2024's 10 Best Films

 As always, Christmas Day brings our annual 10 best list!  

10: Late Bloomers - A beautifully done story about how two people, united only by circumstance, can bond into the family both need.  

9: Deadpool and Wolverine - Another action packed, fun filled meta adventure from Ryan and Co., only this one slightly hampered by overreliance on easter eggs.

8: My Old Ass - What would you say if current you could talk to teenaged you?  Well, Aubrey Plaza does a hell of a job telling this story in an under the radar must see.

7: Tuesday - Death comes to visit an ailing mother and her terminally ill teenaged daughter in the form of a giant talking bird in this introspective, thoughtful look at how we deal with death.  Never has Julia Louis-Dreyfuss been better.

6: Dune Part 2 - Amazingly told climax to the story, well worth the wait.

5:  Humane - When the planet can no longer support the number of lives on it, a program instituted worldwide gives volunteers a chance to help reduce the population.  But what happens when your voluntary decision becomes mandatory?

4:  Late Night With the Devil - A late night talk show in the late 1970's on Halloween becomes the showcase for the devil coming for his debt.  

3:  Civil War - Reporters in the heart of the action of the second Civil War find old and new, courage and evil and finally, a look at what price they pay to get the story.

2: - Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story - Not the least bit ashamed to say my eyes were full of tears watching this retrospective of the life and tragedies of the man an entire generation knew, and will always know,  as Superman.  

1: The Substance - Want a younger, more attractive you?  There's only one rule to follow....every seven days, you must switch.  Easy enough, right?  Right?

The 10 Worst Films of 2024

 So thrilled to bring you this annual list of what I just hated to have watched this year.

10:  Drive Away Dolls - A Cohn brother strikes out on his own, and just can't quite capture the magic.

9:  Strange Darling - One of the favs from this years indie crop, however one five minute segment towards the end annihilated any good will I had left for this one by that point.

8:  Longlegs - Good idea, but poorly executed.  

7:  Snack Shack - two teenage friends scheme themselves into growing up, love and running a business.  Problem is the two leads weren't the least bit likable.

6:  Argylle - The trailers with the cute cat that were EVERYWHERE when you went to the theater?  Yeah, that was the highlight.

5: Ghost Busters: Frozen Empire - Bad concept, bad script, lazy acting.  Poor from a franchise that got itself back on good graces.

4:  Reunion - A shit-tastic whodunit set at a high school reunion.  

3:  I Saw The TV Glow - Beautiful cinematography, well meaning, interesting script, but the mumbletone, cardboard acting destroys it.  I mean stomps it into the ground, buries it in crap and then stomps some more.

2:  Twisters - The original film was highly stupid, but was at least a fun watch.  This one left off the fun part and basked in stupidity.  

1:  Madame Web - Yeah, I know its low hanging fruit, but rarely is bashing it as deserved as this utterly contemptuous, vapid, empty, plotless sewer dreck has earned.   

The best films of 2023

 After a few rocky years post covid, we were richly rewarded this year.

10 best films of 2023

 

10 – No Hard Feelings:  An amazing Jennifer Lawrence lets it all hang out in a spectacular return for the raunchy comedy genre.

 

9 – Suitable Flesh:  A strange but fulfilling tale of horror.

 

8 – Air:  You wouldn’t think a movie about signing a guy to sell shoes would be entertaining, but somehow it manages to grab you.

 

7 – Renfield:  A wildly over the top Nick Cage makes the cherry on top of a fun new angle on boring ol’ Dracula.

 

6 – Golda:  A surprisingly good retelling of the days of former Israeli PM Golda Meir during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

 

5 – Bottoms:  Two devastatingly unpopular young lesbians start an all girl high school fight club to ensure “female empowerment”, when in truth just trying to score with their cheerleader crushes.  Hilarity ensues.

 

4 – Barbie:  A tale of what it is, and what it means, to be a woman in our society.  Brilliantly subversive, bright, colorful, fun and touching.  More than anyone would have expected.

 

3 – Godzilla: Minus One:  A failed and shamed kamikaze pilot returns home after WWII and an incident that shook him far more than the war did.  Once that incident shows itself in its giant, mutated form, he gets a second chance at honor.  Utterly brilliant.

 

The next two were really tough, but after some thought, here we go.

 

2 – Oppenheimer:  A brisk, deep, full bore look into the life of the man who brought us the nuclear age.  Rarely has 3 hours moved so fast and been so magnificent, so breathtaking, so eyecatching. 

 

1 – The Holdovers:  A jaded teacher, a grieving mother and cook and the only student who couldn’t get back home for Christmas break from an exclusive private high school grow into the family all so desperately needed over those two weeks.  An enriching, beautiful tale of hope, love and how family doesn’t have to be blood.  A longlasting, emotional best film of 2023. 

2023's Worst

 Welcome back to another edition of:

10 Worst Films of 2023

 

10:  Reality -  A movie about the woman who leaked classified intelligence about the 2016 elections starring current IT girl Sydney Sweeney?  Sign me up……………till I watched it.

 

9:  Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - The movie moves at the same speed Harrison does these days.

 

8:  Infinity Pool – An awesome concept turned into a self indulgent mess by heavy handed direction.

 

7:  Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – Speaking of poor direction……..

 

6:  Supercell -  Another “yahoo” bunch of storm chasers with almost supernatural links to what the storm will do equals another wasted 90 minutes.

 

5:  Slotherhouse -  Another cute idea, inept direction and acting again brings this sorority house killer sloth movie to its barely off the ground knees.

 

4:  There’s Something in the Barn -  Yes, it’s a Norwegian barn elf who gets pissed and murders.  There, now you’ve seen it too.  You’re welcome.

 

3:  Monsternado:  This time, prehistoric creatures are drug up from the sea, this time no one cares.

 

2:  Strays:  There’s well done crass, off color humor, and then there’s Strays.

 

And number 1 – Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey – A movie that had sooooo much possibility, but instead of playing it any of the ways that would have been successful, they instead go the heavy handed, mean spirited way.  What an absolute piece of junk, but got enough curiosity to merit a sequel.  Ugh.  

2022's 10 Best Films!

 Here we go, the best films (in my less than humble opinion) of this past year!  

10: The Fallout - This HBOmax feature was easily a starmaking turn for Jenna Ortega, as a teen dealing with the emotional issues resulting from a school shooting.

9:  A Christmas Story Christmas - Another HBOmax movie, a fun and well done trip down nostalgia lane.

8: The Batman - Surprisingly good turn from star Pattinson, far more interesting than batfleck ever was.

7:  Ambulance - Mindless, turn your brain off fun.

6:  Clerks III - The final part of the Clerks trilogy, surprising ending but a beautiful end for our story.

5:  Dual - You're sick, you're terminally ill.  You create a clone of yourself to leave behind for your family, but then....you recover.  You must now dual your clone to the death.  An interesting look into humanity.

4: Top Gun: Maverick - Riding the nostalgia wave high, what a great time in a theater.

3: Violent Night - A jaded Santa rediscovers his love for Christmas and kicks some serious ass in the process in this new holiday classic.

2:  Piggy - When one of the tormentors of an overweight girl in a small Spanish village is kidnapped, will Sara help or get revenge?  Another movie I really loved.

And my favorite movie of 2022?

1:  Everything Everywhere All At Once - The BEST time I've had at the movies this year, featuring a wild and entertaining story that keeps your attention while you're guessing.  Add to that the return of Temple of Doom's Short Round and an amazing turn from Jamie Lee Curtis and you've got a movie that is getting a lot of buzz and is STILL worthy of more attention

2022's 10 Worst Films!

Happy Holidays everyone!

I know a surprising number of people look forward to this, so enjoy reading about what I suffered through this year!

10:  Crimes of the Future -  Cronenberg has always had some out there stuff, but here he wasn't as clever as he thought.

9:  Studio 666 - Why I would expect any more puzzles me, but this is one of the most juvenile films I've watched in quite some time.

8:  The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent - More like the incredible stroking of massive ego.

7:  Halloween Ends - If you're going to rip off a Friday the 13th film, Jason Goes to Hell is NOT the one to pick.

6:  X - Is it a horror film?  Porn?  The world may never care..

5:  Moonfall - If there's any justice, this one kills Emmerich's career.

4:  Don't Worry Darling - Girls...you may love how cute he is, but PLEASE stop trying to give Harry Styles an acting career.

3:  Jurassic World: Dominion - Why does every modern "reboot trilogy" start off great and end like a 6 month old's diaper??

2:  Infinite Storm - More like infinite bore.

AND THE WORST FILM OF 2022................

1.  Bodies, Bodies, Bodies - Stupid, stupid, stupid.

2021's 10 Best Films!

10. “Good on Paper”:  A surprisingly cute and clever film from the hysterical mind of Iliza Shlesinger about the biggest liar she ever dated.

9. “Free Guy”:  The charm of Ryan Reynolds shines through again, in this video game based take on “The Truman Show”.

8. “Black Widow”: Missed the mark, but was the best of Marvel’s early 2021 slate.  Would have been better last year though.

7. “Gunpowder Milkshake”:  A great action shoot ‘em up with a great lead performance from Karen Gillian.  Don’t mess with this hitwoman!

6. “8 Bit Christmas”:  Another rework, take “A Christmas Story”, set it in the late 80’s and add a Nintendo.  Great holiday fun.

5. “Black Friday”:  A gory and funny romp starring genre king Bruce Campbell (“The Evil Dead” series) concerning a group of store employees working on Black Friday when the customers turn into zombies.

4. “Lamb”:  Brilliant supernatural thriller that you really have to see to believe.  My trying to give a rundown would just be unfair.  Seek this one out and see it.

3. “Dune”:  Exciting first chapter, loyal to the source material and perfectly cast.  Gripping setup for the next film.

2. “Spider-Man: No Way Home”.  Marvel fires up the multiverse arc with this fun and emotional tale.  Peter Parker screws up a spell being cast by Dr. Strange and brings powerful villains to his world.  Help arrives and the audience applauds.  So close, a few plot holes keep it just below best of status.

1. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”:  Brilliant storyline brings new faces to the fold while being respectful of the original film. A fitting way to continue the series and update it for modern audiences.