My 2025 in Movies and In Memorium

This year began with the one-two punch of "Mean Girls" (had to rewatch cuz the year began on a Wednesday and we wear pink on Wednesdays) and "Tommy" (a rock opera by The Who that was 99.9% singing) and ended where 7 of my last 11 new movies were Hallmark movies. The last two were definitely better than a lot of the previous ones.

My total this year was only 66 movies. It feels like nowadays it's an achievement if I get to the 2nd column of my Word document where I'm listing all the movies I'd seen in my life.
(The culmative total, in case you're curious, is 1770. And my idea of a movie is anything over 60 minutes).

Of those 66,

4 were in theaters (gotta do better next year...)

7 were Hallmark movies

5 were on Apple+

14 were on TCM

For the theater movies, Freakier Friday was definitely my favorite.
But for theatrical experiences, the one with the Minecraft Movie will be one of my all-time most memorable. It was just a blast being in a full theater where everyone seemed to be on the ball except the three of us and the enthusiasm was positively infectious.

I don't watch anything Hallmark before December, just as a personal rule. I did make one teeny exception and watch the reality series "Finding Mr. Christmas." It was so fun and wholesome and all of the guys that were auditioning to be the next actor on the channel were good looking. 
Gabe was a dark horse, for sure. My mom and I definitely didn't pick him to win, but clearly he had something about him that they liked. And to his credit, he was the one of the few bright spots in a pretty dismal movie. The parents in "A Make or Break Christmas" were just way too over the top with their passive-aggressive drama. It's no wonder our female lead was so uptight about her decorations being perfect for their arrival. 
Angel was my favorite (mainly cuz he had an accent and I'd probably cast him myself if one of my stories became a movie/series...) and Rustin was definitely the typical rugged handsome you'd expect from Hallmark. Although in the reunion show, he came back clean-shaven and we almost didn't recognize him.

But for the rest of Hallmark, I enjoyed the Bills love story more than the Chiefs. I saw it first but I just preferred the story. Plus, we had a nice cameo from Damar Hamlin who got to shine along with some of the other players not named Josh Allen.

"Oy to the World" and "Christmas by Starlight" gave me all the feelings I expect from a Hallmark movie. Fun and wholesome with all kinds of Christmas decor. I knew the two actors in "Oy" from different show (Brooke was in Royal Pains and Jake, I first saw in The Zack Files in the early 2000's) and they were cute together.
And while "Christmas by Starlight" wasn't the most realistic plot (what Hallmark movie, though?), it gave me the warm & fuzzy escapism I needed yesterday when some things hadn't gone perfect. I'm not sure how much of its production was done during 2020 with all the guidelines in place but I guess it was similar to Ted Lasso in the sense that it was a nice movie/series where everything magically works out and the drama is kept mostly to a minimum.

For Apple+, all but one I checked out for the actors starring in them.
We'd just recently watched Ocean's 11 so the first featured actors from that movie.

George Clooney and Brad Pitt reunite for "Wolfs," where they're fixers hired to clean up a crime scene in the hotel room of a VIP and hilarity ensues as the plot thickens. They're competitors but the same banter and chemistry was still there.

Matt Damon and Casey Affleck were in "The Instigators". I don't remember as much about the plot now. They were part of a heist and the money was connected to a politician running for re-election. Matt Damon says multiple times how he owes a very specific amount of money and that's his motivation for taking part. And Casey Affleck... oh boy... he has a thing for gas leaks and explosions and it's done to hilarious effect. 

"Fountain of Youth," I had saved up since seeing the trailer. It had Jim from The Office with Natalie Portman and they're siblings who are hired by an eccentric billionaire to find the titular place. It kinda felt like a lesser National Treasure movie. The plot twist once they actually find the plot is a good one but otherwise, I was disappointed.

I was also a bit disappointed with "All of You" with Roy Kent himself, Brett Goldstein as the romantic lead. He was good in it but the plot was just ok. It's a will they/won't they love story with him and his best friend. The plot ran chronologically, but it was hard to know how much time had passed from one scene to the next. The plot also led with a new brand of technology where people actually find their soulmate and that's how she found the guy she's married to... but then the technology is never explained. There's just a comment or two about how their friends found their soulmates and they stopped hanging out. Then when they did hook up, she claims he took advantage of her because she was feeling vulnerable. She seemed like a willing participant at the time.

By far, the best of the movies was Oscar-winner "CODA."
That might've been from a year we were boycotting the Oscars. I know it won best picture and one of the supporting actors won.
Ruby is the only person in her family who can hear and she works as part of their fishing business as a boatman and interpreter. Through the movie, she starts to pursue music, including auditioning for the Berklee School of Music in Boston. (One of the bands I followed in the 2000's graduated from there). 
I can see this movie being a really good representation of the deaf community and shining a spotlight on some of their struggles. Plus a lot of the humor that comes from being hearing impaired is hilarious. But I can understand the criticisms. Particularly how they fall into some difficulties because Ruby isn't there to intepret or how they're portrayed as outsiders within their fishing community.
Man, though... her audition singing "Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell while signing so her family can follow along... I was balling my eyes out. It was so moving.
The actor playing her dad won an Oscar for supporting, but I also think her teacher (who encouraged her to sing the lead duet in choir and helped her get the audition spot) should've won something. He's rough around the edges at times but another great movie teacher.

For TCM, it was a mixed bag.

"Tommy" and "Election," I already wrote posts on. Definitely an oddball way to start the year.

"Bandwagon" was so-so. The musical numbers weren't exactly cohesive. The standout is easily the murder mystery scene, which inspired Michael Jackson to do "Smooth Criminal." Thriller is Thriller, but "Smooth Criminal" is my favorite. The Lean... forget about it. So cool!

"Top Hat," I saw a few days ago. I liked it a lot more than my last Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movie. It didn't have a "Continental" number that meandered for 10 minutes, thankfully. The misunderstanding where she thinks he's married to her best friend and won't give him the time of day is a bit ridiculous and takes up nearly all of the plot. But when the two of them dance together, I can see why they're so beloved.

"Come September"-- the whole movie, Rock Hudson just wants to be alone with his girlfriend in his villa. But because his butler runs it as a hotel when he's out of town, they never get to be alone. I get that it's the plot of the movie and there's meant to be obstacles for the protagonist, but OMG! I was so frustrated for him. 
Also, it has Sandra Dee (who I didn't know was an actual person...) and Bobby Darin.

"The Coal Miner's Daughter"- Sissy Spacek definitely deserved all her accolades for this role. I was a little put-off at first, though. Getting married as a teenager is one thing, but it being to a much older guy and he forces her into consummating their marriage on the first night. 
It's a little bizarre reading about it after and how Loretta Lynn may have taken creative liberties with the age she was married by shaving off a year or two. But it was cool that she was involved in the casting process. Very few musicians get that priviledge because they're usually long gone when these movies are made. 

After all these years, my sister and I finally got to see "The Sound of Music" because they finally put it on TCM where there are no commercials.
I think I recognized all but one of the songs from pop culture references so that was kinda cool. Julie Andrews is great as always. That moment where Christopher Plummer hears his children sing for the first time and you can see his cold heart begin to thaw in real time... wow.
But as one would expect, it's all fun and games until the Nazis show up. I knew this about the plot already, but the juxtaposition... whoa... the last half hour or so felt like a completely different movie. It was bizarre. 

A couple other movies I'd wanted to see for years and finally did this year:

We're a couple years away from the year of "Terminator II" so it's a little unsettling. Especially with AI being so prominent in the news and stock market this year.
I couldn't help but think of when this movie originally came out and how shocked people would be when they find out Arnold Schwartzenager is the good guy in this movie. The moment that's revealed, that thought just occured to me, all the minds it blew because of how unexpected it was.

"RoboCop"- I don't remember whether or not I saw it ages ago or just one or two scenes. But I enjoyed this one. The plot twist in the last 10 minutes where a loophole is found to take out the bad guy- I was floored. So good.

But "Sunset Boulevard" might be one of my favorites this year, if not all time. The 3rd act had some moments that didn't really make a lot of sense. But the lead actress playing Norma Desmond, it's no wonder this role has been done and re-done so many times.
Coming into it as someone who'd seen "Chaplin" and knows how difficult it was for some people to make the transition to talkies, it was another interesting piece of that puzzle. And the fact she not only lives in her own fantasies, but they're reinforced by those around her... it's hard not to find it fascinating. 

Remaining highlights:

Maybe it's just because she was in "Twilight," but I can't help but tune in when Anna Kendrick is in some random movie. 
I saw her in two this year. "Happy Christmas" is ok. She was a bit of a hot mess, which is a bit different from her typical roles.
But "Table 19"... it was so fun and quirky I had to see it again with my folks. Basically, it takes place at wedding where she's a former maid of honor who'd been banished to the table of losers. The nanny of the bride played by June Squibb. Lisa Kudrow and Craig Robinson play a couple who own a diner and connected to his family through it. There's Zero from The Grand Budapest Hotel and his mother makes him attend because he's more likely to get laid there than at prom. (Okay... weird...) And there's Stephen Merchant who plays a cousin of the family who did jail time for stealing money... the kicker is what the money wound up going to.
Plus it had a good soundtrack played live by the wedding band.
As far as indie movies go, I absolutely recommend this one.

"Nebraska" was also a bit of an oddball but Bruce Dern and June Squibb were both really good in it. 

"Sleeping with Other People" I saw around the time I was binging Ted Lasso and Jason Sudekis was great in this as well. I don't remember much of the plot other than him meeting his love interest at a sex addicts' meeting. I wrote that it was predictable but I really enjoyed the two of them together.

"Set it Off"- the movie itself was so-so. A group of black women who'd been undermined in their lives pull off a series of heists. 
My absolute favorite part is that Queen Latifah would be the getaway driver, but without fail, she'd steal someone's car, toss out all of their CDs out the window and put on her own soundtrack. So fun!

"Frost/Nixon"- I like watching these types of movies with my dad. Based on true story political thrillers that he knows enough about where he does commentary while we watch. 

"The Substance"- I think I can speak for my folks when I say that it's worth seeing but not more than once. 
Demi Moore definitely deservd her accolades for this movie. It was a really fascinating concept- creating a younger body so she can maintain relevence. But when that younger body develops a mind of her own, watch out. It takes a really CRAZY twist in the 3rd act where dozens of commenters online have said "ok, the director just decided to borrow from 'Carrie'."

I'd seen Scary Movie dozens of times, but I never saw "Scream".
I'm not the biggest horror fan, but I actually enjoyed this one. Firstly because I kinda knew the plot and secondly because the killer isn't a ghost or immortal killer like Michael Meyers, Freddie or Jason. I knew most of the plot from Scary Movie, but there were still plenty of surprises. Good surprises.
Neve Campbell, I knew as the voice of Kiara in the Lion King sequel, so it was nice getting to see her in a live action role. Never had the opportunity before.

In Memorium

Early on, we lost sports broadcasting legend Bob Uecker. Ted Lasso made me want to revisit Major League because the premise felt very similar and Bob played himself in the movie. I missed out on his heyday and my folks were definitely fans. I mean, who wouldn't be, right?
Also in sports, George Foreman the boxer/grillmaster and Dick Button, the first man to repeat as Olympic figure skating champion, a feat not repeated until Yuzuru Hanyu in the 2014 and 2018 Olympics. (I only experienced him as a commentator in an old Olympic clip where he described my favorite Russian figure skater's "Godfather" program as "jumps and arm movements"

We have the tragic bookends of Gene Hackman and his wife being found dead in their home and Carl Reiner and his wife found murdered (by their son :shudder: )

Michelle Tratchenberg, I'm still reeling a bit from... I think I revisited Harriet the Spy sometime this year, but not sure if it was before or after her passing. I still haven't revisited Ice Princess but that'll be a slight tearjerker once I do. Probably some time around next year's winter Olympics.

The other passing that hit hardest was Val Kilmer. Whether he's Ice-Man or Bruce Wayne, he will be sorely missed.

A couple I didn't hear about until doing the research for this: Watson of Watson & Crick DNA fame and Bill Moyers (RDJ mentioned Campbell and Moyers in a 2003 Charlie Rose interview where they talked a lot of deep topics).

Jane Goodall, the famed chimpanzee researcher

Armani the fashion icon

Diane Keaton- I missed out on seeing The Family Stone this year but the next time I do, it'll definitely hit different

Anne Burrell- we watch a lot of Food Network in this house. Her death particularly devestating for my sister who saw many seasons of her show "Worst Cooks in America"

Robert Redford- I need to see a few more of his movies, including "The Natural"

Sophia Kinsella, who wrote the "Confessions of a Shopaholic" series, died of brain cancer a week or two ago when I currently reading one of her books. I still need to read the original after seeing the movie.

Then in music, there were three major losses.
Sly Stone (of The Family Stone) fame... without him, there wouldn't be Prince. Plain and simple.
Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys
And Ozzy Osbourne

Theatrical Review: Wicked For Good

Date: Sunday, November 23 2025
Time: 10:15 am
Party: 2 (my mom & I)

Review

A year later, part two of this story is finally here.

My main concern had been avoiding spoilers and while I didn’t completely succeed (particularly in regards to members of the “Wizard of Oz” quartet), I went into this with the same anticipation I had at the end of part one.

This is going to be hard to review spoiler-free but I’ll do my best.

Part one was so fun and colorful and enthralling from start to finish. Definitely the kind of experience that demands to be seen on the big screen to be fully appreciated.

Part two was a decidedly different cinematic experience and I didn’t enjoy it quite as much. But while the songs weren’t as memorable and it wasn’t as fun or colorful, it succeeded in other ways. Most of which lay below the surface and may take a little extra thought to fully appreciate.

One obvious highlight visually was the tornado scene. Cinema has come a long way since “the wizard of Oz” and while that tornado was impressive for its time, the one in this movie… as incredible as it was to watch, the combined sense of wonder and dread I felt in the midst of it left the bigger impression.

Easily, the biggest draw of this movie for me was its characters. All of the main cast disappear into these roles so it’s not even a question about how good the acting is. My one little nitpick might just be Glinda’s two friends from Shiz University. Other than the one scene they share together, being her yes-people like always, they pop up in background periodically and are just sort of… there. They contribute nothing to the plot other than maybe being the colorful people in the background so they stand out in that respect.

As much as the wizard is a con man, the true villain really is Madame Morrible. Michelle Yeoh at peak level like always. But I can’t help but wonder why she doesn’t take charge and rule herself. Aside from Elphaba, nobody would be able to stand up to her powers. I suppose it’s probably just easier to hang in the background and maintain power through illusion and propaganda…

It does help to have Jeff Goldblum playing the wizard. Because despite his faults, it’s easy to buy into his con when you think about it. The people in Oz are used to living life a certain way so why rock the boat and ruin that sense of security for them? He makes a self aware jab at history being an illusion that can be manipulated. There’s always a good side and bad side but there’s more gray area than people want to admit. His only real fault is his treatment of animals. I can’t see any reason for doing that, keeping them enslaved and silent. If a reason was ever given, it escaped my notice.

Despite the lines being drawn between good and evil, the main cast are all tested as to whether they’ll settle for their current reality or risk it for those they love.

Prince Fiyero was my big question mark at the end of part one. He may have his royal title but he’d always danced through life to the beat of his own drum. Now he must choose between what is right and what is easy. While most of his character arc met my expectations, there were still some nice surprises along the way.

As for Glinda, her predicament reminded me of a scene from “Charlie Bartlett” where the vice principal (played by Robert Downey Jr. in one of his more underrated roles) informs him that popularity isn’t nearly as important as what you do with it. She’s thrust into the spotlight as a force for good to give Oz hope in these dark times and while it’s the kind of attention she’d always aspired to, her friendship with Elphaba makes her question whether it’s worth it.

Elphaba continues to advocate for the animals of Oz and tries her best to convince the citizens of Oz not to trust the Wizard. No matter what she tries, resistance meets her at every turn. Probably the best part of her story are those rare instances she does receive help and it’s from an unexpected source. “No Good Deed” is also a great number, one of the few standouts for me other than the big duet at the end.

The way this whole conflict affects her sister Nessa, who recently took her late father’s mantle of governor… there’s so much to unpack. As afraid as she is for people to think she’s like her sister, what she struggles with most is her absence. Feeling left behind. Admittedly their relationship had already been pretty complicated and no matter what she did, Elphaba was never able to do right by her.

This has some sad implications on her relationship with Boq. I forgot in the past year that he’d been in love with Glinda this whole time and she doesn’t take it well when he broadcasts it. This sort of thing happens in movies all the time but as much as we want to get revenge on the men we love because he want to leave you for someone else, especially someone you can’t compete with, how far would you be willing to go to change their minds? Or if it’s worth the effort and heartache when you’re better off waiting for someone who puts you first?

Like I said, I like how this movie makes you think about the characters and their actions and whether they’re right or wrong for doing so. Knowing what you know from what these actions lead to, would you do things differently if you were in their place?

One criticism this movie has is the way the Wizard of Oz storyline was wedged in… or forced, depending on who you ask.

I feel like it was handled well enough where you could splice in footage of the 1939 film into this one and it wouldn’t ruin the illusion too much. Although some of Glinda’s comments to Dorothy is clearly self parody (“it’s that one road the entire time”) and a tad insulting to the original’s legacy. We never see Dorothy’s face and get silhouette shots or those from a distance. Which is fair because this isn’t her story this time.

The true heart of the story really is between Glinda and Elphaba. The chemistry between the two actresses cannot be overstated. Despite them being on opposing sides, you can’t help but want both of them to find happiness and it’s equally devastating to be with them during their lowest moments.

Their big duet “For Good” is featured in all the marketing for this movie and while it’s not at the level of “Defying Gravity”, it gives you all the feels. My mom and I were both waterlogged by the end of it.

I’d commented previously on how I often cry at the end of musicals, even when it’s a happy ending. I held out until the very end before I let my emotions get the better of me and I’m glad I did. Yeah, it was still a tear jerker but I was just so happy to see how all the good characters got what they wanted and the bad guys got what they deserved.

We also get a nice bookend where one of the final scenes echoes the opening scene of part one… but wait, there’s a little bit more.

Grade- a solid B

Trailers

Also a quick comment about the audience… it was maybe a dozen people in there and it was a quiet reserved crowd. I’m sure it’s better than an audience singing so loud you can’t hear the movie but still…

Only a few trailers but the movie started almost 20 minutes after its start time.

SpongeBob: Search for the Square Pants

I mean, yeah, we grew up with SpongeBob. This looks stupid and ridiculous but I couldn’t help but laugh out loud of few times. I don’t think I’d seen the show in years, certainly not any of the post Stephen Hillenberg seasons.

David

This time of year, we tend to have one Christian or biblical movie in the trailers. This is David’s story, before he defeated Goliath and his life afterwards. Whether he tired of his crown in the actual story, I don’t know. I haven’t read it. But it’s an interesting thing to consider.

I also was excited for half a second hearing the song playing with the trailer because I thought it might be Colton Dixon. Someone I followed from American Idol and is a very successful Christian artist.

It wasn’t him… it would’ve been cool, though. Someone like him being featured in a movie a fair amount of people will see.

Reminders of Him

Considering the controversy surrounding “it ends with you” because of the Blake Lively lawsuits, it’s surprising this author got another film adaptation of their work.

This one is also a little unsettling with its plot. Apparently the woman lost the love of her life in a car accident but she was driving and had to serve jail time for his death. And because of that, she’s an outcast in society and no one will hire her. I suppose I’d have to see the movie to see why she was implicated. She didn’t seem drunk or high when she was driving so how was it her fault?

Super Mario Galaxy

We already saw the trailer online so this was nothing new. But my sister and I will definitely be seeing it next April.

My one hope is that Brie Larson nails her portrayal of Rosalina because she’s a major character in that game and some big shoes to fill.

My 2024 in Movies and In Memorium

I'd been keeping track of how many movies I'd seen in my life and, more relevant to this post, how many new movies I'd seen each year since 2011.

There've been 39 movies I saw for the first time in 2024. One of the lowest totals in the time since I started keeping track of this stuff. For theaterial trips, there'd only been 4 for me all year. 

1. Kung Fu Panda 4
2. Deadpool and Wolverine
3. Wicked [part 1]
4. Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Honestly there hadn't been that many movies I'd wanted to personally go out and see. A lot of people feel this way, though, so it's not just me.

I still don't have a streaming account anywhere so it's not as if Netflix (Amazon, Disney+, etc.) is stealing my business away from movie theaters. If I'm seeing any new movies anymore, it's either on HBO, TCM or (mainly in December) some Hallmark type movie. 
All four theatrical trips were enjoyable. The latest Deadpool is probably my favorite of the 4 and the new Sonic movie is my sister's (after all, it was her idea).

She and my mom also went out to see the new Beetlejuice movie with friends. I waited until it came to HBO and it was a lot of fun. The humor is probably closer to the campiness of the animated series than that of the original 1988 movie, but as far as long-awaited sequels to 80's movies, it was really well done. 
Which reminds me- I need to do a post on the Top Gun sequel and Oppenheimer...

As for other movie highlights this year (some occasional spoilers are sprinkled in so be warned):

Monkey Business and Horse Feathers

-TCM was doing a marathon so I saw these two back to back. I fell asleep during the second one so I guess I didn't like it quite as much

-At some point, Duck Soup will have to come as well since that's the most famous one.

Fences

- I'd been curious about it since the whole "Hidden Fences" Oscar fiasco and it lived up to the hype for sure. I'd been a fan of Viola's since "How to get away with murder" so it was great seeing her win for this.

A Streetcar Named Desire

-I'd wanted to see this for years I'm still glad I did, but I didn't like it enough to want to see it again

-Stanley really wasn't a likeable guy, the climax between him and Blanche was unsettling (mostly because whatever happened between them, you had to guess at because it wasn't clearly spelled out). The ending where Stella finally leaves him was very fitting. .

For animated movies:

Soul was really good. It's a cool concept but also makes you think about some deep stuff. Like being brave enough to make an effort in your life since you only get one. And how sometimes we'll work towards something and it may not be everything you expected.

Raya the Last Dragon was also pretty cool, although I couldn't help but feel it was another of those recent efforts by Disney to try to shoe-horn some big socio-political lesson into a movie.

Awkafina was Raya as well as Po's new frenemy in the latest Kung Fu Panda. I read one headline shortly after that movie came out, essentially someone asking movies to stop casting Awkafina and get REAL voice actors. I didn't bother reading further because I just didn't agree with the sentiment. I hadn't seen everything she's done but she's never disappointed.

Chris Pratt, on the other hand, has put in almost as much work doing voiceovers as he'd done in his Jurassic and Marvel movies. But does he bring anything special to his roles in the Lego Movies or as Mario or (more recently) Garfield? ...not really. He fills in the roles fine but now I can't help but wonder if studios are getting lazy using him all the time.

Trolls: Band Together... I really don't want to give Justin Timberlake any slack, especially after the year he's had and stuff that'd come out about him in Britney's memoir. But this was a really fun movie. Probably my favorite of the 3 troll movies cuz I'm always a sucker for a boyband storyline. Also the two villains wanting to steal the talents of the troll boyband to up their own street cred- it's not wholly original but I liked how they incorporated the social media/internet famous angle into it.

Minions and the Rise of Gru was a lot of fun as well. Although there was one scene from the trailers they cut out...  considering I saw it on an airplane, I can kinda understand why. 

Some movies I didn't like quite as much:

The Producers

- I was literally lost for the first 10 minutes.I didn't know if that over-the-top acting was a play or it was reality, but it made no sense

- the only time I laughed the entire movie was Gene Wilder falling on the ground and he deadpan remarks "I fell on my keys"... don't know why that made me laugh, maybe because it came out of nowhere

The Zone of Interest

-I did a whole post on this movie where I went into all the reasons I didn't like it so I won't take too long. I'll just say that I might have gotten more out of it if it didn't go in that bizarre European art film direction. Long periods of time where the screen is all red or all white and literaly nothing happens for 5 minutes but eerie background music. 

The Great Escape

- Ugh... I'm still mad about this one. The title says ESCAPE... you'd think that would translate to "they escaped and actually got away"... instead, it was "the great escape ATTEMPT". Almost everyone got recaptured, so what was even the point? 

Road House

- first off, way more sex and nudity that I expected so I wan't a fan of that

-second, the storyline was not what I'd expected. I thought the movie was about him straightening up the rowdy patrons of this bar. I didn't think it was going to be about him waging war with this inscrupulous rich guy who owns more than half the town. 
-the one good thing was that the ending justified most of that second bullet point... basically the bad guy gets killed and nobody in town is willing to fess up to the authorities who was responsible... so they basically get away with murder because the jerk deserved it

The Wolf of Wall Street

-pretty much all the things I hated about this movie, see the "first off" section from Road House and add in a plethora of profanity. I assume it still holds the record for the most F-bombs per minute of any movie. With all those things, it was way too fast-paced and overstimulating. It was too much and it's a LONG movie.

-the one part I'll always remember because it was hilarious... Leo being whacked out of his mind on drugs and barely able to get into his car... and later he finds out he didn't get to his destination in one piece

yeah... Leo DiCaprio is a good looking guy and it seems like a lot of his characters get away with stuff because of that charm and his good looks. But I don't think I've liked ANY of the characters he'd played. "Catch me if you can" and "The Great Gatsby" are probably the two expections of movies I'd liked him in. And maybe "Inception," but he's secondary when compared to the other reasons I did enjoy it. 

Some more highlights:

Fantastic Voyage

-really cool efforts and it was cool to see the movie that inspired episodes in some of my favorite cartoons

-the only thing missing for me: did the patient make a full recovery at the end? They showed as far as the mission being successful, but I could've used a few more minutes to see how successful it actually was

Save the Last Dance

-this movie was one of my early favorites for the year. I love these high school movies, no matter how predictable they can be at times

-probably my favorite thing was the music. I've had "Crazy" by K-Ci and Jo-Jo and "Get it on tonite" by Montell Jordan in my collection for 20 years (from NOW 6 and 4 respectively) so it was really cool seeing them brought to life on screen. And now my memories of enjoying this movie will come to mind whenever I listen to them in the future

Young Adult

-not the best movie by any means. The whole concept of a woman lusting after her ex-boyfriend (who's married AND has a new baby) is ridiculous and Charlize Theron doesn't play a particularly likeable protagonist. 

-Although for me, it became one of those movies where I was glad I stuck around for the whole thing. I might not have gotten as much out of it as I did if I hadn't been invested in Tara Lipinski's podcast about her infertility journey. A lot of the things I'd learned from it and experienced with her and some of the guests that'd been a part of it came to mind watching this movie.

-Even with its flaws, this movie did give me one great little reference that'll probably live rent-free in my head for years: KenTacoHut. I'd known for years that KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut were owned by the same company but her acronym to address all of them being inside the same building in this movie: absolute genius!

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

-there's been so many comedies like this lately that have a lot of ridiculous over-the-top shenagians that happen. And characters that are nearly impossible to save from their own stupidity. Strangely enough, this movie did as much wrong as it did right, and I came away with it actually having fun with it. And I'd be open for seeing it again... assuming there's nothing else on that I'd rather watch

-Mike and Dave are idiots that screw up a lot of family parties in epic ways. And if it's at all possible, they manage to find two girls to be their wedding dates who are more screwed up than them. Aubrey Plaza had been getting a lot of momentum lately because The White Lotus series and here, it's easy to see why she's gotten so much hype as a comedic actress. 

The Holdovers and American Fiction have two big things in common
1) They were both nominated for a bunch of Oscars this past year, but only won a couple

2) They were among my in-flight movies to Hawaii this past May

And both movies were really good. It's easy to see why they got all that award-hype. As good as Cillian Murphy was as Oppenheimer, I'd still pick Jeffrey Wright for Best Actor.

I liked "The Holdovers" so much I got it for Christmas... and will most likely do a blog post sometime in the future.
It's another of those teacher dramas I really enjoy. Except this one is almost quirky like a Wes Anderson movie with some of the jokes and camera direction. Paul Giamatti plays a teacher at a prep school who's in charge of the students left behind on Christmas break. It takes a while to get going, but some of the hilarity that ensues... omg, I thought it was a blast.

"American Fiction" was fascinating for a lot of reasons. There's been so much talk lately about there being a need for more original black storytelling in movies. The movie does that and does it really well.

Jeffrey Wright plays a writer in pursuit of success. The only problem is that the general public isn't interested in the kind of black fiction he wants to write. Stuff that doesn't revolve around absentee fathers, drugs and gang violence. Then as a joke, he anonymously pens a book about all of these things. It's meant to be a satire and it actually becomes a success story. And he's left with the struggle of what to do next. There's some funny moments sprinkled amongst all the drama.
My one little gripe is the ending... or should I say endings. Because the book is adapted into a movie and the director (played by Seth Cohen from The O.C.) keeps rejecting his ideas for the ending. And it looks like the one that gets chosen is the most ridiculous, over-the-top and insensitive... but like the book itself, it's what "the people" want so that's ultimately what the end result is.

In Memorium

This wasn't a huge year in terms of losses, but some of the losses felt bigger than ours.

Easily the most notable was James Earl Jones. In a similar fashion to Angela Lansbury the previous year, he was one of those people who'd played notable roles that hold a special place for different generations. And if you're lucky, you'll have known them for multiple things because your family or friends introduced you to them.
For my mom's generation, he was Darth Vadar. Star Wars is also one of her favorite movies and that's why I'm also a fan. 
Then for my generation, he was in Coming to America, The Sand Lot, but even more notable, Mufasa in The Lion King. Easily one of those voices that are so synonymous with a character that they'll never be replicated.
He also had a really funny cameo on The Big Bang Theory where he hung out with Sheldon for a day. Aside from the Carrie Fisher scene,  the funniest part is when they're hanging out at the top of the Ferris Wheel.
Sheldon shouts to all of Pasadena how he's up there with him "and he's nicer than you think."
And James shouts back "I am!" with the biggest smile on his face.

Bob Newhart, who'd had a long storied career anyway, I didn't get to know until seeing him as Professor Proton on Big Bang. Now I guess I'll have to add his show to my list of TVLand old-time TV shows I still need to see. A list that includes Gilligan's Island, The Munsters and The Addams Family (saw some movies, but never saw the original).

For me and the rest of us who grew up with Pokémon, the loss of Rachael Lillis (after a rough fight with breast cancer) still feels fresh. 

Cat Glover was a dancer that worked with Prince frequently in the later part of the 80's. She'd had her share of health issues in recent years so it's good that she'd finally found her peace. It couldn't have been easy. I don't know her as well as some of his other associates over the years, but the little I do know, she was a fierce friend.

Two losses from movies I frequently watch that I didn't even know had passed away until I was compiling this list: John Ashton (Sgt. Taggart from the Beverly Hills Cop films) and Ken Page (who did the voice of Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas)

Maggie Smith is another Harry Potter alum who'd recently joined Hogwarts in the great beyond. A couple of the actors made cameos on the Wizards of Baking competition on Food Network last month and before they all came back for the finale, I half expected someone else to show up and it kinda hit me how many we'd since lost. Both Dumbledores, Snape, Hagrid... and the list is only going to grow as the years go by.
Also, another more recent role that left a notable impact was her role on Downton Abbey. Or as SNL put it, "the chicken lady." (There was a really funny sketch where they made fun of the show, but those who are better versed with it than I am would probably say "yeah, that's accurate").

Teri Garr- the annoucement of her loss was shocking because of the timing more than anything else. We were watching Young Frankenstein, as we often do in October, and were thinking about the fact most of the cast had since passed away. Except her... a few weeks later, that changed. Now that's pretty much all of the main cast.

Chita Rivera- years ago we saw a farce at the local theater where they made fun of all the Broadway musicals. One of them was two girls doing "America" but their lines were "my name is Rita and not Chita" (and vice versa when the other girl sang). She and Rita Moreno (who :knock wood: is still with us) made this role famous in the Broadway show and the movie adaptation and therefore equally worthy of recognition.

Carl Weathers- best known for being Apollo Creed in the Rocky movies. Also Predator, which we watch every year or so.

Liam Payne- I'm not really a big One Direction fan, but it's hard not to be sad about his tragic death. Especially since last I heard, the circumstances surrounding it have gotten more nefarious. Not to the extent of Matthew Perry (I'm still wrapping my head around this one...), but it's not under the circumstances. 

Martin Mull- saw him a few times on Hollywood Squares, but I remember him years ago being a major character on Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

Donald Sutherland- to olders generation, he was many things. Including the one cool teacher in "Animal House". For mine, he was President Snow in the Hunger Games series. A person you loved to hate, but he played him well extremely.

Theatrical Review: Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Date: Sunday, December 22 2024
Time: 10:30am
Party: 2 (my sister and I)

(Shadow's the first hedgehog I've drawn... and he won't be the last ;) )

Review:

(includes some minor spoilers)

The two of us have seen all of the Sonic movies thus far, but all on DVD. The mini-series "Knuckles," which had previously been exclusive to streaming, was shown over the course of a week on Nickelodeon earlier this year.
So needless to say, there was a lot of anticipation for this theater trip. And it was absolutely worth the trip. My sister really enjoyed it, calling it by far the best of the three movies.
Me, I don't remember Sonic 2 as well because we only watched it once so far, but I've been pleased with all the movies so far. Including this one.

If you'd seen all of the movies so far, you pretty much know what you're going to get. Lots of fast-paced action sequences, sometimes ending with big explosions. Heartfelt sentimental moments. The occasional dramatic backstory. And plenty of laughs to be had in between. Most of them from the comedic genius of Jim Carrey. As if it wasn't already inherently obvious, he has a line in the movie that shatters the 4th wall into oblivion. Something about "two characters being played by the same character".

Yeah, we'd been doing this self-aware meta humor for so long we're not even trying to hide it anymore. But in this instance, the movie poking fun at this move was well-played.
Jim Carrey plays double-duty as the Dr. Ivo Robotnik we've come to know from the previous films as well as his grandfather, Dr. Gerald Robotnik. Both equally zany and entertaining to watch.

For the most part, this movie is about the characters and the jokes. The story moves the plot, obviously, but the characters are why you stick around to see how it unfolds. This isn't the type of movie where it's important for the plot to make complete sense, but it kinda bugs me that some of it didn't make sense.
Particularly with this govt agency, GUN, and their connection with Shadow. He arrived on Earth inside a meteor 50 years ago and they were running experiments with him. He was particularly close with elder Dr. Robotnik and his granddaughter Maria. Then the trio makes for an escape sometime later, which results in Maria getting killed and the other two imprisoned. All of that makes sense plus the fact Shadow was too powerful for them to trust out in the world. 
Maybe this is me overthinking things, but I kept waiting for someone to spell out some elaborate plot for GUN to seize world domination with Shadow's powers. Or that it was an Area 51 thing and they didn't want their secrets to become known to the public.

Anyway, I was having a hard time figuring out who the bad guy was supposed to be in this movie until the giant laser was activated and launched into space. And elder Dr. Robotnik revealed what he really wanted to do with it. A much bigger act of revenge than simply destroying the agency's headquarters in London. 

Again, these movies really are about the characters, getting to know their different personalities and quirks, and seeing how they interact with one another.
Sonic, Tails and Knuckles all had their moments to shine. Which I appreciated a lot because in my limited memory of the second movie, Tails was out of commission for a fair chunk of it so he didn't get as much screen time in his theatrical debut.

Keanu as Shadow-- the most genius casting choice since Jim Carrey as Robotnik. I'm not as well acquainted with him as my sister (who'd seen the 4Kids Sonic series and more YouTube videos of this franchise than I have) but it's easy to see why the fanbase has fallen in love with him. He's got a tragic backstory, which has unfortunately warped his judgement, but you still root for him and want to see him succeed. Just maybe not at the cost of the whole planet getting blown up like Alderaan.
The flashback scenes with him and Maria were sweet and from the little I'd seen on YouTube, they felt pretty close to the original canon. The only difference was that the govt base where they lived had been in space and she had some fatal uncurable disease. Otherwise the plots felt very similar and Shadow's role to play at the end of it fit his character perfectly.

Minus the Robotniks, most of the human characters are minor and secondary to the plot. But they still had fun little moments. The best for Tom and Maddie (aka Donut Lord and Pretzel Lady) was the mountain of hobbies they'd amassed in the short amount of time the trio was working for GUN. Not sure which was funnier- Tom's humorous attempt at ventriloquism or Maddie's knitting (where she actually croqueted a sweater for him that says "Donut Lord" with little croqueted donuts sewn into it)... 
Tom also gives a nice speech early in the movie where he talks to Sonic about how he didn't let his past (losing his mentor before coming to Earth) change his heart... although it's one of those speeches that sounds like it was tailor-made for a movie with its not-so-subtle foreshadowing. Shadow's whole thing is that he and Sonic look like they could be twins, but the big difference between them is how they handle their past traumas. Using it to be better hedgehogs or fuel for revenge.

And Robotnik's assistant, Agent Stone, he got to have a mix of humorous and sentimental moments. The dynamic between him and Robotnik are still there, but the introduction of elder Robotnik throws a wrench into that and suddenly he's the third wheel and feels less than appreciated as a result.
I'm not sure all Sonic fans feel the same, but for the two of us, we'd been fans of Agent Stone from his first appearance. (The scene in the first movie where Robotnik does a dance break and is interrupted when Stone brings him a latte- comedy gold!). As a minion, he's extremely loyal, but he's become so much more than a minion through the course of these movies.

... and yeah, it should be noted that there is a mid-credits scene hinting at the next movie. And yet another new character is introduced. Which begs the question, at least from me, how many movies are they planning to make? How many characters are we going to introduce? Because at some point, surely, they're going to run out of new characters, right? 
From the little I've seen of Sonic X, there's a sizeable cast so we might be here a while.

Grade: A- 

Trailers:

• Dogman

According to my sister, this character came from the same author as the "Captain Underpants" series... to me, a dog's head being attached to a cop's body kinda says Hollywood's run out of ideas

• Captain Amerca- Brave New World

It's been a while since I forgot they were making this movie. Looks like it'll be impressive so it might be enough to bring me back to the theater for a Marvel movie. (I'd seen at least 2 Marvel movies in theaters since Endgame and a few more on DVD. But since I'm not running out to see every single movie anymore for fear of missing out on a crucial story element, I'm clearly not as involved as I used to be)

• Lilo & Stitch (which they showed twice for some weird reason)

We saw the poster on the way in. And as far as teaser trailers go, it's pretty good. CGI Stitch looks so realistic. 
But why the heck did the theater show this twice? Not sure if that was on purpose or not. Hopefully not...

• Elio

Pixar's latest movie. Not really sure what to make of it just based on the trailer. There's a lot of bright colors. A kid who spends more time staring at the stars than with other people gets abducted by aliens and he has adventures. The funniest part was when he says one area is beautiful and someone tells him "um, this is the toilet" and they get flushed and it's like an amusement ride.

• Karate Kid Legends

This trailer starts circulating a few days ago and it's literally everywhere now. It brings together Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, who come together to help Jackie Chan's newest student.
I hadn't seen any of the newer movies or Cobra Kai. One is streaming and we don't stream. And the other... the original Karate Kid is perfect. I didn't want to see it remade.
I just hope this sequel bringing everything together lives up to the hype because I might see it at some point, whether it's in a theater or HBO.

• The Legend of Ochi

Saw the same trailer during "Wicked"... It doesn't hold any interest for me so I have no further comment

• Superman

With James Gunn from "Guardians of the Galaxy" fame at the helm of this, hopefully we finally break the streak of inferior non-Christopher Reeves Superman movies. 
But I'm not one to talk because I'd only seen the original 1978 film and the widely panned Justice League movie.
Based on the trailer, this looks REALLY good but I'm sure the fans won't be shy telling everyone who'll listen their unfiltered thoughts.

• Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning

Whether or not this will be the final Mission Impossible movie EVER, it's hard to be sure. I'm sure Tom Cruise will continue to make them as long as he's alive. 
I saw the original so long ago I have no memory of it and I think I saw Shadow Protocol because Jeremy Renner was in it. I've had no incentive to see any of the others, but who knows? There's a chance one day I might sit down and watch the rest of them. It's a lot more likely than seeing a single Fast & Furious movie... all of them are car chases and explosions, anyway.

Speaking of movies I might get around to seeing one day... I haven't seen a single John Wick movie and I really should see at least the first one. The trick is finding it on cable, preferably without commercials.

Theatrical Review: Wicked- part one

Date- Sunday November 24 2024
Party- 3 (my mom, sister and I)
Time- 10:30 (actual movie didn’t start until 10:51)

Duration- 141 minutes (plus 5 trailers)

Notable Cast-

Elphaba- Cynthia Erivo
Glinda- Ariana Grande
Prince Fiyero- Jonathan Bailey
Nessa- Marissa Bode
Boq- Ethan Slater
Professor Dillamond- Peter Dinklage
Professor Morrible- Michelle Yeoh
The Wizard- Jeff Goldblum 

A brief comment on the trailers

We’re definitely going to see Sonic 3 when it comes out… although I can’t be the only one looking at this trailer and thinking they ripped off Shadow’s backstory from the first Pokemon movie. Both Shadow and Mewtwo were created in a lab and went berserk so their creators no longer had control of them. I also learned recently how in the original version, Mewtwo went berserk because it’d befriended the clone of a girl and she died… Shadow happens to have a tragic backstory involving a girl named Maria.

Hopefully at some point we’ll see Moana 2 since we saw the original in theaters. I also hope I like it better than Frozen 2, which was a massive disappointment for so many reasons

Legend of Ochi- I have no idea what to think of this one. A girl befriends a small critter that had been hyped up as a monster until she came across it. And they become fugitives as a result. (According to Wikipedia, it's an original screenplay written by the director in their debut and she's returning the creature to its family)

The bad guys 2- I hadn’t seen the original so I guess it did well enough to warrant a sequel?

How to train your dragon- live action
This is just a teaser trailer but dang, it looks so much like the cartoon. Toothless looks remarkably realistic.

The Main Event

I’ll try to keep this as spoiler free as possible although if you’re familiar with the Wizard of Oz and seen enough of the trailers, you already have a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Per my own experience, I’d never read the book and I only knew what I knew about the musical because some of my family had seen it years ago. I did grow up watching the original Judy Garland movie so it’s as much a part of my childhood as fairytales and the Disney movies based on them. So much of my discussion of the movie will be viewed through a lens encompassing all of these things.

With all the talk and hype, I expected this movie to be good and it was. It was REALLY good. Vivid and stunning. All the roles were cast perfectly- and with something as big as this, they clearly took a lot of care with the casting choices.

It’s also roughly the length of a Harry Potter movie (somewhere over the 2hr 20 minute mark) and it was paced really well. I was enthralled enough that I never got bored or wondered if it was going to be over soon. The one small exception was the party scene where everything goes eerily quiet (except for the hushed laughter of the supporting cast) for a long 5 minutes… I kinda knew where it was going but it took way too long to get there.

I vaguely remembered hearing the backstory of Elphaba and her sister. How her sister is disabled and she was blamed for it or that she’s responsible for looking after her.

There’s so much talk these days about casting other-abled people in other-abled roles and they definitely got it right here. Not just for the actress playing Nessa but hiring a wheelchair choreographer to coordinate her dance scene.

Christopher Scott was the main choreographer. We’d seen his work on “so you think you can dance” a bunch of times and this was an upscaled version of what he already does so well. Maybe he’ll be launched into the same stratosphere Mandy Moore has been enjoying since she did “La La land.” One can only hope…

I knew the basic arc where Glinda and Elphaba would go from enemies to friends to something more complicated by the end of the movie but not the how or why.

From the trailers I figured that Elphaba is made the enemy because she finds out the wizard has no magic… but there’s a lot more to that.

But while I had a pretty good idea of how the movie would end (we all kinda saw that coming, let’s be real), I had no clue how it would start.

I should have expected it but I never expected my initial gut reaction. We start near the end of the wizard of Oz- the wicked witch is dead- and everyone is celebrating. And I was sad, close to bawling my eyes out. It’s one of those bizarre moments where you consider telling this to your past self and your past self thinking you’re crazy. I’m still wrapping my head around it.

At least 10 minutes go by before we actually get to the title screen and the story begin. It was a huge relief to finally get there cuz I didn’t want to feel that way for the whole movie.

The only other song I knew of, other than Defying Gravity (Glee gave me some fond memories of that song…), was Popular and I was curious where it would show up in the movie, the context and so on.

I didn’t know what to expect but the anticipation I had paid off. It was so over the top and fun.

This movie is easily the longest amount of time I’d purposely spent with Ariana Grande. I like maybe two of her songs (Into You, Dangerous Woman) and she had that one duet (Rain on Me) with Lady Gaga. Otherwise I skip her on the radio cuz her unintelligible high range annoys me… but I really liked her in this role. If she wins an Oscar, I’d be all for it. I heard numerous comments about Glinda doing a lot of hair flipping in the musical and she absolutely nailed the hilarity of that aspect of her character.

Another fun musical number was "Dancing through Life" when the Prince shows up and essentially encourages all the other students to be delinquents by ignoring their studies. And also to go to the supposedly forbidden ballroom for a dance… I almost feel like asking in retrospect, “is this Oz or Footloose?” Why was this ballroom forbidden?
(That set was one of a few I literally gasped when I saw it the first. Another was obviously the emerald city- that’ll never not be impressive to look at).

Probably the most fascinating thing about this movie- which will feed into my hype for the sequel- you never know what to expect from the characters. Will the ones you admire one minute be ones you turn your back on the next?

The biggest question mark for me at the end of this movie involves Prince Fiyero. He spends a fair amount of time with both of the girls, but something tells me whichever side he aligns himself with— things will become very interesting once that choice becomes clear.

Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum were both brilliant as always.
Ever since her meteoric rise into the mainstream in recent years, Michelle has been nothing short of brilliant in everything I’d seen her in. Plus I’m reading crazy rich Asians now and I can’t help hearing her voice in my head when her character is on the page.
Also, Jeff Goldblum has been a regular in our stratosphere of actors because of his work in Jurassic Park and Independence Day- I don’t think I’d ever seen him smile this much in my life. Even seeing him in the NBC special previewing the movie, it was like being around a new person. He must have really enjoyed his time with this movie but the same can probably be said for everyone who worked on this project.

In this version of Oz, there’s talking animals who work alongside the humans. One is a goat who touched history at Shiz University- another great performance from Peter Dinklage. The CGI with those characters is really well done.

Of course this wouldn’t be a pop culture phenomenon without a bunch of Easter eggs. I only spotted maybe a quarter of the ones they included… no joke, there was one obvious one where I didn’t make the connection until the movie was almost over.

And yes, after all the hype, Defying Gravity lived up to all of it. Of course I'll always been a little sentimental for Kurt and Rachel's "Glee" duet...

So much had been made from that final high note on the different cross promotion ads- and is likely the reason for those viral theater notices discouraging audience participation- but after so much anticipation, it felt like my heart shattering into a million pieces like fireworks. Reveling in the unadultered sense of freedom.
I knew Cynthia was good in Harriet and the accompanying song she was nominated for at the Oscars but DANG— if she doesn’t win all the awards for this movie (not just this moment but the whole thing), someone royally screwed up.

This theme in recent years, mostly from Disney, about rewriting the history of the villains. Giving them lengthy backstories or revising their relationship with their enemies. Maleficent I’m still hot and cold on and Cruella with Emma stone was really well done.
This movie will probably go down as the best version of this idea. And likely the one that inspired all the others since the book came out in the 90s.

 At the same time, part of me is probably going to keep trying to tie this story into the wizard of oz until I just can’t anymore. And it kinda terrifies me that I might never be able to watch the original movie with the same perspective again.
I’m open with reinterpretations of fairytales until I hit a plot point or something that doesn’t jelly my peanut butter or however that saying goes.

I don’t know the ending of the musical so all this is pure speculation on my part…

Until the sequel comes out next year, I guess I’ll be left wondering one final thing… will Elphaba continue to be vilified just because she has the “incorrect” perspective on things or will there be a point she becomes evil and beyond any sort of redemption?
Even if it winds up being the latter, the inevitable conclusion of her story might be easier for me to process but I have no way of knowing until we get there.
I pretty much always cry at the end of musicals anyway, even if it’s a happy ending, so if the end of this saga destroys me, it’s simply par for the course and I’ll just have to deal with it when the time comes.

I’ll also be curious to see how Glinda’s role in all this changes. Will she simply accept the lie of public enemy 1 just to go along with everyone else? Or will she still regard her as a friend and be too protective of her image to admit that to anyone else?

Grade- a solid A

Will it win all the awards it’s supposedly going to be nominated for? Possibly… but I hope it wins the big ones just so I can say I was part of it. I’m not always lucky enough to see Oscar winners before they win, especially in the theater on opening weekend.

Theatrical Review: Kung Fu Panda 4

Date- Saturday March 9 2024
Location- stroud mall cinemark
Party- 3 (my mom, sister and I)
Time- 11:25am (actual movie started around 11:45)

Review

I’d seen all of the Kung Fu Panda movies at least once. The first at least twice and that was the only one I didn’t see in a theater.
So I can’t approach this movie from the typical approach- comparing it to the previous installments. But as a Dreamworks animated movie, it was another solid effort.

This is the first time DreamWorks had a proper intro. It usually just shows the logo. They’ve since done a complete overhaul where they show the notable characters from their other movies (Shrek and Fiona, and toothless the dragon are the only ones I remember at the moment) interacting with the boy from the logo before he goes to his home in the crescent moon. Loved it.

This was a movie my sister had wanted to see and we both thoroughly enjoyed it.
There’d been some dark stuff in some of the earlier movies, particularly Po’s backstory and villains figuring into them. This one was devoid of that. There’s still some dramatic moments but it’s probably the most light hearted of the movies since the first one.
But again, my memory of the previous films isn’t great. I know the second one was kinda dark because of its villain’s connection to Po.

With the exception of the scene during the credits (we left after this sequence and the song ended so I don’t know if there’s also a post credits scene), this is the first time the furious five aren’t featured in the movie.
That being said, Po’s new associate has more than enough personality to go around- thanks to Awkwafina giving another killer voice over performance.

Just to give a basic layout of the plot:
Shifu has decided that it’s time for Po to find a successor to the title of Dragon Warrior, so he may assume his new role as spiritual leader. Which Shifu’s teacher had before him.
Po, of course, is hesitant to relinquish the role that gave him a sense of purpose. He also proves on multiple occasions why his new title might not suit him as well. There’s a running joke through the whole movie about how bad he is about creating thoughtful proverbs. And when he is borderline successful, his words are twisted around to mean something hilariously wrong.
Then we have our bad guy- The Chameleon- played by viola davis. (I had no idea it was her until the credits. Another bad ass performance). Her goal is world domination, extending her reach beyond Juniper City where most of the movie takes place. She strikes fear into her enemies by changing her appearance into more intimidating foes. But she also has a major axe to grind. She wanted to learn Kung fu but all of the masters she sought training from turned her down. Discriminated against her because of her size. So her goal is to steal Kung fu powers from the spirit world in order to rule.
… in not as many words, it’s essentially the same plot as Space Jam, except she’s the one in charge. Whereas the aliens, who are challenged to a basketball game by the looney tunes and stole talent from active NBA players, they are underlinings.

Po is alerted to this villainous plot by Zhen, a silver fox he catches trying to pilfer artifacts from the temple. Then when a group of rams (seen in the first moments of the movie being attacked, seemingly, by Tai Lung, the first movie's villain) beseeches him for help.
So of course he turns to Zhen for help, offering to reduce her prison sentence in exchange.

There’s also the comic relief element that’s provided by Po’s adoptive dad Mr. Ping and his actual dad, Li, as both follow Po a few days behind to offer help if it’s needed.
And to their credit, they actually do help out when it matters. Meanwhile there’s some pretty funny shenanigans that happen on their journey.
Notably, they come to a restaurant where Po and Zhen recently trashed the place and make things worse. Seriously, whose idea was it to build this building precariously on that seaside cliff? Only asking for trouble, haha

I had my suspicions early and while Zhen’s story arc was a little predictable, she’s a very lovable character. In part because I love foxes but it was definitely the type of role tailor made for Awkwafina. Her comedic timing and quirks really shine here.
We had a relatively small group in the theater with us, but I’ll always remember one dude gasping when there’s a big reveal about her later in the movie. Things like that are why going to the movies is such an enjoyable group experience.

Another somewhat predictable thing- Po spends the whole movie carrying around this staff as part of his new role. That thing was just begging to be lost or stolen.

These movies are known for their humor and it’s kinda funny when even the villain gets a sarcastic comment.
She plans to use the blood moon to open the spirit world to steal the Kung fu powers. She’s waiting for it to rise and later bemoans “is it always this slow?” and chooses not to wait for it.
Having experienced blood moons in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild series (as a player as well as a spectator), the doomsday vibe brought on by its appearance wasn’t lost on me.

During the final battle sequence where Po fights The Chameleon and her stolen Kung Fu, we have various cameos from the series. Only Tai Lung gets any notable dialogue and it’s in the school of belittling the protagonist and other unhelpful snark. It is a pretty cool sequence, though.
The only thing I was kinda missing was an otherwise common occasion where powers or talent are typically stolen. Or something Ash once said about Pikachu in a battle- “they can copy Pikachu but there’s nothing like the real thing.” And it’s going to bug me that I completely forgot how that quote came about. I used to know that series so well, especially when the original cast was still part of it.
My point is that The Chameleon was able to use these powers as soon as she got them. And I really thought that was going to be her ultimate undoing. Instead it was the typical “biting off more than you can chew” and “pride cometh before the fall”.
And maybe I am over thinking a movie geared toward a younger audience but there are some good lessons. Particularly about how change is hard but it is necessary. There’s also one or two references that adults bringing their kids to this would appreciate. The cute fluffy bunnies that live in the thieves den with all of Zhen’s “family”— the action they get on the battle field takes a page from Monty python. They’re not as deadly as the killer rabbit but nonetheless not to be taken lightly.

I alluded to it earlier but definitely stick around for the credits. It has a training montage with the furious five that’s set to “hit me baby one more time”- performed by Jack Black and his band, Tenacious D.
As someone who grew up with Britney Spears in her prime, that was a REALLY good cover of that song. Odd combination but it worked really well.

Grade- A

Trailers:

Garfield

• hopefully this is better than the bill murray movies were
• As much as Garfield’s humor would fit in today’s world, putting him today’s world is still a bit concerning. And that doesn’t even include the whole spy novel angle they’re going in. This looks cute but I also can’t help ask WHY…
• Chris Pratt and Awkwafina seem to be really in demand for their voice over work. How long before they do a movie together cuz I’d love to see it

Imaginary Friends

• John Krasinski is going from “a quiet place” to this? That dude’s got range
• It’s an interesting idea- imaginary friends needing to be adopted by new kids after their kid grows up. Add in Ryan Reynolds, it’s probably a halfway decent movie. Just not one I’d see

Inside out 2

• this is something of a teaser trailer because only one of Riley’s new emotions makes an appearance. Gotta say- the fact anxiety came with tons of emotional baggage, I loved how they gave her tons of suitcases to demonstrate this
• I know there’s a fair bit of anticipation leading up to this movie. I just hope it doesn’t twist me in knots the way the first movie did. I hadn’t sobbed that much during a movie since “my sister’s keeper” (and to those who complained the movie was a letdown after the book- I didn’t read the book. So it was an incredibly sad movie start to finish just at face value).
  
  
  Epic tails
• I think it’s about a cat and mouse being friends, Poseidon threatens a town until it makes a statue of him and some sort of adventure is had so the two friends can reunite.
• The movie was 3 days ago. I had no memory of this at all
  
  
  Despicable 4
• honestly I thought this movie was already out… but if it was, we would’ve gone to see it already. And seeing as we’d seen every other movie in this franchise (except minions 2… not sure how we missed that one- we still say “peanut!” the same way as in the trailer, lol)
  
  
  The wild robot
• Whoever did this trailer knew what they were doing. It said a lot with virtually no dialogue until the final seconds
• It looks kinda like Wall-E except humanity never came back to earth and nature flourished without their interference
• Do I smell Oscar buzz?

My 2023 in Movies/In Memorium

In terms of movies, this year has been a mixed bag with a little bit of everything.

Just like New

We get into the habit of watching most of the same movies year after year, usually when they’re associated with a holiday or a season. But in addition to the new movies I saw this year, I revisited some I hadn’t seen in ages so they almost felt brand new. It’s a pretty cool experience, especially when you don’t remember exactly what happens next and when you’re caught off guard, it’s a thrill.

With the upcoming Indiana Jones movie (more on that later), we’d revisited nearly all of the previous installments. The only one I missed was temple of doom, which my mom watched on the tv upstairs.
But despite how much I’d seen raiders of the lost ark, I can’t in good conscience remember if I’d seen it in its entirety. Usually we bring it to the shorehouse and watch it there but the amount of alcohol we consume (no more than 3 drinks including wine with dinner), I sometimes fall asleep during our nightly movie. So I was finally awake to see the whole movie and it was awesome.
Another new-ish movie experience- Angels and Demons based on the Dan brown novel. Sure, I remember some people die and who the bad guy was but it was fun being along for the ride and trying to piece together the puzzles with Robert Langdon.

Theatrical adventures

It was another year we only went to theaters a few times. Neither of them were Barbie-Heimer, although I recently saw Barbie on Cinemax (more on that later)


Avatar 2

-It’s sad, I kinda forgot I saw this in January, lol
-I knew this was going to be a LONG movie but I wish I knew going in that they weren’t going to beat the bad guy and won’t beat him for another several sequels. It’s so frustrating!


Mario

-easily my favorite theater experience this year in term of actual movies. They did a really good job interpreting the source material, made a fun story and sprinkled in all kinds of references that even casual fans like my sister and I could pick out


Guardians 3

-another great addition to the franchise and good way to tie off all the loose ends. Although knowing Marvel they’ll find some excuse to make more and do something to screw it up.

Indiana Jones

-unlike all the critics that tore this movie apart, I enjoyed this one. And if my mom, the lifelong Indiana jones fan, enjoyed it, that’s all that matters in the end

Barbie-Heimer and more

As of writing this, I finally saw Oppenheimer. It was maybe a little too long but it held my attention the whole way through. It was really well done. In case you haven't heard this advice yet, I'd highly recommend subtitles. The music does get a little intense and loud where you can't hear dialogue. But you'll catch more information when it's out there in front of you to read. 

The Barbie movie, I admittedly have mixed feelings about. I’m not saying it was bad or that I didn’t like it. It’s just a strange experience where a movie has no clear villain, their motivations are justified, and things don’t completely go back to normal in the end. Or that it was one big cliffhanger.

I’ve loved Margot Robbie since seeing her as Harley Quinn, so I hate it when her characters get screwed up or get put through the wringer through no fault of their own. “Amsterdam”, another movie I wanted to see because of her, was really disappointing because of how her character was essentially gaslit most of the movie. And I don't wanna talk about what they did to Taylor Swift in that movie- that was so not cool.


Christmas movies

Of course in December we watched a bunch of Hallmark movies. I tried to stay away from the typical ones all the cliches and memes are written about. Scott Wolf brought me to one that took place in Ireland and it was about him and his sister learning they have “royal” roots. (I think their mom was in line to be a lord or something and she gave it up for a normal life).

There were a couple other Christmas movies that were hits and misses.

“Light it up 2”- some people get really serious about their Christmas displays. The new family that moves into the neighborhood already obsessed with decorating puts them all to shame. And play mind games until they take over everything so they can do it “their” way.

“Christmas with the Campbells”- the only person more obnoxious than that reality show family was Brittany snow’s boyfriend, who a) broke up with her cuz photography “isn’t a real career” and b) comes back and keeps coming onto her despite the fact he broke up with her. Justin Long couldn’t even save this movie for me- but his phony Midwest accent was also a huge turnoff.
This is also another reminder- people hanging around with their exes’ parents like their family does not work. It was already bizarre in “she’s out of my league”. Here, it’s like the actors knew it was weird but shoved it down our throats anyway cuz it’s part of the plot.

The only point of levity between these two movies that got me to laugh- like, really laugh.
A Nickelback reference that had nothing to do with hating on them for no reason. It was random but I appreciated it.

On the flip side, Justin Long was in another Christmas movie without a phony accent and it had much better writing. There’s still that stupid cliche where someone has a secret to tell and a fallout happens cuz they can’t bring themselves to do it. But maybe because it also took place in Ireland, that made it somewhat magical and more enjoyable.

More of the mixed bag

The year got off to a strange start with The Menu and Everything Everywhere All at Once.
It was cool getting to see an Oscar movie before it won a bunch of awards but it’s a little too out there for me to revisit.
The Menu, on the other hand, has a lot of rewatching value. Once you get the gist of what’s going on, it’s mind blowing. But maybe I’m a masochist for coming back for extra helpings (pun not intended).

The Banshees of Inisherin, which was up for a bunch of Oscars and probably won zero. That was kinda funny. Definitely needed the subtitles cuz of the thick accents. It was a bizarre setup where Brenden Gleeson didn't want to be friends with Colin Farrell anymore because he's boring. And if he didn't leave him alone and stop talking to him, he'd make him pay. The way he does this, though... you have to see the movie. It's so ridiculous and nonsensical, but it made me laugh.

The Fabelmans- I think it was based on Steven Speilberg growing up and falling in love with filmmaking. You can definitely tell it was a passion project and it was really enjoyable. 

The Whale- I didn't think I'd watch this because the idea of someone gorging themselves to death isn't my idea of a good time. But Brendan Fraser won me over quickly. It's about him trying to mend his relationship with his daughter. She's a bundle of fun (heavy sarcasm implied). But the fact she wrote an angsty 3 lines and her dad picked up on the fact it was a haiku- that blew my mind. But it was an odd ending... the same person who directed Black Swan did this as well so that kinda makes sense. 

The Doors movie with Val Kilmer- it was kinda cool for the first hour or so. I have their debut album because my late aunt was a huge Jim Morrison fan and I recognized a lot of the songs. However, Oliver Stone can be pretty intense as a director. The movie felt like one extended drug trip and I was ready to sober up sooner than the movie did. As good as Val Kilmer was in the lead role, it turned me off how intense he portrayed Jim Morrison. I know a lot of geniuses have mood swings, but finding out that some of the stuff he did in the movie was fabricated to make things shocking- did not appreciate that.

And don't get me even started on all the nudity. I know it was the 60's but did ALL of the concert scenes need to include girls with no clothes randomly coming on stage? Absolutely not.

Magic Mike's Last Dance- the scene with him and Salma Hayek dancing together... super steamy. I can see why she has so many men in love with her. But it was kinda interesting seeing her as this ex-wife who's very spontaneous when it comes to her hobbies.

More of the Classics

Then as usual, TCM was a great education on the classics and some of the greats.
I saw my first Bruce Lee movie- Fists of Fury. Not that this hasn’t been said thousands of times already, but Bruce Lee is a certified badass. It’s just insane how many people he can take down with him when he’s motivated to do so.

I’d wanted to see “Guess who’s coming to dinner” for a while and it finally happened. Sidney Poitier did not disappoint- wow!
Every time I see him at work, I’m just in awe and it was cool to see him do a less serious role for a change. Also knowing this was Spencer Tracy’s last movie and he gave the speech at the end while Katherine Hepburn was fully aware of how much time he had left- again, wow.
This movie stirred out a lot of conversations about interracial relationships and such. But one thing a lot of people may have forgotten- this young couple had only known each other for a few weeks and she already wanted to get married. I know it was a different time but I feel like that’s a bigger reason to be skeptical.

The lead-in to “It Happened one Night” talked about how Clark Gable turned heads when he took his shirt off and apparently undershirt sales went down because of this movie. The man did not disappoint, haha.
I’d seen him a couple of times, none that left a huge impression. This certainly did.
And also the hitchhiking scene where Claudette Colbert showed leg— I’d seen this done several times in parodies and other media so it was cool to see where it all came from.

"Wuthering Heights" with Lawrence Olivier... I didn't like the book at all. Had trouble getting through and keeping my interest. But this will be the version I'll compare all future ones to. I showed Heathcliff in a slightly more glamorous light where I can definitely seen Catherine falling in love with him. Heck, I did. The dude was treated so poorly by her brother when they were kids, Heathcliff deserved happiness and her brother deserved everything he wound up getting. 
There was a funny quote one of the TCM people mentioned at the end from producer Sam Goldwyn: "I made Wuthering Heights, William Wyler only directed it". He was integral to a lot of the creative decisions, including the scene at the end where the ghosts of the two characters walk into the void together. I personally liked that ending, even if it only served to reinforce the falsehood that Heathcliff is a romantic character.
It was Bella's favorite book in Twilight; this version definitely helped me see the appeal of it. And how Edward has a lot of similarities to Heathcliff- not the kind of guy you should fall for, but you can't help but do exactly that. 

"Doctor Strangelove"- I think I saw that and "War Games" at some point this year, so it was really interesting seeing how one informed the other. 
Doctor Strangelove was a really good movie. It held my attention the whole way through and had a lot of good lines. The ending was just a little bizarre but I suppose that's what they were going for. 

I think the only TCM movie I saw that I didn't like was "The Philadelphia Story"... I didn't remember even watching it until I went through my list of movies. I think it was a night co-hosted by Greta Gerwig and movies that helped inspire what she did with Barbie. I think I fell asleep during it because it was boring. Then we get to the end and the lead, who's trying to get divorced from her husband cuz he's a jerk... they get back together! I didn't like him at all and didn't think he redeemed himself enough to earn her back.

Disney

I didn't see Wish, but I finally saw a few movies that got a lot of hype when they first came out.

Cruella was an interesting retelling of the villain's origin story. They sort of did the Maleficent treatment with her where they made her a sympathetic anti-hero. How she grew up on the street with Horace and Jasper and they form a partnership together while she tries to become a famous designer. Although I saw it with commercials, which made it a little too long. And it felt like another needless "killing off the parent" start of the movie. They fully explain what happens later in the movie and it's later used to get back at the true villain, but when it first happens, I was so ready to write off the movie for having derivative and lazy writing.

Onward was very charming for a few reasons. It took place in a world of elves and D&D creatures and I'm a sucker for mythology. And it was a lot of fun. The ending was somewhat of a letdown but I understand what they were going for.

Enchanto- I'm so glad I finally got to see this one. I just knew that "we don't talk about Bruno" was its hit song, but I didn't know the context behind it. Supposedly he has the power of prophecy and he saw something that the rest of the family didn't like. He started to doubt himself and went into hiding and everyone just forgot about him. 

On YouTube, I get recommended videos for all kinds of things. I've seen Disney come up a few times, but its this channel where therapists analyze certain aspects of characters. I just watched one on the gaslighting in "Tangled," how Mother Goethel treats Rapunzel. Some, they might be reading into a little too much, but they did make some good points. The suggested video for Enchanto had "Toxic Perfectionism" written across the thumbnail. That, they absolutely had right. If I get a chance to see it again, I'd like to write about it.

My one little critique is that the songs are sung way too fast so it's hard to understand what they're saying. 

In Memorium

I don't remember all of them but these were the ones I wrote down in my journaling apps as they happened

• Jeff Beck
• Lisa Marie Presley
• Burt Bacharach
• Raquel Welch
• Tom Sizemore
• Len Goodman
• Jerry Springer
• Gordon Lightfoot
• Tina Turner
• Tony Bennett
• Paul Reubens
• Jimmy Buffet
• Steve Harwell from Smash Mouth
• Michael Gambon
• Suzanne Somers
• Matthew Perry
• Henry Kissinger
• Rosalyn Carter
• Sandra Day O’Connor
• Norman Lear
• Andre Braugher

Lost a few legends this year, some I didn’t get to appreciate until much later in their lives. Norman Lear in particular. I didn’t grow up with his shows but after seeing them reenacted live on abc to show how relevant those stories still are… yeah he’ll most certainly be missed.
As a fan of dancing with the stars, Len Goodman had been on our tv pretty frequently. I had fallen out of love with the show in recent years, between Tyra Banks being a bad host and the lack of “stars”. But something about this season brought back that spark for me and I’m sure Len would’ve loved it.
If you haven’t seen the show’s tribute to him, I HIGHLY recommend it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK2itAsB-8Y

It truly embodied what classic ballroom dancing was all about.

Michael Gambon- we lost another Dumbledore. I'll always consider Richard Harris the true Dumbledore because he best fit how the books described him. But Gambon did great as well. After finding the news, I immediately wanted to watch Prisoner of Azkaban when he made his debut in the role.

Most shocking passing easily goes to Matthew Perry. I’m still getting my head around that one… it’s been a long time since I’ve had that sensation of “this just doesn’t feel real.” And it still doesn’t.

Paul Reubens- I really didn’t grow up with peewee’s playhouse although I saw plenty of it during its shortlived syndication on adult swim. But it still kinda felt like losing a tiny bit of my childhood. I got the chance to see big adventure the other day. Not all of his humor is my cup of tea but there was some great comedic moments in there.

Music had its fair share of losses. 

I know nothing about Jeff Beck, but one of the guys on my favorite Prince podcast held him in high regard as one of the greatest musical acts ever. Along with Prince and Frank Zappa (someone else I know nothing about except for his song "Valley Girl").

Burt Bararch- I remember seeing him in the Austin Powers movies and mentoring American Idol contestants. He was a great guy with a lot of good credits to his name.

The dude from Smash Mouth- that one came out of nowhere and it was sad. I'd been sick of the song "All Star" forever... but there's no denying the impact he and that song made.

Tina Turner... dang, she lived a long life and made the most of it. 

Same goes for Tony Bennett. I'd only seen him sing a couple of times, most memorably on a special with Lady Gaga. I'll never forget that moment where he called out to her and she bent over with elation. Apparently it was the first time in ages he remembered her name- his Alzheimer's diagnosis had been that hard on him. But as a huge fan of hers, I'm so grateful to him for the musical partnership the two of them had. She was going through a difficult time before they met, so bad she might not have continued her musical career. But she came out of that dark time with a lifelong friend and even greater success. Not to mention some of my favorite songs of hers.

Two names that were almost on this list were Jeremy Renner and Jamie Foxx. And I’m so glad they’re both still with us.
Jeremy Renner and Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills started 2023 with a crazy one two punch. It was terrifying what both of them went through and it’s so good they’re both on the mend.

Non-Movie honorable mentions

These aren’t movies in the literal sense but I wanted to spotlight Taylor’s Eras Tour (which I saw in a movie theater) and the Michael Jackson Thriller 40 documentary (which was on showtime).
With the concert, I felt like I was in my glory. Not just because I knew almost every word to every song and seeing how they were being brought to life, but I got to share this with my mom and sister. I own all of her albums but since we don’t listen to current radio much anymore, they hadn’t experienced any new music from her since 1989 originally came out 10 years ago. Between that and the dancing with the stars night dedicated to her catalog, it’s been an amazing year to be a Swiftie.

The Michael Jackson documentary was really cool for a number of reasons. But what I got out of it the most was how dedicated he was to his vision. At most, I'd never been more than a casual fan who bought 2 of his best albums after his passing. But it was super cool hearing the demos for songs that would become the best pop songs ever put to tape. And also learning that the Thriller video was an idea he pushed for long after the album made its money. I thought of him as having this polite demeanor, but hearing him say how MTV videos early on were terrible and he wanted to do better... I couldn't help but agree but also, it blew my mind he'd have a bad word to say about anyone. And how spot-on he was with his vision for that video because it literally changed the music world.