and decent or being great. Another theme is the island itself, the beauty and danger of it, the isolation of it which is oppressive, but which also keeps the residents safe from the violence on the mainland. The island is its own character in the movie, especially the bluffs and the waves crashing in. Another character, Barry Keoghan as Dominic, the island’s dimmest resident (but also an abused and vulnerable son of the island’s dirtbag cop), nearly steals the whole movie through comedy and pathos.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
This could go in Fantasy or in Comedy. It is an excellent movie, kind of a mashup of Dr Strange, The Matrix, and Inception, but with more laughs and an even deeper emotional and philosophical core. Starring Michelle Yuoh, it tells the story of an overwhelmed Chinese immigrant whose marriage, family and business are falling apart, but who gets dragged into a multiverse conflict centred around her, her husband and her daughter. It’s too hard to explain without giving away important details, but the concept, editing, acting, and fight scenes are wonderful, and the pay off is extremely moving. It is also utterly absurd, outrageous, complicated and frantic.
All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
Ever since Erich Maria Remarque’s novel came out in 1929 - based upon his soul-destroying experience as part of the German army on the Western Front during World War One - All Quiet on the Western Front has been the gold standard of the depiction of the brutality, the absurdity, the stupidity, the life-negating meaninglessness of war. It was made into a movie in 1930, and in 1979, and now again in 2022. This is because the message is timeless, and we haven’t paid attention. This iteration, beautifully shot, powerfully acted, horrific in its portrayal of human savagery, is faithful to the book’s message. The initial youthful, patriotic enthusiasm for war is quickly drowned in the mud and blood of the trenches. There is nothing romantic, nothing life-giving, nothing noble at the Front. It is corpses and rats and bullets and poison and mud and screaming and dead men’s clothes. Nor does this story simply ascribe these horrors to Germany: war is universal in its atrocity. In fact, one of the most powerful aspects of this movie is the invitation to identify and commiserate with young German soldiers. And one of the major themes that this movie insists upon is that these soldiers are children - 17 years old, thrown into the ravenous maw of war. These youth quickly become jaded veterans of the Front, only to be reinforced by more child recruits. Those who don’t die quickly and horribly become spiritually dead, with no real ability to return to a society that they no longer can understand and which has no place for them. The scenes at the Front are powerfully contrasted with another scene of conflict on board the train at Versailles, where the Armistice is being brokered. Those with historical awareness will know that this Armistice was the bitter fuel used in Germany to justify the advent of the Second World War. Especially grievous are the continued commands to march and kill and die as the peace talks are being carried out. Everyone knew the end was coming, and lives were still being spent. I will say this in warning - it is not a movie anyone is likely to watch twice. The horrors of war are unflinchingly depicted, and no punches are pulled.
Nope (2022)
Jordan Poole does it again, taking on this time a mash-up of the Western and Alien genres, through a Black lens. (The “Nope” is a trope of Black reactions to horror situations that white characters typically walk right into). The Haywood family are connected to horses and Hollywood as far back as Hollywood goes - their great-great grandfather was the Bahamian jockey that rode the horse in the very first moving picture. Now they train horses for movies. But since the strange death of their father, things have become bleak, and get stranger still as horses start disappearing from their ranch. Into the mix is thrown a former child actor who owns the neighbouring ranch/amusement centre. He has his own history with an animal that snapped - a chimp that killed some of his co-stars in the middle of filming when he was a child. It all comes around as OJ, played in true Western, understated fashion by Daniel Kaluuya, figures out the nature of the alien that is stalking them. It is surely one of the most creative and interesting depictions of an alien in film, and there are some genuine scares and horror elements, alongside some great comedy.
Prey (2022)
Awesome movie. Set in 1715, in the Comanche nation territory, this is a prequel to the Predator franchise. The Predators, as we all know, travel around the galaxy looking for things to hunt. In the original 1987 film a Predator hunted Arnold Schwarzenegger and his gang of US Army fighters in the jungle. In this film, a slightly less technologically advanced Predator hunts first the local wildlife, then some wicked French trappers, and finally the Comanche hunters. Amber Midthunder is amazing as Naru, a female hunter looking to prove herself and to protect her people against this new threat. She is skilled as a tracker and healer, but is also able to see things others overlook, and is therefore able to fight the Predator in a way no one else can. I think I prefer this film even to the original Predator movie, and it is clearly better than any of the other sequels in the franchise. I also love that there is a Comanche language version available.
The Batman (2022)
Far and away the darkest of the Batman offerings so far, and also worryingly realistic. The Batman in this movie is still fairly new, already a good detective but not infallible as he appears in later iterations. He makes mistakes, can’t put all the clues together, doesn’t always arrive on time. The criminals are more real as well, from Colin Farrel’s incredible transformation as The Penguin to Dano’s Riddler, who inspires an army of desperate, angry young men to mask up and create violence (a little on the nose, perhaps?) Pattinson is great, and his chemistry with Zoe Kravitz’s excellent Catwoman is pretty electric. This was a well done movie, the best of the comic book pictures this year IMO, and it is set up for some obvious sequels.
The Green Knight (2021)
A beautiful and challenging movie, which stays close to the old Arthurian legend about Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Ultimately tells the story of what virtue and honour mean, how they are achieved, and how one must be prepared to lose one’s life in order to gain it. Dev Patel is especially great in the role of Gawain.
Wakanda Forever (2022)
What a tricky thing, to carry on a story when your star and titular character has passed away. They handle it with grace and dignity, and I think their treatment of this difficult matter is probably the strongest part of the whole movie. It turns the adventure into an exploration of grief - Marvelized and Disneyfied, yes, but moving nonetheless. Watching this movie less than a week after my dad passed away made the funeral scenes more emotional for me than they otherwise would have been. The rest of the movie is fairly well done, with the introduction of a whole new nation, likewise kept hidden from the modern world, this time under the sea. Ruled by K’ul’kulkan (Namor, or the Submariner,) the kingdom of Talokan is derived from Aztec peoples who escaped the smallpox epidemic brought by the Spanish colonisers. They survived by imbibing a plant infused with vibranium (another meteor must have crashed in the ocean), which gave them the ability to be healed, gain strength, and breathe underwater. Namor, who was in his mother’s womb when she took the cure, has been alive since the 16th century and is a type of god to his people, being able to fly and breathe both the air and the sea. The movie creates an interesting conflict between two powerful, secret, non-Western nations, each of which is trying to keep itself safe from the resource-extracting desires of nations like the USA. Wakanda Forever ends up being a little too long and predictable, and there is a very unnecessary subplot involving the CIA. Overall though, a very good entry, and notably strong performances from Tenoch Huerta, Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, and especially Angela Bassett who freaking came to deliver. Also of note, the first very clear instance of the word “mutant” being used in the MCU, and an extra scene in the credits that very clearly sets the stage for the future of Wakanda story-telling.
Werewolf By Night (2022)
A really fun Marvel entry that blends the genres of comic fantasy and horror. Jack Russell (get it?) finds himself amongst a group of elite monster hunters all vying for the Bloodstone, a mystical jewel that increases strength and life. They compete to hunt down a monster (Man-Thing) and whichever hunter wins gets the Bloodstone. But Russell is really there to free his friend Man-Thing, and eventually we see his more hirsute side released. Very well done, funny, gory, and opens up a whole new branch for the MCU if they want to pursue it.
Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
It was good, not great. Wanda and Dr Strange are wonderfully portrayed, as is Wong, and there are some awesome cameos and ideas. The character of America, while a really interesting idea, is poorly acted and written. Her back-story is almost non-existent in this portrayal. The visuals were pretty great, and it was a little complex and delved somewhat into Raimi’s preferred horror genre - it would have been better if they had fully committed in that direction.
The Matrix Resurrection (2021)
Not as good nor as clear as the first Matrix, and no scenes as epically cool as the Freeway scene in the second Matrix, but overall not a bad offering. Some nice call backs, decent payoffs, and good action. The stakes seemed a lot lower though, somehow.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
I enjoyed this movie. It was sentimental in all the right ways, featured some really good acting (Podcast annoyed me, then grew on me), decent comic relief, and all the throwbacks an 80’s kid like me could hope for. Now, before anyone gets weird, I also liked the all-female reboot, so I’m not taking any sides here. I just enjoyed it, and it gave a nice send off to the late Harold Ramis.
Don’t Look Up (2021)
So many of Hollywood’s A-list stars come together to create an allegorical dark comedy about climate change. In this movie the humanity-destroying danger is a giant comet headed directly towards earth. The math and science is certain: unless something is done, we will all die. But politicians are more concerned about mid-term elections, and talk show hosts about the latest celebrity break up, to really pay attention. Hint hint. Pretty heavy-handed stuff. I suspect those who already are on board with the climate change emergency will love this movie, which is guaranteed to make one feel superior regardless of one’s actual engagement in meaningful change. Those who deny climate change almost certainly won’t watch this movie, at least not to the end. As for me, it just gave me anxiety.
Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)
Pretty funny, reasonably sentimental and moving, awesome soundtrack, and has the decency to be nice and short. Won’t be a holiday classic, but is well done.
A Christmas Story Christmas (2022)
This is a hard one for me to rate and review. On one hand it is an inferior rehashing of much that was novel and hilarious in the original movie; on the other, there were times when it really hit the right sentimental note. There were a couple of genuinely funny scenes, a nice redemptive moment for Scutt Farkus, and it was just nice to be back inside that world again for a little bit. There were also some moments when I cried, because this movie was all about the death of Ralphie’s father, the incredible boiler-fighting, tire-changing, profanity-spewing, turkey-loving, dog-hating, major prize award-winning focus of the first A Christmas Story. As my father died just over a month ago, and we will be spending our first Christmas without him, this really hit home to me.
Here are the television series I watched this year, ranked and reviewed:
Reservation Dogs Seasons One and Two
This is fantastic. Life on the Rez, as seen primarily through the eyes of a group of four teens who want out. They interact with other Rezidents, made up of the who’s who of Indigenous actors from the last 40 years. Hilarious, tragically sad, beautiful and moving, it offers a window into a reality that most of us have never seen. It is very raw and real. Season 2 continues where Season 1 left off, and continues to pack a devastating comedic and emotional one-two combo. The scene where Willie Jack prays in prison and is surrounded by ancestors (a great cloud of witnesses) is one of the most moving depictions of prayer I have ever seen on screen.
The Sandman
Wonderful. I wasn’t sure if it would be possible to capture the essence and aesthetic of Gaiman’s the Sandman on the screen, but they’ve managed it. It definitely had to be a series, not a movie, and with very high production values, and a lot of patience from the audience (this is a graphic novel, and DC at that, but it is not like other comic books or comic book movies.) I loved all of the casting - especially Stephen Fry as Fiddler’s Green/GKC - except Constantine. My issue is not that Constantine is a female character in the series, but that she is nowhere near grimy enough. John Constantine is well-worn, but Johanna Constantine is not.
Andor
Wow. Incredible writing, acting, story-telling. This is a mature Star Wars, the likes of which I wasn’t sure we would ever get. The Mandalorian is great, but this is a whole new step forward in building sizzling tension, expanding the narrative universe (the actual Universe, meaning other planets besides Tatooine, for a change) and showing how and why the rebellion became what it did. The Empire is perfectly portrayed as not just a cartoonish, devilish evil run by a space wizard, but as a crushing, uncaring bureaucracy that wipes out independence, creativity, and indigeneity in its lust for order and control (like all the Empires we know). We also see the problems, factions, and varying motivations involved in the nascent rebellion: some fight for ideology, some for money, some for anger, some for some kind of justice. The rebels aren’t pure, they aren’t perfect, and they operate according to their own brutal math of acceptable sacrifice. Andor is a spy story, a heist caper, a political exploration, and science fiction all in one. And all without the need to rely on Jedis or anyone named Skywalker, which is remarkable. It also very cleverly takes advantage of its 12 episode season length to essentially create 4 movies, with building tension leading to a huge payoff every third or fourth episode. In this way we get all the backstory and atmosphere, and incredible action sequences, but we aren’t overwhelmed with either. An absolute triumph.
Moon Knight
I never could have believed that my favourite Marvel character - unknown to all but the most ardent comic book followers - would ever get a series. And WHAT a series. Fronted by Oscar Isaac, who plays all the Moon Knight personalities, this take runs with the best of the ambiguity in this character, and gets the idea that Moon Knight’s primary antagonist has always been…Moon Knight. The series addresses free will, disassociation, trauma (not in a cliched way) and ends vs means in a way that actually contains real stakes. Also: Egyptian mythology, a female Arabic superhero, a nuanced villain in Ethan Hawke, and a talking Hippo goddess. I loved it. Really hoping for a second series.
The Expanse, Season Six
One of the best Sci-Fi shows of all time. Great depth and breadth of both character development, universe building, and political realism, alongside incredible graphics and action and genuine stakes. This last season dealt with the final stages of the Belter-Inner war, the race for the rings, and the personal battles of the Rocinante’s crew. My only complaint is that the ending felt very abrupt and didn’t follow the line of the books (from what I hear). Lots of threads left hanging, which is ok, not everything has to be wrapped up, but the major plot line of the proto-molecule was definitely not resolved. Could almost lead to a movie? One can hope.
Stranger Things Season Four
A phenomenal season, marked by especially excellent performances from Max, Vecna, Dustin, Lucas, and Eddie. The Kate Bush song and the Master of Puppets moments were incredible highlights - the Duffer Bros KNOW how to use music in their show. The Vecna reveal felt a little ret-conned, but it works when you look back through the whole show. The California scenes felt unnecessary, really, and I didn’t love the stoned humour/characters, but it was an impressive feat keeping such a big cast and such a variety of stories coordinated and meaningful. Obvious nods to Empire Strikes Back and Nightmare on Elm Street. Really looking forward to Season 5. (I think we will see Will emerge as the main dungeon master of the Upside Down.)
Resident Alien, Season One
So. Much. Fun. Alan Tudyk is pitch perfect as an alien come to earth to destroy all humans, but who crashes his ship, loses his device, and has to take on the body and identity of a man who becomes the doctor in a small Colorado town. He has to learn about humanity, all the while searching for his deadly device and evading the notice of a young kid who is the only one who can see through his disguise. One of the best parts of the show is how they tell the story of an indigenous woman, her family, and her and her father’s approach to life.
Peacemaker
This one is, well, not for everyone. The first episode in particular has a very explicit scene, and there is violence and crudity throughout. But the show itself, only 8 episodes long for its first season, has a surprising amount of comedy and heart, with a core of friendship and genuine growth in the characters. John Cena is a revelation, with the acting chops but also the physical attributes to be a convincing proto-fascist freedom-fighter with father issues and a sidekick eagle. If you liked the most recent James Gunn-directed Suicide Squad you will like this. Oh, and the greatest opening song and credits in the history of television. Totally unskippable.
Ms Marvel
This six episode introduction to the Jersey City Muslim teenager whose family is from Pakistan is a lot of fun. It has a style all its own, delves deep into the family and community life of an immigrated family, gives us a new set of super powers to ponder, and even tells the history of the India/Pakistan partition as a key plot point. It isn’t Marvel’s best offering, but it is definitely a worthy entry, especially with the work of newcomer Iman Vellani in the title role.
Obi Wan
This was really well done. It felt like reentering the Star Wars universe, in the despair between episodes 3 and 4, before a real Rebel Alliance has even formed. One gets the sense why a New Hope was needed. Also a few of the best lightsaber and force fights we have ever seen. Vader really shows more of the extent of his brute power in this series, and it is awesome.
The Rings of Power
I have a lot of thoughts. Once I realised they didn’t have the rights to The Silmarillion, but only the Appendices of the LOTR, it made it easier to stomach. The way I could deal with this series was to hold that none of it is canon, but rather more like a DnD game being played out before our eyes, in the Tolkien Universe, with a billion dollar budget. It is beautifully shot and made for sure, and there were some genuinely good parts. There is some actual suspense and uncertainty about who Sauron is and who the star-man is; the Harfoots are great, as are the dwarves; the orcs are interesting and raise some Tolkienish questions; the elves are pretty ok. I didn’t love the way they brought Mithril in, but that wasn’t my biggest issue. My biggest issues were: 1. All the time was telescoped. The events of this series were to have taken place over an Age, not a few months; 2. The Istari are not meant to arrive in Middle Earth for another 1000 years; 3. The sequence of events around Sauron are all jumbled up; 4. The acting is pretty poor and the score is surprisingly boring; 5. The pacing is glacial; and 6. This is the big one: Numenor is terrible. It is really, really terrible. They are meant to be absolutely dominant, an unstoppable force. Corrupted to a degree (but way more to come) but still unlike anything Middle Earth had ever seen. Numenor riding into battle should be like 1000 Aragorns riding 1000 Shadowfaxes, but here they have trouble with a few orcs. Elendil actually loses a hand to hand fight with a regular orc! There was zero sense of their nobility and strength, and it’s a massive flaw. Maybe they can go some way to correcting it in the next season, but it’s my biggest complaint about the whole show so far. My understanding is that Amazon will be changing the showrunners for season 2, which makes sense.
Kids in the Hall
30 or so years after the Kids in the Hall first appeared, this series brings them back in full force. They are funny as ever, and, unfortunately, even more crude. Seriously crude. They are at their best in the more absurd skits, and there were several laugh out loud moments, and even some surprising sentimentality.
Hawkeye
A decent little series, with great acting from Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld especially. Funny, relatively light hearted though with some edge, it is a nice addition to the MCU. It did at times feel like a set-up show though, whose main purpose was to introduce or re-introduce characters into the broader universe to be used later - such as Echo, Bishop, Yelena, Agent 19, and especially Kingpin. A major weakness was how inept the villains were - they were mainly played as comic relief until Echo and Kingpin. Also shows just how silly the bow and arrow really is as a superhero weapon, but I guess we can let it slide.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
At times I wondered why I was bothering to watch this one - the stakes did not seem very high and the plot seemed really drawn out, even though there were only 6 episodes. Yet there were some incredibly powerful scenes in here, especially with the character of Isaiah Bradley, an old African American super soldier whose story and life had been wiped away by the government that secretly gave him his powers. The themes of refugeeism were also developed in not too bad a way. Could have done with less of agent Carter.
The Book of Boba Fett
They took everything that was cool about Boba Fett and mostly removed it. I guess The Mandalorian kind of stole Boba’s thunder, and the Mandalorian was the best part of this series. I just stopped believing that Boba was the scary, do-anything bounty hunter I grew up with. Shouldn’t get a second season, but it probably will, and Boba might still cameo in other shows. I will say that the show got better as it went along, and Boba was bad-ass in the last episode. Was also cool to see Grogu’s development, a pretty believable Luke Skywalker, and a full-scale Rancor attack.
The Pentaverate
Boy, I wanted this to be good. When Mike Myers is on, he is on, but he hasn’t been on for a long while. He is ridiculously cheesy and goofy, and notably terrible at story, which is totally fine so long as the jokes hit. They mostly don’t in this series. There is virtually nothing quotable or memorable in this offering, though there are a few laughs. There was material there that could have really been developed into something fun, especially if they had explored the history of the Pentaverate a little more.
The Boys Season Three
It is a “realistic” superhero show in that the heroes are mostly narcissistic, capitalist jerks being run by a large company. It is entertaining, but I had to stop watching because it is simply too graphic and not good for my eyes, mind and heart.
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