With the possible exception of Tom Cruise, no entity in Hollywood today cares more about the theatrical experience more than Christopher Nolan.
His name is the first to come to mind when thinking of directors of his generation, and few have been as successful. His is one of the very few names in Hollywood that can draw an audience just by his name alone. He is one who goes big with every ingredient that makes a movie, letting everyone from the actors to the replacement sound guy to shine. In Oppenheimer, he has gotten the closest he has gotten to outdoing himself in some time, as it is easily the best he has done in years.
Up until a few months ago, I had only seen the first two Mission Impossible films. Believe me, I know. It is somewhat sad that it took me this long to get caught up.
Perhaps I was just not yet willing to accept the mission ahead of me.
Admittedly, I was not planning on doing a report of the first half of 2023, but obligation did kick in, so here we are.
It has always been no secret that the first half of a calendar year is not as strong as the second half, but that is not the fault of the films that are actually good.
With that in mind, here is a brief look back at what we have gotten so far this year…
Proof the Rom Com is still alive:
Streaming on Hulu, Rye Lane is a brisk 82 minute flick full of 21st century heart and laughs. I truly would not mind if this film lasted a little longer.
Proof that coming-of-age dramadies are still alive:
I never read the book, but I can only imagine this was a breath of fresh air to those who grew up adoring Judy Blume’s classic Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret. Abby Ryder Fortson is a true gem, and this is honestly the best I have seen Rachel McAdams in years.
Best based on a true story about a product:
A tie between Air and Blackberry, both equally enthralling films in their own right.
How to properly end a franchise (potentially):
Despite its run time and refusal to give us time to breath, John Wick: Chapter 4 did bring a fitting end to an action saga in the likes of which we have not seen before.
How to not end a franchise (potentially):
While not a horrible film, you don’t end this franchise with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. You end it the way it always should have ended: with Indy and company riding off into the sunset after the last crusade.
Best Villain of the year so far:
As memorable as Jack Black was as Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, no villain has made a better lasting impact than that of Jonathan Majors’ Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Here is hoping all works out for him in his personal life that he can stay on the MCU roster.
Best Comic Book/Animated/Sequel/Action/Multiverse Film of the year so far:
Duh.
I mean, no offense to the other films that fit this description, but come on: ain’t no way it would not be Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Worst Comic Book/Animated/Sequel/Action/Multiverse Film of the year so far:
I know what you are thinking: “Mark, The Flash was not animated!”
True, but it may as well have been, because that is how horrendous the CGI was.
Between this and Nefarious, I am struggling over which is the worst of the year so far.
Best of the Year so far:
While other films like How to Blow Up a Pipeline were spine tingling in its own way, nothing stole my breath like Past Lives. Believe the hype you have been hearing about the film: It is that good.
I know I was not alone in catching up with the other Indy films before the latest would drop.
A quick overview:
Raiders of the Lost Ark: One of the very best adventure movies ever made.
The Temple of Doom: Fun (thank you Short Round), despite its dark themes and cultural depictions.
The Last Crusade: One of the best father-son duos in cinematic history.
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Honestly, some decent moments and set pieces (despite falling completely flat at the conclusion).
Despite how you rank the films, one thing is universal: the role of Henry “Indiana” Jones, Jr. should only be played by Harrison Ford. To recast him would indeed seem nothing short of sacrilegious, meaning we “needed” at least one more Indy film as Ford is now an octogenarian.
My friend Kurt and I have known each other since 7th grade English class, and to this day, I still hold it over him about how he “stole” and dated the girl I had a crush on (to be fair, their relationship lasted about two weeks.)
The same girl ( I won’t give her name away in case they are reading this, and if she is, I truly hope she is doing well) moved away before I could try to make my move, but we did stay in touch and even managed to go to my Senior Homecoming. We even went to the same college, but by then, despite our friendship, I realized she would almost always be out of my league.
As much admiration that I have for Wes Anderson and his films, it wasn’t until recently that I found out I haven’t actually done a proper review of one of his films in some time.
Much of this I will attribute to cowardice on my part: I admit to not being able to completely dissect all he is as an artist. Still, it should not give off the idea that I am not a fan of his films. Very few filmmakers are as unique and eclectic as Anderson is. So distinct is his style that many a youtuber (AI or otherwise) have made their own WA trailers for a menagerie of classic movies, though that joke does not last long after the second or third one viewed. Basically, AI can’t compete with the original.
In any case, there is still enough here in Anderson’s 11th film, Asteroid City, to satisfy all fans of this brilliant filmmaker (I myself was surprised to see so many fans in my viewing.) The story centers around a play named Asteroid City, and the back and forth between the making (so to speak of the play) with scenes of the play itself.
Said play takes place in a very remote desert town in 1955, where the visitors for a Junior Stargazer Convention. Events in the play occur that will greatly shift the lives and relationships of the characters.
As is the case with every film by Anderson, the cast is not only stacked quantity wise, but quality wise (thought this is his first film not to star Bill Murray: he reportedly had to back out due to catching COVID). Here are just a few of the stars: Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johanson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Jeff Goldblum, Liev Schreiber, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston, Hong Chau, Matt Dillon, Willem Dafoe, and Margot Robbie. It would take too long to describe each of the performers’ roles, and would (more importantly) rob you of finding them out for yourself. The cast is more proof that Anderson is one of the most respected director’s in an actor’s eyes, and to read just a few lines of dialogue is a chance to jump upon.
Admittedly, Anderson was one of the first directors I discovered to show me how a shot could be framed. When the camera is still (which is a majority of the time), you can admire all the detail centered around the character, from the backgrounds to the angles of the walls to a single cup on the floor. It is always quietly breathtaking, especially on a big screen.
Parents, this is one of the rare examples of a PG-13 movie with graphic female frontal nudity (although it is very brief and non sexual). The rest is casual swearing. Make of that what you will (remember that Titanic was the same rating and had more nudity in it.)
I am still not sure what it is entirely that does not completely work about the film. Perhaps it is just not in the same league of Anderson’s best works, like The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). It could be that the director threw much at the window before he saw what stuck.
Either way, even if it isn’t his best, that does not mean it is unenjoyable.
Until recently, I had that unbearable feeling that all maestro movie goers get: that they are agreeing too much with other critics.
Nowadays, all one has to do is go to Rotten Tomatoes and/or Meta Critic and see where one stands against one’s peers. As of late, it seems I have been agreeing with most people on the taste of recent movies. Now comes The Flash, which is sitting at 67% on the tomatometer. That it gives me a chance to disagree with the tomatometer is one of the few positives of the film I can think of.
Like many a nerd, I have spent the last few weeks glued to my Nintendo Switch playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (which I admit to playing as I do this review)
What makes it a truly effective sequel to the brilliant Breath of the Wild is not just the story (which has elements of Infinity War, time travel, and even Spirited Away) is that it expands upon its already vast world into new heights. The same can be said about Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse, the sequel to the animated masterclass Into the Spider Verse.
Not long into The Little Mermaid, I wondered if I should now be disqualified from reviewing any more of the live action remakes.
As a nineties kid, I am not alone in saying how much Disney meant to me, especially when I think back to the VHS collection I had (no one had a better VHS case like Disney: those things felt bulletproof). Now we are in the remake stage.
Nothing else to say 